End of Year Christmas Special

Introduction

Thank you so much for being part of the success of Little Miracles Home Group Corio in 2021. To help keep me on track and you well-informed, here is a review of the year's ministries focusing on learning how to love our neighbours better. I'm so excited about next year and the opportunities we have to bring the gospel more effectively and efficiently to the people of Corio and help lead the church in a growing season of outreach and revival and I hope and trust you can be part it!

The Importance of Intercessors

I am wildly grateful for the Intercessors who literally cut the trail upon which we've walked since coming to Corio in April 2019 and nothing of value would have been achieved without their prayer. But more importantly, I thank those who have gone before, who have prayed for revival, for unity in the church, for the Holy Spirit to bring the Presence of God thickly in the streets and homes of this disadvantaged suburb to turn people's hearts to Jesus. Now it's up to us to play our part.

The Vital Statistics for 2021 and since the beginning - April 2019

I'm including the numbers because I think one goal is to 'reach' everyone in our postcode 3214 with the gospel. There are about 40,000 people in our postcode. This is how we're tracking so far. I'll do it again next year. This is a fairly solid estimate:

                                                        Numbers for 2021

                                    Family          Tree         Harvest        Play        Leaders

                                    Pizza         Planting      Team          Group      Dinners

                                    Nights

Events held                    24                  4              20              23             2

People engaged             50                150           120             30             50  

Total people                                                                                            

Engaged since 4/19       60                 220           120            30            60   

Total unsaved reached since beginning: 400 

Total - Trees Growing: 70   Parks Planted: 2  Intercessors Backing Ministry: 35

                                                       

Tree Planting - We're a "Christian Nature Group"!

Despite Covid, we've hosted 4 events this year and currently have 70 eucalyptus trees growing nicely in two parks. Vandalism is still a problem, but far less a problem than in the past because of our community engagement model. Cooperation with the council is high and we've learned a lot from our last major Tree Planting Festival and Christmas Show.                     Video of Christmas Tree Planting

Our team debrief and telephoning participants revealed important learning. This time we didn't have live music and it wasn't needed. We didn't have the Lion's Club BBQ and didn't need it. We had gifts, but they weren't important. The trees weren't even important drivers for our guests. 

Tree Planting & Christmas Show

This time, the guests loved playing together and making friends. They enjoyed tug-o-war, stilts, three-legged race and egg-and-spoon. They loved the Cheezel and ice-cream game and they didn't even mention the full throttle gospel presentation and worship. They said they loved the event and would like to come to another one. Local Pastor Steve Greenslade was a fabulous leader in the kids events. 

Looking Ahead for future Tree Planting Events

Over the years we have a built a strong, trusting relationship with the City of Greater Geelong. As a Christian Nature Group, we are committed to plant trees in all the small neglected parks in Corio over the coming years and to use the opportunity to create grassroots community festivals. Alongside the tree planting, the focus is to maximise the impact of the gospel and 'draw the children on' in Christ. Establish a fun event, with check in, music, publicity, games and get skilled ministers of the word to bring the gospel up to the crowd with laughter and skill. I will try to funnel the new-comers from these future events to our regular events at home.

Family Pizza Nights

Family Pizza Nights

This year we hosted 24 events and engaged 50 locals. Each evening we cooked together, usually making pizzas, played some games and then learned about God. During the year I felt I couldn't continue and the very next week the Lord provided two new leaders to teach the Word. I learned from this that my job is to set up events and get the crowd and the Lord will provide skilled folk to teach the people. The year ended with several amazing nights when 10 to 13 kids would sit quietly as we taught about Jesus. This really is a dream come true.

Looking Ahead to Future Events

Next year I believe God is calling us to focus more on teaching younger kids about Jesus with more of a focus on big events. Could you please join with me in praying about "Super Sunday Kids Club". Replacing weekly Family Pizza Nights, we would host Kids Club once a month on Sunday afternoon at our home in Corio with a marquee and full scale performance, music, dancing, games, food, prizes. Less frequent means more special and my crew will be fresher and more eager with a monthly focus rather than every week. Plus focusing on younger kids means getting them before they go off the rails and drawing them on in Christ - a Kids Church? This change also means engaging a lot more kids.

Harvest Team

Carols at Labuan Square

What an amazing story. Last January the Lord gave me a strong vision to start a church-wide outreach group. He said He'd give me people to lead and so we got started using 'Jesus at the Door' but soon learned the best way is to host events so we hosted a small rally then a Carols event which exceeded all our expectations. We have built relationships with the locals and then brought in skilled and passionate Christians to bring the Word. We hosted 20 events and engaged roughly 120 non-Christians this year through Harvest Team events.

Looking Ahead to Future Events

I believe the Lord has told me to host monthly 'church events' for the folks at a small local shopping square called Labuan Square next year from a vacant shop at the square. I can run these events without a council permit so we can easily bring the church to the people, people God has put us in loving contact with. Again, the focus is on maximising the fact that we have 30 non-Christians quietly listening! Please pray we will bring the Kingdom of God in Power. These are hungry, needy folks. 

Play Group

This year we started the playgroup and hosted 23 events and engaged 30 folks with an average attendance of 14. We have developed a lovely culture together with lots of singing, learning about Jesus and prayer as well as creativity, play and nurture.

 We have mainly Karen migrants with one Chinese family and a blended Indonesian family. It is such a joy to help these young families learn to enjoy education and Christianity. Next year we will change the day to Friday and advertise more and try to attract Anglo children who need training before school. We will also start the mornings with singing because this releases more joy and unity over the group and they love singing. 

Inspiring the Wider Church

Part of my vision is to inspire to the wider church so that more of us can love our neighbour, particularly to the poor. I have done three radio interviews this year with 96Three on outreach and preached several sermons at Bethel Christian Fellowship on loving our neighbour and learning to bring the gospel to the poor. People have received the teaching really well and many new folks have joined our outreach endeavours as it seems we've stepped into a context fully prepared by the Lord. We also send out an Evangelism Prayer List to enable intercessors to pray people into the kingdom.

Unity in the North

We hosted two Leaders' Dinners this year and we are connecting with many church leaders and intercessors through Pastor Paul Hills' monthly prayer gatherings. Our outreach events are also bringing in Christians from many churches to work together. Sharing this blog is a tool to inspire Aussie Christians to love their neighbours and evangelise. Despite this, I acutely feel the loss of relationship and connection which is happening too as we go forward. Many churches are uninterested and a bit negative about what we're doing. Some close people I thought would come alongside, seem uninterested. 

On a Personal Note

I am being paid just under $400 per week from Bethel Christian Fellowship where I am the Assistant Pastor with lots of admin and spiritual leadership responsibilities, which I absolutely love. Christine is working 3-4 days per week with the Australian Bureau of Statistics and we are madly in love. We are passionate gardeners and Christine is raising new chickens. 

The Big Picture

Christine and I have been in Corio two-and-a-half years and we've made a good start in building for revival. We are learning to serve God better every day and we're totally blessed by what He is doing. But we have to be tough because we're asking Christians to focus on others within a context of an attractional church culture - where Christians come to church to receive. This is a massive shift and I come back to the idea that 'if they wanted to do outreach, they would'. Loving others is very difficult but it is God's requirement of us; to be fruitful. So it will take years of persistent service to build an army of skilled outreach workers and advocates; people who get that revival mission in Australia is God's call on us right now. That means every church goer giving their lives to lift others up and sharing with the poor the triumph of Jesus Christ as the time runs out for each of us. Let us teach the children to follow our Saviour with increasing skill, effectiveness and efficiency. 

How to Help

Photo of borrowed goods

We are largely self-supporting, but if you'd like to help, here are some simple things we need for ministry in the new year:

• Marquee $100 (second hand 6 x 3m)
• Wood to make stilts $70*
• Tug-o-War Rope $100*
• Stationary for publicity and events $100
• Get involved or recommend a friend: We provide solid covering for frontline operatives in a very needy area with strong prayer backing. 

* pictured here when borrowed from Hawthorn West Baptist Church

Finally

Thank you for sharing the journey with us and for praying. Please continue to hold us up in prayer and please drop me a line if you have any prophetic words or wisdom for us. And if you have any friends who would like to receive our monthly blog, please give me their email and I'll include them in the list. Or forward this along. 

If you don't want to receive this in future, please let me know.

Financial Support

BSB: 013259   ACC: 248826009

When we pray for non-Christians in LOVE, God moves in POWER.