2016 Tribute

I was sitting on a very hard, partially broken, seat in a church in the northern suburbs of Blantyre, the commercial capital of Malawi, back in May this year.  I was pondering a very surreal experience that had just finished.  My wife, Kris, and I had been singing with all the strength of voice we could muster, “chachikulu ndi kukhulupirika kwanu” – as my tongue recovered from the twisting it had encountered because of this very unfamiliar Chichewa version of the famous hymn “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, I experienced this incredible sense of comfort.  As we sat in church, 10675km away from home (as Google Maps reliably informed me), as we sat there knowing only two others amongst a congregation of well of one hundred locals, I drew comfort from the amazing nature of God’s “universal”, or worldwide, church and the oneness of community we were sensing at that moment.

God’s people across the globe, when they gather together, in worship, praise, prayer – or just to do life together – have common elements which confirm that “when two or three are gathered together in His name”, God is present, His nature never changes and by inference, His people gathered should be of one mind and spirit.  This was a constant affirmation for us as we traveled through the United States, the Caribbean, and Africa.

Each community of Christians we connected with was able to, in their own unique and special way, remind us that the people of God, wherever they gather together, are a community unified by their oneness of our faith – a faith firmly rooted in God’s grace embodied in Jesus’ sacrifice for us, once and for all, on the cross at Calvary.  Kris and I had the blessing, in so many contexts, to hear how God’s grace continues to be poured onto his people in such amazing ways. We saw, first hand, at our son-in-law’s home church, the powerful ministry they had to homeless youth and those close to the poverty line in St Louis, Missouri.  We shared, through mission activity, in the work SIM is doing with orphan and HIV sufferers in rural Malawi, and we joined a church community in Cape Town with a deep commitment to the destitute in the nearby Cape Flats area.  Whatever the circumstance, whatever the situation, we were reminded afresh that God can and will act – and, in particular, how His people can be such a powerful witness and force for His good works.

We returned to Australia, nourished and renewed for what God was calling us to – joining the Donvale Christian College community and being in the service of His people here was that call, that answer to our prayers.  For us, the last two months have been a very special and touching time for me and my family, as we have been embraced by the Donvale Christian College.  As I was starting in the role, the college community was described to me by one family as “welcoming, innovative, kind, compassionate, progressive, relaxed, and nurturing”.  Our family’s experience most certainly attests to this.

We are completely known by God, and so indescribably deeply loved by Him.  May our community be a beacon of light that brings glory to Him; may we draw strength from the remarkable work He can do in and through us, locally, globally, in unison with our brothers and sisters across the world.