Focus on Austral/Asia: Australia Embarking on ‘New Beginnings’
Occupying one of the seven continents of the globe, Australia has the largest land mass in the Austral/Asian region for the Church of God and is part of a church planting and growth plan for the denomination in that part of the world.
Marc Morris serves as Regional Superintendent for the Church of God, a post he has occupied since 2010. In early September he spent several days with leaders in Australia where they implemented strategic planning initiatives and completed the sale of the former MacArthur Ministry Training Centre (MTC) in Campbelltown.
The MacArthur Ministry Centre in Cambelltown has been sold and the proceeds will go toward purchase of a new ministry centre in Australia.
“Our theme right now for the Church of God in Australia is New Beginnings,” Morris stated. “Just like a computer, we are rebooting our operations to get a fresh start, so that we can maximize the functions currently needed. When I became superintendent , I learned quickly that our Australia and Oceania pastors, ministry workers and youth feel very isolated and disconnected from each other. This is simply because they live and work great distances from each other geographically.”
According to Morris, after a thorough review and assessment, the decision was made by national, regional and international leadership to transfer the 2000 YWEA center to a new location and type of facility, one that would facilitate housing accommodations and training. Due to zoning in the area, the previous training center could only offer office and classroom functions.
The original need was to have a YWEA center that could bring people from faraway places to stay temporarily on-site for training, retreats and facilitate international youth mission teams. Progress is being made toward the purchase of a new property. A nationwide search is currently underway. At the recent national board meeting, one possible relocation presented was south of Sydney in a coastal port town called Wollongong.
“The University of Wollongong has one of the highest concentrations of international students of any university in the world,” Morris said. “Some of the goals for the new property are to provide accommodations, training, recreation, and expansion possibilities. ”
Currently the Church of God presence in Australia consists of 22 churches, 33 ministers and over 1,100 members.
“Australia is a multicultural society that is seeing great contrasts emerge,” Morris continued. “On the one hand, it is prospering economically. On the other hand, moral and spiritual values are under attack. The young people are hungry for the gospel and the reality of Jesus Christ in their lives.”
—Cameron Fisher, Church of God Communications
