Author Archive

Christmas carols are some of the best-known hymns of the Christian church. They are greatly loved by countless people in Australia. Every year, beginning some time in November and right up to the end of December, Christmas carols will be sung by groups or individuals and/or played on musical instruments.

Here in Perth, one notable event in the month of December is “Carols by Candlelight,” which is organized by some church groups to celebrate the birth of Christ. As the name indicates, it is a wonderful time to remember the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and praise Him Who is the Light of the World. Rejoice, for God has sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world! The angel had announced, “Thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21. Indeed, those who believe in Jesus must shine for Him and be lights in this dark world. They must proclaim the Gospel and evangelize lost souls.

In our Bible-Presbyterian Fellowship, during the month of December, we sing the Christmas carols in the worship services and in our fellowship meetings. We will have a worship service on Christmas Day in which Rev. Edward Paauwe will be preaching, and the youths will sing a hymn of praise. The Sunday School children will present a special song on the Lord’s day. The Junior Fellowship will be devoting their singspiration time to the singing and learning of Christmas carols. One of the young ones has requested to learn, “The Birthday of the King.” The faith of the Juniors will be built up by the learning and singing of the words of Scripture and the Gospel message in the Christmas carols. Each child has a copy of A Classic Christmas Caroling Songbook which has 30 well-known and favorite Christmas carols.

It is a blessing to commemorate the birth of our Saviour when we do so worshipfully and meaningfully. In the Junior Fellowship the children are taught that the birth of Christ is described in detail by the Gospel writers Matthew and Luke. The Christmas carol, “The First Noel,” portrays in vivid, narrative style the story of Jesus’ birth. They love these Bible stories, old but ever new. They know the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they are looking forward to His second coming as King of kings and Lord of lords; this is written in the last stanza of “Joy to the World!”

The Juniors also learn that the Gospel writer, John, has a Christmas message for us. In I John 5:20, John declares that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus Christ Himself is the True God and Eternal Life. This is the significance and purpose of our praising God in celebrating the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, God come in the flesh, the only One Who can save us from our sins, meet our every need, and give us a home in heaven. What a glorious message of comfort, joy, hope and peace. We pray that all believers will share this Good News with the unsaved this Christmas time! “Go, Tell It on the Mountain that Jesus Christ is Born!” “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” Luke 2:14.

Beginning in November, we work with our children, practicing for the Christmas Cantata and a drama about the birth of Jesus Christ. Our goal is to reach new families and invite them into our church. Our desire is that they will appreciate the Christmas story and accept Jesus as their personal Savior. Our kids definitely enjoy the Christmas singing and meeting with other children. Our church prepares one hundred gifts. This year, the Christmas program for the children will be held on December 20th. Please pray for our program.

Our Christmas Eve celebrations will begin at 8:00 PM with special music, hymns, and a sermon. The families of our BPC will be participating. We will distribute candles to every worshipper; when the congregation holds the candles it will remind them that Jesus said in Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world.” At the end of the service, we will serve a toasted panettone with hot chocolate. Then all the church members will return to their homes to have the traditional Bolivian dish with their relatives.

May God bless you this Christmas. – Rev. David Quisbert

Cambodians love a party. Over the course of a year, most Cambodians will attend a number of parties, often fifteen or even twenty. You get invited to every friend’s, relative’s, neighbor’s, acquaintance’s, etc. wedding, funeral, housewarming, religious fundraising, etc., party. Most parties are held under a tent in the road in front of the house and feature food, music and dancing. If you are invited you are expected to pay some money, even if you don’t attend. If you attend you usually give more money than the cost of your share. At certain times of the year, the streets are backed up with cars because the roads are all down to one lane as the rest of the road is blocked by a party.

Since Khmer Christians – and especially their non-Christian neighbors – do love a party, we chose to celebrate Christmas with a FREE party for all who would come. We advertised, by word of mouth, the party and that we would be sharing the true story of Christmas. People came from far and wide, including a good Khmer pastor from an half hour away and the local village leader. It was very hot, so many stayed outside and looked in the windows during the preaching and singing time. We told the story of Christ’s birth through reading the Bible passages and singing hymns. Christmas, in a non-Christian country like Cambodia, is an excellent evangelistic opportunity.

- Rev. Mark Baldwin

The 2008 Christmas service was so special because we celebrated Christmas together with David and Dorcas Pang, members of the BP church from Perth, Australia. Following the usual practice among the Mizo Christians, we met together at the church for the midnight service on December 24th. Before the service, we first had a time of fellowship through singing. We sang together the Christmas songs mostly composed by the Mizo in the past. There are about 100 Christmas songs composed in the Mizo traditional tune. After around three hours of singing, we began the midnight service. Mr. David Pang, our special guest, delivered the Christmas message. The midnight meeting was concluded with light refreshments.

On the Christmas day, December 25, we gathered together at the church and enjoyed the lunch fellowship prepared by the church. We then started the Christmas service at noon. The Christmas message was once again delivered by our brother David Pang.

After the service, David and Dorcas brought the orphanage children to a park where they played games together.

- Rev. Khawl and Mawite Kima

As we approach the end of 2009 and look ahead to the coming year, we rejoice in God’s provision of all that has been needed for the work of PMU thus far. In His providence, we are also experiencing the effects of the economic downturn and the challenges of being committed to serving the missionary program of a small denomination. Some of our missionaries’ accounts are doing very well indeed: we praise the Lord for the abundant support for Rev. Mark Baldwin’s work in Cambodia. The Paauwes’ support for their work in Australia is also in good shape. Our other accounts need your help and prayers. Miriam’s monthly support is about $500 under budget. The Kimas’ support is short about $350. Rev. Quisbert’s support will increase next year as the Lord provides. We currently will need an additional $600 monthly to meet the Bolivia mission needs. The General Fund is about $800 short every month. And Dr. Pine’s account is in the greatest need, averaging $1,550 below budget monthly. All support accounts currently have positive balances in them, praise the Lord, and we are able to function. But those balances are not large, and those that are running at a deficit will soon be depleted without assistance from God’s people. We have cut our budget as much as possible while still being able to carry on. Can you help? Pray with us that the Lord will provide through His people so that the vital work PMU missionaries are doing will not be hindered in the coming year. Thank you very much.

Our Lord was gracious beyond comprehension as He enabled Dr. and Mrs. Pine to travel to Cambodia and Myanmar last month to help Revs. Baldwin and Kima in their labors on those fields. First, He supplied all the funds necessary to go. Second, He prepared the hearts of young people and parents from two different Cambodian villages to desire to attend (and keep attending!) a first-ever VBS program in the countryside. Over two hundred children participated and heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ, many for the first time. Third, the Pines enjoyed the fellowship of not only Rev. Baldwin, but also Miss Miriam, who came down from her field for a “holiday” of fellowship and mutual labor with the children. The Pines and Rev. Baldwin were blessed by her help and company. And, the face-to-face opportunity to take care of vital business related to the ministries on their respective fields was of great value. Fourth, at our Sunday services in the village of Prey Pdao, a man who has been hostile to the work of the gospel there slipped in during the service and sat quietly through the message, attentively taking in every word. This man has been instrumental in hindering the work there prior to this, so we are praying that the Lord will use His Word to soften a hard heart and win this man to Christ.

The blessings continued in Myanmar. Miriam returned to her field, so the Pines arrived on their own in Yangon to work for about ten days in primarily adult ministries. Dr. Pine taught a concentrated course in biblical interpretation to the lay pastors of the mission churches in the Shan State and to interested elders as well. They were excellent students! The course was in cooperation with Western Reformed Seminary in Tacoma, Washington.

Karen Pine taught a seminar to the ladies of the churches on the roles of women in the church and home, and that seminar was very well received. One of the pastors’ wives in the Shan State will take this material and teach it again in her area (a village where foreigners cannot go). In addition, Karen did Bible clubs with the Yangon pre-school and the Mingala Children’s Home, which the children loved. As in Cambodia, the clubs were filled with Bible lessons, crafts, music, and games. The Pines also were able to host the children at the Yangon zoo and an adjoining amusement park on a Saturday. Dr. Pine preached in the Yangon church both Sundays the Pines were there, and the blessing of fellowship with God’s people in Yangon was incredible. For more on this great ministry, see Dr. Pine’s online blog at http://lenpine.wordpress.com.

The Pines are extremely grateful for the prayers of God’s people while they were traveling; for the hard work done by the ladies of the Grand Island BPC to prepare all the craft materials for the ministry (30 lbs. worth!); for the donors who gave so generously to underwrite the expenses of the trip; and to the Lord for His safe keeping and blessing as He demonstrated so clearly His presence in these wonderful works.

Every year, PMU holds its annual Missions Council meeting the day prior to the BPC’s General Synod. This year, the Council was privileged to meet on the grounds of the Ryder Memorial Presbyterian Church, host church for the BPC’s 73rd General Synod.
As usual, the docket was full — very full. In addition to the usual business, several new governance policies were discussed and adopted, changes to the job descriptions of various PMU personnel were adopted in the by-laws, a newly revised Home Missions Manual was approved, a new security procedures manual was approved, budgeting challenges were discussed at length, and a long list of developing contacts around the US and abroad were reviewed. Two Team Timothy ministries were approved for 2010 (see page 4 for a summary, or this month’s “Have You Heard?” bulletin insert or the web site for the full story on these ministries). And, we were blessed to have three of our missionaries home on furlough this summer, Rev. and Mrs. Ed Paauwe and Rev. Mark Baldwin. Each was able to give a report of his activities in person. We rejoiced with them as they gave evidence of the Lord’s hand at work in their ministries. It was a full day, but all was completed in good order, for which we praise the Lord.
We also give thanks to the Ryder Church family for their kind and generous hospitality in hosting our meeting. We were well cared for, to say the least, and enjoyed a blessed time of fellowship with the church at their midweek service to close out the day. Rev. Paauwe brought the message for the evening and a brief report of the work in Australia.
Officers for the coming year remain the same as last year: Dr. Morris McDonald, President; Rev. G.W. Fisher, Vice President; Rev. John Dyck, Secretary; Elder Eric Lasch, Treasurer; Dr. Kevin Backus, Rev. James Huff, and Rev. Tito Lyro, Members at Large. Please pray for all of our PMU ministries, and those under Venture Guild International as well, that the Lord would provide the finances necessary to sustain them, that he would keep their lives and health in safety, and that he would give them fruit for their labors.

We praise the Lord for His goodness which was poured out on the Bible Presbyterian Church’s 73rd General Synod, August 6-11, in Bristol, Virginia. Rev. Garry Cole and the Ryder Memorial Presbyterian Church were our hosts, and produced an atmosphere of welcome and Southern hospitality that none of the delegates or guests will soon forget. From the first day until the last, the easy grace of Ryder Church family made all feel at home.
Synod’s theme this year, chosen by outgoing Moderator Rev. G. W. Fisher, was “The Sweetness of Prayer.” The theology and practice of prayer was developed throughout the week along the lines that are revealed in the writings of John Calvin (principally the Institutes of the Christian Religion), whose 500th birthday anniversary the Synod observed this year. Particularly in view of the Calvin anniversary, the Synod was pleased to welcome Dr. Joel Beeke to the pulpit on the opening night of Synod to speak on “Calvin and Piety.” Dr. Beeke is arguably the world’s foremost living authority on Calvin and is also a pastor, an educator, and an author of international renown. His message was a blessing to us — and so was his well-stocked book table, which delegates scoured clean.
In light of the theme, a new feature was added to the docket this year. Throughout the day, prayer was conducted for our business and the church at large by friends, visitors, and delegates who were not otherwise engaged in the business of the day. These regular gatherings for prayer were a reflection of the quiet and prayerful attitude that prevailed at this year’s Synod.
Other highlights of the Synod included the presence and participation of Rev. John Janbaz, elder statesman of the BPC, who had attended the very first General Synod of the BPC in 1938, and made the trip out from California to attend this year; the delightful ambience of our meeting hall, the Bristol Train Station, which sits next to an active freight line with all its attendant (and delightful, for train buffs!) distractions; a most enjoyable women’s day including a play, lunch, and Highland Festival shopping; Sunday services under tents in the State Park across the street from the church; an Appalachian-style concert on Sunday afternoon by Dr. and Mrs. Pine, Miss Emily Blizzard, and the Synod choir; and an outdoor, riverside banquet that featured the best of southern cooking, homemade ice cream, and a wonderful closing message by Rev. Stephen Johnson.
The newly-elected Moderator, Dr. Len Pine, now serves with his fellow officers, Rev. Stephen Johnson (Vice Moderator), Rev. John Dyck (Clerk), Rev. Steven Brinegar (Assistant Clerk), Elder Frank Williams (Treasurer), and Elder Eric Lasch (Assistant Treasurer). The next Synod is slated to be held at Grace Bible Presbyterian Church in Sharonville, Ohio, August 5-10, 2010. Please pray for these men as they fulfill their duties, and pray for the Lord’s blessings on the BPC in the years ahead.

On September 23, Dr. and Mrs. Pine will take flight for Cambodia and Myanmar, where they will spend three weeks visiting with Rev. Mark Baldwin and Rev. Khawl Ro Kim and family. These visits will include joining in with the ongoing work on these two fields in a major way: conducting two VBS programs in the countryside of Cambodia, and training church leaders with a WRS course in Hermeneutics (Len) and training ladies in matters of biblical perspective on women’s roles in church and home (Karen) in Myanmar. The Pines will also conduct a one-day Bible school with the orphanage children in Yangon.
Please pray for the Lord to provide all the funds needed to cover the expenses of this costly effort. Pray, too, for safety in travel, and wisdom and excellence in all the many areas of preparation necessary to carry this off. We thank the Lord for the able and eager assistance the ladies at the Grand Island BPC have given for the crafts portion of the VBS ministries. Rev. Baldwin is expecting as many as two hundred children to attend! Miriam is coming to join the team and help with the VBS program in Cambodia. Please pray for her safety in travel and an uneventful return to her own field. The Pines and Miriam will be in Cambodia until October 2, and then the Pines will travel on to Myanmar, where they will remain until October 13.

It was a trip that had been planned for about a year for Susan Blizzard, but around June 6th, the Lord opened the doors and provided for me, Emily, to be able to go with her! On July 6, 2009, we flew to La Paz to minister with Pastor David Quisbert and the BPC. We had prepared to give music lessons in piano and violin; and seminars on teaching, conducting music in the church, and swine flu. The piano and violin lessons went very well. We also added recorder to the mix! In addition, we participated in a radio broadcast. We did one live broadcast and recorded the rest for the week. We handed out about 5000 tracts in a matter of two hours in the El Alto area on market day. We enjoyed the privilege of giving greetings to and sharing the gospel with a deaf church.
To share in the dedication service of the second floor of the BPC was a blessing to us, especially since our church had contributed to its construction. I believe that we accomplished what we set out to do on this mission trip. The Lord was gracious to us, and I believe that He was honored in all of our activities. We were able to do some sightseeing as well, but because Pastor Len is limiting my space here in the Banner you will have to visit our blog at www.smblizz.wordpress.com . – Miss Emily Blizzard, Grace BPC, Cape Canaveral

[Editor's note: Susan and Emily went to Bolivia to serve this summer under their church. It is wonderful to see the support and love Team Timothy members develop with the fields on which they have served.]