Brisbane Christian News - Brisbane Christian Chat

	28.11.01 - Samaritan's Purse in Afghanistan. From Samaritan's Purse Australia Limited - International Relief. Samaritan’s Purse has established a very effective and active crisis relief project right in Afghanistan. Focused on the starving refugees in the Malaki and Mile 46 refugee camps where 20,000 huddle together with no food and little to shelter them from the bitter winter winds, Samaritan’s Purse has begun a sustained feeding and relief program. To date we have managed to purchase, ship and distribute 10032 cans of Tuna, 9600 cans of beans, 10125 kilos of rice, 10000 kgs of beans, 1034 stoves, 1296 lanterns, 10000 blankets, 1050 kgs nutrition biscuits, 5110 kgs apples, 3724 kgs oranges, 3108 kgs onions, 6356 kgs of potatoes. Samaritan’s Purse is on the verge of shipping in ten tonnes of tent kits, pots, pans etc. We have committed to continuing weekly shipments of food to the two camps identified above. This will necessitate a project investment of approximately $US 20,000 per week and this will continue at least until the end of December. Samaritan’s Purse Australia is totally committed to this project. WE URGENTLY NEED FINANCES TO HELP MAINTAIN THIS VITAL RESPONSE. HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF JUST HOW MUCH A MODEST GIFT COULD PURCHASE: AUD$5 - Purchases a very warm woolen blanket. AUD$3 - Purchases a lantern. AUD$2 - A pair of children's shoes. AUD$1 - A kilogram of rice for a family. Please share this URGENT need with others and seek their support. The majority of aid is being purchased in Iran so we are able to get maximum leverage for the value of each dollar and avoid costly and time consuming delays with the shipping and importation of goods. All donations over $2 are fully tax deductible and will be sent 100% intact to support our project. The time to act is now. All donations should be sent to: Samaritan’s Purse Australia Limited, Box 6544, Blacktown Business Centre, NSW 2148. We are also able to accept credit card donations via Visa, Mastercard & Bankcard. Simply call toll free on 1 800 684 300.
	28.11.01 - New Archbishop elected. From Anglican Media Brisbane. Brisbane's new Anglican Archbishop will be the Right Revd Dr Phillip Aspinall, currently Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Adelaide. Bishop Aspinall, 41, was elected to the position by a panel of 11 members of the clergy and 11 members of the laity, headed by the Chancellor of the Diocese and Queensland's Chief Justice, the Hon Mr Justice Paul de Jersey. Announcing the election, Brisbane Diocese Bishop Administrator Richard Appleby said the Archbishop-elect would bring a range of experience to the position. "Bishop Aspinall has a long history of participation in the life of the Anglican Church at all levels from his early involvement in youth work and Christian education in Tasmania to his current work as the chair of Anglicare Australia, a national network of 65 Anglican caring organisations," he said. "He is also actively involved in the national life of the church as a member of the Standing Committee of the General Synod since 1995. In fact, it was Bishop Aspinall who fostered the use of discussion groups to encourage non-adversarial and collaborative decision-making processes in the General Synod meetings in 1998 and 2001." Bishop Aspinall is also well qualified academically to head one of Australia's leading dioceses. "He holds a Master of Business Administration from Deakin University and a PhD from Monash University's Faculty of Education, as well as qualifications in science and theology," Bishop Appleby said. "Throughout his ministry, Bishop Aspinall has used his education and training to encourage others in the way of Christ, working for social justice in the areas of education, social welfare, care of children, aged care and health care. "From 1991 to 1994, he was the priest to a the Bridgewater-Gagebrook Special Area of Ministry, a large public housing estate on the northern outskirts of Hobart. "As the priest, Bishop Aspinall worked hard to develop an approach to church life which was appropriate for this socially and economically deprived area." Bishop Aspinall is married to Christa, a medical practitioner. They have two children - Daniel, 13, and Nathan, 11. It is expected that he will take up his responsibilities as Archbishop of Brisbane in early February.
	16.11.01 - Congratulations to Life FM. From Woodlands Media. Christian Air Broadcasters Ltd has gained a community radio licence to serve Christians on the Gold Coast. Operating as Life FM, the station will broadcast on 107.3MHz. Congratulations to Alan Cann and the team! Well done!
	13.11.01 - Real Life goes nationwide. From Queensland Baptist. SWIM ministry's successful Real Life Seminars, which have been held in schools across Queensland, will be going nationwide. As a result of their popularity in Queensland, other states have expressed an interest in running the seminars in their schools. A meeting was held in Sydney on November 7 to discuss strategies for their nationwide distribution. Real Life Seminars have been delivered in sixty Queensland high schools this year, reaching out to thousands of students throughout the state. SWIM team leader, Rhys McFadden, has reported that feedback from these seminars is overwhelmingly positive, both from students and staff. "Many students have had their lives turned around as a result of this valuable work," he said, "A number of students are no longer victims of abuse, some are now in the Kingdom of God, many others are searching. This positive response is reinforced by the continued demand for seminars on the basis of word of mouth referrals through chaplaincy, Special Ed, guidance and principals' networks." On November 7 Baptist Union of Australia's president, Tim Costello, and Marcus Curnow (Collins St Baptist Church School's team coordinator) and prominent Sydney business man John Cooper met with with Sharon Martin and Rhys McFadden of SWIM to discuss forming a collaborative effort between states who want to use the seminars. "This is a step of faith," said Rhys, "We must expand our capacity in response to the demand for seminars in Queensland. Working in a collaborative effort will release resources into Queensland to support and further our work here." Rhys is currently involved in building a Real Life Seminar resource for national use. He is also scripting seminars, developing a workbook, an interactive CD and a web site. If you would like more information about the work of SWIM, or would like to make a tax deductible donation to this ministry, please contact Rhys on 3254 1277 or 0419 742 078.
	13.11.01 - Fundraising that works! From Queensland Baptist. Does your church need to raise funds to aid the growth of its ministries? Here some of our Baptist churches tell us how they do it! Click here for the full story.
	07.11.01 - School chaplaincy vacancies for next year. From Scripture Union. We have chaplaincy vacancies for the following: Kelvin Grove SHS - 2.5 days/week (applications close 30 Nov). Boonah SHS - 3 days/week (applications close 23rd Nov). Gympie SHS - 3 days/week (applications close 19th Nov). Yeppoon SHS - 3 days/week (applications close 9th Nov). Wellington Point SHS - 2 days/week (applications close 9th Nov). Application packs from Christine Brett 3632 2239.
	06.11.01 - Invitation to Australians to Take Part in Evangelism 2001 Conference. From Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, New Zealand. A once in a lifetime event is well under way called Evangelism 2001. The conference is to be held in the Auckland Showgrounds New Zealand, between the 5-8th of December 2001. Australians everywhere are being invited to attend this international conference which is essentially about training and equipping people for evangelism. The conference comprises 13 South Pacific nations, NZ and Australia. Some registrations however have been received from both Africa and Asia. Approximately 700 applications have been received from 10 South Pacific nations, which is extremely encouraging. The vision for the conference has its origin in the Amsterdam 2000 Conference, which was sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The BGEA, Vision NZ and Harvest Conferences are also partners in the Evangelism 2001 conference. Dr Robert Coleman and Dr Viktor Hamm (BGEA Associates) are two of the main session speakers. However there is an unprecedented 88 speakers participating in the unique event. Conference Chairman Rev. Hon Graeme Lee says this is a conference for everyone with the 50 interactive workshops providing a variety of training opportunities in four different categories Today's Kids, Generation Now, Evangelism & the Church and Community Outreach. Another unique provision is the Pastors & Leaders Taskforce, which will provide an opportunity for prayer and discussions on evangelistic strategies. The conference will have many features. Included are two major evangelistic rallies. First is a presentation of the Billy Graham Association children's drama called The Puzzle which will be presented to a gathering of 2500 children and the second a similar size evangelistic rally to young adults with Rev. Victor Hamm as speaker and Steve Grace as guest artist. The author of The Puzzle Australian Simon Hood of Logosdor will be at the conference. Steve Grace as Australia's best known Christian musician will also be at the conference participating in the main session and in the workshop. Mr Lee said that there has been unprecedented support from national denominational leaders and national Christian agencies in all countries. People can register for the conference by writing to Evangelism 2001. PO BOX 8082, Auckland 1035, New Zealand for pamphlets or register on-line at www.evangelism2001.org.nz. Accomodation information is available on request.
	06.11.01 - Haggai Institute appoints national director. From Haggai Institute Australia. The Australian Board of Directors of the Haggai Institute in Australia has announced the appointment of the Rev. John Simons as the National Director. The Rev. Simons is a man who has proven qualifications in both the commercial and spiritual worlds, with experiences in both that have elevated him to a leading role in Australia and his birth-country South Africa. The Interim National Director, Rev. Richard Bowie said, "John is gifted as an encourager - with an endless amount of enthusiasm. He has a passion for the Great Commission which spills over from the local to the international scene. John is a well balanced person with a gentle nature and firm convictions. But above all, John loves Jesus and when you meet him you will know it. It shines through not only in word but more importantly also in deed. And that's where the rubber hits the road!" John said, "We thank the Lord for the ministry of Dr Richard and Audrey Bowie and their impact on our lives. They introduced us to the Haggai Institute and the Haggai principles in the late 1980s." Now John will take over from Dr Bowie in leading the work of the Haggai Institute in Australia. John Simons will be welcomed and commissioned at the H.I. Annual Meeting in Sydney on Saturday 17 November and will meet supporters in Brisbane on December 1.
	06.11.01 - Colour Your World 2002. From Colour Your World Women's Conference. Colour Your World Women's Conference, which is now in it's sixth year, is being held from March 11-13 and again from March 14-16 at Hillsong Church, located in Baulkham Hills, Sydney. Organisers are predicting record registrations, and delegates will come from across Australia and the globe to experience Australia's premier women's leadership conference. Colour is designed to unearth the potential within every woman regardless of her age, colour, background or status. The line up of keynote speakers will include, from overseas, Helen Burns (Canada), Holly Wagner (USA), Nancy Alcorn (USA), Shanelle Hall (Europe) together with Lisa McInnes-Smith (Aust), Jane Evans (Aust) and Nicole Conner (Aust). Of course, add the hosts of Colour, Bobbie Houston, Darlene Zschech (Aust.) and the many awesome women of Hillsong Church to the equation and be prepared to experience an incredible conference. For your free copy of the conference brochure or for more information, please contact the conference office on +61 2 8853 5315 or visit our website at www.colourconference.com.
	02.11.01 - Ministry work continues despite intense fighting. From The Bible League. Skopje, Macedonia - Bible League workers in Macedonia continued to hold church planter training modules and Bible study courses despite the ongoing conflict with ethnic Albanian rebels in the area. Intense fighting due to tensions between ethnic Albanians and Macedonian forces has slowed the past few weeks after a peace accord signed by both parties. However, effects of the fighting still linger. In Kumanovo, a city 12 miles south of the Serbian border that has been under siege during the attacks, electricity and water have been turned off repeatedly due to fighting. Zoran, a Bible League-trained worker, continues to gather with small groups in basements in Kumanovo, teaching them about the Bible. "The last time Zoran went there, the group was so encouraged that the next day they spoke to as many people as they could find, and the people were very interested," says Marjan Angeloviski, the Bible League's Country Coordinator in Macedonia. "There is a need for God to unite all the people who want to do this so that great results will occur, not just small results." The Bible League's first round of church planting in Macedonia, which began last year, has resulted in about 12 churches planted. "There are certain areas where we are not able to go, such as the northwest part of the country," says Rev. Bob Martin, the Bible League's Eastern Europe Director. "But we are continuing our training modules as planned for now. We just completed the last module this summer." Although the Bible League's Macedonian office just opened two years ago, its Scripture placement program has steadily increased as it serves the church planting ministry. "The people using the scripture placement program were church planters first," according to Rev. Martin. "This is a very unchurched and agnostic environment, but we are starting to see a great number of churches using the program now." A man in Bitola, who admits he was a drunk and that he beat his wife, says, "Through some people I learned about The Bible League, and I received the book Who Is God? from them. Reading these books, God started to work in my life. I now work for the Lord." If you would like to be a part of this exciting ministry, or need more information, contact The Bible League PO Box 71 Werrington, NSW 2747 or, Tel. 02 9673 3055 Email info@bibleleague.com.
	01.11.01 - Chatrooms are now back on-line. From Site Admin. It's business as usual once again here at BrisbaneChristianChat.com. The chatrooms are now well and truly open for the people of Brisbane to chat to their hearts' content in. We again apologies for any inconvenience for the downtime over the last 2 days. Upgrading and routine maintenance has to be expected now and again and we do so to keep bringing you the best chat services available. We remain thankful to be able to keep providing you with state of art chat services and hope they keep being a means in which the people of Brisbane and further field are encouraged and built up in their faith. If you have any suggestions for our chatrooms or ways we can improve them, please let us know by emailing admin@brisbanechristianchat.com.