God proving faithful in Villawood
- deansimpson7
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
BY LAUREN MARTIN
When Lawrence Besant started as Support and Outreach Coordinator at Villawood Salvos Community of Hope in south-west Sydney, his vision was for it to be a safe place where people could find purpose and meaning and have a life-changing encounter with Jesus.
God has been faithful. Over the past year, as relationships have deepened with members of the community, people have been staying longer to chat over a cuppa, others have engaged with the coffee-and-games morning, and many have started asking questions about God.
According to Lawrie, it’s been an authentic ministry of presence: “Being present, authentic and sensitive to what’s going on” is so important in building relationship and trust, he said.
Having worked in the inner-city as a homelessness chaplain, a hospital chaplain, and also in a church planting role, he has the calm, patient demeanour of a follower of Jesus that recognises that God’s timing is always perfect.
When the community wanted to hold monthly lunch gatherings last year, Lawrie and his team member, Hilda, faced a provision dilemma. Their weekly Oz Harvest food delivery had been declining, and every Tuesday the food-relief ministry seemed to be sustained through prayer alone, to make the donated food stretch to the number of people attending for assistance.
How would they have enough food for a monthly lunch?
Lawrie and Hilda came to the conclusion that “if God was saying to do it, just do it and God will provide the means.”
So, that’s what they did.
Members of the local Fijian community in the NSW Housing complex in which Villawood Salvos is located offered to cook, and on the day, there was plenty, with people generously contributing food items to share.
During the meal, testimonies were given about God’s life-changing work in people’s lives and there was prayer.
It was after that first luncheon, that community members started asking, ‘When are we going to do a Bible study?’
In November, Lawrie and Hilda felt the time was right, and they invited anyone in the community to attend on Wednesday for a Bible study. Four people came, plus Villawood Salvos staff and a student placement worker.
Lawrie used materials developed by retired Major Peter Farthing, called His Story, Our Story (available here), a small-group discipleship series developed for people new to church or from non-English-speaking backgrounds.
“The first story was Jesus in the storm,” said Lawrie. He said he was blown away by the engagement of those who attended, all who came back the next week for the next session.
“During the Bible study we don’t close the door,” said Lawrie, “but keep it open and put chairs outside so that people can still come and grab a coffee and relax at the centre. While they’re sitting outside the Holy Spirit can be working in their hearts.”
True to his church-planting experience, Lawrie said he’s already asking God to show him who the future leaders of the Bible study will be.
“We want to empower the community to look after it,” he said. “So, myself and Hilda have kicked it off, but we are asking God to show us the long-term leader.”
And, just as God has shown his faithfulness in provision, in growing the Villawood Salvos community and in opening hearts for the faith community to start, Lawrie and Hilda are trusting in him to continue what he has started. Please keep Villawood Salvos in your prayers.
