HIM FAMILY NEWS
Global Conference in Chiang Mai, Thailand
I greet you in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ and hope you have a happy and blessed 2011. In the month of January, we had our Global Conference (GC) which was held at Chiang Mai, Thailand. More than 150 international leaders and pastors in our HIM family along with 120 of our Thai leaders and pastors joined together at GC. All in all, we had 250 who came, shared together, prayed together and to be ministered to together.
We had our teaching on passion. We want to continue to dwell into how we can keep passion in our lives, ministries and being able to passionately serve God all the days of our lives. We were also blessed to have Pastor Bill Wilson from New York. He has ministered to hundreds and thousands of children all over the world, in particular in New York. He challenged us to be passionate in our ministries through his own life example.
Brothers and sisters, we have an exciting year ahead. At the Global Conference, we also launched our five year strategic plan and shared it with our people. I recall roughly about two years ago when I shared about initiatives we wanted to implement in our HIM family. At the time, I talked about the 4 Ms: Mission thrust, developing Ministries, Maturing our churches and Management. As I think about this further now, these 4 Ms are linked in with the Strategic Plan. We have 6 Priorities and 16 Initiatives. We are excited as we launch ourselves forward for the next five years: 2011-2015. We will embark on these 6 major priorities which will transform us and it is going to lead us in the future as well.
Pastor Simon Eng
President of HIM
Hope Melbourne ministry in Hope Tokyo
Greetings from Hope Melbourne. This year’s method for holiday planning was different. I asked my wife to pray about going where God would love us to go. She was a little nervous; where might that be she thought?! Anyway, as we prayed I distinctly saw a Japanese lady with those pretty Japanese umbrellas. I told my wife. She was shocked but happy. Deep down she always wanted to go to Japan.
After, checking the price of the flight (which was expensive) and the weather conditions(winter and can snow in parts) we thought twice. God is that you? On our final day of prayer God supernaturally confirmed to go. Two guys came on board my tram and spoke loudly all about Japan. God’s presence was there. God provided the flight and we went.
What followed was a blessed holiday with the Holy Spirit’s continued presence though out and we were able to share the faith to many we met along the way. A highlight was to minister in Hope Tokyo and fellowship with the people. Many shared that they were surprised that the timing was so accurate! The ministry really hit the spot and gave them fresh encouragement and encounter with God.
Japan is very tightly organised and run society. It's too easy to put God in a box. God led me to move in the gifts of the spirit. Words of prophesy brought encouragement and release as heavens presence came. The hearts were thirsty to hear from God first hand; we saw so many Japanese reading fortune cookies and messages from temples over the new year time. We must present the living God or else people will get absorbed in Satan's counterfeit! My main message was about receiving God's love; revelational about what God has done in Christ. We are clothed with a Kimono of many colours in Christ just like Joseph, we are so loved by the father and greatly privileged by him. Sharing about his love brought a lot of joy. In such a performance oriented society we need to know this.
We can only have a love beyond ourselves like God when we know and can sense his agape love for us. I also shared about reaching our next door neighbours by the Holy Spirit. God has been moving lately in my life. Japan is huge; great if we are able to make inroads next door. The people had big hearts and realise they need the Holy Spirit more. We too were encouraged by their hearts to commit to God and were so blessed by their love and great hospitality.
The lesson: always look to the Holy Spirit and His leading and being sent by the Spirit brings us great joy. God is good. The truth is that "Of the increase of His kingdom and peace there will be no end." Happy New Year to you all! May it be a good one with His presence.
Written by Pastor Mark Rusic, Hope Church - Melbourne City Centre
Hope Darebin Third Anniversary
September was a time to celebrate for the Darebin Centre as we came together to celebrate our third anniversary on Friday night, September 24. The theme for the night was titled 'Home,' as the church has been a shelter and a second home for many of the members ever since the church was planted back in 2007.
It was a time of reflection as we remembered how far God has brought us so far. There was entertainment with dancing and multimedia, worshipping God through a multicultural praise and worship team. We also had a time of appreciate as each life group came forward to thank our leaders, Eric and Atom, for their hearts in beginning the Darebin Centre, and making us all feel part of this spiritual family. We are very thankful for the serving hearts of so many people who were involved in bringing everything together on time, and making it a night to remember.
Above all, we really want to thank God for all He has done, and for the lives we have seen transformed over time by His grace and love. Without Him, we would not be here today to share this special occasion as a church. We also want to praise God for the fact that this is just merely the beginning! Reported by Simon Hardy
8th Annual Christmas 4 Kids Community Event
Four hours every 365 days – it may not seem like much, but the folks of Inala will tell you that the annual Christmas for Kids (C4K) is something they look forward to. So much so that the Kelly family and their friends were at DJ Sherrington Park almost two hours before the 10am start. Miranda Kelly, 6, remembers having her face painted last year and that’s one of the first things she did again this year. Despite of the heavy rain, over 200 children and families participated in this special community event.
Put up by volunteers from Hope Brisbane Church’s community service arm, Hands of Hope, C4K showcases the Christmas spirit of unconditional giving. This year, that giving was tested by the rain, which started days before 4 December and kept coming down on Saturday itself. Yet the 300 volunteers selflessly arrived by 7.30am (some even spent the night at the park in their cars) to set up and generously gave of themselves throughout the day.
No wonder the VIPs, such as Brisbane’s Right Honourable Lord Mayor Campbell Newman and his Inala representative Rachel Bickle, said they were “in awe” of the volunteers. Indeed, the volunteers have lived out what Mother Theresa would say, “We can do no great things, only small things, with great love”.
Mumbai, India Mission Trip – December 2010
In December 2010, eight of us from Hope Church Brisbane’s student leadership team headed to Mumbai for an exposure and exploration trip. It was an overwhelming, eye-opening experience…in a good way.
We hooked up with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) and rubbed shoulders with a number of missionaries and pastors at a Christmas dinner. It proved to be a good learning opportunity and through YWAM, many doors were opened. We had the opportunity to spend time in ministry with children in the slums and streets with songs, stories, cricket matches, and prayer and to bless them with food and necessities.
It was overwhelming and heart-wrenching to see the extreme poverty and hopelessness of the people, even as we walked the streets. It felt like we had to process everything we set our eyes on. It is hard to describe the experience in Dharavi (the world’s largest slum where Slumdog Millionaire was filmed). We were invited into one of the homes in the slum, and they served us dinner on their bed. Also through a divine appointment, we met a pastor of a church numbering 150 people in the slum; we spent some time with, and ministered to him and his team. The presence of God filled the room so strongly; we felt it physically. Prophetic words flowed as the Spirit moved and everyone was visibly encouraged and blessed. On Sunday, we visited a large, and growing, church of about 3000 in Mumbai. It was an amazing worship service as the congregation overflowed with passion and the Spirit. It was encouraging to see the gospel reaching so many from various demographics of the community through the church.
All in all, it was a fruitful trip. In terms of exploration, God revealed much through the prayer walks and times of intercession for the city - some keys to unlock the heavens over the city. For a short trip, there were some good contacts made. We are praying and trusting God that some long-term impact and opened doors will come forth from our time with various people and intercession. In terms of exposure, we got more than we hoped for. I believe God’s done some deep work within each of us in enlarging our hearts and deepening convictions for the Great Commission, as we continue to grapple with and respond to God’s purpose.
Written by Sunita Pala
I greet you in the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ and hope you have a happy and blessed 2011. In the month of January, we had our Global Conference (GC) which was held at Chiang Mai, Thailand. More than 150 international leaders and pastors in our HIM family along with 120 of our Thai leaders and pastors joined together at GC. All in all, we had 250 who came, shared together, prayed together and to be ministered to together.We had our teaching on passion. We want to continue to dwell into how we can keep passion in our lives, ministries and being able to passionately serve God all the days of our lives. We were also blessed to have Pastor Bill Wilson from New York. He has ministered to hundreds and thousands of children all over the world, in particular in New York. He challenged us to be passionate in our ministries through his own life example.
Brothers and sisters, we have an exciting year ahead. At the Global Conference, we also launched our five year strategic plan and shared it with our people. I recall roughly about two years ago when I shared about initiatives we wanted to implement in our HIM family. At the time, I talked about the 4 Ms: Mission thrust, developing Ministries, Maturing our churches and Management. As I think about this further now, these 4 Ms are linked in with the Strategic Plan. We have 6 Priorities and 16 Initiatives. We are excited as we launch ourselves forward for the next five years: 2011-2015. We will embark on these 6 major priorities which will transform us and it is going to lead us in the future as well.
Pastor Simon Eng
President of HIM
Hope Melbourne ministry in Hope Tokyo
Greetings from Hope Melbourne. This year’s method for holiday planning was different. I asked my wife to pray about going where God would love us to go. She was a little nervous; where might that be she thought?! Anyway, as we prayed I distinctly saw a Japanese lady with those pretty Japanese umbrellas. I told my wife. She was shocked but happy. Deep down she always wanted to go to Japan.
After, checking the price of the flight (which was expensive) and the weather conditions(winter and can snow in parts) we thought twice. God is that you? On our final day of prayer God supernaturally confirmed to go. Two guys came on board my tram and spoke loudly all about Japan. God’s presence was there. God provided the flight and we went.
What followed was a blessed holiday with the Holy Spirit’s continued presence though out and we were able to share the faith to many we met along the way. A highlight was to minister in Hope Tokyo and fellowship with the people. Many shared that they were surprised that the timing was so accurate! The ministry really hit the spot and gave them fresh encouragement and encounter with God.Japan is very tightly organised and run society. It's too easy to put God in a box. God led me to move in the gifts of the spirit. Words of prophesy brought encouragement and release as heavens presence came. The hearts were thirsty to hear from God first hand; we saw so many Japanese reading fortune cookies and messages from temples over the new year time. We must present the living God or else people will get absorbed in Satan's counterfeit! My main message was about receiving God's love; revelational about what God has done in Christ. We are clothed with a Kimono of many colours in Christ just like Joseph, we are so loved by the father and greatly privileged by him. Sharing about his love brought a lot of joy. In such a performance oriented society we need to know this.
We can only have a love beyond ourselves like God when we know and can sense his agape love for us. I also shared about reaching our next door neighbours by the Holy Spirit. God has been moving lately in my life. Japan is huge; great if we are able to make inroads next door. The people had big hearts and realise they need the Holy Spirit more. We too were encouraged by their hearts to commit to God and were so blessed by their love and great hospitality.The lesson: always look to the Holy Spirit and His leading and being sent by the Spirit brings us great joy. God is good. The truth is that "Of the increase of His kingdom and peace there will be no end." Happy New Year to you all! May it be a good one with His presence.
Written by Pastor Mark Rusic, Hope Church - Melbourne City Centre
Hope Darebin Third Anniversary
September was a time to celebrate for the Darebin Centre as we came together to celebrate our third anniversary on Friday night, September 24. The theme for the night was titled 'Home,' as the church has been a shelter and a second home for many of the members ever since the church was planted back in 2007.
It was a time of reflection as we remembered how far God has brought us so far. There was entertainment with dancing and multimedia, worshipping God through a multicultural praise and worship team. We also had a time of appreciate as each life group came forward to thank our leaders, Eric and Atom, for their hearts in beginning the Darebin Centre, and making us all feel part of this spiritual family. We are very thankful for the serving hearts of so many people who were involved in bringing everything together on time, and making it a night to remember.
Above all, we really want to thank God for all He has done, and for the lives we have seen transformed over time by His grace and love. Without Him, we would not be here today to share this special occasion as a church. We also want to praise God for the fact that this is just merely the beginning! Reported by Simon Hardy
8th Annual Christmas 4 Kids Community Event
Four hours every 365 days – it may not seem like much, but the folks of Inala will tell you that the annual Christmas for Kids (C4K) is something they look forward to. So much so that the Kelly family and their friends were at DJ Sherrington Park almost two hours before the 10am start. Miranda Kelly, 6, remembers having her face painted last year and that’s one of the first things she did again this year. Despite of the heavy rain, over 200 children and families participated in this special community event.
Put up by volunteers from Hope Brisbane Church’s community service arm, Hands of Hope, C4K showcases the Christmas spirit of unconditional giving. This year, that giving was tested by the rain, which started days before 4 December and kept coming down on Saturday itself. Yet the 300 volunteers selflessly arrived by 7.30am (some even spent the night at the park in their cars) to set up and generously gave of themselves throughout the day.
No wonder the VIPs, such as Brisbane’s Right Honourable Lord Mayor Campbell Newman and his Inala representative Rachel Bickle, said they were “in awe” of the volunteers. Indeed, the volunteers have lived out what Mother Theresa would say, “We can do no great things, only small things, with great love”.
Mumbai, India Mission Trip – December 2010
In December 2010, eight of us from Hope Church Brisbane’s student leadership team headed to Mumbai for an exposure and exploration trip. It was an overwhelming, eye-opening experience…in a good way.
We hooked up with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) and rubbed shoulders with a number of missionaries and pastors at a Christmas dinner. It proved to be a good learning opportunity and through YWAM, many doors were opened. We had the opportunity to spend time in ministry with children in the slums and streets with songs, stories, cricket matches, and prayer and to bless them with food and necessities.
It was overwhelming and heart-wrenching to see the extreme poverty and hopelessness of the people, even as we walked the streets. It felt like we had to process everything we set our eyes on. It is hard to describe the experience in Dharavi (the world’s largest slum where Slumdog Millionaire was filmed). We were invited into one of the homes in the slum, and they served us dinner on their bed. Also through a divine appointment, we met a pastor of a church numbering 150 people in the slum; we spent some time with, and ministered to him and his team. The presence of God filled the room so strongly; we felt it physically. Prophetic words flowed as the Spirit moved and everyone was visibly encouraged and blessed. On Sunday, we visited a large, and growing, church of about 3000 in Mumbai. It was an amazing worship service as the congregation overflowed with passion and the Spirit. It was encouraging to see the gospel reaching so many from various demographics of the community through the church.
All in all, it was a fruitful trip. In terms of exploration, God revealed much through the prayer walks and times of intercession for the city - some keys to unlock the heavens over the city. For a short trip, there were some good contacts made. We are praying and trusting God that some long-term impact and opened doors will come forth from our time with various people and intercession. In terms of exposure, we got more than we hoped for. I believe God’s done some deep work within each of us in enlarging our hearts and deepening convictions for the Great Commission, as we continue to grapple with and respond to God’s purpose.
Written by Sunita Pala
