Equipping to the Ends of the Earth

 May 2, 2024 Newsletter

In This Issue: Talk Preps, Talks, & Talking Prayer Point -- Team Leader Sabbatical Global Missions Conference Island to Island

Talk Preps, Talks, & Talking Anyone who knows me knows I like to talk. And these days, God has been making good use of the gift for gab that he gave me. Much of my time is taken up with preparing for various talks. Over the last few months, my speaking engagements have included: Student Outreach to the World: Our university ministry chapters at University of Sydney and Macquarie University do not have their own campus pastors this year, so I have been a regular, filling in for them. After their weekly worship times, I'm able to join the students for dinner at nearby food courts -- more talking, and building connections with the university students, answering their questions, etc. Recent talks (sermons -- but I'm not ordained) at each of them have included: 24 Karat Hope -- 1 Peter 1:3-9 Lessons in Obedience -- Jonah 1-4 When I Doubt -- Luke 7:18-28 Equip 315 (our new evangelism training ministry at Harbour City Church): In our last quarterly event, I demonstrated a full presentation of the gospel, using the Evangelism Explosion model. Topical Bible Study (monthly event at Harbour City Church): I recently spoke on "Engaging with Cults," a talk I had previously done at the SOW summer camp in January. SOW Leadership Training: I was asked to speak this past week on Evangelism -- what it is, and why it's important right now for university students. Growth Group: I recently started to co-host/co-lead a men's growth group from Harbour City Church. On months when I host the group, I also lead the discussion on the past Sunday's sermon, and facilitate our prayer time. City Sanctum: Our current quarterly theme is "When Work gets Difficult." Recent talks included "Building Resilience into our Work," and "Burnout." We will have a guest speaker next week for our May meeting. Dr. David Hilmers is a former US Marine Corps pilot, NASA astronaut (4 missions to space on the space shuttles), and now a medical doctor, frequently traveling the world to provide humanitarian aid in developing nations. Incidentally, he's also a fellow native Iowan! David and his wife, Alice, attend Harbour City Church in Sydney. As our Harbour City Church pastor, and MTW team leader, began a much needed sabbatical this week, I've been assigned to fill the pulput next week Sunday, May 12. My assigned passage is 2 Peter 1:16-21. I appreciate your prayers for my prep and delivery, so that it will be a blessing to our people. Preparing these talks can be exhausting, as doing research is not necessarily my forte. But I am seeing the blessing, particularly that the sermon preps are for me personally, as I listen to various pastors preaching on these passages and explore through some commentaries. Prayer Point My primary prayer point this month is for our church and MTW team: that God will bless and sustain us during the next five months as our pastor and missionary team leader and his family take a much-needed sabbatical. Pray too for them, Jim & Claudia Jung, that they will be refreshed and well-equipped upon their return to minister in Sydney for many more years. Follow FB Group Global Missions Conference Do you love missions, hearing about the working of God around the world, supporting missionaries? Do you ever sense a calling to be more involved in missions, as a sender, advocator, prayer, or perhaps to go yourself? Make plans to attend the 2024 Global Missions Conference, November 1-3, in Atlanta, GA. MTW missionaries from around the world will be speaking on various topics, and keynote speakers will include MTW Coordinator Lloyd Kim, PCA pastor Russ Whitfield, and others. I've been asked to lead a panel breakout session about serving overseas as single missionaries, so I hope to see many of you there! Register by May 31 for an early registration discount. Group prices are also available. (Click image below.) Island to Island My MTW Sydney co-worker and I spent Easter weekend in Samoa, attending a "Resurrection Conference" at a church planted just a year earlier. The church is a partner in our MTW "Island to Island Partnership," a ministry to spur on the work of the gospel in a number of island nations in the South Pacific. A highlight of the weekend was singing with the Samoan people. They are known for their singing, especially in their native Samoan language. Check out the video below of "It is Well," and from the YouTube video you should be able to navigate to one of five other similar videos.