reCharge NEWS April 2025

reCharge News April 2025

Empowering Spiritual Carers: Sustaining Soul Care Conference

Wednesday, 28 May 2025 

Spiritual Care continues to be a vital part of any organisation that cares for and about people. Chaplains and Spiritual Carers provide invaluable support and care for others, every day. We give of ourselves to provide holistic care for others. The work of Spiritual Carers is very often unrecognised, unsupported and frequently not acknowledged. This conference hopes to empower our amazing Spiritual Carers and sustain Soul Care.  

Wednesday, 28 May 2025 
Campbell Town Recreation Complex, 57 High St, Campbell Town, Tasmania 
Cost $50 to 95 

Register Here 

TASPE have generously subsidised this conference and have priced tickets to make this conference as affordable as possible.  

If you have financial concerns contact TASPE at info@taspe.com.au. 

Registrations Close on Monday, 19 May at 9:00am


Free Mothers’ Day High Tea 

Perth Baptist Church 

All welcome to celebrate mothers with Perth Baptist Church over a delicious high tea to honour mothers. 

Saturday 10 May at 2.00pm
Perth Baptist Church, 71 Clarence St, Perth

RSVP by Tuesday, 6 May to 0417 098 233 (and advise any special needs). 

tea cup Invitation to high tea

Circuit Breaker Program 

Monday, 5 May for 10 weeks 

Get the tools you need to mend relationships, resolve conflict and stop you blowing your fuse at home. 

Hosted by Citywide Baptists as a Tasmanian first, the 10 week Circuit Breaker group course offers trained facilitators and mentors to support participants. 

From anger to intimacy 
Proven strategies to end conflict 
Restore love, trust and respect

Starts Monday, 5 May, 7:00-9:00 pm at Mornington, Hobart.
(Finishes Monday, 7 July) 

Register here before this Friday, 3 May.

Download a flyer to display here.


Where Do the Major Parties Stand on Foreign Aid?

Micah Australia

With the Federal Election coming up on Saturday, 3 May 2025, the Safer World for All campaign is calling on all political parties to commit to a long-term goal: restoring Australian aid to 1% of the Federal Budget. This vision reflects a time when leaders from all sides worked together for a more compassionate and generous Australia. 

About the Campaign 
Safer World for All is a joint initiative by Micah Australia, the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), and Global Citizen. It brings together voices from across the faith, development, security, and community sectors to advocate for a stronger, values-based Australian aid program. 

Budget Response & Canberra Press Conference 
Following the recent Federal Budget announcement, Micah Australia and senior Christian leaders gathered in Canberra to speak publicly about the critical importance of international aid in today’s global context. 

Read the Press Release 

View the Social Media Post 

Sign the Heads of Church Letter 
Ahead of the election, the Heads of Australia’s Christian denominations have written to political leaders, urging them to protect and prioritise foreign aid. 

Add your voice to this call for justice and compassion. 

Sign the Letter Here


23rd Baptist World Congress 

7–12 July in Brisbane, Australia 

An exciting week awaits at the 23rd Baptist World Congress in Brisbane! Join the global Baptist family for this unforgettable gathering from 7–12 July 2025. 

Stay updated on the latest event news and details by visiting the Congress Schedule and FAQs. 

Speakers 
New speakers are being added regularly! Visit the Speakers Page to explore the diverse and international lineup—featuring presenters from every continent offering unique insights and inspiration. 

Local Tours 
Arrive early and explore Brisbane through special Local Tours available Monday to Thursday before the Congress. Highlights include: 
– Aboriginal Cultural Experience Day Tour
– Camping Study Day Tour 
– Immersive Mission Afternoon Experience

Spots are limited. Registration for all tours closes 7 June. 

Global Mission Conference 
If you’re passionate about mission work, don’t miss the Global Mission Conference on Wednesday, 9 July, just before the Congress begins. Spaces are limited, click here for details and to register. 

Preaching Symposium 
Each afternoon from Thursday to Saturday, the Congress will host a Preaching Symposium featuring: 
– 2–3 preachers sharing sermons 
– Interactive Q&A panels on sermon prep, delivery, pastoral leadership, and more. 

A great opportunity to grow and be inspired in your ministry! 

Language Interpretation 
To make the Congress accessible, interpretation of plenary sessions will be offered in: French, Portuguese, Spanish, Burmese, Hakha Chin, Korean, and Mandarin. Morning Bible Studies will also be available in these languages. 

Registrations close end of May


Crossover Easter Offering Last Chance

Last Chance 

It’s not too late to participate in Crossover’s Easter Offering this weekend. 
Crossover’s Easter Offering is an expression of gratitude for Jesus and a commitment to unity as we work together to share His message with others. 

Why an Easter Offering? Invest in sharing the great news of Jesus! 

The offering supports Crossover as a national Baptist ministry dedicated to equipping churches with resources, training, and encouragement to help Australian Baptists share Jesus effectively. 

With a 42% increase in baptisms over the last two years, this work is growing and bearing fruit. Supporting Crossover is an investment in this Kingdom work! 

Churches can either contribute directly or run the Easter Offering throughout April. 

If you’d like to promote the Easter Offering your church, check three easy steps to Run the Offering this Easter here.

Want to see more? Check out their pages and pages of resources here or subscribe to their updates. 


Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network (PIEN)

Who Owns the Holy Land? 

A panel discussion hosted by the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network (PIEN). Muslim, Jewish and Christian voices share their stories and visions for peace. 

  • What is the role of religion in the ongoing violence between Israelis and Palestinians? 
  • Are Jews and Muslims historic enemies? 
  • What is the role of Palestinian Christians in the Palestinian national movement? 

Panel 
Yusef al-Reemawi – Palestinian musician and scholar 
Nachshon Amir – former Israeli army officer 
Suzan Wahhab – President, Palestinian Christians in Australia   
 

Moderator 
Michael Shaik – PIEN Project Officer 

Launceston
Wednesday, 30 April at 6pm 
Pilgrim Uniting Church 
34 Paterson Street, Launceston 
Registration for Launceston  
Printable flyer here

Hobart
Thursday, 1st May at 6:30 pm 
Moonah Arts Centre 
23-27 Albert Rd, Moonah 
Registration for Moonah 
Printable flyer here


Freedom for Faith

Federal Election: Meet the Candidate Forums 

In the lead-up to the Federal Election, Freedom for Faith is partnering with churches across the country to host non-partisan “Meet the Candidate” forums. These forums are designed to give Christians the opportunity to engage directly with local candidates and ask meaningful questions in a respectful and informative environment. 

Over 70 forums are being held—covering nearly half of all electorates in Australia—so there’s a good chance there’s one near you. 

This website lists all the forums and allows people to search by electorate, postcode or suburb to find their closest forum.  

These events are a valuable space for Christian voters to hear where their candidates stand on key issues and for candidates to hear directly from the Christian community. 

Let’s ensure the Christian voice is heard in this election season—respectfully, thoughtfully, and prayerfully. 

Visit the website to find a forum near you and encourage your church to get involved.

Tasmanian ElectorateHost Church  Date  
Braddon  Devonport Anglican    
Clark  Your Church Tasmania  Wed 23 April  
Franklin  Citywide Baptist Church  Mon 28 April (TBC)  
Lyons  East Coast Anglican (Online)  Mon 28 April  
Bass  Door of Hope Christian Church  Thu 1 May  

Alpha

Mission 25 Update

Mission 25 is a nationwide initiative where churches across Australia unite to share Jesus through prayer, invitation, and running Alpha during Term 2, 2025. It’s a unique opportunity to move together with one heart and one voice to proclaim the good news of Jesus. 

The Alpha team is praying bold, God-sized prayers—that this movement will ignite a renewed passion for evangelism and see lives transformed across the country. By coming together in unity, we can fan into flame the ember of evangelism across the country and see many more Aussies transformed by the good news of Jesus.

Explore the support resources available: Mission 25 Resource Pack 

Ready to join? Register here: Join Mission 25 

You’ll also find helpful tools like the Alpha Starter Guide  and the printable  21 Days of Prayer for 5 Friends on the site. 

For youth groups: Check out Life Essentials by Alpha Youth —a series of short, Aussie-made videos designed to spark faith conversations among teenagers. 

Questions? 
Contact Ryan Vallee – 0435 883 321, ryan.vallee@alpha.org.au or Skip Smith – 0411 248 301, skip.smith@alpha.org.au 


Baptist World Aid

Pray for Myanmar

With the devastating earthquake that has hit Myanmar, Baptist World Aid has created resources for churches to use on their website here.

The Stand with Myanmar website has also been updated with Give, Pray and Resources tabs.

National Online Prayer meeting on Mon 7th April 7:30pm – 8:15pm 

Join Baptists from around Australia to pray for the people of Myanmar after years of conflict and now a devastating earthquake.  Some of our Australian Baptist pastors and leaders from Myanmar will be part of the prayer meeting and will provide an update on the current situation in their homeland. 

Please join with others to stand with our brothers and sisters in and from Myanmar.


Crossover Resources

Easter Sermon Series: Finding the Good Life

Finding the Good Life is a free and adaptable Easter sermon series designed to help your church invite others into the hope found in Jesus Christ. The series includes outlines for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, along with professionally designed artwork for slide templates, social media, and print promotion—everything you need to warmly and widely invite friends and neighbours to discover the true “Good Life” in Christ. 

Sermon Outlines: 

• Palm Sunday – When the Good Life Comes to You (Luke 19:28–20:8) 
• Good Friday – A Good Look at the Good Life (Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, Passion narratives) 
• Easter Sunday – Entering the Good Life (1 Corinthians 15) 

Easter Offering 

Why participate in the National Baptist Easter Offering? 

Because it funds the development of resources—like the Finding the Good Life series—that help our movement grow in sharing Jesus. You’ll also gain access to a wealth of free resources. These include invitational graphics and preaching ideas to support your Easter outreach. 


The Sanctuary Course

A One-Day Workshop on Domestic Violence 

This Saturday, 5 April 2025 Ann Herbert is facilitating a one-day training course on domestic violence. The Sanctuary Course equips churches to respond to domestic violence with a theologically informed and compassionate approach. It aims to help churches become safer spaces for those affected by abuse. 

When: 9:30am – 3:00pm 
Where: Hobart City Church of Christ 
Cost: $20 per person (cash on arrival) 
BYO lunch. Coffee and snacks provided. Free parking available. 

Workshop Topics Include: 
• Understanding domestic violence: definitions, myths, facts, prevalence
• Tactics used by perpetrators
• Impact on children: trauma and brain development 
• Spiritual abuse and misuse of Scripture 
• Theological challenges to reporting abuse 
• Biblical themes of love, justice, respect, and equality 
• What a “Sanctuary” church might look like 

Register here: The Sanctuary Course Workshop


reCharge News April 2025

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Living in the Reality of Resurrection

Living in the Reality of Resurrection

By Stephen Baxter, Director of Tasmanian Baptists

A Game-Changing Reveal

There’s something quietly wonderful, even magical, about a sunrise. That moment when darkness slowly surrenders to light, and the first whisper of colour peeps above the horizon to gradually transform the entire landscape. A day begins, and the world pauses between what was and what will be, holding its breath in anticipation. 

Every sunrise echoes something profound about Easter. On that morning, the disciples huddled in confusion and grief, believing death had the final word—until it didn’t. The stone rolled away. The tomb stood empty. What seemed like an ending became an unexpected beginning. Life would never be the same.  

What the disciples quickly discovered was how resurrection was much more than Jesus’ private miracle. It wasn’t like he’d won a special prize that only he enjoys. Rather, it revealed something game-changing about reality itself—that love is stronger than hatred, connection more powerful than division, and life more persistent than death. All this amazing power isn’t just waiting for us in heaven someday. We can experience the power of the resurrection in our lives right now. 

Quiet Moments of Everyday Courage

It can happen in quiet moments of everyday courage—when we extend forgiveness to someone who has wounded us deeply, knowing that holding onto resentment only imprisons ourselves. It happens when we find the strength to begin again after devastating failure, when we honour the wisdom gained through our missteps, and when we gently refuse to let our worst moments define who we are. 

Sometimes we get stuck obsessing over our mistakes. But focusing on sin is like watching the opening scenes of a movie and missing the plot twist that changes everything. The resurrection reminds us that our story doesn’t end with our failures, it begins with God’s miracle of life. 

In a world feeling increasingly fractured—where pandemic aftershocks, political divisions, and climate anxiety have left many feeling disoriented—resurrection provides a different story. It reminds us of the fragility of systems we once thought unshakable, it exposes our misplaced hope and false expectations turning us to the hope of a new future. 

Hope that Defies Circumstances

For it is precisely in a disrupted landscape that resurrection makes the most sense. The first Easter didn’t occur during peaceful times but emerged from chaos, fear, and shattered dreams. Resurrection has always been about hope that defies circumstances, about life asserting itself in spaces where death seemed to have the final word. 

Our world needs to hear this again, as so do you. Wonderfully, God has given us a daily reminder— when the morning light reclaims the world from darkness and proclaims this day is full of new possibilities. 

This is God’s invitation calling us to break through our own limitations and embrace how resurrection isn’t waiting for us in eternity; it’s breathing life into this day and this moment. As morning light reclaims the world from darkness, may you walk boldly into each new day as a living testament to resurrection’s unstoppable truth: that death, despair and division will never be the end of the story. 


Stephen Baxter is the Director of Tasmanian Baptists. Photo by Benjamin Behre on Unsplash  

Living in the Reality of Resurrection

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Demolishing Barriers, Crossing Divides

recharge Blog Header (2560 x 934 px)

Deep Thought

Easter has come and gone for another year. It’s a wonderful time to celebrate the heart of our faith—the death and resurrection of Jesus and the hope that comes with it.  

Now that Easter is over, it’s valid to ask, “so what?”

Sure, it’s a reassurance that death is not the end of it all, but what difference does it make to your life today, tomorrow or next week? 

At Hobart Baptist Church, on Resurrection Sunday, I focussed on the event recorded in Matthew, where the Temple curtain is violently torn, from top to bottom. This happened the moment Jesus died.  

The curtain was a massive fabric barrier made of purple, blue, and scarlet material, interwoven with fine linen. It was about 18 metres high and 100cm thick. Its presence was to set a boundary between the Holy of Holies, the most sacred space where God was present and humans were not, from the rest of the Temple.  

Although God put this barrier in place in the design of the tabernacle, now God sets about destroying it. That’s the significance of it being torn from the top. 

A Holy Place

The Jews thought they understood holiness, and the temple was central. Jesus, however, had a very different vision and that’s what got him killed. He was Immanuel, God with us, crossing that barrier that divides. Sure, God is holy, righteous and pure, just as the curtain illustrated, but not in a way that makes God distant and hateful of whatever is unholy. God is love, pure unadulterated love.  

Image of torn paper with quote: Jesus was Immanuel, God with us, crossing that barrier that divides.

But that’s not all. The gospel writers record a second important event. At exactly the same time Jesus died and the curtain was ripped, the Centurion executing Jesus had a profound “ah-ha” moment.   

As high-ranking officer in the Roman army, he had most likely witnessed hundreds of crucifixions. Yet, this one was somehow different, and he was deeply moved. 

This is profound. Not only because he responded, “Surely this man was the Son of God” (Mark 15:39), but because God met him in a most unholy place. Here, in a pagan setting outside the temple and the city while executing God’s specially chosen Messiah, God is still at work, demolishing the barriers, crossing the divides.  

Image of torn paper with quote: God the Centurion in a most unholy place. Here, in a pagan setting outside the temple and the city while executing God’s specially chosen Messiah

This changes everything and should change our tomorrows. The God who is there, who Jesus revealed through his death and resurrection, is most surprising. Contrary to our expectations… if God can meet the centurion while he supervised the crucifixion of the beloved son, God can meet you anywhere. Your ordinary life, no matter where it is at, is no barrier to God meeting you, if you are willing to meet God.  

This is a “so what” worth celebrating every day.

Stephen Baxter

Stephen L. Baxter is Mission Director for Tasmanian Baptists


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An Easter Exercise

Sacred Agents Easter 2023 by Abdrew Turner, Crossover; Photo by lilartsy on Unsplash

An Easter Exercise

*Exscribo Divina

SACRED AGENTS is a blog by Andrew Turner, Director of Crossover

Ten or twelve years ago, while chatting socially with a woman who worked as a psychologist, I mentioned rather sheepishly that I had a fear of flying. “You should come and see me,” she said, “I can help with that.” Before I could deflect, she added, “You know, often it’s associated with a childhood trauma. Were you in an accident when you were young?”

Indeed I was. Intrigued, I asked what could be done, and to her financial detriment she just said, “Well, come and see me if you like. But you might find that just having had this conversation will have helped.” What? A passing conversation of all of two minutes?

But then the strangest thing happened. When I next flew – some weeks later – the fear was just gone. I am still absolutely amazed by this, that just a few words can have such power, power beyond argument or persuasion or logic. It’s like she had spoken directly to my nervous system.

It’s time to get your pen and notebook!

If you’ve been following Jesus for a while, Easter can be a little strange. We celebrate the heart of the good news, but it doesn’t seem like news anymore. We know how it goes. God bless all the preachers stretching their heads to come up with a fresh angle on this old story! But Easter can just come and go, if we let it.

So here’s a little exercise I’ve found helpful to keep the heart from dozing: Copy out Mark 14-16 and Isaiah 53. Copying Scripture* is slow.

Slow enough that sure, I notice little things I hadn’t considered so much before. But it’s not about that – it’s about letting the words hit me in a different way. I’ve just been immersing myself in the wonder of it all. Opening myself up to “just having had this conversation” with God.

Making a difference

My intention here isn’t to know more. Perhaps it’s to know better or deeper. My fear of flying wasn’t logical, and it wasn’t fixed by following logical steps. I did get information, but strangely sideways, so that it got deep enough in me to make a genuine difference.

This is not just something we can do for ourselves, but with others too.

Perhaps there’s someone in your life who’d be willing just to read through it with you? Not for analysis or explanation or even persuasion – you might find there’s other powerful ways that God works his healing magic both in and through you.


Andrew Turner, Crossover

Andrew Turner is Director of Crossover for Australian Baptist Ministries.Crossover exists to Help Australian Baptists Share Jesus.


Please support the Crossover Easter Offering in 2023.
FIND OUT HOW by checking our March News, OR visit Crossover Easter

*You can call it Exscribo Divina if the people you’re trying to impress only speak Latin.

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APRIL/MAY 2023