As a team here in Outback Australia, we engage with the local communities through a ministry of presence.

We walk alongside people living in isolated and challenging environments. While these communities seem remote to many, they are home to the First Nations people of these places. We count it a privilege to serve as alongsiders in this context.

Our focus is to invest in local Christians and leaders who have a wider, deeper and longer lasting influence in their communities than we ever can.

Praying together, gathering for worship and fellowship, reading the Bible and showing up for each other in good times and hard, are all ways we get to encourage and cheer on local Christians. Opportunities for faith conversations abound, as many are looking for a listening ear. We are also given the chance to share our stories and be genuine about our lives and faith.

It’s a ministry built on relationships and in this context, relationships are everything!

We see God at work in a million tiny ways all the time. Some of our biggest encouragements are seeing people take new steps in their walk with Jesus. We have seen people recommit to following Jesus and seek their next steps with Him.

It’s also a blessing to see people growing as leaders in their local churches, and to see people faithfully leading and serving over many years.

Seeing the openness they have to explore faith and the difference walking with Jesus makes for them, is exciting. Sometimes it’s a long journey toward commitment in faith, but each step in the right direction is a work of God!

A highlight of this year was the Bush Training Camp. This continues to provide a rich meeting place to grow and learn together as followers of Jesus. Learning about God together, on-country, provided a wonderful context for deep reflection.

We explored topics of faith, culture and the bigger picture of God’s purposes for all humanity.

We also heard from a team who have developed a Bible-based program focused on gender violence prevention. Lajamanu Baptist Church leaders have been key in the development and implementation of this program in their community. It’s encouraging to see God’s people taking the lead in this important area.

Thank you for your support of this ministry. Pray with us that God will continue to strengthen and build His church in these remote places.

This article was first published in issue 43 of our Resonate magazine. Read more encouraging Resonate stories here >>