Messenger: Published by Westminster Presbyterian Church - Volume 152 Summer Edition 2011

The
M E SSENGER
P u b l i s h e d b y We s t m i n s t e r P r e s b y t e r i a n C h u r c h | Vo l u m e 1 5 2 S u m m e r E d i t i o n 2 0 1 1
The Messenger
Contents
Vo l u m e 1 5 2 S u m m e r E d i t i o n 2 0 1 1
Missions
Features
Church News
Youth & Family
4-7 8-22 23-25 26-29

Aims
To uphold the teachings of Scripture as
summed up in the Westminster Confession
of Faith.
To assist the WPC churches in their congregational life and witness.
To foster a spirit of unity amongst WPC
churches.
Contributions, Letters,
etc.
All materials for the editor, such as
contributions, letters and comments about
The Messenger should be directed to:
Revd Clem White,
10 Melaleuca Terrace,
HALLS HEAD, W.A. 6210
Phone: (08) 9535 3301
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Email: candpwhite@bigpond.com.au
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Opinions expressed are those of the contributor and not necessarily those of WPC, the
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Photo on cover: Christians in the Brookton/Pingelly districts gather each Sunday evening for prayer at the foot
of this cross overlooking the town of Pingelly.
T h e M es s eng er Summe r 2011
Editorial
Church Critics
hat should our response be to these

headlines of an article in a recent
newspaper? Churchs attitude to
Gays puts people off.
According to this article the Christian
media group Olive Tree Media, found that
hell, damnation, anti gays, abuse and the
Bible were turning people away from coming
to church. These comments came out of a
national survey of more than 1000 Australians
including churchgoers and follow-up focus
group sessions.
Some churches respond by eliminating these
topics from their church services. They preach
messages which they hope, will not hurt anyone.
They only sing songs with happy messages and
catchy tunes. They dont read from the Bible
and keep any prayers to a minimum. This
formula seems to work if judged by the number
of people attending such churches.
However,
by
not focussing on
biblical
centred
worship they have
made themselves
irrelevant to the
serious God seeker.
They have placed
themselves in the
same position as
the politicians who
are guided by focus
groups. The public
lose faith in them because they dont have stable
policies to guide them.
If we are going to have an impact on our
fellow Australians we must know what we
stand for as a church. Those of us who are
members of the Westminster Presbyterian
Church need to understand, believe and live out
our fundamental beliefs.
In todays church bashing climate we should

not be ashamed to make it public that we are
a church of Jesus Christ. We remember that
Jesus told Peter the gates of Hades would not
overcome his church, Matt 16:18.
We should not be ashamed to say that we
believe the Bible is the Word of God and the
only rule for faith and life.
We should study and understand the
Westminster Confession of Faith which sets out
our view of the Bible. We need to be confident
in knowing what we believe as members of our
church. Then as loyal members we should
throw ourselves wholeheartedly into our
regular worship services and every other aspect
of church life in which we can participate.
During a radio interview, Karl Faase, a Baptist
minister and leader of the Olive Tree Media
explained how he and his team use the feed
back from their survey to produce short radio
and television presentations.
Interestingly,
during the interview Rev. Faase said that while
people can be critical of the church when it
comes down to personally knowing a church
attendee they are usually very positive about
that person.
So this gives us a further clue about how we
should respond to criticism of the church. We
should try to build up relationships with non
churchgoers and stick with the teachings of the
Bible. Then when we get an opportunity to
answer their criticisms we remember the advice
from 1 Peter 3:15-16, Always be prepared to
give an answer to everyone who asks you to give
the reason for the hope that you have. But do
this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear
conscience, so that those who speak maliciously
against your good behaviour in Christ may be
ashamed of their slander. U
C lem W hite
T h e Me sse n ge r S u m m e r 2 0 1 1
Missions
The Brookton Family Festival, 2012

T ony V eale
reparations for the 2012 Brookton

Family Festival are well under way.
If youre not sure what the Brookton
Family Festival is, we are a group of people
from various Perth churches (mostly WPC)
who run a mission, under the auspices of
Scripture Union, in Brookton, WA.
Brookton is on the western edge of the
Wheatbelt, and is basically the town of
about 800 people, which services the
farming community. Brookton has had a
varied Christian heritage, which peaked in
the 1960s, but the established churches are
now, like many small towns around Australia,
struggling to survive, let alone grow.
An old fashioned theme
We held a mission there in January 2011,

to provide an opportunity for children and
their parents (or grandparents) to hear the
Gospel through a week-long Kids Club
and a couple of community events. In the
light of the wonderful community support
we received, not only are we enthused to
return, but we want to tweak our program to
4
maximise our opportunities to present Jesus,

and to encourage the Christians who live
in Brookton. We will be in Brookton from
Tuesday 17th January to Sunday 22nd January
2012.
There are three small Protestant churches
in Brookton - Presbyterian, Anglican and
Uniting. [The Presbyterian church is a WPC
(Calvary), which historically is tied to the
start of the whole denomination.] The
Mission team would love to see all these local
Christians work together to bring the message
of Jesus to their community. As a team of 30
or so people, we think we can help.
One of the major events we intend to hold
is a combined Sunday worship service in the
Town Hall for the town, and to especially
invite Christians from those churches as well
as others from the nearby towns of Pingelly
and Beverley. We hope that gathering many
believers together will be an encouragement
to them, as well as provide any interested
non-Christians who come to meet and make
friends with some of their local followers of
Jesus.
Prior to the church service, we will hold a 3
day Kids Club program from Wednesday to
Friday. We found that with the summer heat in
Brookton, it was difficult to maintain interest
from the Primary School-aged children for a
whole week. So, a 3 day program was decided
upon, and we will use a slightly different way
of presentation, too, to keep the interest
up. Within a Mediaeval theme, using short,
punchy segments of song, stories, craft,
games and Scripture, in a large group, we
hope to make the Gospel clear every day, so
that even if participants only come for one
day, they will hear about Jesus. We will also
have a family movie night, and an afternoon
visit to the local nursing home to sing songs
with the aged people there.
The main community focus will be a
Community Fair on Saturday 21st in and
Fun with the kids at last years BFF
around the Town Hall, from 10.30 a.m. to

3 p.m. We intend to have a large number of
activities and stalls for all ages. Lunch will
be a free sausage sizzle, and during the day,
we will have some live music, competitions
like archery and tug-o-war, face painting,
puppets, Christian books and craft items for
sale (courtesy of the Kingsley Church Craft
group), and a bunch of other things to amuse
and interest the whole community. We will
also invite people to come to a Quiz Night
that evening (last years was well attended),
and most importantly, ask them to come to
the Sunday service.
We would love for you readers to support
the team in prayer. The Fair and combined
service are new parts to our program, and will
in all likelihood stretch the team. We have a
number of new members, and many of our
team are teenagers from WPC across Perth.
There are still areas of preparation to be
done, and advertising to be sent out.
Another way to support the team is through

donating towards the cost of putting on this
program. Many of our team are students;
we have a couple of families, too. If you
would like to help to reduce the fees the team
members pay, you can give directly into the
Mission account:
Name:
Scripture Union of W.A.
Yanchep Family Festival
(where we were formerly
based).
BSB:
036 044
Account no.: 22 6751
We will report back in a future Messenger
edition on how things went, to Gods glory!!
U
Tony Veale is a ruling elder at Kingsley WPC

and the leader of the FF team
Adam blamed Eve

Eve blamed the snake
And the snake didnt have a leg to stand on.
Missions
Marshall Musings Dec 2011

D avid & W endy M arshall
Different Traditions
Every person and every family end up with a

different style, a different level of adaptation.
So there needs to be patience and flexibility.
When my son flips between see ya this arvo
and an American accented meet you in the
parking lot, I have to
acceptwith
thatOMF
that is who
Serving
he is and that the environment
hes
growing up
in Japan
in influences him.
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respectful of the traditions
and styles of other
Every
person most
and
people.
Thankfully
people
are respectful
of
every family
end up
our
Australian-ness,
but
with a different
even for those who overwhelm us with their
style, a different level of adaptation.
American-ness, we need to be filled with grace in
there needs
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interactions
with them.
Wepatience
appreciate and
your
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When
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son
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prayers. International living can be
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HALL MUSINGS
We live in an unusual situation, Australians

in Japan, yet partially immersed in American
culture and working with an international
mission.
On a day-to-day basis David and the boys are
in a fairly American environment. Even though
many of the students are not American, the
teaching at Christian Academy in Japan (CAJ,
pronounced Cee-Aye- Jay) is based on an
American curriculum and largely implemented
parking
lot, Varsity
teams, and
by
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stand).
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ly
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nd
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the short times theyve
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and know
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what is happening.
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Different Traditions
December 2011
MARSHALL MUSI
s on inside
meets
T hyour
e M es sorganisation
eng er and
Summe
r 2011
largely
6curriculum
uality standards. The Western Association
Different Tradit
country themselves (which is m
missionary life, but accreditation is an important

part of what I do to serve God. Pray that the
whole process will go smoothly.
Prayer points
Both David and Wendy are juggling many

roles. Pray for efficiency, wisdom and
stamina.
Pray for Wendy as she helps move the
magazine she edits, Japan Harvest, onto a
higher standard of professionalism. This
involves changes in a number of areas and
challenges in interpersonal relationships.
Wisdom about what we should include in
our short visit to Australia in the middle of
2012.
Christmas is the prime time for evangelistic
events in Japan. Both CAJ and our church
have a full events calendar. Pray for good
health for participants and open hearts for
audiences.
Wendys Bible Study is going well, with the
biggest challenge being a large range of
English language abilities. Mr N. has not
been too difficult to manage, though he does
like to use large English words that no one
except Wendy knows!

Wisdom in parenting is something for which
we always need prayer.
Praise points
Our fun camping trip. It was great to get

out of Tokyo and see the beautiful Japanese
countryside.
We have a weeks holiday just before
Christmas, not in tents this time, but up in
the mountains where we hope to get in some
snow play.
Good health generally speaking.
Good parent-teacher conferences at the
beginning of November. So thankful to hear
great things about each of our boys.
Wendys magazine Writers retreat went well.
Were planning more for next year. U
David and Wendy Marshall are missionaries

in Tokyo, Japan with the Overseaas
Missionary Fellowship
The Marshalls
7
Fe a t u re s
Missionaries Can Be Lonely?

by
W endy M arshall
everal years before I became a missionary

in Japan, I was about to go on a short-term
missions trip as a single person. Before I
left, I had a conversation with a young man who
told me he could never consider dating someone
who was interested in missions. I was not even
close to being a missionary, yet I could already
feel the bite of loneliness that comes with the
role.
Before missionaries even leave the shore of
their home country they face loneliness. So I was
surprised when I wrote on this topic on my blog
some time ago and found someone who was
stunned to think that missionaries experience
loneliness.
At the start of the journey to becoming a
missionary, a person has to declare his or her
intention. This immediately causes people,
Christians particularly, to view the person
differently. Even to start to avoid the person, as
if a call to missions might be infectious. Perhaps
they feel threatened by the missionary-to-bes
passion. Or some might think it is just a phase
To say goodbye to loved ones

and move to a foreign country
is a frightful experience.
the person is going through and that if they
ignore it, it will pass. To be misunderstood is to
experience loneliness.
Once missionaries are ready to depart, they
must say goodbye to all their friends and family.
To many this farewell almost equals a funeral. It
certainly felt like that to us the first time we left.
People began to exclude us from their lives, even
if not deliberately. It felt as though our lives were
coming to an end, and indeed I suppose, life as it
had been, was drawing to a close. Conversations
would suddenly break off at our appearance, or
people would apologise for planning an event
that would take place after our departure. Other
people just slipped away, lacking the words to
say farewell, but hoping that their absence would
not be noted. A living funeral, thats what it felt
like: a lonely place to be.
8
To say goodbye to loved ones and move to

a foreign country is a frightful experience. To
anticipate going to a place where you probably
dont speak the language is to anticipate
loneliness. Im glad I didnt realise at the time
how isolated I would feel. It wasnt till wed
physically settled in Japan that I realised I had
truly left behind all the human support Id
ever had (outside my marriage, of course). At
the same time, going out as a missionary is an
exciting time, a time of anticipating what God
has prepared for you to do. It helps to know the
reason for leaving was a call from God, but he
doesnt promise hell provide instant friends to
replace those weve left behind. That takes time
and in the meantime, loneliness can feel like
your only friend.
Of course these days the internet makes
a difference. We have retired missionary
friends who recall the days when their own
children were born on the field. They had to
go to the next city to telegraph the news to
the new grandparents. Were grateful for fast
communications, although not all missionaries
have this. Were also aware, that even though we
can communicate with friends and family back
home, that doesnt mean they understand what
One of our sons saying a tearful goodbye to his aunty

at her wedding.
it is like to live in our new environment or even

that theyre interested. Communication tends to
peak soon after departure and gradually drop
off during the following months. Friends and
family are busy with their own lives, which no
longer include you.
It can take years to feel comfortable in your
newly adopted country; possibly never. Even if

you make good friends with the local people,
there can be a sense of not ever being able to
truly share your heart. Much like a pastor or
pastors wife cannot be good friends with most
of the parishioners. I have a missionary friend
whos been in Japan for many years. Not long
ago I wrote a long, rambling email to her about
recent events in our lives. I also apologised for
my lengthy response to her enquiry about how I
was going, knowing that she has a busy ministry.
She wrote back and told me never to apologise
for a lengthy personal email. Why? Shes lonely.
Then there is the issue of language. This varies
from country to country, but in some countries,
like Japan, missionaries rarely make it to nativelevel competency in the language. The challenge
of making friends when you struggle to
communicate is
enormous. When
you can chat with
someone about
the weather, but
not about your
hearts
desires
and frustrations,
that is loneliness.
Sooner
or
later, it is time
to return home
for a period: the
unique missionary institution of furlough or
home assignment. After enduring loneliness and
home sickness, missionaries often look forward
to this time at home. They look forward to
picking up those relationships theyd missed
while being away. But before missionaries get
there, goodbyes must be said once again this
time to colleagues with whom theyve shared
much. Local friends and acquaintances too
must be farewelled, many of whom will not
understand why the missionaries must go. Once
again missionaries endure severed relationships
and being misunderstood. More loneliness.
When missionaries arrive home for the
first time they begin to realise how much they
themselves have changed. At the same time,
the people back home havent remained static.
Theyve married, divorced, had kids, changed
jobs, houses, or states. And the spot that the
missionaries once held in their lives is no longer
vacant. The missionaries discover it is difficult to
find a place to belong in others lives, even those
they used to be close to. The people back home
find it difficult to relate to the missionaries, these

people they once knew. There now is a lack of
shared experiences and they notice changes that
have taken place within the missionary that they
dont understand. Loneliness!
While missionaries are home, they tour
around different churches and groups. Their
lifestyle is irregular and their time is often
spread across many different situations and
relationships. It is difficult to invest much time
with just a few friends. The missionaries want
to make up for lost time with family, but it is
impossible. The time that has passed is lost,
and nothing can be done to retrieve it. More
loneliness!
Missionaries can look like they know lots of
people, but many relationships are not deep ones
where their true worries and concerns can be
shared. Usually they feel pressure to tell success
stories and to keep personal stories and tales
about failure to themselves. Not many people at
home stop long enough to hear beyond surface
details of missionaries lives. Loneliness!
Enough. I think you get the picture.
Thankfully, there are exceptions. Many
missionaries have one or more special friends
who remain faithful throughout life friends
with whom it is possible to pick up where they
left off and not feel as though much time has
elapsed at all. And for them we are truly grateful.
From a personal point of view, we as a family
live in a very special place. Because David
teaches at the Christian Academy in Japan and
all our boys attend there, we live very close to
the school. So do many other staff and their
families, as well as a number of the students and
their families. So we see many foreigners and
have many rich relationships. However, there is
a high turnover in the community, and so we say
a lot of goodbyes each year. But we arent as
lonely as we used to be in our earlier years in
Japan.
When you think of missionaries you know,
please pray for satisfying relationships for them.
People dont want to admit they are lonely. But
now you know: many missionaries find it hard to
escape loneliness. U
David & Wendy Marshall are missionaries

in Tokyo, Japan with the Overseas Missionary
Fellowship (OMF)
Fe a t u re s
Barbara Looks Back

by
B arbara C ross
ur day began on Thursday with very

dear friends arriving at the apartment
where we are staying and as soon as
they arrived the little place smelled of smoke.
When our friends came home from church
on Sunday they saw what they later realised
was smoke in a bedroom window. When they
went in the house they discovered that the
upstairs was on fire. Their first concern was
for their son, if he was in the house.
After their investigation they found that
their son had left and had actually set the
fire, the result of which was that their whole
upstairs was either fire, smoke or water
damaged. The police began a hunt for their
son. Eventually they found that he was in a
hospital quite a few miles away. There are a
lot more details that I could write but suffice
it to say that when they came and sat with us
we were in the presence of extreme raw pain.
Others had given them used clothing and
bedding and we gave them a gift of money
so they could go out right then and buy
underwear and other clothes that they would
not be given used. My heart ached for this
mother and father. How horrible to have your
house burned but how much more terrible to
know that it was done purposely by your son.
In spite of all this terrible pain their Christian
faith came through.
After they left we went to a very ancient
pub to meet up with three dear friends from
our DivorceCare ministry here in Chelmsford
to have a final lunch with them. It was a
beautiful sunny day and we sat outside to eat
together. We laughed, remembering happy
times together but they spoke of how we
had been a lifesaver as they went through the
terrible pain of divorce and they met week by
week in our home.
10
Again, these relationships go back some

15 years and have been strongly maintained
though we have been separated in distance
from them for the past nine years while in
Worcester. Small gifts were brought to us to
cause us to remember them as individuals.
Again a mixture of sadness at saying goodbye
to them and yet joy in each others company
and deep love for one another.
Before we left for England 20 years ago a
family member from my mothers side wrote
to say that our ancestors had come from
Essex, the county where we spent our first
11 years in England. We had been to the
beautiful village which the Sherman family
left back in the 1630s. We even worshipped
in the church where there is a window in their
honour and saw the lovely home they left
there in the village to travel to the wilds of a
new country to find religious freedom.
We knew
that
they
went
with
T homas
Hooker,
a
great Puritan
preacher,
who
had
been ejected
from
his
preaching
post at what
is now the
Chelmsford
Cathedral.
When
he Hookers Company reach the
was ejected Connecticut, publishers: Estes &
Lauriat, 1879
Hooker was
forbidden to come any closer than five miles
from Chelmsford. Knowing that there were
many Puritans who depended upon him for

his teaching and encouragement he moved to
the tiny village of Little Baddow five miles
from Chelmsford. There he set up a school
for the purpose of training young men.
One of his assistants, called an usher, was
John Elliott, who became a believer under
Hookers influence, and later became the first
missionary to the American Indians.
When wicked Archbishop Laud, who hated
Puritans, forced Hooker and other Puritans
to flee from England, the Puritan Shermans
went with Hooker to the New World. Hooker
later disagreed with one of the strong leaders
in the Colony in Boston over the limited
voting rights given to men. He, along with
another Puritan leader named Stone, and
another 100 people, including my ancestors,
the Shermans, travelled deeper into the wild
country to a place they named Hartford
now in the state of Connecticut.
I write this historical background to tell you
of a very moving experience on Thursday
afternoon. We knew for some years that the
house to which Thomas Hooker fled from
Laud still existed in Little Baddow. However,
we had never visited it and I was determined
that I would see this place before I left England.
We located the beautiful ancient home down
a one track road in a heavily wooded area.
David felt it was a bit unnecessary to knock
at the door to ask permission to take a picture
but I felt strongly that I shouldnt take the
picture without being seen.
I knocked on the door and identified
myself and my interest and asked permission
to take the photo. We were instantly given a
warm welcome, shown around the outside of
the house and invited inside as well to take
photos of the very room where Thomas

Hooker had his school, held meetings with
Puritans from around the area (perhaps even
my ancestors) and where John Elliot received
his training to become, not only the first
missionary to the Indians, but one of the first
to translate the Bible into a foreign language
for evangelistic purposes. I must confess that
tears came to my eyes to be in this spot so
important to American and Church history
but also important to my family history.
The owners, both retired doctors, were
delighted with our interest and even obtained
a wonderful book for me written about
Hooker, and in which details about my
ancestors are even given. We were asked to
keep in touch with these delightful people as
they wanted to see any articles that I might
write about these historical men.
On the wall outside the house and also on
a wall near the Chelmsford Cathedral is a
plaque that says, Thomas Hooker Father
of American Democracy. it was his ideas
and that led to the framing of the American
Constitution. (To know more about these
great men do look up Thomas Hooker and
John Elliott on the Internet). I left there
very moved and thankful for this wonderful
experience as we finish our final days in
England. How often I think of the verse
about the Lord granting us the desires of
our hearts not only our needs but often
our desires and this was certainly one of
those times. U
David & Barbara Cross have served with
Mission to the World in England and Wales
for about ten years. They have now returned
to America.
Christmas Cheer
The only way to reduce your bills at this time of the year ...
is to put them on microfilm.
11
Fe a t u re s
MR TROPICANA
CHRISTIAN ENTREPRENEUR
Anthony Rossi 1900 - 1993
by
B arbara C ross
ou have seen his products on the

television and in the supermarket juice
section but do you know the story
of the Christian gentleman who developed
orange juice not from concentrate?
Anthony was
born to a large
family in Sicily.
When he was
six a massive
earthquake
hit that island
killing 80,000
p e o p l e ,
A n t h o n y s
oldest brother
amongst them. After several days relief
ships brought food and a way to escape
the devastation. Having heard his devout
grandmother speak of Judgement Day little
Tony realised that because he was a naughty
boy he would not have gone to heaven should
he have died like his brother. In spite of his
naughty ways he wanted to know God and so
faithfully served as an altar boy where he was
advised that the way to heaven was to say his
prayers every morning and evening for seven
years.
At age 15 an uncle visited from American
and set in motion a dream Anthony had to
migrate to America. That dream came true
when he was 21. With the 30 dollars he had
saved, he sailed to New York. The sight of
the Statue of Liberty seemed to promise all
that he desired in this new country. Finding
a home with an Italian family he worked
first as an assistant to a mechanic. Next was
12
driving a taxi cab and after only six months in

America he bought his own car and became a
chauffeur to a wealthy businessman. Next he
opened restaurants with his brother and then
a grocery store where he met his first wife,
Florence.
However, Tony never stopped dreaming
of new ideas. One day he announced to his
wife that he was going to the library to find
out about agriculture in Florida. While there
doing research on tomato farming his eyes fell
on a book left on his table called The Life of
Christ. Picking it up, he read it for the whole
day. Longing to know more he returned to the
library and found a Bible. Day after day he
read it until he came to the New Testament.
It was when he read the words of John 3:16
that all his questions about God and heaven
were answered. In the quiet of the library he
surrendered his life to Christ.
He followed his dream of growing tomatoes,
a business that flourished but then once again
was drawn into opening a restaurant. Always
full of new ideas he remembered one day
how his customers in New York loved to buy
oranges from Florida he thought,I could sell
Florida oranges to restaurants in the north.
Having worked out better ideas for buying,
selling and shipping the oranges than others
his oranges were in great demand. Selling
oranges was not enough. Then he thought of
the need to supply fresh fruit salad and orange
juice. This was done by developing better and
colder ways to transport the fruit to the New
York market. In the midst of his business
success Florence developed a serious heart
problem and soon died of a heart attack.
Loneliness led to two things: longer

working hours, developing new ideas, and
intensive prayer times and Bible studies with
close friends. It was during those times he
realised that he not only needed to witness to
friends and co-workers but that he needed to
share the gospel
with his family
in Sicily. His
brothers
and
sisters showed
little interest in
the gospel but
he had the joy of
seeing his father
come to Christ.
The
orange
juice company,
now
named
Tropicana, grew
and prospered
with 800 employees. One day Anthony
proposed a party for his workers to celebrate
their success. While they were enjoying
themselves the new roof which had just been
tarred that day began smouldering leading to
a fire that destroyed the huge storage building.
Through his tears and exhaustion as he left
the fire Tonys greatest business idea came
to mind buy a ship to transport freshly
squeezed orange juice to New York! His
chief engineer told him that it could not be
done but Tony only replied, I never studied
engineering. So how can I know this could not
be done? Starting in 1957 Mr Rossi bought
a ship, the S.S. Tropicana, which was used to
ship millions of gallons of fresh orange juice
to New York.
Friends had often heard him say, If I ever
marry again my wife must be a missionary.
Eight years after the death of his first wife he
met Sanna Barlow who was a missionary to
South Africa. After their marriage in London
they headed off to Italy to meet his family and
also to find the means to share the gospel with
his own people. They started a small Bible
study which grew into a Bible conference

and then into a church in Anthonys boyhood
home of Messina.
Business trouble developed when the
orange crops were destroyed by freezing
temperature. Anthony rejected the idea of
selling reconstituted orange juice. Firmly
believing, If any man lack wisdom, let
him ask of God.(James 1:5) he designed a
floating juice factory off the coast of Mexico
where fresh juice was processed and then
shipped to the US.
Selling the company for 500 million dollars
Tony used the money to build an extensive
home for retired missionary as well as starting
an organisation to provide Bible tapes for the
blind and for prisoners. Anthony Rossi was
honoured by being inducted into two Halls of
Fame but his greatest honour was serving the
Lord through his witness and his wealth. U
Barbara with her husband David have spent

all their married life working as missionaries
and church planters. They have now retired
in America and continue to serve the Lord
and His people there.
God is Good
Thank God for dirty dishes
they have a tale to tell,
and by the stack I have
it seems we are living well.
While others are starving
I havent the heart to fuss;
for by this stack of evidence
Gods awfully good to us.
13
Fe a t u re s
The Idol Factory

S imon V an B ruchem
This is the modified transcript of a sermon preached at All Nations on 14
August 2011 by Simon van Bruchem. It was the opening sermon in a series of
seven sermons about idolatry.
Idols are not just little statues!
dolatry means following idols instead of

following God. Perhaps when you think of
idolatry you think of literal images made
of stone or wood. That was the issue in Old
Testament Biblical times: people bowed down
and worshipped golden calves and carved wooden
poles and bulls and snakes made of bronze.
If you come from an Eastern country you are
probably familiar with seeing people worship
all manner of things. For example, in different
Hindu festivals people worship different gods
of the river, of fertility, or of prosperity. Many
Chinese restaurants even in Perth have little
Buddhist shrines in them. And the temptation is
for us to think: that is not a problem for us. Most
of us do not have idols in the corner of our living
rooms, and most of us do not make sacrifices
to anything. The closest the average Australian
comes to this is rubbing their lotto ticket on the
tummy of a Buddha statue for good luck!
The shocking truth is that we are a nation of idol
worshippers. You are an idol worshipper, and so
am I.
Think about it like this. If I asked you: What
or who saves you? Where do you find fulfilment
and purpose?, and you are a Christian, you
would think that is an easy question. Its Jesus, you
would say. Of course I am only saved by Jesus,
14
by trusting in Jesus alone. That is the answer that

you truly believe in your head your in theory
faith.
However, life is not as simple as that.
If I could see what you thought about, what you
did with your time and money, and what you
talked about, I would have a reasonable idea of
what your faith is really in. This is your functional
faith your in reality faith.
Maybe it is in your work or vocation your job
gives you fulfilment and purpose. You think
that your job will give you the money you need
to do what you want, and give you a reason to
wake up in the morning.
Maybe it is in your family they make life
worth living.
Maybe it is in your intellect or your abilities
they have given you so much and can be relied
on to achieve what you want in life.
Everyone has faith in something; we would all like
to think that our lives are a reflection of faith in
Jesus, but maybe they reflect something else.
Of course, we see faith and passion much closer
to home have you ever been to an Aussie Rules
football match? Or to an English football match?
There is no doubt that these people know what
they are passionate about. I read a book by Nick
Hornby called Fever Pitch in which he outlined
his obsession with one particular English football
club. He went to every match for over 10 years,
whether they played at home or away. He refused
to be the best man for his friends wedding
because his team was playing at the same time.
For him, his team was his idol it dominated his
life, it is what he lived for, and everything else
came second.
You might think that this is just some kind
of extreme case; surely you and I are not that
passionate about anything? But we all make

decisions and sacrifices for what is important
to us, and we often find it hard to recognize
our idolatry in ourselves, only in other people.
There are a million things that could be an idol
for you, but the core issue is not that difficult to
understand. At its heart, this issue is about love
and about what you love.
Love God, for only he is worth it
We are a people with passions and desires. We
love things, we worship things, we adore things.
And we are all wired somewhat differently. The
things that I love may very well be different from
the things you love.
Idolatry can be defined like this: an idol is
something that you love more than God. An idol
is something that is ultimately more important to
you than God is. There is nothing wrong with
loving fruit trees, or Star Trek, or miniature boats;
but it becomes a problem when these things
dominate your life and God does not.
The problem with following something other
than God is that you are devoting your life to
something that is not ultimately worth it.
Lets turn to Gods Word to see what God has to
say about idolatry. We will find that it is a very
common theme; we will only be looking at a few
key passages today but we could have chosen
from almost any book in the Bible. Today we are
focussing on Exodus 20. This is the passage of
the famous Ten Commandments, the core of the
Old Testament law.
1. And God spoke all these words, saying,
2. I am the LORD your God, who brought
you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of slavery.
3. You shall have no other gods before me.
4. You shall not make for yourself a carved
image, or any likeness of anything that is in
heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth.
5. You shall not bow down to them or serve
them, for I the LORD your God am a
jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the
fathers on the children to the third and the
fourth generation of those who hate me,
6. but showing steadfast love to thousands
of those who love me and keep my
commandments. (ESV)
For many of us, these are familiar words, so

we need to look closely to make sure that we
are seeing what they really say. God starts by
introducing himself. And the words he chooses
to describe himself are fascinating: I am the
LORD. That word Lord in capital letters in
our English Bibles is the Hebrew word YHWH,
the personal name of God. This is the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
This is no force out there, some unknowable
puppet-master; this is a personal God, someone
you can know and love.
He describes himself as I am the LORD your
God. Not only is God a personal God, he is
their God. The Bible has an important word to
describe this he is the covenant God. This is the
God who promised to be the God of Abrahams
descendants, the one for whom he was their God
and they were his people. He had remembered
his promise to Abraham and rescued them from
Egypt. He already had a track record of keeping
promises and being their God, and this would be
shown more and more.
So this is a personal, covenant God.
What is the very first commandment? It is in v3.
You shall have no other gods before me. Simple,
and to the point. God is the one to love, and
serve, and worship, and not anything or anyone
else. Why? Well, He has just reminded us in the
previous verse. He is our covenant, personal God
who has rescued us. That is true of no-one else.
Verses 4-6 expand on what this might mean. The
Israelites were banned from making any kind of
image and bowing down to it or serving it. If
they did this, they were being unfaithful to God.
Do you see that in v5? The reason God doesnt
want them to follow other gods is because he is
jealous! He is in a covenant with them; they are
committed to God like in a marriage. If you
are married, you dont want the person you are
married to to be with other people. And neither
does God. He is jealous if you are Gods
person, then he has a right to expect you to love
and worship him and no-one else.
In case you are tempted to think that this is
simply an Old Testament thing, have a quick look
at Matthew 22 with me. Jesus was asked what
the greatest commandment in the law was. What
did he answer? You shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind. This is the great and first
15
But all of us are worshippers of something. We

cannot help it! That is how we are made. John
Calvin said that every one of us is, even from his
mothers womb, a master craftsman of idols. We
turn everything so easily into an idol.
What does it mean to worship something? It
means more than that we sing to it. The word
worship is from the old English word for to
give worth to. We worship something if we give
it worth, if we show by how we live and act and
speak that it is something of ultimate importance
to us.
So the question for us is not: Do you have any
idols, any rivals to God in your life? Because of
our sinful nature, we already know the answer to
this of course you have rivals to God, and so do
I. The real question is: What is the idol that is the
most danger in your life? What do you ultimately
love more than you love God?
How might you find this out? Let me give you
some ideas.
Ask yourself these questions: What is the worst
thing you think could ever happen to you? Is it
losing your house? Your spouse?
Your children? Your job? What do
It is in what we dream about, and
you worry about happening?
what we fear most, that we see most Whatever you are most frightened
clearly what it is that acts like an
of, for you this becomes hell. And
the fear of this happening to you
idol, or a rival god, in our lives.
might make you look for rescue
Christians are rescued people, rescued by a loving from this hell from a Saviour.
God. And because of that, we should love God If you are most frightened of poverty, having
with all we have.
no money, then you might be a driven person
who needs to make money.
Whatever we might try to give our life meaning, to
take the place of God in our life, will be inferior If you are most frightened of your children
to God. Nothing else can save us from something
not having a better life than you, you might
worse, or give us something better. God is worth
make their education into a god that will be
following. That is the crux of the matter, and the
the answer to all the problems in life.
core message of the Bible: salvation is found in
If you are most frightened of being overweight
no-one else but Jesus Christ. If we believe that
or unattractive, you might make fitness and
with all our hearts it should impact all of us. But
cosmetics and diets into a god that will rescue
so often we see this:
you from all your problems.
Not loving God means loving Do you see how that works? Everyone looks for
something to save them from their worst fears; if
something else
Not only are we people who are made to love that Saviour is not Jesus, you have an idol.
things, we are people who are made to worship Or perhaps you could think about it from the
things. Yes, the census data might reveal that a positive angle. What is it that you dream about?
decreasing number of people gather together on What would your perfect life look like? What
Sundays to worship God in a traditional church. do you save your money up for? Jesus tells us in
commandment. This is the flipside of idolatry.
The most important thing in all of the law, which
included 613 different laws according to the count
of the Rabbis, was to love God. And not to love
God a little bit. To love God with everything you
have!
With your heart, with what you feel; with your
soul, with what is eternally important; and with
your mind, with how you think. This remains the
key command of the Christian life. We have a
God who is worthy of incredible love because he
has shown incredible love to us.
In Exodus 20 the people were told to love God
alone because he had rescued them from slavery,
and because he was their personal covenant God.
For us who live after Jesus it is much the same.
In Jesus we see the rescuing action of a personal
covenant God. God saw that we were helpless
and sinful and facing certain punishment. He sent
Jesus to come and to save us from sin and death
and hell. He died on the cross in our place. He
suffered Gods anger poured out on him in order
that you might be right with God, rescued from
a horrible fate and freed to love God forever.
16
Matthew 6:21 that where your treasure is, there

your heart will be also.
Perhaps your idol is money, or status, or respect.
You want to be comfortable with physical things,
and are willing to work hard and sacrifice much
to get this. You want people to think you are
someone special. If peoples opinion of you
falls, to you that would be a disaster, and you
will do what it takes to look good to others. If
that is where you find fulfilment and peace, it has
become an idol. Jesus calls on us to sometimes
look weak to the world, to be humble and rely
on him, and overstating ourselves is making
ourselves into a rival to God.
Do you see how easy it is to make idols? Our
hearts, our passions, so easily turn good things
into ultimate things.
It is in what we dream about, and what we fear
most, that we see most clearly what it is that acts
like an idol, or a rival god, in our lives.
I did promise that this would not be a lets make
everyone feel guilty kind of sermon. Yes, when
our sin and evil hearts are pointed out to us we
should feel guilty. But feeling guilty is not enough
we want to be constructive and think on how to
change to better follow Jesus.
How can you love God more?
We dont want to be passionless, boring people.
The people of God, the church, sometimes have
a reputation for being indifferent to things. There
are quite memorable descriptions such as the
frozen chosen. I dont want to be like that! And I
assume you dont either! In order to defy idolatry
and our hearts turning so many good gifts of
God into an idol, we need to do two things. We
need to repent and believe.
The answer is not just to stop living for that idol
you love. The answer is to love God more than
that idol. If you simply stop living for pleasure,
you will soon find yourself living for something
else. If your spouse is your idol, I dont want you
love your spouse less. I want you to love your God
more!
Our core problem is that we dont really do the
first and greatest commandment we dont love
the Lord our God with all our hearts, and souls,
and minds. How can I say that? Because you talk
about what you love, and God does not come
into our conversations that much. Because we
talk to the one we love, and our prayer lives so

often speak loudly as to how seriously we take
God. Because we sacrifice for what we love, and
so often we are not prepared to sacrifice our time
or money to follow Jesus.
What we need to do is immerse ourselves in Gods
Word and prayer. Have you dropped your Bible
reading habit or perhaps you never really had one?
It is a good habit it makes sure you are always
being exposed to Gods word and his character
and his love. Does your family pray together, and
do you pray individually? Do you make the most
of your church family by meeting together to
read the Bible with others, to pray, to talk about
God and life? If we dont make the effort to be
constantly exposed to God and his love in the
Bible, all the other influences around us will fill
the gap. According to Morgan research this year,
the average Australian watches 15 hours of TV a
week and spends about 10 hours on the internet.
And if we are lucky, Christians meet once a week
on Sundays and occasionally read our Bibles. To
love God, you need to know God. To know God,
you need to read and pray.
So today, I want you to have a serious conversation
with someone. Maybe your family, maybe a friend.
Talk about idolatry see if you can help one
another to identify what your idols are, what your
rivals to God are. Find out what you love the most
in the world. And start the habit of reading Gods
word, today before the pressures of a Monday
morning make you forget.
God is so much better than whatever we might
replace Him with. Just like Simon Peter said to
Jesus in John 6:68: To whom shall we go? You
have the words of eternal life. Looking to
money to save you will only leave you empty and
disappointed. Looking to your work to fulfil you
and give your purpose will ultimately not work.
Idols are so attractive to us, yet they cannot deliver
what they promise. God created you, sustains you,
redeems you if you trust in Jesus, and promises
to spend eternity with you in glory if you are his
person. What you are following now cannot do
that. U
Simon Van Bruchem is the Pastor at All

Nations Presbyterian Church
17
Fe a t u re s
Book Review
by
N athan
and
E rica W oonings
The Big Picture Story Bible

By David Helm with illustrations by Gail Schoonmaker
e are very excited about this book

which we are currently reading
to our toddlers. We havent come
across anything like it before and maybe you
havent either. If you have toddlers like us
you want them to grasp the basic story of
the Bible as a whole (well we hope you do).
But how much of it do you tell them? Which
parts do you leave out? Which parts do you
include? Are we telling them too much or not
enough? Its not easy!
Most of the excellent Bible story books that
are available are for school children and just
too detailed and too hard for toddlers to
understand (and not enough pictures!). Of
the Bible story books that we do have for our
toddlers we find ourselves getting frustrated
that important truths are compromised for
the sake of simpler language. Key events
are left out. They are just a collection of
disconnected stories. If the stories have
applications they tend to be simply moralistic.
So at the outset our toddlers arent able to
grasp the central message of the scriptures,
including its stories, which is Jesus (Luke
24:25-27, 44-47).
However, all that has changed with The
Big Picture Story Bible. Its a masterpiece!
It doesnt just tell Bible stories. It tells the
Bibles story. It shows that the Bible is a big
book, about a big God, who keeps a big
promise; Gods people, living in Gods place
under Gods rule. Its divided into 26 parts
and spans over about 430 pages. Parts 12-23
18
are devoted entirely to Jesus and the Gospels.

It includes two CDs which are an audio
recording of the book read by the author.
Every single page of the story is beautifully
illustrated in full color (all 430 of them!)
Your little tots will love turning the pages
and looking at the pictures as they accurately
(peoples clothes, the buildings, even
Noahs ark are all reliable representations)
communicate the Bibles story.
As one who currently spends much
of his time seeking to teach the truths of the
Bible to Gods people, Nathan knows how
extremely difficult it is to do so clearly, simply
and with as few words as possible. We can see
that this book has been very much a labour
of love. The author has worked tirelessly to
tell the story of the Bible as quickly as he can,
with as few words as possible, yet making
sure the key events and teachings are in there.
Its doctrinally accurate. Helms selection of
material to include is first rate and he moves
the story along at an excellent pace. He uses
short sentences. Where he can he uses two
syllable words, but he has not compromised
truth; the stories being faithfully retold. The
children will not get lost in all the details as
the overall story is never out of focus.
Normally in a book review one wouldnt
give away too much of the details of the
content of the book so that the person goes
out and reads it. But we would like to let the
book speak for itself in the hope that if we
have not persuaded you to buy it, it will.
Lets jump ahead to when Pharaoh finally

agrees to let Gods people go. Helms choice
of words is very effective in communicating
the conclusion of the story of the ten plagues,
At last Pharaoh stopped pretending to be God. He
listened to God and told Gods people to go.
So many children know the story of David
and Goliath. Often the moral of the story
that they learn is along the lines of be brave
like David. Not so in this book. The children
get to see this story in the light of the whole
biblical message. Davids belief in Gods promise
was big. Davids trust in Gods word was strong. So
David decided to fight Goliath. He took his sling and
a few stones and ran out to attack the giant. Do you
know what happened next? God kept his promise to
rescue his people! The first stone that flew from Davids
sling hit Goliath right between the eyes. David killed
Goliath and rescued Israel from the Philistines. God
was with David and God gave David victory over his
enemies in other battles. David, the mighty warrior
became king over Gods people. David ruled over
Gods special place.
Helm devotes a whole chapter to showing
how the Old Testament was fulfilled in Jesus.
In [Gods holy book] were many word pictures that
proved he must die to pay the penalty for sin. In it were
many pictures that promised he would rise again
Do you see the Lord? Painted on the pages of Israels
hard and happy history is the big picture of Gods
forever king.
How do you possibly summarize the content
of all the NT letters in one short paragraph?
One can see that Helm has put a lot of
thought into it! These letters told Gods people:

Remember, hold on to the message. Keep believing
in Jesus! Love one another like family. Forgive one
another. Be careful! Dont let people trick you. Run
away from sin. Endure hardship. And look to Jesus
return.
How does he conclude the story of the Bible?
Gods forever people will one day live in Gods forever
place under Gods forever rule. Can you believe it?
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
If you have toddlers, value the Bible as Gods
inspired word, and believe that the Old and
New Testament is focused on Gods forever
King who came to bring Gods forever rule,
then you must purchase this book. You wont
be disappointed. Your toddlers will love it. At
the very outset your children will have a basic
grasp of the overall message of the Bible. As
they grow and begin to delve into the Bible
in much greater depth, hopefully they wont
get lost in all the details because they already
have, in the back of their minds, the big
picture from the Big Picture Story Bible.
You can purchase the book from Koorong for
$29.95. If you know of another book as good
as this one we would love to know! Please
drop the editor an email to let us know. U
Nathan Woonings is a ruling elder in

Mandurah WPC and a student under
care of the Presbytery of WA
A True Story
Did you know that in 1954 Joanne Schieble, a young unmarried
student, discovered she was pregnant but did not want to marry the
childs father. Although she could have had an abortion, it was not
her desire. Instead, she arranged to have the baby adopted.
Paul and Clara Jobs adopted the baby boy and named him Steven.
Not every child will have a life as remarkable as Steve Jobs but with
every abortion we lose a potentially great life created by God.
19
Fe a t u re s
Biting the Hand of Providence

by
M att W aldron
This is the sixth article in a series written by various authors on the

theme of each chapter of the Westminster Confession of Faith.
Westminster Confession of Faith chapter 5
Intro
In bad times, it is a great encouragement that God
is working in all things for my good (Rom 8:28).
When I am tempted, it is empowering to know that
God will not allow me to be tempted beyond what
I can bear (1 Cor 10:13). It is a great relief to cast
all my anxieties on God and be protected by his
peace (Phil 4:6-7). But these things are only true
because of Gods providence.
Definition
The Westminster Confession of Faith defines
providence in chapter 5 paragraph 1:
I. God the great Creator of all things does uphold,
direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions,
and things, from the greatest even to the least, by
His most wise and holy providence, according
to His infallible foreknowledge, and the free
and immutable counsel of His own will, to the
praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice,
goodness, and mercy.
In other words, there is an ultimate sense in which
God controls everything that happens.
Now this is a very popular doctrine when it is
stated in a limited way. Jesus says, Are not two
sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them
will fall to the ground apart from the will of your
Father. And even the very hairs of your head are
20
all numbered. So dont be afraid, you are worth

more than many sparrows. (Matt 10:29-31) It is
right that this should warm our hearts. God cares
for his creatures, especially humanity. It is a lovely
thought that even a small bird cannot die without
the ruler of the universe taking an active interest.
Objections to Providence
However, what does this mean if I, for some
reason, want to shoot the bird? If that cannot
happen apart from the will of God, then Gods
will must in some sense constrain my actions.
This is where we may become uncomfortable and
raise objections to the doctrine of providence.
Firstly, that it would not be fair for God to hold
people accountable for their actions, since they are
controlled by God. If God is ultimately in control
of my decisions, then it is argued, that I am not
in control of them. And surely I cannot be held
accountable for something over which I have no
control. Secondly, it might be objected that in this
case God would even be responsible for sin and
therefore sinful. If God is in control of everything
that happens and he controls people in such a
way that they sin, then it is argued that God is
sinning. It is good to note that these objections are
essentially an accusation of being illogical.
For example, the first objection assumes that
for God to be in control of a persons decisions
means that the person cannot be in control of their
decisions. However, the WCF goes on to voice the
traditional view that:
II. Although, in relation to the foreknowledge and
decree of God, the first Cause, all things come
to pass immutably, and infallibly; yet, by the same
providence, He orders them to fall out, according
to the nature of second causes, either necessarily,
freely, or contingently.
Far from being an obstacle to human responsibility,
Gods providence is viewed as the basis for human
control of our decisions and actions.
Secondly however, I would draw your attention

to the observation that pretty much all Christians
pray that God will change people. It might be
in regard to behaviour towards us. It might be
in regard to an issue of godliness. It might be in
relation to coming to trust in Christ, though this is
a special example, that requires further discussion
later in this series. The Bible encourages us to
ask God to change people. There are only two
possible ways to interpret those prayers. We are
either assuming that God is capable of influencing
peoples decisions without taking away their actual
freedom to choose, or we are asking God to
manipulate them. If God is not providentially in
control, then manipulation is all he has left, and this
is inconsistent with Gods transparent goodness as
the God who does not lie. If you pray, you believe
God is providentially able to answer your prayers.
Thirdly, though not very importantly, the current
direction of science is against these objections to
providence. The objections to providence assume
that causes are linear. That is to say, the factors that
cause something add up to 100%. So if God is
100% in control of my decision then
I have no control over it. However,
God ultimately controls ever ything that
as I understand it (and this is not my
happens. Even sin. Nevertheless, God is area so correct me if I am wrong)
modern theoretical physics sees
not the source or the author of sin.
the interaction of causes as more
complex than this. In other words,
Gods control over humanity does not make God
causes do not always simply add up. To assume
responsible for humanitys sin. The obvious
God is bound by a law of logic that does not
question is whether this makes sense. Is this a
always apply to his creation is clearly ridiculous.
logical contradiction?
Finally, the Lord Jesus is both divine and human,
The Logical Coherence of
and yet does not have a split personality. If it is
Providence
part of human nature to have a will, and part of
the divine nature to have a will, then Jesus has a will
The first thing we must note is that we are
according to his human nature and a will according
limited in our ability to assess Gods capabilities.
to his divine nature. How is it that he can be only
Therefore, even if we cannot understand how
one person? How is it that he can function and
providence can work, that doesnt mean it isnt
make decisions? If his divine nature controlled his
true. Gods way is sometimes hard to understand
(2 Peter 3:16), sometimes beyond us (Job 37:5), and human nature such that his human nature could
not function to make human decisions, then he
sometimes simply a secret (Deut 29:29). If I dont
would not be fully human. But if the freedom of
understand how aeroplanes fly that doesnt mean
his human nature required his divine nature not
they are logically restricted to the ground. The flip
to assert the divine will then he would not be fully
side of this is that if we try to solve the apparent
God. It must be the case that Christ can divinely
logical problem by limiting Gods providence it
will and humanly will the same thing at the same
doesnt actually solve the problem. For example,
time without either of his natures being controlled
we might say that God doesnt actually control
or compromised by the other. This doesnt prove
peoples decisions he just allows them. However,
that Gods will ultimately controls all humanity,
that would still make God an accessory to our
since only Jesus is also divine. But it does prove
crimes. Gods righteousness is compromised by
that both human and divine will can function in
this view.
Similarly the second objection assumes that for
God to be in control makes him responsible.
However, once again the traditional view expressed
in the WCF is clear:
IV. The almighty power, unsearchable wisdom,
and infinite goodness of God so far manifest
themselves in His providence, that it extends itself
even to the first fall, and all other sins of angels
and men; and that not by a bare permission, but
such as has joined with it a most wise and powerful
bounding, and otherwise ordering, and governing
of them, in a manifold dispensation, to His own
holy ends; yet so, as the sinfulness thereof proceeds
only from the creature, and not from God, who,
being most holy and righteous, neither is nor can
be the author or approver of sin.
God ultimately controls everything that happens.
Even sin. Nevertheless, God is not the source or
the author of sin.
So then the doctrine of providence teaches that
Gods control over humanity does not negate
a persons control over themselves. Further,
21
unity without the compromise of either. To object

to the logic of providence is to object to the logic
of the incarnation. Rather, in the gospel of Gods
grace, we are redeemed in to the perfect freedom
of the incarnate Son of God.
Conclusion
In everyday life, most modern people assume a
limited form of providence. We assume the world
works in an orderly predictable way. Otherwise
my decisions would not matter, because the
consequences of my actions would be random.
And we also assume that the orderliness of cause
and effect influences me without taking away my
responsibility for my actions.

In the death of Christ, we see that even in
humanitys worst sin, God was in control, to bring
about his best blessing. So we know that Gods
providential control of all things is ultimately
loving and gracious. And we know that Gods love
and grace are so powerful he cant be stopped by
anything. U
Matt Waldron is the church planting pastor of

Three Crosses church at Murdoch University,
Perth
OTher CONTACTS:
Continued from Page 31
TriNiTy TheOlOgiCAl COllege WeSTerN
AuSTrAliA
grACe PreSbyTeriAN ChurCh

BeLLMere, QLd 4510
AuSTrAliAN iNdigeNOuS MiNiSTrieS

AliCe SPriNgS
grACe TheOlOgiCAl COllege

c/- 36 Balaclava Street WYNDHAM
Southland NeW ZeALANd
Contact: Revd Andrew Young
Address: Trinity House 632-643 Newcastle

Street, LeederviLLe, WA
Telephone: (08) 9228 9067
Email:
info@trinity. org.au
Postal:
PO Box 31, Alice Springs, NT 0871
Telephone: (08) 8955 5271
Contact: Rev. Phil & Cathy Stuart
Church Service (winter):
Meets:
20 Parke Cres, Alice Springs
Time:
10.30am
Email:
stuartmob@stuarts.id.au
Stuarts web:
www.stuarts.id.au
eNglANd
Revd David and Barbara Cross

Email:
d.cross1942@gmail.com
PrOvideNCe reFOrMed PreSbyTeriAN
ChurCh
Pastor Christopher Seah
Mob:
+65 9139 4654
Meets:
350 Alexandra Road, Level 3

(Next to Princess House)
Singapore 159946.
Time:
9.30am
Bible Study/Sunday School: 11.30am
Postal:
c/o Apt Block 1D, Pine Grove, #0815, Singapore 593001
Email:
provrpc@gmail.com
Website: http:www.providencerpc.org
22
Contact: Revd Bill Ham (07) 5428 1797

Email:
billham@powerup.com.au
evANgeliCAl PreSbyTeriAN ChurCh

Contact:
Email:
PO Box 31-210, CHriSTCHurCH,

NeW ZeALANd
Trevor Webb
web@clera.net.nz
ChurChFreO
the gathering 5:15 pm Sunday 408 South

Terrace South Fremantle, WA
Contact: Chuck Linkston
Email:
churchfreo@live.com.au
eASTgATe bible ChurCh
Meets:
52 Herries Street - Toowoomba,

Qld.
Time:
10am
Contact: Dave Kiewiet (07) 4636 5438
Web:
www.eastgatebiblechurch.net
DECEMBER 2011
Please note: While every care is taken to
ensure the information on these pages
are accurate, it is the responsibility of
each church or organisation to inform
the editor of any changes.
Church News
A Great Weekend at Brookton

by
C lem W hite
he good folks of Calvary Presbyterian

Church, Brookton, were recently
blasted out of their quiet surrounds
by a vibrant team of young ladies. Sheela
Nathan led the team consisting of Samara,
Jessie, Chelsea and Amy. We had a Ladies
Night on Saturday when we had tea together
followed by a quiz the Brooktonites love
quizzes! Amy gave her testimony. Next
morning the team led the Sunday school with
new songs and stories. They helped us in
the church service with Bible readings, a skit
and Chelsea gave her testimony. During the
afternoon they gave joy to the residents of the
Brookton nursing home. The elderly people
always love to have young people visit them.
Food glorious food
Sunday school
The gospel was presented with a skit, a story

from Sheela and a testimony from Chelsea.
The old time hymns were fondly remembered
by the residents.
That evening we joined with other local
Christians around a 40 meter high cross set on
a hill overlooking the nearby town of Pingelly.
Monday morning saw the team at the local
school where they again presented the gospel
through song, testimony, skits, hand crafts
and talks.
In between all this the girls enjoyed
trampolining with the local children.
We give grateful thanks to God and the team
for a wonderful weekend. U
Story telling
Chelsea reads the

Bible
In action with
Grade sevens
23
Church News
Grace Christian Church,

Buderim, Queensland
The gospel ministry at Grace Church,

Buderim, during 2011 has been greatly
enhanced by the work of an enthusiastic and
committed group of young people.
Anna Joyce, having completed Year 12
in 2010, decided to take a gap year before
entering university, and volunteered to assist in
the church as much as possible. She has spent
Friday afternoons helping run Kids Club, both
leading the program and being part of a team
that brings the Bible talks. She also helps at
Grace Youth on Friday nights, and sings in one
of the music teams.
During the year she has taken two classes
(Old Testament Introduction and Evangelism)
through Sunshine Coast Theological College,
as well as taking in a Bible conference in
Sydney and several local conferences. During
2012, she will continue volunteering in the
church, while undertaking tertiary studies in
nursing at University of the Sunshine Coast.
Callum Lewis, who comes from Grace
Presbyterian Church, Morayfield, is a sport
and fitness student at USC and is undertaking
a Ministry Training Strategy (MTS) traineeship
through Grace Church. He helps lead Grace
Youth, while assisting at Kids Club, and has
developed into a church service leader and
public Bible reader. During 2012 he will
continue his studies, while doing the second
year of the MTS program. Bible conferences
during the year have taken him to Sydney and
Brisbane.
Matthew Aitchison, who in 2010 graduated
from Sydney Missionary and Bible College,
has done an internship with us by heading up
our 2011 ministry to international students,
a ministry that has brought the gospel to
students from all over Asia. As well, Matthews
preaching has been greatly appreciated by the
congregations of Grace Church. In 2012,
Matthew will be undertaking missions work in
East Asia, and will be greatly missed by Grace
Church.
Matt & Rashell Stodard graduated from
the WEC College in Tasmania in 2010, and
have been working voluntarily in Grace Church
during 2011. They assist with the ministry
to international students, Matt preaches and
helps promote Sunshine Coast Theological
College, while Rashell teaches Kids Church
and helps at Playgroup. They are planning to
24
enter overseas missions in 2013, but during

2012 Matt will come on staff and head up the
international students ministry.
God has blessed us through the ministry
of these young people, and were praying he
will raise up more gap year students, graduate
students and others, to gain a taste of church
work before settling into the work force.
Maida Vale Church Camp

This year the Maida Vale congregation went
on our first church camp in many years and
was greatly blessed by the experience.
We headed out to Dryandra Woodland
Village (an hour and a half south-east of
Perth) for a weekend together under Gods
word. The campers were challenged to do two
things over the weekend: to spend time with
God, and to spend time with Gods people.
The first of these was particularly enhanced
by our corporate worship and by Bible talks
from 1 Thessalonians 1-2 delivered by Brad
Vigus (AFES staff-worker on Curtin
campus) which challenged us to live for Christ
in a changing world. Interestingly also, the
journey from the city to the Dryandra bush
also caused people to reflect on the majesty
of Gods creation and many prayers reflected
peoples awe for the God who made the
heavens and the earth.
We also spent considerable time with each
other as members of Gods family, establishing
and re-establishing relationships. We did this
as we went on a bushwalk, a walking tour or
Narrogin, as we joined for games, as we sat
together over meals and, as we washed-up
together. Taking time out to spend with each
other was a great blessing and our fellowship
grew though it.
Please join with us in giving thanks to God,
and please pray that our Heavenly Father will
continue to bless us as we seek to grow our
fellowship, especially among the newer people
in our church family.
The Messenger Committee
Request from South Africa

Recently we had a request from a pastor in
Pretoria, South Africa for back copies of The
Messenger. The pastor wants to use articles
in The Messenger as reading material for
Christians in their churches.
Sandra Wilson has kindly put together
several back issues and sent them off. We pray
they will be used for the glory of God. U
Church News
Synod Report for 2011

The 18th Synod took place this year at All Nations
WPC in Perth.
The Moderator, Simon van Bruchem, and the
Clerk Mark Vivian received many comments that
those who attended were really encouraged by the
various speakers.
Synod was opened on Thursday 29th September
by Steve Rarig. He delivered a solid message on
Matthew 16 about bearing the cross. This was
followed by Chuck Linkston who shared about
Church Freos outreach work. Simon then led us in a
good discussion on our grass roots Presbyterianism.
The afternoon was then devoted to Synod business.
On Friday the 30th September Tim Thorburn
began a two part session on Leadership Development
in our churches. It was very well presented and
refreshing, and re-directed our attention to training
people to teach others in Gospel work. Roger
Palmer continued the good instruction sharing with
us from 2 Timothy 1-4 (an overview and discussion
of the whole book). It was a wonderful overview
of an important pastoral letter. The afternoon was
again devoted to Synod business.
On Saturday 1st October Simon van Bruchem
led the Synod in a discussion and exchange of
ideas to make our churches more evangelistic.
Those attending Synod were left with a reminder
of why Gods people are here the Lord wants us
to be involved in being His witnesses and making
disciples.
The19th Synod of WPC will be held in Western
Australia and is planned for May 2013.
~ Mark Vivian
Tim Thorburn spoke

about leadership
Our moderator, Simon

ven Bruchem makes
a point
Our ladies made sure

we did the right thing
We celebrated
Shelleys ??? birthday
We enjoyed a final
meal together
The Messenger committee wish all

A BLESSED CHRISTMAS!
25
Youth & Family Pages

CRABBY OLD MAN
hen an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in North Platte, Nebraska, it was
believed that he had nothing left of any value. Later, when the nurses were going through his
meagre possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies
were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital. One nurse took her copy to Missouri .
The old mans sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News
Magazine of the St. Louis Association for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made
based on his simple, but eloquent, poem. And this little old man, with nothing left to give to the
world, is now the author of this anonymous poem winging across the Internet.
What do you see nurses? . . . What do you see?

What are you thinking . . when youre looking at me?
A crabby old man, . . . not very wise,
Uncertain of habit . . . with faraway eyes?
At forty, my young sons . . . have grown and are gone,

But my womans beside me . . . to see I dont mourn.
At fifty, once more, . . . babies play round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . My loved one and me.
Who dribbles his food . . . and makes no reply .

When you say in a loud voice . . . I do wish youd try!
Who seems not to notice . . . the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . a sock or a shoe?
Dark days are upon me . . . my wife is now dead.

I look at the future . . . shudder with dread..
For my young are all rearing . . . young of their own.
And I think of the years, and the love that Ive known.
Who, resisting or not . . . lets you do as you will,

With bathing and feeding. . . the long day to fill?
Is that what youre thinking? . . . Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse . . . youre not looking at me..
Im now an old man . . . . . and nature is cruel.

Tis jest to make old age . . . look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles . . . grace and vigour, depart.
There is now a stone . . . where I once had a heart.
Ill tell you who I am . . . as I sit here so still,

As I do at your bidding, . . . as I eat at your will.
Im a small child of ten . . . with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters . . . who love one another.
But inside this old carcass . . . a young guy still dwells,

And now and again . . . my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys . . . . . I remember the pain.
And Im loving and living . . . life over again.
A young boy of sixteen . . . . with wings on his feet

Dreaming that soon now . . . a lover hell meet..
A groom soon at twenty . . . my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows . . . that I promised to keep.
I think of the years, all too few . . . gone too fast.

And accept the stark fact . . . that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people . . . open and see.
Not a crabby old man. Look closer . . . see ME!!
At twenty-five, now . . . I have young of my own.

Who need me to guide . . . and a secure happy home.
A man of thirty . . . My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . . With ties that should last.
Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you might brush aside without
looking at the young soul within . . . . we will all, one day, be there, too!
26
PLUGGED IN
ometimes I hear about a movie and I get

told its really good. But all the reviews
around are done by atheists, so how do I get
a balanced review for the whole thing with
Christian values incorporated into the review?
Well head over to www.pluggedin.com!
Theyre a US based
organisation
that
do
magazines and also have
their very helpful website.
While sometimes I think
its slightly conservative
(do they need to count the
number of swear words
in the movie?) Im sure
that there are many people
that appreciate the meticulous reviews which
include positive and negative elements, spiritual
content and then drug, alcohol and swearing
content. It may ruin the plot for a movie or
two but I find that most of the time I dont end
up going to see the movie.
Plugged In doesnt stop there. They also do
music, video and video game reviews. Then they
have a few other sections like Family Room and
Up Front. Family Room generally deals with
issues related to families especially ones that
are younger and heading towards teenage years
and how western culture permeates Christian
values all too easily. Theres some handy tips
and advice in there. Then the Up Front area is
to do with the latest issues. I read a good article
on narcissism lately and another on the impacts
of giving young children mobile phones and
iPads to keep them quiet.
So overall, Plugged In gives us a different
Christian perspective on a lot of hot issues in
our modern day western culture that are so
often overrun by atheists. Ive found it very
useful especially for movies. The one thing I
would love them to do is review some more
Christian music.
Westminster
Shorter Catechism
with the scripture proof
Q. 34. What is adoption?

A. Adoption is an act of Gods
free grace [a], whereby we are
received into the number, and
have a right to all the privileges,
of the sons of God [b].
[a]. I John 3:1
[b]. John 1:12; Rom. 8:17
Q. 35. What is sanctification?
A. Sanctification is the work of
Gods free grace [a], whereby
we are renewed in the whole
man after the image of God [b],
and are enabled more and more
to die unto sin, and live unto
righteousness [c].
[a]. Ezk. 36:27; Phil. 2:13; II
Thess. 2:13
[b]. II Cor. 5:17; Eph. 4:23-24; I
Thess. 5:23
[c]. Ezek. 36:25-27; Rom. 6:4, 6,
12-14; II Cor. 7:1; IPet. 2:24
By James Wilson
27
Youth & Family Pages
The Nativity
The First Gift of Christmas
Among the oxen (like an ox Im slow)

I see a glory in the stable grow
Which, with the oxs dullness might at length
Give me an oxs strength.
Among the sheep (I like a sheep have strayed)

I watch the manger where my Lord is laid;
Oh that my baaing nature would win thence
Some woolly innocence!
The first Christmas gift ever given

Wasnt bought in a mart or a shop,
And it wasnt encased in gay wrappings
With a bright ribbon bow on the top.
The first Gift of Christmas was given
In a manger lowly and bare,
And a blanket was the lone wrapping
Of this gift so priceless and fair.
God gave the First Gift of Christmas,
A most Holy and Wonderful One,
When He looked down in mercy and
goodness
And gave us the Gift of His Son!
~ C. S. Lewis
~ John Gilbert
Among the asses (stubborn I as they)

I see my Savior where I looked for hay;
So may my beast like folly learn at least
The patience of a beast.
28
A Christmas Prayer
CHRISTMAS...
Loving Father, help us to

remember the birth
of Jesus, that we may share
in the song of the angels,
the gladness of the
shepherds,
and the worship of the
wise men.
Close the door of hate and
open the door of love all over the world.
Let kindness come with every gift and
good desires with every greeting.
Deliver us from evil by the blessing
which Christ brings, and teach us to
be merry with clear hearts.
May the Christmas morning make us happy
to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening
bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts,
forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus sake. Amen!
Can you think of Christmas

Or a gift
To give in His Name?
Or without joy or peace
Of heart
to share,
As we celebrate again?
~ Robert Louis Stevenson

True God of true God;
Light of light eternal:
Lo! He abhors not the Virgins womb.
Son of the Father,
Begotten, not created:
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
~ Anonymous, 17th or 18th Century
translated by Fredrick Oakley
Can another year with its

Christmas cheer
But remind us
That Jesus died?
And the cradle there
Is empty,
Indeed,
Unless He was crucified.
Can wise men from here,
Or anywhere From east or west
Or south,
But worship the One who,
Born to die,
Is risen
And forever lives!
~ Maurice L. Anderson
Please send us snippets

for our mag that you
think are relevant to our
younger readers!
29
Contacts
Westminster Presbyterian Church

AuSTrAliAN CAPiTAl TerriTOry
belCONNeN WPC
Meets:
61 Templeton Street,

(cnr Rowan St.)

COOK, ACT 2614
Time:
9.30am and 6.30pm (every Sunday)
Address: 61 Templeton Street,

COOK, ACT 2614
Office Ph: (02) 6251 7727
Fax:
(02) 6251 7737
Email:
pastor@wpc-belconnen.org.au
Contact: Revd Geoff Findlay
Telephone: (02) 6259 7707 (a/h)
NeW SOuTh WAleS
S.e. AuSTrAliA PreSbyTery
Moderator: Revd Geoff Findlay
Email:
geoff@wpc-belconnen.org.au
Clerk: Elder Perry Blackmore
Email:
Perry.Blackmore@optusnet.com.au
QueeNSlANd
ChriSTiAN COMMuNiTY ChurCh PACiFiC
PArAdiSe
Meets:
North Shore Community Hall, David
Low Way, Pacific Paradise
Time:
9.30am
Postal:
119 Glenview Rd, GLENVIEW QLD
4553
Contact: Revd Dan Bosshard
Mob:
0439 708 092
Email:
danbosshard@bigpond.com
grACe ChriSTiAN ChurCh (buderiM
WPC)
Meets:
Corner of Stringybark Rd and Toral
Dr, Sippy Downs, Sunshine
Coast
Times:
7.45am, 9.30am and 6.00pm
Chinese Church (Mandarin
language) meets at 1pm. English
Hour (free English classes) at 4pm.
Postal:
PO Box 346, BuderiM, QLd 4556
Telephone: (07) 5445 8933
Contact: Revd Bob Burnett (07) 5442 1783
Email:
gracechurch@westnet.com.au
Web Site: www.gracechurchbuderim.com.au
MeTrOWeST COMMuNiTy ChurCh (MT
OMMANey WPC)
Meets:
Mt Ommaney Special School, 94
Capitol Drive, MT OMMANEY
Times:
9:30am & 5pm
30
Website: http://www.metrowest.cc
Postal:
2/101 Harts Rd, INDOOROOPILLY,
QLd 4068
Contact: Revd Ian Spence
Email:
spence01@optusnet.com.au
grACe ChriSTiAN ChurCh (redbANk
WPC)
Meets:
School Road, redBANK PLAiNS
Time:
9.30am
Nathan Campus
Postal:
P.O. Box 347, GOODNA, QLd 4300
Contact: Revd David Smith
Telephone: (07) 3495 7051
Email:
david@gracecc.com.au
PreSbyTery OF QueeNSlANd
Moderator: John Hamilton
Clerk: Ian Spence
Postal:
2/101 Harts Road,
INDOOROOPILLY, QLD 4068
Telephone: (07) 3371 2512
Email:
john.h@bigpond.net.au
WeSTMiNSTer TheOlOgiCAl COllege
QueeNSlANd
Principal: Revd Terry Clarke

10 Hollings Close, Kuraby,
QueeNSLANd 4112
Postal:
PO Box 346, BuderiM, QLd 4556
Telephone: (07) 5445 8501
Email:
information@wtc.qld.edu.au
Web:
www.wtc.qld.edu.au
WeSTerN AuSTrAliA
All NATiONS PreSbyTeriAN ChurCh
Meets:
The Beaufort Centre, 74-82 Beaufort
Street (2nd Floor), PerTH.
Time:
10.00am
Email:
churchoffice@allnations.org.au
Web site: www.allnations.org.au
Telephone: (08) 9228 4951
Fax
(08) 9228 4956
Postal:
PO Box 8693, Perth BC WA 6849
Contact: Revd Simon van Bruchem
Email:
simon_vb@optusnet.com.au
brOOkTON (CAlvAry PreSbyTeriAN)
Meets: Richardson St., BROOKTON
Time:
10.30am.
Postal:
PO Box 99, BrOOKTON, WA 6306
Contact: Revd Clem White (08) 9535 3301
Email:
candpwhite@bigpond.com OR elder
Arthur Slater (08) 9642 1231
bull Creek WPC

Meets:
32 Bull Creek Drive, BuLL CreeK
Times:
9.30am, 6.30pm.
Postal:
32 Bull Creek Drive, BuLL CreeK,
WA 6149
Email:
wpcbc@iinet.net.au
Telephone: (08) 9332 6300
Fax:
(08) 9332 1991
Contact: Revd Steve Schoof (08) 9310 3357
Email:
melbonn@bigpond.com
Contact: Revd Mark Vivian (08) 9455 3919
Email:
pastormark@iinet.net.au
Contact: Revd Craig Newill (08) 6161 0525
Email:
craignewill@gmail.com
Website: www.wpc.net
Bull Creek WPC Indonesian Services
Time:
9.30am
Meets:
190 Bateman Road, BreNTWOOd
Time:
4.00pm
Meets:
32 Bull Creek Drive, BuLL CreeK,
WA 6149
Revd Paulus Surya (08) 9414 5872
CANNiNg vAle COMMuNiTy ChurCh
(CANNiNg vAle WPC)
Meets:
Canning Vale Community Centre,
Cnr Waratah Blvd. and Eucalyptus
Blvd., CANNING VALE
Time: 10.30am
Postal:
PO Box 5153, CANNING VALE
SOuTH, WA 6155
Telephone: (08) 9256 4776
Contact: Revd Alex Nathan
Email:
alexandernathan@iinet.net.au
kelMSCOTT WPC
Meets:
Lot 60 Centre Rd, (Cnr Railway Ave)
KeLMSCOTT, WA 6111
Times:
Prayer 9.15am. Service 10.00am
Postal:
PO Box 305 THOrNLie WA 6988
Telephone: (08) 9398 7200
Contact: Revd Anton Noppers (08) 9498 3306
Email:
wpck@iinet.net.au
kiNgSley PreSbyTeriAN ChurCh
Meets:
15 Moolanda Bvde, KINGSLEY
Time:
9.30am
Postal:
15 Moolanda Bvde, KINGSLEY, WA
6026
Telephone: (08) 9309 4043
Session Clerk: Elder Tony Veale (08) 9448 6542
Email:
contact@kingsleychurch.org.au
MAidA vAle WPC

Meets:
4 Old Maida Vale Rd, MAidA vALe
Times:
10.00am and 6.00pm
Postal:
4 Old Maida Vale Rd, MAidA vALe,
WA 6057
Telephone: (08) 9454 7401
Fax:
(08) 9454 4307
Contact: Revd Roger Palmer
Email:
wpcmv@myoffice.net.au
MANdurAh WPC
Meets:
The Nellie Reagan Hall, Peel St,
MANdurAH
Time:
10.00am
Postal:
PO Box 5875 Mandurah, WA 6210
Interim
Moderator: Revd Steve Schoof
Contact: Elder Nathan Woonings
Telephone: (08) 9586 1910
Email:
nw_wpcm@iprimus.com.au
MurdOCh Three CrOSSeS ChurCh
Morning: 10am Mandala Hall, Mandala
Crescent, Bateman at 10am
Evening: 6pm Murdoch University, Murdoch
Postal:
9 Johansen Promenade MurdOCH
WA 6150
Contact: Revd Matthew Waldron
Mob:
0438 021 286
Email:
mattwaldron@bigpond.com
Website: www.threecrosseschurch.com
PreSbyTery OF WeSTerN AuSTrAliA
Moderator: Revd Simon van Bruchem
Email:
simon_bc@optusnet.com.au
Telephone: (08) 9228 4951
Work:
(08) 9457 0107
Home Clerk: Elder Steve Heathcote
Postal:
21 Carcoo Court BeCKeNHAM 6107
Email:
heathcote.steve@gmail.com
Telephone: (08) 9479 1508
SyNOd OF WeSTMiNSTer PreSbyTeriAN
ChurCh
Moderator: Simon van Bruchem
Clerk:
Mark Vivian
Email:
pastormark@iinet.au
Treasurer: Elder Dirk Soet
Telephone: (08) 9444 7506
Continued on page 22
31
LEEDERVILLE, PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Need to be better equipped

for Bible teaching
or mission?
Come and investigate study opportunities for 2012

contact 08 9228 9067 or info@ttc.wa.edu.au
www.ttc.wa.edu.au
Preparing People for Effective Christian Service
Bachelor Degrees . Graduate Diploma . Masters and Research Degrees
Certificate Courses . Pastors Days . Annual Public Lecture
32

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The

Youth & Family

4-7 8-22 23-25 26-29

The 2011 subscription rates are as follows:

Deadlines for each Issue

If posted directly to your address, $4.25

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$4.50 for single issues.

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Articles of Church News, Letters to the Editor

Feb 14 for Autumn issue

and addressed to Rev. Clem White at the

The Messenger Committee

Clem White (Editor)

T h e M es s eng er Summe r 2011

hat should our response be to these

In todays church bashing climate we should

The Brookton Family Festival, 2012

reparations for the 2012 Brookton

An old fashioned theme

We held a mission there in January 2011,

T h e M es s eng er Summe r 2011

maximise our opportunities to present Jesus,

Fun with the kids at last years BFF

around the Town Hall, from 10.30 a.m. to

Another way to support the team is through

Tony Veale is a ruling elder at Kingsley WPC

Adam blamed Eve

Marshall Musings Dec 2011

Every person and every family end up with a

We live in an unusual situation, Australians

country themselves (which is m

missionary life, but accreditation is an important

Both David and Wendy are juggling many

except Wendy knows!

Our fun camping trip. It was great to get

David and Wendy Marshall are missionaries

Missionaries Can Be Lonely?

everal years before I became a missionary

To say goodbye to loved ones

T h e M es s eng er Summe r 2011

To say goodbye to loved ones and move to

One of our sons saying a tearful goodbye to his aunty

it is like to live in our new environment or even

newly adopted country; possibly never. Even if

find it difficult to relate to the missionaries, these

David & Wendy Marshall are missionaries

Barbara Looks Back

ur day began on Thursday with very

T h e M es s eng er Summe r 2011

Again, these relationships go back some

many Puritans who depended upon him for

photos of the very room where Thomas

ou have seen his products on the

T h e M es s eng er Summe r 2011

driving a taxi cab and after only six months in

Loneliness led to two things: longer

study which grew into a Bible conference

Barbara with her husband David have spent

The Idol Factory

dolatry means following idols instead of

T h e M es s eng er Summe r 2011