Trust & Belief

Two words which are very common to us as believers, both in some way express faith, a subject close to our hearts, for “without faith it is impossible to please God”. This “impossible”, is often the subject of less attention, than the  other “impossible” in the book of Hebrews, but it  nevertheless expresses a significant fact. Recently, I have been caused to think deeply about trust and its difference from simple belief. Belief seems to have at it’s  core, the idea of mentally accepting something, which in some ways is also  more palatable than the realm of trust. Trust, on the other hand seems to demand so much more of me, at it’s very core, it demands that as an act of the will, I choose, to accept, nay depend upon God’s view of something, even when the facts around  me and even my emotions would cause me to doubt. This, so often is my struggle. In all of these situations the Lord say Trust me (Psalm 37:5).

“Faith is reason at rest with God ” C.H.S

A Few Highlights from the last few months…

This  has been a great semester and God continues to bless our little ghetto bible college in  garage, we filled 17 of our 20 bed spaces that we rent here at Lakes ranch. The student body was great group of young people who wanted to seek the Lord and we have seen much personal growth in depth, personally and in the understanding of His Word. Already we have at least 17 of our bed spaces filled , not including two student families who will be hosted off site together with two staff families, also off site. In essence, there is growth… a great problem to have. We really do need God’s wisdom as to the next stage, we are almost at the stage of having more people living off site than living on it, and with increasing interest from  families, we need God’s wisdom. Please pray with us for God’s wisdom  direction and provision.

The New Zealand Envision conference in Rotorua was a blessed time, CCBI staff and students were able to attend and help out in few ways, it was great to see how the ministry in NZ has grown and for me personally, it had the feel of the ministry of Europe in the early days, and with that a real sense of expectation of what the Lord will do.

The student outreaches were great, a team went  to Hamilton, New Zealand and Melbourne, Australia. I went to New Jersey and had the privilege of teaching a mens conference for CC Kearney, CC Stonybrook and CC Morris Hills. It was blessed time and I was greatly encouraged by the brethren and their love.

Over 50 people in the house for thanksgiving, was a great blessing and encouragement , that the Lord brings life and has brought life to CCBI, out of nothing over the last two years.

Thankfulness for God’s protection as Gwyn and Jordy were in a car crash in our old school Subaru, affectionally know as “The Gunship”. Gwyn suffered a few injuries requiring 5 stitches to her head and numerous bumps and bruises, Jordy escaped with some soreness, but unfortunately  ”The Gunship” was broken. This make life increasingly difficult when it comes to transporting the students, please pray that we would be able to replace “the Gunship”

Speakers week, was different this semester but a huge blessing, we had all manner of plans, speakers lined up from all over the world  but one  by one they cancelled because  of important needs at home. So we were left with one speaker, Pastor Dave Heitman. A young man serving at “The Street” in Wellington about to go and plant a Calvary Chapel affiliate called “Byways” in Tauranga, some 40 minutes away from us here in the Bay of Plenty. So Dave taught 5 of the sessions, supplemented by  Pastor Scott Clifford (CC Rotorua) & Pastor Steve Jones (CC Hamilton) and the CCBI Teachers. It was a blessed time and a real sense of the Lord speaking to all of us  and that He had planned it that way. In Feb 2012, we will be heavily involved in the planting of “Byways”  in Tauranga, please keep this prayer and also for the provision of the resources, vehicles and stuff in order to help with this ministry.

As we look forward to next semester there are a few things to keep before the Lord in prayer.

• The CC National Ladies Conference  in Rotorua in Feb/ March with Pam Markey.
• Outreach week in March as I seek to lead a team to CC Perth in Western Australia, please pray for wisdom guidance,  anointing and provision as seek to go and serve Pastor Darryl and the body there in WA.
• Provision of an additional small vehicle to replace “the Gunship”.
• Provision of additional accommodation for staff.

For Gwyn and I –  I guess we need some rest and refreshment, before it all starts again in February. We both feel we are doing a poor job with everything that the Lord had entrusted to us and we don’t want to mess it up and get in His way. Prayers appreciated!!!

Family needs are coming to the fore with significant family events on the horizon. Jordan graduated high school and will hopefully start university in February. Please pray for him that he will get the results he needs and the Lord will guide him, he is pretty nervous about the results. Please pray for the Lord’s provision, as we wrestle, like so many parents as to how to help him financially and with the life change this will bring. For our parents back in England as we get older and as they get older too. Gwyn and Becky would like to make a trip back to the UK in Summer 2012, we would appreciate prayer for the Lord’s provision in this endeavour.

Once again the call, personally is to Trust the Lord  - Psalm 37:5

We want to thank you all for the  constant love and care you shower upon us and we know that is from the Lords hand and to your account.

All our love and prayers this Christmas

M&G

Prayer & Praise December 2012

Praise :

Praise the Lord with us for :

• A wonderful  semester, we have had a blessed time with small groups  of students and seen much growth in heart and understanding.
• The provision of a van for the school, this has made  it possible to minister more regularly at the Calvary Chapel in Hamilton , which is about 90 minutes way.
• Great times of outreach on the streets of Hamilton and Rotorua, for those who have been saved on the streets.
• For the outreach trips to Hamilton, the mens conference in New Jersey & Melbourne, Australia, for God’s goodness, protection and the fruit from these times of service.
• Great times of blessings at the envision New Zealand conference and the envision conference in Australia
• God’s faithful provision for us and the staff of CCBI, who all serve as missionaries here in New Zealand,  I have personally been so blessed by the team the Lord has brought here to serve with us in this pioneering work, the steps of faith and commitment they  have made has been quite humbling.
• Students for the February semester, we are all ready on the verge of turning students away because of a lack of space & additional accommodation.  As problems go, a great one to have.
• The Lord’s Grace and the privilege to serve Him

Prayer requests:

Please stand with us and seek the Lord in prayer over these items:

• Wisdom from the Lord and the provision  of His Spirit. Anointing as we prepare to teach the next set of classes in February
• That the Lord would bring those He wishes to study here for the upcoming February semester.
• The provision of additional accommodation as the school grows  particularly accommodation for  married couples & Staff. Wisdom in relation to decisions about where to host the school as it grows.
• The provision of an additional vehicles, with one of our vehicles written of in an accident last month, fortunately Gwyn and Jordan were not hurt, but it leaves us once again in the position of difficulty in relation to transporting students.
• Rest and refreshment for all especially Mark & Gwyn, after a tiring , blessed but demanding semester.
• The church plant in Tauranga, the planting Byways,  a Calvary Chapel affiliate will begin in February 2012. Please pray for wisdom and God provision as we seek to get involved and support Pastor Dave Heitman in this new venture.
• The planned outreach to Calvary Chapel Perth in March 2012. A team from CCBI will be travelling to Western Australia to encourage and serve with Calvary Perth.
• The Ladies Conference with Pam Markey in February/ March 2012. Once again CCBI along with CC Rotorua & CC Hamilton will hosting a national ladies conference for New Zealand.
• Personally for God’s provision for flights as we try and make a trip back to europe during the summer.
• Wisdom over our current living situation and whether we need to move off site to release accommodation for the student body and staff, for God’s provision of a suitable place to live, in suitable location.

We thank you with all our hearts for the love and care that you have shown us as we serve here in the South Pacific Rim.

God Bless this Christmas

M & G

Walsh News – October 2011

“Only one Life soon is passed only what is done for Christ will last”

Not only profound words but true words, “Spend your life well” has been a phrase, which has resonated around our hearts and minds recently. The ministry and family life has been busy and fruitful for which we are blessed, this is season of labour and upon that canvas the challenge of the words above have continuously been written.

Family News

Jordan has reached the age of 18 and we are so blessed by him and for him, God has been faithful over all our years. He will complete his education this December and if the grades are good, he will be studying medicine at either the University of Auckland, New Zealand or the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Becky is a special friend of mine and I am deeply blessed that she has begun to sing with me on the worship team here at CCBI. Uniquely resilient and sharp of mind, our prayer is that the Lord would continually get hold of her heart and use her greatly in missions and ministry.

Gwyn remains my best friend and her commitment to ministry, mission and the lord is a tremendous blessing which is far above the value of gold, she continue to be mum to everything and everyone here at CCBI.

I have been busy, travelling has taken me to share with the brethren in CC Sydney at the Spirit filled life conference in August, this was blessed time and encouragement, The Lord as ever was faithful and gracious towards us.

September was the Asian mission conference in Hong Kong, a blessed time and very poignant. Personally challenging as I had the opportunity to fellowship with some who had served the Lord faithfully on the mission field in Asia, for many years.

Humility and dependence upon God are qualities I understand but don’t get – ever felt that way? They are inextricably linked. I could probably teach a bible study on both but yet are these qualities realised in my life. I have been reading, Humility by Andrew Murray and found it to be a challenge to my soul. Pray for us to walk in greater humility and dependence upon the Lord.

Ministry News

The Lord has blessed us with a full Semester, with all but one of our allocated bed spaces of 20 filled here at the campus in Rotorua. We are blessed with a great student body, who have a heart and hunger to seek the Lord.

Starting this week we will have student teams going on outreach to Melbourne, Australia, Hamilton and Wellington, New Zealand. Please pry for the Lord to go before us and that he would glorify Himself.

I will be teaching a men’s conference in New Jersey. Please pray for anointing in the preaching of the word and that the men who attend would be blessed an encouraged.

We continue to serve in worship once a month with the Fellowship at CC Hamilton and every two weeks have a team of student who are attending the CC Hamilton youth and young adult study, with a view to support an encourage them as they seek the Lord.

Every Wednesday, I lead worship with team form CCBI in the weekly study here for CC Rotorua and this has been a blessed time of waiting on God and Koinonea.

The CCBI Distance learning web site is also up and running and as well as servicing the needs of local CCBI students it also had been made available to several missionaries, in Kenya, Asia and the middle east. Our hope is that we will be able to provide biblical teaching and discipleship to many in the Islands of the South Pacific Rim and across the region.

We are already receiving application for next semester and beginning to fill up, all our problems are good one, all growth related. This bring us to major prayer request, we need as a school to make some decisions about the long term.

We need more room and ultimately, it would be great to have a permanent location for CCBI, one where we can provide and host other ministry events and conferences. Last February’s National women’s conference was a blessed time and we are already feel impressed upon out hearts to prepare for the next conference for 2012. Please pray that the Lord would show us the next step and provide the resources necessary.

We value your prayers and love, there is so much more to say and share, so please forgive the brevity with which we have written. We have just posted more detailed prayer requests and we covet your prayers.

M & G

Praise & Prayer October 2011

Praise

Praise the Lord with us for:

• A great start to the semester, once again we are filling our all our allotted bead space here at the accommodation we rent, all our problems are the good kind the one that come with growth. The Lord has yet again shown Himself to be very faithful in deed.
• A great student body, there is real sense of desire for the Lord and His things.
• A blessed time in Sydney as Pastor Scott from CC Rotorua and I shared at the Spirit filled life conference last month. The Lord answered so many of our prayers.
• The Lord’s faithfulness in so many ways, the provision of a vehicle for CCBI, Pastor Franz Bischof and his family joining us as a CCBI registrar.
• For the successful completion of Jordan’s dental surgery.
• A blessed an insightful time at the CC Asian Missions conference in Hong Kong. It was precious time in which many were encouraged in the calling to bring the gospel to Asia. I was personally encouraged and challenged by some many faithful servants of God who serve the Lord in such difficult arenas of service.
• Jordan as he reached his 18^th Birthday and all of God’s faithfulness to him.

Prayer

Pay with us for:

• Outreaches to Melbourne, Australia, Wellington and Hamilton, New Zealand. These outreaches will be taking place over the next two weeks. Please pray for the full and powerful supply of God’s anointing as the student teams seek to share God’s love across the region.
• The anointed teaching of the scriptures under the influence of the Spirit of God. That there would be hunger in this region for the word of God.
• The weekly outreach as we share the gospel on the streets for Rotorua, for salvation to visit many homes. For wisdom, courage, protection and glory to the Lord.
• I will be teaching a men’s retreat for 5 Calvary Chapels on the east coast of the Usa in October, please pray for anointing and that the Lord would seek powerfully though His Word.
• Wisdom for CCBI, the next step for us as we grow and really need to make some decisions for the regarding the ministry, In essence we need to find amore permanent home that will allow us to expand and grow.
• That the Lord would raise up labourers to plant churches across the South Pacific Rim.
• The upcoming church plant in Tauranga, New Zealand with Pastor Dave Heitman. (Feb 2012)
• The CC Wellington retreat in November 2011. As CCBI will be serving in the retreat providing Childcare, Gwyn and I will be speaking during the weekend,. Please pray for a blessed and encouraging time for Pastor Dave Pham and the fellowship there in Wellington.
• The Lord provision for the ministry and for us as a family. We all know things are tight world wide with the recession; this has also impacted us as family and as ministry. Practically, I will be looking for work to help provide for the family, as you can imagine this will be difficult in the context of the ministry here at CCBI, so my intention is to try and find work during the semester gap. Pleas pray that the Lord would provide the right opportunities and the wisdom how to move forward in this area.

Thank you for co labouring with us in this ministry through the privilege of prayer.

Mark, Gwyn Jordan & Rebekah

Over the next week or so students will be arriving and we will be starting the next semester of CCBI. We ask you to join with us and thank the Lord for His Faithfulness and  ask for His Help as we begin yet another adventure of faith.

Praise

Praise the Lord with us:

For His provision of visa for students and staff here  at CCBI.

For bringing some many students and interns this semester, we have only one available bed space out of the amount we rent from the Ranch.

For the provision of a vehicle for CCBI, we will be purchasing a much needed vehicle over the next few weeks which will be invaluable  for outreach and general day to day transportation of the student  body.

For bringing Pastor Franz Bischof and his family to serve here alongside us at CCBI. Pastor Franz will be taking over the role of registrar for CCBI will be providing much needed support in the administration and accounts of CCBI.

For a blessed time at the Spirit Filled Life Conference in Sydney, we were deeply blessed by the Calvary Chapel brethren in Sydney and for the encouragement in the the time we spent together.

Prayer Requests

Please pray with us:

For the Lord’s anointing up on the teachers and the classes this semester as we seek to bring God’s word to the stunt  body.

For safe travel  and travelling mercies for those traveling to  New Zealand for the beginning of the semester.

For God’s continuing provsion for the many needs we face, of the cost of the van we will be purchasing, for wisdom as accommodation is tight and solutions as the school grows.

For Speakers week in November with Pastor James King, Pastor Arpad Horváth Kavai, Pastor David Heitman November 7th – 11th

For Outreach week as the student body will going out on outreach in October, please for wisdom as we seek the Lord for where He would have us serve, for those God ordained opportunities.

For the remaining visas for staff, for the Wilmoth family to be granted  quickly, so that they can join us for the beggining of the semester.

For the envision Conferences in Australia & New Zealand with Pastor Brian Brodersen and Pastor Bill Welsh at the end of November.

For Mark as he travels to the Asian Missions conference to share in early September and then to New Jersey in October  to share at a mens retreat for some of the Calvary Chapels on the East Coast.

What can’t be used unless it is broken ?

Strangely  enough, this was a comment on an advertising hoarding for an Opticians here in Rotorua. I have no idea of the point they were trying to get across, but the words immediately struck me as significant in the context of the believers walk and desire to used by God.

There is no doubt that there is an element of brokeness that God desires that we might be used by Him and so often my focus is to fix what is broken or  to avoid being broken  in the first place, not exactly a great spiritual perspective !

This started me thinking  along the line of Paul’s  comments in Philippians 3 – of the need to press on to  lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of us, having a healthy and Holy dissatisfaction  and desire for  more of God and what He has  for us. As Philippians tells us, God is a God of purpose and He laid hold of us with  purpose in His Heart and Mind.

We  have  been here in New Zealand for two years now, traditionally two years has always been point of review. We  have seen the Lord’s faithfulness in so many ways. CCBI has come into being out of nothing and we have just completed our second semester. We have seen our first missionary sent out , who we are supporting on the mission field monthly. The first ever Calvary Chapels National Women’s Conference has been and gone , now it is time for  women’s weekend. Exciting, yet there is so much more the Lord wants to do , of this Gwyn and I are convinced. I would love to see a South Pacific Rim  Missions conference come in to being. Pray with us and for us.

CCBI

We have just completed our second semester and first  full year of CCBI, it was great and blessed semester, we had outreach trips to Japan, Christchurch, Melbourne,  and served alongside two of the Calvary Chapels in Sydney, Australia. The semester was busy time of service from outreach trips to  the woman’s conference which seems so long ago , probably too busy in reality. Every month we are still serving in ladies ministry and worship with the Calvary Chapel in Hamilton and weekly with the Calvary Chapel in Rotorua. In February 2012, there will bea new Calvary Chapel Church plant in Tauranga, which is about 45 minutes away for us here in Rotorua, under the leadership of Pastor Dave Heitman, our heart is to be supportive of this work too. Please pray for wisdom and provision as the Lord puts a  team together to serve with Dave in Tauranga.

Our team here at CCBI, has also been developing. We have been blessed to have Jake & Tecla , Josh & Whitney  here for the last year. Jake & Tecla are currently back in the USA , awaiting the birth of their first baby, little baby Jade. They are looking to renew their visa and return to serve with us in the long term. Please pray for them, for the safe delivery of baby Jade and for the visa renewal process. They  will have substantial financial needs return here with  young daughter , but believe the Lord had called them , this too is something we also feel , please pray for the Lords support provision for them as they return here as missionaries to serve with us.  Josh also is renewing his visa and we look forward to his return in August.

Over the last year we have been blessed by Whitney ’s served here at CCBI as  registrar, Whitney has  higher calling placed on  her heart to care for sick relative in the USA. We wish her well and please pray for wisdom, love and courage as she supports  those in need a this difficult time. We have often heard the phrase “Where God Guides He provides” – and it remains ever true.

Our small team has just been blessed with the arrival of Pastor Franz Bischoff and his family, a special blessing and gift from CC Modesto. Franz, which is a New Zealand citizen returning home after many years, will be assisting me in the role of registrar  and looking after the CCBI Accounts , but more importantly he will be teaching Genesis in the next CCBI Semester. Please pray for  Franz and Monica and the kids as they settle in to life here in New Zealand.

CCBI – The Next Semester  Aug – Dec 2011

Well as one semester has really just  finished , it is time to catch a breath before it all starts again!

We are already excited as more students have signed up for the next semester, we have at least 11 ladies about the half the number of guys!!!

CCBI convent girls school !!, it remains to be seen whether the guys will consider themselves to be blessed or will simply be afraid, it will be joy to watch, as everything unfolds. We are excited  to be teaching over 12 live classes, ranging from the book of Revelation to Nehemiah and 1 Corinthians to Genesis and Apologetics. Please pray for anointing on the teachers as  we  seek to prepare for the classes. I will be teaching Nehemiah, Acts and 1 Corinthians , I would appreciate your prayers for insight and anointing.

As CCBI is growing all our problems are good ones and should  really be called opportunities! We are  very close to our maximum bed spaces and may well have to turn students away for the first time unless we can secure alternate and additional accommodation. As numbers increase , the need or a vehicle for CCBI , comes into sharper focus. Please pray that the Lord would provide an 8 or 9 seater van for the school so we can move the students around for ministry and outreach. We would like to do more with CC Hamilton which is about 90 minutes drive away and we certainly want to  support the new church plant in Tauranga. The current vehicle constraints make this difficult, it is difficult to do ministry with out resources. The Lord has a plan, it will be exciting to see how the Lord works in this.

The Family Walsh

Well time for  a little about us. We are all pretty tired especially Gwyn, who plays mum to everyone, so please pray for refreshment for all of us in this season.

Jordan is in his last year at Lakes High and then in February 2012 is planning to start  university course in medicine, so he  is pulled in many directions at the moment. High school finals, work at Starbucks and his heart for ministry (and tennis too). Please pray for him, for strength and wisdom and discernment for what he can and cannot do.

Becky is currently finding herself, an interesting process in the mind of a 14 year old  and borderline scary …. There is nothing like  looking forward to the Rapture. Seriously, she is great and has the capacity to adapt very well to seemingly any environment. Please pray  for her to grow strong in the Lord and in the strength of His Might. She is one of my best friends, sushi  and wasabi  friends.

We appreciate your prayers for us as a family and all your love and care. As for me, I will be teaching several classes and look forward to studying as Franz will be taking some of the administrative burden from my shoulders, for which I am grateful. I will be teaching at the Asian Missions conference in September, so please pray for wisdom in regard to what to share and also for provision for the trip. In August I will be ministering with CC Sydney, Australia over weekend sharing on Life in the Spirit , please pray for anointing and wisdom.

There are so  many things to share  or that could be shared, so please  forgive the brevity of this update . The biggest thing impressed upon m y heart is the need to forge ahead and that God has so  much more for us and we need to make more and even bigger steps for faith.

In Him

M & G

Prayer & Praise for July 2011

Where did the time go, it is hard to believe that it has been three months since our  last update.  Here are some long over due items  for Prayer & Praise.

Praise : Please stand with us and praise the Lord for His faithfulness.

• We just celebrated our two year anniversary as residents here in New Zealand, we are still here and serving the Lord simply as a result of His faithfulness. Praise Him for the final completion of our permanent residency status.
• Praise Him for His continuing provision for our needs as a family, even down to Coffee – Thanks Tom !!!
• Praise Him for the provision of great team, Jake & Tecla, Whitney, Josh and Franz & Monica who have recently joined us as a great gift from Calvary Chapel Modesto.
• Praise the Lord  for  a great semester just passed and the growth that has taken place in CCBI in both depth and in numbers of students.

Prayer requests

Please join with us as we seek the Lord:

Personally:

• Personally for wisdom, courage and faith as I seek to lead the ministry  of CCBI here in New Zealand , we are entering  our second year as a school and have seen much favour  from the Lord. Please pray for wisdom as we seek to discern the Lord’s direction for the future.
• As a family, this is season of change, Jordan is in his last year at Lakes High and will be heading to university to study medicine in February 2012, please pray for wisdom as he has many choices to make and is pulled in many directions as a result of school demands  works demands and living with mad missionary parents. For Becky ( now spelt with an I –  Becki) that she would she would grow strong in the Lord and in the might of His Grace.
• Gwyn is a mum to so many – please pray for strength and wisdom to balance all the different demands that are upon her, especially with a full complement of ladies this upcoming semester, wisdom  and strength are needed.
• Anointing to teach the scriptures  and that we would be those who trust.
• Personal financial  needs as we look to university and the fact that it is already two year since we were able to visit England and family.

Ministry:

• For staff Visas and provision of financial support, Jake and Tecla, & Josh are all in the States right now , looking to renew their visas and return to serve here with us, please pray that this process would go smoothly and also that they would be able to raise the support they need to return as all of us serve here as missionaries.
• For Jake and Tecla as they are expecting the imminent arrival of Baby Jade, please pray for safety for mum and Baby, a smooth and quick delivery and just the provision of everything they need, and God’s wisdom on the timing of their return to New Zealand.
• As CCBI is growing, there are needs, with an increasing number of students there is a need to find a vehicle to transport the students in for ministry and outreach.
• Please pray for wisdom regarding a permanent  home for CCBI , with increased space so that we can accommodate increasing student numbers.
• As we look to the upcoming semester, that the Lord would have His hand on the timing and location of the various outreaches the school will organize.
• As we look to inviting speakers to come and  share with school for speakers week, we ask for wisdom and anointing.
• That the Lord would continue to bring the students He wants here to study at CCBI , that He would raise up labourers to plant churches across the region of the South Pacific Rim.
• For David Heitman , as he begins the steps to plant a Calvary chapel in Tauranga, and how we can support this ministry as a school.
• For CC Sydney conference in August, we will be sharing with the body on the Spirit filled life an ministry and the necessity to be not only stirred by the Spiirt  but to be supplied of the Spirit. Please pray for anointing and a timely word.

We value  your prayers and love and care as you stand with us in this ministry and unless the Lord builds this house it will not stand – Psalm 127

Thank you

M & G

News April 2011 – New Horizons

One thing about pioneering a work is that you are constantly doing something new, starting something or achieving a new mile stone. This has been a season of new things and new milestones, both personally and in the ministry. we want to share with you some of those new horizons that are opening up before us.

The Family Walsh

Personally,  Jordy is in his last year at school, hopefully heading to university to study medicine, now  a school prefect. He’s working hard at school, tennis and Starbucks in Rotorua. Gwyn hit a significant milestone and  in celebration we all took a few days to celebrate in Sydney for a weekend , which was a blessing and great fun, thanks to all those who made that trip possible.

CCBI

In ministry, CCBI is about 8 weeks into our second semester, and this semester is so different from our first, this has been a season of ministry.This is the first weekend so far ,where we have not been on outreach or involved in serving is some capacity. We started with several beach outreaches in conjunction with Calvary Chapel Hamilton and Christian Surfers, the student body is out on the streets most weeks sharing the gospel  in Rotorua, even today Josh Hughes is leading a team sharing the gospel on the streets of Auckland, the largest city on the North Island of New Zealand.

This has been a great season for ministry, and the pace does not slow, next week we will be hosting another first. Our first speakers week will begin on the 4th April – 8th April. Pastor Rod Thompson (CC Murietta Conference Centre), Pastor Andrew Russell (CC Melbourne, Australia), Pastor Kris Baines (CC Christchurch) and Pastor Nick Field (The Street , Wellington, New Zealand).  We will have a series of messages and ministry based around the Book of Jonah and Second Corinthians. Please pray for the Lord to powerfully speaking into the lives of all those who attend.

We also look ahead to outreach week, in the first week of May, for the  first time we will be taking a team to Sydney, Australia and Christchurch, New Zealand. I will be traveling to Japan for the week, to teach at a worship conference alongside Calvary Chapel Okinawa. The conference theme is “Worship in Hard Times” a theme that was chosen before the recent events that shattered Japan. Please pray for us as we seek to serve, bless and minister during this week.

This semester there are  a huge number of challenges, all of them good. The student body is growing, both in number and in their spiritual lives. We are pretty much maxed out on space and accommodation  at the Lakes Ranch Campus. We are at a maximum on our vehicles, all these difficulties are as a result of growth – What a great problem . Ultimately, we need the Lord’s wisdom for the future, for the Lord’s guidance and provision of  a bigger place to host CCBI. We have released our dates for the september semester and already have  students signing up. Please pray with us that the Lord would provide the resources we need.

Calvary Chapel Ladies Day Conference 2011:  Rotorua & Christchurch

One of the new things we were able to help pioneer, a National Ladies day conference for Calvary Chapel, in conjunction with Calvary Chapel Hamilton and Rotorua. Pam Markey and Lisa Collins travelled down from Hungary to share at the conference which was based around the theme of “Being hidden in God“. In order to make the conference more accessible , we decided to have a day conference on each of the two islands of New Zealand. The North Island Conference was held in Rotorua and one week later the South Island Conference was held in the earthquake hit city of Christchurch, hosted  by Calvary Chapel Christchurch.The response to both days has been overwhelming, with 125 ladies attending both days.  During the day in Rotorua all the young men served during the day to facilitate all the ladies from the church and CCBI attending. The day was well received with many asking for another conference but this time a weekend . Pam has already expressed her heart to return, so prayerfully we are already considering the next step. The South Island conference was held in Christchurch a city still reeling from the earthquake.

It was a huge blessing to see some 45 women attend the Christchurch conference in the midst of the all too observable devastation, Praise the Lord for meeting the needs of His beloved. As part of the planning committee for the conferences, one of the highlights for me was to be able to help the senior pastors wives get away for the night before the conference, just to spend time together with Pam and minister to the Lord and to one another.

Once again, we want to thank you for your love, prayers,care and all your support as we co labour together, with out which we simply wouldn’t be here. We have updated our prayer and praise requests in an earlier post today, so please continue to pray for us and with us.

In Him

M&G

Praise:

Please join with us in thanking the Lord for His goodness and grace:

• The Ladies Conference on the North Island and in Christchurch on the South Island was a huge success and great time of blessing . The Conference with Pam Markey was attended by over 125 women across the two day conferences. These were the first ever National Calvary Chapel women’s conferences in New Zealand  and hopefully, the start of a new yearly event to minister to the Ladies of New Zealand. The response was so overwhelmingly positive that  we are looking into staging a weekend conference for Ladies, rather than just a day conference.
• The Lord’s blessing on CCBI this semester, we are now about 8 weeks into this semester and this is the first free weekend for the student body. This has been a season of ministry, we have participated in several outreaches with Christian Surfers of New Zealand, staged and served at the National Ladies conferences, been  on involved in as significant amount of street evangelism on the streets of Rotorua, we had the privilege just this week of seeing three souls come to Christ on the streets of Rotorua. Praise the Lord for His blessing.
• Praise the Lord for the growth in the student body , we have not only  grown in numbers but we are growing in heart and depth of our walk with the Lord.
• Praise the Lord for His provision for the ministry and for us personally as we serve here in the South Pacific Rim.
• Thanks the Lord for an exciting 50th Birthday trip as a family to sydney to celebrate Gwyn’s significant event.

Prayer

Please join with us and seek the Lord’s wisdom and guidance:

• April 3rd – 8th will be our first ever speakers week , Pastor Rod Thompson (Murrieta Conference Centre), Pastor Andrew Russell (Calvary Chapel Melbourne Australia), Pastor Kris Baines, (Calvary Chapel Christchurch)  and Pastor Nick Field ( The Street, Wellington, New Zealand)  will be joining us for a week of  teaching and ministry, please pray for anointing, wisdom and   God’s blessing as we seek to dig into the word and be refreshed.
• April 29th - May 7th – Outreaches- During this time we have teams of students who are going on outreach throughout the region. Josh Hughes will be taking a team of students to serve with Calvary Chapel Christchurch, helping out and serving in the clean up and aftermath of the earthquake. Jake Wilmoth will be leading a team to Sydney, Australia to serve with  Mark Redden & Brad Hall as they both plant churches in different areas of the Northern Beaches of Sydney. I will be taking a separate trip to Japan, to teach at  worship conference and minister alongside Calvary Chapel Okinawa. The conference theme is “Worship in Hard Times“. A theme that was chosen  long before the recent and poignant events in Japan, a theme which so applicable to this time in Japan. Please pray for the Lord’s wisdom, guidance and provision as we prepare for these times of ministry.
• CCBI is growing and all our problems are the good kind !!!!! with more students, we have greater needs in terms of transport – please pray with us for the Lord’s provision of a van for the school so we can transport students and  go further a field on outreach.
  • We are currently close to our maximum on accommodation at the facility we use here at Lakes Ranch, We will be  here for our September semester but in all likely hood if we continue to grow, we will probably outgrow the facility here and may need to turn students away. All in all we need the Lord’s wisdom  and guidance for the next step.  In light of the growth in the ministry  and the opportunity and need to stage conference and ministry event like the Ladies conference, our heart is to seek the Lord’s provision for our own facility, which would serve as  bible school and ministry conference centre. Please pray for God’s wisdom  and guidance as we seek Him about this.
• Provision for our staff, for Josh, Jake and Tecla as they return to the states to renew fellowship with friends family, to raise support and renew their visas before returning for the August semester. Please especially for Jake and Tecla as they will be having a baby during their time back in California, for safety provision and health for mum, baby  and even Jake.
• For the Walsh family, for rest refreshment in the ministry and wisdom. We are at the stage of needing to find alternate accommodation, so please pray for God’s guidance  in this process as it will require some changes for us in  our finances and how we organize ourselves in terms of CCBI. Our hope would that we would be able to find a place that would give us enough space to store the CCBI ministry equipment over the break between semesters.
• For Pastor Steve Jones, Pastor of  Calvary Chapel Hamilton, New Zealand – Steve faithfully serves as pastor of the Calvary Chapel in Hamilton and also is  full time hill farmer running a significant farm in the Waikato. As a founding member of the board of  CCBI , Steve is great servant , this June we are helping to facilitate Steve attending the Senior Pastors conference in Murietta, please pray this will be a rich time in the word and ministry for Steve and for blessing on him and the family as he travels to the conference.
• For Calvary Chapel Rotorua & Pastor Scott Clifford, as well as growth in CCBI, CC Rotorua is growing significantly in size causing no end of problems with no free chairs in the sanctuary – What a great problem, we have just taken on the lower unit under the church with the intention of developing it as a ministry centre , for youth ministry, offices and a coffee shop. These are all great  opportunities and steps of faith, please pray that we would have the wisdom , that we would hear the Lord’s voice on how He wants us to proceed in this venture.
• Please pray , we actually have no idea what we are doing, but we desire His Glory and an inheritance for messiah at this end of the earth .

Thank for co-labouring with us in prayer for the ministry.

Mark & Gwyn

Hi everyone,

I would normally be giving you a great deal of information regarding our new semester which started only a few day ago , and that we are pretty much full , and that it is Gwyn’s 50th Birthday  coming up ,  but clearly in this area of the world events have overtaken us .

So this blog update is to ask for prayer  and to give  you some information from the Saints in CC Christchurch about the  current position down on the south Island.

For you information, CCBI is on the central north Island  about a 2 hour flight away from New Zealand’s South Island and the disaster in Christchurch. We are all safe so please don’t worry for us , but our thought and concern are for those who are in the midst of struggles down in Christchurch.

Here is the update from Pastor Jason Winslade who is the Pastor  of CC Christchurch New Zealand

Dear All,

Thank you so much for your supportive emails, phone calls, and offers to help.  Apologies for taking a while to get back to you with an update.

CC CHRISTCHURCH

We have now made contact with everyone in our fellowship and all are safe.  Many are without electricity and running water, and are still cleaning up the mess in their homes.

Our church office was hit quite hard, and since it’s in the CBD, it’s expected that we won’t have access to it for a while.

We have been told that the school hall where we meet on Sundays won’t have running water by this Sunday, and it will also need to be cleared by a building inspector before we can use it again.

OUR CITY

From those who I have spoken to, our city is currently very well resourced on a practical level with many teams of experts coming in from around the world to assist.  We have notified Civil Defense that a team from our fellowship can help out with any group efforts (in refuge centres etc), but it’s just a case of waiting to hear back from them, and they won’t accept help from people/groups who walk in off the street.

In the mean time, most of the help that we are providing is assisting others on a community/neighborhood level – accommodation, water, supplies etc.

PREPARATION

In the midst of all the practical needs at present, we are preparing for the huge spiritual need that will arise in weeks and months to come.

We are currently arranging for a printing company to print off a large number of tract booklets for us (high quality tracts that Kris Baines put together that are specific to the Christchurch earthquakes).

We are currently in need of more bibles.  We have about a hundred or so at the church office, but it’s unsure of when we’re going to have access to it (officials are expecting that it will still be quite some time away).  The specific bibles we are trying to source are the small NLT New Believers, New Testament ones, with notes from Greg Laurie.  We found these to be very useful with outreach after the September earthquake.

If anyone knows where we can source these bibles in bulk at a good price, can you please let us know.  If you are able to assist with providing bibles, our home postal address is:

C/- Jason Winslade

Calvary Chapel Christchurch

67 Wales Street

Halswell

Christchurch 8025

New Zealand.

FUTURE HELP

Many people have expressed a willingness to bring groups to Christchurch to assist in a practical way.  This will be very much needed in our city in the near future, but it’s still a bit early to see how that might look at this stage.  Civil defense’s advice is for people to stay in their communities, to not drive around unnecessarily, and to wait until they call upon people who have offered help.

I have notified Civil Defense of the help that has been offered so far, and will notify you when I hear back.

PRAYER REQUESTS

-  For softened hearts to the Gospel.

-  For there to be many open doors to reach others with the love of Christ.

-  For the many people who are experiencing fear, stress & anxiety.

-  For the safety of our church family through the on-going aftershocks.

-  For a lady in our fellowship who is currently in hospital with severe chest pains.

-  Wisdom for church leaders and their families as we seek direction from the Lord for such a time as this.

-  That Jesus’ name would be magnified in our city.

Thanks again for all of your prayers & support – will be in touch.

God Bless,

Jason

We will updaet you all with more information in due course

M & G