the matthews family

team australia / church planters

7.16

It may be cold in Sydney, but we are not slowing down: Answered Prayer and Financials

Well, it is the cold season in Australia, but things remain very ‘hot’ for ministry. I wanted to give you a quick update on various ministry opportunities and then our twice a year financial update.

Most of our friends in the Northern Hemisphere are sweating through the summer, but we are pretty cold down under. That does not mean things slow down for ministry.

  • Youth Rally – It was an exciting night at the youth rally a few weeks ago. 80+ people came along and many non-believers. The talk was well received and the gospel was proclaimed.
  • Panels – Hot disucssion and new opporutnites in the city ministry. Religion & Extremism: Does Religion always lead to extremism? We had a Christian, a Muslim and Atheist discussion this topic.  You can watch the videos of the panel discussions. It was exciting and heated at times, but the best part was we had a whole new group of people that we were able to contact. Various backgrounds and our following series has seen a growth of people who are interested in engaging with the Bible.
  • Introducing God – We will be starting a new evangelistic event with the Introducing God series on Wednesday nights, starting 20 July. An 8 week series that gives an overview of the Bible for Genesis to Revelation. We had great attendance at the introductory night and we are asking for prayer for many Christians to bring along their workmates and friends to the upcoming series.
  • Helping Doubters with their Doubts Course – Russ just completed a 4 week course in helping Christians to get Jesus and God into conversation. We looked at the various aspects of the ‘defeater beliefs’ found in the Reason for God book by Tim Keller. Then the group went through and discussed the opportunities they have and could have in introducing the Bible into everyday discussion. The class went very well, but four weeks went too fast. We hope to do a follow-up course in the coming months.
  • FFC team - We are excited to have a team coming from First Family Church in Ankeny in October. Pray for the preparation and opportunities for ministry and experiencing the culture. Pray for the team as they are raising funds for the trip.
  • House and ‘Rivo’ – We have really enjoyed the transition to Riverstone NSW (Rivo as it is known). Small country feel, but right next to the city. We have enjoyed getting to know our neighbours and the community. The older girls are working at the local Subway and Josh is playing for the Quakers Hill Bombers (AFL team). Caroline is taking violin lessons and they all are enjoying their new school. Pray that we continue to reach people in this area for Christ.

 

Financials – We continue to commit to only communicate about our financial needs (except for emergencies) twice a year. We always want to keep the focus on the ministries and not continually on the finances. We find that most people will not read the rest of the newsletter if we constantly remind them of finances. But we do need to communicate our needs, this allows you all to be involved  and to see that you are partners in this ministry of the Gospel in Sydney.

  1. Support - The Lord has blessed and we have been able to maintain most of our support levels this year. We are currently $116 per month under-supported. The biggest challenge for our finances has been the exchange rate. The Australian dollar is the strongest they have seen. So, things are very tight financially,but the Lord continue to bless. Pray for improvement in the US dollar, too.
  2. Car- We want to thank all of the churches and the individuals for the quick response to our financial needs in regards to the van. When it broke down, it was challenging. The cost was not as much as originally thought, but we are still about $1411 in deficit for the repair of the van. Also, we are looking to purchase a smaller support vehicle for the ministry. The cost for a small used vehicle would be approximately $8000.
  3. How can you help? If you are able to assist with any of these needs we would appreciate your contribution. You can go to the ABWE website and either give one-off or become a monthly supporter. Also,  you can send cheques to ABWE or Saylorville Baptist Church for one-off gifts. If you would like to contribute to the vehicle, merely mark on your contribution O&P funds for Matthews vehicle.

Addresses of organisations:

Saylorville Baptist Church

6429 NW 6th Drive, Des Moines IA 50313

ABWE

PO Box 8585, Harrisburg, PA 17105

Thank you for your continued prayer and support. You are a part of this ministry an we are grateful for you all. 

The Adventure Continues…

Russ, Cathy, Becca, Hope, Joshua & Caroline

 

 

6.28

Needed Prayer – Panels & Youth Rally

This is turning out to be a pretty crazy week, but exciting. Just some quick prayer requests:

1. Panel discussions at CBF- Religion & Extremism: Does Religion Always Lead to Extremism? These panels have garnered quite a bit of media attention from newspapers, to radio and television. We are expecting record crowds at these events. Please be praying the Lord will be glorified and that the events will go well. www.citybibleforum.org & Facebook : City Bible Forum, Sydney

2. AFBC Youth Rally – Russ is the main speaker at the upcoming Youth Rally on Friday night. The talk is Who is the Jesus? Life. Please pray for for many to come, for the message to impact the kids, and  the technology to work.

3. Glorious Hope Baptist and ABWE – Pray for certain challenges in the ministry that have come to light this week.

6.14

Prayer, Billboards and who is this Jesus?

Sitting here on an early winter day in June, looking out on a cool and rainy day in our new home in Riverstone.

We live a bit closer to the Blue Mountains now. Some great sunsets, but a bit cooler in the evenings. It is about the same commute into the city for me, but a short drive to get the kids to school. the girls have started new jobs at Subway and Josh plays AFL for the Quakers Hill Bombers. We just finished the long weekend (Queen’s Birthday weekend) and we all got sick, but things are looking good for the coming month in ministry. It is a big week for sport in Australia, for those who remember from our visit last year. One of the big games is coming this week, ORIGIN football in NRL. The city is ready for some great football this week. Also, in the city this week, two billboard campaigns started and it has made for some excitement on the ministry side of things too.

Here is an update with some of the things that have been going on in Sydney and answers to many of your prayers.

Recent events:

John Series: We are currently into the last week of our ‘Seeing God Clearly: John Series’ at Glorious Hope Baptist. It has been a good series, many new visitors and some refreshment for our head pastor, Sam.

Sydney Prayer Breakfast: Over 570 people came to the Westin Hotel for the Sydney Prayer Breakfast. This was a new initiative that started last year in Sydney. Christians coming together in the city to pray for the city. We had the speaker, Mark Scott – Head of ABC (Australia’s PBS) give the main talk. There is nothing quite like hearing 570 voices praying for the needs of the city and for the salvation of the people who live here. To see more images and video coverage go to www.sydneyprayerbreakfast.com.au.

Upcoming events

Billboard campaign: A local Muslim group has had a billboard campaign recently that has proclaimed that Jesus is a prophet of Islam (My Peace.com.au). So, in an effort to graciously and directly answer their campaign, Ian Powell (Our primary speaker at City Bible Forum) was able to get a group started called Aussie Christians (www.aussiechristians.com.au). They answered this issue with an invitation to ‘chat’ about this issue. Along with this we have coordinated a few panels and debates to go along with the discussion between the groups. The goal is evangelistic and an opportunity to educate people on the issues and differences between the different religions. We have the head My Peace and a leading atheist coming in to discuss the topic  ‘Religion & Extremism: Debatable or Inevitable?’ Please pray for these events on 29/30 June.

Who is this Jesus? On 1 July, Russ will be speaking at a large rally for youth. He will be discussing the issue of ‘Who is this Jesus?’ Looking at the big idea of Jesus as God and ultimately being man. Pray for a well received message and good attendance.

Thanks for your continued prayer and support.

The adventure continues…

Russ, Cathy, Becca, Hope, Joshua and Caroline

5.21

Fruitful and Challenging (What a Great God We Serve)

Good morning to all,

Well, it is the 22nd of May and we are still here praising the Lord.  Thank you for your continual support and for your prayers. I wanted to take the time to get you all up to speed on what has been happening over the past month in our lives.

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world” – CS Lewis

It has been one of the most fruitful times and one of the most challenging times for us, since being on the mission field. The Lord has provided in mighty ways, we have seen salvations, I have been able to do my first baptism and the opportunities to speak around Sydney have been non-stop since the beginning of the year. Thanks for the constant prayer cover and we hope you are able to celebrate with us in all that the Lord has done.

School: Since the beginning of the year, the kids have started to attend Australian Christian College. It has been a blessing, but quite a change from homeschooling. The school has been great in helping Cathy and the kids to transition to the school atmosphere. The biggest challenge was the travel, Cathy was having to commute to the school each day for the kids.

Home: We decided to find a home closer to the school. Also, close to a train line for my work in the city. Part out of necessity, our rental home was being sold and we had to find a new place. The rental market is only 1% of the Sydney housing market, making it very challenging to find a home we could afford and that would fit our family. It took three months to find the house. (I will not go into all of the details, but at many homes viewings there were 50-100 people to see the house) At the end of March, The Lord provided a new home and we were planning to move in at the beginning of April. It is a lovely house, smaller, but meets all of our needs and we are able to serve effectively here.

Robbery: The weekend before the move, I was planning to preach at a sister church. We went to bed on Saturday night and during the night thieves broke into our home (while we were sleeping) and stole all of our computer, phones, bags (which contained our ids, money, etc.) and even my sermon. Feeling very violated and without many options, the Lord provided, but we needed to get our lives back in order. We only had a few days to move, but no immediate means of paying for a truck. We started moving the house, one van load at a time. It took many kilometres, but by the end of the week we were able to do get the move done. (We did eventually get some bank cards toward the end of the week and were able to secure a moving truck for the large items.) Fortunately, we were insured and the majority of items were replaced.

Van: A week later, as Cathy was coming home from setting up for an outreach event at church, the van broke down. Looking back, it is amazing that the van made it this far with all that it had gone through over the last few months. It broke down on a Friday night. No mechanics open until Monday in Australia. At 1am in the morning on Saturday, I sent out a brief prayer request. Within minutes, one of our supporting churches had offered to pay for a hire car for us until we were able to get the van fixed. Once we secured a van, we were still able to go the outreach on Saturday and I was able to preach on Sunday. We sent out a request to our supporters and WOW the Lord provided mightily. It was overwhelming and we hope you know how thankful we are for all of the responses. All the costs of the van were covered by the donations.

We are currently driving our faithful van and we are praising the Lord for the opportunity to serve.

Once again, thank you for your generosity and assistance with this process.

The Lord has been teaching us quite a bit about ourselves and Himself throughout this process.

  1. He is in control, even when we do not understand.
  2. We need to allow others to serve and learn through our situations.
  3. To rely on Him completely.
  4. He works through our good and bad times to speak to us and others.

Prayer requests:

  • John Series ar Glorious Hope Baptist- Five Speakers on different areas of the Gospel According to John
  • Planning for the team from First Family Church
  • Challenges and growth of the work at City Bible Forum – We would be able to secure the right panelists and speakers for the weekly talks
  • Aussie dollar ,it is strong (30year high)and the US dollar is weak. Puts a challenge on the finances

Thanks for your continued support and prayers.

The Adventure Continues…

Russ & Cathy Matthews

 

 

3.13

Serviettes, The Panel, Afterwork, House & School

Hello from the land Down Under,

Luke 18 :17 (ESV)

“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

The kids started attending Australian Christian College (college is the term for primary & high school in Australia) this year.

Serviettes: A tradition that my Mum used to do for my brother & I, was to write a note on my serviettes (napkin in Australian) in my Speed Racer (or was it Fat Albert) lunch box. If anyone saw it while I was at school, I would act like the note was not cool, but I will admit I looked forward to her words during the day. So, I thought I would do that for our kids. Something simple, but a message, from their Dad,  to encourage them during the day. One day after school, I tried to use the serviette  to clean Caroline’s face, because I saw that it was still in her lunchbox. A look of terror went over her face and tears started to form. Ahh…What had I done to cause the waterworks? (I am pretty hopeless when it comes to understanding the hearts of girls, sometimes) Later that night, Cathy explained the reaction to me. Caroline saved all of the napkins, because Daddy had written messages to her. She has all of the napkins stashed away in her little corner of special things. This explained why I am sternly reminded if I ever forget to write her a message. Also, I pity the person who touches the serviettes or tries to ‘recycle’ them. She loves getting the message from Dad and she cherishes the notes. (Please do not send me any messages on idols, she is five!) Children always are great for lessons in life and it continues to  amaze me how we can learn something from the devotion and love of a five year old.

I would be going too far to compare my messages on serviettes to the Word of God. Yet, the Bible is the Father’s message to us. Do we treat His message to us with this level of devotion? I was taken back with the impact that this simple action by Caroline had on me and my response to God’s Word. I do my devotions, I study the bible daily and I seek out good bible teachers to study under. Yet, do I look for His message with this fervor? Do my actions on responding to His message to me, show the same level of conviction? All of these are rather self-examining questions and to my shame the answer would have to be, ‘no’.  Thanks to Caroline and the gift she is to us, I have learned to love the Lord’s Word with a new vigger and I saw again why we are asked to have a child-like faith.

Panel + Series:

We started a new method of reaching out to  the communities around Sydney. Prior to every series at City Bible Forum we have been coordinating The Panel. It is a panel of three ‘experts’ on a topic from different positions. They come in for the lunch time and discuss/debate a topic and then open the floor for questions form the audience.

We have had two panels and they have met with Standing Room Only. Great discussion and questions. Also, it has translated to increased attendance at our lunch time meetings. We are meeting new people, especially non-believers, who are coming along to hear what our speakers have to say from the Bible.

If you would like to watch the videos, be part of the discussion or see the images from the panels go to City Bible Forum, Sydney. The two panels that have commenced, Imagine no religion…would we be better off? and Crossing Over… Is there anything after this life?

CBF Afterwork:

We have been looking for options to consider people coming together for a potential church plant. Afterwork is one of those considerations. We have contacted people who are seeking to know more about the bible and Jesus. They are not currently connected to a church and are looking for further study or just getting started. So, we are currently meeting with a group of about 15+ people on Wednesday nights. Please pray for the growth and fruit from this ministry.

Glorious Hope Baptist Church:

Peaks and valleys – We started this year with the hiring of a youth pastor and the youth group was quite excited about the consistency of good Bible teaching and fellowship. Unfortunately, the young man had to resign due to family issues a couple weeks into the term. So, the kids have acted well to the situation, but we could use your prayers on this issue.

School:

The kids are getting adjusted to school. Rebeca & Hope are getting adjusted to the rigors of year 11. It is very intense compared to homeschooling, but they do love the friendships they are making. They are a blessing to the school and the teachers do appreciate them in class. Josh seems to have a good ‘band of brothers’ in his classmates. School is challenging, but he is excelling in Mandarin (Chinese) and Art. Also, he placed second in swimming (50 M Freestyle) and cross country (2km run) and qualified for zone. Caroline, as the principal stated, could be left alone with the class and could teach it for the day. She loves school, her teachers and all of her classmates. She is ‘tutoring’ some of the other little girls in her class. (Yet she thinks the word tutor is a funny sounding word, ‘tooter’… must get it from her uncle)

House:

The house we rent is on the market for sale and we are looking to move closer to the school. The rental market is less than 1% of the housing market in Sydney. Needless to say, it is quite competitive. We could use your prayers. We need a house for ministry, that fits out family and that we can afford.

Well that is the info on the Matthews for now. Thanks for all of your prayers and we look forward to hearing from you soon. Keep glorifying the Lord.

The adventure continues…

Russ, Cathy, Becca, Hope, Joshua & Caroline

 

3.05

Change in email

We wanted to update people that our new email address is matthewsdownunder@gmail.com

Cheers,
Russ

2.12

Panel + Series, School, Youth & House

Hello from Down Under,

Thanks for your prayers and questions about our various ministries & our life in Australia. It has been a busy couple of weeks in Sydney and we wanted to get you up to speed on all that is happening.

Panel + Series: At City Bible Forum we have looked at trying a new format for our talk series each week.

Format: Each month the Forum would begin with a Talking Point issue. We would have a panel of 3-4 ‘experts’ on the various topics. Then from the panel, the following weeks would be a series answering many of the discussion points from a Biblical perspective.

Imagine series: Panel discussion would utilise the lyrics from the John Lennon song and discuss the idea Imagine there was no religion- would we be better off? Then Al Stewart would do a series for three weeks on the Biblical perspective of these implications based in the New Testament. Our panelists are Dr. John Dickson (Biblical historian), Jane Caro (Writer/Atheist) , Dr Tanveer Ahmed (Writer /Clinical Psychiatrist), Simon Smart (Director of the Centre for Public Christianity) & Antony Leowenstein (Jewish- Atheist / Writer). Find out more on our website: City Bible Forum

Results: We had both panel discussions and it was exciting to see rooms with standing room only and an approximate attendance of 300 people. All of the details can be seen on our Facebook page City Bible Forum, Sydney. If you would like to dialogue with our panelists on the topics, please write in on the Discussion boards. You will have pictures, audio, and discussions on Facebook site, video of the events should be added after Wednesday.

School: The kids started their school year (Our school year starts in January, at the end of our summer) at the Australian Christian College (College is the name for primary & high school in Australia). There are many changes and challenges going from home schooling, but they are adapting to the home work and classroom setting. They enjoy the school, their new friends, sport and many of their teachers. Pray that their transition goes well and they continue to serve our Lord and Savour in all they are doing.

Youth: Glorious Hope Baptist hired a new youth pastor this year, Rubin Noel. The kids are excited about his leadership and input. He looks to be a good addition to our church family. Pray for him as he teaches through James this term.

House: We are looking to find a house closer to the school and on a train line. Pray we can find the ideal house for us to serve in ministry and will be closer to the school.

Thanks for all of your prayers and support.

The adventure continues…

The Matthews Family

1.27

Caroline’s Doctor’s appt, School & Panel + series

Caroline’s Doctors Appt

We wanted to update you on Caroline’s doctor’s appt. with the pediatric cardiologist. If you remember last year, Caroline had been diagnosed with a development of tissue on one of the valves of her heart. It causes a slight leakage or murmur in her heart. The specialists at the time stated there was no concern at that time and we would need to come in for an evaluation each year. If there is any growth, she would need to have surgery.

Come to find out this condition only occurs in approx. 2% of people and usually needs surgery. Our cardiologist has had to operate on all of her patients that have this condition in the past.

It has been a year since Caroline was diagnosed with this condition. She has not had any ill effects since the diagnosis. She was a champion at the doctor this week. After looking at her heart, the cardiologist saw no growth in the tissue and did not see the need for surgery at this time. Caroline even said, “I like going to the doctor, ” as we left the office. What a trooper. We will need to go back for another evaluation in 12 months. Thanks for your prayers.

School

A big day for all on Monday, all of the kids start school at the Australian Christian College (Colleges are the schools prior to University in Australia) Yes, our school year starts in January, after summer in Australia. Quite an adjustment from homeschooling for Cathy and the kids. Please be praying they all adjust well to the transition.

Panel + Series

City Bible Forum is changing the format for the Forums for 2011. It is exciting changes, but not without its challenges. We would appreciate your prayers for it. Details about City Bible Forum at www.citybibleforum.org

Format: Each month the Forum would begin with a Talking Point issue. We would have a panel of 3-4 ‘experts’ on the various topics. Then from the panel, the following weeks would be a series answering many of the discussion points from a Biblical perspective.

eg: Imagine series: Panel discussion would utilise the lyrics from the John Lennon song and discuss the idea Imagine there was no religion, God, heaven or hell… Then Al Stewart would do a series for three weeks on the Biblical perspective of these implications based in the New Testament. Our panelists are Dr. John Dickson (biblical historian), Jane Caro (Writer/Athiest) & Dr Tanveer Ahmed (Writer /Clinical Psychiatrist/ Moderate Muslim).

Panel format: Three to four individuals would be willing to discuss their view on the topic. It is not a debate, but an interactive discussion with a moderator and the audience. We would have key people set in the audience who have a specific view on this topic to set in motion the conversation. We are following the model of SBS ‘INSIGHT’ for the format. Time: 1:10-1:50 (Wednesdays and Thursdays) First week of each month.

Panelists: We would like the panel to be a mix of differing view points. We have a mixed audience of approximately 200+ each week. The experts we are contacting are not desiring to recruit for their own cause, but willing to intellectually discuss their view with an audience and others in a panel atmosphere.

Panel and series topics: Imagine no religion, Crossing Over: Is there anything after this life?, Why do we do what we do? Analysing the Human Condition, 2012 and end times: A look at the book of Revelation and others. All will follow with a series based on a biblical perspective of the topic.

We would appreciate your prayers for this format change and that many non-Christians would come to hear the panel and the series.

Thanks for your support and prayers.

The adventure continues…

The Matthews Family

1.07

Rain in Brisbane, QLD

Just a quick note for all who have been asking about the floods in Queensland, Australia.

The floods are occuring about 10-11 hours north of us. We currently live in Sydney, NSW. We are not effected by the floods directly in Sydney.

The people of Queensland can use your prayers and support right now. At this time, the floods are not impacting our family or churches.

Thanks for all those who are concerned.

Cheers,
Russ Matthews

1.02

Happy New Year from rainy Australia

We wanted to wish you all a Happy 2011. It is raining this week in Oz.

We hope to have an update about the coming year this week on key prayer points in ministry.

A taste of things to come…
Panel discussions and new formats at City Bible Forum, Men’s League, New school endeavours, City Bible Forum Afterwork , Nehemiah Series at church & more.

New Newsletter Format:

We will be trying out some new methods of formatting our Matthewsdownunder updates. We will be sharing our current ministries, future events, key readings and links that have impacted us throughout our year.

Getting back into the ‘Stream of Life’

We are finally ‘getting our feet’ after being back in Australia. It has taken more time to get back into all of the key ministries. After three & a half months away, we came to realise it was more of a disruption than we thought it would be, but all is good.

Canoeing on a river

They best way I can describe the post-furlough challenge is canoeing on a river. Canoeing down a river seems to be rite of passage for many in their formative years. I always look back fondly to riding quietly down the river in a canoe with a friend. It can be a good representation of your life’s journey.

Your life is represented by the canoe and you are canoeing on a river. The river is all the activities of your life. In a missionaries life, furlough is pulling the canoe out of the one river and putting it down in another. Going from your normal river to the furlough river. Moving from all that has become normal and moving into familiar but different waters. The furlough river is fast, exhausting work, exciting & a bit choppy, but parallels the river of your ministry life. When furlough is complete, you pull the canoe out and put it back into the river that was your ‘normal’ life. Anyone who has come back to navigating a river will tell you that most things are familiar, but many things will have changed. The current, the scenery and you have to get used to the changes that moving water causes.  What you will remember about the ride will be familiar, but you have to make adjustments for the beginning of the trip that will influence the rest of the journey.

Our family, on return to Australia, is finally getting readjusted to the river that we call normal life. Putting our paddles in, getting used to the currents, realising that things are the same, but many have changed in our time away and looking ahead to an exciting ride in 2011.

Thanks for your continued prayers & support.

The new adventures continue…

Russ, Cathy, Becca, Hope, Joshua & Caroline

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