NEW RECONCILIATION BOOK TO DEBUT IN AUSTRALIA

From Ted Kober, March 23, 2009:

As we continue to prepare for the training tour in Australia, Ambassadors of Reconciliation is in the final stages of publishing a new resource for churches, schools, and other organizations. Cultivating Lifestyles of Reconciliation is a short book that describes basic teachings from Scripture on peacemaking and how to establish a Reconciliation Ministry in a church, school, or other Christian organization. The new book will debut in Australia. Each participant in the 3-day and 5-day training events will utilize it during training.

Cultivating Lifestyles of Reconciliation summarizes how to encourage reconciliation as a way of life within families, among members, within a staff, and with students. Each short chapter begins with a true story of people teaching peacemaking, coaching others in conflict, mediating between two people, or arbitrating a dispute.

Discussion questions guide leadership groups (such as elders or council members) and provide directions for viewing video clips from the DVD Lifestyles of Reconciliation. Practical suggestions for establishing a ministry include an outline for action and job descriptions for various roles.

Although our friends in the Lutheran Church of Australia will be the first to see and use this new resource, others will be able to order it on our web site www.hisaor.org (available in May 2009).

Pray that God brings together everything needed for this new book in time for the training in Australia, including financial gifts to help support this project. (Supporters can make a tax-deductible gift on-line at www.hisaor.org.)

Logistics, logistics, logistics

This whole trip thing is a lot of work! Between booking flights and figuring out how to blog the trip, arranging for child care and trying to get my work life arranged to permit this trip to fly, I'm exhausted! I still don't have any idea about laundry, internet and luggage on transfers. And I have nothing on Ted and Melissa who also have to deal with getting materials there!
Pretty exciting, though. Makes you sit back and think - wow, we have the chance to work with an entire church body. What an opportunity for all of us to grow together in Christ! I feel blessed as I always seem to learn so much when I am teaching.
Please keep us in your prayers as we continue our preparation for the trip.

Background to our Trip

From Ted Kober, March 10, 2009: Cultivating lifestyles of reconciliation in the great down-under! Ambassadors of Reconciliation has an incredible opportunity to train some 600 people in biblical peacemaking in May and June 2009. Over the course of five weeks, leaders from nearly all the Lutheran churches in two countries will be equipped for biblical peacemaking!

Unlike the US and Canada with multiple Lutheran groups, there is only one Lutheran church body in Australia and New Zealand called the Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA). The LCA is well known for producing excellent worship and educational resources used by countries around the world.

The Lutheran Church of Australia (LCA) has invited Ambassadors of Reconciliation to provide training though nine different events in 5 cities. A team of four conciliators from two countries will provide the instruction: Ted Kober (USA) and Francis Taman (Canada) will lead 5 three-day training events and 2 one-day seminars. Rev. Bruce Zagel and his wife Kathy will join Ted in teaching a five-day course called Church Reconciler Training. Ted will also speak at the LCA Queensland District Convention.

The entire Ambassadors family is excited about this great opportunity, and we'll share more about the LCA and the training in future blogs. We hope you'll enjoy joining us on this exciting journey through this blog.

Prayer support

Francis, what an exciting time for you and the team.  The preparations are ongoing and the prayers are already being made for you and all on the team.  We also pray for those in Australia who will attend the teaching events.  May their hearts and minds be prepared for God to do amazing things in them, and through them.  

T Minus 2 Months and Counting

March 9 - 2 Months until our Australian adventure begins. Flights are booked, teaching schedule is firming up and all things seem to be coming together. I've gotten through my initial prep work for the two courses and now the real work of putting everything together begins.

I worry a bit about the cultural distance between my experiences here in Canada and those in Australia. Having said that, I recognize that God's word is universal and that as brothers and sisters in Christ, we have a great deal in common. As with most things, I will simply plunge ahead in faith and trust Him to clear the way. After all, I am the one who benefits from the privilege of serving others as God's ambassador.

Please keep Ted, Bruce, Kathy and me in your prayers as we prepare for this journey across the world to share with our brothers and sisters in Australia how we use the Gospel to walk alongside those in conflict.

Sola Deo Gloria.