There was a collective murmur as one of the international graduates, Jenna, got up in front of a large crowd at the Power to Change Queensland 40th anniversary celebration. Melody, a Chinese graduate, had just shared how she became a Christian soon after she arrived in Australia and then had the privilege of leading Fiona to Christ. Fiona then shared, via a video from China, how she had led Jenna to Christ.
John Altman is a lawyer, an ordained Anglican minister and a donor of Power to Change. In God’s eyes, any job or giving is good when He takes you on a journey of generous giving.
While he was studying arts and law at Melbourne University, two major life-changes happened. He met Kathy, the love of his life and then Jesus, the Lord of his life. Both John and Kathy gave their lives to Christ at university.
As a law graduate, he found work in a large commercial law firm. John shared, “It was in the mid-80s, an era in the corporate culture where ‘greed is good.' I left after two years and worked for the State government in the Equal Opportunity Tribunal.” That was a better fit, but the Lord was stirring in his heart.
As a wife and mum of three children, juggling both ministry and family is not easy, but for Vanessa Vanderbusch, she takes joy that she can engage in ministry and be challenged to continue to grow and develop as a leader.
For two weeks in summer, a team of Power to Change university students and missionaries lived in a St Kilda hostel. They engaged with residents and locals on the street and learnt to share their faith in real-life settings with a broad range of people from different life-stages and ethnic backgrounds, all while growing in their ability to listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Here is just one of their encounters!
What are your plans this Easter? Are they the same as every year? Seeing the family, having food, sharing chocolate and going home? As the leaves change colour, and the kids are out of school, this time of year has something so very special about it. Chocolate abounds, a bunny is the most popular animal, and many of us get 2 days off work!
If that’s all Easter is, then it can just be counted as another holiday with no meaning.
What began as a journey of faith to provide a new office for the Sydney based Power to Change strategies has now become a remarkable point of praise! On 6 April we had a wonderful time celebrating the opening of our new Sydney Mission Hub!
The evening began with an opportunity to tour the newly completed office to see where our missionaries have set up work, meeting, and storage space that combine their resources to further their impact in Sydney. There were missionaries and volunteers stationed around the office to share their excitement with guests who partnered with Power to Change to make this possible.
This year, the Southern Catalytic Team joined the Victorian Area and are seeing fruit as they benefit from living closer to campuses they are pioneering in Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania. They praise God for their first ever Tasmanian student at Mid Year Conference and seeing Naomi trust God to build a movement in her final year at Monash Caulfield!
October 2018 was filled with activity for our Families Strategy as they held two conferences in Brisbane and Melbourne. These one-day marriage conferences focused on developing the oneness in marriage. The participants looked at the factors that drive them apart, communication and conflict resolution, intimacy, and leaving a legacy. Many have found it a very powerful time for couples as they come together and work on their relationship as a team rather than individuals fighting for their own way.
You can partner with the work of Power to Change by giving online
