Stephen Hale's Kimberley Travel Diary - Easter 2008

Have you always wanted to visit North West Australia? How about planning a holiday there and combining it with a bit of ministry to encourage Gospel ministry in that diocese? Here's how the Hale family did it this past Easter. David Mulready is waiting to hear from you!

Thursday 20th March

Straight off the plane into 35ºC tropical heat and humidity. To Broome Primary School for their Easter Play. The whole school was present for a clear gospel presentation. All three primary schools in Broome are fully covered for religious education using material from ACCESS Ministries.

Good Friday
Preach at the one service in the morning. Great service with lots of interesting people to chat with afterwards. Karen had a great ministry doing this.

Saturday 22nd March
Visit market and see church stall and then four hour seminar on Mission and Parish Renewal from 8.00am(!) onwards. A very stimulating time with the parish leadership. It is good to be in such a remote place and to be impressed by the quality of clergy (Tim and Lachlan) and lay leadership.

Easter Sunday
Preach at 8.00am and 10.00am. Good feedback and meet more interesting people involved in all sorts of work. They even freeze the Easter Eggs for the egg hunt for the children! Visit Aboriginal church service on Sunday night. The ministry had a huge impact on Kate.

Monday – Thursday
Holidays in Broome and beyond. Up at crack of dawn to walk on Cable Beach and watch the sun rise!

Friday 28th March
Fly to Kununurra. Meet Ron and Robyn – BCA Missioners in the East Kimberley. Speak at combined churches group on Mission. About 30 present from the nine churches in town. Ron has focussed on getting the churches to work together.

Saturday 29th March
Day trip on the mighty Ord River to the Argyle Dam.

Sunday 30th March
Preach at Kununurra's 9.30am service. Lots of people and energy. The ministry is very vulnerable due to the constantly changing population, but going very well at present. People from all different church/cultural backgrounds.

Monday 31st March – Wednesday 2nd April
Back to Broome and trip to Cape Leveque (the end of the Dampier Peninsula). Then back to Melbourne.

A great trip. It is so inspiring to see excellent gospel work happening in such a remote part of Australia. Encouraging to see that the principles of a mission style church seem just as relevant in the Kimberley as in Melbourne.

Stephen Hale is Bishop of the Eastern Region of the Diocese of Melbourne.