2013

OnCampus Proclaiming Jesus Christ at university to present everyone mature in Him.

intro.Richard Chin AFES National Director

Nowhere is this more acutely felt than with the issues of gender and sexuality. A couple of our campus groups were put on probation for holding to the Bible’s views on these issues. Add to this the technological advances of online learning and their implications, and you

Richard Chin AFES National Director

2 3 3 4 5 6Evangelise Karen Morris

Encourage Dan King

Train Sally Boyd

Send Luke & Jane

Navigating Tony Rowbotham

Supporting AFES Chris Swann

also in this issue:

There is a new ‘tolerance’ in town. In a previous era we ‘tolerated’ people without necessarily agreeing with their ideas.The slogan used to be: “I may detest what you are saying, but I will defend to the death your right to say it”. But in today’s postmodern and post-Christian era, the only thing it is wrong to say is that someone else is wrong! And anyone who does not share this view is (ironically) not tolerated!

of Jesus because it is God’s power to save and transform lives.

This is the news that my late wife Bronwyn bathed in. If you don’t already know, God took her home on Easter Sunday 2013. It was gut-wrenching to see her take her last breath. I miss her desperately. But we know that she is better by far in the refuge of our Lord Jesus. You can taste her God-glorifying journey with cancer at http://www.afes.org.au/bronwyn-chin. Thank you for your love and prayers for our family over the last 3 years. Bronwyn’s life and death testified to the glorious power of the gospel, and her witness has only fuelled our desire to seek, savour, and proclaim Jesus as Lord.

We hope and pray that, together with what you read in the following pages, Bronwyn’s testimony will encourage your souls in our genuine fellowship as we proclaim Jesus Christ at University to present everyone mature in him.“Whatever

happens we rest in the momentous news of Jesus”

will appreciate the new climate we have to navigate on our campuses across Australia today.

But despite these challenges our vision for AFES remains: To proclaim Jesus Christ at University to present everyone mature in him.

And we remain committed to opening the Scriptures with students in order to Evangelise, Encourage, Train, and Send them throughout Australia and the World.

God’s infallible strategy has always been the prayerful proclamation of the momentous news of Jesus to all people for his glory. But sitting under this strategy are fallible tactics that we need to consider in this new climate. So we are in the process of exploring how to tactically deploy our limited but God-given resources towards 2020. This will include how to:

• Proclaim Jesus in a contested public space where we compete with strident secularism and an evolving environment of e-Learning;

• Engage with the growing influence of Islam; and…

• Make the most of the continuing influx of international students.

Tactically, we remain convinced of what is non-negotiable for our movement: e.g. nurturing our current national gospel unity, making disciple-makers, being Word based, strengthening our interdenominational and staff-student partnerships, and so forth. But whatever happens we rest in the momentous news

evangelise.Karen Morris

“Hi, Can I talk to you about God?”

In a thousand different forms this is the question that AFES groups around Australia are asking of students. And an amazing number of people say yes!

Where else in Australia are you allowed to be this blunt talking about Jesus? The amazing opportunity we have on campuses changes and evolves with every generation but never seems to diminish. Year after year people meet Christ personally.

So when we asked, “Hi, can I talk to you about God?”, he simply said, “Yes!” He’d started to read the Bible (Genesis, Exodus and some of Leviticus) but was CONFUSED! And we understood why. Reading Mark with someone,

2 OnCampus

understanding Jesus, and recognising his own sinfulness all led to a huge desire to come into relationship with God. Within a week he gave his life to Christ.

This process is repeated in various forms, on every campus around Australia. Someone from the AFES group will meet a person who is seeking. They will study the Bible together and thrash out the big questions of life—reading, talking, praying for weeks, months or even years. And that person will come to Christ. Not always. Not every time. But many times—every year.

Meet Sam*. He is a ‘bloke from the country’ who decided after he finished year 12 he really needed to figure out the ‘god thing’.

Meet Pamela*. She is an international student from an Asian country. “Hi, Can I talk to you about God?” “Yes”, she responds! Over the next 3 years, she reads the Bible, meets with a variety of

people and discusses Jesus endlessly. Having accepted Jesus intellectually, she needs to relinquish her old gods. The process is slow, and tortuous. But come to Jesus, as her only Saviour and God, she does. And the whole group rejoices. We’ve all been involved. We’ve all prayed. We’ve all welcomed her. And now she is our sister in Christ!

AFES exists to ‘proclaim Jesus Christ at university, to present everyone mature in him’. One aspect of this is thousands of Christian students, meeting many thousands of non-Christians and explaining the gospel to anyone who will listen. Sam and Pamela are just two of the new believers nurtured by God through AFES groups. God is using the opportunities students have to proclaim Jesus on our campuses and they are becoming mature in him! What an exciting mission to be involved in.

* Names have been changed

AFES is uniquely placed to be a wonderful evangelistic force on university campuses around Australia. But in addition to evangelism, encouragement and training are also crucial elements in our work. This is partly for the Christian

‘own’ the faith for themselves—it’s when the gospel ‘clicks’.

This is what happened for Rachel*, a

Africa studying at Monash in Melbourne. Although she has been a Christian for as long as she can remember, she said in a

encourage.

But in addition to evangelism, encouragement and training are also crucial elements in our work.

train.Disciple Making Disciples Sally

When I was studying at Uni, one of my Christian friends asked if I wanted to read the Bible with her. As we sat together and read through the start of Romans chapter one, I remember being underwhelmed by Paul’s words. Not so my friend! I had never seen someone be so excited about the Bible and the momentous news about Jesus. I could tell that God’s words were alive to her in a way they were not to me. And oh how I wanted to have what she had! I thought I knew the gospel and that I could safely ‘move on’. But I discovered that what I really needed was to grow in, and to keep strengthening my grasp of, God’s love for me in Jesus.

Having had someone do this with me, it seemed natural that the next year I met with another student and read through Romans with her. I wasn’t really surprised when this girl then went on to disciple someone else. With this experience under my belt, you might be shocked at how often I feel overwhelmed when

University to present everyone mature in him’. Some days it feels like a struggle to even present myself mature, let alone anyone else, let alone everyone! How can we even begin to do this?

Jesus commanded his followers to go and make disciples, and to teach them everything he had taught them (including this command!). Jesus invested in a few people, knowing that the Spirit would multiply their work as they passed on the momentous news about him to others. Jesus calls us not just to make disciples

Dan King

recent Bible study group that she found the Kingdom of God scary. Why? She explained: “Because you can never really know if you’re in or not”. What followed was a glorious discussion about the assurance the cross of Christ brings us. Rachel let out an audible sigh afterwards, saying “What a relief!”

There are many times like this, when we have the privilege of encouraging students in their faith. But that’s not the only reason we seek to build up our Christian students. If they are to truly take their place in Christ’s mission on

own faith, and trained to use their gifts to bless others.

In the FOCUS ministry to international students, this encouragement and training becomes even more important. Many of our students end up returning to their

home country. So it is vital to train them as well as we can while they are here. Students who never saw themselves as leaders in Australia often return home

Bible study groups, oversee children’s ministries, disciple younger Christians, and give Bible talks. Often the mere fact that they have studied overseas is enough for Christians back home to

look to them as leaders.

Shishi* studied accounting and

‘noughties’. In God’s grace she moved from being an atheist, to dabbling with the Jehovah’s

Christ in the AFES group. She stayed involved with FOCUS after graduating, and grew in Bible knowledge, zeal for the Lord, and practical ministry

skills. Eventually, she decided to return home to China motivated by her desire to see her family meet the Lord Jesus. Some years later God is blessing her decision. In his mercy both her mother and an auntie have become believers. She is active in her church and openly Christian in her workplace.

There are four players in this story. First and foremost, God is at work. Second, Shishi herself is doing a ministry that none of us could realistically do—she is perfectly placed to reach other Chinese people. Third, the AFES group played a crucial role in nurturing her faith and training her to share the gospel

the supporters of AFES, have made this possible. Thank you for partnering with us in this work. Let’s keep it going!

* Names have been changed

22 years ago I was a wide-eyed first year student signing up to the Melbourne Uni Christian Union. Now I am about to leave AFES as part of the movement’s vision ‘to send graduates throughout Australia and the world to serve Christ’. Jane (my wife) and I have been accepted as Church Missionary Society (CMS) missionaries in training!

How did I get from student to CMS missionary in training?

Only through God’s kindness to me. A journey in which AFES has played a massively formative role.

In my first CU Bible study group I discovered that God’s word was rich, understandable, and relevant. My leaders kindly tolerated my “Do animals have souls?” questions, and they taught me how to read and teach the Scriptures. They modelled patient love and gentle rebuke when mentoring me one-to-one.

When I tried to master predestination, I came away humbled instead—awestruck by our mighty God, whose ways are unfathomable, and whose love, strength, and justice are beyond measure.

Throughout my time as a student, I can clearly see how God was nurturing my love for him, trust in his word, ability to understand it, and (still very awkward) love toward others.

When I was asked to do a traineeship with the CU to experience and test myself at ministry, God kindly helped me raise enough support and gave me opportunities to train and mentor Bible study leaders.

I believe that the joys, responsibilities, and challenges I experienced as a trainee, helped prepare me for life-long ministry. And the loneliness of singleness

4 OnCampus 2013

and the bumbling frustrations and elations of relationships—all under the sovereign love of God—taught me about the human heart, the painful effects of sin, and the joys of living God’s way.

Over the next 10 years, I worked in IT as a software engineer, studied the Bible further at Ridley Melbourne, and experienced some deep personal hurts. But even in those dark times my Saviour was with me, and he restored me. I am so thankful that he made me walk through that refining fire.

Four years ago I was invited to join the Cross Cultures (Melbourne Uni FOCUS) staff team. Jane’s previous experience in that ministry grew her love for international students and together we’ve enjoyed loving, teaching, and mentoring students from all over the world. I get a buzz seeing students turn to Christ, live for him, and then proclaim him in all the world.

God has mercifully blessed me with cultural and linguistic flexibility, easy cross-cultural relating, and a strong foundation in the Bible through my AFES years. He has formed self-awareness and humility in me through suffering. And he has blessed me with an energetic and encouraging wife in Jane—as well as 2 (almost 3!) healthy kids. Why shouldn’t we offer for missionary service?

What a journey!

Luke & Jane

send. but to make disciples, who will then make other disciples, who will in turn make more disciples…

The gospel is central to how we do this. It is only as we ‘proclaim Christ’ that we will ‘present everyone mature’. For the gospel is how people become Christians and how they mature in Christ. It is only as people understand and are gripped by God’s love exerted in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus that their lives are transformed. When students truly grasp this, they are motivated and empowered to invest in others, just as they are equipped with the message they can pass on to others.

In seeking to help students become disciple-making disciples, we encourage them to write down the names of five people (ideally including both Christians and non-believers). Any student, even a new Christian, can then be encouraged to make small, intentional steps towards connecting with, praying for, serving, and passing on the good news to the people in this ‘Circle of Five’. It is our prayer that these students will dwell on and deepen in their understanding of the gospel as they meet together to pray and read the Bible, and that through this God would work by his Spirit to present more and more people mature in him!

navigating.Navigating challenges of Secularization and e-Learning Tony Rowbotham

The University sector is undergoing significant change, which will only continue in the next decade. This change will impact AFES ministry on campuses around Australia. Two dimensions of this change present particular challenges to student ministry as we head towards 2020.

First, the increasing influence and acceptance of secularism is affecting our campus groups right now. Secularism seeks to establish a common basis apart from religion for civil life, ethics and decision making. At best, it provides neutral ‘air time’ for voices of all persuasions to be heard—whether religious or political. At worst, it silences voices other than to its own. We are experiencing this second form in some Universities, mainly from zealous, usually well-meaning Student Unions. In some places, the historical legitimacy of student groups to teach the Bible and to have Christian membership is being challenged.

5 OnCampus 2013

We are continuining to think about how to speak well with University authorities so as to persuade them of our legitimacy in a contested public square. We hope universities continue to be places where all can speak with courteous conviction without censorship or inappropriate control. Indeed, we are convinced this has benefits not just for our Christian groups but also for our universities and society.

The second transformational tidal wave is e-Learning. E-Learning allows universities to grow their ‘off-campus’ student population—proving attractive as a result to many tertiary institutions, especially those outside large capital cities. What is more, students enroled ‘on location’ are also choosing to view lectures online rather than physically attend classes.

A recent research paper for the university sector expects this to be a revolution rather than an adaptation. Not even the universities themselves know exactly how the rise of technology and universal high-speed internet access will progress. For AFES, this may mean fewer students on campus. Students will still gather. But where? And for what purpose? In this changing context, we want to preserve the heart of ministry: students personally engaging with one another over God’s word, trust in Christ being modelled through the lives of our staff and student leaders, and praying, proclaiming and investing in people together. Our challenge is to work out how we will retain personal ministry in this new e-Learning environment.

The challenges may seem large. But with God’s help and your prayers, we expect the momentous news of Jesus to continue to bear fruit and flourish among tertiary students. Please join with us in asking the Lord for wisdom.

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AFES National Office PO Box 684 Kingsford NSW 2032

T +61 2 9697 0313 E office@afes.org.au W afes.org.au

fb.com/afes.national twitter.com/afes vimeo.com/afes

What a pleasure it’s been to share these stories with you. And what a way to begin my new role with the AFES National Office!

I hope you’ve caught a glimpse of how our great God is powerfully at work among University students. The challenges facing the movement are real—and loom increasingly large. But God really ‘is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or imagine’ (Ephesians 3.20).

I’m thankful for your partnership in proclaiming the momentous news of Jesus on campuses around Australia. Please keep supporting AFES prayerfully as we strive to make, mature, train, and send out disciple-making disciples into all the world!

We’d love for you to join the Guest Programme at our National Training Event in Canberra this year. By attending the first weekend of NTE, you’ll see God’s work in this generation of students firsthand, hear Con Campbell and Richard Chin speak on The God-Man, and participate in sessions designed to explain and illustrate the mission of AFES.

It is our prayer that by joining this programme, you will not only get a taste of AFES, but be excited and enthused to support its work in promoting the mission of Christ in Australian Universities and beyond.

Please visit our website for more information and to register online: nte.org.au/guests

FulltimeDeborah Aitken @ Uni of Wollongong

Peirce Baehr @ Uni of Tasmania (FOCUS), Hobart

Steve Blyth @ La Trobe University, Bendigo

Luke Isham @ Uni of Tasmania, Hobart

Aaron Johnstone @ Uni of Tasmania, Hobart

Joanna Mason @ Deakin Uni, Burwood

Danny Mullins @ Sydney Uni, Cumberland

Tim Omrod @ Griffith, Gold Coast

Heidi Ramer @ Uni of Western Australia, Perth

Rachel Snelling @ Griffith Uni, Gold Coast

Phil Snelling @ Macquarie Uni, North Ryde

Sarah Sugars @ Melbourne Uni

Part timeMiriam Chan @ Macquarie Uni, North Ryde

Sam Eshtiaghi @ La Trobe Uni, Bundoora

Aaron Goh @ Macquarie Uni, North Ryde

Ashraf Mehanni @ Newcastle Uni Martin Pakula @ Deakin Uni, Burwood

Fiona Preston @ Swinburne Uni, Hawthorn

Liz Roediger @ Uni of Western Sydney, Penrith

Lizzie Schoer @ Deakin Uni, Burwood

Caitlin Searle @ Uni South Australia, Magill

Sonny Singh @ Uni of Western Sydney, Parramatta Suzie Smith @ Uni of Tasmania, Hobart

Kamal Weerakoon @ Macquarie Uni, North Ryde

Kelly Whiting @ Melbourne Uni (FOCUS)

Mark Wilson @ Uni of Western Australia, Perth Chun Chin Yong @ La Trobe Uni (FOCUS), Bundoora

supporting afes.

new staff.

Supporting AFES Chris Swann

Guest Programme NTE 13 6—8 December, Exhibition Park in Canberra (EPIC)

Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students (AFES)