A way forward

As many of you know, technically we have been unemployed since November. Granted AAANZ (Anabaptist Association of Australia and New Zealand) has continued to pay our rent and our supervisor at MMN (Mennonite Mission Network) has found extra money for us. But this was not sustainable.

I know that many of you have been praying for us and we thank you immensely.

Recently, one of our local Baptist Churches asked Moriah (our daughter who works as a pastor at a Baptist Church in Canberra) if she would be interested in a pastoral position. She was not but later asked us if she could give our name to the church. They contacted us, we met with the deacons, and we organised the service for them one Sunday.

While we were in New Zealand, the church unanimously decided to invite us to be their pastor. They have been without a pastor for 18 months, are a smallish group, and only wanted someone for two day a week to prepare the service each Sunday and do some pastoral care.

After talking to some friends, we decided to accept their offer.

One deacon spoke about it being a win-win for all of us. They welcome us using their building for workshops; so now we have a venue while the new building is constructed at the front of the 1643 property. We are already arranging a meeting at the church with Ron Sider when he is here in July.

Mark gets to study to teach each Sunday. We have a place to invite others to visit when they ask, "Where do you go to church?" Since it is just a suburb away and both of us are on the bus line, we can travel by bus. It will ground us in this area.

We are hopeful that the extra income on this end will relieve the pressure to reach the 80% support mark on our budget so that MMN will take us on as missionaries.

As of 21 March 2010, Mark will be employed part-time by Avalon Baptist Peace Memorial Church. [He told me that I would have to do the teaching if he wants to swim in another rough-water ocean swim.] Hummm...

Home Blessing/House Warming

From the time we came back to Australia at the end of 2007 and moved to the house in Mona Vale, AAANZ and our friends, the Longleys have wanted to have a Blessing for this place, our work and the developing community at 1643 Pittwater Rd.

[Left-Mark taking balloons out to the mailbox to mark our house]

After much window washing, cleaning (Mark is a cleaning wonder), cooking, and planning, Saturday 13 March at 3:00 p.m. it happened.

Around 2:30, folks started to arrive for the 'ceremony' at 3. Approximately, thirty people arrived; AAANZ (Anabaptist Association of Australia and New Zealand) members, friends and family of the Longleys, neighbours, members of the Wellspring community, families who are part of the table fellowship and members of Avalon Baptist Church (ABC and that is another story - soon to come).

Left: Mary and our neighbour from down-stairs welcomed folks to tour the house. Our neighbour received Cilentro as a gift for her cooking.]

Both of our new large screen monitors scrolled through photos taken of the changes throughout the last two years - as the termites were expelled and their damage rebuilt, as the garage and the rest of the ground floor were changed into two flats, as the back room was removed and rebuilt by MMM (Mobile Mission Maintenance),

as trees and weeds were removed, and as gardens were weeded, mulched and replanted.

[Left: Our friends, Sally and Jim arriving with food.

Right: Everyone respectfully listens as our neighbour down-stairs speaks. The tall man next to her is a local Anglican Pastor, and next to him is the local member of state parliament. Next to him is one of our neighbours.]

MC, Jim Longley welcomed our guests and introduced the president of AAANZ, Doug Sewell who welcomed everyone again and explained AAANZ and then introduced Mark and Mary. We talked about our vision for our work and 1643. [Left: The yellow sheets were the blessing printed.]

The group moved from area to area around the house blessing the folks who live here, those who will visit and those in our neighbourhood.

[Right: Mary starts the blessing by lighting a candle acknowledging God as the light of the world.]

So many friends and neighbours brought food that we had a beautiful spread for afternoon tea.

[Right: Being a house of peace, Mark received a peace plant.]

The second Saturday of each month our table fellowship meets so we ended the day with that gathering. We were going to order out for pizza but so much good food was left from the home blessing that we just grazed on that. We even had more food to send home with our visitors and Mary put some in the freezer for later use.

During Table Fellowship, we explained some history and beliefs of Anabaptism, followed by discussion, prayer for each other and many conversations.

[The photo on the right was taken on our deck when we were blessing the neighbourhood.]

We felt appreciated, blessed and supported. [The man on the left is the builder who has redone much of our house. Yeah! Our friend, Sally is in the purple. Note the computer screen next to her shoulder showing photos of the house in various stages.]