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We hope you enjoy enCompass for August 2011.
Farewell from Roshan & Lottie
In mid-August, Roshan and Lottie Allpress will be leaving Compass and heading to the UK for a time, where Roshan will be studying towards a doctorate in History at the University of Oxford for at least three years, and Lottie will be working, and possibly studying in the coming years.
Dear friends, We’ve loved working with Compass for the past few years, and have been blessed by the many friendships and conversations that have developed since the first summer conference in 2004. We’re excited about what the next few years hold, especially the opportunity to take time to deepen our understanding of how stories, cultures and networks operate. Roshan’s research will be looking at how evangelicals during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries constructed global networks of cultural engagement. After eight years of involvement in Compass in New Zealand and Australia, we continue to be inspired by what happens when small groups of people come together around the Gospel and translate it into the world around them. We’re thrilled to be leaving Compass in the hands of such a capable team and hope and plan to stay connected to the vision and growing community. Roshan & Lottie Back to top^
"My Brother's Shadows": Alumni interview with Hayley Reynolds
Hayley Reynolds lives in Auckland, and attended the NZ Compass summer conference in 2009. She has a PhD in melanoma research at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute at the University of Auckland, and has since been involved in breast cancer detection research. Hayley also holds a Graduate Diploma in Theology from Laidlaw College. In 2004, Hayley's younger brother Wayne was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, which he tragically succumbed to 18 months later. Hayley has written a book, "My Brother's Shadows", recently published, which tells her family's journey through pain and loss, and their story of hope. Tell us a little bit more of the story behind the book, and why you wrote it? Ever since my brother died, I wanted to write about the experience since it was such an emotional rollercoaster and forced me to ask a lot of serious questions about life and my faith. I also wanted to fill a void in the market for people who have lost siblings, since this special relationship is often overlooked in books that discuss grief. Fortunately I came out of the ordeal with my faith still intact, however there were large issues I had to wrestle with including: grief, suffering, faith and healing, and the hope of heaven. I have written about each of these in the book, and have purposefully been very open about my struggles by including my own diary entries and prayers. My hope is that the story will help others who have been through a similar experience, as well as anyone who asks big questions about their faith. What reflections do you have on what the Gospel has to say about suffering? When suffering happens, it's very easy to feel as through God doesn't care and to question where He is in the midst of it all. For me, when my brother became sick I never questioned why God had allowed it to happen but I struggled with intense feelings of abandonment. I prayed, along with many other people, for Wayne's healing but our prayers weren't answered. It would have been very easy at this point to walk away from God entirely. Looking at the message of the Gospel, though, it shows that God is not immune from suffering and pain. In fact, God's own son Jesus purposefully took suffering upon himself in order to defeat it. Through my brother's journey I have also seen that incredible blessings can come through suffering, and I think it is often our response to it that makes the difference. We at Compass highly recommend Hayley's book, "My Brother's Shadows". It is poignant, honest and movingly written. It is also brave, both in sharing such a deeply personal journey, but also in wrestling with the question of where God is when we and loved ones suffer. Books cost NZD20.00 each (+$5.00 p&p within NZ, $10.00 p&p within Australia), and can be ordered from www.waynereynoldstrust.co.nz/products/ You can also read more about Wayne at: http://www.waynereynoldstrust.co.nz/ Back to top^
Compass Calendar: August
The Exile and its aftermath raised staggering questions for the people of God. Even after a small remnant of the people were able to return to Jerusalem under the rule of Cyrus, King of Persia, these questions remained. Israel began to retell their stories, and as they asked the question, what was God doing, they began to notice glimmers of hope. The August calendar looks at this often overlooked period of Israel's history, as well as the spiritual discipline of patience. Back to top^
Latest blog postsPosts from our Conversations blog this past month include:
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