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Thursday, October 4, 2007

40 years are past – the best is yet to come
Campus Crusade for Christ Australia celebrates 40 years

By Ramon Williams
Special for ASSIST News Service

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (ANS) -- Campus Crusade for Christ Australia (CCCA) held its National Conference, “Connexion 2007”, from Sunday, September 23 to Friday, September 28, at Port Hacking, located in the Royal National Park, south of Sydney. Held every two years, the gathering of missionaries, supporters and volunteers enables personnel to meet, share and inspire. This year a team from CCC New Zealand joined in the Australian gathering, enjoying the fellowship.

Bill Hodgson
The theme was: “Someone: Truly Following Jesus”, as Bill Hodgson, the National Director explained: “We considered what it requires of us to be truly ‘fellow workers with Christ’ in the Harvest.”

Included in the program was the 40th Celebration of CCCA, which was held on the Thursday evening, September 27. In closing the 40th Celebration, Bill Hodgson remarked: “As we look back with pride, at what the Lord has done, we realize 40 years are past, but the best is yet to come.”

Speakers at the various Worship & Training Sessions were Dr Dann Spader President of Global Youth Initiative and founder of Sonlife Ministries and Thomas Abraham, Vice President of East Asia and Oceania for Campus Crusade for Christ International, from Atlanta.

In the forty years since being founded in 1967 by Rev Geoff Fletcher as Lay Institute For Evangelism (LIFE), CCCA has partnered with local churches and mission agencies to help reach Australians and mobilize people and resources to help reach the world for Christ.

During the 40th Celebration Dinner, a highlight was a ‘phone hook-up with the Founder in Australia, Rev Geoff Fletcher, now residing in Melbourne. He spoke of meeting the original founder Dr Bill Bright in America and the growth of missionary numbers and finding office space in Australia.

In the main auditorium, the Masters of Ceremony for the evening, Gary Speckman of Athletes in Action and Lainey Green, of Student Life, introduced the opening item for the evening’s agenda, the cutting of a special 40th Celebration cake. This was carried out by one the newest workers, Aimee Grace and one of the “originals”, Enok Peipman.

The varying decades of the ministries came to the fore. Each segment featured a video with scenes from the relevant years and workers who shared personal memories.

Gordon & Olive Dodd - Lifetime Award
In the 1967-1977 presentation, Enok and Shirley Peipman spoke of experiences in the movement’s formative stage of the work. Earl and Robyn Roberts enlightened folk as to activities in the 1978-1987 period, but their presentation was brought to a planned end by a woman’s voice screaming and appealing for assistance.

Gary Speckman “sprang into action”, disrobing to reveal a “Superman” costume – an act he was known to perform – and dashed off-stage to help “the fair maiden”. That interruption heralded a coffee break!

The 1988-1997 segment revealed the commencement of a wider variety of departments within CCCA when many new key ministries were started. Large numbers were shown to respond during the 1998-2007 period, according to the spokesman Rex Campbell of Oz FamilyLife.

Special Service Awards were presented by Christen Penn to those qualified to receive them, with everyone present receiving an engraved 40th Anniversary drinking mug as a souvenir of the occasion.

A newly instigated Lifetime Award was presented to Gordon and Olive Dodd in recognition for their lifetime of involvement.

Dave Beeler presented a Prayer of Dedication, which was followed by a final challenge by Bill Hodgson.

After 40 years of being based in Sydney, Campus Crusade for Christ Australia (CCCA) will relocate its National Head Quarters to Melbourne by the end of 2007.

“This is a significant strategic move to build on the success and fruitfulness of the first 40 years whilst positioning for greatest effectiveness into the future,” Bill Hodgson explained.

Thomas Abraham - CCCI Orlando
Thomas Abraham closed the evening with prayer as the staff, volunteers and supporters of CCCA went out to face the challenges and service over the next 40 years!

As an evangelistic mission movement CCCA has 177 full time team members working in Australia and abroad. CCCA’s mission is to build spiritual movements everywhere so that everyone knows someone who truly follows Jesus. This involves working to connect with people in their world, win them to Christ, build them in the faith, train them how to reach their peers and sending them to multiply that process in the lives of others in their world. The mission targets Youth, Families, Young adults (Uni), Internationals (here and abroad) and Strategic Influencers/leaders. This is expressed through 12 different field ministries including Student Life, Youth Ministries Australia, Jesus Gift To the Nation (Jesus Film), Athletes in Action, Oz FamilyLife, Global Aid Network (GAiN), Creative Arts Ministry (CRAM), Here’s Life, Children of the World, Church Dynamics, Women Today and short term Mission projects.

For further information on the work of Campus Crusade for Christ Australia, contact them at PO Box 40, Sydney Markets NSW 2129; Phone: +61-2-9748 5798; Fax: +61-2-9748 5799; Web: www.ccca.org.au 
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Photos available: http://community.webshots.com/user/ramon_williams

Ramon Williams is an Australian photographer and journalist living in Sydney, Australia, with his wife Dorothy. They served as WEC missionaries in Java, Indonesia from 1959-1967. Ramon was awarded the Gutenberg Award in 1987 by the Australian Religious Press Association and the 1994 Malcolm Muggeridge Award for Service Through the Media, by the Australian Federation of Festival of Light. His aim is "To tell others what others are doing for the Lord". His ministry is known as Worldwide Photos Ltd - The Religious Media Agency, PO Box 494, Padstow NSW 2211, Australia; rlgmedia@ozemail.com.au
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