The Messenger - Autumn 2015

ME SSE NGER
The
Published by Westminster Presbyterian Church

Volume 165 Autumn Edition 2015
Foot Washing at Brookton

Turn to page 28
CONTENTS
1. 15 Reasons to take genesis as history
4-9
2. converted through his own preaching
10-11
3. golden rules for edifying worship services
12
4. the mass and the sacrifice of christ
13-15
5. stress and missionaries
16-17
6. brookton family festival bush mission
18-20
7. richards family
21-25
8. catechism question
26
9. tip toeing through the forest of parenting
27
10. foot washing at brookton
28
11. all nations renovations
29-30
12. blessing of god
31
13. grace fellowship
32
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The Messenger Autumn 2015 Page 2
editorial
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
By Clem White
At the time of writing Andrew Chan and Myuran
Sukumaran are imprisoned on Nusakambangan
Island, Indonesia. They are waiting for all the legal
battles to be settled before the Indonesian
Government has the right to execute them by firing
squad.
As we all know this situation has divided the people
of Australia into two main camps. There are those
who support the smugglers execution because
they knew what the outcome would be if they were
caught smuggling drugs into Bali. They also argue
that the two drug smugglers deserve to die because
the lives of many people are badly affected and
some die as a result of using illegal drugs.
On the other side of the fence are those who argue
that both of these men are sorry for smuggling drugs
and have now turned their lives around. Andrew
Chan claims to have become a Christian and
Myuran Sukumaran has become an artist of note.
It is claimed that both of the men have helped others
in the jail to rehabilitate themselves.
It seems that whenever a heinous crime like this is
committed a heated debate about capital punishment
erupts amongst Australians.
When Jill Meagher was brutally raped and murdered
by Adrian Ernest Bayley while walking home from
a pub in Brunswick, an inner suburb of Melbourne,
Victoria in the early hours of 22 September 2012
about 30 000 demonstrated against this barbaric
crime. Many called for the reintroduction of the
death penalty.
So what should our view as Christians be about the
use of capital punishment? It would be fair to say
that Christians are divided on this issue.
Some argue that capital punishment is murder and
that in Matthew 5:21-22 Jesus prohibited murder.
They also believe that Jesus rule of love means that
we shouldnt kill another person.
Added to these objections they claim there is the
possibility of an innocent person being executed.
Then they cite examples of people who have been
found to be innocent of a crime for which they have
earlier been wrongly convicted.
On the other hand other Christians believe that God

has given the state the right to execute
criminals. They cite Genesis 9:5-6 where God made
a covenant with Noah following the great flood. As
part of this covenant God said, Whoever sheds the
blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in
the image of God has God made man
Then they follow up with the instruction given in
Romans 13:3-5 which tells us, For rulers hold no
terror for those who do right, but for those who do
wrong...For he is Gods servant to do you good. But
if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the
sword for nothing. In other words the state has the
right to execute wrongdoers.
The supporters of capital punishment also believe
that Jesus advocated that Christians should submit
to governments because he told the Pharisees,
Matthew 22:21, Give to Caesar what is Caesars,
and to God what is Gods.
So what should we think about the proposed
execution of these drug smugglers?
Some say that the Indonesian government is acting
in a hypocritical way because they overlook their
own drug dealers operating openly in their streets
and also pressurise other countries to not kill
Indonesian citizens caught smuggling drugs.
But they are not alone in the world in using capital
punishment for different crimes. The death sentence
is carried out by many other countries around the
world including the majority of states in America.
So whatever our view is about capital punishment
we must remember that Indonesia is a sovereign
country and God has given it the right to make its
own rules regarding criminal acts including that of
smuggling drugs.
For us it is important to study what the Bible says
about capital punishment and to read up on the
views of great Reformers like John Calvin and
Martin Luther who supported capital punishment.
Then we will be in a good position to make up our
own minds on this controversial issue.
15 REASONS TO TAKE GENESIS AS HISTORY

This article is the fourth and the last of a series
supporting the belief that God made everything
out of nothing (ex nihilo)
Used with permission of Creation Ministries
International (Australia)
PO Box 4545 Eight Mile Plains
QLD 4113 Australia
Phone: (07) 3340 9888 Fax (07) 334 9889
Visit us on the web at: CREATION.com
In the first and second and third articles we
have noticed the following reasons for taking
Genesis as history.
REASON 1: A Christian, as a follower of
Christ, should follow His example in His
attitude to the Old Testament Scriptures.
REASON 2: Jesus clearly regarded the
account of Adam and Eves creation as factual,
as well as the Flood.
REASON 3: Genesis was written as history.
REASON 4: Hermeneutical principle:
Scripture interprets Scripture. The rest of the
Old Testament takes Genesis as history.
REASON 5: Hermeneutical principle:
Scripture interprets Scripture. The New
Testament takes Genesis 1-11 as history.
REASON 6: Taking Genesis as history is
consistent with other divine fiat acts in history.
REASON 7: The history of Genesis is
necessary to explain death and suffering.
foundational to the gospel.
necessary for a cohesive and coherent biblical
Christian worldview.
REASON 10: Denying the history of Genesis
disconnects Christianity from the real world
REASON 11: The early church leaders
accepted the timeframe and global Flood of
Genesis
REASON 12: The Reformers understood
Genesis as history.
Now we will look at three more reasons why

we should take Genesis as history.
13. Atheism requires naturalism
Christians should not deny Genesis as
history to accommodate it
The Humanist [atheist] Manifesto specifies
belief in the naturalistic origin of the universe
and mankind. The latest version (III) specifies
unguided evolution, but this is a tautology,
because evolution is by definition unguided
(nature creating nature). Likewise, theistic
evolution is an oxymoron (a God-directed
undirected process!). And as Reason 7 above
points out, the God revealed in the Bible could
never have used the senseless bloody process
of evolution over millions of years to create a
very good world.
The vociferous British antitheist Richard
Dawkins said, Darwin made it possible to be
an intellectually fulfilled atheist,1 and many
others have said similar things. American
atheist Will Provine, biology professor at
Cornell University, made the following point:
belief in modern evolution makes atheists
of people. One can have a religious view that
is compatible with evolution only if the
religious view is indistinguishable from
atheism.2
Indeed, evolutionary teaching makes atheists

of people. Harvard sociobiologist E.O. Wilson
said:
As were many persons from Alabama, I was
a born-again Christian. When I was fifteen,
I entered the Southern Baptist Church with
great fervor and interest in the fundamentalist
religion; I left at seventeen when I got to the
University of Alabama and heard about
evolutionary theory.3
To the atheist, evolution justifies atheism,
removing perhaps the best reason that God
exists (creation demands a Creator). So its not
surprising that the most vocal and ardent
defenders of evolution and deep time are
almost all passionate antitheists.
Evolution (cosmic, geological and
biological) claims to explain the origin of
everything without reference to any deity.
So it contradicts the Bibles teaching that
Gods attributes are clearly seen from what
He has made so that people will be without
excuse at judgment (Rom. 1:1832). Similarly,
God holds scoffers accountable for their wilful
ignorance of the Flood (2 Pet. 3). All long-age
views, which almost by definition accept the
uniformitarian interpretation of the geological
layers, by the same reasoning reject a global
Flood (which would have to have dramatically
reworked the surface of the earth).
Evolution is fundamentally a religious idea.
Canadian philosopher of science, and
anticreationist campaigner, Michael Ruse, said:
Evolution is promoted by its practitioners as
more than mere science. Evolution is
promulgated as an ideology, a secular
religiona full-fledged alternative to
Christianity, with meaning and morality. I am
an ardent evolutionist and an ex-Christian, but
I must admit that in this one complaintand
Mr [sic, actually he has an earned Ph.D. in
biochemistry] Gish is but one of many to make

itthe literalists are absolutely right.
Evolution is a religion. This was true of
evolution in the beginning, and it is true of
evolution still today.4
Surely, it is the height of foolishness to try to
marry the Bible with a religion designed as an
explicit substitute for Christianity. We might
as well marry it with Baal worship. Ruse later
wrote a book claiming that a Darwinian can be
a Christian, but to him a Christian can deny the
Resurrection, which shows how pernicious the
Darwinian compromise is.5
14. Abandoning Genesis as history leads to
heresy and apostasy
Abandoning the historicity of Genesis has
repeatedly caused destruction, which we have
witnessed first-handwrecked individuals,
families, churches and nations.
Many prominent, vocal atheists testify to the
effect of evolution on causing them to abandon
the faith of their parents. The biologist E.O.
Wilson, mentioned above, is only one of many.
Look at the reasons for the apostasy of Charles
Templeton, a former evangelist esteemed by
Billy Graham. Templeton raised most of the
pseudo-intellectual issues concerning Genesis
and historicity6 as well as emotional
arguments against Gods sovereignty, which
God has because He is Creator.7
A youth minister at an Anglican church in
Victoria (Australia) shared with us:
I used to beat my head against a wall
wondering why we lost all our young people at
about age 16. In the last few years Ive realised
that age 16 (year 10) is when they teach
evolution in depth in science. Chatting with
some of the students I have also discovered
that some of the teachers actually identify the
Christian students and make a special point of
explaining the differences and difficulties in

reconciling Genesis and the facts of
evolution. Its no wonder we lost them. I come
near tears just thinking about it.
successor, A.A. Hodge, accepted millions of

years and toyed with the idea of theistic
evolution. His successor, B.B. Warfield (who
was conservative enough to sign the
well-known Fundamentals document), took
this re-adjustment of the Scripture to its next
logical step, calling himself a Darwinian. The
next generation accepted not only
Darwinism/millions of years, but questioned
biblical authority outright. So conservatives
like J. Gresham Machen broke away and
founded Westminster Theological Seminary
in 1929. As a defender of biblical Christianity,
Princeton is no more.
Is it any coincidence that church attendance in

the western world has declined dramatically
since the teaching of evolution in the schools
became widespread and systematic
(increasingly so since the 1960s in Australia,
Britain and America)? Josef Ton, a Romanian
Baptist pastor imprisoned for his faith under
the communist regime, said: I came to the
conclusion that there are two factors which
destroyed Christianity in Western Europe. One
was the theory of
COMPROMISE WITH GENESIS UNLOCKS THE DOOR TO
evolution, the other,
DOUBTING
THE AUTHORITY OF ALL SCRIPTURE AS HISTORY
liberal theology
HAS SHOWN REPEATEDLY.
Liberal theology is
just evolution
applied to the Bible and our faith.8
Many evangelical theologians teach that we
should reinterpret Genesis because science
has proven long ages and evolution. At the
A secular source, F. Sherwood Taylor
same time, they rail against liberal theologians.
(Curator of the Museum of the History of
But the liberals are actually more consistent.
Science, Oxford) made a similar point:
They reinterpret the accounts of Jesus Virginal
Conception and Resurrection as
I myself have little doubt that in England
unhistorical because science has proven that
it was geology and the theory of evolution
such miracles are impossible. Although those
that changed us from a Christian to a pagan
evangelicals in our Bible colleges who
nation.9
compromise the plain meaning of Genesis have
yet to apply their Genesis hermeneutic to the
The Uniting Church in Australia and the
rest of the Bible, there is no good reason not to
United Church of Canada are self-destructing
do so. Compromise with Genesis unlocks the
following the erosion of scriptural authority
door to doubting the authority of all Scripture,
beginning in Genesis.
as history has shown repeatedly.
In the US, Princeton Seminary is a classic
15. Why not take Genesis as history? Only
example: The (otherwise) great Presbyterian
the fallible speculations of historical
theologian Charles Hodge admitted that long
science stand in the way
ages of Earth history appeared to be at odds
with the straightforward Mosaic narrative, but
nevertheless, he bowed to the authority of
Dr Pattle Pun, biology professor at Wheaton
science and so accommodated his
College (and a believer in deep time), said
what many others, including modern
understanding of the Bible. Thus, even though
evangelical theologians, have also admitted:
he railed against Darwinism as rank atheism,
the camel had its nose in the tent. His son and
It is apparent that the most straightforward

understanding of Genesis, without regard to
all the hermeneutical considerations suggested
by science, is that God created the heaven and
earth in six solar days, that man was created on
the sixth day, that death and chaos entered the
world after the fall of Adam and Eve, and that
all the fossils were the result of the
catastrophic universal deluge which spared
only Noahs family, and the animals
therewith.10 [our emphasis]
So, like Augustine, this approach takes its
authority from outside the Bible to reinterpret
Genesis to mean something other than its
clearly intended meaning. There are many
other quotations like Dr Puns from
well-known evangelical biblical and scientific
scholars.11
In contrast, Dr John MacArthur, noted
American evangelical theologian and pastor,
remarked:
Scripture, not science, is the ultimate test of
all truth. And the further evangelicalism gets
from that conviction, the less evangelical and
more humanistic it becomes.12
I argue not only that there is no inherent
conflict between religion and science, but that
Christian theology was essential for the rise of
science. In demonstration of this thesis [I show
that] not only did religion not cause the Dark
Ages; nothing else did eitherthe story that
after the fall of Rome a long dark night of
ignorance and superstition settled over Europe
is as fictional as the Columbus [flat earth]
story. In fact this was an era of profound and
rapid technological progress the Scientific
Revolution of the sixteenth century was the
result of [Christian scholarship] starting in
the eleventh century . Why did real science
develop in Europe and not anywhere else?
I find answers to those questions in unique
features of Christian theology .13
This is not surprising, because science

presupposes certain axioms, without which it
cannot function:
1. The universe is real (because it was
createdGen. 1), not the illusion of Eastern
mysticism.
2. The universe is orderly, because God is a
God of order not of confusion1 Cor. 14:33.
But if there is no Creator, or if Zeus and his
gang were in charge, why should there be any
order at all? If some Eastern religions were
right that the universe is a great thought, then
it could change its mind at any moment.
3. Man can, and should, investigate the world,
because God gave us dominion over His
creation (Gen. 1:28); creation is not divine.
4. Man can initiate thoughts and actions; they
are not fully determined by the laws of
chemistry. This is a deduction from the
biblical teaching that man has both a
material and immaterial aspect (e.g. Gen.
35:18, 1 Kings 17:2122, Matt. 10:28).
This immaterial aspect of man means that he is
more than matter, so his thoughts are likewise
not bound by the makeup of his brain. But if
materialism is true, then thought is just an
epiphenomenon of the brain, and the results of
the laws of chemistry. Thus, given their own
presuppositions, materialists have not freely
arrived at their conclusion, because it was
predetermined by brain chemistry. But then,
why should their brain chemistry be trusted
over yours or ours, since both obey the same
infallible laws of chemistry? So in reality, if
materialists are right, then they cant even help
what they believe (including their belief in
materialism). Yet they often call themselves
freethinkers, overlooking the glaring irony!
Genuine initiation of thought is an insuperable
problem for materialism.
5. Man can think rationally and logically, and
that logic itself is objective. This is a
deduction from the fact that he was created in
Gods image (Gen. 1:2627), and from the fact

that Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, is
the logos. This ability of mankind to think
logically has been impaired but not eliminated
by the Fall of man into sinful rebellion against
his Creator. The Fall means that sometimes the
reasoning is flawed, and sometimes the
reasoning is valid but from the wrong
premises. So it is folly to elevate mans
reasoning above that which God has revealed
in Scripture.15 But if evolution were true, then
there would be selection only for survival
advantage, not necessarily rationality.
6. Results should be reported honestly, because
God forbids false witness (Ex. 20:16). But if
evolution were true, then why not lie?
Unsurprisingly, fraud is an escalating problem
in the modern (evolution-dominated) scientific
enterprise, as it is in business and politics.
It is no accident that science has flowered since
the Reformation, and that this was initially in
countries with the strongest concentrations
of Bible-centred faith, i.e. Western Europe.
And it is no accident that the country today
with the strongest remnants of Bible-based
Christian faith, the USA, leads the world by a
long measure in the output of useful science.
And note that when evolution was largely
banned in schools during the alleged scientific
nadir between the Scopes Trial and Sputnik,
American schools produced more Nobel prizes
than the rest of the world combined. In fact,
America produced twice as many as all other
countriesthis was especially pronounced in
the biological arena of the Nobels (physiology
are often told, But its divisive! However,

according to the Apostle Paul, the divisive
ones are those that bring doctrines contrary to
Scripture, and Jude included scoffers who deny
the global Flood.16
Influential atheist philosopher Daniel Dennett
described Darwinism in his book Darwins
Dangerous Idea17 as a universal acid; it eats
through just about every traditional concept
and leaves in its wake a revolutionized
worldview. We only have to look at who and
what Darwinian ideas have inspired to see
the truth of this statement: Marx, Stalin, Mao,
Ceausescu, Kim Il-sung, Pol Pot, Hitler, and
the eugenics movement (founded by Francis
Galton, Darwins cousin). These offspring of
Darwinism murdered over 150 million people
and brought untold misery to many more.
And we could mention the likes of Australian
Peter Singer (now at Princeton University in
America where the Hodges and Warfield once
taught), who sometimes passes for a
bioethicist, with his ideas of murdering
children and the elderly whose lives are
deemed to be not worthwhile, while also
condoning bestiality. Most atheists hate these
connections being pointed out, but they are
real.18
Of course, this does not prove evolutionary

dogma wrong; but if the universe is as the
evolutionists claim, then these views and their
effects are logical outcomes. By their fruit
you shall know them. Jesus was speaking of
people, but ideas bear fruit too.19 Note that our
argument is not that atheists cannot live good
lives, but that there
CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY WAS ESSENTIAL is no objective basis
for their goodness if
FOR THE RISE OF SCIENCE.
we are just
and medicine), supposedly a field that cant do
rearranged pond scum.20
without evolution.
Christians should never compromise with this
worldview that brings so much death and
Why this matters
misery; a worldview that is an explicit
substitute for Christianity, that is anti-Christ
Those who hold to the historicity of Genesis
and that can destroy their children, friends, or
anyone. Christians should obtain their

worldview from what the Creator of all has
revealed. That is, they should
emulate Martin Luthers famous, Here I
stand on the authority of Gods Word from
Gen. 1:1ff; any other authority results in a
world running away from its Creator, and in
eternally wrecked lives.
. Dawkins, R., The Blind Watchmaker, p. 6, Penguin
reprint, 1991.
of Slavery, p. 123, Princeton University Press, Princeton,

2003. See review: creation.com/stark.
. Thompson, B. and Harrub, B., The Origin of
Consciousness (two parts article), Reason & Revelation
24(4):2539, (5):4155 April & May 2004,
apologeticspress.org/articles/498 and /496.
14
. Sarfati, J., Loving God with all your mind: logic

and creation, Journal of Creation 12(2):142151, 1998;
creation.com/logic. For more on this, see the articles at
creation.com/whyscience and creation.com/roots.
15
. Provine, W.,No free will; in Catching up with the

Vision, Ed. Rossiter, M.W., p. S123, Chicago University
Press, 1999.
. Batten, D., But its divisive! Prayer NewsAustralia,

OctoberDecember 2004; creation.com/divisive.
16
. Wilson, E.O., The Humanist, September/October 1982,

p.40.
4
. Ruse, M., How evolution became a religion: creationists correct? National Post, pp. B1, B3, B7, 13 May 2000;
www.omniology.com/HowEvolutionBecameReligion.
html.
. Weinberger, L., review of Can a Darwinian be a

Christian? by Michael Ruse (2001), Journal of Creation
19(2):4245, 2005; creation.com/ruse2.
. Wieland, C., Death of an apostate, Creation 25(1):6,

2002; creation.com/apostate..
. Holding, J.P., Review of Farewell to God, www.tektonics.org/books/templefarervw.html, 9 January 2003.
. New Life [Australias weekly Christian newspaper], 15

April 1982.
. Taylor, F.S., Geology changes the outlook, in Ideas and

Beliefs of the Victorians, Sylvan Press Ltd, London, p.
195, 1949; one of a series of talks broadcast on BBC radio.
. Dennett, D., Darwins Dangerous Idea: Evolution and

the Meanings of Life, Simon & Schuster, 1995.
17
. See documentation by European historian Richard

Weikart in his book From Darwin to Hitler:
Evolutionary ethics, eugenics, and racism in Germany,
Palgrave Macmillan, New York, USA, 2004. See also the
review, Sarfati, J., The Darwinian roots of the Nazi tree,
Creation 27(4):39, 2005; creation.com/weikart, and the
articles at Q&A on Communism, Nazism and Eugenics at
creation.com/communism.
18
. Note also, while atrocities may have been committed in

the name of Christ, they were contrary to Christs
teachings. But atrocities in evolutionary regimes were
consistent with evolution.
19
. Christian philosopher and apologist Dr William Lane

Craig explained the Christian moral argument for God in
The Indispensability of Theological Meta-Ethical
Foundations for Morality, www.leaderu.com/offices/
billcraig/docs/meta-eth.html, 27 September 2003. Sadly,
Craig does not accept the teaching of Scripture on the age
of the earth, but instead accepts the big bang theory as
fact and tries to use it to prove the existence of God.
20
. Pun, P.P.T., Journal of the American Scientific

Affiliation 39:14, 1987; Creationists would say that most,
rather than all, fossils were formed during Noahs Flood,
because creationists acknowledge post-Flood catastrophes.
10
. Documented in Sarfati, J., Refuting Compromise,

second edition, pp. 5457, Creation Book Publishers,
2011.
11
. MacArthur, J., The Battle for the Beginning, W. P

ublishing Group, p. 26, 2001.
12
. Stark, R., For the Glory of God: How Monotheism

Led to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts and the End
13
CONVERTED THROUGH
HIS OWN PREACHING
By Barbara H Cross.
Barbara and her husband David have served
as World Presbyterian missionaries in
Australia and the UK before retiring in
America from MTW . However, they have now
been asked to be involved in planting another
PCA church.
An excited crowd gathered in a small colonial
Pennsylvania settlement near Philadelphia.
They had anxiously awaited the arrival of a
young man who finally appeared dressed in
the black robe and white bands of common
ministerial garb. The crowd waited eagerly for
him to begin his gospel message. He began
proclaiming the truth with great fervour but
suddenly he collapsed to the ground. What
could have happened? Had a fatal illness
overcome him?
To know the story of this stricken man we
must first go back to an account of his English
father.
THE FATHER BENJAMIN KEACH
Pastor Benjamin Keach made confession of his
faith at age 15 and began preaching at the age
of 18. By the time he was 28 he had become
the pastor of a Baptist Church in London
which many years later was pastored by
another famous preacher, Charles Spurgeon.
Benjamin Keachs ministry was during the
1600s when being anything other than a
member of the Church of England brought
persecution. Because he had written a
catechism for children which conflicted with
the Church of Englands teaching he was fined
and was imprisoned in a pillory where the
public could hurl physical and verbal abuse at
him. However, he was so respected that when
he preached while fastened in the pillory, the
public onlookers refused to abuse him except
for a Church of England minister. This abusive
minister in turn received reproach by the
crowd for the ungodly life that he led.
Mr. Keach went on to be involved in the

adoption of the 1689 London Baptist
Confession of Faith, the writing of a
catechism for children and was responsible for
introducing the practice of singing hymns in
churches, which until that time had only sung
the Psalms. While he wrote a number of works
his large commentary on the Parables of Christ
continues to be used to this day.
THE SON ELIAS KEACH
One would imagine that young Elias Keach,
growing up in such a godly home and being
taught the truths of the gospel from an early
age, would follow in the footsteps of his father
in leading a godly life. Sadly, as experienced
by many Christian parents, this was not the
case.
At age 21 young Elias fled from the influence
of his Christian home to the new colony of
Pennsylvania in 1686. In this colony, where
there was freedom to worship God as one
chose, there was also freedom not to worship
God at all! Perhaps this is what attracted him
to this place of tolerance. Elias had the
reputation of being a brazen and bold young
man much like the one described in the story
of the Prodigal Son. However, unlike the
Prodigal in the Biblical account, he added to
his wild living the blasphemous practice of
mocking the preaching of the Word of God. To
do this in mockery he would don a ministerial
robe that indicated one was a gospel minister.
Somehow a group of Welsh, Irish and English
settlers who lived in a village near Philadelphia
heard that young Elias was coming to their
area to preach. Knowing of his famous father
and unaware of his unholy charade of
preaching a large group gathered to hear him.
There is no record of what he began to preach;
perhaps it was a copy of one of his fathers
sermons that he had brought with him from
London. As he spoke he imitated the zealous

preaching style of his father. Whatever the
subject matter, a very strange event occurred.
In the middle of his blasphemy he collapsed
onto the ground under the conviction of the
Holy Spiri and through the truth of Gods
Word that he had spoken in jest. The
listeners rushed over to him thinking that he
had fallen through the onset of a severe illness.
Through his tears he confessed to them that he
was a hypocrite and had only been play acting
but had become mightily convicted of his own
sinfulness before God through what he had
declared.
Those who had listened to him could have
left in disgust at being fooled by his performance but instead they took him to the Rev.
Thomas Dugan, an elderly Baptist pastor of
Cold Spring Church, the first Baptist church
established in Pennsylvania. Pastor Dugan
led young Elias to lean on the mercy of God,
confess his wickedness and accept the grace
of God promised in the very scriptures he had
mocked.
Pastor Dugan and the people whom he had
fooled for a short time recognized that here
was truly a sinner who had been saved by

Gods grace. The skill that he had in
blasphemous preaching was now put to use in
true gospel preaching. He was ordained and
went to Pennepack, Pennsylvania where he
was used to establish the Lower Dublin Baptist
Church. Not only did he preach in this local
church but he travelled widely
proclaiming the Good News in other
colonies. In 1692 he resigned from the church
and returned to London. One can only imagine
the joy of his parents when this once Prodigal
returned home. He organized a church in
London and preached to large crowds along
with writing and publishing a number of
Christian works. Sadly, in 1701 he died of a
short illness at the young age of thirty-four.
In this brief lifespan God used him in a mighty
way to establish churches that remain to this
day.
The story of this ungodly and rebellious son
brought back in such an unusual way, brings
encouragement to parents who have seen loved
children depart from the truth. We never know
how God might use strange means to bring
them back into His fold.
SEVEN PRACTICAL STEPS TO BETTER PUBLIC BIBLE READING

1. Spend time with the passage. Read it a week or two in advance. Think about it over a period of time, rereading
it every couple of days. If your church is not well-organized, you might need to call the service leader or
preacher to find out the passage(s) so that you have enough time to prepare.
2. Print off a copy of the Bible reading. (Most translations can be found on the internet, e.g. www.gnpcb.org/esv/ or
www.ibs.org/niv, and you are allowed to use limited sections of the text for this sort of purpose.) Start writing on
this copy. Mark important words, bracket groups of words that belong together, and highlight important
connecting words (e.g. but, therefore, so, then).
3. Having understood the passage, decide on appropriate phrasing (pause and pace) and emphasis (pitch and
volume).
4. Print off a second copy of the Bible reading in a font and size that you can read easily. If you can, format the
reading using a word processor so that there is a new line where you want to pause and no line-breaks where
you dont.
5. Practise your reading using the printed copy or the Bible you will use when you read in church. If you think that
your expression is a little over the top, its probably about right.
6. Make sure that you are well-hydrated before you read. Drink lots of water and avoid coffee or coke
(caffeine dries you out). This will ensure that your vocal cords can do their job.
7. Get your mouth moving and your tongue loose so that you can read clearly and accurately. Make sure you
speak into the microphone so that everyone can hear.

Author: Simon Roberts (The Briefing, #331, April 2006)
GOLDEN RULES FOR EDIFYING

WORSHIP SERVICES
(Or Getting the most out of your
church involvement.)
By Pastor Julian Bull.
Julian has been a pastor in some of our WPC
churches and now lives in Albany, WA.
1. Do whatever is necessary to realize a
continual sense of awareness of both the
privilege & responsibility that comes with
being converted. Try to keep in view at all
times the 3 great ends or aims for which you
were saved To glorify God, to edify
believers, to evangelise the lost. You also are
now among those chosen & commanded.
Acts 1:2.
2. Find & keep a local church where God is
truly feared & truly loved. For where God is
truly feared the Bible will be upheld & where
God is truly loved you will also be loved. 1st
Cor 14: 25
3. Pray for the Preacher & the hearer (thats
you) & the other hearers. So much is spoken
about church, so many words are exchanged
among us, comments, grumbles, gripes,
suggestions, criticisms. Pray more for your
church than you do talk about your church.
Romans 15: 30
4. Prioritise Sunday as the Lords Day.
Remember the things for which it was given to
you Rest, Worship, Service, Family,
Fellowship, and Ministry. Sanctify Sunday as
the Christians Sabbath. Resist the worldly
trends toward obliterating the distinctions
between it & every other day of the week.
Take a leaf out of Johns book Rev 1: 10.
5. Acknowledge to yourself regularly that
satan doesnt want you to attend church.
Allow this way of thinking to explain the
difficulties & hindrances that seem to so
inevitably occur around Sunday mornings.
Think this way before you dishonestly attribute
non-attendance to the providence of God.

Was it God that prevented you from going?
1st Thess 2: 18
6. Participate in Worship in every way you
can arrive on time, stay around afterwards,
think about where you sit in church, follow
in your Bible, sing the hymns & songs, say
Amen to the prayers, give to the offering,
dont sleep or pretend to sleep during the
preaching.
Persevere with introducing your beautiful
children to corporate Worship - for they
themselves, God willing, will one day be
converted & will want to get all there is to be
gained from it. Worship as a family as much as
possible or practical. Be careful what you say
in front of your children about church! They
will pick up on your criticisms & your
comments, either positive or negative.
7. Lose yourself in the overflow of a
forgiving spirit. Bear, bear, bear. Forbear,
forbear, forbear. Love the brother or sister until
he or she is loveable. Esteem others better than
yourselves. You have your preferences, your
particular likes & dislikes, your distinctives,
your habits & your pet hates things that
have little if anything to do with the great
essentials of hearing & receiving the Gospel
of Gods grace. Treat unnecessary disunity &
division like the plague, like the malignancy
that it is in a fellowship.
Eph 4: 32 & Col 3: 13
8. By Gods grace move from being a fringe
dweller to being a core member, not the other
way. Take up some service, some
responsibility, just one or two & do it
regularly, reliably & responsibly. Persevere in
it AND try to bring another person with you on
your journey of Christian growth.
1 Cor 15: 58
THE MASS AND THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST

By Matt Slick.
Used with the permission of Matt Slick who
is the President and Founder of the Christian
Apologetics and Research Ministry (CALM).
In Roman Catholicism the Mass is equivalent
to The Lords Supper, the communion
offering. The word mass is derived from
the Latin missa. The mass is a series of rituals
centered around the communion supper. It is
also called the Eucharistic Supper. According
to the New Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism,
vol 2, question 357, The mass is the sacrifice
of the new law in which Christ, through the
Ministry of the priest, offers himself to God
in an unbloody manner under the appearances
of bread and wine. The mass is the sacrifice of
Christ offered in a sacramental manner . . . the
reality is the same but the appearances differ.
Question 358 asks What is a sacrifice? The
answer given is A sacrifice is the offering
of a victim by a priest to God alone, and the
destruction of it in some way to knowledge
that he is the creator of all things. From the
Baltimore catechism we can conclude that the
mass is the offering of Christ by a priest.
According to Roman Catholicism, Christ
instituted the Mass when he said, This is my
body, (Matt. 26:26) and This is my blood,
(Matt. 26:28). Furthermore, Roman
Catholicism teaches that when Jesus said
Do this in remembrance of me, he gave the
apostles and hence his future priests the power
to change bread and wine into his body and
blood, (Baltimore Catechism, Vol. 2, Q. 354).
Therefore, during the ceremony of the Mass
during the part of the liturgy known as the
consecration, the priest changes of bread and
wine into Christs body and blood (Catechism
of the Catholic Church, 1105).
In checking out the Catechism of the Catholic
Church (CCC)., The Catholic Encyclopedia,
and The Council of Trent, we find the
following: The Eucharist is referred to in
several ways.
1.As a sacrifice
1. the holy sacrifice of the Eucharist,
(CCC, 1055) and the Eucharist is

also a sacrifice, (CCC, 1365).
2. As a divine sacrifice
1. For it is in the liturgy, especially in

the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist,

that the work of our redemption is

accomplished, (CCC, 1068).
3. As a representation of the sacrifice of Christ
1. The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice
because it re-presents (makes

present) the sacrifice of the cross,
(CCC, 1366).
4. Is one single sacrifice with Christs
sacrifice
1. The sacrifice of Christ and the

sacrifice of the Eucharist are one

single sacrifice, (CCC, 1367).
5. It is the same sacrifice of Christ
1. And since in this divine sacrifice

which is celebrated in the Mass, the

same Christ who offered himself once

in a bloody manner on the altar of

the cross is contained and is offered in

an unbloody manner, (CCC, 1367).
6. It is propitiatory (removes the wrath of God)
1. . . . this sacrifice is truly

propitiatory, (CCC, 1367).
7. To all who deny its propitiatory nature Trent
pronounces anathema
1. If any one saith, that the sacrifice

of the mass is only a sacrifice of

praise and of thanksgiving; or, that

it is a bare commemoration of the

sacrifice consummated on the cross,

but not a propitiatory sacrifice; or,

that it profits him only who receives;

and that it ought not to be offered

for the living and the dead for sins,

pains, satisfactions, and other
necessities; let him be anathema. (Trent: On

the Sacrifice of the Mass: Canon 3);
8. It is called the sacrifice of Christ which is
offered via the priests hands
1. The sacrifice of Christ the only

Mediator, which in the Eucharist is

offered through the priests hands,
(CCC, 1369).
9. It is capable of making reparation of sins
1. As sacrifice, the Eucharist is also

offered in reparation for the sins of

the living and the dead,
(CCC, 1414).
10. It is to be considered a true and proper
sacrifice
1. The Church intends the Mass to be

regarded as a true and proper

sacrifice, (The Catholic
Encyclopedia, topic: Sacrifice of the
Mass).
is done over and over again. We are told that

the sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of
the Eucharist are one single sacrifice; (CCC,
1367); that it is an unbloody offering that is
proptiatory, (CCC, 1367); that it can make
reparation of sins, (CCC, 1414); and is to be
considered a true and proper sacrifice (The
Catholic Encyclopedia, topic: Sacrifice of the
Mass). We must conclude that it is a sacrifice
that occurs over and over again; and since it
is said to be a true and proper sacrifice that is
propitiatory, then logically it must be a
re-sacrifice of Christ. If it is not, then how can
it be called a sacrifice of Christ? Also, how
could it be propitiatory if it is not a sacrifice of
Christ since it is Christs offering on the cross
that is itself propitiatory?
Therefore, He had to be made

like His brethren in all things, that

He might become a merciful and

faithful high priest in things

pertaining to God, to make

propitiation for the sins of the

people. (Heb. 2:17).
and He Himself is the propitiation

for our sins; and not for ours only,

but also for those of the whole

world. (1 John 2:2).
Biblical Response
Source Image: http://www.covenantpalmbay.org/Articles/1000064656/Preparing_for_the.aspx
Is the Mass a re-sacrifice of Christ?

Roman Catholics are quick to say that the
Eucharist is not a re-sacrifice of Christ. They
want to make it clear that Christ was offered
once for all and that the Mass is not a
re-sacrifice but a re-presentation of the
sacrifice. We certainly do not want to
misrepresent Roman Catholic theology, but
we must ask how it is possible for the Mass to
not be a re-sacrifice of Christ when the Mass
is called a divine sacrifice (CCC, 1068) that
We risk the Roman Catholic saying that the

biblical response to their position is a response
to a straw man. Typically, the Roman
Catholic will say that the Mass is not a
re-sacrifice. But it is difficult to conclude
otherwise when we examine what the official
Roman Catholic documents say. Therefore
we surmise that if it walks like a duck, quacks
like a duck, and looks like a duck, it must be a
duck. Likewise, if the Mass is said to be a
sacrifice of Christ and is repeated, then we
must conclude that it is a continuing
sacrifice, a re-sacrifice of Christ since the
Catholic Church says that this very sacrifice is
propitiatory (removes the wrath of God); and
it is only the actual sacrifice of Jesus that can
accomplish propitiation.
The Bible tells us plenty about the sacrifice of
Christ. Please consider the following verses:
1. Sacrifice offered once

1. For it was fitting that we should have

such a high priest, holy, innocent,

undefiled, separated from sinners and

exalted above the heavens; 27 who

does not need daily, like those high

priests, to offer up sacrifices, first

for His own sins, and then for the sins

of the people, because this He did

once for all when He offered

up Himself. (Heb. 7:26-27).

2. So Christ also, having been

offered once to bear the sins of many,

shall appear a second time for

salvation without reference to sin, to

those who eagerly await Him.

(Heb. 9:28).

3. By this will we have been

sanctified through the offering of the

body of Jesus Christ once for all, 11

And every priest stands daily

ministering and offering time after

time the same sacrifices, which

can never take away sins; 12 but He,

having offered one sacrifice for sins

for all time, sat down at the right hand

of God. (Heb. 10:10-12).
2. Sacrifice repetition of no value
1. For the Law, since it has only a

shadow of the good things to come

and not the very form of things,

can never by the same sacrifices year

by year, which they offer continually,

make perfect those who draw near.

(Heb. 10:1).
2. And every priest stands daily

ministering and offering time after

time the same sacrifices, which can

never take away sins;

(Heb. 10:11).
We can see that the Bible tells us Christ
offered himself once, and that there is no need
for repetition of his sacrifice. The failure of
the Roman Catholic Church has been to distort
the biblical doctrine of the Lords Supper into
a constant and repetitious sacrifice of Christ.
It should be plain to the reader that the Roman
Catholic position is not only unbiblical but
anti-biblical.
We at CARM humbly request that the Roman

Catholic not put his or her faith in the Mass
but instead turn to the one and true sacrifice of
Christ, by faith, and look to Jesus alone and
not a human institution that offers a repetitious
sacrifice. We are made right by the blood of
Christ--not by the offering of a Roman
Catholic priest who changes the bread and
wine into the literal body and blood of Christ.

If we confess our sins, He is

faithful and righteous to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
Much more then, having now been
justified by His blood, we shall be
saved from the wrath of God through
Him. (Rom. 5:9).
Therefore having been justified by
faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
(Rom. 5:1).
Source Image: http://www.splendorofthechurch.com.

ph/2012/12/24/young-catholic-apologist-answered-manny-pacquio-on-the-holy-mass/
Source Image:
http://www.sodahead.com/
united-states/william-lanecraig-vs-matt-slick-who-is-thebigger-idiot/question-3661709/
STRESS & MISSIONARIES

by Wendy Marshall
Article referred to is a paper called Stressed
from Core to Cosmos: Issues and Needs
Arising from Cross-Cultural Ministry by Lois
A. Dodds & Lawrence E. Dodds. Presented at
the Amercian Association of Christian
Counselors, World Congress, Nov 6-8, 1997.
Last accessed on 3 March, 2015 at http://www.
heartstreamresources.org/media/CORE2COS.
pdf
Adapted from a blog post by Wendy at www.
mmuser.blogspot.com.au on Thursday,
December 04, 2014.
Ive been writing an article about stress and
missionaries. In the midst of my research I
found this noteworthy article. It was presented
at the American Association of Christian
Counsellors World Congress in 1997. And I
quote here from it:
We have used a modified version of the
Holmes-Rahe stress scale1 to illustrate the
amount of stress usually experienced in
cross-cultural work. We have found that on the
average, using this scale which is not
comprehensive, cross-cultural workers
experience about 600 points of stress per year.
The level may peak as high as 1500 points in
some circumstances, and drop to merely
normal for people who are in long-term,
stable situations.2 The graph included
illustrates the trends [across the lifespan of a
missionary].
On this scale the average stress for a person
in the US is 100 points.
The original study revealed that 200 points

of stressful life events caused 50 percent of
people to become seriously ill (cancer, heart
attack) within the subsequent two years. With
300 points, 90 percent became ill.

(Do go and see that graph [web address
at introduction], it is amazing.)
Really? Missionaries encounter that much
stress?
When I have people question what were doing
for such a long period as 12 months in
Australia (and its happened at each of the last
two churches weve visited), I want to grab
them and show them this graph. Were under
stress in our profession. Is it wrong to have
time away from our country of service to
recharge a little? Noting that the time here is
not 100% holiday, not even close.
The introductory paragraph to the above article
sums up the challenges of this life well:
Ministry is a hazardous occupation! It exposes
one to the deepest needs of humanity, many of
which seemingly can never be met. Along with
sharing in many life joys, a person in ministry
also gains the dubious privilege of dealing with
all the uglies of human nature, the muck of
erring and sinning disciples, the
heartbreaking consequences and crises of
Gods law broken. The values inherent in
ministry are for self-giving, sacrifice, working
for change in the self, others, and the social
context. In a sense, these are dangerous values,
setting up the opportunities for failure and
burnout. Ones work in ministry is never done;
there is no end to the possibilities to influence
persons and the nature of life in ones context.
There is no handy cut-off time to show when
you have done enough. It is often difficult, if
not impossible, to measure ones success in
bringing about change.
So, not only is it a challenging occupation, it is
hard to take breaks from it. The phrase, There
is no handy cut-off time.

The article also mentions the uglies of our
job. Though we dont have so much of those
ourselves, working in wealthy Japan and in
roles that dont come close to the ugliness
(war, poverty, instability) that many
missionaries find, we find just the crowdedness
of the city of Tokyo to be wearying. This year
in Australia we nickname our space therapy.
There are a number of other stressors
mentioned, that you may not think about, like:
Additional spiritual stresses sometimes include
being isolated from spiritual peers, from a
body of believers who share our
perspectives and beliefs. One may be deprived
of the nurture of the body of Christ or
Christian observances because of working
in isolation or anti- Christian cultures. One

may lack accountability and thus drift away
from the anchors of faith, gradually slipping
into habits or practices counterproductive to
ministry.
And superhuman expectations.
But possibly the most amazing thing, in light
of all this is:
. . . that most missionaries DO adapt and work
effectively in spite of killing levels of stress.
Other researchers have found this too.
Secondly, most cross-cultural workers adapt
and cope, becoming used to and remaining
effective under loads of stress that would land
more regular people in the hospital.
Praise God, for Hes the only explanation I
have for that outcome.
THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

PRAYER DEVOTIONAL
by Beverly J. Pegues
HOW TO PRAY FOR NORTH KOREA

Hide me from the plots of this evil mob, from this gang of
wrongdoers. (Psalm 64:2)
Persecution Ranking: 1st
FACT SHEET
Population: 23,113,019
Christians: 1-2%
Dominant Religion:
Idolatry of Kim Il Sung
Political Leader:
Kim Jong Il
Religious Freedom in
Constitution = YES
Pray that the enforced idolatry imposed throughout North Korea

will cease (Exodus 20:1-7) and that there will be religious
freedom for all people. (John 4:22-23)
Pray for God to uphold both secret believers and those who are
undergoing horrendous torture. (Daniel 3:25)
Pray that change will take place in the leadership of the nation.
Pray that a leader will arise who fears God and loves his fellow
countrymen, women, and children. (Daniel 4:17)
Pray that those who leave the country to escape starvation will
find the true Bread of Life. (John 6:35)
Pray for protection, success, and wisdom for all those seeking to
bring the gospel to North Korea. (Joshua 1:5-7)
Pray that Christians globally will speak out on behalf of the
oppressed people in North Korea by getting their nations actively
involved in putting pressure on Kim Jong Il to improve the
conditions of Christians as well as other North Koreans who are
poorly treated. (Proverbs 31:8-9)
BROOKTON FAMILY FESTIVAL

BUSH MISSION 2015
Brookton Bush Mission Team
By James Wilson
James is a member of Kelmscott WPC, WA.
and spurred on to continue by their gratitude,

guidance and prayer.
It was a joy and pleasure to go to Brookton

in January, 2015 to love, serve and glorify
God through the Scripture Union Brookton
Bush Mission. A team of 30 people from WPC
Canning Vale, Bull Creek and Kelmscott
along with a few from C3 Langford went out
to Brookton for the week. Everyone had been
preparing and it was exciting to be off! We all
arrived at the W.B. Eva Pavilion in Brookton
around lunchtime on the Tuesday and began
setting up for the week.
Pastor Richard Bailey from Canning Vale

Community Church asked us at the beginning
of mission What would bringing the gospel
to the town of Brookton (and neighbouring
towns) change for the people there? We used
Romans chapter 1 as an excellent basis for
exploring the life-changing difference Gods
Word can bring to a persons life.
Captain Seaweed recapping the story of Jonah
We thank God for the wonderful opportunity to

proclaim Gods Word to the people of the
Brookton and Pingelly areas! Both the team
and the local people were mutually encouraged
by the week in so many different ways. As we
on the mission supported and encouraged the
Churches there, so also were we encouraged
The Brookton mission is a bit different from a

typical SU beach mission because we see the
same people every year - the people who come
along are not transient. Another key difference
is the capacity for follow-up. The Churches
in Brookton and Pingelly especially are there
and involved in our mission also and so there
is fantastic opportunity for continued contact
with people who are reached by the mission.
We also receive a lot of extra support from the
Churches in the region. It is very difficult to
measure the impact from promoting the
mission in the community and the local
support and knowledge helping to guide us,
but it is so very helpful and good.
So we set about our work striving to make a
difference with the theme being Under the
Sea where we told children and adults about
Jonah. We started the week with a movie night
where we watched Finding Nemo on Tuesday
evening. Our typical day would look

something like this:
Breakfast and prayer before setting up and

running the morning kids club. Lunch, a
debrief of how everything was going and a
team devotion looking at Jonah would be
followed by a few hours in the afternoon to
prepare for the evening or next day, sleep or
hang out in various ways (playing games or
sport, go to the pool). Then dinner would
usually be at 5pm so we had time to set up for
the evenings activities (movie night, youth
group or quiz night).
Some of the Saturday Morning Games
Our morning program Wednesday-Friday had

more than 20 children registered and most
of them came all three days! This was both a
blessing and an encouragement.
The kids club typically involved our MC
Captain Seaweed welcoming the children
and recapping what we had done so far. Then
we would sing some songs about Gods
sovereignty, grace, mercy and compassion, the
danger of sin and that God alone can save us.
We had a skit which continued these themes

and then a storyteller would tell the children
more about the story of Jonah. Bible lessons
and memory verses would follow and wide
games outside would break things up so that
the children could run around.
Acting Out the Skit for the Day
Morning tea continued our under the sea

theme with ingenious snacks and then creative
craft time gave the children something to take
home. We would close the morning with a
recap from Captain Seaweed about the days
learning and a song.
Music Team Leading the Children in Song
The youth group was a new thing for the

Brookton mission this year so we were not
sure exactly what to expect. We combined
relaxed hang outs and wide games with food
and devotion - again looking at Jonah. We
feel that we have set a good environment and
precedent for future years and a very
productive youth ministry with the mission!
All throughout our activities with children
in the kids club and youth group there were
parents who also stayed and some of the team
enjoyed fellowshipping with them. So we had

a good, combined ministry targeted towards
the children and parents.
We finished the programs for the week with
a quiz night on Friday and a family fun day on
Saturday morning with many family activities
and water games being thoroughly enjoyed by
all on a hot day.
preach on Jonah. This was an excellent time

where the Churches could all fellowship
together. The mission was also a great
opportunity for people from some of the WPC
Churches here in Perth to enjoy each others
fellowship and strengthen friendships with
people from other Churches.
The fellowship amongst all the activities with
team members and local people was enjoyed
by all and made the week a blessed time. We
thank God for His many blessings upon this
mission and the team keenly look forward to
continuing in Brookton next year.
How you can pray for Brookton and the
Brookton Bush Mission
Not all of our work was done in our programs.

A few of us younger guys sought respite from
the heat in the town pool where there was an
inflatable obstacle set up. Much to our mirth
and Im sure to the towns amusement we
proceeded to run, jump, crawl and fall all over
this inflatable trying to get through it!
The last and very encouraging event was
the combined service for the Churches from
Brookton and Pingelly which was well
attended on Sunday morning. Tim Letcher
and Richard Bailey combined well together to
Thank God for the absolute joy and

enthusiasm from many of the people to have
us in Brookton sharing Gods Word with
children
For people to be challenged, interested and
moved by the various activities in the week
That Gods Word would stir the hearts and
minds of the team and the people of Brookton
Pray for the planning and preparation so that
the mission can continue again next year
For the follow up from the Churches in the
Brookton and Pingelly area to be effective
It is a high Christian privilege to pray for one another

within each local church body and then for other
believers throughout the world. As a Christian minister,
I have no right to preach to people I have not prayed
for. That is my strong conviction. ~ A. W. Tozer
from Tragedy in the Church: The Missing Gifts
THE MESSENGER ON
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CYCLONE PAM
Out the Front after the Cyclone
by Tom Richards
Tom and Margaret Richards would like to
thank the people of WPC and other
supporting churches for their concern,
prayers and financial support in response to
Cyclone Pam. Here is a little of their story as
told by Tom.
The Pam Report
Well, weve done our best, I said to Robert,
the student helping me, as we stood on the roof
of the principals house with the storms first
squalls driving rain onto our backs.
Robert looked doubtful. Hes a thinker and had
the idea that we should add ten 40 kilo bags
of cement to the logs and concrete blocks that
were already there to hold the roof down. I
wondered if adding 400 kilos to the top of a
building would be really prove wise once the
wooden structure started to bend in the wind.
It was a gamble either way.
We didnt know it at the time but the question
was in fact irrelevant as within 24 hours the
building would be destroyed by winds that
were so strong that nothing we could have
done would have made any difference. In fact
judging from the direction-of-spread of the
ruined materials, I would say that it fell down
in the really really strong winds rather than in
the later even stronger winds that defied all
descriptions.
Our diligent work checking and
strengthening the dorm roofs was equally
immaterial. In hindsight, the sensible thing to
do might have been to simply disassemble the

buildings and save Cyclone Pam the trouble.
At least we would have done it neatly.
I stood on the roof, breathing deeply after my
work, and looked out over the college: three
dormitory buildings, a kitchen, a permanent
double-classroom, the principals house and
our own family home which we had had built
two years ago and have been working on ever
since. All of which, as well as the students
themselves, I had taken responsibility for a
couple of days before.
Being a small college its normally just me
lecturing alongside the principal. However,
since the college had just found itself without
a principal, I had volunteered to take over
the administration until the new principal, a
Tannese man, arrived at the end of the year.
That was just before the first cyclone warning
intruded into our lives.
At 7:48am on the morning that Robert and I
checked the roofs, I had discovered that we
had been on a yellow alert since 6:00pm the
night before. I gathered the students together
and read from Job 38, prayed for our safety,
sent some students home, and gave
instructions to the remaining two as to how we
would make our college ready.
Irene busied herself with moving things from
the dorms to the stronger classrooms and
Robert and I worked our way around the
college grounds.
At home I began to put up the cyclone

shutters and we did what we could to make
things secure, moving anything that could be
caught by the wind, choosing the most
strategic place to park the hilux, and getting
ready to shelter inside the house without water,
electricity or a bathroom.
By night time we were placed under a red
alert, but we were already satisfied that we
were ready. The two students were joined by
other members of the community and would
sleep in the strong double classroom built by
Presbyterian Church of Australia work parties.
Margaret and I brought the last things in and
put up the remaining cyclone shutters before
heading to bed. There was nothing more to do.
By the next morning it would have been too
late to do any more. At first light we were just
able to open the doors and cross the verandah
to go to the bathroom, but by the end of
breakfast, the wind had shifted and
heightened in such a way that we could only
shelter inside.
Our House after the Cyclone
The loss of the verandah meant that what used

to be the laundry was open to the elements. A
large bench landed on the grass and some food
boxes there smashed open and traveled over
100m. The bathroom which adjoined the
verandah was no longer protected and so
flooded.
With the shutters closed, it was dark in the

house and we just had to wait by torchlight
and listen to the wind and the sound of tree
branches and parts of other buildings hitting
the house.
Margaret likened the experience to being in a
house while it was being beaten up. And really,
that was what was happening. The iron on one
side of the house ripped up to let daylight and
sheets of rain into our house. All we could do
was to sit and watch and, when it seemed to
be between the bigger gusts, move around the
house to rescue the more important things from
the worst of the flooding.
The Laundry after the Cyclone
The classroom was in a similar condition. For

the most part it was intact, but the verandah
had flipped up and landed on the roof breaking
some eves and rafters. Some of the colourbond
had ripped up over the library and some had
bent with the force of the verandah. All the
other college buildings were nothing but piles
of scrap materials.
By lunch time when the wind had subsided

enough for us to look out, we discovered that
we had lost our north-facing verandah and
laundry. Part of it landed on one side of the
house, another part landed on the other side
next to the hilux so that it just touched the
back tyre, and the rest of it sailed straight over
the house, including a concrete post which we
found on the lawn in front of the house.
The Double Classroom
The trees, most of which were mangoes and

previously gave the college a park-like feel,
had lost almost all their leaves and their
branches covered the ground.
The people who were sheltering in the
classroom, lost their houses. Their gardens
were partly destroyed, leaving some of their
crops to rot in the ground. The college gardens
were in a similar state. When I asked an old
chief if he had ever seen a cyclone like that, he
said never in all his life.
Immediately after the cyclone, there was
plenty of food around. Fish and crabs were
washed ashore. Birds, weakened by the wind,
were easy prey. Likewise plenty of flying
foxes, who lost their habitat, were shot down
by kids with slingshots. Some cattle were
killed by falling branches and needed to be
eaten. We even had meat that needed to be
eaten because it had thawed due to loss of
electricity.
But our garden was destroyed and we could
see that with every tree knocked flat, it would
be some time before there would be any fresh
fruit and vegetables available on Tanna.
Margarets first job was to dry out and clean up
our mess of a house created by the rain, leaves
and other debris which had come inside, but
she soon turned to planting a garden. What
used to be our hobby had become our
livelihood.
After I had visited our neighbours and friends,
my job was to reconnect the water and
electricity and to repair our roof before it
rained again.
Clearing the Road
In time, help arrived for the locals. We saw

more and more planes overhead, two of which
flew over us and dipped their wings to wave.
Then came the helicopters and naval ships.
The road was cleared. The Australian Army,
French Army, Red Cross, World Vision,
Samaritans Purse and others came and helped,
providing tarpaulins and food for the people
and helping to recover water supply.
Whats the big picture for our ministry?
The morning after the cyclone, I sent the last
two students home. Given the extent of the
damage, they needed to check on their families
and their families needed to see that they were
alright. I told them not to hurry back, but rather
to help their families rebuild. The college
wasnt operational. The classroom could be
made functional easily enough, but without
dorms and a kitchen, we couldnt house the
students. Besides which, given that our
community had lost their houses, we needed
the classrooms to house the homeless.
When we sighted the first plane heading to

Tanna airport, I dropped my work in order
to get a message out with the pilot. The ten
kilometer walk to the airport was littered with
so many fallen trees that at times I couldnt
even find the road. I could see that it would be
a big job to clear the road and that we might be
isolated for a while. So we rationed our food,
planned our recovery and helped our friends
where we could.
A Dormitory
A month later, the college hasnt reopened, but

I hope that it will within a fortnight. Several
students have come back keen to get started;
one was here two days after the cyclone. So
we are encouraged and want to get underway
as soon as possible.
As yet, we havent been able to build anything.
Good help has been hard to find. It is good
and right that people rebuilt their own houses
first to give shelter to their families. But now
that that has mostly happened, and my hope
is that next week, people from a local church
will come and build a temporary dorm with the
materials from the fallen-down buildings.
My plan is to make the college manageable my
holding back the first year students until next
year. The lower student numbers would then
mean that I could finish the second years
studies with minimal infrastructure. With just
the second years, we can use one classroom
for a girls dorm and have lessons in the other.
That just leaves as small boys dorm and a
kitchen to be built.
That takes care of the immediate needs.
However the classroom really needs to be
repaired before the next cyclone reaches us,
there is no house for the new principal next
year, and we wont be fully operational until
we rebuild at least one more dormitory for
female students.
By Gods grace and your generosity we
already have much of the funding for this
work. Before Margaret and I had even been
able to make contact with the outside world,
a fund had been set up to help us and our work
and we are deeply thankful for it. We have also
been told that a similar fund had been set up by
Grace Presbyterian in NZ. The
Presbyterian Church of Australia have
indicated that they would like to fund the
rebuilding of the classroom.
What would be wonderful this year would be
the help of builders and willing helpers. Grace
Presbyterian Church had already planned to
send a work party this year. Perhaps we could
also host one or more teams from WPC.
Contact us at wordworks5511@hotmail.com if
you are interested.
Whats the big picture for us?
We are very thankful to God for our lives and
our continued ministry here. Beyond those
things, its great that our house is standing and
our vehicles intact. The money to replace the
things we had lost was already raised before
we even knew about it. So we are
overwhelmingly grateful for what we have.
We are also encouraged in our ministry here: in
rebuilding, we have an opportunity to actually
improve the college grounds; we look forward
to working with a small but divers group of
second year students; and we have also found
that the cyclone has allowed us to serve our
community, strengthen bonds with people, and
we were excited to see at Easter that we had a
full house on Sunday morning.
We do however realized that it will be a big
year. It was always going to be a big year.
With no principal and having most of the
teaching load I would have been busy enough.
On top of that I need to do the paperwork
necessary to register the college with the
government, or we could face being shut down
next year. Now there is rebuilding to add into
the mix.
We could really use a little practical help from
a builder to help us get back on out feet. It
would mean that I could focus on teaching and
managing the college and mission fields. If
you have the skills, the time, and dont mind
staying in a tent, we would make you most
welcome. Just let us know.
We would like to thank you all for your
support. We have felt really loved by hearing
of everyones concern and prayers for us. We
are deeply thankful for the generous people
who have given in order to meet our needs and
the needs of our work, and are likewise
thankful to those people who have worked
administratively to collect that money. We
know that we are not here alone, but have
many partners with whom we work in
fellowship. We give thanks to God for the

work that you do because of Christ. We are
working together for his kingdom here on
Tanna: what a privilege!
If anyone in your congregation would like to
help in a practical way, Maida Vale WPC
has set up an account that they can donate
to (see below). All monies will go directly to
Tom for him to administer to assist with
emergency aid, repairs to infrastructure at
the Theological college and their home
and to provide relief to others in need within
the community.
Account Name:
Westminster Presbyterian Church
BSB: 016 112
Account Number: 9030 86423
Description: Richards Ministry Relief
Fund*
* It is essential to include this description so
that it is clear that you want the funds to go
to their relief fund.
Cyclone Pam
Source Image: http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/media/

images/81702000/jpg/_81702036_cyclone_pam_624_
v2.jpg
Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam of 2015 is

regarded as one of the worst natural
disasters in the history of Vanuatu. A total
of 1516 people lost their lives either
directly or indirectly as a result of Pam with
many others injured. Source: Wikipedia
Date: March 6, 2015
Category: Category 5 Hurricane (SSHS)
Affected areas: Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon
Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand,
Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu
Source Image: http://images.tvnz.co.nz/tvnz_images/national_news/2015/03/windmap_cyclone_pam_today_E1.jpg

WESTMINSTER SHORTER CATECHISM

with the scripture proof
Q. 67. Which is the sixth

commandment?
A. The sixth commandment is: You
shall not murder. [a]. Ex 20:13
Q. 68. What is required of the sixth
commandment?
A. The sixth commandment requires

all lawful endeavours to preserve
our own life, and the life of others.
[a]. Eph 5:28-29, Matt 10:23a,
1 Kings 18:4
Q. 69. What is forbidden in the sixth

commandment?
A. The fifth commandment forbids
us to take our own life, or to take
unjustly the life of our neighbour, or
anything tending to these ends.
[a]. Eph 5:28, Gen 9:6, Matt 5:22,
1 John 3:15, Ex 21:18-32
Seven Ways for Busy Moms to Get in the Word

by Courtney Joseph
http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/seven-ways-for-busy-moms-to-get-in-the-word
1. Choose one passage of Scripture for the week.

My favorite passages for meditating on come from Psalms,
Proverbs, the Gospels, and the Epistles.
2. Write the passage on a note card, and slip it in your pocket or
beside your computer. Pull it out periodically, and read over it. Keep it in your purse all week long,
and pull it out at convenient times and read through it.
3. Read the passage first thing in the morning. Read the passage as soon as you get out of bed,
so its the first thing on your mind that morning.
4. Open your Bible to that passage, and place it on the kitchen counter. All day long, when you walk
through the kitchen, pause, read the passage, and then move on.
5. Read the passage out loud. Read it to yourself, and read it to your children during mealtime and at
bedtime.
6. Reread the passage before you go to bed at night. Bookend your days with the reading of this
passage of Scripture.
7. Write the passage at the top of your to-do list. This way, every time you look over your to-do list,
you can review the Scripture passage.
Ponder this: Leave out the cross and you have killed the religion of Jesus.
Atonement by the blood of Jesus is not an arm of the Christian truth;
it is the heart of it.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Source Image: https://nbcstudents.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/easter-cross.jpg
TIP TOEING THROUGH THE FOREST OF

PARENTING IN AN ELECTRONIC AGE
Todays the first day of the Christmas/summer holidays for our boys. Were trialling a new
strategy. When our boys came to breakfast this morning they found a sign. It read:
Today before you get virtually unlimited screen time you need to

Spend an hour outside exercising.

Do either breakfast washing up or hang one basket of washing.
Knowing that our boys can whip up a storm of nitpicking at the words and rules, weve
deliberately kept it simple and generous to start with. Its generated some interesting discussion,
especially, We think that unlimited is too much screen time.
I countered with, I did modify it with virtually! But our goal is to help you do some
self-management here.
We dont want to be spending the holidays with stopwatches in our hands and be fighting
constantly over how long they spend on electronic devices. We also want them to begin to
self-limit.
Note that as I type at 9.46am, all the above jobs have been done and the boys have gone out for
a jog/ride together. No protesting, no problems!
Note also that well be taking them to 1 hrs of wrestling training this evening, and insisting on
electronic-free reading/rest time after lunch.
Weve limited their access to electronic things much more in the past. Usually they get half an
hour each on Saturday and Sunday (with only a little more on holidays). And TV is rarely on for
more than 45 minutes in a day (except when the cricket is on).
But with our eldest (15) buying his own tablet three months ago, the balance has shifted a little.
We havent restricted his time on his own tablet except when homework wasnt getting done, or
other important tasks. Im not sure if we were wise or not. Like all parents of our age, this is new.
Were tiptoeing through territory that didnt exist when we were young.
But with the younger two having school iPads next year and our oldest having a Bring your own
device, things are about to get more complicated. So, we continue to tiptoe.
Adapted from a blog post by Wendy at www.mmuser.blogspot.com.au on Monday,
December 08, 2014.
Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up
in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
FOOT WASHING AT BROOKTON

By Clem White.
Clem is the pastor of Calvary Presbyterian
Church, Brookton.
No, its not because we have dirtier feet at
Brookton than they do in other places that
Arthur and I washed each others feet. Its
because we believe Jesus tells us to follow His
example.
It was while preaching through the gospel of
John that we focused on John 13:1-17 and we
began a discussion about foot washing in the
Bible. We could see that the washing of feet
was necessary in the days of Jesus because the
people wore sandals and the streets were dusty
and their feet became dirty and hot.
But then we remembered that when Jesus
washed His disciples feet we could assume
their feet had already been washed by a servant
before they entered the upper room. So we
could safely assume that Jesus didnt wash His
disciples feet because they were dirty.
Jesus told Peter when he refused to let Jesus

wash his feet, A person who has had a bath
needs only to wash his feet; his whole body
is clean So by washing His disciples feet
Jesus teaches us that every day we sin in our
thoughts, our words and in our actions and
these sins need to be washed away each day in
the blood of Jesus.
2. That we should humbly serve one another.
Jesus, their Teacher and Lord gave them an
example in humility when He washed the
disciples feet, John 13:13-14. Jesus took on
the role of a servant when He washed their
feet.
3. That we should wash one anothers feet.
Jesus told His disciples, I have set you an
example that you should do as I have done for
you. So down through the centuries many
branches of the Christian church have taken
this command of Jesus literally.
After thinking and praying about washing each
others feet, Arthur and I decided to do this at
the start of our last Communion Service.
We both found this to be an interesting and
enjoyable experience. We then told the
congregation that if anyone wants to do this
during a future Communion Service they are
free to do so.
John 13:3-5 E (ESV)
Elder Arthur Slater washes Pastor Clem Whites feet.
Why then did Jesus do this? It seems that Jesus

wanted to teach His disciples and us three
things.
1. That when we are born again our sins are
washed away by the precious blood of Jesus.
3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given

all things into his hands, and that he had
come from God and was going back to God,
4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer
garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his
waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and
began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe
them with the towel that was wrapped
around him.
THE DELIGHT AND THE DOWNSIDE OF

A BEAUTIFUL CHURCH BUILDING
By Simon van Bruchem.
Simon is the pastor of All Nations
Presbyterian Church, Perth.
The recent renovation
When All Nations purchased our hall in the
city, we knew that there was an original ceiling
above the suspended ceiling, and we prayed
that one day we might be able to remove the
suspended ceiling and restore the original.
The original hall was built around 1912 and
has had many different uses over the years,
including as the Union Theatre in the 1930s
and the Trades and Labour Hall owned by the
ALP for many years. In the past 10 years or so
it has been the only Reformed witness in the
city of Perth.
State Library of Western Australia

This is a photo of the same hall that All Nations now
owns, when it was known as the Unity Theatre in 1933.
It is clear that the current floor is higher than the
original floor, and the mezzanine level no longer exists,
but the ceiling is the same).
The vendor who sold the building to the

church installed the suspended ceiling as he
thought office space was more attractive to
potential buyers than a hall. And for office
space, the suspended ceiling was a great idea:
more lighting, easier to cool and heat, and
sound-absorbing ceiling panels. For a church,
it always presented some problems. The sound
absorbing panels deadened the singing on
Sundays, and the low ceiling meant that we

could not lift a projector screen high enough to
be easily seen by everyone.
Now the renovation on our church building
in the city of Perth has been completed. It
was a major renovation; the false ceiling was
removed to expose the grand old ceiling of the
hall which is curved with beautiful plasterwork
and moulding. The original ceiling has been
patched up and repainted, new lighting has
been installed to fit the feel of the building,
and the air-conditioning redesign has been
completed this week. You can see a photo
attached to this article to get a feel for it, but
it is hard to capture the feeling of the hall in a
photo.
It is a project that has been anticipated ever

since we purchased the building about 10 years
ago. But at first we could not afford it, then
our financial priority was employing a second
pastor, and now finally the time was right to do
it. And it has been a very popular decision with
the congregation overall. On the first Sunday
that we met in the hall (even though it was
not 100% complete), it seemed like everyone
was just looking upwards. The songs sound so
much fuller and richer, and the sound quality
in general is much better. It does feel more like
you would imagine a church would feel like
rather than a nondescript large space.
Its not completely set up yet. We still need to
fine-tune our sound system, install a higher
screen and projector, but the building work is
finished.
Reflections on the renovation
But in considering all of this I wanted to
express a few thoughts about church
buildings, beauty and the gospel. Buildings
have the capacity to capture our attention as
they are tangible, but we mustnt lose the sight
of what our mission is in light of our building.
Making sure we dont miss the point
I remember once during a question time with
Philip Jensen that someone mentioned the
beautiful building where his ministry is based,
the cathedral in Sydney. Philip replied shortly
to the comment by labelling stained glass
windows two dimensional idolatry. Probably
not the response the commenter was looking
for!
But there is truth in that. Idolatry is when we
worship a created thing rather than the creator
(a la Romans 1). Yes, in beauty and art we do
get reminded of the beauty of the world we
live in. But really, its just a building. It has a
function to be used for the kingdom of God. It
is used to meet in for corporate worship, it is
used for English classes and evangelism and
Bible studies of different types. The beauty is
in the fact that the gospel is presented in this
place and that the Spirit is pleased to use this
to change people, not in the fact that the
building itself is so majestic.
I made the throw-away line in a congregational
meeting some years ago when someone raised
the idea of removing the false ceiling that our
priority was gospel ministry and that
improving the building would come a distant
second. We wanted to increase our pastoral
staffing level prior to spending money
improving the hall, which now by Gods grace
we have done. I remember pointing out the
sad fact that two of the most beautiful church
buildings in Perth, the two cathedrals in the
city, no longer are places people go to hear the
Bible preached and the gospel of the risen
Jesus proclaimed. What use is a nice
building if we miss the point? What does it
benefit anyone to gain the whole world and yet
lose his soul?
The place of beauty in church buildings

So having said all of that, is there a place for
beauty in church buildings? Historically the
church has built some of the most beautiful
buildings ever built; as I plan a visit to Europe
next year every city has a cathedral (or 10) you
can visit. The novel The Pillars of the Earth
by Ken Follett (which is a great read by the
way) imagines the drama behind the building
of a cathedral and the faith and commitment
many good and godly people put into it. The
aim was to try to make something worthy of
the great God being worshipped there. The
intent was often so good.
People often point to the tabernacle and temple
in the Old Testament at this point. They were
indeed beautiful places, using expensive
materials and great craftsmanship. You would
have a sense of wonder and place entering
such places. But when we try to apply this to
the modern church building, our Biblical
Theology should reveal some issues. The
tabernacle and temple were where God dwelt
among his people; this points to Jesus where
God actually did dwell among his people
(John 1:14). Jesus is the temple God would
tear down and rebuild in 3 days (John 2). It is
Jesus these beautiful structures pointed to, not
to modern church buildings. In fact, the early
church seemed to meet wherever it made sense
to: in private homes was common, in
lecture halls where reasonable, in temple
courts among the people. Function mattered,
and you wont find Paul telling the early
church to build a great cathedral. It was not
really that important. Spreading the gospel and
building up the church mattered far more.
So is the new church hall a good thing? Oh
yes, it is nice. It improves the function of the
church building especially in terms of
acoustics and powerpoint presentations. And
perhaps people will come to see the building
and will end up hearing the gospel! But really,
the same wonderful yet sinful group of people
meet there as a testimony to the grace of God.
What we have, however great it is, is a poor
reflection of where true beauty is found: in
Jesus alone.
BLESSINGS OF GOD
By John MacRae.
John with his wife Signe are from the
Presbyterian Church in America and are now
serving the Lord at Maida Vale WPC and
elsewhere in WA.
The Presbytery of Western Australia held its
first meeting of 2015 on 18 February. This
was one of the more encouraging and exciting
meetings of Presbytery which we have had in
a while. Two young men became candidates
for the ministry of Westminster Presbyterian
Church and two men from America were
approved to come and serve
with us.
The next blessing of the meeting was the

presence and testimonies of two Americans
who desire to come over and help in our
ministry. Lee Hinkle is a minister in the
Presbyterian Church in America in Indiana.
He was intending to plant a church in
Indianapolis when the Lord redirected him
and his family to Perth. Mission To the World
(MTW) has trained Lee and his wife, Shannon.
They and their five children (Braden, Maddie,
Reagan, Georgia, and Rose) are expecting to
arrive in mid-June of this year. Lees
examinations to become a member of the
presbytery were approved.
Andy Shadburne was the

second man. Andys wife is
Missy (no children). Andy
is not a minister but is gifted
in evangelism and in
music. He spent a year
doing evangelistic ministry
in Brisbane and he and his
wife have a deep burden for
Gods work in Australia.
They are presently in St.
Louis and have also
completed their training with
MTW. They hope to arrive
Lee Hinkle, Shannon and family

in late winter this year. The
Doug Inawashiro was born in
presbytery is applying to sponsor these men
Brazil and has studied for the ministry and
into our country and voted to nominate Lee
done missionary service in Japan. He is now
and Andy as employees.
a student at Trinity Theological College and
has just started attending All Nations. He will
Both of these men are intending to work
become a candidate upon joining that
with Steve Rarig in beginning a new church
congregation.
in Fremantle. It will be called The Village
Church. A soft launch was held recently and
Both of these men shared their testimonies
Lee preached the gospel. They are intending
of salvation and call to the ministry and were
to have a formal beginning of the church plant
recommended by their Sessions.
this winter.
The presbytery was also informed that Tim
Ireland has been commended by the Session of The attendance at the Presbytery meeting was
higher than normal. Six churches and two
All Nations to become a candidate. He works
missions were represented by fifteen
Fly-in, Fly-out and so was unable to be at the
ministers and four ruling elders. There were
meeting. Tim was born in Mississippi and will
also five visitors. The meeting was held at
be starting his theological training at
Maida Vale and Roger Palmer began the
Westminster Seminary this September. He
meeting with a devotional on the wonder that
intends to return to Perth upon completion of
we are saints because of Gods grace. The
his studies.
presbyters prayed for Gods blessing on
various men and ministries.
Matt Dodd grew up in the
Bull Creek
congregation and has just
completed his
Master of Divinity degree at
Trinity Theological College.
The Session of Bull Creek
has hired him to serve on
their pastoral staff and we
expect him to move directly
toward licensure and
ordination.
GRACE FELLOWSHIP, MT LAWLEY, WA.
Grace Fellowship - Mount Lawley
By Julian Bull.
Julian is a WPC pastor who now lives at
Albany, WA.
On Sunday Feb 22nd. Grace Fellowship held
its final Worship service. GF began meeting in
October 2009 as a result of a significant group
of Gods people believing they had reached a
point where they were left with no option but
having to separate themselves from a
spiritually abusive church situation. Not a
WPC church, I hasten to add. They began
meeting in a home and soon after invited Rev.
Julian Bull to minister the Word of God to
them on a regular basis.
Over the five and a half years of her meeting
together the fellowship had the opportunity to
minister to each other, reach out and proclaim
the Gospel to non-believers and benefit from
the faithful preaching of the Word of God.
We believe now we have accomplished our
original goal as a fellowship, which was to
help rehabilitate those who had been badly
burned in the previous situation, and so
believe it is Gods time for the fellowship to
disband and give their support to one or other
of the existing churches nearby.
We are very grateful for the support, counsel
and encouragement of the WPC Perth
Presbytery and her churches and elders,
especially Maida Vale WPC and
Rev John MacRae.

Rev Julian Bull will transition into a new
part-time role as the International
Representative of the Mustard Seed
Organisation and continue in his
involvement with WPC Myanmar and
Hosanna Bible College Yangon, teaching and
training Pastors and students while seeking the
Lord about further opportunities for Pastoral
work here in WA. Please remember to pray
for the former members and adherents of GF,
the ministry of Mustard Seed both here and in
Myanmar, and for Julian & his future.
Julian has led the first ever WPC Mission
Awareness Tour to Myanmar during April.
The tour consisted of 17 people of varying ages
and experience from Perth and Canberra.
This group ministered in the Mustard Seed
orphanages, to WPC pastors and in the Hosanna
Bible College. Information can be found on
Twitter: @#mustardseed
We hope to include a full report in the next issue
of The Messenger.
If you are interested in supporting Julian and
the work of Mustard Seed in a practical way
then dont hesitate to contact him for more
details on how this may be done. You can e mail
him at julianbull@optusnet.com.au
Thank you for your prayerful interest.
WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
BELCONNEN WPC
Meets:
61 Templeton Street,

(cnr Rowan St.) COOK, ACT 2614
Time:
9.30am and 6.30pm (every Sunday)
Address: 61 Templeton Street,

COOK, ACT 2614
Office Ph: (02) 6251 7727
Fax:
(02) 6251 7737
Email:
pastor@wpc-belconnen.org.au
Contact: Revd Geoff Findlay
Phone:
0435 557 117
QUEENSLAND CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
CHURCH PACIFIC PARADISE
Meets:
North Shore Community Centre,

David Low Way,

PACIFIC PARADISE
Time:
9.30am
Postal:
119 Glenview Rd,

GLENVIEW QLD 4553
Contact: Revd Dan Bosshard
Mob:
0439 708 092
Email:
danbosshard@bigpond.com
GRACE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
(BUDERIM WPC)
Meets:
Corner Stringybark Rd & Toral

Dr, Sippy Downs,

SUNSHINE COAST, QLD
Times:
7.45am, 9.30am, 6.00pm

Chinese Church (Mandarin)

meets 1.30pm

English language class 4pm
Postal:
P.O. Box 7292, Sippy Downs

Qld 4556
Phone:
(07) 5445 8933
Contact: Pastor Clint Lombard

0478 578 152
Email:
gracechurch@westnet.com.au
Web site: www.gracechurchbuderim.com.au
GRACE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
(REDBANK WPC)
Meets:
School Road, REDBANK PLAINS
Time:
9.30am
Postal:
P.O. Box 347, GOODNA,

QLD 4300
Contact: Revd David Smith
Phone:
(07) 3495 7051
Email:
david@gracecc.com.au
GRACE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,

MORAYFIELD QLD
Meets:
10am
Venue:
Morayfield Community Centre
298 Morayfield Road,

MORAYFIELD QLD
(next to Bunnings)
Contact: Pr Darren Burnett (07) 5442 2586
Mob:
0452 273 117
Email:
darrenburnett2013@gmail.com
Web site: www.gpcm.net.au
PRESBYTERY OF QUEENSLAND
Moderator: Rev. Daniel Bosshard
Clerk:
Rev. David Smith
Postal:
PO BOX 347

GOODNA QLD 4300

AUSTRALIA
Telephone: (07) 3371 2512
Email:
john.h@bigpond.net.au
WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE
QUEENSLAND
Principal: Revd Terry Clarke

10 Hollings Close, KURABY,
QUEENSLAND 4112
Postal:
PO Box 346, BUDERIM, QLD 4556
Telephone: (07) 5445 8501
Email:
information@@sctc.org.au
Web:
www.sctc.org.au
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
ALL NATIONS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Meets:
The Beaufort Centre, 74-82 Beaufort
Street (2nd Floor), PERTH.
Time:
10.00am
Email:
churchoffice@allnations.org.au
Web site: www.allnations.org.au
Telephone: (08) 9228 4951
Fax
(08) 9228 4956
Postal:
PO Box 8693, Perth BC WA 6849
Contact: Revd Simon van Bruchem
Email: simon_vb@optusnet.com.au
BROOKTON (CALVARY PRESBYTERIAN)
Meets:
Richardson St., BROOKTON
Time:
10.30am.
Postal:
PO Box 99, BROOKTON, WA 6306
Contact: Revd Clem White (08) 9535 3301
Email:
candpwhite@bigpond.com OR elder
Arthur Slater (08) 9642 1231
BULL CREEK WPC

Meets:
32 Bull Creek Drive, BULL CREEK
Times:
9.30am, 6.30pm.
Postal:
32 Bull Creek Drive,
BULL CREEK WA 6149
Email:
wpcbc@iinet.net.au
Telephone: (08) 9332 6300
Fax:
(08) 9332 1991
Contact: Revd Mark Vivian

(08) 9455 3919
Email:
mark.vivian@wpcbc.net
Contact: Revd Craig Newill

(08) 6161 0525
Email:
craignewill@gmail.com
Website: www.wpcbc.net
Bull Creek WPC Indonesian Services
Time:
4.00pm
Meets:
32 Bull Creek Drive,

BULL CREEK, WA 6149
Contact: Revd Paulus Surya

(08) 6465 8763

0412 441 341
Contact: Revd Erick Kartawijaya

(08) 9332 8514

0422 218 493
CANNING VALE COMMUNITY CHURCH
(CANNING VALE WPC)
Meets:
Canning Vale Community Centre, Cnr
Waratah Blvd. and Eucalyptus Blvd.,
CANNING VALE
Time: 10.30am
Postal:
PO Box 5153, CANNING VALE SOUTH,
WA 6155
Telephone: (08) 9256 4776
Contact: Revd Alex Nathan
Email:
alexandernathan@iinet.net.au
KELMSCOTT WPC
Meets:
Kelmscott Hall - River Road,
Rushton Park, Kelmscott
Times:
10.00am
Contact: Revd Anton Noppers 0400 894 458
Email:
wpckelmscott@gmail.com
Contact: Rev Tony Walker

Telephone: (08) 9534 4145
Email:
tonywalker1@hotmail.com.au
MURDOCH THREE CROSSES CHURCH
Morning: 10am Mandala Hall, Mandala Crescent,
Bateman at 10am
Evening: 6pm Murdoch University, Murdoch
Postal:
9 Johansen Promenade MURDOCH WA
6150
Contact: Revd Matthew Waldron
Mob:
0438 021 286
Email:
mattwaldron@bigpond.com
Website: www.threecrosseschurch.com
PRESBYTERY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Moderator: Elder Steve Heathcote
Email:
steveheathcote@amnet.net.au
Phone:
08 9458 5449
Clerk:
Revd Ray Wilson
Postal:
105 Regency Drv, Thornlie, 6108
Email:
halcyon@iinet.net.au
Phone:
0421 903 446
OTHER CONTACTS
TRINITY THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE WESTERN
AUSTRALIA
Postal add: PO Box 115, Leederville, Perth,
WA 6902
Add:
Level 2, 632-634 Newcastle Street,
Leederville, WA 6007
Telephone: +61 8 9228 9067
Email:
reception@ttc.wa.edu.au
Website: www.ttc.wa.edu.au
PROVIDENCE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
Pastor Christopher Seah
Mob:
+65 9139 4654
Meets:
350 Alexandra Road, Level 3

(Next to Princess House)
SINGAPORE 159946.
Time:
9.30am

Bible Study/Sunday School: 11.30am
MAIDA VALE WPC

Meets:
4 Old Maida Vale Rd, MAIDA VALE
Times:
10.00am and 6.00pm
Postal:
4 Old Maida Vale Rd, MAIDA VALE, WA
6057
Telephone: (08) 9454 7401
Fax:
(08) 9454 4307
Contact: Revd Roger Palmer
Email:
wpcmv@myoffice.net.au
Postal:
MANDURAH WPC
Meets:
The Nellie Reagan Hall, Peel St,
MANDURAH
Time:
10.00am
Postal:
PO Box 5875 Mandurah, WA 6210
GRACE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

PO Box 31-210, Ilam, Christchurch 8444,
NEW ZEALAND
Contact: Trevor Webb
Email:
webbt@paradise.net.nz
c/o Apt Block 1D, Pine Grove,

#08-15, Singapore 593001
Email:
provrpc@gmail.com
Website: http:www.providencerpc.org
GRACE THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE

c/- 30A Montilla Place, Manurewa,
Auckland, 2102 New Zealand
Contact: Revd Andrew Young
EASTGATE BIBLE CHURCH

Meets:
Philharmonic Socy Building
7 Matthews Street, Toowoomba Qld
Time:
10am
Contact: Pr Owen Nugent
Mob:
0412 124 928
Email:
admin@eastgatebiblechurch.net
Web site: www.eastgatebiblechurch.net
HARBOUR CITY CHURCH

Address: 220 Miller Street

North Sydney, 2060 NSW
Time:
10.30 am
Contact: Revd Jim Jung
Website
www.HarbourCityChurch.com
Phone: 0430423986
Email:
jamesjung@gmail.com
HORIZON REFORMED CHRISTIAN

FELLOWSHIP
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF WPC
Address: 22 Padbury Way, Sorrento

Meets:
Sundays at 9:30am
Website: www.horizonrcf.com
Contact: Neil Evans 0405421971
Moderator:
Vice-Moderator:
Treasurer:

Clerk:

Steve Heathcote
Simon van Bruchem
Anton Noppers
(08) 9498 3306
Mark Vivian
(Email: mark.vivian@wpcbc.net)
Please note: While every care is taken to ensure the information on these pages is accurate,
it is the responsibility of each church or organisation to inform the editor of any changes.
The TV Guide
On the table side by side
Are the Holy Bible and the TV guide
Ones used daily to help them decide,
No, not the Bible, its the TV guide.
As pages are turned, what shall we see?
It doesnt matter. Turn on the TV.
Confusion reigns, they cant agree
On what they should watch on the old TV.
So they open the book to help them decide;
No, not the Bible: the TV guide.
The Word of God is seldom read.
Maybe a verse as they fall into bed.
Exhausted, sleepy, and as tired as can be,
Not from reading the Bible, but from watching TV.
No time for prayer, no time for the Word;
The plan of salvation is seldom heard.
Yet, forgiveness of sins, so full and so free,
Is found in the Bible, not on TV.
Opinions expressed are those of the contributor and not necessarily those of WPC,
the editor or the committee. Submitted articles are welcome.
You can help make your denominational journal a success by subscribing and
contributing to it. We cordially invite you to do both.
Principal Dr. Terry Clarke
Location:
Mailing address:
Sunshine Coast
Theological College
2-4 Toral Drive
Buderim, QLD 4556
Australia
Sunshine Coast
Theological College
P.O. Box 346
Buderim, QLD 4556
Australia
General Information:
information@sctc.org.au
Library:
library@sctc.org.au
Registrar:
registrar@sctc.org.au
Telephone
(07) 5445 8501
Please feel free to contact us and schedule a visit

at http://www.sctc.org.au/

The Messenger - Autumn 2015

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ME SSE NGER

Published by Westminster Presbyterian Church

Foot Washing at Brookton

2. converted through his own preaching

3. golden rules for edifying worship services

4. the mass and the sacrifice of christ

5. stress and missionaries

6. brookton family festival bush mission

9. tip toeing through the forest of parenting

10. foot washing at brookton

11. all nations renovations

12. blessing of god

13. grace fellowship

CONTRIBUTIONS, LETTERS, ETC.

All materials for the editor, such as contributions, letters

The Messenger Autumn 2015 Page 2

On the other hand other Christians believe that God

The Messenger Autumn 2015 Page 3

15 REASONS TO TAKE GENESIS AS HISTORY

Now we will look at three more reasons why

The Messenger Autumn 2015 Page 4

Indeed, evolutionary teaching makes atheists

biochemistry] Gish is but one of many to make

The Messenger Autumn 2015 Page 5

explaining the differences and difficulties in

successor, A.A. Hodge, accepted millions of

Is it any coincidence that church attendance in

It is apparent that the most straightforward

This is not surprising, because science

The Messenger Autumn 2015 Page 7

Gods image (Gen. 1:2627), and from the fact

are often told, But its divisive! However,

Of course, this does not prove evolutionary

anyone. Christians should obtain their

of Slavery, p. 123, Princeton University Press, Princeton,

. Sarfati, J., Loving God with all your mind: logic

. Provine, W.,No free will; in Catching up with the

. Batten, D., But its divisive! Prayer NewsAustralia,

. Wilson, E.O., The Humanist, September/October 1982,

. Weinberger, L., review of Can a Darwinian be a

. Wieland, C., Death of an apostate, Creation 25(1):6,

. Holding, J.P., Review of Farewell to God, www.tektonics.org/books/templefarervw.html, 9 January 2003.

. New Life [Australias weekly Christian newspaper], 15

. Taylor, F.S., Geology changes the outlook, in Ideas and

. Dennett, D., Darwins Dangerous Idea: Evolution and

. See documentation by European historian Richard

. Note also, while atrocities may have been committed in

. Christian philosopher and apologist Dr William Lane

. Pun, P.P.T., Journal of the American Scientific

. Documented in Sarfati, J., Refuting Compromise,

. MacArthur, J., The Battle for the Beginning, W. P

. Stark, R., For the Glory of God: How Monotheism

The Messenger Autumn 2015 Page 9

Mr. Keach went on to be involved in the

The Messenger Autumn 2015 Page 10

London. As he spoke he imitated the zealous

was truly a sinner who had been saved by

SEVEN PRACTICAL STEPS TO BETTER PUBLIC BIBLE READING

Author: Simon Roberts (The Briefing, #331, April 2006)

The Messenger Autumn 2015 Page 11

GOLDEN RULES FOR EDIFYING

non-attendance to the providence of God.

The Messenger Autumn 2015 Page 12

THE MASS AND THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST