Melbourne University OCF
Reach Out, Build Up, Send Back

Scripture reading: Acts 17:11

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

God has given us a mind with which to think through the great truths in the Bible, and to obey them.

Fiji

Population: 931,741
Religion: Christian 58.32%, Hindu 33%, Muslim 7%. Non-religious/other 0.8%

A politically volatile democratic nation that has experienced a number of coups.

Praise God that 10 years of racial discord and discrimination by Christian Fijians against mainly non-Christian Indians has ended with the unanimous approval of the 1999 Constitution. Pray on for inter-racial respect and harmony in the future.

Challenges for Prayer:

1. The legacy of British colonial greed has had a long-term impact on Fiji.
   • Resentment of the indigenous Fijians against the importation of Indian indentured labour from 1870 onwards. The results were manifest in the high crime rate among Fijians and the 1987 coup and following discrimination against Indians
   • Discrediting of Christianity in the eyes of the Indians and the present ingrained attitudes of fear, mistrust, minority complex and insecurity
   • Close link between Fijian nationalism and politicized Christianity. The coup split the dominant Methodist Church, Pray for a spirit of repentance, healing of past wounds, a fair society, and a new freedom for the true gospel
2. Fijians embraced Christianity over a century ago, but this was often cultural rather than spiritual. Pray for a deep work of the Holy Spirit to deal with compromise and ethnic hatred and to bring revival.
3. Newer churches with a more strongly evangelical message are growing, but so too are Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Pray for agencies involved in church planting and evangelism.
4. Less reached peoples.
   • Hindus, who have been patchily evangelized
   • Sikhs and Panjabis have retained more of their culture and language, but there has been little specific outreach to them
   • 59,000 Muslim community is tightly knit and very resistant to the gospel. Little is being done to reach them, and the few converted to Christ have suffered considerable persecution
   • Chinese - mostly Cantonese in origin. Many speak English. There had been no ministry specifically directed to reach them until 1992
5. Pray for the spiritual revival and health of the Church
   • Leadership training for the churches
   • Ministry to young people
   • Evangelical networks. Pray for a deep unity among believers that transcends denomination, distance and ethnicity
   • Mission vision
6. Christian help ministries: The Bible Society, Jesus film

OCF Curtin

President: Cheryl Weng
Theme: Transforming Truth
Campus: Curtin University of Technology

Attendance:

2005: 30
2006: 30
2007: 20 -30
2008: 30 -40

Description:

Our centre consists of a diverse group of students, over 6 countries. Our focus this year is to understand the transforming power of Christ and how that truth changes our lives. God is doing an overhaul in OCF Curtin and almost everything we do has taken a notch forward. We have moved out of our old premise and into a newer and better one. God has been faithful and have increased the number of our non-Christian friend’s participation in OCF. We are also in the process of settling down in a church and we trying to devise a plan to build stronger partnership with the church. God has also provided us a new and very faithful advisor (unofficial). God is indeed working in OCF Curtin and we have seen many signs from Him. Here we would want to testify of His grace, mercy and power as a fellowship.

Praise God For:

• The increased of non-Christians in our centre.
• The willingness of the members to serve in BS-leading, music, food prep, etc.
• The spiritual growth within the fellowship which is evident.
• The overhaul (mention above) as it is indeed an exciting time to be in Curtin: OCF.

Please Pray For:

• The members of the new local committee that they will be sensitive to God’s guidance
• The unity of the fellowship to be stronger
• The church partnership as we continue to build a stronger partnership
• The members that they will be more involved in discipleship and evangelism