Moore College

Equipping men and women to love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ

Liverpool South Mission 2021 Day 7

Liverpool South Mission 2021 Day 7

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Energy levels were low for students after several long days at Moore mission. But despite (or perhaps because of?) our tiredness, God graciously chose to work all the more obvious in two examples from today.

First, although our original plan to visit the mosque in Liverpool was cancelled, we were welcomed to a private audience with the Sheikh and a number of regular members instead of today. Our hosts were kind in sharing their beliefs and answering a number of our questions. In the end, we offered the Sheikh an Arabic copy of the Bible as a small gift—a gift which he received gladly as this was exactly what he had been searching for to buy!

Second, we had invited a local man to join us at the community barbeque this afternoon while door-knocking yesterday (he had invited us in for a chat and we were able to listen and pray for him). This particular gentleman had had a rough 12 months, and we were very much hoping and praying that he would attend the barbeque. The afternoon came and as the barbeque was getting underway, we saw the man walking down the road towards the church. As he approached, we walked out to greet and welcome him. It turns out he had forgotten about the barbeque and was walking past on his way to the shops! He decided to come in and joined us for over two hours, over which time we were able to hear more of his story, share multiple testimonies, and share the good news of the gospel with him. We also invited him to join us tomorrow morning at church, so we’ll have to see what God has in store for tomorrow!

Praise be to God who powerfully works through our weakness for his glory!
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ENC Mission 2021 Day 7

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Today we partnered with Living Water, an Indigenous church in Redfern. It was invaluable to hear from Rev. Neville Naden about ministry to Indigenous Australians and the complex struggles and intergenerational trauma that have resulted from colonisation and the stolen generation. We had the privilege of hearing from an Aboriginal aunty in the church about her story of being part of the stolen generation, and how God upheld her and was her strength throughout her life.

Praise God for saving her and many others to know Him. Pray that we would be better at listening to and loving Indigenous Australians in the future in light of what we learnt.

Throughout the day we met strangers in the park and in the streets, inviting them to Church in the Park in the afternoon. Praise God for the newcomers who came, and please pray they will return to church again, comprehend the gospel and respond in faith.


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Church @ the Peak Day 7

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Our day was broken into two parts. The first part was an extended door knocking session which began at 10 AM and ran through to 1 PM. Our whole team was involved in getting alongside some members from Church @ the Peak to invite people to Grill the Pastor later that night, as well as the Easter events coming up. Two of our team members started chatting with a Muslim couple 30 minutes in and it lasted until 1 PM; ending with the couple expressing a keen interest in hearing more about Christianity. The majority of the teams were able to meet with people who expressed a deep desire to come to an event over Easter and many more expressed a positive experience of Christianity because of Church @ the Peak’s 13 yearlong footprints in the community.

Praise God for the fruitful conversations that were had and how all involved experienced his good provision. Praise God for the way he sustained the team throughout the challenging and painful conversations where people either rejected us or expressed frustration with us. Pray that Church @ the Peak would be able to receive God’s good blessing from this faithful work long after Mission Week is over.

During the night, Erina, Paul Grimmond, and Stu Maze (pastor of Church @ the Peak) sat on a panel and were asked fundamental questions of the Gospel in a Q+A session which was titled ‘Grill the Pastor’; a night to ask any question about Christianity that you’ve always wanted to ask. Some of the questions in the night included, ‘Why is Christianity the only way?’, ‘Isn’t chaos a sign of God’s absence?’, ‘Explain the trinity’, and ‘Why are Christians hypocritical’, just to name a few. There were over 60 people who attended and more than 10 of those people were non-Christian; a few expressing that they want to keep exploring Christianity now and wanted to come to church the next day.

Praise God for the way He spoke through the three panellists and that the Gospel was clearly laid out multiple times in multiple questions. Thank God for the people who made this event possible and for the people who were able to have their questions asked in an open and honest way. Pray that this event would be the start of people’s journeys towards a saving relationship with Christ.

Things to be praying for:

  • That those who expressed interest to come to an Easter event next week would still feel the desire to come when Easter arrives.
  • That those who heard the Gospel for the first time at Grill the Pastor would continue searching the claims of the Gospel.

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St Andrew’s Cathedral School Mission 2021 Day 6

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“I enjoyed joining the Year 8 girls bible study group one lunchtime. We discussed the importance of pressing on as a Christian, from Philippians 3. The girls really started to focus and listen when a question came up about how we should respond when those around us are against Christianity or Jesus. This is obviously something they live with day by day, and it was a privilege to have a moment to point them to the Bible passage we’d read (Phil 3:18-19) and help them see that we should grieve for those who live as enemies of the cross, rather than feel intimidated by them.” (Steph Adams)

Friday saw the end of our time at St Andrew’s Cathedral School. We finished our debrief this afternoon full of thankfulness for all the ministry, learning and encouragement that has gone on this week! We were especially privileged to hear some great talks from Andy, Tim, Braydon and Becki in chapels and cru groups. Year 12 chapel was a special highlight. We only had 16 minutes to run the session, and students began the time aloof, but by the end of Tim’s talk on the “centurion’s big mistake” in the crucifixion passage, you could have heard a pin drop. Pray that God would be at work in these students so they would make the most of their final year of Christian education and come to clear convictions about the gospel.

Prayer points:

  • Thanks for chapel services and cru groups during the week, where the gospel was clearly and winsomely presented by all who shared
  • Thanks for the ongoing privilege of being able to minister the gospel in many schools
  • Pray for Craig Tubman and the chaplaincy team at SACS as they seek to engage the student and staff bodies with the good news of Jesus week in, week out. We were encouraged by their enthusiasm and thoughtfulness this week.

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Maitland Mission 2021 Day 6

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God is good. When you go door-knocking, you never know who you’re going to meet or how they will respond. Friday morning gave us the opportunity to meet residents who lived close to where MEC meets at Maitland Grossman High School, as well as the growing area of Gillieston Heights. Praise God for all the times we were able to shine a positive light on MEC.

A few of the conversations stood out. Hosea met a gentleman who suffers from chronic back and neck pain. When Hosea offered to pray for him, he extended his hand as if for a handshake. As Hosea prayed, they held hands firmly – it felt like there was a strong appreciation and connection.

Tessa from MEC gave us a real appreciation for how God can work through real partnerships in the community. It was so helpful and inspiring to learn how MEC shows practical care and love for those who are outside of the church family driven by real gospel goals. We heard how a year six boy who was apathetic during Scripture classes was so appreciative of a care pack he was given on behalf of MEC. He was so shocked and thankful. Praise God for how he has been showing his love through the people of MEC.

In the evening, some of the team joined the MEC youth group – Fusion. It was a high energy, fun and encouraging night with Marc preaching on John 16:33. God spoke humorously, clearly and faithfully through Marc about the hope we have in Jesus because he has overcome our sin. All the youth were glued to his speaking and many came away encouraged.

Lachie and Jess came up with some fun and thematic activities like Build-Up Scissors, Paper, Rock. The major activity was passing around a ‘comic strip’ that the kids had to contribute to creating a narrative for a quirky character that had impossible tasks to overcome and then interesting superpowers to do so. Rhys and Julian and Emma played ‘O Praise the Name’ as a musical item which many of the kids joined in on singing or clapping – it was a treat. The whole night was so fun and encouraging to see what God is doing through Erich and the youth team at MEC.


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Liverpool South Mission 2021 Day 6

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As Friday kicked off, the Liverpool South team continued spending time in Luke 10, as we reflected further on what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus. Following this, the team was provided with further training from Assistant Minister Matt Bales. Over the course of the week, the team has been equipped to speak with a great variety of people and cultural groups, as well as religious and spiritual backgrounds, with today’s focus on reaching people with a succinct sharing of our testimony, alongside Bible stories.

Having practised and prayed, the Liverpool South team then undertook the task of going to the main shopping strips of Liverpool to specifically have conversations with those who were clearly religious or spiritual. Split into threes and fours, many of our groups managed to have some initial dialogue with palm readers, often from a Hindu background, who emphasised a belief that centred on worshipping all ‘gods’, including Jesus. This presented an interesting challenge for our team members, who sought to be gracious and hear and learn from those they interacted with, whilst also presenting the exclusive truth of the gospel, of the Lord Jesus as the only way to the Father. Some of our team members also managed to play some chess with Iraqi-background locals, Mandaeans, a religion that centres on teachings alleged to stem from John the Baptist.

After a late lunch, some of the team continued working on preparing for upcoming talks and ministries, whilst others were trained in how to move evangelistic conversations along from initial introductions and observations of religious beliefs to more meaningful discussions about how sin and the debt owed by humans can be dealt with, so as to allow a relationship with God. The training provided was especially in the context of reaching Muslims with the gospel, demonstrating the differences that exist in the two faiths and the nature of salvation and righteousness. This led to further doorknocking efforts, where two of our team members, Stuart and Anna, were able to spend time in two homes, having extended chats with those who felt particularly isolated from society.

Finally, in the evening, our team was split up into several different ministry opportunities: for some team members, they were treated to dinners with church families; for most of our women, they were a part of a Women’s Bible study for south Indian women at Liverpool South Anglican, where they led the women in Philippians 4. The rest of the team served the church’s youth group, which was a delight, as the students were challenged to grapple with the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. A particular highlight of the youth group was seeing the eleven students coming to terms with the reality that we can only be right with God when we trust fully and completely in Jesus, acknowledging our sin and asking for forgiveness – rather than on our own actions. Further to this, the students were in awe at the nerf-gun, laser-tag-style battle, complete with smoke machine, obstacles and Simon Gillham showing some real talent!

Overall, we are grateful that God was at work in so many conversations and gospel opportunities, where Jesus was proclaimed to people from all backgrounds, ages, cultures and walks of life.
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