Recent articles from the Witness – the monthly magazine of the BUV

The Witness is a Victorian Baptist Churches Magazine that voices discussions of the life and culture of Baptist churches in Victoria.

The Witness maintains a partnership with the Victorian Baptist churches through the communication of local church news and stories which illuminate the positive, meaningful moments and events within the Baptist community in Victoria.

The Witness also threads together stories from the wider body of churches and global issues within Victoria and the international church. It is a vehicle that facilitates the Baptist Union of Victoria’s objectives to "share the love of Jesus with everyone".

Each edition of the Witness is themed, and the September edition is 'Multicultural'. You can read snippets from a few sample articles below. For Witness subscription information, contact Rhonda Shaw on (03) 9880 6100 or rhonda.shaw@buv.com.au

1. "The Welcome of God" by Rev Meewon Yang:  Multicultural ministry is now increasingly a central theme of churches worldwide. It is based on the Gospel call to welcome the stranger and embrace foreigners. It is to actively extend the love and hospitality of God.

The Church is called to embody the welcome of God's household to all people in their cultural diversity. The central issue in developing a multicultural ministry is to nurture an open and welcoming attitude towards strangers, instead of fearing strangers coming into one's midst. Choosing to live in this way makes it possible for people from different "worlds" to integrate into one's community.

2. "Multicultural Ministry" by Rev Meewon Yang:  The BUV is growing multiculturally! By no means is this an easy journey and it is certainly a long one, but it is so enriching and a journey that God calls us to be on! As we look ack over the BUV Multicultural ministry, we see the changes and mutual opennes that has occurred in Anglo-Australian and non-Enlish speaking (NESB) churches. It is challenging and exciting to witness these developments and the many significant achievements in the BUV churches.

3. "When The World is at Your Door", a look at evangelism in Moonee Ponds:  How much does one Melbourne suburb change in 30 years? And how can a church best reach the varied cultures that now live there? Pastor Mal Collins has Pastored Moonee Ponds Baptist Church for nearly three decades and shares with us his insights into evangelism to the varied community at his door.

4. "Ordinand Series, Part 3" : Part 3 of the Ordinand Series talks to John Gabell, the Senior Pastor of Maryborough Baptist, Wally Starchanko, the Youth Pastor at Berwick Community Baptis, and Luan Le, the Associate Pastor of the Vietnamese congregation at Syndal Baptist. They're asked questions such as "What inspired you to become ordained?", "What are your thoughts on some key issues facing Baptist ministry today?", and "What is the best and hardest thing about ministry?".

THE FULL ARTICLES AND MUCH MORE ARE AVAILABLE IN THE SEPTEMBER EDITION OF THE WITNESS!

Just as God first welcomed us, we have a ministry to welcome others with His love; accepting, forgiving, nurtutring one another, no matter how 'strange' or 'different'  - so that together we become mature in faith and witness. It is a marvellous gift and indeed mercy, that we are not all alike and that His grace reaches all, indiscriminately. So let's celebrate this; let's strive to to build the sort of church God wants!