Going the distance in the Central Mallee

Steve & Vanessa Weickhardt returned to BCA this year to take up ministry in the parish of Central Mallee, where they are going the distance, travelling between 1000 and 1500 kilometres each week.

Since commencing in late-January, the Weickhardts have worked to build relationships and encourage those they meet in their walk with Jesus. They have a rotating plan of ministry for the parishes they serve – Central Mallee with five congregations, APOSS in Red Cliffs with one but which also has an active nursing home congregation.

“At the most I’m doing two services on a Sunday so I can spend time with people before and afterwards,” says Steve. “The plan is for it to shift to a three service Sunday when we move to Red Cliffs. I also do a couple of midweek services – one at Murrayville, just inside the Victorian border with South Australia, 110 kms from Ouyen (where the Weickhardts resided at the time of writing), and the nursing home service at Red Cliffs is also mid-week. This is an area where it’s all hands-on deck and you do what you can, where you can. My mechanic knows me very well because I’m rolling through my 10,000 kms so fast.”

There was one Sunday that Steve didn’t do his usual running around. On Easter Sunday, Steve held a special service at Walpeup Lake, a free camping place right in the middle of all three centres where around 35 people gathered. For Steve, the highlight of ministry so far has been meeting with people; he loves nothing better than sitting around the kitchen table, chatting, and getting to know people.

“Pastoral ministry is really a joy,” he says. Another highlight of ministry is the RENEW project in Red Cliffs which provides a vital service to the community. Red Cliffs, which has a population of around 6000, is a town in great need. “We have the Islander community who are not used to the cold weather, so the parish gives out warm clothes, and also Foodbank boxes each day,” says Steve. “RENEW is also a place where people can just come and talk. It’s not a money-making enterprise but one of care and community.”

Even though the Weickhardts will eventually reside in Red Cliffs, Steve will be a visiting priest across the Mallee. He’s currently working in half the locations he is set to serve. Over the next couple of years Steve will also work on a project with Archdeacon Peter called ‘A congregation in every community’.

“Archdeacon Peter is working with City to City to fulfil the Bishop’s mandate – an expression of Christ’s body in every community in the Diocese,” explains Steve. “There are a lot of towns where churches have closed down, so we are planning to go into communities where people are looking for prayer, meaning,
purpose, truth, hope and faith.”

Steve & Vanessa are so thankful for your partnership in the gospel and seek your prayers. “The BCA adage of never too far, never too few, rings true for us,” says Steve. “We are travelling long distances and there are not many people across those distances. We need BCA support to make this possible. The financial support is important, but we really need that prayer support. Please pray for the Spirit to stir in those communities and in the churches that are already gathering.”