The Christian Chronicle (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 42, No. 4, Ed. 1 Monday, April 1, 1985 Page: 4 of 20
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Christian Chronicle and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Abilene Christian University Library.
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CHRISTIAN CHRONICLE / APRil
CHRONICL
rthf
AraAsaSee
Timor
Darwin
Queensland
Perth
Victoria
iff
?
hoqpfteis. They al wad pareute," saM
Dfobrow.
I
Western
Australia
South
Australia
•Alice
Springs
IA
■
mufti:
limited
OlVMl
tracHti
Hand
ions
i and
’ Northern
Territory
AUSTRALIA
myopia and
h African Chri
pear to be sic
Coloured, blac
I to worship tofi
L More often,
1, leaders agi
impacedthe
re went in th
cooperation
It wasn't the
Idered it,” sal
in South Afrit
he church toe
Itude
From page
i missionaries bed
KOs. although vht|
ler. Ttex William!
became the firl
of the churches I
the late 1980s. Thl
rts by John Hani
luntry where bll
whites, there arel
of Christ. Fair r]
congregations in I
fcrship of 3,000 I
hip is estimated B
with perhaps 1,1
I church and nB
B sketchy amonB
Ission work byB
the late 1960s. b|
La., visits the cB
kates there are B
is with more thaB
hbwn area. B
id churches alB
lEast London, IM
[‘These are gixxfl
k good strong 11
[pie, “ said Fair !
jh some white rl
r I
Id coloureds, mfl
ked as a result ■
black Natal ScM
I the leading bfl
Africa today wel
I preaching. I
' 'f
The largest church in Australia is the Ci*
ty Beach congregation in Perth, Western
Australia. It’s also the only church on the
island continent with an existing eldership.
Attendance at City Beach runs about 175
on Sunday mornings. That’s roughly three
times the size of an average Australian
church and about 50 more in number than
the nation's next largest congregation.
What makes City Beach unusual is its ap-
proach to ministry.
Though very capable of supporting its own
preacher, the church chooses not to do so.
Members do the preaching, instead. It has
little contact with the other congregations
in the Perth area.
Yet it is far from being a non-cooperative
congregation
"The distance between churches here and
the fact we are actively involved in our own
activities keeps us pretty busy."
Blackmore explained that eight men
share the preaching responsibilities tor the
church. AH eight have been trained by City
Beach.
"Our people wouldn’t object scripturally
to only having one preacher," Blackmore
answered in response to a question. “They
might feel deprived, though."
“We're not opposed tn support for the
minister. We might support one of our own
here someday, we snow mat mere ■ nouung
unscriptural about supporting preachers
and teachers"
The congregation began in 1966 as a plant-
ing effort by the Embleton congregation.
Embleton is the "mother church" for the
five area Perth congregations. Marvin
Phillips, “Dilsa, Okla., was City Beach's first
preacher.
The church maintains a deaf ministry,
supports native preachers in Papua New
Guinea and India, publishes the “Truth in
Love" (a free weekly paper with a national
circulation of 1JOO) and reaches out to the
community through weekly "sharing"
groups.
According to Blackmore, City Beach has
averaged M baptisms a year for the past
throe yearo. That's the kind of consistency
he Him.
In lees than four years, the Belmore Road
church in Melbourne, Victoria, has grown
#!*?**'
Missions of Mercy granted
Missouri child care license
ST. BOOTH Mleriono of Mercy, Inc., was
awarded Rs license to act as a chfld-piactag
agamy March I.
The license, granted by the state of
Mlssiuri, malm MOM the firot Homed
agwry to work primarily with international
cMMron, said Leigh Dtebrow, whs is on the
board sf directors of MOM
"We have capable and prefasstoual staff
brib Hi Obe Untied Mates and abroadtesorve
cNMren and famlliea,” said Dtobrow.
Chuck Jotoor.ckroctor of MOM ptecamont
serotooa. is the cbfaf of the ^ncy's
MOM offices are located at the McKnight
Road Church of Christ, M Lente.
Dtebrou said MOM OMproridi sdqdiiui
from tedma, Costa Rica and fires It r
“Many of there chtidren are osphmad ar
I ;
cum
El
■ ;
didn’t expect, he nevertheless stayed I
ing to heal and teach the church. TheJ
work of healing completed, he finally]
ed into an evangelistic role.
Hy^tJ, Australia
The nation's fastest growing congrj
is nestled in the middle of its largest]
Three-and-o-half years ago, the S J
Church of Christ didn't exist Today]
an average attendance in the 90's J
members have taught ana baptized]
than 10 people since its inception. I
Fontenot, an American, said the!
gregation began with his family and]
Australian ones. It was known fora wJ
the Hornsby church, then the Sunrise]
before settling as the Sydney Chi]
Christ.
Asked to explain the rapid gnJ
Fontenot identified three areas.
“We have an evangelistic spirit," be J
“Every individual is involved We ala]
a quality IWtowuhip that is visible tom
and, finally, we place a great dealefl
phasis on the Word.
“We expect more from our membsn
explained. "It's not enough to say tell
important to do certain things; weed
everybody who is baptised to do M
things.
“Our converts know nothing else!
have continual teaching to reinforced
and our leadership sets the example*]
When asked to describe the bast
preach of the Sydney church, Fontenots
“We're trying to practice New TesuJ
Christianity in the restoration style."
According to Fontenot, the basic na
of the Sydney church is married route
their M's. About a fifth of the congnte
is comprised of singles. A campus mud
has recently begun.
Concerning the possibility of M
Fontenot said, "Optimistically, we hj
have elders in two years."
In a etty of four million that’s aM
capital of New South Wales, the Sjd
church has made decisive in-roodU
sidering these, there is title reason bij
Fontenot’s optimism. — norm phom
Fill art Note: During a March tij
Australia, Norm Petersen intervid
ministers in three of the larged, tte
growing churches of Christ in AuknH
Christian families in Honduras aeg
Ecuador vutenteer to care for time cMkken
wbde tiwy are waging for ponmont Onto*
tianfamHten
DMmw said the agency places children
in honmwMh er without chHdren. There is
cwreatiy m waiting list far adoptive
MOM also watts to provide dottes*,
medical care, food relief and education to
families in there central American
countries.
A second "Honduras Exprom’wUl travel
throughout the south to coUoct donated
goods for MDM’s program In Central
America. Oaordteetero ooM they do not yet
kmw the end route of the May collection
trip
MOM reported that more tiwn UM6
................diluted in thafirot
^■otidwn Kxprore*’ conducted in
November 1004
body that approaches the 100 mark In week-
ly attendance.
It has recently outgrown its meeting
place. Rather than build a new structure or
expand its present one, the members elected
to assemble in a high school theatre and
“.. use the money for evangelistic pur-
poses."
The church has hired a fulltime Australian
preacher and contributes to the support of
New
South Wales
s*dneym£
Xpanberra
""""I J ' •
• -" Taaowi
Mm
_______
ly port of 19B. It's oeen positive since then."
Downey and his family arrived in
February IMS. A group of Adventures In
Missions students led by Bernard
Kregagaard accompanied them.
Their first baptism didn't occur until Ju-
ly of that year.
Skwiy, Downey said, an evangelistic spirit
began to permeate the body.
Feeling that Ms work is nearly completed,
Downey will return to the Mates in the lat-
ter part of tMs year. AmtroHaa Ray Duvtoon
Is working full-time with the church end wOl
slowly assume Downey’s duties.
Downey was asked to amerc Ho four yearo
at Belmore Road. Thrust into a situation he
Harts leave for Durt
«■ aWk feaMMMa*.
I
^FOMfo^teteh
mydreaautetohrefo
rfffoMitogoondl
kteORsuforiil MMte
■at
A
• «0
Teana*. .
______\
students in the Macquarie School of BibHcal
Studies. Its weekly budget of fM for 1MI
had to be revamped, upward, in the spring
of the year.
How did it happen? How did a church
fragmented by the divorce and remarriage
issue rebound so poeitively in less than four
yearo?
American miacionary Ron Downey, who
has boon at Belmore Road the past four
years, measured Ns words carefaHy before
answering.
“There were two things," he said finally.
“Firot, we emphasise the basis for unity —
the cress. Then we worked at it.
"Second, we equipped the saints for sor-
IruudMMtotic
KfelMte will te
4 NATIONAL NEWS
Australia: three churches use different approach©
• The brothers were frustrated and con-
fused," explained Downey of his arrival in
Melbourne. “They were in the middle of
somebody else’s struggle. Eventual
polarization was a foregone conclusion.
“For the firot six months, there was no
evangelism. There was just too much work
within the congregation to do.
“We finally turned the comer in the ear-
indtam )
QNbto
(
\
T
A.
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Norton, Howard W. & McMillion, Joy L. The Christian Chronicle (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Vol. 42, No. 4, Ed. 1 Monday, April 1, 1985, newspaper, April 1, 1985; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1308134/m1/4/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 9, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.