A Minute with Mike
Pastor for the Next Generation
Thursday 3 April, 2025
Over the past few months, a particular passage of Scripture has been percolating in my mind and stirring my heart.
In Acts 1:8, Jesus gives a remarkable promise and command which continues to apply to every Christian:
“... you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.”
Jesus’ promise of power is particularly potent in view of the events of Easter.
Consider this for a moment - the same power that raised Jesus from death to life, is now active and at work in our lives as well!
And Jesus empowers us for a purpose - to be his witnesses to the world about the good news of the Kingdom of God!
This Easter season provides us with such a potent opportunity to be a witness in different ways about Jesus.
Firstly it’s an opportunity to personally remember afresh the events of Easter and what it means for us. How through Jesus’ death, we receive life - his sacrifice, paying the price of our sin.
Secondly, it’s an opportunity for us to be a witness of the good news about Easter to others.
We could share the way in which the story of Easter has transformed the story of our own life.
We could invite someone who doesn’t yet know Jesus along to one of Syndal’s Easter services.
Finally, wherever you may be over the Easter weekend this year - we have an opportunity to join with millions of Christians around the world as witnesses to the confronting reality of the cross on Good Friday, and the wondrous celebration of the resurrection on Easter Sunday.
So how might Jesus be inviting you to be one of his witnesses this Easter?
As you consider your response - my prayer is that you might have a profound encounter with Jesus personally, and that you would have a stirring sense of the Holy Spirit empowering you to be a witness to the people in your life about Jesus.
Blessings,
Mike Riddell
News this Month
Easter
Have you signed up to serve at one of our Easter services? We are still in need of people to fill a number of roles for our Easter events, so if you're able to help with something as simple as passing around food or packing up, we'd love to hear from you.
You can sign up via the button below.
Whether you're serving or attending, we hope we'll see you at one of our Easter events on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday or Easter Sunday. For all the details about our events, click below.
Sign up to serve
Event details
Alpha
We have another Alpha course starting this month on April 29th at 7.00pm in the Cafe space.
After Easter, we or the people we know may have questions about Jesus, about Christianity or about life in general. Alpha is an excellent place to take those questions.
The first night of Alpha (April 29) is an 'Alpha Explore', which is a chance for people to come and 'try out' Alpha and get a feel for what it's like before committing to the whole course.
For all the details about the upcoming course and to register, click below.
Visit Alpha Page
Stories
New believers!
The Cantonese Family Gospel (similar to the Alpha course) started in March. It consists of 6 meetings in a family house setting. We have 10 people, including two teenagers, joining this time. We begin by having dinner together, followed by an opportunity to learn about Jesus, share our thoughts, and exchange stories with each other. We truly sense that God is at work. Everyone enjoys the time together and is open to discussing each other's beliefs.
By God's grace, 8 people have accepted Christ as their Lord!
There is one more session left. We trust that God has perfect timing for everyone. May all the participants sense God's presence and be willing to become followers of Jesus. Following the Family Gospel, there will be a series of Bible studies suitable for new Christians. Please pray that this group of people will be able to join and grow spiritually.
Thanks from Tribe!
I (Gillian) am wanting to send out a huge thankyou to all of those people who have either helped our kid's ministry find new leaders or have become leaders themselves. The call was well and truly answered and we feel so blessed by such a wonderful response and recognition of the importance of these kids and their experience at our wonderful church.
In the 9am team we have welcomed Stephen, Sam, Jade, Debbie, Peta and Nat, with helpers Ash and Amy. And we are looking to add a possible further 3-5 leaders into this group in Term 2.
In the 11am we have welcomed Crystal, Charmaine, Sherise, Michael, Jeremy, Connie, Carley, Evan, Heather, Charisse, Rachel, Carmen, and Agatha, with helpers Judith and Frank. And we are looking to add a possible further 7-9 leaders into this group in Term 2-3. God is good and we are excited to see where he is leading us and how he wants to move amongst our kids. If you are interested in joining our team we always welcome more, especially any women leaders for the 9am.
Thanks again! Gill Carne
COACH update
We're excited to announce that we've recently had close to a dozen people complete COACH training. They're now going through the rigors of interviews, ref checks etc and will soon be ready to mentor or assist in other support roles as required. Trainees reported valuing the chance to learn new skills such as identifying strengths and empowering others. They loved meeting new people and are excited at the prospect of adding value to people's lives, listening and being empathic.
If you or someone you know would like a mentor to walk alongside you as you pursue a new direction, travel through a tough time or commit to new goals please contact Rosie at Community Care via the church office 9803 9144 or rmerrigang@sb.org.au
The Lounge Room
We had a great time at The Lounge Room on Saturday afternoon. Women from various ages and stages of life marvelled at the beautifully presented charcuterie boards - before we proceeded to ruin them by enjoying the marvellous spread!
We chatted about 'purpose', and heard some of Janet Cliff's story, before taking time to reflect and share some of our own questions about purpose.
It will be a great year as we continue to examine this theme together throughout 2025.
A huge thankyou to the team of men and women who serve so generously to make these events happen - moving couches and coffee tables, vacuuming, rearranging chairs, preparing food and drink, making and serving coffee, and welcoming guests. It is a big job, but so worth it, and we are so appreciative.
Lounge Room Info
Stories from Summer Mission
Over January this year, 18 people from Syndal Baptist Church embarked on an incredible week with Blue Moose, a missions trip dedicated to serving communities and sharing God’s love in practical ways. Through hands-on projects, heartfelt conversations, and a deep reliance on faith, our team experienced both personal growth and the joy of seeing lives impacted by the life-changing reality of Jesus. As we reflect on this transformative experience, we invite you to celebrate with us and hear the stories of how God moved during their time away. Below are stories from Vivienne Van Niekerk and Abbey Malone who served on Blue Moose teams over Summer.
Vivienne Van Niekerk
Summer had finally arrived, and it was time for Blue Moose!
This was my first Blue Moose ever; I was looking forward with great anticipation to serving the community of East Devonport. I felt super blessed and excited to be part of Team East Devonport! It was amazing and special to be part of an awesome team working together to bring others the love, hope and joy of Jesus.
How did we do this? It all happened at a place in East Devonport called Pathway Shed, a safe and happy place to meet up with friends and family to have heaps of fun through challenging games, creative crafts, upbeat happy music, great and meaningful conversations and inspiring testimonials shared by the team. I loved every aspect of Blue Moose - from connecting with new friends, learning to play card games that I never knew existed, to sharing meals together, Bible study and worship time, to setting up the shed and then the sheer joy of welcoming the people of East Devonport as they arrived, seeing their smiling faces and hearing the excitement as the shed became a hive of uplifting activity.
I believe God used me by shining his light and love through me; through opportunities to offer compassion, encouragement, kindness and care for our friends of East Devonport; through prayer, meaningful conversations and through giving me the courage to share my testimony.
This was an awesome time of ministry and growth for all of us. I look forward to the next Blue Moose in East Devonport. All glory and honour to God for opening a door for me, preparing and making me ready. Thank you dear Father God. Blessings to all.
Abbey Malone
Main-Leading at Ocean Grove Blue Moose in the summer of 2024-2025 was the first time I had served on a Blue Moose team! I had served on a beach mission team at Lorne Theos under Scripture Union for 5 years prior, however Blue Moose at Ocean Grove was different in a lot of ways because of the added responsibility of main leading, and the challenge of a different location.
It's hard to pinpoint a favourite memory, because there were so many moments that I got to see God building up our team and using them throughout the week.
The memory I want to share was something that happened on our last night, when we just had a couple of kids and a parent in our space. The parent had been well-known to the team for the last few years, so she was familiar with us and our mission – which sometimes makes it harder to broach the topic of Jesus again!! One of our team members came up to me and two other team members, and said that he had felt prompted to give a Bible to someone. The team member next to me said “it’s for the parent, right?” and that he felt in his spirit that this person was exactly who Jesus had in mind for us to give a Bible to. It was so awesome to see two people listening to God’s promptings, and to be so sure of where God was moving. The parent was given the bible and the team member had an opportunity to speak to her about the gospel and about what God’s promises really mean for the first time since meeting her years prior. They prayed together, and even though we had little chance for follow up because it was our last night, it was amazing to watch our team members listening and obeying God’s promptings.
The difference in location between my previous beach mission and Ocean Grove meant that I had a lot of experience in talking to strangers about my faith. It was really cool to see the way that God had been building up this confidence in me over the last few years, and to see him using me to encourage others or to workshop with them how to tackle tricky topics.
One of my other favourite memories was a debrief after an afternoon outreach session that neither myself or the other main leader had been at. There were so many stories of our team members initiating conversations about Jesus or Church. It was especially great to hear from some team members who had been quite intimidated or nervous about talking to strangers about their faith. God was able to build up others in our team through myself and the other main leader to do kingdom work.
What's coming up?
State Youth Games 2025
Early Bird discount ends THIS Sunday!
State Youth Games (SYG) is where youth and young adults from churches all over the Victoria meet at Warragul for a weekend of camping, sport, games, food, fun and sessions!
It runs on King's Birthday weekend (6-9 June) starting from around 5pm on the Friday until Monday at 12:30pm. You can come along and participate in sport/games (like Uno, basketball, esports, frisbee and more) or you can come along to watch sport or just hang out with the teams during the day. In the evening, you will have opportunities to go to night rallies (sessions with worship and a speaker), night activities, chilling by the fire, interacting with different churches and more! SYG is a great opportunity to make friends, enjoy each other’s company, whether you’re playing sport or not – everyone always has a great time! If you are in secondary college or under 30 years old you can come along as a participant. If you are older, you can come along as a spectator or volunteer. For more information or to register click below.
Find Out More
This Weekend
We are pleased to inform you that the required parts for the lift have arrived and the lift is due to be repaired this Friday. We anticipate that all things going smoothly the lift will be functional for Sunday. Thank you for your patience.
Support Foodbank as they support others
Our Community Care Foodbank provides struggling locals with pantry items they need. Every month you are invited to purchase and donate certain items the Foodbank requires.
This month's items are:
Teabags
2 minute noodles (5pk Chicken or Oriental flavour)
Toothbrushes and toothpaste (small tubes of ~80g)
Muesli bars
You can drop donations off in the shopping trolley near the High Street Road entrance to the West Auditorium lobby or in the tub in the East Fellowship Area.
Thanks so much for your support!
Kerry Walmsley on Leave
Kerry Walmsley, along with her husband, Andy, are about to embark on their fifth pilgrimage. This time, they will walk the Via de la Plata, an ancient camino in Spain, which is from Seville up to Santiago de Compostela (a camino of just over 1000kms). Kerry will be on leave (a mix of annual and long service leave) from April 6th until June 23.
Baptism Opportunities
We have some more opportunities for baptisms in the next few months.
If you're interested in getting baptised, you can apply via the button below.
Apply Now
Next Sermon Series
Some of the most famous lyrics in history are from the song Amazing Grace: “I once was lost but now am found.” They’re famous for a reason.
In this four-week series, we will learn about the God who searches for those who are lost to him, reflect on the beautiful gift it is to have been found by him, and be reminded that Jesus teaches his followers that this gift is to be shared.
This series starts on Sunday, 4th of May in all English congregations.
Congregation Spotlight
Korean Congregation
With Kate Park, Pastor for Korean Congregation
WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IN YOUR CONGREGATION RECENTLY?The number of people moving from Korea to Melbourne is much smaller than it was prior to COVID. Because of this, in Melbourne, a common issue among Korean church pastors is the question of which group of Koreans to focus on for evangelism. Nevertheless, at SBCK, since the end of last year, one or two new people have been attending our service every month. They are either people who have never known Jesus or young people who stopped attending church regularly when they started going to universities in Korea. When we talk to them, we often find that they have a misunderstanding of the gospel. God is using our SBCK to help guide them in the right direction. Through meeting with SBCK, they are seeing, hearing, and learning what it means to follow Jesus, and now we see them living as his followers. Last year, a young person who came to Melbourne on a working holiday Visa received Jesus at SBCK and grew well in the young adults' life group. After a brief work experience in Queensland, he is now preparing to return to SBCK. Although it may not be an overly exciting event in our Korean community, we see how God works through our SBCK, reaching one soul at a time. This year, three new life group leaders are being trained to help people like these. They are actively working together for the gospel. We sincerely hope that this year, with the prepared life group leaders and through SBCK, we will experience God's grace in growing healthily both quantitatively and spiritually, as God works through us.
CAN YOU SHARE A STORY ABOUT WHERE YOU'VE SEEN GOD AT WORK?I want to speak about how God is the God of community. Last year, a sister came to Melbourne with her husband for work at Monash University. She registered for the Conversation English Class at SBC. While studying, she was told about the 1pm Korean service at Syndal by the teacher of the Conversation Class, who attends the English Congregation. She then attended the 1:00 pm Korean service one day.
In Korea, this sister had tried to know God years ago by visiting a Catholic church and other churches, but she never met the Lord. Seven years later, in 2024, she came to Melbourne, connected with Syndal Baptist and was led to the Korean service. As I talked with her, we went through the Alpha Course series together. She confessed that she had misunderstood the gospel for a long time. Last month, she truly accepted Jesus as her Savior. If she had attended the English class and nothing else, then returned home, she might have missed the opportunity to meet Jesus. However, through the volunteers who are dedicated to the gospel in the Syndal community, this soul met Jesus and has been growing as a follower of Christ. This was a precious and living story that God showed to all of us in the Korean congregation. It was a story that reminded us once again that the place of life is the place of the gospel, and it is something we should learn from and set as a model. We praise God for showing us that the Syndal community is a gospel community for our Lord Jesus Christ, transcending language and culture.
WHAT HAVE YOU GOT COMING UP IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS?Like other congregations, we are preparing for the Sunday services and Palm Sunday week leading up to Easter Sunday, so that our members can experience a deeper, more intimate walk with God and have a special spiritual encounter. For Easter Sunday, we are preparing special fellowship meals to celebrate, making it a festive occasion for everyone, especially for friends, family members, and unbelievers who have not yet come to church.
HOW CAN PEOPLE CAN BE PRAYING FOR YOUR CONGREGATION?Please pray that all members of SBCK may come together as one body of Christ, experiencing the joy of gathering frequently. Pray that we may prepare well to use Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday as great opportunities to invite others to hear about Jesus. Also, please pray that many volunteers will step forward to support the Alpha Course, so that we can successfully resume it in the second half of the year.
Ministry Spotlight
Fuel Youth
With Way Lim
The aim of Fuel Friday nights is to create a fun, safe and welcoming space for teenagers where they can build relationships with others and grow and explore a relationship with Jesus. Infuse on Sunday Morning is a program that aims to help teenagers transition from Tribe to Sunday services and be engaged at church on Sundays.
What has been happening in Fuel Youth recently?
We have had a great start to the year at Fuel and Infuse with lots of the new Year 7s engaging in both programs and newcomers coming along.
Some highlights have been the Year of the Snake dinner (pictured) where we had 98 youth come along (record high attendance in a number of years), and that we've had four teenagers (Bram, Scarlett, Faith and Jess) being baptized over the last 6 months.
We spent two weeks this term following the Sabbath series and it was great to have conversations with teens about what it looks like for them to stop studying over the weekends and how to create time to be with family, friends and God. We also had Fuel Camp over the March long weekend which was a great time away with 77 youth coming along. A number of youth attended camp who hadn't come to many Fuel events, and it was a great way for them to connect with others. We also had many teens taking steps in their faith and connecting with God in a deeper way.
How have you seen God at work?
3 weeks before camp, a teenager attended Fuel who previously hadn't been connected to a church. She connected really well with some other teens and ended up coming along to camp! It's amazing that someone completely new to church would get involved so quickly and courageously. She had a great time at camp, made some really good friendships and is starting to ask questions about God and faith.
What's coming up at Fuel?
We have a great Term 2 planned with Fire Nights, an 'Undivided' event and State Youth Games. We are also looking forward to multiple youth baptisms across the next few months.
What challenges have you been facing or what needs do you currently have?
We are regularly getting 80 or more youth on Friday nights but are currently running with a smaller team of youth leaders. Prayer for the right people to come forward to help with Friday nights would be very much appreciated.
PRAY
Prayer for the youth to keep seeking God and for the families, schools and friends of youth to continue to be transformed by their relationships with God. Prayer also for the leaders of Fuel and Infuse to continue to rely on God for wisdom, strength and endurance.
SERVE
We are in need of volunteers in the following areas: Welcomers on Friday evenings (weekly or less regularly), from 6:45 - 7:30 pm. People who can welcome and the youth and help any newcomers as they sign in (you can be of any age and congregation!) Volunteers to help make and serve hot chocolates for all the youth once or twice a term. (from 8-8:45 pm). If interested, please email Tom Postlethwaite at (tpostlethwaite@sb.org.au).
CONNECT
People can keep up to date with what is happening with Fuel, Infuse and other youth things through our website fuel.org.au, our Instagram @fuelyouthsyndal or our email updates (contact Sophie Tucker at stucker@sb.org.au to be included in our email list).
Green Tip of the Month
This month's Green Tip comes from RACV Sustainability:
Embrace cold water washes! Heating up water accounts for between 80 to 90 per cent of the energy used by washing machines, according to Sustainability Victoria. By switching to cold water washes, you can reduce energy usage and cut down on utility costs, saving from $40 to $80 per year. Cold water washes may also be better for your clothes and linens in the long run.
Member in Service Spotlight
Alan and Lucy Rogers
North Australia
Alan - Media Production Specialist, Language Development Worker (AUSIL)
Lucy - EthnoArts Consultant & Coordinator - SIL Pacific
Alan is focusing on getting the Garrwa Bible revised ready for publication. Lucy's focus is on training new workers (both expat and locals) in Scripture Engagement and EthnoArts
What has been happening in your ministry recently?
Alan is working with Daphne, a retired Garrwa school teacher on checking the spelling for the Garrwa Dictionary and Bible. Alan helped at a translation workshop late last year with the Gurindji translators. Lucy is currently teaching the SILA online Scripture Engagement course for semester 1, 2025 - there are just 4 students, 2 already working on the mission field including one in Vanuatu. Lucy continues to mentor two Filipino EthnoArts Consultants in training online.
How have you seen God at work recently?
Alan has been working on the Garrwa Bible revision for over a year now and we had been praying for someone to be able to work with him here in Darwin. There are a few Garrwa people in town but not readily available. This year God sent Daphne to Darwin for 3 months, the perfect person who is available, skilled and willing to work on the Garrwa dictionary. Alan is able to work with Daphne two or three days a week and is finding it hard to keep up with her speed of work as he prepares the information for checking. This is a huge answer to prayer.
One of Lucy's passions is encouraging people to use their own art forms to share God's Word. Last year Lucy was in the Solomon Islands to run an EthnoArts workshop. One of the side benefits was catching up with Jeremiah Dauara, currently working on his PHD to do with why translated Scriptures aren't being used in his language group. I was able to share about the Aboriginal Christian Art that is prolific here in the NT. He was very interested and has since done some Scripture visual art creativity with the Kwara'ae language group. Jeremiah is very excited about this and is looking for funding to print materials and expand this to other language groups in the Solomon Islands.
What's coming up in your ministry?Alan continues to work on the Garrwa Bible revision. Lucy is teaching SILA SE semester 1, working with Junn and Anne in the Philippines to progress in their Consultant training and assisting with preparing and teaching online EthnoArt training.
What are your greatest needs at the moment?
Clear thinking in both of our work.
Clear thinking in both of our work.
How does your financial support work, and how is it going?We have a few churches and several individuals that support us financially and Lucy has 3 hours paying work a week. We are mostly doing OK.
PRAY
We would ask for prayer for clarity of thought in our work and for continued good health. May we walk closely with the Lord and be his servants daily.
GIVE
People can give directly through this link.
CONNECT
We'd love to hear from you. You can email us at alan-lucy_rogers@wycliffe.org.au or contact the church office for our phone number.
Want to get to know our other Members in Service?
Visit our missions page via the link below.
Giving this week
Week ending: 31/3/2025
Weekly target: $48,627
This week actual: $34,582 (71% of budget)
Year to date actual: $539,812 (85% of budget)
Sunday Service Information
This Sunday
Series: The Good News
Sermon: The Good News is Different Than You Think
Preacher: Andy Mitchell
When Jesus proclaimed the good news of the Kingdom of God, it was accompanied by all sorts of miracles and healings and wonders. It would have looked pretty incredible. But then Jesus started talking about how he was going to die.
How could death and suffering fit in with something that’s meant to be ‘good news’?
This week, Andy Mitchell will help us understand the good news and how it may be different than we might think.
Coming Up
Sunday 13th April
Series: The Good News
Sermon: The Nearby Kingdom
Preacher: Mandy Stark
How do we experience the Kingdom of God here on earth? What is it like? How do we know we’re part of it?
This week, Mandy Stark will take a look at one of Jesus’ conversations which holds some clues for us all.
Friday 18th April (Good Friday)
Sermon: Good Friday
Preacher: Chris Danes
How can a day which remembers the death of a king ever be called ‘good’?
Yet the events of what we know as Good Friday changed the shape of the world.
Join us for this special Easter service as we reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice and its significance for us all.
Sunday 20th April (Easter Sunday)
Sermon: Easter Sunday
Preacher: Chris Danes
Good news – the King is alive! After Jesus’ death on the cross, it seemed like hope for the promised kingdom was lost. Yet 3 days later, the tomb was found empty.
Why is this good news? What does this mean for us today and how might it change the way we live?
Join us for our special Easter Sunday services as we celebrate our living king, Jesus.
Sunday 28th April
Series: Stand-Alone Message
Sermon:
Preacher: Jonathan Stark
This Sunday, Jonathan Stark will share some words of challenge and encouragement in the wake of the events of Easter.
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