Posts Tagged ‘Newtown Mission’

THE BIBLE FOR INDIA’S DEAF 

 Over 1200 jubilant Deaf Indians, packed into a concert hall in the south of India, witnessed history on January 30th, as an indigenous Deaf translation team dedicated God’s Word into the local sign language. Over years of hard work, the Deaf team of six men and two women, trained and equipped by Deaf Opportunity OutReach (DOOR) and Wycliffe, translated 32 carefully selected foundational Bible passages onto a DVD and visual storyboard book. This was a moving event, since it’s the first time in history that the Deaf community in India’s southern state of Kerala have had access to God’s Word in a way they understand – in their language, Kerala Sign Language.  

One of the reasons this event brought Deaf people from all over India and kept them rejoicing in the foyer for hours afterward is that most Deaf people can’t read. Some can but find it very difficult, since they’ve never heard the language that written symbols on a page represent. Without the association of sound to symbol, every written word must be memorised like a phone number, and who could possibly enjoy, or get meaning from, reading a page of phone numbers. Even where educational support is available, the average Deaf adult only achieves the reading level of a hearing eight year old, and the Deaf literacy rate worldwide is a low 15 per cent. In India, like many other areas, Deaf people live in an information vacuum, cut off from spoken and written communication. They are isolated from hearing society, not understanding their family’s religion, their siblings’ aspirations, or even knowing their parent’s name. However, where the Deaf congregate together they develop their own sign language, which is unique to that region and the people who use it. 

 In our modern age, the Christian community has used many new and creative ways to communicate the gospel to the lost, but all of our efforts thus far have failed to bring this message to the millions of the world’s Deaf. Christian radio and television broadcasts, gospel audio recordings, printed Bible translations, tracts, songs and drama, the “JESUS” film – all of these things are inadequate to reach the Deaf community. 

Starved for information about God, Christian and non-Christian Deaf have snatched up this Bible DVD. Deaf translator Siji is confident the Good News will spread quickly amongst the 100,000 Deaf living in India’s southern state of Kerala. It’s heartbreaking that this is the first time in history the Gospel has been made available to these marginalised people, and with an estimated nine million Deaf in India there is still so much work to be done. Those continuing to pioneer sign language Bible translation throughout India ask for your prayers and support.

When standing in for Newtown Mission Revelation Ceiling Co-ordinator Amanda Warton (she was attending her own engagement party) the job seemed straightforward enough.

Show visitors 20 murals attached to the chapel ceiling of scenes from the Book of Revelation.

Give them a brochure of artist Kon Parris’ monumental work – the biggest mural work of its type in the southern hemisphere – and discuss in friendly terms what the murals mean. Straightforward?

From noon to 4pm on Sunday December 6 2009, I introduced myself to about 30 visitors to the Revelation Ceiling.

One of the first people I met was Henry who wanted to write an article on our ceiling for a Chinese travel magazine.

“I was asked to write on Sydney’s creative projects,” he told me.

“But I didn’t expect anything like this at your church.

“This guy Kon Parris a bit of alright, eh?

“Was he on drugs?”

I assured him he wasn’t and that it was the inspiration of the Holy Spirit behind Kon’s creative wonder work.

One lady studying comparative religions at Sydney University asked what religion Kon was.

“Christianity,” I said.

“Yeah, well why does he want to dig up all these images from the ancient past?

“Hasn’t he got better things to do with his time?

“On the dole is he?”

I explained that they carried prophetic messages for our day and God wants every soul on earth to know about them.

Another lady – Pina -wanted to know if Kon was related to Michelangelo.

“How’s that?” I said.

“I reckon your mate Kon is at least artistically related to him if you look at the Sistine Chapel Ceiling – a very similar creative project to what you see here at the Newtown Mission chapel, eh?”

This led me to observe that Michelangelo took four years (1508-12) to finish his masterpiece after being commissioned by Pope Julius II.

And that Kon took 7 years to complete his project after being commissioned by Newtown Mission – slaving away in his garage of his Parramatta home.

Pina seemed confused: “You’re not saying Kon is better than Michelangelo! I’m not talking to what you Australians call a drongo, am I?”

I assured her that was not the case, and that all great artistic works are birthed after much pain and sacrifice.

Tracey, a tourist from England, said, “There’s nothing like this in my homeland!

“Was the artist behind the Revelation Ceiling a Pom? Do you know what I mean by that?”

I assured her that it was a common expression in Australia – resisting all temptation to say, “He showers more than your average Pom.”

I referred to Kon’s Greek origins and his love affair with icons and Orthodox Church imagery and she left convinced he was no Pom.

Michael from nearby Marrickville – a rare churchgoer among visitors I met today – wondered why Newtown Mission was hiding such a great local asset as the Revelation Ceiling.

“I’m in Newtown a lot and I’ve never heard of it,” he observed. “Perhaps you should triple the size of the Mickey Mouse sign you have out the front advertising the ceiling.

“Or, better still, like anyone with a marketing brain would do, have someone properly trained to nicely invite you into the church from the outside pavement area.

“Now nod your head, sir, if you get my point.”

I nodded. And we both paused to watch the passing flow of humanity outside the church.

As a school student, Rev Dr Len Thompson had a seed sown for his ultimate calling to Christian ministry at scripture class at Newtown Intermediate High School.

He says he listened with fascination at the “almost unbelievable stories” told by then Newtown Methodist Mission’s Superintendent Rev Samuel McKibben.

He little suspected in his youthful mind that about 30 years later he would follow in McKibben’s footsteps and become himself the superintendent of the historic inner-city mission: “When I was appointed superintendent in 1963 (staying to the end of 1970) I discovered that McKibbin’s inspiring stories were not exaggerated at all.”

Arriving with wife Margaret, two young sons and a daughter, Rev Thompson doubled the attendance at worship services at the King Street headquarters church after eight years.

As Superintendent, he left a major legacy in youth outreach.

“Youth work was virtually non-existent when I started,” he recalls.

“So we established two youth hostels for young men and women from the country now studying or working in the city (20 in all).

“They agreed to attend and support the Mission’s work and worship – and this strengthened youth outreach.

“Although not the intended purpose, several marriages resulted from this these new arms of the work. Some hostel members joined the choir, some taught Sunday School and others supported some aspect or other of the Mission program.

“Three properties were bought for use as hostels, two of them next door to the parsonage in Linthorpe Street and one in Wilson Street.”

Another growth initiative Rev Thompson is remembered for was his employing student pastors from theological college to further the Mission’s spiritual agenda.

“This was a mutually beneficial arrangement for both parties,” recalls Rev Thompson.

“The men involved were John Houseman, Jim Winslade, Tony Baker and home missionary, Jim Dummett, each serving for an average of two years.”

Rev Thompson says that at the height of the Mission outreach programs in the 1970s his staff – mostly fulltime – numbered eleven.

He cites wide-ranging activities as a magnet for the community: “The launch of an indoor bowls club with ultimately four mats, women’s weekly friendship circle, boy scouts, Sunday school, bus outings for youth and seniors, holiday camps for all ages and drama and evangelism under the Holy Spirit all played their part in increased interest in this grand, old Mission.

“But there was always a need for ministers and staff to be pragmatic. What failed always led to a subsequent success of some other kind.”

Rev Thompson sees his appointment as Mission superintendent as one of the more memorable chapters of his life: “The work was never easy but always satisfying.

“My chaplaincy with the Reserve Army attracted interest by way of church parades.

“This led to help by some of our regiment’s big truck drivers as ‘bouncers’ for our monthly teenage cabaret type outreach dances.

“For four years we sponsored an annual spring fair organized by the four Newtown circuit churches.

“Official openings by parliamentarians and other dignitaries gave substance to this creditable fundraising and fellowship effort. Merry-go rounds and streamers in front of the church all helped to attract the crowds of passers-by.”

A champion of the underdog, Rev Thompson maintained Newtown Mission’s time-honored tradition of caring for the hungry, poor, lonely and marginalized, through shelter, counseling, clothing, food parcels and meals.

He reflects: “I guess the words of St. Paul and Jesus inspired us at the mission: ‘By all means save some’ and’ Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these you have done it unto me’.”

Story by Richard Luke.

When John Woods came to Wesley Mission’s Edward Eagar Lodge (EEL) in 1990, life looked all over.

Alcoholism had all but destroyed him. He had no money, no job, no home, no friends and no wife and family of his own.

He would have won any ultimate failure award.

For about six months, he slept in Centennial Park, where the birds became his closest companions. But a powerful seed of hope was sown during all this self-induced misery when he began attending AA meetings on Thursdays at EEL.

He listened carefully to speakers – “People ahead of me in recovery and people behind me in recovery” – and came to a life-changing conclusion: “Whatever stage of alcoholism you are in, you can only be delivered by praying to a Higher Power.”

This new philosophy reinvented John, who went from EEL’s dormitory – now defunct – to his own room at the Lodge and then to Erskineville Community House, where he stayed two years and treasured the “greater privacy and space in a much better facility.”

He drove the bus to bring people to the Sunday church services. And God was to use this act of voluntary service to bless him in a spectacular way.

One of the bus passengers was a regular churchgoer, Olga, who just so happened to have a niece, Alice, who would visit her at the Erskineville Community House.

John was instantly attracted to her.

And you’ve probably guessed the rest of the story.

The then EEL manager Rev Noreen Towers married John and Alice on the 6th floor at the Lodge on June 12 1993. Their daughter Melissa was baptized at an EEL homeless persons’ church service as a baby before being blessed with another daughter Natasha.

Today John still attends AA meetings, where Jesus Christ is very much his Higher Power. On his recovery, he says, “Prayer has proven very important to me – given me the strength to step out in faith, particularly in the early days of sobriety when I was ‘hanging in there’ simply to get better.

“So the bottom line is never give up because God will never give up on you.”

Rev Samuel McKibbin, Newtown Mission Superintendent from 1939 to 1953, is regarded as one of the mission’s great heroes of faith during its more than 150 years of proclaiming the gospel in Sydney’s inner-west.

He stood up for the poor and needy who often frequented the mission during the war, and he did so in a style that was once described as “masculine Christianity in action.”

Leading Australian Methodist and small group pioneer and author Rev Dr John Mallison - a hero of faith in his own right – recalls this distinctive style of Rev McKibbin with affection.

“I remember someone telling me that he was a pugilist before entering the ministry,” recalls John.

“He was known as a very successful fighter. When one of the elderly members of Newtown congregation was threatened by eviction from her rented home because she couldn’t pay the rent he met the men who had come to evict her. “He was still wearing his ’dog-collar’, as the men approached him.”

“He threatened to knock each one out who stepped over the threshold. Needless to say, the lady remained in her accommodation!”

Asked about what role Sam McKibbin played in his own ministry, Rev Mallison says, “My contact with Sam McKibbin was reasonably brief. While I was in theological college I was appointed to the Katoomba Methodist Circuit which included Blackheath Church.”

“Sam used to holiday at a guest house opposite the church. He often met with me during those holidays to encourage me and give helpful comments on my preaching and pastoral work. That bond was very deep and on a number of occasions I understand her referred to me as ‘his son in the ministry’.”

“His own son was killed in a tragic accident on a bridge building project in Canada. Later when I commenced the Blue Nursing Service at Port Kembla I consulted with him.”

Sam McKibbin sense of social justice extended to supporting home nursing services. In his last year as Newtown Mission (then Newtown Methodist Mission) superintendent, Rev McKibbin liaised with the Rev Arthur Preston of the West End Methodist Mission to seek a new deal for the neglected sick and needy.

Both agreed that, since there was a shortage of hospital beds and existing home nursing bodies were unable to cope with the demands of a growing population, there was a great need for the establishment of a home nursing service. Generous assistance given by the press and media and members of the newly formed committee resulted in donations of money and offers of assistance, including Newtown Mission, enabled the venture to become a reality.

Not surprisingly, one of Sam McKibbin’s favorite scripture passages is in Psalm 34:6

‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. The needy looked unto him, and were encouraged, and their faces were not ashamed. The poor cried, and the Lord them, and saved them out of all their troubles.’

There is no doubt that Rev Sam McKibbin was a vessel used by the Lord to deliver many ‘out of all their troubles’ while he was Newtown Mission Superintendent.

This is the story of the greatest miracle ever. Why is it the greatest miracle ever? Because it is the story of how God broke into my pitiful excuse for a life. It seems like a lifetime ago: fifteen years to the day. I was working at a major record company. Hopelessly locked into a lifestyle of self-abuse, I had a huge Appetite for Destruction, appropriately enough the title of the huge-selling Guns ‘n’ Roses album we sold at the time. A massive addiction to working and playing hard. Weeks without sleep. What teenager living in Sydney in the early 1980s wouldn’t love it? It was a dream come true for a self-confessed sex, drugs and rock and roller. Rubbing shoulders with some of my heroes! Cold Chisel, ZZ Top, Eric and Richard Clapton, INXS, Kylie…

My boss at the time was my best mate and worst enemy. We were two hopeless basket cases, whose behaviour was always unpredictable. It swung between soppy romantics to super-violence. Yet don’t try and tell us we were addicted or drunks. You’d do the same if you’d been through what we had.

We were all surprised when my boss was seriously injured. No one knew what had happened to him. Then three months later, he emerged out of nowhere, looking fitter and healthier that he deserved. He looked incredibly well. Very intimidating. He wasn’t there for half an hour before I got a call to come up to his office. He was very blunt: I was an alcoholic but I wouldn’t have to die one. What? How dare he!

He explained to me that God could help me overcome my addiction. God? I hadn’t given any time to thinking about God for many years. I’d been thrown out of Sunday School and Scripture years before. I can still feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I thanked him and walked away, pride shattered.

I was determined to prove to my boss and everybody else how wrong they were. I decided to party harder. I lasted one night. Sitting on my couch alone, very stoned, I had an overwhelming feeling that I was going to die. The thought of dying had never really bothered me. The way I lived, you’d think I was trying to, anyway. But I was petrified. For the first time I didn’t want to. But I couldn’t shake this feeling. I knew that tonight I would die. I had nowhere to turn. It was hopeless.

Then out of the blue, a strong, authoritative voice came into my head: Dial this number! I remember shaking as I dialed the numbers. The phone hadn’t worked for weeks. It was supposed to be broken. But the voice on the other end of the phone was loud and clear: “Welcome to Dial-A-Prayer”. As I listened, these words calmed me down. I clung to the phone, feeling safe. Over and over, the message repeated. When I put the phone down, all I felt was shame. I was a criminal, a con artist, a drunk. I was a hopeless case. Still that authoritative voice guided me: Go have a shower, go to bed…

The next morning, I woke up. I couldn’t believe that I had the gift of another day. There was no doubt anymore. God was real and had broken through into my world in a huge way. Six months later, 14 and a half years ago, I kicked my habit. However, this story has its conclusion 10 years after God first revealed Himself to me. It was the first day of full-time study at Morling Bible College. I had just moved back to Sydney after living for years in the country. As I stood in the College car park, I looked across the road. I remembered this place. I used to live near here. I looked across the road, and there it was: the unit where God had visited me 10 years before. I was well and truly on the other side of the fence now!

It would take a few years for me to realize that such a special visit from God was not the norm. Very few people can unequivocally state that God has spoken to them. Yet this unique visit by God drives me in my ministry life.

Senior Pastor of Newtown Mission Rev Doug Clements understands what it means to live as an ordained Christian minister without any guaranteed source of income.

Doug Clements inducted as senior pastor of Newtown Mission on May 6 2007
“I lived by faith in the Hunter Valley on the NSW central coast for seven years,” he says.

“My wife Helen and three little children sought God for our daily needs.
“Every dollar mattered. We learnt to live simply with little, but lacked nothing.

“We chopped firewood for a fuel store. We grew vegetables. We ran a hen pen. We found special provision for special projects. “Our kids learnt to trust God daily in prayer for every need, without mentioning our needs to others, and to live simply.

“We never had a financial crisis, just daily events.

“Our motto was, ‘Ask no man. Ask Father.’ “Or, as Philippians 4:19 says, ‘My God will meet all your needs out of His glorious riches in Christ Jesus’.
“And: ‘Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and
all these things shall be yours as well’.

“Since then, our daughter and her three boys have accepted the
challenge to go to Niger as
missionaries, and to live and learn by faith, as she did as a child.”
The story of Joseph turned Pastor Doug’s life around in 1996.
“I had resigned from my role as Superintendent of Newcastle City Mission, disillusioned and depressed by practices in the church,” he recalls.
“I went on holidays to Dorrigo, in the forests of the Great Dividing Range.

Doug’s induction address emphasized obeying the promptings of the Spirit
“I was watching TV in a caravan there, when, suddenly, there was the screening of the film ‘Joseph’.
“It stirred and challenged me deeply and I was inspired to
read the Biblical narrative again.

“Here was a man who was deeply betrayed by his own family, left for dead, sold out, lied over and forgotten.

“Yet God was with him, even in the worst situations, in a foreign land, in slavery, falsely accused, in prison, and with a humanly hopeless situation. “God spoke to him continually, giving him spiritual gifts of
interpretation, wisdom and prophesy.

“With boldness and confidence, he acted on every prompting of the Spirit with faith, interpreting dreams, even Pharaoh’s.

“God gave him success in everything he did,
including household duties, imprisonment, and being appointed Prime Minister over all of Egypt. “In a bold display of faith, during a time of global famine, he outlined a plan for the political and economic salvation of Egypt.
“He was given the vision of seven years abundance to meet seven years of need. “With Joseph in mind, from 1996-1999, I gave myself to developing an economic base in property development, step by step following the leadership promptings that the Holy Spirit gave me.

“I stood as Mayor of Maitland in the September 1999 elections, by faith, achieving a good minority vote. “On New Years Eve 2000, on the wharf’s edge, during the fireworks on Newcastle Harbour, God spoke to me about re-entering the Uniting Church parish ministry. “I was invited to minister at Wesley Church, Wesley Mission in Sydney the following week, where I stayed seven years.
“Then, in 2007, I became senior pastor of Newtown Mission.”

So says Newtown Mission’s Discipleship Pastor Andy Collins in summing up the life of arguably Australia’s most famous Christian songwriter Geoff Bullock.

Pastor Andy was in fact quoting what former Hills Christian Centre worship leader Geoff has said about himself and his Christian walk: “People say I fell from grace. I didn’t fall from grace, I fell into it.

“If you try and prove yourself and make yourself noteworthy by works, eventually your works will lead you to exactly where mine led me.

“Works will always fail you. The end of the law is death.

“But with grace you never stop finding deeper water. It just keeps getting more wondrous.”

Geoff will share such thoughts at Newtown Mission’s 2010 church camp at the CMS Conference Centre in Katoomba NSW March 26-28.

Wesley Mission’s homeless person’s centre Edward Eagar Lodge (EEL) has a special connection to Geoff Bullock.

He accepted an invitation to sing at the Lodge’s church service on November 2 2003.

He sang some of his most famous songs, including The Great Southland, This Kingdom, The Power of Your Love and Refresh My Heart.

The songs stirred the hearts of the poor and homeless.

But this proved equally true when he shared his testimony.

There was a universal recognition of his message of failure but being restored by the grace and love of Jesus.

He was so well received, in fact, that he agreed to preach and sing at EEL once a month calling it his “home congregation” when visiting other churches in Australia and overseas.

In his first sermon at EEL, Geoff said with passion: “All my Christian life, and particularly over the last 5 or six years, I have been motivating the church’s care-givers.

“But, today, the Lord has placed me in a worship service where I am speaking to the care-receivers, who understand what rejection, pain and hurt is all about, because they have lived through it.”

Pastor Andy says Geoff is likely to find many such care-receivers at Newtown Mission.

Andy Collins paints praises of Geoff Bullock

“These care-receivers will love to hear his message of God’s unlimited grace rescuing you from the deepest pit,” says Pastor Andy.

He adds: “Geoff has already gained a positive image of Newtown Mission,” says Pastor Andy.

“When he walked into our chapel and looked up at the panoramic splendor of our Revelation Ceiling – with its 20 panels depicting scenes from the Book of Revelation – his reaction was something like this, ‘I’ve  got to come back and play here – it is magnificent!”

When Mary Sotiriadis recently visited the Revelation Ceiling at Newtown Mission in Sydney, she was particularly moved by one of the 20 panels depicting scenes from the Book of Revelation.

“That panel,” she says, “is the one depicting the new heaven and the new earth.

“Revelation Ceiling artist Kon Parris has captured an extraordinary scene of great emotion when Jesus embraces two saved souls in the Holy City, the New Jerusalem.

Mary Sotiriadis: moved by Heaven’s ultimate family reunion

“This moment of supreme, eternal joy reminds me of that time in the next life when we will be reunited with our loved ones.

“I pray for unsaved loved ones every day – and that is why Kon Parris’ vision of being triumphant in The Revelation Ceiling panel of a new heaven and new earth

glory with beloved family members and friends thrills every fibre of my being.

“Newtown Mission is to be congratulated for displaying on its chapel roof some of the most enduring and inspiring images in all of Scripture.

“It’s as if Heaven has breathed upon Newtown Mission – located right in the centre of busy, cosmopolitan Newtown – and declared, ‘Here I will show my glory!’

“Spectacular images pregnant with great spiritual meaning provide one of the greatest ways of spreading the everlasting gospel message.”

Mary says when you study the Revelation panels, with explanatory notes for each one outlined in a brochure given to Revelation Ceiling visitors, you must come to one firm conclusion:

“In the end, the saints triumph over evil through the power and love of Jesus,” she says.

“I thank God for this mighty truth every morning I awake to a new day.

“I also thank him for the freedom we enjoy in our great land of Australia – tagged the Great Southland of the Holy Spirit – to be able to praise and worship him.

“I know countries where you would be arrested for even suggesting the idea of a chapel ceiling with Biblical images!

“The point of all this is that we must give thanks to God the Father always for the spiritual blessings he has given us in Australia through his Son Jesus.

“This is a wonder panorama of God’s plan for humanity, which not only brings the Book of Revelation alive but gives us a wonderful hope for the future.”

Those who discipled me as a young Christian emphasised the need for me to have a daily “Quiet Time” comprising systematic bible study and prayer that included worship, confession, thanksgiving and requests for myself and others. That helped me develop a sound ongoing spiritual foundation for my life and ministry and becoming involved with Newtown Mission’s sister church Annandale Uniting.

Over the years, I have become increasingly convinced of the power of intercessory prayer and have learnt the need to be intentional in asking others to pray for me. I now have over 400 people who have committed themselves to pray for me, together with many who have made this commitment without my being aware. One of my friends says that my ministry “floats on a raft of prayer”.        

In all my mentoring of leaders, I make a strong emphasis upon the need to maintain a disciplined personal devotional life. I also expect my mentorees to build an active prayer base of intercessors.

In one of my mentoring sessions with the national leader of a para-church organisation, we discussed the urgent need for a new member of staff to release him from many of his administrative tasks to allow him to give greater focus to his unique ministry. Finding the right person and the funding for this specialised role seemed impossible. I encouraged him to seek out six prayerful people and ask them to covenant to intercede for this need to be met. Here is what he wrote about the outcome of that specific prayer:

“I called some people personally and emailed others who I knew were real prayers with the specific need of God to show us the person He had in mind for the position. We also took specific time as a mission staff gathering together to pray in faith and listen to God’s prompting of names to follow through on. A few names were offered and I followed through on those. But out of the blue the next week or so after requesting specific prayer, I received an email from Cairns from a pastor friend whom I hadn’t heard from for years. He mentioned in passing a couple who were exploring options for ministry, the husband owning an engineering business and having a Masters Degree in Project Management. Wow! Well, one thing led to another, and it became clear that this was the person for the position. They were soon accepted onto staff and are currently raising their support.

God had revealed his provision and only through fervent focused prayer did it come to light. As James 5: 16 reminds us, ‘The fervent prayer of a righteous person has a powerful effect!’ God was preparing a couple who was unknown to us, and our mission organisation was unknown to them. Yet, in God’s grace, he brought the connection and it came after a call to prayer.” 

 By John Mallison

When Fields of Life representative Chris Vaughan recently addressed Newtown Mission he stirred up the congregation on how God is guiding him in a totally unexpected new direction.

“I am amazed at how God has continues to have a plan for my life far greater than anything I could hope for or imagine,” he says.

“My father is a minister, and in 2005 he took a job in Ireland that moved our family over there. “During my time there I met a man named Trevor who ran a Christian Development agency called Fields of Life. I would return to Sydney, but felt a very strong urge to visit East Africa.

“So I contacted Trevor, and spent most of my time witnessing the work of Fields of Life in Uganda.

“Some time later I was finishing my studies in film and theatre in Sydney, and prayerfully seeking God’s guidance on what I should do next.

“As time was running out and I still had very little idea what to do, Trevor contacted me out of the blue.

“He asked me whether I would consider starting Fields of Life in Australia! This was

a completely unexpected answer to my prayers for guidance from God.

“You see I had been planning a career in the creative arts.

“And I felt so strongly that God had all along had a plan for me – was  so clearly answering my prayer for guidance – that I accepted the job!

“Anyway that’s all behind me now.

“The experience of starting Fields of Life in Australia has been an exciting, at times frightening one. “When we started we did not have an office, a bank account, or anything! “Within the space of this year (2009), the organisation has already begun to grow.

“I have had many wonderful opportunities to tell people about the work of Fields of Life and how they can support it.

“One such opportunity was to address Newtown Mission.

“Standing before them, telling them about Fields of Life, I felt in awe of the way God has guided me. “I have gone from a few years ago never hearing of Fields of Life - to not ever considering working for a development

agency – to now having the opportunity to speak to Uniting Church people about the needs of people in East African and how they can help!

God’s guidance in my life never ceases to amaze me.

“The challenge I have found is to trust that it will continue, even when I cannot see it.

“Looking forward, my life still seems as uncertain and out of control as ever!

“But looking back, I can see clearly that God has been guiding me all along in ways I would never have imagined.

“This fills me with excitement and hope and strength that He will guide me home.”

Dad,I forgive you for not being there when I needed you; and forgive me for not being as close to you as I should have been.

These words by Tony Mullins at his father’s grave-site had a profound impact on his life. He was never the same man again.

A great spiritual and emotional burden was lifted,” he told Newtown Mission.

“For many years I had carried a spirit of unforgiveness towards my father – an alcoholic.

“My reaction to him was, ‘Look at the damage he’s done to my life! Why should I ever forgive him?’

“But I knew in my heart that Jesus came to earth preaching a message of love, and forgiveness was right at its very core.

“He said, for instance, ‘Love your enemies’ (Matthew 5:44) – the greatest forgiveness test of them all.

“But that’s exactly what I had to do in regards to my deceased father.

“And in my heart I believe God honored my act of reconciliation at his grave: the breach between father and son was healed and the Lord replaced a curse with a blessing.”

God’s blessing in Tony’s life was now obvious.

The Lord delivered him from liver failure due to alcohol abuse, a nervous breakdown and a spreading malignant melanoma.

He repented of his alcoholism, saw his wife and two children return to him and rejoined the workforce where God gave him much favor.

From December 1996 to December 2004 he was the longest serving CEO of a company before retiring and joining Golden Grove Healing Ministry Centre as a board member, teacher and member of the cancer/chronic illness support team.

His teaching role has helped many people grasp the vital role of Christian meditation in

healing and deal with unresolved issues of unforgiveness that stop them from realizing their

God-given potential.

Says Tony: “There is a very powerful link between sickness and unforgiveness.

“This is why Christian meditation is such a blessing because it helps you tap the root source of a bitterness or hostility. Light comes to your dark thoughts.

“A good Christian meditation tape (I personally like Jenny Brenton Eavis) helps teach you to be still, silent and in touch with the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit.

“If you make this ‘Let go, let God’ meditation exercise a daily part of your life the Lord will alert you to where you need to be more forgiving and sensitive in your relationship with your neighbor.

“By releasing any hidden unforgiveness in your soul my experience shows that there are many physical health benefits (apart from spiritual) including more energy and a stronger immune system to fight

life-threatening illness.”

Tony appreciates the fact that Newtown Mission now has a fortnightly healing service, which follows a 5pm-6pm

“Because God inhabits the praises of the saints this abandoned worship service can lead to re-energized souls and even healing,” he says.

Story by Richard Luke.

The most heart-breaking moment in 81-year-old Marie June Driver’s life was the tragedy of her son Leon, 6, drowning right before her eyes.

The incident took place at the Cattai Creek Picnic Area, Windsor, on November 18 1956 as she watched from the shore with children Richard, 4, Sandra, 2, and Karen, only nine  months old.

In a freakish accident, the row boat Leon was in with brother Rodney, 8, developed a leak and began sinking. Leon’s father Barry and friends grabbed Rodney but Leon disappeared into the creek’s murky depths and, despite desperate efforts to find him, he had perished.

Recalls June, still feeling the emotion of her darkest moment: “All the picnickers on shore knelt and prayed that Leon would be delivered. It was like your worst nightmare but, in this case, it was for real.

“I was left asking, ‘How could God allow this? How could I forgive God for taking my darling, little son? What possible purpose could this serve?”

Matters only got worse for June. Her husband, shattered by the drowning, left the family. She was left to raise four kids on little income, find work and rely on help from relatives and friends.

Then, by sheer hard work, driven by her love for her children, she was able to raise enough money to buy a new home in Bexley. One of her children, Richard, attended the local church and when he grew up he became a dedicated Christian and member of Newtown Mission.

 This proved the Lord’s trump card in answering her soul’s deepest questions: “How can I forgive God for taking Leon at such a young age? Understand it?”

Once the children grew up and gone their separate ways, a remarried June moved out of Sydney to Cabarita Beach on NSW’s far north coast. But she developed an illness, relocated to a nursing home before finally moving to the Bushland Place Nursing Hostel in Taree – the town of her birth.

From the first day June moved out of Sydney her son Richard began writing a weekly letter to her – and this is how her understanding of God’s forgiveness changed forever.

Says Richard: “The letters allowed to me to tell God’s side of the story. I explained that God knows us before we are even born and Leon’s sudden death did not take him by surprise. Oh, no!

“He has higher purposes that we, this side of eternity – don’t fully comprehend. So, I assured mum, that I believe that Leon is with God right now and that one day, through faith in our Lord, she will be reunited with her darling, little son.

“This has not only comforted her but she is now a regular member of her hostel’s Sunday morning church service conducted by a Uniting Church chaplain.”

Story by Richard Luke

Chris  was in so much trouble as a child that by the time he turned age 16, he had been grounded so much by his parents that he had never enjoyed even one night out!

During this time, he suffered many harsh punishments from his parents and, today, age 34, in hindsight, confesses: “I lost any sense of personal identity during my childhood. I was a real mess-and-a-half!”

 So Chris ran away from home and, to quote his own colorful expression,

“simply went beserk!”

He was convicted on charges of break and enter, stealing, assault and other crimes.

“I entered a truly dark period of 13 years,” he says. “I was in and out of boys’ homes and jail and drugs dependent.

“Light came to the darkness when I entered into a relationship with a young lady and her      five-year-old son, who showed me what it means to be loved unconditionally.

“I began to take a more responsible attitude towards life but, alas, I was back in jail two years later and the relationship crashed.

“In jail, at rock bottom, I prayed to the Lord that if he would bless me with a specific amount ($20,000) I would aim to straighten out my life – not live on handouts.

“But the drug culture in jail saw me slip back into old habits, and I became suicidal.

“I put my head in a noose and said to the Lord, ‘I have tried my best; you know what I have been through over these last 13 years.

“Show me a sign if you want me to keep living.

“Then, there was a huge commotion in the next cell, with an inmate going beserk, resulting in water flooding into our cells.

“I saw this as a sign from God. Good things began happening. I received the exact money I prayed for in a compensation payout.

“And a Jehovah’s Witness inmate helped explain the Bible”.

After jail, Chris tried living in Qld and SA, but ended up spending $10,000 on heroin. He was jail bound again!

Again suicidal, he prayed and, through what he calls “an unusual sign from God,” he was led to the William Booth recovery program, where he lasted 8 months before being kicked out.

He pleaded to stay, because he knew he would be sent back to jail. This was granted, and he stayed another 3 months before moving to another rehab.

He got a 3-year good behavior bond and because of his drugs experience and insights is now studying at TAFE to become a counsellor.

“I have been clean now for 19 months,” he says.

 “God has forgiven my past, given me a forgiving heart towards others and removed my shame and guilt.

“I now live at Newtown Mission’s ‘The Lighthouse’ community housing with 5 others.

“Rev Phil Marshall and his team have been great in helping me find a new home and hope.”

Story by Richard Luke.

Christianity will always triumph over Satanism, New Age philosophies and the occult because of its unique message of God’s all-conquering love revealed in Jesus Christ our Saviour.

So says internationally respected Uniting Church Christian mentor and educationist  Rev Dr John Mallison OAM

John, a good friend of both Newtown Mission and sister church Annandale Uniting, says he knows first-hand the destructive power of Satanism and evil powers.

“That’s the bad news,” he says.” The good news is that God’s unconditional love protects us from these destructive forces.”

He gives powerful examples of this in his new autobiographical book Postcards on a Journey, recently launched at Chatswood/Willoughby Uniting Church.    

 In a chapter called Overcoming Cosmic writes:

 “Once, when I was on a flight from Adelaide toSydney, a delicious meal was served.”

“The man sitting next to me refused his meal, and I felt somewhat self-conscious as I ate while he abstained.

“Later, while we chatted, I casually enquired why he was not eating that day.

“He replied, ‘I’m fasting.’ Thinking he was a disciplined follower of Christ, I complimented him and asked why.

 “He replied, ‘I am a Satanist, and all the members of my coven have agreed to fast and pray to Satan for a month for the demise of the clergy marriages in Adelaide.’

“I was shocked and speechless, never having encountered a similar situation.

“For the remainder of the trip, I sat in silence, praying against such evil and claiming the Lord’s protection over myself, my wife and family.

“Later, I was disturbed to hear of a similar activity in another state.

“One of the staff at a large church – whose senior pastor was once in my mentoring network – told me that, while in conversation with a young man who never attended church, he was asked what he did.

 “After he replied, the young man said that he knew the name of the senior pastor and added, ‘My sister prays for him every day!’

“‘Really’,” the staff person responded. The young man explained, ‘Yes, she is a Satanist, and her coven prays against him, his ministry, marriage and family’.”

Story by Richard Luke

Augusto P. Sanchez (nicknamed “Chito”) happened to walk past Newtown Mission, Sydney, in 1988, where he read a sign outside: Glory to God in the highest!

Little did he know that God was dramatically intervening in his life – a woeful tale of drugs, sex and bad relationships.

Though he had received the Lord at 21, he still had much baggage from the past to deal with 8 years on: “I needed to fully yield myself to the Lord, though I had sought him in my homeland the Philippines and travels to the U.S., South-East Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

“So, after the sign initially attracted me, I became involved in the Newtown Mission drop-in centre, feeding the poor, washing dishes, mopping the floors and cleaning the toilets.

“This led to preaching the gospel on the streets of Newtown and Kings Cross, until a broken relationship so devastated me I returned to the Philippines in 1994.

“There, God intervened again in a special way.

“I met Rachel, who was also healing from a shattered relationship.

“I had known her since we were kids. I led her to the Lord. One year later we were married.

“In 1996 I was stirred up by a book on past revivals called The Cure of All Ills.

“Rachel and I started to pray in our bedroom at length – and we had mighty encounters with God, including a prophecy that the Philippines would receive a mighty visitation similar to the Wales revival of 1904-7.

“This prophecy changed our plans to move back to the U.S. – and led to the Lord inspiring us to open Jesus Loves the Little Children Orphanage.

“I also began speaking to different churches in our city and organizing prayer conferences and gatherings for our nation, plus traveling all over the Philippines with the message of revival.”

Chito says involvement in Newtown Mission’s “Mercy” ministry forever changed him: “I truly believe the work we have here in the Philippines is a fruit of the years I served the Lord in Newtown Mission.

“In 2001, we started to travel internationally with the message of revival from Europe to America.

“We planted churches and today we oversee churches all over the Philippines called The River of Life.”

Chito is an ordained Bishop of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (a network of 20,000 churches).

Newtown Mission opened one of the most breathtaking displays of religious artwork ever seen in Australia on Saturday August 30 2008. Display

The Sydney church’s chapel ceiling dazzled with 20 dramatic scenes from the Biblical book of Revelation.

“Our Revelation Ceiling – the largest mural ceiling in the southern hemisphere – will help Australians make a new connection with Biblical symbols and images,” says Sydney artist Kon Parris who has spent 7 years single-handedly overseeing this unique visionary project in his Parramatta garage.

“Normally Australians shy away from anything religious,” he says.

“Talk about the Bible and they turn off.

“But it is our prayer that the Revelation Ceiling mural of 20 panels (each 3m x 5m) will inspire a totally new perspective.

“Visitors can walk into the Newtown Mission chapel, look up at the ceiling and suddenly be transported back 2000 years ago when the Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation.

“They will see emblazoned before them graphic scenes such as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Satan being bound by an angel and a pregnant women being tormented by an angry seven-headed dragon.

“To top off this stunning effect, the panels will be united by a giant circular rainbow.

“How will this be made relevant to Mr. and Mrs. Average in the street who normally don’t enter a church building, except for weddings, funerals and baptisms?

“Well, Newtown Mission will conduct tours of the Revelation Ceiling (you simply make an appointment), provide DVDs and literature and have its members on hand to answer queries about the various symbolic paintings and images.

“And if we haven’t got an immediate answer to your question we will go and find it!

“To make sure visitors are best served Newtown Mission’s Senior Pastor Doug Clements has appointed an Artistic Events Manager Amanda Warton to promote all aspects of the Revelation Ceiling.

“Thus anyone who enters our Newtown Mission chapel to see our stunning ceiling for the first time will be truly looked after.”

Kon’s inspiration for the ceiling project came in 2002 when inspecting chapel renovations.

After pacing the chapel in silence he looked up and exclaimed, “I see murals up there!”

He recalls: I soon realized I was imagining images from the book of Revelation. Those images are now a joyous reality.