mike o'connor

With the floodwaters now rising in South East Queensland and even Northern New South Wales!  Here are some things we are doing in Rockhampton to love our city as soon as the water goes down.  These things are in place and set to roll when we can start cleaning up.  Just want you to know though, even though the TV cameras have moved on the water in Rockhampton hasn’t.  We are still flooded in up here and cut off from the world by road/rail and air.  Concerns are now for our city of 75,000 people for food supplies coming up from the South and for diseases and sickness.  Please don’t forget us in your prayers and here’s some things you can pray about for us.

1. We have become the child care facil ity for any one want ing to have their kids minded during the clean up
1.a We are going to do evening BBQ to feed people when they pick up their kids
2. We were given 5 chest freezers (new) yesterday to freeze meals to give to peo ple and when we’re done we can give the freez ers away.
3. We are still organising a team of people who can just labour — door knocking an area to assist people in the clean up.
already in place and set to roll when the waters go down.
4. Obviously help ing people from church flooded in.

Here is the article I’ve written for the next issue of New Directions (Presbyterian Church of Queensland Magazine).

Floods In Rockhampton

We knew it was coming, like you we all saw on television, the rising flood waters in Emerald and the trail of destruction it left behind in Theodore.  All that rain and water from the Dawson and Nogoa rivers has to go somewhere – and it does.  The Fitzroy River catchment is the second largest catchment area in Australia, about the size of the entire state of Tasmania and its river runs directly though my city: Rockhampton.

Disbelief, amazement and helplessness are the emotions you feel when you know all that water is coming your way, but there was an air of panic. Grocery stores started selling out of essentials leaving supermarket shelves empty on New Years Eve. People began panic buying; milk, bread, flour, potatoes, eggs and petrol in a frenzy to survive being cut off.  Those who weren’t shopping where either making preparations to evacuate their homes or leave the city altogether – I spent a couple of days taking people to the airport so they could fly out.

For the second time in its history the Rockhampton Airport was closed due to flooding. The Bruce Highway was cut heading South and the Capricorn Highway going West, reports were mixed about going North but accurate information is hard to attain when people are feeling threatened.

The estimated peak of the Fitzroy River in Rockhampton was 9.4 metres which would have beaten our city’s second highest flood in 1954 and while 9.4 metres doesn’t sound high, please keep in mind that according to the Bureau of Meteorology minor flood levels in Rockhampton are about 7 metres and anything about 8.5 is considered major flooding. The river peaked here at 9.2 metres: not record breaking but still heart breaking.

Moving furniture out of a friends home in Depot Hill is an experience that will stay with me for a very long time – carrying a mattress down a flight of stairs onto a trailer to be quickly whisked away as the Fitzroy River creeped and creeped into places well beyond its banks.

Another moment I won’t forget in a hurry was filling sandbags for homes and businesses with other people in my community at the Rockhampton Showgrounds on January 2. The opportunities I had just being there to tell others about the love of Jesus was well worth the hard work and sore back the following day.

All we could do was sit and wait for the water to come.

Of course, as you, along with the rest of the world know, the water came and it’s still here. The floodwaters have only receded 200 millimetres in the last week.  Our airport is still closed and expected to be for at least 3 weeks and then it depends on the condition of the runway.  The Bruce Highway remains cut to the South of Rockhampton and will remain so until water is below major flood levels.

Our church property in the Rockhampton CBD has not been damaged and neither has my home or family been in any danger. Only a small number of families from our church have had their homes flooded in some way but some others have been unable to get back to their homes or to church because of the waters.

The offers for help and support from across our State have been fantastic.  Mitchelton Presbyterian Church has offered  to send up a team to help us clean up; they even helped us produce a video update which you can see on our website www.rockypc.org.au

Other churches from Cairns to Capalaba have been praying for us and asking how they can help. But its not just been Queensland, people from across the country, many I don’t even know wanting to give or assist us has been an enormous encouragement for us here in Rocky.  With the help of PCQ Church Offices, we have been able to setup a National Presbyterian Church of Australia Flood Appeal to assist those Churches who been affected by these unprecedented floods across our state – please give generously.

Some of the things we are hoping to do with the assistance money is to help people connected with our church in some way that have been affected by flooding. Plans are underway to begin cooking and freezing meals, we’re planning to be a child care facility for those returning to their homes to begin the clean up.  More than that we’re organizing a team of people who can help others by cleaning houses, moving furniture and providing meals and grocery vouchers for those who’ve lost everything.

Our Premier said recently, “these floods are unprecedented in the history of Queensland, this is one of Queensland’s darkest hours”, that might be the case but never before has there been an unprecedented opportunity to love others with the love of Jesus when they need it the most in the hope they might be flooded by his amazing love.

Mike O’Connor

Rockhampton Presbyterian Church

Here is where you can make a donation to the Presbyterian Church of Australia’s Flood Appeal.

Direct debits may be made to: Presbyterian Church of Queensland,
Westpac – BSB 034 010 – Account No. 131 237.

Undercover Boss

I hate Christmas… the unnecessariness of it all!  The over-commercialised meaning, even the ‘religious’ attachment that goes with it. The greedy price rises to buy presents for people you don’t like who buy you things you don’t like or need.  People who like carols!! Christmas isn’t my favourite time of year.  People are either stressed to the eyeballs, gone away or so looking forward to next year they want to start talking about your plans when really I’m just trying to get through this year, keeping one eye on the cricket and the dreaded Christmas sermon.

I hate Christmas but what’s good about it is, it presents preachers with an unparalleled opportunity to tell people about Jesus who are only likely to walk through the doors of your church once a year.

So here is my Christmas talk idea for 2010, maybe it might help you if everyone else around you stressed or excited. (Can’t do much about those who are already on holidays!)

The TV show Undercover Boss has become one of my favourites, didn’t really want to get into it but I have.  Have you seen the show? Corporate CEO fat cat executive types go undercover in their companies and spend a week working and walking in the shoes of their lackies.  The cameras catch every move as these CEO’s are like fish out of water not even able to do the simple tasks in the companies that they run.   When the reveal comes so does all the recognition for all the employees hard work, they are given gifts for their contribution. They’ve had some big companies do it: Waste Management, Boost Juice, Domino’s Pizza, Frontier Airlines and Big 4 Holiday Parks.

Well… what if God became an Undercover Boss?  If God left his high and mighty throne for a while and became one of us? If God walked in our shoes, lived like we live, experienced joy but also suffering, sadness and loss we experience.  What if God went undercover?

God went undercover – his name is Jesus.

Now almost any passage that speaks about the incarnation can work with this idea – You could do John 1, Matthew or Luke’s infancy narratives but I picked Galatians 4:4-8.

The boss became one of us - born of a woman

He worked under his own rules - born under the law

The purpose of his mission wasn’t to see what was wrong with his company but to fix it – redeem us

Because we were slaves – to the law (Jews) v. 5 and to things that are not gods (Gentiles) v. 8

He gives gifts to those who believe in him – the Spirit of his Son

And guess what? It turns out the Boss isn’t just a boss – he’s our Father.

Happy Christmas!!

Thanks to Phil Campbell of the artwork!  Nice job Phil!

While our morning church was growing and gaining momentum – night church was empty, more people in the band than in the congregation!  Our night church was dead! We had the band and the facilities all the elements of a great night church just no people!  So we began a process of rethinking night church – a process that is still happening for me.

Why aren’t people coming to night church?

Early on here in Rocky I adopted the ‘same talk’ policy so that those who serve in the morning could hear the talk and be prepared for small group on wednesday night – the studies follow the talk series.  We asked hard questions of ourselves about music, preaching and time. The obvious factor to me was demographics?  Who wants to come out on a Sunday night? Well certainly not the young families, kids to bath and get to bed.  Not the empty nesters who work all week and not the elderly who don’t like going out at night.

Why have night church?

It seems the only people who are available and willing to come out on a sunday night are those who sleep in on Sunday morning – young singles and young marrieds.  And while there’s a University Campus in our city we have no uni aged people coming to church (yet)! Why not just have morning church and leave it at that?

Well to be honest, I’m still not convinced that we should have a night church.  Lots of resources being poured into an age demographic that isn’t there and doesn’t exist in our church yet! I’m in the young families stage of life and to be honest I don’t want to go out on Sunday night either – not that there’s much on TV!

Maybe having a night church for us is a ‘field of dreams’ mindset of ‘if you build it they will come’.  Well it hasn’t been the case so far.

So what did we do?

We shut down our night church – suddenly people who weren’t coming weren’t happy that we did. (How does that work? Seriously, can anyone tell me?)   The people who came to the meeting that night still out number those who come along each week but it was shut down with a view to relaunching it.

Espresso church was born!

Coffee & Cake at tables, conversation, a table question, a bible reading, a bible talk, question time and no music! For the first month it was a tear away success – 30-40 people in attendance each week.  It’s a less threatening environment, people are comfortable and participate more and were promising to bring their non-christian friends.  One guy said to me “this is less like church and more like fellowship around the Bible”. Can’t tell you how happy I was to hear that! The Elders were hailing me a genius but numbers or should I say curiosity has fallen off now we’re back to small sunday night attendances – although now we’re drinking real coffee.

Where to for here?

Well what is starting to happen is the young marrieds with no kids, and some with kids, and singles are starting to turn up regularly – its a small group, we don’t have a lot of them but there’s still a great vibe on Sunday nights.  These guys are finding each other and are beginning to build relationships together which I think is great.  The majority of 20-30 somethings at church are married with kids and so they’re not in on this and I can’t get our teens along… I guess they don’t like coffee?

Any thoughts?

I’d be keen to hear them.

Not In My Backyard

This isn’t about where to build a nuclear power plant or a new mosque but about the need for regional churches to think outside their own city gates and consider having a regional influence.

Before moving to a regional centre, I was the pastor of a small rural church in NSW.  There we had a growing and fruitful ministry, saw a number of people become christians and other get excited about doing ministry.  Our church was positioned between two major centres, and therefore, bigger churches.  Bigger centres have lots of things little towns and little churches don’t have – money, people and expertise.

Like churches anywhere, little bush churches also struggle.  Struggle with numbers, with finances, struggle with people willing and committed to doing ministry. Struggle with identifying leaders and training them. Struggle with evangelism.  It’s often hard and difficult to do ministry in little places, encouragement is hard to come by and fellowship and support tends to come from within your church rather than from others doing ministry alongside you.

Now the shoe is on the other foot.  I now pastor a growing church in a regional centre and we have people, money and expertise – things that little churches don’t have.  And while it was hard doing ministry in a small place, the issues in a regional centre are just the same but now on a larger scale.

Something that I’ve been thinking about and working on (having now ministered on both sides of the equation – Regional & Rural) is the need for regional churches to think regionally.  Rightly or wrongly, rural churches and people look to regional centres for help.  Regional centres are where rural people go.  They specialty shop here, health care specialists are here, restaurants are here, culture and competitive sport happen here. Rural churches view regional churches in much the same way.  That’s where there are more people, money, and resources.

It would be easy to focus exclusively on ministry in my city, there are close to 70,000 people here – a lifetime’s work wouldn’t even make a dent, but regional churches need to be supporting the rural churches around them, helping those churches any way they can!

Here’s some things we’re doing and I’d love to hear what other ideas you might have or things you’ve tried too.

1. Run a regional Bible teaching weekend.  What a blessing it has been to receive encouragement from those you are seeking to encourage.  We fly in (because we have an airport) a couple of quality Bible teachers and invite other Christians from other churches to come and join us for the weekend.  It’s been fantastic to hear of the effect that it’s had on regional churches in our area.  Whole churches making plans to come and then going back and bringing others from their towns to come and hear God’s Word.  Everyone wins!  The fellowship is fantastic as we hear about each other’s ministries and needs.
2. Think regionally about training. Again, the need to identify future leaders and equip current ones is vitally important for the church to continue growing into the next generation.  We want locals to come back and do ministry locally – rural churches are full of locals!  We’re hosting a rural training event later this year, bringing in some expertise to help resource local churches and equip local preachers. We could just do it for us but then what’s the point of that?
3. Pray and work regionally. I’ve got to say that pastoring a regional church puts me in a very strategic position to encourage others.  I’ve worked closely with other guys in smaller towns with our Bible teaching weekend and encouraged them to come to our regional training events that we put on.  The fellowship and encouragement that I’ve received from them has been fantastic.  Presbyteries need to see themselves as ministry teams for the purpose of mission; not as a group of islands.
4. If you don’t, no-one else will. It’s essential that regional churches help with training and resourcing rural churches and here are two reasons.  One, we have the resources to help already because we have people and money and can bring expertise.  If your church isn’t creating a training agenda for the region,x who will be?  Where will the next generation of church pastors and planters and leaders come from? Secondly, the flow of people is towards the city and so when people leave their little town or their kids do – they already know you and trust you and have benefited from your ministry.

A word for Urbanites, I think this model of bigger helping smaller needs to cut across the city country divide.  The people, finances and expertise are on a great scale again.  Regional cities look to the capitals for support and encouragement.  Why reach the city when the whole country needs the gospel?  Let’s thinking bigger and more strategically about supporting, training, encouraging and partnering with other churches than just our own backyard.

Run The Distance

There aren’t too many people who will tell you that exercise is a bad thing and many people in ministry will give cognitive agreement with the importance of looking after yourself physically.  Peter Brain in his helpful book called Going the Distance: How To Stay Fit For A Lifetime of Ministry talks about the importance of those in ministry taking care of their physical needs.

And while we sit in front of our computers drinking our third cup of coffee and a bacon and egg sandwich – we’d also agree that it’s important for pastors to take care of their physical health.

But let’s get real.  In the seven years that I’ve been the Pastor of a church, when is there time to exercise?  There are sermons to write, meetings to attend, people to see, others to follow up, issues that need to be dealt with, bible studies to write and attend….  you know what I’m saying, add to that you’re a husband, a father and a home owner!  Ministry can be all consuming emotionally, mentally and physically.  I must confess it has been for me, apart from playing a bit of golf and some social cricket, I did no exercise at all.  Often eating on the run because I had another meeting to attend or a sermon to write.

On holidays last year, my wife told me: I was fat! Can you believe that?  What a cheek!  More than that she said I needed to have sleep apnoea treatment,  because my snoring had become so bad (when I slept – which I wasn’t doing a lot of) that she was afraid one night I’d just stop breathing.

Sitting on a beach in Cairns, hearing all of this changed my life, not in the way that Jesus did but in terms of how I live and subsequently do ministry.  I took up running! Mainly cause I think swimming is boring and riding a bike is a bit pedestrian (I’m aware of the irony).

I joined the gym in October 2009 and started running on a Treadmill.  Increasing my distance as I went.  I stumbled on a program called Couch to 5k – an iPhone app.  Like the name says, it got me off the couch and running 5k in 10 weeks.  I was hooked, and I was starting to see the benefits.  I was losing weight because my pants weren’t fitting anymore and I was sleeping better.  Suddenly, I was thinking more positively about things as well,  I felt sharper and was seeing things more clearly.  I joined the local running group and instantly made contact with a whole bunch of non-christian people that I can talk with about running and build relationships with.  Like anything good – good things can become idolized but I’ve worked hard at trying be grounded.

I was posting my progress on facebook (some of you may be painfully aware of it.  I was getting lots of support too. Interestingly, that support has dropped off significantly!)  I kept running and found that I was more efficient in my work and sleeping and eating better.  I can now tell you that I’ve lost 15kg and can run a half-marathon (21k).  I’ve dropped two shirt sizes and four pants sizes and I now look good in lycra! (well, I think so anyway!!!)

Why do I tell you all this?  Well, the benefits of exercising far outweigh the disadvantages.  Not just for my own personal benefit but for everyone else’s to.  My wife is happier – I’m not as moody because I’m sleeping better; I’m not taking up so much of the bed and I don’t squash her anymore – she can actually put her arms around me.  I can run and keep up with my 3 year old son – he gets tired before I do.  But my church is better off as well.  I’m more attentive and focussed, and because I feel better and I’m sleeping better, I’m able to give more of myself to them.

Our problem is we have fit minds and fat bodies. People look to us for leadership.  Watch your life and your doctrine closely says Paul to Timothy.  Its not our doctrine that’s the problem but what kind of life are we modeling when dinner consists of a 12 piece pack from KFC? You don’t have to run, but you can swim or ride a bike; anything that gets your heart rate up and burns calories. Brothers do something – if not for you, then for others who love you.

Bible Teaching

I’m currently in the final stages of preparation for our second… Central Queensland Christian Convention.  Michael Campbell and I have launched a bible teaching convention in Central Queensland over the May Labour Day long weekend.

I wanted to share some of things I’ve learnt and I’m learning, some joys and some struggles.

Michael and I started this ministry last year with one aim and that is to expose Central Queenslander’s to clear, exegetical, christ-centered Bible teaching.  Having both grown up and grown fat on the ministry of the Katoomba Christian Convention (Sydney) we wanted the people in our region to experience some of the benefits of great Bible teaching and to have churches that benefit from the ministry that clear biblical preaching produces.

And we’ve been asking ’quality preachers’ to come up to Rockhampton for the convention.  Last year we had Phil Campbell and Anthony Petterson, this year we have Luke Tattersall and Leigh Trevaskis and next year we’ve booked Ray Galea and Craig Tucker.

None of these men would feel out of place on the Katoomba platform and many would flock to hear them. All the ingredients for a great weekend to be taught, corrected, rebuked and trained in righteousness.  Right?

Last year we had 200 people come to our first convention from some different denominations but mainly presbyterian churches from right across Central Queensland. It was a great weekend – Phil and Anthony were brilliant, faithful, engaging. The kid’s program run by Danny Ford was a success – kids telling their parents the scripture passages they’d learnt and remembered. This time last year, I felt tired and exhausted but very excited.  It was a real joy and I dined out on it for the last twelve months.

This year it’s different.

I’m not as exhausted, we’ve asked others to help us, I’m a bit tired, but that has more to do with sleep patterns and other commitments but to be honest I’m not as excited.

Our registrations are down on last year, the adrenaline surge (a concoction of fear and exhaustion ) just isn’t there for me.  Things seem better organized and I feel more prepared.

So what have I learnt?

Well it may seem obvious, it is to me as I write this, that Rockhampton isn’t Katoomba.  Obviously there are some clear differences. You can’t wear shorts in Katoomba in May and the mountains here aren’t Blue but are covered in palm trees and Queenslanders!

Culturally, we are not Katoomba.  Bible teaching in the Sydney basin is highly prized and greatly supplied to the masses – its not here.  Despite our best attempts, other churches aren’t partnering with us, largely due, I think, to the fact that they don’t value the things we value:  Christ-centered expository preaching.

Which says something about them but also something about us.  For all our talk about church planting and spreading the gospel – why is it that we’ve only reached to the ends of the Sydney diocese instead of the ends of the earth?

Katoomba took time to grow and so will the Central Queensland Christian Convention – culture takes time to develop (except up here, when you leave the milk out overnight!) and so the knock-on effects of this ministry will take time to develop.  Teaching people the Bible is one thing, teaching people to value Bible teaching is another and getting them to identify faithful bible teaching when they hear it is another thing again.

Some joys?

Of course, it is disappointing our convention isn’t bursting at the seams with registrations and who wouldn’t question if all this work is all for nothing.

For me, it’s been a real joy to work with Michael Campbell on this, it’s been our baby (sorry for all the weird imagery that just created); we’ve worked hard on this together riding all the highs and lows, the praise and the some of the criticisms together.  The other joy that has come for me this year is seeing others from my church catch the vision of what we’re doing and being mobilized to do ministry.  That’s really exciting – even if I don’t feel excited.

Another joy is being part of something that is bigger than us on Sunday morning and seeing others develop from it.  Ministers from smaller rural churches coming to Rocky to be encouraged and challenged and bringing their people with them is a real joy of the convention ministry.  My philosophy is that it’s important for regional churches to support and equip rural churches and I think for city churches to help regional ones – everyone benefits, the gospel is multiplied and Jesus is glorified.

Please pray for us this weekend.

Sydney Morning Hearld

Not sure if this is really helpful in the ongoing debate with atheists or if its conducive to great discussion or that it even reflects the love of Jesus towards those who ignore Jesus.  However, in the spirit of Elijah and the gods on Mt. Carmel, I present this sarcastic cartoon for your amusement.  It appears today in the Sydney Morning Herald as part of a Sydney Anglican media campaign.  (Thanks Nigel)

sexie coffie

Let’s be honest.  Monday mornings aren’t great for Pastors!  I’m sitting in my favorite coffee shop in Rockhampton called Sexie Coffie feeling anything but…  (Tameka just bought me another one!) from the effects of a big Sunday and a residual ecclesiastical hangover.

Having spent the last hour and half pouring myself over Philippians 4 and the apostle learning the secret of contentment – interspersed with flat whites, phone calls, reading commentaries and recalling what I know of Greek syntax (which is near nothing!).

I don’t get it.

for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.  Philippians 4:11-13

Ok. So it’s not fatalism: “This is my lot in life ‘put on your big girl panties and suck it up princess’”. And its not stoicism: I can get by whatever life throws at me I can take it’.  Like the Chumbawamba song “I get knocked down but I get up again, you’re never going to keep me down”.

I don’t necessarily think its a light bulb moment – a great awakening! It’s not something that’s discovered – like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or stumbled on around the next corner on holidays at a resort. Its not something that comes at conversion.  Paul says he has learned the secret of being content.

So what is it?

Content in any and every situation!  I can’t even find a pair of shorts that don’t ride up!! What does Paul mean by contentment?  And what does he mean that he is content in every situation?

With the pressure of a deadline (this week’s sermon) now looming I’m not content in what I’ve read about contentment let alone content in preaching on it.

I’m pretty sure that v.13 is the key but I don’t really get it either.  I do know its got nothing to do with ‘bending steel’ in Jesus’ name.

Maybe, I just haven’t learned it yet which is why I don’t get it.  Actually, I know that I don’t know it.

Let me know what you think?  I’m eager to hear from you.