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Sorry it’s been so long since you’ve heard from us!

Welcome to the COC!

I’ve always known that “ministry” is a multi-faceted word, but Australia is teaching me that I’ve still underestimated the many faces of ministry. I’m beginning to think of ministry as “the sarong of the church world,” if you will. For those of you who don’t know, a sarong is a large piece of lightweight cloth that can be used for tons (or heaps if you’re an Aussie) of different things. A sarong can be a skirt, a sheet, a curtain, a head wrap, a purse…actually if you Google sarong uses you might be surprised to see what all you can do with it. Anyways, the COC and it’s devoted workers have opened my eyes to an array of new ministries. I’ll try to explain this chameleon group as best I can…

The COC is not the ministry for this group of missionaries. It’s simply a center, one of many ways a larger organization has found to be in business and raise money for missions. We’re basically at the headquarters here in Darwin. They believe in using your occupation to show Christ to the nations. Besides running the COC they also own a furniture store, grow their own veggies, raise cattle and pigs (they are in the works to build a factory where they can sell this meat online), and they’re in the beginning stages of some other ventures that I won’t mention – if one of you took Pastor Merv’s brilliant ideas I might be in trouble! All these businesses are run with the sole purpose of making money to support pastors, churches, and missionaries in 31 different countries around the world.

Our day usually consists of being an all-purpose worker. We may start the day scrubbing the walls of the residents at the COC, after tea (mid-morning pastries and juice anyone?!) we might find ourselves sorting vegetables until lunch when we fold brochures for a few hours. After that you may find us raking mulch then digging a ditch until Merv tells us to “go home!” Just whatever they need done is what we’re here for. Pastor Merv reminds us daily “don’t think you’re doing a mundane job, you’re not! You’re doing something important to bring people closer to the Kingdom of God!”

That’s an attitude we could all afford to take with us. No matter what the task, no matter what our occupation, no matter what the circumstance, we’re making an impact. It’s up to us whether we are impacting people for the Kingdom or for the world. It seems like a really cliché, elementary thought. But really, when’s the last time we started taking this verse seriously…

             “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the                     
name of the Lord Jesus” – Colossians 3:17
-erin