Mark Conner's Space

Ministry in Perth

This last weekend, Nicole and I had the privilege of ministering at two churches in the city of Perth, Western Australia - Riverview and Generations Centre.

Riverview is led by Phil and Heather Baker, good friends of ours over many years. They are creative leaders with a real heart for people, and for reaching their local community. Phil heads up an informal network of pastors and leaders in Australia and New Zealand with churches 500+ in size. We really enjoyed sharing at their weekend church gatherings. We spoke Saturday evening (Mark), Sunday morning (Nicole), and Sunday evening (Mark).

Generations Centre is co-led by Andrew and Sharon Shaper and Kevin and Sally Mackay. Their church is 50 years old and they have been involved in leading it through a number of changes over the last decade or so. They have a passion for evangelism and outreach. We enjoyed the energy and enthusiasm of the church gatherings over the weekend. We spoke Friday evening (Nicole), Sunday morning (Mark), and Sunday evening (Nicole). I also spoke at a leadership seminar on Saturday morning. [I was booked to speak at this church just over two years ago but I had to cancel last minute due to a sudden appendix operation!]

As you can see, Nicole and I kind of played musical churches - but we had a lot of fun and God did some great things over the weekend, for which we are really thankful.

Perth is a beautiful city with some great churches. There is excellent unity in the city. One expression of this is the annual Church Together event where churches from all of the city meet together.

The Tsunami Aftermath

As part of my trip to Indonesia, I visited the area of Aceh where the largest impact of the devastating 2004 tsunami took place. Rebuilding has been slow as some people have been reluctant to return to the area. Many have lost loved ones and are still working through the incredible grief. I talked with one village chief who lost 50 members of his extended family.

Our church members donated around $75,000 to relief work and a medical team went to provide practical help in this time of crisis.

Here are some photos (click to enlarge) of a grave area, where over 50,000 people were buried - 5 deep. There is nothing that moves the heart like looking squarely in the face of human suffering.

Here is a photo of a huge barge that ended up 4 kilometers inland. The locals asked the Australian Army what it would take to get it back out to see - 'The next tsunami!" was their answer!

 

Please continue pray that the local communities will be able to rebuild their future together.

Finally, how do we respond to a tragedy such as this? Attached is a document outlining my personal response to this disaster at the time.

Ministry in Indonesia

Last week I was privileged to minister at the AbbaLove Church in Jakarta, Indonesia. This is an amazing church of over 20,000 people spread throughout the city through a variety of congregations, community cell groups, and ministries.

They have a well-balanced ministry of evangelism, discipleship, care, community outreach, and world mission. There is much we can learn from churches in other nations such as this. They are experiencing a genuine revival in an environment that can be hostile. Yet their faith shines strong.

Jakarta is a bustling city of over 12 million people in an area smaller than that of Melbourne, Australia. A fair bit of the city is below sea level (and gradually sinking!), so a burst of rain sure slows the traffic down! There is much need in this city but God is at work, using the hands and feet of his people to reach out with hope and love.

Ministry at City Bible Church

In June of this year, I ministered at City Bible Church in Portland, Oregon. This church is led by my brother-in-law, Frank Damazio, and my sister Sharon. It is always a joy to minister in Portland, as it brings back many memories for me.

I lived in Portland for 10 years of my life, from age 9 to 18. I moved there with my family, after my father, Kevin Conner, was offered a job as Dean of Portland Bible College, a ministry of Bible Temple, under the leadership of Dick Iverson at that time. While there I graduated from high school and I completed a two year Associate of Theology degree at Portland Bible College.

They were a great 10 years. I made lots of friends, encountered God personally, experienced life in a vibrant growing church, and I was impacted by a number of key leaders such as: Dick Iverson (my senior pastor), Ken Wilde (my high school Principal and basketball coach), Mike Herron (my music teacher), and Ken Malmin (my Bible College lecturer).

Our family moved back to Australia in 1981. Sharon and Frank stayed and pioneered a church in Eugene, Oregon before inheriting the leadership of Bible Temple (now called City Bible Church) from Dick Iverson in 1995.

Under Frank's leadership over the last decade, City Bible Church has continued to grow and expand. Frank's teaching and writing ministry have impacted many people around the globe.

Ministry at City Harvest Church

In March of this year, I was honoured to minister at City Harvest Church in Singapore. This amazing church is led by Pastor Kong Hee. In the last few decades this church has grown to a congregation of over 23,000 people attending each weekend, the vast majority of them being new converts to Christianity.

It is, without doubt, one of the most dynamic churches I have ever been in or spoken to. They are strong in evangelism, discipleship, prayer, worship, community outreach, comm unity influence, and mission.

If you're ever in Singapore, be sure to visit.

Europe 2007

In May of this year, Nicole and I took three weeks holidays in Europe, along with our good friends Peter and Linda Leigh. I've been on church staff for over 20 years now and Nicole has just completed 10 years, so we both had some long service leave due so we thought we'd plan a holiday in Europe.

For those interested, here's a brief overview of where we went with some pictures taken along the way …

God’s Amazing Zoo

I've just seen God's zoo and it's absolutely stunning and amazing all at the same time! We spent 5 days driving through some of the most beautiful countryside on planet earth – the Serengeti National Park in the country of Tanzania.

The Serengeti National Park is one of the best-known wildlife sanctuaries in the world, unequaled for its natural beauty and scientific value. With more than two million wildebeest, half a million Thomson's gazelle, and a quarter of a million zebra, it has the greatest concentration of plains game in Africa. The name 'Serengeti' comes from the Maasai language and appropriately means 'endless plains'. The National Park, with an area of 14,763 square kilometres, is as big as Northern Ireland. It includes the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and it offers the most complex and least disturbed ecosystem on earth. The park is also well known for its healthy stock the 'Big Five' – lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo.

We visited only a small part of this huge park but saw so many animals including - antelope, lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, rhino, zebra, wildebeest, vulture, eagle, hippo, hyena, giraffe, jackal, crocodile, baboon and flamingo.

I don't think I'll be visiting a man-made zoo ever again!

We were pleased to be able to welcome our long-time good friends, Royce and Elizabeth Iverson, to join us for a few days of our safari. We know them from Portland, Oregon but they are now doing mission work in Kampala, Uganda. Elizabeth took some nice photos directly from our 4 wheel drive as we toured through the Serengeti. I've posted some of them below for your enjoyment.

Reflections on Africa

We've just returned from almost 3 weeks in East Africa. During this time we visited the countries of Uganda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania.

From a natural perspective, these are beautiful countries with amazing wildlife and rich physical resources. However, most of the people are very poor – due to the impact of decades of internal strife, struggling economies, and disease such as the HIV AIDS.

From a spiritual perspective, most of the people are rich. These countries have a strong Christian heritage and ongoing influence. People believe in God and are very open to him. They are joyful, even in the midst of their poverty. The African church is alive and well, despite the many challenges. We have much we can learn from them.

In contrast, we in the West are naturally rich and well off. We are blessed with everything we need. We have an abundance of physical things. Yet in many ways we have become spiritually poor. Many people have pushed God out of their lives and look to other things to find meaning and purpose. We have created idols out of success and materialism.

May we respond to the needs in Africa. After all, Jesus told us to love our neighbour. They need resources – people, money, and materials. May we also learn from them that true life is not found in the abundance of things we possess but in the life that we have in our loving God. May we learn to be joyful in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in.

Thanks Africa – we'll be back!

More Ministry in Ethiopia

On Friday the team drove over three hours to observe first hand the work of the Gudina Tumsa Foundation which they are doing amongst the Karayu people. They are showing God's love through helping these communities with things such as education, digging of wells, and health care.

On Saturday, we got up real early to watch the AFL Grand Final. We were very excited to see the Geelong Cats pull off a huge win over Port Adelaide for their first premiership for over 40 years. Go Cats!!

During the rest of the day we toured around Addis Ababa, a bustling city of over 4 million people.

On Sunday morning, Nicole and I spoke at two different charismatic Lutheran churches. The people were warm and friendly, with an obvious devotion to God.

You've got to love the children …

Tomorrow (Monday) we fly to Tanzania for a few days holiday before heading back to Melbourne later in the week. We'll be visiting the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti National Park. We can't wait!

Ministry in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Yesterday (Wednesday) we finished our time in Kampala, Uganda. On Tuesday morning I spent time with Pastor Gary Skinner and his leadership team. Then I spoke to their creative arts team in the evening, a vibrant group of over 300 people. During the day Nicole spoke to two groups of mothers at two different Watoto villages, encouraging them in their ministry. These women are amazing people and Nicole loved it, especially when they started dancing and singing at the end of the meeting!

Last night (Wednesday) we arrived in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia – a two hour flight north of Kampala, Uganda. Addis is a bustling city of around 4 million people. This is a poorer city than Kampala. One in ten adults has AIDS in Ethiopia and there are over 1 million orphans. There are so many needs all around, yet so many opportunities. God is doing some incredible things in the churches here but there is much more to be done.

This morning (Thursday) I spoke to about 90 key church leaders from a Pentecostal denomination that has 2,012 churches in Ethiopia, with over 1 million believers. Many of these churches are in rural areas and I heard some wonderful stories of miracles taking place and people coming to Christ. I spoke all morning on God's plan for 'community' within the church, with a special focus on small groups, which are not an emphasis here in many churches. In the afternoon we had a question and answer times and Nicole spoke to the women on "Is God Really Good?"

Coming to Ethiopia is like stepping back in time – literally! Ethiopia is the only country in the world with its own calendar. They follow the Julian system (rather than our Gregorian one) and so on September 12^th, 2007 (our time) they celebrated the new millennium, as that was the first day of the first month in the year 2000 for them! Jokes abound, such as – "The Ethiopians are preparing for the Sydney Olympics" and "If you want to be 7 years younger, move to Ethiopia!"

Ministry at Willow Creek A2 Conference

In October 2006, Nicole and I were privileged to speak at the Willow Creek A2 Conference in Chicago. This unique conference featured a variety of churches, including our church, The Dream Center led by Matthew Barnett, LifeChurch.tv Church led by Craig Groeschel, Christ Church led by David Ireland, Gateway Community Church led by John Burke, and a look at the future of Willow Creek as seen by Gene Appel.

The conference used a 'case study' model that included a 5 minute video profile, a 30 minute verbal presentation, then an extended time of interaction with a panel of church leaders and thinkers, including people such as Bill Hybels and Erwin McManus.

Nicole and I were asked to share on 'Ministry - On Purpose or by Default?' We focused on the various changes we have made since assuming the leadership of CityLife Church back in 1985. We shared about how we have endeavoured to lead those changes in as healthy a manner as possible. There was also a special focus on leading change when both former senior pastors, including the founding pastor, are still in the church. There was a lot of interest in the issues we raised and the interaction time with the panel was very lively.

A CD or DVD of this session can be ordered from the Willow Creek Association

A Weekend in Kampala, Uganda

Here we are in Kampala, Uganda! We arrived on Friday afternoon after a long 36 hour trip from Melbourne (with brief stops in Singapore, Dubai and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia). The short term team includes our family, Andrew, Paulos and Ababo, and Steve and Rachel.

After settling in to our hotel, we had dinner with Gary and Marilyn Skinner, who pastor Kampala Pentecostal Church (KPC). They began this church over 20 years ago and it now is has 18,000 people attending each weekend with multiple church meetings in 5 locations across the city. They also have a strong small group ministry, with 1400 cell groups. They are also doing many amazing things to meet a variety of needs in their local community, including the Watoto ministry, which houses over 1400 orphans (there are approximately 2 million orphans in Uganda).

After dinner we got an early night in order to work through the jet lag and adjust to the new time zone. On Saturday morning we toured a new Baby Watoto home, which is a home for unwanted babies. This home opened a few months back and already they have 56 babies, most of which were handed in via the local hospital or police station, or even found abandoned. The home is called Bulrushes, taken from the fact that Moses was taken from bulrushes. Amazingly, the first baby placed into the home was named Moses! One little baby we held was named Sophia. Someone had found her left outside someone's garage. What hope this ministry is bringing to these little neglected lives.

I then preached 5 times at the KPC central campus – once Saturday night and four times on Sunday (8.00 am, 10.00 am, 12.00 noon and 2.00 pm). The central campus is an old movie theatre that seats 1700 people that they have turned into a church building. It was packed out each meeting with enthusiastic Ugandan people. They are such a vibrant and joyful people, even in the midst of a country which has such immense need. The Skinners have a huge vision for this ministry. Over the next 5 years they are endeavouring to raise $45,000 US from their own congregation to build new larger auditoriums in each of their city locations, to cope with the growth they are experiencing.

It is such an honour and a privilege to be here in Africa. It is my first time to this great continent, one with so much need, yet so much potential. We have much to learn from all that God is doing here. We pray that God would do a deep work of compassion in all of our hearts … that He would teach us His ways and show us more of His heart. While we're here, we want to do all we can to add to what God is already doing here. Thank you for your prayers!

Tomorrow (Monday) we visit one of the Watoto children's villages.

P.S. I was very pleased to hear that the Geelong Cats clawed their way to beat Collingwood by a whisker. I'm not sure if we'll be able to see the Grand Final over here, but I'll be cheering the Cats on. Go Cats!!

More Queenstown Photos

Lots of people enjoyed the photos from our visit to Queenstown, New Zealand for the 500+ Conference ... especially the animals (got to love those llamas)!

Well, here are a few more ... (photos courtesy of Arthur and Dani Cherrie, pastors of The Winepress). Got to love that donkey!! [Click on photos to enlarge]  

Africa, Here We Come!

Tomorrow our family and a team from CityLife Church leave for Africa.

We will be ministering in Uganda for Gary and Marilyn Skinner, Senior Pastors of Kampala Pentecostal Church and founders of the Watoto Ministry. After that we will minister in Ethiopia in the capital city of Addis Ababa. Nicole and I will be speaking at a pastors conference. We will visit with Lensa Tumsa (who spoke at our recent DARE women's conference) and see the Gudina Tumsa Foundation ministry which she leads. We will also speak at some churches in Addis.

When we planned this ministry trip last year, we realised that it would be during the school holidays so we decided to save up and take our kids along too. So at the end of our time of ministry in Uganda and Ethiopia we will take a few days holiday and go on a safari in nearby Tanzania.

This is my first trip to Africa and I'm very excited about it! I'll keep you posted while we're away.

Mark

Ministry in Brisbane

This past weekend I ministered in Brisbane at CitiPointe Church for Pastor Mark Ramsey. I was scheduled to be up here last year but unfortunately had to cancel due to my appendix operation.

I spoke to their leadership community on Saturday evening on 'Successful Christian Ministry', a message based on my book by the same title which presents some practical keys for having a high-impact long-lasting ministry.

On Sunday morning I spoke two times on 'Building God's House', a message aimed at helping the members of a local church take up some practical tools that will see their church grow from strength to strength.

On Sunday evening, I spoke on 'Igniting Your Spiritual Passion', a message from Romans 12:11 about the importance of passion, as well as an explanation of some fire-fighters and fire-lighters.

There was an excellent response to each of the messages and I am thankful for all that the Holy Spirit did in the lives of the people there. It is always a tremendous privilege to speak in another church and I always thank God for his favour and anointing.

Citipoint is a vibrant, energetic church with a great future. They are doing a lot of things really well and you can sense a fresh wave of spiritual momentum rising.

I must admit, I was somewhat envious of their 100 acre campus!

Philippines

On the weekend of July 20-22nd, I was privileged to be one of the main speakers at the Every Nation World Conference in Manilla, Philippines. Every Nation is a netowrk of over 400 churches from 54 nations around the world. They are a vibrant group passionate about evangelism, discipleship, cultural relevance, church planting and missions.

There were 14,000 people at the event, which was held in the main city stadium where Ali and Fraser fought out their 'Thrilla in Manilla' back in 1975. The atmosphere was electric.

The Every Nation church in Manilla has over 25,000 people attending 52 church meetings each weekend in 10 different locations around the city. Steve Murrell is the Senior Pastor and he is a very humble person and an empowering leader. I was very inspired by this church. There is so much we can learn from what God is doing in the Philippines.

Sweden

A few weeks ago (July 23-27th) I was in Uppsula, Sweden for Ulf Ekman's Europe Conference. Ulf Ekman has done an incredible job building a thriving conrgegation there in the small town of Uppsula. In addition to the church, there is a Bible School, a publishing company and a television program - all reaching out to thosuands of people across Europe and around the world.

Pastor Ulf is a very warm person with a father's heart and a real pioneer spirit. I was really inspired by his life and ministry and I look forward to conencting with him again.

The conference was one of the most diverse I've been to in terms of speakers. There was a Catholic Charismatic leader from the UK, some Jewish Rabbis, a Fijian evangelist and Pastor Kong Hee from Singapore. It is always exciting to hear what God is doing in different parts of his body around the world. There is so much we can learn from one another if we are willing to value diversity.