Missions is the heart beat of our church

How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent?" As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things! - Romans 10:14-15

On Saturdays Pastor Annette Sharman prepares for the Sunday Church service at "Worship in the City" in Darwin.  In this regard, I am not referring to "seeking God for a message", but shopping, buying food for lunch on Sundays and then preparing it.  Come Sunday morning, she phomes the members of the congregation to find out who is coming, then gets into the van and picks up at least half of the congregation.  On arrival the congregation can increase greatly by the addition of all the local cats and dogs!!  Every Sunday is a surprise.

A couple of weeks ago, the decision was made to have church at the beach!  Church members had faced a prolonged period of challenges, so this was a refreshing day for them.  The location changed but the service still consisted of worship, preaching,taking up and offering and lunch.

A good Pastor remembers  the names of the people he/she pastors.  Annette knows the people she pastors.  However even the names of the people can change from one Sunday to the next.  One of the mourning customs of the Aboriginal People is that, when a person dies, their name is no longer "spoken" by the community. This means that those bearing the same name, have to change their name as a mark of respect for the family that has lost a loved one.

Please think about Annette and the many challenges that she faces and keep her in your prayers.

Some time ago I watched a documentary on Angkor Watt and marvelled at the skills and intelligence required to build this incredible temple complex.  At the same time it caused me to reflect on the magnitude of what had happened during Pol Pot's regime, when almost anyone with an education, professionals and people with connections to foreign governments, were brutally executed, thus leaving a nation completely destitute.