AP

So What does the Presbyterian Church do Overseas?

From time to time I’m asked to speak at a church missions dinner and over the course of 30-45 minutes I take those present on a whirlwind tour of just some of the things that we do as a church overseas. Afterwards someone will approach me and say “I had no idea we are doing so much!” Here’s a small sample from some of our Partner Churches:

Ethiopia/South Sudan

Imagine fleeing for your life as armed soldiers are entering your village. You don’t know if they are government troops or those from the rebel army. You do what you can do to survive and you escape. You end up in a refugee camp with hundreds of thousands of other refugees. All you have are the clothes on your back. But there’s something vital that’s missing and by now has probably been destroyed — your Bible.

That’s the situation for many South Sudanese Christians. Over the last ten years you have sent 13,000 Bibles in the Nuer language into refugee camps in Ethiopia, where Sunday by Sunday, 90+ South  Sudanese congregations gather for worship as they have since the outbreak of civil war in 2013. There are plans in the pipeline to send more Bibles.

Motor Isaac Yat is an APWM Partner Church missionary serving refugee congregations first in Ethiopia and now in Kenya. His primary ministry is Bible teaching and helping Christians to apply the Bible as people who live in exile.

Malawi

There are many Christians who live in remote villages in Malawi who have no Bible because they cannot afford one. Through the generosity of many members of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, enough money was raised to purchase 8,000 Chichewa-language Bibles. In June a self-funded team of 14 people from Australia will visit up to 60 remote villages to distribute the Bibles and give some basic teaching on how to use the Bible and begin to understand its teaching.

Timor Leste

At the time of writing APWM is running a teaching week for up to 50 pastors, lay leaders and others who are interested in learning more about the Bible. This is an exciting initiative because for the first time the biannual teaching weeks are externally recognised. This training seeks to provide local training for pastoral candidates for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Timor Leste. The philosophy of the training is “By Timor, For Timor” and David Burke and local leaders are providing the training. If you want to see David Burke’s face light up, just ask him about the teaching weeks!

Vanuatu

Then of course there’s the Talua Theological Training Institute in Vanuatu. Over the years we have sent many missionaries to join the staff — lecturers, ESL teachers, a librarian, and a maintenance officer etc. Over the years there have been countless work parties:

• To build the library which essential for Talua’s status as a degree awarding educational institution.
• To install the recently donated solar farm
• To help build extra buildings

As I type I have just returned from a trip to Talua with the Principal of Christ College, Ian Smith, his wife Jenni and a small team from Christ College. Each team member caught a glimpse of the Talua’s impact — it is the largest theological college in Vanuatu and occupies a strategic place in theological education, not just in Vanuatu but across the South Pacific. We, the members of the Presbyterian Church of Australia have the privilege of playing our part in educating the next generation of pastors and church leaders in Vanuatu.

And that is just a very small sample of the sort of things in which we are engaged around the world.

Kevin Murray

APWM National Director