Melbourne West Church

Recently it seems that a number of doors of opportunity have opened for me to be of influence for the Kingdom of God.
1.  I was asked to attend the “National Consultation on Freedom of Religion and Belief in the 21st Century”. This is a series of meetings taking place around Australia where the project aims to work with faith communities and other civil society organisations to record their concerns and propose solutions to build a more socially cohesive and harmonious society. I represented the Christian faith among some 20 varying faith leaders of Melbourne. It was a rather interesting evening, with many concerns tabled. It was interesting to note that the Muslim, Hindi and other representatives considered Australia to be an overtly Christian nation and they were a little taken aback that my opinion was that Australia was far from being a Christian nation.

2. I have also taken the opportunity to become a Venue Chaplain for Etihad Stadium (formerly known as the Telstra Dome). This means that most weeks I’ll attend a game or event at the stadium as Chaplain for the patrons and staff. This may not be of any advantage for our local church, but it does ensure that the Kingdom of God is represented in a major attraction in our city.

3. Global Care continues to make enormous impact in the Kinglake bushfire region. On Thursdays I have been working with the many volunteers from all over Australia where I spend time with them and help them adjust to the environment that they find themselves in. Our own Syd Colyer has done his bit by assisting at the local bakery where he has been a great hit with the other hard working bakers. Good Onya Syd.

Pastor Larry Blackmore