I think I speak for us all when we grieve over the apparently insoluble problems within our indigenous communities. I have been reading Richard Trudgen's book "Why Warriors Lie Down and Die" and it is very sobering. It seems that policy after policy has been designed by we 'whiteys' with little understanding of the cultures for which the policies are designed, and a great deal of ignorance of the languages spoken by our indigenous Australians.
The St Matthew's short term mission trip to Groote Eylandt last July hightlighted a number of ways we could support the indigenous ministries of CMS to the top end. We recently helped publish 50 copies of John's Gospel in the anindilykwan langauage. We hope to do the same with the book of Revelation. There are further opportunities to digitize language tapes presently held at Nungalinya College in Darwin. This work could possibly be done in Perth or perhaps better in Darwin and would only take a week or so. If there is anyone who has the necessary equipment and expertise and a week or so of time, it would mean that valuable material could be put to very good use amongst the indigenous people of Arnhem land.
Nearer to home, it would be good for us to be more aware of what Christian outreach is going on among the indigenous people living in Perth and the south-west. In Langfor, which is near Thornlie, there is the Aboriginal Evangelical Fellowship Bible College. They have struggled to build new lecture rooms this past year, and still lack the necessary furniture and equipment to make it really functional. The Principal is Rev Clive Hayden and he is also the National Chairman of the Aboriginal Evangelical Church. He asks us to pray for more students to enrol for this year so that the need for more trained pastors can be met. Pastor Greg Kelly and his wife both trained at the AEF Bible College and have been serving the Langford Church for the past six years. He has been greatly encouraged by the pastoral care of Bruce Smoker, an old man now living at Gracewood Retirement Village, who has served as a missionary to our aboriginal people for all of his life.
The Aboriginal Evangelical Church in Balga has been led for many years by Rev Harley Hayward. When we went there we were impressed with the love for Jesus so freely displayed and the sense of community that was evident. These men are working with people who are suffering a great sense of alienation and their work is not easy. They deserve our prayers. Let us pray for the Aboriginal Evangelical Fellowship Bible College and the aboriginal churches in our State.
The St Matthew's short term mission trip to Groote Eylandt last July hightlighted a number of ways we could support the indigenous ministries of CMS to the top end. We recently helped publish 50 copies of John's Gospel in the anindilykwan langauage. We hope to do the same with the book of Revelation. There are further opportunities to digitize language tapes presently held at Nungalinya College in Darwin. This work could possibly be done in Perth or perhaps better in Darwin and would only take a week or so. If there is anyone who has the necessary equipment and expertise and a week or so of time, it would mean that valuable material could be put to very good use amongst the indigenous people of Arnhem land.
Nearer to home, it would be good for us to be more aware of what Christian outreach is going on among the indigenous people living in Perth and the south-west. In Langfor, which is near Thornlie, there is the Aboriginal Evangelical Fellowship Bible College. They have struggled to build new lecture rooms this past year, and still lack the necessary furniture and equipment to make it really functional. The Principal is Rev Clive Hayden and he is also the National Chairman of the Aboriginal Evangelical Church. He asks us to pray for more students to enrol for this year so that the need for more trained pastors can be met. Pastor Greg Kelly and his wife both trained at the AEF Bible College and have been serving the Langford Church for the past six years. He has been greatly encouraged by the pastoral care of Bruce Smoker, an old man now living at Gracewood Retirement Village, who has served as a missionary to our aboriginal people for all of his life.
The Aboriginal Evangelical Church in Balga has been led for many years by Rev Harley Hayward. When we went there we were impressed with the love for Jesus so freely displayed and the sense of community that was evident. These men are working with people who are suffering a great sense of alienation and their work is not easy. They deserve our prayers. Let us pray for the Aboriginal Evangelical Fellowship Bible College and the aboriginal churches in our State.
B T
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