Friday, December 30, 2011

The Power of Vulnerability

This is a video I found particularly helpful. It runs for 20 minutes, but worth taking the time:

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Spending time with God

Christmas is a time when we usually take the opportunity to be present with our family and friends. We eat and drink together, we open presents together, we simply find times to spend time together.

Sometimes we find opportunities to be present with people who we have had little time to get close to during the year, and in some cases that presence is uncomfortable.

Yet, in all this, we recognise that spending time with the people we love is incredibly important and sometimes we wonder why we had to wait a whole year to catch up with people whose presence we really enjoy.

“Being with” is part of what makes us human.

Yet Christmas is also a reminder that “being with” is part of God’s creative purpose for humanity. Prior to his birth the Gospel writer recalled the words of one of the great prophets who said: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means ‘God with us’).’”The birth of Jesus was a reminder to us that God chooses to "be with" us.

As we spend time together this Christmas with family and friends I would remind you of the importance of remembering the birth of Jesus and putting aside some time to "be with" God.

While we can enjoy the presence of God in many different environments, I would encourage you, if it is not your habit, to find a church this Sunday where you can experience God's presence.

I trust this Christmas season will be a refreshing and joyful time for you and your family.
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You may be aware that the deadline for the Baptistcare Cultural Survey has been extended. If you haven't already filled in your survey please put aside some time over the break to have your say on the culture of Baptistcare.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Westboro Baptist Church

Following is a press release from the Chairman of the Baptist Churches of WA, Allan Thomas.

Press Release

19 December 2011


The 60 Minutes program last night (December 18) presented an interview with the Pastor of Westboro Baptist Church in the United States. The segment featured some disturbing statements claiming that among other things, he hoped more Australians would be burnt in bushfires.



Neither Rev. Fred Phelps nor the Westboro Church are affiliated with the Baptist Churches Western Australia, the Baptist Union of Australia or the Baptist World Alliance, which represents over 100 million Christians. Fred Phelps and his church do not reflect or represent the view of Baptist churches in WA. It is unfortunate that the program did not make this important distinction.



Rev. Phelps has a sad history of making bizarre and extreme statements that do not reflect a Christian position. His comments on the bushfires are biblically and theologically invalid.



Western Australian Baptists were among the first to swing into action to support emergency services and communities most impacted by our recent bushfires in Margaret River. Within 24 hours of the start of the fires, Baptist Churches Western Australia launched a relief fund and called on all their churches to pray for the victims and emergency services personnel in these bushfires.



Please be assured of the love and compassion of all Baptists who wish to comfort those who have experienced tragedy and loss.



Allan Thomas

Council Chairman

Baptist Churches Western Australia

Monday, December 12, 2011

Humility and Checking the Pumps

John Snow, who lived from 1813 to 1858 was barely known when he died, and his crazy ideas were almost universally rejected.

As a result of his research Snow discovered that Cholera, or the Black Death, as it was known, may have originated as a result of dirty water. He isolated a pump in Broad Street, London, as the source of the disease and agitated to have the handle removed.

However, Snow's theory was not popular and the authorities later had the handle on the pump replaced. It took another 20 years after his death before the idea was proved that germs in dirty water could cause disease.

Listening to each other is a critical aspect of learning how to get on with each other, and clearly is also a way in which we can learn from each other. Listening is a factor in humility which was so ably illustrated to us by Jesus.


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Listening is what Baptistcare's culture survey is all about. It's an opportunity to hear what our 1400 staff are saying about the culture of the organisation and how well we put our values into practice.


If you haven't filled in your survey yet, I would encourage you to do it in the next few days. Wednesday is the closing date. You will be in the draw for some great prizes.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Measuring community

I have finished filling in my Baptistcare Culture Survey and I'm wondering how everyone else is going in this exericse. It took me about 20 minutes online.

The survey is designed to measure the systems, symbols and behaviours that bring Baptistcare's vision, mission and values to life.

There is a major prize being offered as an incentive to participating in the survey. This is a night at the Duxton Hotel, Perth, including breakfast, dinner, valet parking, pool, spa, gym, midday late checkout, and a Captain Cook river cruise. People who participate in the survey may also be eligible for one of fourteen $100 Coles Myer vouchers.

I encourage Baptistcare staff to participate in this survey, because your responses will help us in making Baptistcare a better place to work and help improve delivery of our services.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Being Community in times of celebration


In my last post I talked about how community works in times of crisis. Community also works in times of fun and celebration. Last night I m.c.'d the fourth annual Christmas at the Fair, run by Maida Vale Baptist Church at Range View Park in High Wycombe.

It was great to see nearly 30 community groups working and having fun together, along with members of the public participating in a wide range of activities and events.

For many, Christmas is a time of celebration when families get together to remember the birth of Jesus and to enjoy opportunities of giving and sharing. I trust that in the next few weeks you will take that time to thank those people who have had some input into your life during the year, and to take time to make a contribution to the life of someone else you haven't seen for a while.