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Tasmanian Anglican

November 2004

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Ridley Mission Team, who recently visited the Parish of Sandford

 

43 South 04 - Christ and Chocolate

by Andrew Reid, Ridley student missioner

 

 

What do chocolate, the gospel, the pub and door-knocking have in common? They were all essential parts of the 43 South '04 Mission!

Sixteen members of Ridley College in Melbourne recently visited the Sandford parish for a week to share the good news, and equip parishioners. The Christians of the parish extended amazing generosity and hospitality to the Ridley Team.

Aside from the usual mainlanders' pilgrimage to Cadbury's and Mt Wellington, the week was jam-packed full of outreach events to many people. A major highlight was the outreach dinner at the Lauderdale Tavern, with many non-Christians attending at the invitation of parishioners; Bishop John Harrower shared his faith story, and Ridley lecturer Steve Abbott spoke of Jesus being the only true hope for our future.

One question

This sparked lively conversations throughout the evening, and many people took a pamphlet or book to investigate Christianity further. The team conducted a survey of Cremorne residents throughout the week, asking questions such as 'What is the greatest need of the local community?' and 'If you could ask God one question, what would it be?' The team led a number of workshops for parishioners, on 'How can I do evangelism?'

Visiting the parishes of Kingston and Battery Point was another highlight, since it helped the team to appreciate the diversity of ministry within Hobart. The opportunity to do mission at the coalface was an invaluable experience for the team, with many doing their first ever evangelistic sermon or dialogue meeting.

With many team members coming from large, multi-staff parishes in Melbourne, we gained an appreciation of the challenges of a multi-centre parish with a single minister, supported by committed lay people. We rejoice that God used this week to bring a number of people to believe in Jesus for the first time, to lead some to renew their commitment to Him, and to train parishioners to share the gospel themselves.

The mission was made possible by the generous donation of $5000 from the Anglican Bush Church Aid Society (BCA) who provide this annual grant for missions to be conducted in Missionary and isolated Dioceses across Australia.