change the world magazine 2012

Change The World Magazine 1 Change The World Magazine 1

Change The World Magazine 2

message from the senior pastor


o n e o f t h e g r e a t e s t t h i n g s a b o u t m i s s i o n i s w e g e t t o d o i t

t o g e t h e r

Change The World Magazine 2 Change The World Magazine 3Change The World Magazine 2 Change The World Magazine 3

Ps David Doery, Senior Pastor, Bridge Church

o n e o f t h e g r e a t e s t t h i n g s a b o u t m i s s i o n i s w e g e t t o d o i t

t o g e t h e rWhaT exCiTing oPPorTuniTieS lie ahead aS We

partner together, extending the Kingdom and assisting the

disadvantaged.

Jesus saw a church that would literally invade every

corner of the earth with a heart to bring “redemptive lift”

to every person and each community. This is exactly what

you and i are doing through the mission vision of the

church!

Through our local and international partnerships the

gospel is being preached, churches are being planted,

leaders are being trained and communities are being

transformed.

This year’s theme for our Mission Conference is “Pray,

Give, Go”. i know you will be encouraged and inspired as

you hear many stories of what god is doing “across the

road and around the globe”. Please take the time to read

all the reports, listen to the stories and come to both the

Saturday and Sunday sessions. our guest speaker, Ps.

Sean Stanton is a champion of mission within australian

Christian Churches and a brilliant communicator of god’s

heart and vision. he will inspire us to keep believing for

even more, so don’t miss any of the main sessions and be

sure to register for the electives as well.

Being active in mission, reaching the world beyond our

own four walls has always been part of the dna of Bridge

church. it’s part of who we are as a local church with an

international heart. So much of what we do is empowered

through the faithful giving of our regular “Faith Promise

Partners”. not the huge giving of just a few but the

incredible generosity of so many ordinary people deciding

they can make an extraordinary difference through

a regular financial contribution.

as we confirm our mission partnerships for another

year ahead let me say “thank you” to everyone who has

prayed, given and gone. Together we are making a huge

difference and there is a reward awaiting every act of

faith.

in our “Year of Purpose” my prayer is together we will

commit to even greater faith and see our partnerships and

projects go to whole new levels of success.

These are great days! Thanks for being with us and

making it happen.


contents

3 David DoeryMessage from the Senior Pastor

5 Our Visionextend the Kingdom of god across the road and around the globe

6 Faith PromisesFaith Promise Partners are the heroesof Bridge Church

9 Rob MorrisMessage from the Mission director

10 Pray Give Goour Theme for the Change the World Conference 2012

14 AfricaPray, give, go for africa

15 Africa Overviewour Partners & Key Field overview

16 East Africa - Famine ReliefThank You Bridge Church

18 Mozambique - Housen40 Churches Planted, Countless lives and Communities imacted by the gospel

20 Kenya - Kag MajembeniSeven Churches in Two Years

21 North Africa - Taskersnext door evangelists

22 Going: North Ugandaan experience That Will Stay with Me Forever

28 IndiaPray, give, go for india

29 India Overviewour Partners & Key Field overview

30 Maharasthra - COM5000 Churches and 1200 Sponsored Children

32 Orissa - Jacob’s WellWater of life in Jacob’s Well

33 Going: New DelhiJenny hudson

38 ThailandPray, give, go for Thailand

39 Thailand Overviewour Partners & Key Field overview

40 Chiang Mai - Capacity JEMFrom Children to Project implementation

41 Chiang Mai - The River Teamgod’s river of love in the South of Thailand

42 Going: Chiang MaiMiracle in Thailand

44 Going Mid-Term: ThailandThailand has Changed Me Forever

48 Going Long-Term: Indiaordinary life, extraordinary Things

52 AustraliaPray, give, go for australia

53 Australiaour Partners & Key Field overview

54 Darwin: Bagot Indigenous Victory ChurchSeeing god Move in the Bagot Community

56 Victoria: Teen Challenge VictoriaFrom Trouble to Miracle

58 Alice Springs: Teen Challenge Centralia Shining with god’s love

59 Going: DarwinTransformation

62 GlobalPray, give, go

63 Global Overviewour Partners & global overview

64 China - Geok LimComing to Christ one by one

65 Global - Bruce Hills raise leaders influence others

66 China - Winchesters400 leaders Trained

67 Romania - Rhodeshuman Trafficking can be Beaten

70 LocalPray, give, go

71 Local Overviewour local Focus

72 Empire Estate TeenagersFrom darkness To light

73 Bridge Church at Richmond Housing Estategod’s Kingdom our First Priority

74 Richmond Soul Sisters Morning Connect Grouplittle idea Makes Big difference

75 Financial ReportThank You For Changing The World

CONTENTS



aT Bridge MiSSion, our PurPoSe iS SiMPlY ThiS:

exTend The KingdoM oF god aCroSS The road and around The gloBe. We want to do exactly what the church was put here

to do. reach people with the gospel. We don’t want

to replicate what all the other ngo’s and community

services do, though sometimes the work might look the

same. But the heart behind it is different. our heart is

to be the church, reaching people with the life-saving

gospel message. Sometimes this will be food on a plate,

sometimes it will be providing shelter and education but

at other times it will be investing in Bible colleges and

planting churches. We know who we are and we know

who god has created us to be. So we are doing it on

purpose!

We divide our work up into four different key activities:

Church Planting

Leadership Development

Humanitarian Aid

Community Transformation

We achieve these activities by partnering with key

individuals and groups on the field. Partnership can

be done in a variety of ways. in its simplest form we

give financial support to a project. at other times it will

be a project in which we have a team that is just as

involved here as the team is on the field. When choosing

partners we hold high value on working with indigenous

partners on the field, because they know the culture

better than we do. We make sure that our partnerships

are sustainable. That is, we make sure that plans are

in place so that they won’t be reliant on Bridge Mission

forever.

We also work to make sure that our projects are

reproducible. We want to learn from everything we

do and when we do it well, we want to be able to do it

again and again. regular reviews are conducted of all

our partnerships to ensure that your Faith Promises are

being used in the most effective way possible. Because

we know we are better to focus our efforts on particular

communities rather than spread ourselves thin we focus

the majority of our funds on key fields. our key fields

are: africa, india, Thailand, indigenous australia and

the local area of richmond, Melbourne.

it’s so exciting to know that we can partner together

to Change the World!

vision

our vision



Who are our faith promise partners?Faith Promise Partners are the heroes of Bridge church. They live everyday for a purpose bigger than themselves. They recognise that financial commitment is very important to the out working of the great commission. They are the ones that sit the family around the table and arrange their budget so they can give more, regardless of the struggles they face. They live the heart of mission and make room for god to add faith to their walk. They live with less so that others can have more. They are changing the world. What is a faith promise?a Faith Promise is a stretch to believe we can do something significant. it is a monthly commitment to give. While there are times to give in the spontaneity of the moment now is the one time of the year that we can rise to a commitment beyond ourselves.

hoW do i become a faith promise partner? Firstly, pray and decide what god would have you give. You’ll get your Faith Promise giving card at the conference. Simply fill it out and hand it in.

FAITH PROMISES

Mother

Accountant

Child



Mother Teacher

Skilled Trades PersonAccountant

Entrepreneur

Father

Child Student



c h a n g e y o u r l i f e a s y o u c h a n g e o t h e r s ’

f o r e v e r



c h a n g e y o u r l i f e a s y o u c h a n g e o t h e r s ’

f o r e v e rWhaT an inCrediBle oPPorTuniTY We have aS a

significant mission focused church to make a difference

both locally and globally. i feel so privileged to serve in

this season with our awesome Mission executive Team

and Key Field leaders, people who are so passionate

about mission. i am also honoured to be part of a church

where the people of god are so generous with their

giving. Thank you for what you have done this year which

has enabled us to partner with so many great ministries

around the world. our god is amazing.

This year, our intention is to go to a new level in all

our main areas. With that in mind we have themed the

conference, Pray, Give, Go.

PrAy – We can never pray too much! The intent this

year is not only to encourage personal prayer for Mission

but to engage as many people as possible in corporate

Mission prayer opportunities. Many of our partners

thank us when we visit the field for the prayer support

of the church. They honestly sense the difference

prayer makes. let’s dare to believe that as we raise our

commitment to pray that greater levels of breakthrough

will happen at the coalface where these champions are

reaching out with the love of Jesus.

GIVE – in 2011, the level of giving and the number of

givers was outstanding. as you will see in the report,

this enabled us to do so much. our aim in 2012 is to

be able to go to another level again. This is not about

raising money for money’s sake. it is about using the

blessing of god in our lives to bring significant change in

environments that have less resource. Whether this is in

some of the local mission responsibilities we have or in

meeting the growing number of global needs. i thank you

for the incredible commitment you are making in 2012 to

financially support Mission. Whether god has placed you

in a position to be able to make a large faith promise or a

small one, my prayer is that you will hear from god and

be faithful in your commitment. Together, we will rise to

a new level.

GO – in the last 12 months we have seen 74 people go

on a short term mission outreach and more than 9 people

who have committed to a longer season in a mission

context. This is incredibly exciting for us as a team; to

see ordinary people rising up to do extraordinary things

with their lives. We have been working hard during 2011

to keep the trips affordable, safe and challenging. our

aim is to create opportunities for all ages including

families to experience firsthand something outside the

context of australian church life. our mission team

is available to help you make the decision that could

change your life forever.

So, Pray, Give, Go. That is our theme and our focus for

the conference and for 2012. Bless you and thank you

again for being an active participator in Bridge Mission.

rob Morris, Mission director, Bridge Church


message from the mission director

t o g e t h e r w e c a n c h a n g e t h e w o r l d

in 2012 , make a commitment to:


PRAy Pray for the nations and our partners across the globe.

GIVEBecome a faith promise partner and give to transform lives and communities.

GOGo local, go global andimpact the world.

t o g e t h e r w e c a n c h a n g e t h e w o r l d

in 2012 , make a commitment to:



africa

s p r e a d t h e g o s p e l ,

c h a n g e t h e w o r l d


s p r e a d t h e g o s p e l ,

c h a n g e t h e w o r l d matt 9:37-38He said to His disciples,

“The harvest is great, but the workers are few.

So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the

harvest; ask him to send more workers into

his fields.”

africa

Change The World Magazine 14Change The World Magazine 14

PRAy GIVE GO

become a faith promise partner and support our

partners in africa in 2012/2013

wiLL educaTe a cHiLd To be a Leader of Tomorrow (mama Safi orpHanage)

wiLL Train a bibLe coLLege STudenT To become a cHurcH pLanTer

(iTm bibLe coLLege – mozambique)

wiLL broadcaST THe goSpeL in THe SLumS of nairobi (Kag majengo)

mozambique 15-24

april 2012

itm bible collegeleader: Joe mwangi

mozambique september/october 2012

itm bible college

THere wiLL aLSo be fuTure ouTreacHeS To africa in 2013.

$120per month

$50per month

$25per month

Join the mission prayer teamContact 03 8420 0938 or

[email protected]

that the countries in north africa THaT are going THrougH major

poLiTicaL cHange wouLd be guided by godTo give cHriSTianS freedom To worSHip

east africa Would receive rain, countries experiencing TurmoiL wouLd Have peace

and THaT peopLe wouLd receive cHriST

god to provide godly, Wise people to assist robbie HouSen in THe iTm bibLe coLLege

courage and spiritual breakthrough for THe cHurcHeS in THe Kiambiu and

majengo SLumS in nairobi.

Wisdom and spiritual protection for pS paTricK and HiS LeaderS in uganda

god to raise up more church planters wiTH Kag majembeni in Lamu

Wisdom and strategic direction for mama Safi orpHanage and diSabiLiTy

parTnerSHip abroad

africa africa africa

Change The World Magazine 14 Change The World Magazine 15Change The World Magazine 14

GO in africa we support:kenya

uganda

north africa

mozambique

PS WilSon & JoYCe oMido Kag Kiambiu

PS JereMiah & SYlvia JuMaKag Majengo

diSaBiliTY ParTnerShiP aBroad

PS ChriSTian & JaneT MuChiriKag Majembeni

MaMa SaFi orPhanage

PS PaTriCK KaBongo

Craig & FeliCiTY TaSKer

roBBie houSeniTM Bible College

africa


Kenyauganda

mozambique

a f r i c a

in africa in 2011/2012 We have supported:

+ The planting of churches across uganda, Kenya and Mozambique

+ leadership training in north africa

+ Sustainability projects and churches in the slums of nairobi

+ orphans program in poverty stricken northern uganda

+ Purchase of land to extend an orphanage in Kenya

+ Bible College that trains students to plant churches all over Mozambique

+ radio program that reaches many people in the slums of nairobi

+ disabled children in Kenya

+ Famine relief in Kenya through local churches


africa east africa

faminerelief

in 2011, eaST aFriCa FaCed iTS WorST droughT in over 50 YearS aFFeCTing

over 10 million people. More than 1 million people fled from Somalia to refugee camps

in Kenya and ethiopia in hope of finding enough food and water to sustain them. The un

declared the disaster a Phase 5 Famine/humanitarian Catastrophe.

Bridge church gave generously for the east african Famine relief appeal, raising

$30,008. of that money, $14,008 was given to Convoy of hope through aCCir and

$16,000 was given for distribution through churches across Kenya via Kag Buruburu

Church. Bridge church also gave a further $5,000 to three of our partner churches

to provide famine relief to over 250 families.

KAG BuruBuru

Kag Buruburu distributed the famine relief through churches from local companies in

surrounding districts; Kibwezi, Kitui, Marsabit, Turkana & Maralal.

Pastors from Kag Buruburu purchased maize and beans in the districts where the

food was distributed, hired a truck and arranged a team of volunteers to distribute the

food through their connecting churches.

Jaxon Calder of Bridge Church, Ps george from the Korogocho slums, Ps elvis

irungu and Charles Wachira from Kag Buruburu went to three different churches

in Kitui to distribute some of the funds given by Bridge Church.

The devastation was evident along the way to Kitui with plantations covered with

dust from the lack of rain and everything being extremely dry. upon arrival, they went

to each of the three churches and spoke to the people about god and his provision of

funds through Bridge church and then each person there received enough food to last

their family a few months.

Working with local churches provides a central place for the distribution of the food.

it also shows the love and care of Christ to the community and helps the churches to

make more contacts with people. The people were so appreciative of the much needed

relief.


after they had visited the last church the drivers swept the back of the

semi-trailer, putting the spilt maize in their t-shirts and requested to take it

home to their families.

COnVOy Of HOPE

Through aCC international relief’s horn of africa appeal, funds raised by

Bridge church were distributed throughout affected regions. aCCi’s on-field

partner, Convoy of hope, provided an initial response to the disaster. having

been based in Kenya for the past eight years, warehouse space, vehicles, and

distribution chains were already in place.

The initial response to the crisis was an outlay of $50,000 to purchase

critical supplies in the country. Food and water have been distributed on an

ongoing basis, contributing towards the long-term response plan. The needs

of both Kenyan and Somali refugees in Kenya are staggering. Millions of

people are still in need of humanitarian assistance in Kenya alone, with over

500,000 additional refugees. Convoy of hope will continue to respond on all

available fronts, and will look at viable ways of serving other impacted areas

as the relief effort proceeds.

PArTnEr CHurCHES

Bridge church also gave $5,000 across three of our partner churches in

Kenya to help over 250 families in need. These churches were Kag Kiambiu,

Kag Majengo and Kag Majembeni. each of these churches distributed the

food to families who had been affected

by the famine in the slums of nairobi and

in lamu in Kenya. The people were so

grateful.

Many people have been affected by the

drought and in a bid to survive, have moved

to the big city of nairobi where they live

in slums already in desperate conditions.

unemployment, theft, prostitution, drugs,

crime, home brewed alcohol is rampant,

and youth are being recruited to fight for

terrorist organisations. The famine has made

people even more desperate.

Majengo is one of these slums and is

a very desperate and hard place.

Kag Majengo handed out 1 kg packs

of maize flour to people identified, by a

committee including government officials,

as the most needy. Ben hay and two other

members from Bridge church, Muslim

leaders, government officials and the local

police chief were present! This was the fifth

of five handouts arranged at the Kag

Majengo church. The officials all

addressed the people, and publically

expressed gratitude to Bridge church

for their support and love in action

to the people of the Majengo slum.

The district government official who

was present was so moved by the

day that he told Ps Jeremiah that he

would promise him an old building in

Majengo to house his books he has in

his office which would create a library

for the church.

There were tears of joy and

happiness, and it was a really

powerful event. The recipients did

not just receive food but were also

uplifted by god’s presence and love.

Many commented that to see three

foreigners in an area that most people

from nairobi wouldn’t go to means

a lot to them.

one single mum who had a newly

born baby and two other children

told Ben she was hiv positive,

recently accepted Jesus and was

now attending Kag Majengo. Jesus

is giving her hope she said, and she

was very grateful for the food she

received.

Thank you Bridge church for giving

so generously. Your giving makes a

difference.


africa mozambique robbie housen

roBBie houSen and her laTe huSBand JeFF Moved To MozaMBique

in 1999 with the vision to train and release church planters into communities

across the country. They established iTM Bible College in 2000 and have

seen over 40 churches planted across Mozambique, and countless lives and

communities impacted by the gospel.

The students at the Bible College are trained to be church planters and go

out and plant a church in their third year. Two of these students went out from

the Bible College and planted a church in Shapunga, a rural community in

Mozambique. The people in the community have low incomes, limited access

to clean water and healthcare. alongside planting a church, these church

planters have also been able to improve the standard of living through fixing

wells and digging new wells, teaching village healthcare and adult literacy.

as the church started to meet, many people came along with serious health

issues so the church planters started to pray for them and god miraculously

healed many people. Several women who had been lame for over 15 years

were completely healed and got up and danced for joy, overwhelmed and

praising Jesus who had healed them and saved them.

The iTM Bible College not only teaches the students about how to be

church planters but also gives them skills and knowledge about becoming

self-sustainable. an exciting initiative that robbie has started is the hope

farm. robbie is developing this farm to be a commercial business to make the

Bible College and the many facets of the ministry self-sustainable. This farm

will consist of raising animals and growing crops. Pigs, sheep, chickens and

goats will be raised on the farm and sold. The crops they are growing are

medicinal herbs and plants. one of these plants is called maringa which is

used to treat malnutrition. They will provide it for hospitals, people in need

and people with aidS as well as selling it commercially. The medicinal herbs

treat skin diseases that are common in the area.

partner /ROBBIE hOusEn


This project trains students in becoming self-sustainable as well as providing

resource for the ministry itself. all of the students are trained in agriculture. The

first year students, in their agriculture subject, will be working on the farm and at the

same time learning how the farm runs from the ground up. Second year students will

manage the farm, learn how to manage money and learn how to run a business well

so that in their third year when they go out to plant churches they can run a micro-

enterprise business enabling them to sustain their own ministry out on the field.

Third year students are given a micro-enterprise kit to take with them and, along

with the skills they learnt in Bible College will be able to start a business that will

support their ministry. They will be able to go out and transform communities and

enable their churches to be founded on a sound basis.

god is doing many things in Mozambique to take the gospel to people who have not

heard about Jesus. it is exciting to see what happens when we allow god to use us to

pray, give and go.

Pictures showing the iTM Bible College students holding up their certificates after completing their studies.


kenya, lamu kag maJembeni – ps christian & janet muchiri

When PS ChriSTian and JaneT MuChiri STarTed

Kag Majembeni in 2009, it was the only aog church

in the lamu region. They had a strong call from god to

reach people and communities that had never heard the

gospel. The lord god has given them such favour. in the

space of two years they have been able to open seven

more churches, reaching the indigenous people deeper

in the bush.

all of the churches planted have been established

as a result of god’s favour. Ps Christian and Janet

are excited to see what god is doing through them in

partnership with Bridge church.

They have started a small Bible training school to

train pastors and leaders to be more effective in their

ministry.

Most of the churches which they have planted are

in remote areas deep in the jungle. The pastors have

to walk long

distances

between them

to encourage

the believers.

They have been

blessed with

bicycles for each

pastor and a

motorbike for Ps

Christian so that

he can oversee

the churches.

Do you have a heart for Africa? Why not join our africa Team and play a part in supporting, resourcing and praying for our partners on the field. Contact us on (03) 8420 0938 or email [email protected].

god has also been touching Muslims. Jeffery was

a Muslim that came to Christ. he grew up in a Muslim

family. Christians around him shared the gospel with him

and invited him to their home to study the Bible together.

Through the grace of god, he accepted Jesus. after he

came to Christ, his six brothers also gave their lives to

Jesus. These were not easy decisions and they were

persecuted but Ps Christian and Janet encouraged them

and prayed for them regularly.

amina was another testimony to god’s goodness.

She married a Muslim man but was divorced. She was

infected with hiv and was desperate. no-one wanted

to associate with her but the pastors went to comfort

and encourage her. amina accepted Jesus and is a living

testimony to god’s grace and life changing power.

Kag Majembeni also run a school for children in the

area. The quality of the education is giving them great

favour with the parents and the community.

Ps Christian and Janet are thankful to Bridge church

for our support not only in church planting and education

but during the famine which affected many people. The

relief funds that were sent were a great help and touched

many people in the community.

partner /kag majEmBEnI

africa


africa north africa craig & felicity tasker

Craig and FeliCiTY TaSKer WorK in norTh aFriCa WiTh a viSion To raiSe

up a body of believers with godly leadership and make the gospel available to as many

as possible.

Craig and Felicity share the gospel with neighbours, friends, taxi drivers, colleagues

and offer them Jesus dvd’s and Bibles. They are seeing many lives changed by god.

They have a vision to see the millions of people in their country come to know Christ

and for Christians to be given the freedom to worship and meet together.

Two Muslim families that Craig and Felicity have been ministering to accepted their

gift of the Bible and a list of verses in the Koran that encourage reading of the Bible.

When they went back to visit them a couple of months later, they had a good discussion

about the gospel and they were happy for the Jesus film to be shown to the entire

family. They requested their own copy and the father commented that “it will improve

me”.

Craig and Felicity bought a cassette player for the mum and gave her a pile of

teaching tapes in arabic. They also gave her 15 video resources in arabic because her

son had bought her a second hand vhS player. her children and grandchildren often

visit her and she can now show them these videos and sow into their lives.

They continue initiating new friendships in the neighbourhood, at work and wherever

they are in order to share the message of life. Their neighbour, hani, had dinner with

them one night and watched the glimpse of eternity dvd by ian McCormack. hani, who

is into eastern religions, was touched.

There are only about 400 believers in the whole country but Craig and Felicity are

believing god for new opportunities to share their faith, train leaders and grow the body

of believers in a harsh political climate.

partner / cRaIg &fELIcIty taskER


north uganda

an eXperiencegoing: north uganda

THaT wiLL STay wiTH me forever

BY liah PaPaS i have Been exTreMelY ForTunaTe To have Been involved in TWo MiSSion

outreaches with Bridge church to africa in the past two years. i have found that both

mission outreaches were a great challenge for me spiritually, mentally, and physically.

at the end of each trip i learned more about myself and my faith in god than anything

else. on both mission outreaches, i have learnt about new cultures and have been able

to see how people with nothing have the most amazingly strong faith in god.

an experience that i know will definitely stay with me forever was at the end of last

year when i traveled to uganda with a team from Bridge church. i was lucky enough

to spend some time with Pastor augustine’s (one of the pastors that is working with

Ps Patrick) son, Patrick, who shared with me what he had been through growing up in

uganda as a young boy as the lord renaissance army (lra) came and invaded uganda

in 1997. he told me about what the lra army used to do to young men and women his

age. he lost so many friends and relatives. he even saw many of his friends maimed

and dismembered in front of his eyes. i just couldn’t believe that someone so young,

only a couple of years older than myself had been through and seen so much. he was

still so thankful for everything that god had done in his life. he kept saying “but i

thank god they are gone now,” and “i thank god that he didn’t let the lra kill me”.

Children 10 years old are taught to kill, often beginning with their own families.

Some children are allowed to live and then the child is commanded to kill in order to

stay alive. if children do escape, they will never be the same again. in particular, the

lra abducted numerous children and terrorised them into virtual slavery as guards,

concubines, and soldiers. he told me that the children would be beaten, raped and

forced to march until exhausted. if they stopped in exhaustion and couldn’t walk any

longer, the lra would ask them “do you want to rest?” if they said yes, they would

shoot them and the rest of the group would be told “they get to rest for ever now, that’s

what they wanted”. abducted children were forced to participate in the killing and

africa


an eXperienceTHaT wiLL STay wiTH me forever

c h i l d r e n

1 0 y e a r s o l d

a r e ta u g h t

t o k i l l ,

o f t e n

b e g i n n i n g

w i t h t h e i r

o w n f a m i l i e s .torture of other children who had attempted to escape. he explained that more than

6,000 children were abducted during 1998, although many of those abducted later

escaped or were released.

Most human rights ngos place the number of abducted children still held captive

by the lra at around 3,000, although estimates vary substantially. it’s hard to believe

these things really happen and are not just stories you read about on the internet or

see on the Tv. after speaking to Patrick about all he saw and yet remaining thankful

for everything he has, it makes me realise we have an amazing god. People all over

the world go through so many different trials but at the end of the day we all have the

same god and the same faith. 1 John 5:4 says “...this is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” What is it that brings us victory? our faith! Faith brings us

victory. But remember that with every victory, there has to be a battle.

Through your faith promise giving, Bridge Church supports Pastor Patrick who has started up an orphan program in northern uganda reaching people like Patrick.

Pray

m a t t h e w 9 : 3 7 - 3 8

h e s a i d t o h i s d i s c i p l e s , “ t h e h a r v e s t i s p l e n t i f u l , b u t t h e w o r k e r s a r e f e w. s o p r ay t o t h e l o r d w h o i s i n c h a r g e o f t h e h a r v e s t; a s k h i m t o s e n d m o r e w o r k e r s i n t o h i s f i e l d s . ”

m a t t h e w 9 : 3 7 - 3 8

h e s a i d t o h i s d i s c i p l e s , “ t h e h a r v e s t i s p l e n t i f u l , b u t t h e w o r k e r s a r e f e w. s o p r ay t o t h e l o r d w h o i s i n c h a r g e o f t h e h a r v e s t; a s k h i m t o s e n d m o r e w o r k e r s i n t o h i s f i e l d s . ”


india

e m p o w e r t h o s e i n n e e d ,



e m p o w e r t h o s e i n n e e d ,


india

matt 9:37-38He said to His disciples,




his fields.”


Jacob’s Well establishing a medicaL cenTre in oriSSa

spiritual discernment and wiSdom To Train godLy cHurcH

pLanTerS THrougH com

grace and favour for jacob’S weLL wiTH governmenT and LocaL officiaLS

divine opportunities To miniSTer To parenTS of cHiLdren THaT aTTend THe

com day care cenTreS

the practical outWorking of god’S viSion for jacob’S weLL

To conTinue To grow in india and in oTHer naTionS

PRAy GIVE GO


partners in india in 2012/2013

will clothe, feed and educate a child to be

a leader of tomorrow (jacob’s well)

sponsors a missionary in india to plant churches in unreached

villages (com)

will enable a literacy worKer to educate people in the villages

in india (jacob’s well)

november/december 2012

Jacob’s Well & com

$175per month

$100per month

$40per month


[email protected]

india india india


in india in 2011/2012 We have supported:

+ The sinking of three bore wells to provide clean water

+ literacy and hygiene workers in the villages

+ Training of national missionaries to plant churches in villages and slum areas

+ Feeding programs in the slums

GO

india


in india we support:

JaCoB’S Well

ChriSTian ouTreaCh MiniSTrieS

daniel hunT

i n d i a

maharasthra

orissa

Change The World Magazine 30Change The World Magazine 30

india maharasthra christian outreach ministries

partner /cOmChriSTian ouTreaCh MiniSTrieS (CoM) iS a non-ProFiT organiSaTion CoMMiTTed To reaChing

every village for Jesus. With its humble beginnings in 1984, CoM has now planted over 5,000 churches, sponsors

1,200 children, and operates a number of other projects in india.

CoM runs several day-care centres which care for and educate children in impoverished areas in the state of

Maharashtra.

in one of the day-care centres in Pune, CoM workers met Mr ram Salve. he was a daily labourer in one of the local

factories in Maharashtra. The family came from a financially broken background and struggled to survive. ram put

his four year old son in the day care centres. after a year, he came to say thank you for the changes he had seen in

his son. “he is a new child!” he said. “he gets up on his own and the first thing he does is kneel and pray. We did not

understand to whom he was praying. one day as i came home from work with high fever and vomiting, my son said

‘Papa don’t worry, Jesus will heal you’. i was surprised to see my four year old son put his tender hand on my head,

praying with tears.

Change The World Magazine 30 Change The World Magazine 31Change The World Magazine 30

This moved my heart and to my surprise i was healed

in the next two hours. i realised that there is something

special in the name of Jesus. our little son has brought

us to the saving knowledge of Jesus. now my family and

i attend the CoM church.”

There are six day care centres in the state of

Maharashtra supported by CoM. The centres provide

a fantastic opportunity to minister to 243 children, aged

three to five, and also reach their families who are mostly

hindu. So far nine small groups have been established as

a result of the centres.

CoM also operates a Bible College in Pune which

trains students to be church planters in unreached

villages in india.

Ps nitin is a CoM church planter who has been

working in a village. he began there as a community

development worker but came against opposition from

the village leader when he began to share the gospel,

as the whole village are devotees of a local goddess.

Ps nitin continued to stand strong and made efforts to

build relationships with the villagers. one day the village

head asked Ps nitin why he continued coming to the

village. Ps. nitin courageously shared the love of Jesus.

The village head asked him “is Jesus more powerful

than other gods?” to which Ps nitin answered “Jesus is

a loving and forgiving god”. The village head asked him

to pray for his sick wife and over the next two weeks she

was healed! as a result, the village head and his family

have become eager to learn from the Bible and are soon

to be baptised. For nitin this is a very exciting time as the

village head has great influence over the people and now

there is an opportunity to reach the whole village. CoM is seeing god’s hand transform communities with

the gospel of Jesus Christ. in 2011, 134 young men and

women were trained and there are 85 church planters

working in 17 districts reaching 170 new villages in the

state of Maharashtra. during the period from June to

december 2011, 54 people have been baptised and four

new churches have been established. The CoM Central

Church in Pune has grown from 12 families to 65 families

in just six months and many hindu families have been

touched by the gospel or been healed and have come to

the lord. all glory to god for his incredible power and

love!

Ps nitin, CoM Church Planter


india orissa Jacob’s Well

partner /jacOB’s wELL

Do you have a heart for India? Why not join our india Team and play a part in supporting, resourcing and praying for our partners on the field. Contact us on (03) 8420 0938 or email [email protected].

JaCoB’S Well WaS STarTed BY Joan rooSe in 2005 aFTer going To india on a ShorT TerM MiSSion

outreach and seeing the immense need for fresh clean water to be available for all people in the villages. Jacob’s

Well hopes to break the poverty cycle by sinking fresh water wells in villages, establishing health and resource

centres and providing life changing education for children from tribal villages and the slums.

one of the workers at rejoice Centre is Jogesh. rejoice Centre provides vocational training to the surrounding

community and education, accommodation, meals and healthcare to over 90 children. it has been three years since

Jogesh had an encounter with Jesus in his village, following which he left his home to become a live-in farm hand

at rejoice Centre. after three years however, Jogesh, his wife and young boys, packed up their humble belongings

and headed back to their village in search of more money, not realising that over those years he had changed. Back

in their village Jogesh and his family kept in touch with rejoice Centre and received regular visits from one of the

Jacob’s Well team. They began having weekly prayer and worship nights together. The villagers said to Jogesh that

if he was going to stay, he could not do ‘those Christian things’. he was told not to pray or worship his god there.

Jogesh then remembered all the things god had done for him and his family over the past three years, how his

youngest son was born in good health after prayer (a miracle in these parts), how god had healed his son who was

unable to speak, how god protected him when he was trapped in his burning house and made a way for him to escape

out a window without being hurt, how god protected another son when he fell off the roof of a tall building without

being hurt, and how god is always there for him. right then and there, Jogesh decided he must continue to follow

Jesus.

Jogesh returned with his family to rejoice Centre where he takes part in evening worship and is growing in his

spiritual walk, learning to share the gospel and teach the children. each Wednesday night he goes out with another

worker from the Jacob’s Well team to a local village to share the gospel. There are now five Christian families in this

village, who have been set free by Jesus and have chosen to follow him.

This is one of the many stories of lives that are being reached by the love of Christ in india.

one of Jogesh’s sons


neW delhiindia

going: neW delhi

i WenT on a MiSSion ouTreaCh To india in

February 2012 that changed my life. delhi was the

place that god impacted me the most. We were taken

to what is known as the garbage slum. The people in

this slum live in the midst of rubbish. garbage from the

city is dumped in this slum and the people including

the children sort through the rubbish and extract any

recyclable material. They receive just enough money for

a meal to feed their families for a day.

even before i got out of the car my heart broke.

When we drove into the slum we noticed the tents that

the people live in. The slum is dirty and there are flies

and garbage everywhere. We were hit by poverty at its

rawest. i was devastated by the living conditions of the

people. To be honest, i questioned how the people found

hope in this situation and how we would tell them that

there is a god that loves them.

i had to compose myself before i got out of the car

as i didn’t want the people to see my tears for them.

We walked around a corner and saw a little brick building

called the hope Centre (run by Tejas asia). True to its

name, it is implementing Jeremiah 29:11 and bringing

god’s hope and giving them a future in god.

The building is painted white and stands out amongst

the dirt of the slum. inside, it is painted with bright

pictures and scriptures. it exists in extreme contrast to

the rest of the slum. in the hope Centre, the children

are being educated and taught about god. When i was

praying for three children, i felt i had a word from god

that they would be warriors and would draw others to

god.

The devastation was so great but i really saw people

who had put their lives on the line for god and were in

the frontline of evangelism. i realised that god is having

his way in that slum. Through the children, generations

will change.

This challenged me in every way. What am i doing at

home to evangelise to my unsaved family and friends?

it made me question myself and my complacent attitude

at times. i see god’s work isn’t done yet. There are still

so many who need god, who need to hear the gospel

message and who need to be saved from this life that

can be so cruel. it made me realise that we are god’s

vessels. We need to have a sense of urgency to spread

the gospel message. The time is ours to do something

with.

i am so glad i went on this Mission outreach as god

used me and taught me so much.

BY JennY hudSon

This year Bridge church have made a contribution to the work of Tejas asia in the slums of delhi.

m a t t h e w 9 : 3 7 - 3 8

“ t h e r e w i l l a l w ay s b e p o o r p e o p l e i n t h e l a n d . t h e r e f o r e i c o m m a n d y o u t o b e o p e n h a n d e d t o w a r d y o u r b r o t h e r s a n d t o w a r d t h e p o o r a n d n e e d y i n y o u r l a n d . ”

give

“ t h e r e w i l l a l w ay s b e p o o r p e o p l e i n t h e l a n d . t h e r e f o r e i c o m m a n d y o u t o b e o p e n h a n d e d t o w a r d y o u r b r o t h e r s a n d t o w a r d t h e p o o r a n d n e e d y i n y o u r l a n d . ”


thailand

t r a n s f o r m e n t i r e c o m m u n i t i e s ,







his fields.”

thailand

t r a n s f o r m e n t i r e c o m m u n i t i e s ,



PRAy GIVE GO


partners in thailand in 2012/2013

wiLL aSSiST TraveL To SHare THe goSpeL wiTH peopLe in THe

muSLim dominaTed SouTH of THaiLand (THe river Team)

wiLL HeLp run concerTS in ScHooLS in THaiLand addreSSing imporTanT Life

iSSueS (THe river Team)

wiLL HeLp SupporT doug HigginS To enabLe Him To Train LeaderS,

care for cHiLdren, pLanT cHurcHeS, STarT SuSTainabLe micro enTerpriSe

iniTiaTiveS, and diSTribuTe goSpeL LiTeraTure THrougH capaciTy jem

september - october2012

december 2012 high school

$100per month

$50per month

$50per month


[email protected]

ScHooLS miniSTry To conTinue To grow THrougH engLiSH TeacHing, SporTS programS

and concerTS in ScHooLS

growTH of reLaTionSHip buiLding amongST THe muSLimS in THe SouTH of THaiLand

Tim and bronwyn perry and THeir famiLy aS THey Spend a SeaSon baSed in auSTraLia

god wouLd STrengTHen and expand THe miniSTry of capaciTy jem

THe cHiLdren in emmanueL boyS Home, peace Home and THe HouSe of dreamS

wouLd Have a STrong year of Learning and geTTing cLoSer To god

STrong LeaderS fuLL of inTegriTy in THe maeSarieng cHurcH and emmanueL boyS Home

evangeLiSm god opporTuniTieS for THe cHurcH in maeSarieng

thailand thailand thailand


GO

thailand

doug & Fiona higginSCapacity JeM

TiM & BronWYn PerrY The river Team

FaY WalKling emmanuel Boys home

in thailand we support: in thailand in 2011/2012 We have

supported:

+ Church Planting

+ Children’s homes

+ hill Tribe ministry

+ Concerts in schools

+ Work in the Muslim dominated south of Thailand

+ The building of five houses through nail Poverty


t h a i l a n d

chiang maiprovince


thailand capacitychiang mai

Capacity JeM were able to assist

with the emergency medical costs

through the generous donations of a

visiting team. There are many children

like dao that Capacity JeM assist

through their partnerships.

Capacity JeM has also been working

with Pastors Supote and Pimmart

(Mam) Ketudom in Wiang Papao for

approximately six years. They have

a heart for their community, particularly

the youth, and have been praying for the

region for many years, actively training

leaders in the church to evangelise and

disciple. They have seen many come to

know Christ and baptised many people.

local business people, families, and

community members have come to know

god and 10 cell groups now operate in

several villages and homes. The church

has outgrown its current building with

new people coming every week. There is

a tangible presence of the holy Spirit

there. Without prayer this never before

seen growth wouldn’t occur.

CaPaCiTY JeM WorKS alongSide loCal PeoPle in Thailand

to help them fulfil their vision for the local community by assisting in

project implementation, facilitation and resourcing. They are involved

with leadership training, agriculture and microenterprise, children’s

homes, youth programs, and education.

Capacity JeM assist many children through children’s homes. one

child that has been helped is dao. little is known about dao’s early

childhood. Both of her parents have died and an elderly woman in a

village was looking after her. however, because of her age and inability

to work she couldn’t provide for the basics that dao needed. Someone in

the village mentioned Peace home and that dao would be well cared for

there. dao had no identity papers and no name when she arrived so the

house mum named her. recently dao was experiencing some medical

issues including slurred speech and small seizures. She was unhappy

and withdrawn, unlike her usual self. When taking her to the local

hospital, she was treated with contempt and told that she wasn’t worth

caring for because she is from a tribal group and didn’t have identity

papers (a common view held in Thailand). Thankfully the house parents

have friends in a hospital in a major city that assessed her condition. She

had some CaT scans and it showed that she had a worm in her brain.

She received medication and is now back to her normal self, full of life

and joy! She loves god and sings and dances in church each week.

Do you have a heart for Thailand? Why not join our Thailand Team and play a part in supporting, resourcing and praying for our partners on the field. Contact us on (03) 8420 0938 or email [email protected].

partner / capacIty jEm


partner /

thailand the river team – tim & bronwyn perrychiang mai

TiM and BronWYn PerrY have Been WorKing in

Thailand since 2008 and head up the river Team. The

river Team are involved in training Thai people to reach

their communities, ministering to people in poverty,

and reaching out to kids through concerts and sports

programs in schools.

The river Team also felt god’s calling to work in a

strong Muslim area in the south of Thailand. This area

is troubled by regular violence, bombings and shootings

and is a place where the sex trade and sex trafficking are

prolific.

The river Team spent six months praying and

declaring god’s praises over this region. god spoke to

them about praise going before a victory. in January

2011, the first group from the team went to this troubled

area. good relationships with the local government

were immediately established. Within months, some of

the government and religious leaders from that region

visited the work in north Thailand. This visit resulted in

an invitation to come to their city.

The river Team have established a strong home base

and centre for running activities provided by the local

government leaders, have conducted five kids camps,

run microenterprise training with many locals, been

involved in youth leadership training, ministered into the

lives of many and become a part of the local community,

endorsed and supported by both government and religious

leaders. The river Team have trained Thai and indonesian

leaders who will live and work in the south.

The Perry’s thank Bridge church for enabling them

to regularly travel the 2,000 km to minister in this very

troubled and needy region amongst these very beautiful

people.

The river Team are also very passionate about

seeing children in need placed into families of relatives or

close friends so that they can remain living in community

and to maintain and develop relationships within their own

community. Such relationships are very important for life

in Thailand. occasionally there are children who, for their

own safety or because of community reasons, just cannot

be placed in other homes within their community. This is

the case for three girls who are now living at The river.

Cassie love, from Bridge church, is currently in Thailand

and serving with them to help these girls experience the

warmth and safety of a real home for the first time. Cassie

is overseeing family life and helping to put in place all that

is required to help these kids (and others who may later

come) to adjust to their new family and to succeed and

prosper in all areas of life.

You can read more about what Tim and Bronwyn Perry and the river Team are doing in Thailand by visiting their blogspot [theriverteamthailand.blogspot.com].

thERIvER tEam


chiang mai

For MY 29Th BirThdaY laST Year i goT To Be ParT

of a miracle! You don’t hear a lot of people in the Western

world say that but in a developing nation like Thailand,

this sort of thing happens much more frequently –

particularly if you hang around an amazing soldier of god

like Yingwit. Yingwit is one of the sweetest men you will

ever meet. his smiling eyes and humility are some of his

most distinguishing features but what stands out most

when you spend a day with Yingwit is his phenomenal

passion to do the work of Christ and his dedication to the

lost souls of Thailand.

Yingwit voluntarily left a comfortable life in the city

to go and live in a tiny bamboo hut in the hill tribes in the

north of the country for the sole reason of living amongst

and ministering to the villagers. When he moved to this

village there were no Christians living there and in fact

they were despised, so you can imagine how hard it was

for Yingwit when he first arrived. as uncomfortable,

isolated and scary as it was for him, he knew it was god’s

call on his life to help improve the lives of these people.

due to the extreme poverty and hopelessness of

their financial situations, many of the men in the village

miraclein thailand

BY Miree ToMMaSini

going: thailand

thailand


o u r t e a m

k n e lt d o w n

a n d l a i d

h a n d s o n h e r .

p r ay e d i n

t o n g u e s a n d

o n c e w e

f i n i s h e d

s h e s a i d :

“ i c a n h e a r !

i a m h e a l e d ! ”

resorted to alcoholism which, in turn, led to a high incidence of domestic violence

in the village. Yingwit determined to bring light to this dark part of the world and cried

out to god for a solution. The answer: coffee! Yingwit set up, in essence, a coffee shop

in his little hut and began providing the village men free coffee and conversation every

evening. This venture took off and soon the village men and sometimes women would

come to his hut by night and by day to drink coffee, as Yingwit would sow into their

lives. This resulted in a decrease in the violence, praise god!

on this particular day in august last year when my team visited Yingwit, god

chose to perform a wonderful miracle through us. as we walked around the village,

a gorgeous elderly lady and her husband wandered up to us. This Christian couple

were so tiny and thin and fragile looking. The husband asked Yingwit if our team could

pray for his wife as she was rapidly losing her hearing. She had been prayed for before

but her condition had not improved and she was going deaf. So, eagerly, we obliged.

our team knelt down in the middle of the dusty walking track and laid hands on her.

We prayed in tongues and in english and the presence of the holy Spirit was strong.

once we finished we all got up and as she stood she looked bewildered and said in

Thai “What are they saying? i can hear them but i can’t understand”. Then she said

“i can hear! i am healed”. a big smile covered her face. We were so excited and

amazed. god had chosen that moment to intervene and heal this woman and we all got

to be a part of it. The whole experience was quite surreal as it was instant healing.

it was as though she had come expecting her miracle and through her faith, had

received it. even Yingwit, who has witnessed many supernatural happenings, was very

pleased with this outcome and especially that we got to be a part of it too. We were

all changed that day and could not wait to get home to australia to share the story

with you all. have extreme, unshakeable faith and see the holy Spirit move in your life,

sometimes even instantly.

Bridge Church are supporting the river Team to build a bigger home for Yingwit which will enable him to minister to more people in his home.


mid-term

BY ruTh ProSSer

thailand

thailandHaS cHanged me forever

t h e r e a r e t i m e s w h e n i t ’ s h a r d a n d i t f e e l s t o ta l ly o v e r w h e l m i n g a n d y o u c r av e w h at y o u i m a g i n e t h e ‘ n o r m a l’ l i f e t o b e , b u t t h e n , i n a m o m e n t a c h i l d g i v e s y o u a h u g a n d a w a r m s m i l e f i l l e d w i t h l o v e , y o u m e e t a p e r s o n f u l l o f j o y a n d h o p e w h o h a s g i v e n t h e i r l i f e t o c h r i s t, y o u w at c h a n a m a z i n g s u n s e t a n d y o u ’ r e b a c k o n t r a c k .

Check out my blog www.laughingwithasecretasian.wordpress.com for more information about my experiences in Thailand during 2011.

going: mid-term


ruTh ProSSer, a MeMBer oF Bridge ChurCh, FelT

god calling her to Thailand to work with doug and Fiona

higgins with Capacity. She worked in Thailand with

Capacity for a year and has seen her life change. ruth

shares her story with us.

This is my second trip to Thailand volunteering with

Capacity JeM, and it certainly won’t be my last. i have

spent almost a year based in Chiang Mai and how quickly

Thailand has become home. it has been an awesome

experience grasping a

new language, watching

kids grow and develop,

meeting people from

all over the world,

being a part of

something bigger than

i could have ever

imagined and expanding my world view. Many times your

intention is to change the world, but you find out that you

are actually changed more. You are no longer content

with the status quo or what is acceptable and living

a comfortable, mediocre life doesn’t cut it anymore.

Capacity JeM is committed to working with the local

people to facilitate, resource and implement their vision

for the Thai community which is diverse. it covers anything

from working alongside teachers and students, dealing with

human trafficking prevention, caring for kids from at-risk

situations through our kids homes, sourcing funding for

local projects (such as computers for schools), construction,

training and resourcing locals to share the gospel, teaching

and discipling leaders and many other things.

one of the most impacting things is hearing people’s

stories of transformation. recently we visited a small

church in a rural farming community where the pastor

is a reformed drug addict and alcoholic. She has totally

surrendered her life to god along with her husband and

has a passion for her community to see them come to the

realisation that Buddha is not the answer but Christ is.

My heart is to see every person both here in Thailand

and in australia realise that we all have a very important

part to play in mission. a missionary is not just someone

overseas but it is the call that each one of us has, to

put feet to the words of Christ’s gospel. We are all

missionaries, each to the world where god has called us

to be. Some of the things you can do to discover where

god has called you is to go on a short-term outreach to

another country, seek god in prayer, speak to a leader

in a community group, or volunteer somewhere that you

are passionate about. each one of us is called to live an

extraordinary life wherever god leads and places us.

it involves prayer, good counsel and a whole lot of faith.

There are times when it’s hard and it feels totally

overwhelming and you crave what you imagine the

‘normal’ life to be, but then, in a moment a child gives

you a hug and a warm smile filled with love, you meet

a person full of joy and hope who has given their life to

Christ, you watch an amazing sunset and you’re back on

track. it’s often in those trying times that someone lets

you know that they were praying for you.

living overseas is not easy but there is a greater

contentment and a peace knowing that this is where god

wants me to be. i don’t miss much australian food (i do

have a stash of vegemite in my cupboard) and am very

accustomed to eating rice and chilli at least once a day,

if not more. There is something about immersing yourself

into another culture. loving life and following Christ is

rewarding in ways i can’t begin to describe.

t h e r e a r e t i m e s w h e n i t ’ s h a r d a n d i t f e e l s t o ta l ly o v e r w h e l m i n g a n d y o u c r av e w h at y o u i m a g i n e t h e ‘ n o r m a l’ l i f e t o b e , b u t t h e n , i n a m o m e n t a c h i l d g i v e s y o u a h u g a n d a w a r m s m i l e f i l l e d w i t h l o v e , y o u m e e t a p e r s o n f u l l o f j o y a n d h o p e w h o h a s g i v e n t h e i r l i f e t o c h r i s t, y o u w at c h a n a m a z i n g s u n s e t a n d y o u ’ r e b a c k o n t r a c k .


r o m a n s 1 : 1 1 - 1 2

“ i l o n g t o s e e y o u s o t h at… y o u a n d i m ay b e m u t u a l ly e n c o u r a g e d b y e a c h o t h e r ’ s f a i t h . ”

Change The World Magazine 46 Change The World Magazine 47go

“ i l o n g t o s e e y o u s o t h at… y o u a n d i m ay b e m u t u a l ly e n c o u r a g e d b y e a c h o t h e r ’ s f a i t h . ”


long -term

BY J

oa

n r

oo

Se

india

indiajoan roose, a member of bridge church, is a perfect example of

god taKing an ordinary life and doing extraordinary things in and

through them. joan roose went on a short term mission outreach

in 2004 to india and was overwhelmed by what she saw. she went

bacK home with a burden on her heart and started jacob’s

well in obedience to god’s call. joan tells her story...

going: long-term

hen i FirST WenT To odiSha i WaS SeverelY Challenged BY WhaT i SaW - exTreMe

poverty with tribal people so neglected they were skeletons covered with skin. There was seemingly

no muscle at all on their bones. They were surviving by drinking stagnant pond water. it was then that

my life changed.

i knew i had to do something about their plight, and Jacob’s Well was born. god enabled me to

get this project off the ground and since that day he has provided everything i have needed. he has

introduced me to people who can help. he has guided my path and has done it all!

in the intervening years i have seen many lives transformed, and in turn, they will transform their

own communities. it takes an average of three months to sink a bore well and during that time our

Christian workers establish relationships in the village, pray for the people, identify their needs and

try to address those needs. By providing clean drinking water we have made a huge difference in the

life of the people in over 30 villages. The gratitude from the families is overwhelming. To them clean

water is life changing. They take great pride in their well and pump, and rush to show it to all the

people who come and visit.

god is doing amazing things in the villagers’ lives. as our workers teach literacy and numeracy,

they share the gospel. in a village where our literacy program has been underway since 2009, one

of the village leaders came to rejoice Centre (our base), asking if our people could come and take

a Bible class in his village on Sundays when the adults could attend. The children from this village

have shown great improvement in their literacy and as a result the whole village has embraced the

initiative.

W


i’ll be honest, there are days when i don’t want to

continue and just want to come home, and then there are

days that just inspire me. i’ll see something and think,

“how can i ever walk away from this?”

There are children at rejoice Centre who would quite

simply be dead if they had been left in their village. god

has really stretched me in many ways. i’m not a patient

person, but he is teaching me patience, although he’s

still got a long way to go! he’s turned my life inside

out and upside down. he’s pulled me up and turned me

around to refocus on things other than my own needs,

desires and wants. he has opened my eyes and pointed

me in a direction that i would never have gone. Yes,

he has done it all!”

i n t h e i n t e r v e n i n g y e a r s i h av e s e e n m a n y

l i v e s t r a n s f o r m e d , a n d i n t u r n , t h e y w i l l

t r a n s f o r m t h e i r o w n c o m m u n i t i e s .


australia

c h a n g e t h e w o r l dr a i s e t h e l e a d e r s o f t o m o r r o w ,






his fields.”

australia

c h a n g e t h e w o r l dr a i s e t h e l e a d e r s o f t o m o r r o w ,


PRAy GIVE GO


partners in thailand in 2012/2013

wiLL HeLp run a youTH program for THe youTH in THe bagoT

communiTy in darwin (david & iSobeL gawLer)

HeLpS SupporT peopLe To be SeT free from Life conTroLLing

iSSueS (Teen cHaLLenge vicToria)

helps support david and isobel gawler in the running of the bagot

indigenous victory church

darWin 3 – 11

april 2012

alice springs

august 2012

darWin

december 2012

$100per month

$50per month

$40per month


[email protected]

To raiSe up and To equip every aboriginaL cHurcH member in bagoT vicTory cHurcH To evangeLiSe and diScipLe oTHer peopLe.

To conTinue To deveLop STrong indigenouS LeaderSHip in bagoT vicTory cHurcH

THe deveLopmenT of deSerT Song in aLice SpringS To Train

indigenouS LeaderS

Teen cHaLLenge cenTraLia To deveLop THeir advenTure baSe camp and SHine

program To menTor and encourage indigenouS youTH To be aLL THaT god HaS caLLed THem To be

Teen cHaLLenge vicToria To conTinue To See young peopLe TranSformed and SeT

free from Life conTroLLing iSSueS.

australia australia australia


GO

in australia in 2011/2012 We have supported:

+ leadership development of indigenous pastors

+ Church ministry in indigenous communities

+ rehabilitation and development of people with life controlling issues

+ leadership training for mentoring indigenous youth

+ indigenous teenage girl school program

in australia we support:

david & iSoBel gaWlerBagot victory Church

Teen Challenge viCToria

Teen Challenge CenTralia

deSerT Songalice Spring


victoria

alice spring

a u s t r a l i a

australia

darwin

in alice Springs, Bridge Church is supporting

a new training centre for indigenous pastors


partner /BagOtIndIgEnOusvIctORy chuRch

australia bagot indigenous victory church (david & isobel gawler)darWin


here iS daWn’S STorY:

“hello, my name is dawn adams. i’m from the Bagot community.

i’ve been a Christian for six years now. early last year my husband

passed away. We had been together for 30 years and at that time,

i thought he would always be there for me, our children and

grandchildren. Four months after he passed away, thoughts were

racing through my mind. i was confused and just thinking of life

without him caused me to experience a high level of stress. i ended

up being sick and frail without realising that someone stronger and

mightier was there. Jesus spoke to me in my heart and mind. it was

a still gentle whisper to trust and always obey him, leaning not on my

own understanding. he encouraged me to lean on him and he promised

to always be near me, comfort me and love me. The burdens i had

been carrying were suddenly lifted off me and for the first time in my

life i felt free.”

david and isobel gawler have been ministering in the bagot indigenous

community in darwin for ten years. they established the bagot indigenous

victory church and are involved in training up leaders, church ministry,

pastoral care, children’s ministry and youth ministry.

one oF The indigenouS aSSiSTanT PaSTorS aT The BagoT

indigenous victory church is dawn adams. dawn

became a christian at the bagot church. as a result

of learning to rely on jesus, she has been delivered

from a gambling addiction and also delivered from

smoKing. dawn is now encouraging many people and

especially the young women to follow the lord.

another man that has

been set free by god is

Basil. For ten years, david

and isobel had reached

out to him with the gospel

and helped him when he

was in trouble. Most of the

time, he was homeless

and an alcoholic. he had

previously been a petrol

sniffer. one night, two

years ago, he was sitting

on the local beach drinking

alcohol when suddenly

there was a bright light

all around him. Basil’s

drinking companion was

terrified. his friend thought

it was a spirit and so he

ran away. Basil realised

that it was the lord, and

then and there asked the

lord to change his life.

Basil became a faithful

Christian, and never drank

alcohol again.

david and isobel are

passionate about seeing

god move in the Bagot

community.

b a s i l w a s s i t t i n g o n t h e l o c a l b e a c h d r i n k i n g a l c o h o l

w h e n s u d d e n ly t h e r e w a s a b r i g h t l i g h t a l l a r o u n d h i m .

b a s i l r e a l i s e d t h at i t w a s t h e l o r d , a n d t h e n a n d t h e r e

a s k e d t h e l o r d t o c h a n g e h i s l i f e .

bagot indigenous victory church (david & isobel gawler)


Teen Challenge viCToria ProvideS helP For

people caught up in drug and alcohol abuse, and other

life-controlling problems. The heart of Teen Challenge

is to disciple men in managing their freedom. To manage

freedom men must do the “three knows”: know god, know themselves, and know others.

These are a couple of testimonies from men that have

been changed through the ministry of Teen Challenge.

JAMIE

Jamie was born three months premature, dying three

times at birth. it was a miracle he survived. growing

up being the youngest he felt over looked and never

heard. always competing for acceptance and belonging

through the opinions of others, he was a slave to other

people’s opinion of himself. he took his soul’s search

for validation in many different directions and put on

hundreds of face’s for everyone, never letting anyone see

the real him, because he hated who he was.

Jamie started using drugs at 12, and became addicted

to heroin at 16. it numbed the pain, and helped him

escape from the reality of his abuse from an early

age. The deep rooted shame that was connected was

unbearable and he tried taking his life many times.

Jamie was selling drugs and stealing to support his

habit. he was unpredictable and violent. he lost the

trust of everyone around him. relationships with friends,

family and his children, suffered.

partner / tEEn chaLLEngEvIctORIa

Then one night he was stabbed by a drug dealer and knew he

needed help. he fell to his knees and cried out to Jesus and felt a

peace come over him like nothing he had ever experienced before.

Jesus saved him at his lowest point.

Jamie then came to Teen Challenge and began working through

his painful past with mentors and the guidance of the holy Spirit. he

now has the ability to make great choices. his mind is being renewed

daily and the hope and joy he has found through Jesus flows down

into his children and their lives. it is only through Jesus that he has

freedom, in knowing who he truly is. he has committed to stay for

Servant leadership Training where he can come alongside other men

who are struggling and lead them to a place of restoration and peace

through Jesus. Teen Challenge is a challenging journey but a place

of transformation for the lost, hopeless and captive.

australia teen challenge victoriavictoria


at t h i s p o i n t d a n n y ’ s

b r o t h e r d i e d a n d h e

t o o k a t u r n f o r t h e

w o r s t, r e t u r n i n g t o

m a n y o f h i s o l d

h a b i t s . h e l o s t h i s

w i f e a n d s o n a n d

w o k e u p i n a m e n ta l

i n s t i t u t e a n d w a s

s u i c i d a l f r o m u s i n g

l a r g e a m o u n t s o f i c e .

DAnny

danny was raised in outer eastern Melbourne with his grandparents. he and his brother

felt unloved and abandoned by their parents, and they both began looking for love and

acceptance in all the wrong places such as drugs, alcohol and a very violent criminal

life style. This life style led to danny’s brother’s overdose, leaving him with severe brain

damage. danny was shot, stabbed and kidnapped on different occasions which resulted

in years in jail. he got clean for a while, got married and had a son.

at this point his brother died and danny took a turn for the worst, returning to many

of his old habits. he lost his wife and son and woke up in a mental institute and was

suicidal from using large amounts of iCe.

The door that opened for him was Teen Challenge and he took hold with all the

strength he had left. While there he was led by god and the staff to work through the

deep rooted issues of his childhood and self-image.

Through this difficult time god set him free and raised him to be the man god had

intended. danny has been restored to his wife and son, and committed to do the Servant

leadership Training, leading other men and families to be restored to what god has

for them. god has now opened the door for danny’s family to become the new property

managers of the Willow grove Teen Challenge Family Centre.


partner / tEEn chaLLEngEcEntRaLIa

australia teen challenge centraliaalice springs

god iS doing SoMe aMazing

things through Teen Challenge

in alice Springs. vivien Wilson,

director of Teen Challenge

Centralia, has a passion to see

young people set free from life

controlling issues and live the life

god has called them to live.

one of the programs that Teen

Challenge Centralia runs is called

Shine. Shine is

designed to show

teenage girls their

worth in Christ.

This program has

been running since

2007 and is run

in three schools

and two youth camps. Shine is

impacting girls to know how much

they matter to god in a fun and

safe environment.

in 2011, the Shine program was run in an

independent aboriginal school called Yipirinya

School. at the school, there was one young girl

that had never taken her beanie off for at least

a couple of years. Since she has been coming

to the Shine program, she has been blossoming

into a lovely girl. her confidence has been

growing so much that now she goes without

the beanie. There are also two students in

this class who still wear their hoodies or long

sleeves even when the temperature is over 40.

our facilitators are particularly spending more

one on one time with these kids to get to know

them and to help them with the issues that are

causing them to want to cover up.

Shine was also run in the acacia hill Special

needs School in 2011. one young girl, lekara,

who possibly has cerebral palsy, is confined to

a wheel chair. during one of the sessions, we

did the girls’ hair and lekara was absolutely

delighted. She probably has never been so

pampered. The most moving time, however,

was when after showing the girls how to walk

like a princess she wanted to also have a go.

So with her tiara on and the teacher assisting

her by holding her underarms she walked down

the aisle.

Teen Challenge Centralia not only impacts

teenage girls through Shine, but also run

adventure

camps for

troubled

youth. These

young people

have a lot

of fun but

also learn

about god and the freedom he brings and are

mentored by Christian leaders. Bridge church

is excited to see what god will do through Teen

Challenge in 2012.

d u r i n g o n e o f t h e s e s s i o n s , w e d i d t h e g i r l s ’ h a i r a n d l e k a r a w a s a b s o l u t e ly d e l i g h t e d .s h e p r o b a b ly h a s n e v e r b e e n s o p a m p e r e d .

Do you have a heart for Australia? Why not join our australia Team and play a part in supporting, resourcing and praying for our partners on the field. Contact us on (03) 8420 0938 or email [email protected].


in darwin, Bridge church partner with david and isobel gawler who work in the Bagot community.

australia darWin

during the trip we met an old lady who had been

diagnosed with cancer. She was lying on her bed,

seemingly in agony but not joyless – she had the biggest

grin across the room. death was inevitable for her, yet it

did not shake her as she continued to smile as we prayed

for her. her daughter told us that amid the pains and

pangs of life, they still love Jesus. They know that he is

faithful and he is good. Some of us went away in tears,

others in silence. Though that day we did not witness

a miraculous healing, what we saw and experienced

was beyond a miracle, it was faith. here was a woman

stricken by cancer, yet in the face of certain death, she

refused to deny her faith in her lord.

as for me, my soul was shaken but i was not in

despair. Through this ordeal, the power and the life of

the gospel became clear. Studying the word would be

intimidating but after witnessing Christ and the hunger

of his people in darwin, i cannot help but want to preach

the gospel. having gone on that mission outreach, god

opened my eyes; having returned, he transformed my

life.

The darWin MiSSion ouTreaCh didn’T JuST

change my life, it transformed it.

Before i went, i didn’t know where darwin was

(i literally had to google Map it), i didn’t know anyone

else going on the mission outreach and i was unsure of

exactly what my role would be. i was a new Christian

and i had only been at Bridge church for a little less

than a year. however, i decided to go because Jesus had

given me so much that i wanted to give to others and

the leader of the mission outreach really wanted me to

come.

Prior to darwin, i was at a crossroads in my life.

i was deciding whether to pursue studies in Medicine

or Theology.

i grew up a devout Buddhist. not once had becoming

a Christian crossed my mind, let alone studying Theology

in hope of preaching and spreading the gospel. This

decision was extremely difficult. i didn’t believe that

i have the credentials or the experience to study

Theology. it was how Christ believed in me when no one

would that compelled my heart to go after his word.

i was desperate for god’s direction. i prayed and

asked god to reveal to me through this mission outreach

if i were called to study and preach his word. Funnily

enough god revealed what was in my heart all along,

i loved his people and my heart breaks for those who

are oppressed.

going: darWin

BY Weng Kai ThaM


p r e a c h t h e g o s p e lg o i n t o a l l t h e w o r l d a n d

global






his fields.”

globalp r e a c h t h e g o s p e lm a r k 1 6 : 1 5


PRAy GIVE GO


partners globally in 2012/2013

wiLL aSSiST pS bruce HiLLS To TraveL THe gLobe To Train

paSTorS and LeaderS To reacH unreacHed peopLe groupS

wiLL HeLp geoK Lim To SHare THe goSpeL wiTH peopLe in cHina

will assist leanne rhodesto worK alongside churches

in eastern europe to help them reach their communities

china

1-10december 2012

$100per month

$70per month

$40per month


[email protected]

STrengTH and favour for pS bruce and worLd ouTreacH inTernaTionaL

To conTinue To TeacH and Train paSTorS and LeaderS To reacH unreacHed

peopLe groupS

Leanne To deveLop STrong reLaTionSHipS wiTH cHurcH paSTorS and miniSTrieS and HeLp THem To reacH ouT To THeir

communiTieS in eaSTern europe

roSS and donna, geoK and ria To Have favour and more god opporTuniTieS

To SHare cHriST wiTH peopLe in cHina

pray for STrengTH for cHurcHeS in cHina To STand firm amid perSecuTion

STrengTH and opporTuniTy for pS pHiLip and barbara HiLLS To Train and

TeacH cHurcH LeaderS and paSTorS in cHina

global global global


GO


globally we support:

leanne rhodeS - roMania

geoK liM - China

roSS & donna WinCheSTer - China

ria SMiT – China

PS hillS Travels to asia to train pastors

PS BruCe hillS Trains pastors and leaders across the world to minister to unreached people groups

globally in 2011/2012 We have supported:

+ Pastors seminar in Muslim dominated country to train pastors to reach unreached people groups

+ leadership training

+ english teaching

+ house groups and evangelism

+ Concerts in universities

c h i n ar o m a n i a

g l o b a lBridge Church is supporting leanne who will be working

alongside churches in eastern europe to help them reach

their communities

global


china geok lim

partner /gEOk LImTWelve YearS ago, god STarTed SPeaKing To geoK liM, a MeMBer oF Bridge

church, about asia. after several short term outreaches, geok responded to the call of

god and moved to China in 2005. geok has since been living in China and sharing the

gospel with everyone she meets. She has been helping to establish groups of believers

and her goal is to train and equip individuals so that they evangelise their own people and

reach out in mission to others.

lily is one of the ladies that geok has met and seen god’s transformation in her life.

lily is a 68 year old lady who came to faith a year ago. She said that about four years ago

a fire came from heaven and burnt up a witch doctor’s house in a nearby village. This

witch doctor cheated and deceived many people. Since then she somehow knew that there

is a god in heaven. She said “finally i have found the one true god. he has given me the

peace and joy that no one is able to give me.” She not only shares the good news with her

friends but tells them how god has answered her prayers. What a woman of faith!

lily has taken up the responsibility in taking care of a group of Christians. lily not

only shares the word but also teaches them how to sing worship songs. “Those who are planted in the house of the lord shall flourish in the courts of our god. They shall still bear fruit in old age. They shall be fresh and flourishing.” These words are so true!

geok came to know a lady called Jo who ran the local yoghurt shop. They became

friends and geok shared the gospel with her. one day Jo asked geok to share with her

friends as they had never heard the gospel before, so geok started a small group. at the

same time geok is building a team of Christians to be able to share the gospel with those

around them.

one day a believer asked geok a challenging question. “The gospel has been known for

so long. how is it that no one has come to share this good news with me and why has it

taken you so long to come?”

geok, among other Christians, is working in China to see more and more people set free

by Jesus Christ.

o n e d ay a b e l i e v e r a s k e d

g e o k a c h a l l e n g i n g

q u e s t i o n . “ t h e g o s p e l

h a s b e e n k n o w n f o r s o

l o n g . h o w i s i t

t h at n o o n e

h a s c o m e t o

s h a r e t h i s

g o o d n e w s

w i t h m e a n d

w h y h a s i t

ta k e n y o u s o

l o n g t o c o m e ? ”


global ps bruce hills

partner /BRucE hILLsPS BruCe hillS iS The inTernaTional leaderShiP develoPMenT direCTor

for World outreach international – an agency whose mission is to impact the least

reached people groups with the good news of Jesus Christ. The unreached people

groups account for 41% of the world’s population which is over 6000 identifiable people

groups.

as international leadership development director, one of Pastor Bruce’s primary

roles is to direct the leadership development initiatives and events for pastors and

leaders across the developing world.

Throughout 2011, Ps Bruce has been making exploratory trips to strategic mission

centres in the developing world to ascertain the leadership training needs. These trips

have been to northeast india, Burkina Faso, Kenya, South africa, Bangladesh, egypt,

Pakistan and Thailand.

Future training will provide contextually relevant leadership training in those target

mission centres. The plan is to go back to the same place with the same leaders for up

to five years. The training will focus on two distinct groups of people. The first

is the equipping of pastors and leaders for ministry and mission. The second is

emerging leaders of leaders, young women and men in their late 20’s and 30’s who

have something about their lives and leadership that distinguishes them as potential

leaders of leaders.

The idea is to equip these emerging leaders

over a period of at least three years and

provide quality training on areas that will equip

them.

2 Tim. 2:2: “and the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”

The potential of intentional and focused

training of pastors, leaders and emerging

leaders of leaders is immense. The impact

so far has been incredible. one Bangladeshi

leader wrote, “We’ve never heard anything

like this before!” others have been deeply

affected by the quality and practicality of the

training. it is making (and will continue to

make) a difference in the world.


china ross & donna Winchester

‘how i know god is real’ and

they were overwhelmed by the

response to the altar call.

after the prayer time a lady

came up to ross and said, “i am

a doctor and am also a Muslim.

i work so hard to try to help

people and i am tired and

frustrated. i don’t seem to be

making a difference. There are

too many things that are out

of my control. But i can see

what you are doing. You are

trying to set people free”.

ross and donna do what they

do so they can preach the gospel

to the poor, proclaim liberty to

the captives, restore sight to the

blind, and set free those who are

oppressed.

roSS and donna WinCheSTer WorK in China To Train leaderS To Be

more effective and to reach out cross-culturally in the nations of asia and the

Middle east.

over the last 12 months more than 400 leaders and workers have attended

their leadership training programs, receiving a strong biblical foundation for

their lives and ministry. Many of them are responsible for tens of thousands of

churches and millions of believers.

lily is one of the many people who has been impacted and trained through

the emerging leadership Training Program. When lily was born, her parents

thought she was so ugly that she didn’t even look like a person. They didn’t want

her so they left her on a railway track. a lady found her and took her home. lily

was a very sickly child so the lady sold her for $1.50 to a family who didn’t

have children.

as she grew up she became very ill with leukaemia. She gave her life to Christ

when she was 15 and god healed her. as a result her parents became Christians

as well. She is now a beautiful young woman who has finished Bible College and

is a campus worker at one of the universities. She is now attending the emerging

leadership Training Program. When asked how the program has impacted her

she replied, “i have been really lifted up in my spiritual life during this program.

i was very ignorant of the Biblical truths that were taught. i now feel better

equipped for my ministry and have fresh faith and vision for the future”.

ross and donna have also been running youth concerts which have been

having a great impact. at a recent Youth explosion concert, over 300 people

squeezed into a hotel meeting room. The worship was incredible with many

unbelievers experiencing the presence of god. ross shared a message on

partner / ROss &dOnnawInchEstER


romania leanne rhodes

humantrafficking

can be beatenover the next few months

i will be visiting Stella’s voice

and working with them to help

these young people grow into

the leaders they are destined

to be. i will be helping them

come up with models that can

be replicated all over eastern

europe, potentially impacting

the hundreds of thousands of

orphans that are still praying

for someone to notice they even

exist. To everyone at Bridge

church, thank you for supporting

me. Together we will see an end

to this nightmare and a totally

transformed europe.

So MuCh haS haPPened SinCe i landed on The ground here in

europe earlier this year just over six weeks ago. i have had the opportunity to

meet so many who are sold out for the gospel and have willingly altered their

lives in order for others to experience the transformational power of god in their

lives and nations. one such person i have met is Phil Cameron. he is a pastor

with a god-given passion in his heart that has said enough is enough and is doing

something about human trafficking. he now has over 70 orphans that were

once destined for human trafficking who now call him ‘dad’.

let me introduce you to the europe you don’t often hear about. it’s the europe

where people are so poor they’ve learnt to give away their kids and where

governments are unable to care for the thousands of children in their care. it’s

the place where orphans who are 16 are given the equivalent of $50 and told to

go make a life for themselves and where traffickers lurk looking for girls that

have no home and just want a warm bed.

Phil has seen the immense need and has done something about it. he has set

up three homes called Stella’s voice that now house young men and women that

are stuck in this terrible cycle. Phil gives these young people a home, a family

and most importantly introduces them to god. These young people know of god’s

saving grace. These amazing young people, who have been through so much,

have started a church. on the very first day they invited all their friends and over

50 got to know Jesus for the very first time.

leanne is on assignment in europe as romania Country leader and part of the Balkans team for next level international, an organisation working to see europe transformed. For more information please see: www.leannerhodes.com.au / www.nlieurope.com / www.stellasvoice.org.uk

BY leanne rhodeS


local

“ y o u ’ l l b e k n o w n a s t h o s e w h o c a n f i x a n y t h i n g , r e s t o r e o l d r u i n s , r e b u i l d a n d r e n o v a t e , m a k e t h e c o m m u n i t y l i v a b l e a g a i n . ” i s a i a h 5 8 : 1 2






his fields.”

local

“ y o u ’ l l b e k n o w n a s t h o s e w h o c a n f i x a n y t h i n g , r e s t o r e o l d r u i n s , r e b u i l d a n d r e n o v a t e , m a k e t h e c o m m u n i t y l i v a b l e a g a i n . ” i s a i a h 5 8 : 1 2


PRAy GIVE GO


partners locally in 2012/2013

aSSiSTS empire To run ouTreacH programS in HigH ScHooLS

HeLpS provide maTeriaLS and reSourceS To TeacH cre in a

LocaL primary ScHooL

helps support bridge church at the richmond housing estate

Join a local mission outreach team.

there are plenty of opportunities for you

to get involved in reaching people right

here in melbourne. give us a call on

03 8420 0938 and We’ll find a

spot for you.

$100per month

$50per month

$40per month


[email protected]

favour, SpiriTuaL inSigHT and direcTion for bridge cHurcH

aT THe ricHmond eSTaTe, HigH ScHooL miniSTry and cre

god’S wiSdom and direcTion and god opporTuniTieS for KidS aLive ouTreacH, engLiSH cLaSSeS and THe 25:40 projecT

connecT groupS To riSe up and SeeK divine opporTuniTieS To reacH ouT To oTHerS eSpeciaLLy THrougH

LocaL communiTy bLiTz’S

aS a cHurcH we wiLL Have more divine opporTuniTieS To reacH ouT individuaLLy,

aS connecT groupS and aS a wHoLe To reacH LoST peopLe in our communiTieS

local local local


victoria

a u s t r a l i aGO


we support the following local mission projects:

Bridge ChurCh aT The riChMond eSTaTe

high SChool MiniSTrY

KidS alive ouTreaCh

engliSh ClaSSeS

25:40 ProJeCT

CoMMuniTY BliTz

ChriSTMaS ouTreaCh

ChriSTian religiouS eduCaTion in SChoolS

locally in 2011/2012 We have supported:

+ outreach to the richmond housing estate

+ evangelism outreach on the streets of Melbourne

+ Community Blitz at hawthorn Secondary College

+ The distribution of hampers and gifts to people in need and community groups

+ Teaching english to the community

+ high school outreach and ministry

+ Christian religious education in schools

local


empire estate teenagers

EmpIRE EstatE tEEnagERs

governMenT houSing eSTaTeS Can Be PlaCeS oF darKneSS CharaCTeriSed

by drugs, alcohol, suicide and depression. impressionable youth can be subjected to

unhealthy role models and destructive behaviour. Bridge Church is bringing hope and

light through youth outreach programs.

Bridge church have been reaching out to the youth at the richmond housing estate

since late 2009 and taking youth by bus to empire, the Friday night youth program at

church. Some of these youth had also been through the Kids alive outreach program

and were now attending high school. Many youth in the program have come to australia

as refugee’s escaping war torn conflicts in liberia and Sudan.

in 2011 we saw great growth in the outreach program. Youth were talking to their

friends about how fun and exciting empire was and youth from Fitzroy and Collingwood

housing estates started coming as well.

Many youth from the estates made decisions for Christ last year and we saw the

estate youth become more and more integrated into empire and church life. The

estate youth bring a lot of energy and this is often characterised with their love of dance.

Some of the many highlights of 2011 outreach program were having 30 youth from

the estates attend the men’s momentum night, girls attend the soul sisters event, 30

youth attend the revolution night with andrew Kubala, and many estate youth attended

both empire camps.

emmanuel Majok from the richmond housing estate last year became a rookie leader.

emmanuel has been attending Bridge Church right through Kids alive and was introduced

to Bridge Church through the Kids alive outreach program. emmanuel is a magnificent

role model to the youth and a great leader. god is working powerfully in emmanuel’s life

as well as in the lives of all the other estate youth. Praise god!

BY Ben haY

melbourne


bridge church at richmond estate

BRIdgE chuRch at RIchmOnd EstatE

our viSion For Bridge ChurCh in griFFiThS STreeT and The riChMond houSing eSTaTe For 2012 iS

“a Year of Purpose” and our core values as a church of “souls, supernatural, significance” are the emphasis we take

out into the richmond housing estate.

My prayer is that we will clearly hear and understand god’s vision for Bridge church at the richmond estate and

how our church community can be involved. it is time to put god’s plans at the centre of our lives. doing the work of

god’s kingdom needs to be our first priority. it’s about sacrificially making time to get involved in other people’s lives.

This comes at a cost.

Jesus emphasised the need for us to reach out to people who don’t know god. i believe god’s vision is to see us

going out in large numbers to connect with residents at the richmond estate, building relationships, sharing the good

news and making disciples who then can go on and make disciples.

We have seen many people come to know god at the richmond housing estate. one of these residents is a woman

from egypt who used to bring her grandson to a kids program called ‘Solid ground’ that Bridge church was involved

with a few years ago. over time, volunteers from Bridge church got to know her and invited her to attend Bridge

church at the richmond estate. She is a loving woman who has become a valuable part of the team helping regularly

with the catering at the estate outreach. She also attends a connect group at the estate. it has been amazing to see

her genuine love for people and her servant heart.

another person that we have seen god change is a man who has regularly attended the church for over two years.

he has developed and grown in his faith and has a heart for god. he loves getting involved by volunteering his time at

church and has opened his home to a weekly connect group at the richmond estate. it’s great to see god move in his

life.

on Sundays at 2:30pm we have a community lunch and outreach service. at the estate we also work from within

the community through the ‘Community information Centre’ building relationships with the residents and workers.

We have Bible study based connect groups and will be focusing this year on expanding our outreach volunteer teams

and developing a vietnamese volunteer team. everything we do is focused as an opportunity to be in the community

and to build one-on-one relationships. We use programs as an opportunity to make connections, build relationships

and make disciples who make disciples.

melbourne

BY SallY houlihan


melbourne connect group outreach

iT’S aMazing hoW one liTTle idea or ThoughT

can help, influence and include so many people and make

a difference in our community.

in early 2011, a member of our Connect group

decided to reach out to a family she knew of that had

become the foster family for three Sudanese children

in an emergency situation and who already had two

children of their own.

The difficulty was that the family didn’t receive

most of the usual assistance that foster families would

normally. This ‘soul sister’ had the ‘little thought’ to

take them meals and we decided that our connect group

would make a meal for the family every week. She was

delighted!

The response and excitement that followed from

our connect group members was beyond what we had

imagined. Some responses were “wow i’ve been wanting

to cook for someone in need, my hubby loves cooking

and it’s only us two” (Janelle) another was “oh i’d love

to connect and cook for this Sudanese family and get to

play with the children” (lisa) and another “i can do that”

(rose) that was only three of the many volunteers! every

group member also supported in prayer! What blew my

mind was the ripple effect and the number of different

people that became involved.

one of the girls, Janelle (new to Bridge) also shared

the need with her workmates and got them involved

too. another hamper filled by our girls went to (we

affectionately call them) “our foster family” and again

the generous gifts given by the church family via the

Christmas tree in the foyer.

We have seen god do such great miracles with this

foster family and the children’s situation including

donated time from legal work experts, god’s hand in

legal matters, non-Christians who are involved coming

to Bridge church and being blown away by god and

the giving attitude of the Christians they had come

into contact with. This has shown the connect group

members that when we pray and ask god, he hears us

and moves on our behalf.

This story is still being written and we know that god

is directing the situation! Christina, another godly woman,

who has faithfully visited the children’s mum, led her to

know Jesus in a personal way just prior to Christmas!

god is definitely amazing!

richmond soul sisters morning connect groupBY liz TroTTer


FaiTh ProMiSeS

SPeCial giFTS

ProJeCT inCoMe

TOTAL InCOME

aPProved exPendiTure

earMarKed FundS (Jan 2012)

TOTAL APPrOVED & EArMArKED ExPEnDITurE

MISSIOn ExPEnDITurE By KEy fIELD

MISSIOn ExPEnDITurE By ACTIVITy

Africa

HumanitarianAid

Special Gifts

Missionary Support

Church Planting

Leadership Development

CommunityTransformation

Direct Mission

Expenses

Thailand Local non–Key Australia India

$ 441,489

$ 119,724

$ 85,712

$ 646,926

$ 597,336

$ 42,500

$ 639,836

mission financialsincome & eXpenditure (Jan-dec 2012)

financial report


29% 17% 9%22% 15% 8%

28% 15% 11%22% 12% 10% 2%


10 Griffiths St, Richmond VIC 3121T: (03) 8420 0900 F: (03) 8420 0999

E: [email protected]

ricHmond aSSembLy of god inc. abn: 27 036 472 702

PRAy

GIVE

GO

change the world magazine 2012

Documents

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