By James Bennett

I was first alerted to the opportunity to contribute to this segment when I was at the footy with a pastor friend of mine. Almost immediately a number of incidents floated across my consciousness and the following is a small window into my 15 years married to a pastor. 

Generally in life there aren’t to many situations I detest more than job interviews.  Given a choice I’d probably rather face up to a 1980’s West Indian pace attack.  Pastoral job interviews where the spouse is present are however somewhat different.  It’s a classic paradox of being interviewed and yet not, of judging and yet being open to the call, and balancing the notion of simply being along for the ride with the knowledge that this could well drastically alter my daily circumstances.

All of this was swirling through my brain when in November of 2006 the following question came my way.  “So James, how do you see yourself contributing to ministry in the context of being the pastor’s husband? Several responses instantly presented themselves in my mind, some conforming to what I thought the expectations behind the question were.  There is a lot of largely invisible cultural baggage surrounding the role of a pastor’s wife and as a male I feel this acutely at times. It was this more than anything that informed my response when I paused for a second and then said, “well I don’t do scones”.  The interviewer practically fell off his chair as he momentarily lost his composure before the interview continued.

The other interview experience worth mentioning was when I was asked if I’m musical. At face value this is a fair enough question, it’s nice that the were inquiring into my interests.  As always though, contexts is king and had I answered yes, I would have instantly found myself on the music roster.  Pretty impressive really given that my wife hadn’t officially been offered the job at that point.

Fifteen years of lived experience in pastoral ministry has certainly thrown up its fair share of rather interesting situations. Whilst it’s true that for a lot of the time it can feel like I’m living ministry vicariously through my wife, some instances this is definitely not the case. One such time occurred during the time we were living at the now closed down Whitley student residential college. Essentially for close on 3 years we were pseudo parents for 130 18-21 year olds. Never has the term being on the job 24/7 been more appropriate.

It was the first time my parents had come to visit us at Whitley. Barely had we made cups of tea and sat down than the fire alarms stared blaring. This of course necessitated an immediate evacuation. Added into the mix was the fact that fire warden was one of the responsibilities of my wife. She instantly jumped up and was out the door, leaving me to escort my somewhat bewildered parents across the courtyard, and out onto the street. I ended up just telling them amidst all the chaos to get in their car and drive home which quite frankly didn’t go down too well.

This piece would of course not be complete without a story or two about the trials and tribulations of living in a manse itself. The most notable incident happened when our heating system literally blew up and needed to be totally replaced. Quite the expense and also in the middle of a Melbourne winter cold snap. Three weeks elapsed before we again had heating due to and impasse between tradespeople not being willing to deal with us given we weren’t the owners of the property and the church putting it back on us to organise a replacement.

There was also the time during a church lunch when a member of the congregation took it upon themselves to conduct a tour for some new people through literally every room in the house.

In amongst all the situations that ministry throws our way there are some constants that keep repeating. Being mistaken for the pastor at Baptist Union gatherings. Many a time I have had a conversation with the underlying assumption being that I’m the pastor.  I must admit I do secretly enjoy gauging reactions when I tell people that I’m not and it’s my wife who is.  The classic was when I was asked how I go with my wife preaching from the pulpit. I said fine, she’s a great preacher. I only realised later that what was meant was how did I go theologically with that.  I’ll leave you to judge what the answer is to that question.

These few anecdotes barely even touch the surface of being the spouse of a pastor and looking back over the fifteen years I really had very little idea of what I was getting myself in for, however I wouldn’t swap it for the world. The roller coaster ride that is pastoral ministry continues on.

Source: BUV News

The Big LAN, hosted by Mitcham Baptist, is one of its kind in Victoria. At a LAN Party there are over 100 connections to a local network, a twelve-hour program of staggered tournaments, a virtual reality room, prizes galore, food, stalls, welcome bags, and a host of volunteers to register, cook, serve, problem shoot and make a memorable event for local gamers. An event of this size is usually a commercial undertaking, but The Big LAN team have borrowed, pulled favours and networked to provide a low-cost gathering for gamers to meet face-to-face, while enjoying their shared hobby.

Jacob Rayment, a member of Mitcham Baptist, is the man behind the idea and the one drawing together all the elements to make this event a success. As a teenager, Jacob found it hard to engage in local hobby groups. “I didn’t play any instruments, the only sport I played was tennis which, as an individual game, didn’t really help me socialise, and I wasn’t really into the loud and energetic nature of the local youth groups. I much preferred to sit at home on my computer playing video games.” His youth pastor at the time noticed that Jacob wasn’t alone in his interests and started what became a popular video games event at his church. This had a positive impact and has contributed to Jacob’s inspiration for the Big LAN.

Jacob was brought up as a pastor’s kid, and closely involved in church-life. He has noted that the gaming community (which comprises over 2.2 billion people worldwide) has been viewed by outsiders as anti-social or asocial. And this perception has only imbedded more as online gaming has become increasingly accessible and isolating. “The reality is though, that gamers need social interaction just as much as anyone else, they need friends that share their hobbies. The goal of The Big LAN is simply to provide events that people can come along, play games, and meet other people with similar hobbies.”

At a time where many have lost trust in churches, it is hoped that an event like this might help participants to see Christians for who they are. But, Jacob’s vision provides a challenge for all involved. He hopes to see the church stretched beyond its usual activities to find a unique way of making itself available to the community. “I think that a lot of churches have struggled to progress as society has progressed around them. Everything is digital now and we need to find more ways of connecting with people where they’re at, and for a big part of the community (especially young-adult males) computer games is where they’re at.”

Look out for more from The Big LAN. After a successful first event in October 2019, and an excellent follow up in January, the aim is to run The Big LAN every quarter in 2020. “We hope to become a staple of the community and have Mitcham Baptist known as the place you can go for a good LAN Party.” Event information is  available at https://thebiglan.com 

Source: BUV News

Hope in the midst of loss

As I drove up the Hume Highway with Regional Pastor Robert Hayman and Partnership Development Pastor, Andrew Naylor, I felt unsure of what we would find. The fires had burnt through Cudgewa and come right up to the edges of the Corryong township. I had spoken to the Corryong Baptist Church Pastor, Graeme van Brummelen just after New Year’s Day when the fires had caused most of the town to evacuate. What would we find?

We picked up the Wodonga District Baptist Church Pastor, David Hodgens as we made our way towards Corryong, passing through a police checkpoint where a big sign read “Road Closed.” David Hodgens told us how on New Year’s Day he responded to calls as a chaplain for Victorian Council of Churches Emergency Ministries (VCCEM) by travelling to Corryong. As most people were leaving David entered an area where there was no mobile coverage and was unable to receive advice from VCCEM to leave the area.  David met with Pastor Graeme and other ministers to provide whatever help they could. There was now a relief centre that had been set up in Corryong and Pastor Graeme and two other pastors from Corryong helped to get things up and running in partnership with other emergency services. Graeme used the food the church was going to use the night before for their new year’s celebration to feed those who arrived at the relief centre. David led a team who knocked on doors in Corryong and recorded who was home and whether they were staying or leaving. If people needed help they sought to arrange for the support they needed.

A property in Cudgewa before and after the fire

Graeme himself, was among those who lost a significant number of cattle from his own farm which had to be put down. As he helped others in the same position, he remembers coming over a hill and seeing a farmer standing in his field with 45 head of cattle lying dead in front of him. Other cattle were saved but the fences were down and he couldn’t leave or the cattle would wander. The farmer told Graeme that when he saw him and the other town Pastor come over the hill he felt like he had seen two angels. They helped him focus on getting a temporary fence up and focus on one thing at a time.

Meanwhile, back in the town relief centre where Pastor David Hodgens was assisting, one person became very anxious and agitated. He didn’t know what had happened to his friend. Was she alright? Was she in danger? He became more and more distraught. David noticed him getting upset and went to talk to him. As they talked, David realised that he had visited the house of the very friend he was anxious about. He opened his log book, pointed to her address and told the man she was fine and had evacuated after David had arranged for her to leave. The man calmed down and David silently praised God that he cared enough to put David in a place to bring peace in a way that David could never have forseen.

Speaking with Pastor Graeme we were so encouraged and inspired to see his love for the people of Corryong and his desire to love and support them in Christ-like way. The people in the relief centre could also clearly see Graeme and ’s love for them. When Graeme realised that they were unlikely to have a service on Sunday morning because of the number of people who had been evacuated, the people who had never attended Corryong Baptist Church before said, “We’ll be your congregation.”

There is so much work ahead for those recovering from the devastation of the bushfires. Numbers of families within the church had properties burnt and cattle lost. One family lost their home. It was a privilege for us as staff from the BUV, to listen, to pray with and to seek to help direct the funds that our Baptist family has so generously donated. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for your gifts. They mean so much to the people of Corryong and the rest of the state that has suffered through the bushfires.

Source: BUV News

On a warm summer morning, we meet Pastor Glenn Koh at a ‘building site’. The café down the road is open, but we decide to chat amongst the clamour of hammers and screw drivers, overlooking unfinished surfaces and frequently needing to pause until the saw has done its job. It is the site of Pathway Baptist Church(PBC). It is the site of growth and the evidence of a church that is flourishing together as family. The noise doesn’t deter him. He is an enthusiastic man with kind and wise eyes.

Glenn speaks purposefully with excitement, “I always encourage people to be part of a building project in their church life because you can see God at work.” He is buoyed by the faith of the people around him who are hopeful for the ways that the new PBC extension building will minister to the Bulleen community. This is where Glenn has put down roots and has committed to cultivating the soil. A place completely unknown to Glenn in his formative years, and even unexpected in his adult years.

At the age of seven, Glenn was selling newspapers on the streets of Singapore. Every secondary school holiday, he sold biscuits door-to-door. One particular day he started with his usual line. “I am selling biscuits to help finance my own education.” However, the potential customer immediately responded with, “You wait! You wait!” Glenn stood at the door as the man fetched his own son from within the house. Using Glenn as an example and a moral lesson, he said, “Look at this boy! He has to work!” A packet of biscuits would sell for $3.20, which would earn Glenn 40 cents, but this man handed over ten dollars and said, “I don’t want your biscuits. You keep the ten dollars.” As Glenn recounts the story from his childhood, he laughs, “I will always remember this. I met so many customers, but I only remember him because he was so kind to me. Kindness always leaves a deep impression in people’s lives.” Kindness, as was shown to him is now a mark of his own life and ministry.

Glenn’s buoyant outlook belies a tough childhood. At just 10 months of age, Glenn’s father passed away, leaving his mother, without a welfare safety net, to care for him and his five older siblings. Tragically, his mother passed away when Glenn was nine years old. His older sisters, still teenagers themselves, raised him and his three brothers, while holding the family of six siblings together. In his young years, Glenn’s was exposed to the gospel through church people singing in his housing estate. But, it was through a friend’s invitation to a Scripture Union Camp that fifteen-year-old Glenn first experienced a Christian community. His curiosity at their kindness led him to explore faith more deeply and within six months he had decided to follow Jesus. “If my friend didn’t bring me to church, I might be a drug addict. I was surrounded with good people from a young age and that helped me understand how the Church was such a good environment for me and set me on the right path.”

Soon after his decision to follow Christ, Glenn attended a mission conference. More than 35 years on, Glenn recalls with clarity the challenge delivered to the conference delegates. “The God we worship is worthy to be made known.” This challenge moved Glenn onto the next step of obedience. By his mid-twenties, Glenn was serving through Operation Mobilisation in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Afghanistan. Although not knowing it at the time, these two precious years were preparing Glenn for the challenges of cross-cultural ministry that would imbue him as a pastor in Melbourne.

With the support of his home church in Singapore, Glenn began studies at the Bible College of Victoria (now Melbourne School of Theology) in 1996. He then continued in post-graduate studies at Ridley College. His original plan was to return to Singapore, however, Glenn became a youth pastor at Evangelical Community Church in Blackburn South, a role he held for six years. Then, in 2007, Glenn established Sonlife Community Church, which amalgamated with Bulleen Baptist in 2016 to become Pathway Baptist Church – two culturally distinct congregations which have become one family.

Glenn reflects on his life of living in different cultures. While serving with OM, “food wise, there were no challenges. I could sleep anywhere, I could talk to anybody. My OM cross-cultural experience prepared me as a pastor.” However, being Singaporean in Australia, there are deeper and more challenging cultural distinctives. Australians have very firm personal boundaries. But, Asian culture doesn’t say, “It’s your day off, I won’t call you!” Glenn is well suited to this pastoral work, as he is imminently relaxed and prepared to give time to those who need it.

However, this begs the question, how does he find rest and rejuvenation when always on call? Glenn pulls out his watch to reveal his answer. That morning he walked for two hours. In fact, he walks for two hours every morning. On hot days he will head out early. The rain doesn’t deter him. There are no excuses. While walking he spends one-on-one time with God. He listens to sermons, listens to music, formulates sermons. His daily discipline helps him to remain vital in his work. He acknowledges that his leadership of twelve years in the church is at times a struggle, and commitment to the work can be tough. But, he is keen to rebuild an old adage. He says with conviction, “The grass is greener where you water it. Stay put, grow roots and cultivate.”

Glenn is passionate about sowing seeds of the gospel and kindness in people’s lives. But, there are also times Glenn has been able to reap. Recently he baptized an 86-year-old lady. “I cannot imagine getting credit just because I preached one right message. Can you imagine how many people ahead of me have sown seeds in her life?” In this own life, Glenn is keen to acknowledge the kindness that has been sown in his life – those who have gone beyond what is expected. The ones who have taken on the role of nurturer, extended an invitation, given generously and supported his learning.

The diverse family at Pathway is partly a reflection of its pastor. However, for all the training and varied experiences that have helped to shape Glenn, he is quick to acknowledge what draws together God’s people in Bulleen. “We have a 102-year-old and teenagers in our congregation. It is important to always go back to God’s word. Preach God’s word. It is timeless. We don’t have to contextualize until we lose the distinctive truth, as truth is always relevant.” Pastor Glenn is leading his congregation to sow the gospel – a timeless gospel transcending cultures and generations. As he sits amongst the unfinished walls and delights in the progress around him, he offers encouragement to all who are in the midst of this gospel work. “Sow seeds and God will do the work.”

Source: BUV News