I was fortunate to receive a scholarship to a boys’ boarding school. It was here that I heard and wrestled with the claim of Christ, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except  through me.” (John 14:6)

Faithful teachers cared for me, taking me on camps and conferences. However, when I visited my mates’ homes in the country, I saw how little opportunity there was to hear the Gospel, especially for younger people. After graduating from university, many of my colleagues were sent to regional areas, and I again quickly saw the needs of the church in the bush.

My own family’s roots are in Warrnambool and north-west Victoria, and it is my privilege to serve as BCA’s Victorian Regional Officer. Victoria has a population of 6.9 million, with 1.6 million in regional Victoria. That’s more than six times the Northern Territory, more than three times the ACT and nearly three times the population of Tasmania. And Melbourne and country Victoria just keep growing, especially through immigration.

It is my delight to preach God’s word and motivate God’s people for mission right across Victoria. The opportunities are wonderfully varied: a Harvest Festival in Walpeup in the Mallee; Chinese services in Ivanhoe and North Richmond; equipping for evangelism at Kyabram; Christmas services at Strathfieldsaye, Inverloch and Wonthaggi; the youth group at my local church; a Karen service in Geelong; a Patronal Festival at Mildura; services with Pacific Island workers at Ouyen and Mallacoota; a group of AFES students at Belgrave Heights; a Synod outreach; and multicultural services at Dandenong and North Dandenong. All these, plus many more, in the last year or so. As you can see, plenty of travelling is involved, and I have very much felt like Moses: utterly dependent on the prayers of others for energy, protection and fruitfulness.

Currently we have four Field Staff in Victoria but we urgently need more. I regularly visit our local ministry training centre, Ridley College, and have to confess my disappointment at seeing how few have any connection to the country. With such a big challenge, please pray that God would move in people’s hearts, opening their eyes to the spiritual needs of those in the bush.

For this reason I’ve been writing prayer notes for each of our regional municipalities and urging our supporters to pray with me for
country Victoria. These prayer notes are given out at deputations and events, sent out with receipts and are available on the Victorian page of the BCA website. Perhaps you or your church have a link to country Victoria? Perhaps you could join us in regularly
bringing that area to God, praying for the growth of His people there?

Each year we also organise events to pray for and promote the work of the Society, including our Annual Dinner, a series of Spring Gatherings and a lunch for Nomads and former Field Staff.

All these activities don’t just happen. We have a modest office in Heidelberg, staffed part-time till recently by Mr Bob Barclay, and now by The Revd Matt Smith. We have a very experienced and committed Regional Committee, chaired by The Revd Stephen May. In 2024, we raised over $448,000, together with $61,503 in legacies. This generosity is extraordinary and brings great thankfulness to my heart.

Thank you so much for your prayers for me and the work of the Gospel in Victoria. Please continue to pray that God’s Spirit would work to bring in a harvest “beyond our imagining”, so that kids and young adults, middleaged and old, would know that God loves them, is longing for them to join His eternal people, and has died, not just to wash away all the wrong in their life, but to make them
holy through their union with His resurrected Son, Jesus.