WA’S BAPTIST NEWSPAPER theadvocate.tv FEBRUARY 2021 IN CONVERSATION Singer/songwriter, Colin Buchanan “God wants to reach out to each person, to talks about his career and his quest to let his natural life connect personally with them, through people.” be spiritual. PAGE 12 >> ANDREW TURNER PAGE 13 >> End of an era for Mark Pastor Mark Wilson’s 14 years as the Baptist Churches Western Australia (BCWA) Director of Ministries is concluding in March, as Australian 3 A flash of hope Baptist Ministries has appointed him the National Hospital pastoral care team Ministries Director. organise a flash dance >> BCWA Council Chair, connection with the health of Martin Alciaturi in a its pastor.” communication to pastors and Tom Price Baptist Church churches shared that Mark had Pastor, Gavin Douglas is one of the overseen 14 years of service and many pastors who experienced significant achievements as the Mark’s support firsthand. Director of Ministries. “I have loved how Mark is for “Mark leaves BCWA a the pastor – Mark stood alongside significantly transformed us, listened, empowered and organisation and we are very championed for us.” thankful for the numerous Alongside his service as the 4 Crossway’s new changes he has pioneered,” Director of Ministries, Mark has service Martin said. served on numerous foundation Affordable Bible-based Council member, Pastor boards for Western Australian counselling commences >> Karen Siggins shared the Baptist ministries including Council’s excitement on Mark’s the Baptist Relief Fund. This new appointment: fund partners with local Baptist “Mark has led Baptist churches to help individuals and Churches Western Australia with families who have been affected integrity and skill – the Council is by natural disasters, including delighted that Mark will have the the South West fires in 2016. opportunity to make even more of Mark also served as Chair a difference for the Kingdom, at a of the Western Australia Heads national level.” of Churches for five years and In an interview with will continue to serve as a 10 Persecution rises The Advocate in 2007, Mark Vice President for the Asia COVID-19 has intensified shared that even though Baptist’s Pacific Baptist Federation, persecution of Christians >> were a “big denomination”, there helping to revitalise the was a place for churches to “work body that represents over together with one vision to make 33,000 local churches a difference”. and 63 conventions in 22 In his tenure, Mark along countries across the Asia with BCWA staff committed to Pacific region. finding ways to fulfill the vision of In its being an empowering movement announcement to We are stronger helping pastors, ministries, Baptist churches churches and their communities regarding Mark’s say yes to Jesus. appointment, Australian when we work A defining example of this Baptist Ministries National was revitalising the pastoral Chair, Reverend Steve together retreat for pastors, chaplains and Ingram said, “We are their spouses. Mark’s Executive delighted that Mark Wilson Assistant, Matthew Chapman will be stepping into the role.” said Mark was very committed “Mark brings excellent BAPTIST CHURCHES to ensuring the organisation had experience and understanding WESTERN AUSTRALIA healthy churches. for the position and we are excited “Mark’s commitment to the to see where God will lead us as health of those in ministry is a national movement over the remarkable,” he said. coming years.” “Mark is passionate about the health of pastors – spiritually, Supplied Photo: physical and emotionally – his Baptist Churches Western Australia Director of Ministries, Mark Wilson strong belief is that the health of will be concluding in March to take up the role of National Ministries the local church has an intrinsic Director for Australian Baptist Ministries. 2 my view FEBRUARY 2021 My desk diary My desk diary for 2021 arrived and for a moment I thought that all would be There are warnings in well again. The clean slate is so appealing. Like the unused exercise book at the Scripture about making plans and start of a new term, it promises productive days ahead. getting too far ahead of ourselves. And there’s that line that if you want to make God laugh tell Its colour coded symmetry such times. The only things that I’d planned to read one a week. Him your plans. But I’ve always and tastefully curated poems happened as expected and written But I got distracted by long days thought that quip does people set alongside the seven days of down were the public holidays and dog days, repeating but not and plans and God a disservice. the week suggest an ordered and Christmas Day, which rhyming. But I’m catching up People are, after all, creatures that world. It’s filled with potent thankfully weren’t cancelled. It is now before I bin the year. There plan and most of us make them in blank spaces. There are pages of an itinerary of the crossed out, the is Wordsworth with, “The world is the hope and expectation of good notes at the back for ideas as yet cancelled and the postponed. That too much with us”; Larkin saying, things. I believe plans matter to Rhidian Brook unhatched. Future disasters are planned trip to the desert. Taking “There’s nothing to be said.” Blind people; and that plans matter to Rhidian Brook is an unacknowledged in this clean, my friend to a footy game. Having Milton worrying about his future God. And sometimes they rhyme. award-winning writer of uninfected ledger. It invites me my aunt to tea. It wasn’t to be. and hearing God’s reassurance Christmas could be seen as a fiction, television drama and to write in some things that Reviewing this year’s diary entries in the darkness. And this week’s plan. A cosmic and parochial plan film and regularly presents might happen. It’s calling me to is to be confronted with the full poem The Oxen by Thomas to include all people. An ever- BBC Radio 4’s ‘Thought for make plans. meaning of Robert Burns’ line Hardy, who wrote that if someone recurring poem of redemption the Day’. Then I look at 2020’s desk about the best laid plans of mice had asked him on Christmas Eve and rescue in which a God comes diary. And I think you didn’t see and men going awry. to “Come, see the Oxen kneel,” he among us. And we are invited to that coming did you? It’s a brave Only the desk diary’s poems would “go with him in the gloom, go and meet Him in the gloom. person who makes any plans in have stood the test of these times. Hoping it may be so”. Hoping it may be so. A new years’ revolution Here we are, a moment or two into a new year and I wonder how those intervention parting the waters resolutions are going. Did you choose something? Maybe a goal, a health- during the liberation from Egypt. related target or a new venture perhaps, or was it not doing something. What if we approached a desire for renewal in the ‘company of the elders’, No sugar? Eliminate single use not only modern mental health correction is its own kind of considering what wisdom, ways plastics? I see that hand. Now, practitioners figured this out. pattern, and you may have and patterns we might lean into, how many, a few weeks in, are The early church and the people already heard the Isaiah 43:19 with gratitude and memory of still working? of God throughout Scripture ‘new thing’ quote once or twice God’s faithfulness in hand. I wonder if there might be were onto it too. From feasts and at this time of year. Even while If I act differently, I may a better way to see change. As festivals to sabbath and jubilee, beckoning the new, the prophet’s see a different outcome; if I a student and practitioner of rhythm and ritual patterned life words call to memory an old story form a habit, I have become a Tara Conradt addiction counselling many years for the people of God. Jesus could familiar to his original audience different person who will then act Tara Conradt is part of the back now, one critical dynamic have set the disciples a goal to [Exodus 17:1-7]. Weary in the differently. team at Hillsong Perth, and was clear. That is, that successful take seriously the community desert wilderness the Israelites If you could reframe your is an aspiring teacher/lecturer change is not so much about of fellowship He instigated, but need fresh water. God tells Moses resolution as a habit or pattern, and lifetime student what we are giving up, or not instead He set the table and said to go to a rock in the company what would it be? of theology. going to do, it’s about what we that whenever you eat and drink, of the priestly elders and with a are going to do instead. Setting “do this in remembrance of me” staff, and water flows. The elders up new patterns or rhythms in [Luke 22:19b]. A new habit. represent tradition, law and ritual; our life is much more likely to Marking the new year the staff invokes memories and yield positive results. It seems that with reflection and necessary gratitude for Gods miraculous On curiosity … I am old enough to remember the saying, “curiosity killed the cat”. Until now words, a question answered I’ve heeded the warning and expressed no interest in this proverb’s origin, is a resurrection of sorts.