Church Unity
Little Miracles arranged a massive Safe Church Training event for the churches in Corio. Sixty christians from 5 groups came and Ann Morison from CCCVaT trained us free of charge – helping us care for children and vulnerable people better in future.
Vale Eric Dixon
Our Treasurer, Eric Dixon, died unexpectedly but peacefully in his sleep in late May. We are helping arrange his funeral with City on a Hill Church which will be massive as he was incredibly well-connected and well-loved. We are recruiting a new board member to replace him as Treasurer. But he’s kind of irreplaceable.
Pop Up Church
Around 35 locals and Christians joined together to hear the word of God and bring love, faith and prayer for new life in Labuan Sq Norlane. God did some solid little miracles as we cared for each other in Jesus’ name. We’re having a BBQ next month.
Bus Stop Ministry – Pilot Project Report
Rather than go for a regular Church Plant in a world where churches are closing, we’ve decided to create a mission. This means we are 100% dedicated to bringing the gospel to the local people, who don’t go to church. This Bus Stop Ministry Pilot Project has been a great success. We begin by offering free coffees and hot chocolates to the local parents and children who meet at the Bus Stop outside Corio Christian Centre every Tuesday. We serve them by listening to their stories, providing lego and playing games and learning English together. Then at around 5pm we have dinner and discuss something important. Then we have a small worship time and then open the Bible for discussion. Then we pray for each other. Each week around 30-35 unchurched people have come including Amir and Miriam from Egypt who fit in perfectly. We will keep this going over the school holidays and into Term 3 as our primary focus with view to building the centre into a community centre run by Christians.
Cleaning the Entrance
Kids lining up for hot chocolate
Everyone Relaxing in Jesus’ Name
Outreach crew dinner, worship, discussion & prayer
Winter calls for a fire
Our New Flag
Admin Mountain
Since joining CCCVaT, we’ve been blessed by the awesome work of Paul Gould who has somehow achieved a herculean amount of work getting Little Miracles incorporated and an official charity with the ACNC and many other important things.
New Website
Funding Declined – What do we do?
If you’ve been with us for a while, you’ll know that we thought we were going to be funded through CCCVaT. Well in early May, we had an interview with Spark analysts who realised we were a mission not a church plant, so they decided not to invite us into their funding process at this stage. Therefore we are not receiving any regular income for our mission work at this time. As usual, I want to share these complex issues with you rather than pretend that it’s all easy and simple.
Trust God
God calls us to trust Him and embark on a life of serving with courage and strength. We are committed to bring the gospel in Corio and Norlane with new and innovative methods and to follow the Holy Spirit in everything we do. This whole process of becoming incorporated and joining CCCVaT has been a walk of faith in God. Therefore we can trust God for the closing of this funding door. In God’s ways, we accept it with joy believing that in all things, God is blessing those who trust in Him beyond all we can think or imagine.
Stay Small
If we don’t have any funding in future, we can continue as we have for the last four years by staying small. This is a real option. Jesus didn’t ‘go big’ with His ministry. If it’s OK for Jesus, it’s OK for us. However, if we stay small, the work of Little Miracles may well die out when we do. It won’t grow bigger than us. That’s OK with me, but is that God’s will? I don’t know
Grow Bigger
I would really like to employ people to help bring the gospel in 3214 and beyond. I would like to train new people, raise up new leaders, empower evangelists and duplicate our best ministry efforts in other areas. To do this, we would need funding to grow. Is this God’s view? I don’t know.
Different Funding Model
One option is for Little Miracles to develop our own fund-raising capability. We are already reasonably well-known in Geelong and we are genuinely unique, agile and effective. We have an open door at the local Christian radio station. I’m asking my prayer supporters to pray that we will get God’s answers to all these questions so that in 1 year’s time, we will look back and say: “Yes we are fully in obedience to God’s greater plans.” Please join us to pray for God’s wisdom to be revealed.
New Prayer Group
It’s amazing that the day after Eric Dixon, one of my two Prayer Generals passed away, I was invited to join a group of pastors west of Melbourne who pray every week. Thank you God, for supplying our needs as we step forward in faith.