Regional Snapshot
From Rod & Ruth Matthews,
Australia and New Zealand

Faithfulness and generosity

VARSITY LAKES, Queensland, Australia—Throughout 2004 the God we worship and serve has continued to powerfully demonstrate his faithfulness and generosity toward his people in our fellowship in the great south lands of Australia and New Zealand.

NEW OFFICE—New Australian office  under construction. [Photo by Rod Matthews]

Significant blessings have come our way in both countries. Consequently, the church is being better equipped to more effectively share the gospel and look after our brothers and sisters in Christ through the faithfulness and generosity of those who reflect these characteristics of God.

Australia

The highlight of the year is the miraculous sale of the national office building at Burleigh Heads even before it was officially put on the market. The church used this fine building for 28 years, but the size of the building has long ex­ceeded the church’s needs, and with ever-increasing maintenance costs, the Australian board decided to prepare for a sale.

John and Heather McLean

At almost the same time, the director of a multinational company that was relocating its Asian regional headquarters from Sydney to the Gold Coast and was familiar with the building asked if we were interested in selling.

The company directors were so enchanted with the property and design of the building that they were willing to make a satisfactory offer and accept responsibility for handling the needed renovations for both the structure and the grounds.

KAREN CHILDREN—Children of Karen refugee congregation. [Photo by Rod Matthews]

Several key directors of this company are active Christians involved in their own congregations. They reflected their Christian generosity by including in the contract provision to pay our legal costs, allow several months of rent-free occupation as we made relocation plans, to purchase furniture we did not need and to sponsor youth ministry activities in our fellowship for several years.

The church vacated the building in late September and in early November will move into new (much smaller) premises still under construction, which the church purchased, several kilometers away in the neighboring Gold Coast suburb of Varsity Lakes.

KAREN REFUGEES—Karen refugee congregation supported by Australian members. [Photo by Rod Matthews]

As John McLean, Australian national director, said: “Those of us involved in this process have felt greatly encouraged that this was God’s doing, not ours. And we give thanks that God has provided a buyer at what seems to be the right time in our journey.”

So we are the recipients of God’s marvelous generosity. As Paul said to the Corinthians, “This most generous God who gives seed to the farmer that becomes bread for your meals is more than extravagant with you” (2 Corinthians 9:10, The Message Bible).

A burden has been removed and a foundation laid for the future.

This generosity that God has shown is reflected in the Australian members toward those in our region who are less fortunate. Many sister-church support relationships have been established in recent years.

The Perth congregation supports the Worldwide Educational Institute, our church-sponsored school, as well as pastoral services in Sri Lanka.

While joining with other smaller congregations and individuals around the country, the Sydney congregation substantially supports the regular assistance sustaining our Karen refugee congregation in Thailand.

In conjunction with the Bendigo, Victoria, congregation, Sydney also underwrites pastoral visits and infrastructure development for our highlands congregation in Papua New Guinea.

The Mooroolbark congregation in Melbourne, and Ipswich in Queensland, provide humanitarian and pastoral support for our Honiara and Ranongga congregations and remote members in the Solomon Islands.

The Morwell, Victoria, congregations has a sister-church relationship with a group in India, and the Dandenong, Victoria, congregation has a sister-church relationship with a group in Africa.

Adelaide and Newcastle provide regular contributions to assist the mission work in Bangladesh conducted through the Bengali Evangelical Association.

And individuals across the nation make donations toward other specific projects throughout the region.

We also have countless local area outreach and evangelistic activities throughout Australia to which individual members and congregations contribute time and resources.

New Zealand

For some years, the small New Zealand congregations have striven to maintain national cohesion in the face of the large distances be­tween congregations, and financial pressures that ultimately reduced the church-employed ministry to one full- and one part-time pastor.

Dennis and Sue Richards

But several years ago a wonderfully generous and dedicated member willed his substantial estate to the church. Upon his death, the estate was sold, and the New Zealand board of trustees carefully invested the income.

This year, as a result of additional investment income, it became possible to offer Dennis Richards full-time employment again. For four years, he and Sue had pastored three congregations in a part-time capacity, while studying and working. With the future in mind, the trustees asked that he dedicate half his time to a national role of pastoral services and development coordinator.

New Zealand members are del­ighted to have Dennis and Sue back in full-time service to the church to share the load with Rex Morgan, financial and admin­istrative services manager and pastor in Auckland and additional churches.

Rex Morgan

So, too, the New Zealand members are the recipients of God’s generosity coming through the agency of a son of his who reflected this godly quality.

But the members give as well as receive. Many of the local congregations contribute regularly to the pastoral needs in the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu. Morgan visits Vanuatu once or twice a year to strengthen the denominational connections, encourage members, provide pastoral support to the elder, and to carry physical re­sources provided by the New Zealand churches.

NEW ZEALAND BOARD—From left: Maureen  MacDonald, John Warman, Les Evans (chairman),  Rex Morgan, Rod Matthews, David Wong and  Dennis Richards. [Photo by Marilyn Wong]

Members are also involved in urban ethnic reconciliation, Habitat for Humanity and a host of other community and international projects.

What a pleasure it is to report how the people of God are re­sponsive to the admonition of Hebrews 13:16: “Make sure you don’t take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of ‘sacrifice’—that takes place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets” (The Message Bible).

Copyright © Grace Communion International, 2004