A SPIRITUALLY REFRESHING
TOUR
DOWN-UNDER
In April 1998, I was in Wales,
writing up my dissertation on the seeking (or preparationist) theology of
Jonathan Edwards. As part of my studies, I came to the conclusion that Edwards
did not believe that God has any desire for the salvation of the reprobate:
which explains why he was constantly calling his hearers to seek salvation
rather than to repent and believe in Christ. This somewhat startling
realisation led me to a study of the Marrow Controversy that raged in Scotland
between 1718 and 1723. My readings on the matter then led me to a little
booklet written by Pastor Chris Connors of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church
of Australia (EPC). As I did not have the booklet, I wrote to the author for a
copy of it. We continue to correspond with one another. At that time, I thought
that Ps Connors was a much older and experienced man, and so when I was going
through some difficult trials, I shared with him my burdens and sought his
opinion and counsel with regards to my dilemmas. Ps Connors offered many godly
advices, which I found helpful. But in particular, two sayings, which were
popular in his denomination, stuck in my mind (partly because of the strange
Tasmanian spelling, or so I thought): “Tolleration without purpose embraces
that which is tolerated”; and “Tolleration without purpose always leads to
compromise.”
In a flurry of providential turns, including relocation, controversies and
difficulties, shortly after that, we lost contact with each other. But a year
and a half later, the Lord would bring us to renew contact though another
remarkable turn of Providence.
At that time, PCC had already been constituted and we were beginning to sing
the Psalms exclusively. When my Californian Calvinist friend, Dave Landis,
learned of that, he sent me a tape containing a selection of psalms. The PCC
Session, impressed by the clarity and earnestness of the singing, immediately
thought that it would be a good idea to have the tape reproduced on CD in order
to promote Psalm-singing here. Well, as it turned out, the tape was produced by
the EPC! I immediately wrote to Ps Connors to seek his permission to do as
planned. With the tie renewed, we were able to see that we had much in common
in terms of theology and philosophy of the Christian ministry. It was then that
the PCC Session extended an invitation to Ps Connors to be our speaker in our
June Conference in 2000 (it was around then that we discovered that Ps Connors
was not a elderly man, though certainly experienced!). The EPC in turn invited
me to speak at their Easter Camp in 2002.
That was how, by the providence of God, my wife, myself and our daughter landed
up in Australia
from 16 March to 4 April, 2002. This trip, though hectic at points, was
spiritually refreshing. We made many friends and learned many precious lessons.
In this short report of our trip, I would not go into a journalistic
description of what happened day by day, though it might also be quite edifying
to do so, seeing the extraordinary circumstances that we were in. But in the
interest of brevity, I hope to highlight some of the lessons and experiences,
which the Lord granted us in those three weeks.
Brisbane,
Queensland, the Sunshine State
We arrived in Brisbane on 17 March (Saturday). Mrs Sue Higgs (wife of Pastor
David Higgs) was there to receive us, together with her parents, Elder Noel and
Mrs Anne Greatbatch, who would be our hosts. Pastor Higgs, though desiring very
much to meet us, was indisposed on account of the tremendous load of ministerial
work that he was under. We had the opportunity to meet up with Pastor Higgs
over the next few days, but it was only for brief, though edifying, moments.
Elder and Mrs Greatbatch proved to be excellent hosts. We spent a lot of time
discussing theology and found agreement in every area we touched on. Elder
Greatbatch, 76, was a lay preacher in a Dispensational Baptist church. When the
Lord turned him to Calvinism, through reading A.W. Pink’s Sovereignty
of God, he was shunned by the leaders and members of his church, and given
many pejorative labels. But he persisted on to reform his life through the
renewing of his mind (Rom 12:2), and eventually joined the EPC some decades
back.
We visited a number of families in the church, and noticed everywhere two things
that brought cheer to the heart: First, in every family, Calvin’s Institutesand Commentaries feature
prominently together with other Reformed books in the library. It is apparent
that the heads of household (at least) are serious students of the Word and of
theology. Secondly, family worship is always held at the dining table either
after (usually) or before supper (i.e., our dinner). I well remember the days
when my own family started having family worship some years ago, when we would
have our worship just before our meals just so that we would not miss worship!
On the Sabbath, there was a congregation of about 80 to 100, ranging from
newborns to those in the 80’s. Many showed appreciation for the sermon (though
I wonder if not a few were surprised when I told them that our first language
is English!). As the congregation dispersed after a sandwich lunch (prepared by
the ladies), a number came to us to apologise that they would not be able to
come in the evening for various reasons. We were struck by their sincerity and
courtesy! Back home, I have sometimes wondered how someone can think that a
visiting minister preached an excellent sermon in the morning and then make no
attempt to turn up in the evening to hear the Word again. Is this not often the
case with us? Oh, how I long for the day when the church will be hungering and
thirsting to hear the Word so much that we would come for the second service
even when the minister is unwell and the congregation has to listen to a taped
message.
The congregation in the evening was only a little smaller than in the morning,
and once again we experienced the same earnestness in the congregation that we
experienced in the morning. This, despite the fact that the sermon was, I
think, rather long and a little more difficult to follow than in the morning.
But quite a few, including the teenagers, were openly appreciative for the Word
preached, for which we were glad!
Cohuna,
Victoria, the Garden State
Cohuna is a small outback town three hours by car from Melbourne. Pastor Chris
Coleborn met us at the airport. We were told to expect a more senior minister
(perhaps because I had told the congregation that we had thought that Ps
Connors was in his 60s!). Ps Coleborn is in his fifties, though he is still
suffering from the effect of chronic fatigue due to overwork and a confluence
of very stressful events several years ago.
The first thing that struck us about Pastor Coleborn is his kindliness and
godly disposition. His gracious and humble speech betrays his years of experience
and learning which included interactions with Prof. John Murray and Prof. J.G.
Vos, two imminent Reformed theologians of a generation before.
Pastor Coleborn, together with his wife Christine, has six children. All except
the youngest, who is severely handicapped, have been or are being
home-schooled.
In this rural outback country of farms, fruits, flowers, and flies, it may be
tempting to think that home-schooling is the only option for the children’s
education. But this is not the case. Many of the EPC families see that their
children’s education is part of their covenant responsibility, and therefore
they would not allow the children to be shaped by secular state school
education. In fact, it was because most of their children were home-schooled
that a few families were able to relocate to Cohuna to help out when the church
was started there several years ago.
The EPC congregation in Cohuna has about 40 to 50 in regular attendance. It is
the largest single congregation in the community. Most other churches there
have only a handful of members. Again, we found the congregation encouraging
and appreciative, both in the morning and evening. And who says Reformed
theology is only for the very learned? Here in this rural town, the
congregation is made up of homemakers, dairy farmers, kangaroo shooters, and
delivery servicemen, all keen on learning the Word of God and maintaining the
Reformed Faith.
Launceston,
Tasmania, the Holiday Isle
Pastor Chris and Mrs Christine Connors received us at the airport. It was good
to renew ties. The journey to their home was only 10 minutes, but we had such
sweet fellowship. Ps Connors revealed how the sum, which the brethren in PCC
gave him when he came in June 2000, enabled him to purchase the car that we
were being ferried in and what a blessing and help the car had been to him and
his family. We praised the Lord that we could be of encouragement to this
humble servant of His.
Pastor Connors was a builder before he heeded the Lord’s call to the ministry.
He built many of the homes in northeast Tasmania. The guest room that we stayed
in Launceston was built by Ps Connor with the help of his then pre-teenage son!
I must say that I was amazed at how deeply intellectual and well-read Ps
Connors is, considering the fact that several years back he was still building
with wood, brick and mortar!
He tells us that his father, Elder Vivian Connors, was a builder himself, and
that he had worked with his father from young. But he was not only learning the
trade of building, he was also learning theology, for they would inevitably
land up discussing theology whenever they worked together. Is this not what
Deuteronomy 6:7 is all about?
Well, we landed up discussing theology at every opportunity too. And what
extraordinary oneness of faith and understanding with each other. I do not
think that the oneness of our understanding is inevitable since we hold to the
same confession of faith. The fact is that I have known many brethren who hold
to the same confession as us, but whom we may disagree in many ways. In fact,
my discovery of similarity with Ps Connors and other EPC ministers and elders
are found not in the statements of our Confession which we assume we are all
agreed on, but on the areas that are outside the explicit expressions of the
Confession. What could explain this similarity but the illuminating work of the
Spirit?
The opportunities we had to meet up with the members in the congregation prior
to the camp was also very edifying. My wife met up with the ladies when they
had a gathering in the park. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the
subject of small talk is doctrine and theology and books read, rather than
things mundane as often is the case in most ladies’ gatherings. That night,
when I met up with the elders and deacons for a meal, we again had a most
meaningful conversation. They asked about the origin of PCC, and shared their
own struggles. It was as if we had known each other for ages! Could it be a
mutual recognition of the image of Christ stamped in our hearts?
Smithton, our Camp Site
We left for Smithton (North West Tasmania) on Thursday in a rented 12-seater
bus, which the Launceston Deacon’s Court paid for, so that Ps and Mrs Connors
could drive us up. We made a detour to the spectacular Cradle Mountain and
Lake, which reminded us of the greatness of God as displayed in His wondrous
creation. In all, the journey took several hours, but it was made short by
theological discourses!
I spoke on the parables at the camp. I think there were about 100 or so
present, mainly from two congregations (Launceston and Winnaleah), though there
were others from the mainland and beyond. It was such a wonder for us to see so
many teenagers at the camp. In so many conservative congregations that we have
visited over the years (in Singapore, U.S. and U.K.), we have found only a
handful of teens because they have either left the church altogether or left
for ‘more exciting and contemporary’ churches. Could it be that the EPC’s
strong emphasis on covenant family responsibilities has been instrumental in
rooting their children in the faith? It appears to me that the EPC has the best
of the Dutch tradition (via the Protestant Reformed Church in America, I think)
and the Scottish tradition (via the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms,
and the Practice of the Free Church of Scotland). As a student of
the Scriptures and of Church History, I am quite convinced that this is where
the biblical balance, in terms of ministry and doctrine, may be found.
We were very encouraged by the evident working of the Spirit of Christ in the
hearts of the hearers, and also by the remarks by numerous persons that they
had been helped by the studies.
But one thing we found to be very different in this camp as compared to church
camps that we have attended is the informality and spontaneity of the attendees
(except on the Sabbath). There were numerous games organised for the young
people. Many of the older folks joined in too and participated heartily. Who
says the Reformed faith must produce staid and formal Christians?
Herrick and Winnaleah
Smithton is to the west of Tasmania,
while Winnaleah, where Ps Mark Shand ministers, is towards the east. It was a
very long and twisty drive, which involves crossing a couple of mountain
ranges. But again the journey was made pleasant by the beautiful scenery by day
and warm Christian fellowship by night.
Most of the members in the Winnaleah congregation live in Herrick, though the
church building is in Winnaleah, about 10 minutes away. Pastor Mark and Mrs
Suzie Shand and their children live in Herrick, in a 40-acre plot of land, in a
house built by Ps Chris Connors years ago. Ps Shand was recently ordained to
the ministry, having graduated from PRS about half a year ago. He was a
Queen’s Counsel before heeding the Lord’s call to serve Him. A builder building
in the Temple of God; a lawyer serving in the Court of
the King. Who will the Lord call next?
Here in Herrick, Tasmania, unlike in the mainland or in
Launceston, the children go to a parent-supervised covenant school founded by
the church (rather than being home-schooled). I can see the advantage of having
such a school, which in many ways may even be better than home-schooling.
Perhaps the establishment of such a school in our church may be the way we
should look towards for the education of our children. In saying this, we ought
to remember that most, if not all, of the “Christian schools” in Singapore are
only a little more than “glorified public school,” just as one EPC brother puts
it in reference to the Australian schools.
The evening before we left for Launceston again, the congregation gathered at
Ps Shand’s home for an Aussie barbecue. The food was sumptuous, but it was the
delectable fellowship that really warmed our hearts! We had the opportunity to
meet some of the brethren who were unable to go to the camp, as well as to
catch up with some friends we made at the camp, including Pastor and Mrs
Burley. Ps Burley is semi-retired after suffering poor health due to overwork
some years back. He is now serving the Lord as a pulpit supply wherever the
Lord calls. This way, the church benefits from his gifts and years of
experience, without his having to take on heavy pastoral burdens.
The night ended with a psalmody, that is, a psalm singing session, where
participants could choose their favourite Psalms. We enjoyed the time. But it
was particularly heartening to see the children requesting for particular
Psalms to be sung. Oh, may the Lord grant us that our children will grow to
love the Psalms too.
Conclusion
Our final night was spent with Ps and Mrs Connors in Launceston. The next
morning, we were again facing the poignancy of parting. But as had happened on
every occasion of parting throughout this trip, our sadness was mitigated by
the mutual promise that the Lord willing, we will meet each other again… “if
not in this life, in glory!”
The EPC is 40 years old. PCC is only approaching our 3rd year. Yet, we are so
similar in our convictions. Many of the difficulties that we are facing today were
also faced by the EPC: which explains their extraordinary sympathy towards our
cause. The EPC has learned some hard lessons along the way, and have proven by
experience the words of our Lord, that the gates of hell shall not prevail
against His Church. Will not the experiences of these our brethren down-under
also be helpful to us when we come to similar crises? Will Christ, the Head of
the Church, in the unfolding of His Providence, bring the history of our
churches to cross again in such a way that it becomes intertwined?