BRINGING HOPE TO THE URBAN POOR IN OUR CITIES (COMMUNITIES)

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BRINGING HOPE TO THE URBAN POOR IN OUR CITIES
(COMMUNITIES)
Pastor Conrad Fenton (Founding Director)
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We all have a mission field.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand that we should walk in them.
(Ephesians 210)
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• The importance of every church having a clear
• God given vision for reaching the lost

The Lord said to the Prophet Habakkuk, Write the
vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may
run who reads it. (Habakkuk 22a)

• God has a unique plan for every Christians life
• Every believer needs to find and follow Gods
• plan for their life
• It is the key to all Christians experiencing the
  
• abundant life that Jesus spoke about in
• John 1010

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• The primary role of those in the five-fold
• ministry is to equip the saints for the work
  of
• the ministry

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some
prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and
teachers, for the EQUIPPING of the saints for the
work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ, till we all come to the unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.
(Ephesians 411-13)

• Every church should have a clear vision for
• equipping and mobilising all believers into
• their ministry callings

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• Wherever God places us, we have the ability as
• believers to see our workplaces, families and
• communities impacted by the love of God
• The potential for local churches to bring
• transformation to entire communities
• As Christians we need to be missions minded
• We must continually believe in the power of the
• gospel to change lives

The Apostle Paul wrote, For I am not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God
to salvation for everyone who believes, for the
Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the
righteousness of God is revealed from faith to
faith as it is written, The just shall live by
faith. (Romans 116-17)
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We need to share the hope that we have in Christ
with those who are lost.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you
says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil,
to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah
2911)
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• God is able to restore the most broken of lives
• God is the God of second chances
• When a person is truly Born Again he is a new
• creation in Christ
• He who the Son sets free is free indeed
• Past failures will never stop God from using a
• person to do great things for Him in the
  future
• God is able to do the impossible where there
• seems no way
• In Christ everyone has a hope and a future

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King David wrote, Bless the Lord, O my soul, And
forget not all His benefits Who forgives all
your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, who
redeems you life from destruction, Who crowns you
with loving kindness and tender mercies, Who
satisfies your mouth with good things, So that
your youth is renewed like the eagles. (Psalm
1032-5)
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The importance of practically reaching out with
the love of God to those who are in need.
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Is this not the fast that I have chosen To
loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy
burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that
you break every yoke? Is it not to share your
bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your
house the poor who are cast out When you see the
naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself
from your own flesh? (Isaiah 586-7)
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• CHURCH OF HOPE
• Reaches out into the streets of Melbourne and
  Kings Cross
• to establish connections with the homeless
  communities
• Provides every Saturday night a free meal for
  the
• disadvantaged in Melbourne prior to the church
  meeting
• Provides every Sunday morning a free brunch for
  the
• homeless in Kings Cross as a part of the church
  service
• Will be buying a bus to serve food and drinks to
  the
• marginalised in the city of Melbourne this
  year, and
• Will be holding major outreaches for the
  disadvantaged in
• the North Melbourne Town Hall with three course
  meals,
• gospel music, testimonies and a message of
  hope.

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• CHURCH OF HOPE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGES THE IMPORTANCE
  OF PRACTICALLY SUPPORTING OVERSEAS MISSIONS
• Helping to support pastors who run orphanages
• Assisting pastors who run programs to feed the
• beggars in Bangalore and Kakinada
• Helping to meet the practical needs of widows in
  
• India and now Africa, and
• Helping to support pastors who run food
• outreaches in the slum areas of Bangalore

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• CHURCH OF HOPE ALSO REALISES THE IMPORTANCE OF
  BRINGING KINGDOM VALUES INTO THE HOMELESS AND
  MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES
• The importance of preaching the gospel in all
  meetings
• The importance of mentoring and discipling key
  people
• in the homeless communities
• Sharing practical keys from the Bible which help
  the
• marginalised to develop healthy relationship
  skills, and
• Encouraging those who attend our meetings to
  grow in
• their faith and to pursue Gods plan for their
  life

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• PEOPLES LIVES ARE TRANSFORMED WHEN
• They become connected to a church fellowship
  where
• they feel loved and accepted
• They are able to hear the gospel and come to
  faith and
• then receive good bible based practical
  teachings
• They are encouraged by the ministry leaders to
  fulfil
• their God given potential
• They commit to a church which has worship
  meetings
• in which the presence and love of God is
  strong, and
• They become actively involved in the life of the
  church

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If we lay down our lives for the cause of Christ,
our lives will make a great impact in this world.
Jesus said, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless
a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies,
it remains alone but if it dies, it produces
much grain. (John 1224)
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WE MUST BE COMMITTED TO REACHING OUT TO THE LOST
AND TO SERVING THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY Jesus said
to His disciples, You know that the rulers of
the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are
great exercise authority over them. Yet is shall
not be so among you but whoever desires to
become great among you, let him be your servant.
And whoever desires to be first among you, let
him be your slave - just as the Son of Man did
not come to be served, but to serve, and to give
His life a ransom for many. (Matthew
2025-28) WE NEED TO COMMIT TO LAYING DOWN OUR
LIVES FOR THE CAUSE OF CHRIST For the Son of
Man has come to seek and to save that which was
lost (Luke 1910)
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Jesus said, The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel
to the poor He has sent Me to heal the broken
hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and
recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty
those who are oppressed. To proclaim the
acceptable year of the LORD. (Luke 418)
JESUS SAID IN THE PARABLE OF THE GREAT SUPPER
AFTER THOSE WHO HAD BEEN INITIALLY INVITED
DECLINED TO COME ...Go out quickly into the
streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here
the poor and the maimed and the lame and the
blind. (Luke 1421)
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Working together as a team the church has the
potential to see entire communities transformed
by the love of God.
Jesus said, A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another as I have loved you,
that you also love one another. By this all will
know that you are My disciples, if you have love
for one another. (John 1334-35)
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• CHURCH OF HOPE HAS WORKED TOGETHER WITH SEVERAL
  OTHER CHURCH GROUPS AND CHURCHES
• Church of hope has a Kingdom of God Ministry
  Focus
• Primarily we have a short-term shepherding role
  to those who are living
• on the streets of Melbourne and Kings Cross.
  However several of those
• who have come of the streets are now also
  being trained for ministry
• Christian Life Assembly has partnered with our
  work in Melbourne
• St Johns Anglican Church has provided a venue
  for our church to
• hold Sunday meetings and mid-week bible
  studies in Kings Cross
• Several other church groups have also helped to
  cater for our
• Melbourne Saturday night meetings, and
• Several Christian groups and churches have also
  helped to finance
• the missions work both here in Australia and
  abroad

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WORKING TOGETHER AS A TEAM WE CAN ACHIEVE MUCH
The Apostle Paul wrote, There are diversities of
gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences
of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are
diversities of activities, but it is the same God
who works all in all. But the manifestation of
the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of
all (1 Corinthians 124-7)
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Today will you partner with God to fulfil His
plan for your life.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in
the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1558) If anyone
serves Me, let him follow Me and where I am,
there My servant will be also. If anyone serves
Me, him My Father will honour. (John 1226)
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God is looking for those that He can use to be
His hands and feet in this world

• We all have a mission field
• We all need to choose to follow Gods plan for
  our life
• We must all like the Prophet Isaiah simply
  choose
• to respond to Gods call

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying
Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?
Then I said, Here am I! Send me. (Isaiah 68)
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The harvest is ripe NOW.
Jesus said, Do you not say, There are still
four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I
say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the
fields, for they are already white for harvest!
(John 435)
The Apostle Paul wrote, See then that you walk
circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what
the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 515-17)
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GIVEN THE LATE HOUR THAT WE LIVE IN AND THE
IMMINENT RETURN OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, WE NEED
TO BE BUSY DOING THE WORK OF THE FATHER THERE
ARE MULTITUDES IN THE VALLEY OF DECISION
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Website www.coh.org.au GPO Box 3552 Melbourne,
Vic, 3001 Australia