Jack De Vries was hired on by the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia and began his work as Ministry Training Coordinator in January 2008. In 2012 this role shifted to that of Ministry Development Coach.
Jack came from Canada where he pastored three Christian Reformed churches: Alliston CRC, Alliston, Ontario(1983-87), a church plant:...
Jack De Vries was hired on by the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia and began his work as Ministry Training Coordinator in January 2008. In 2012 this role shifted to that of Ministry Development Coach.
Jack came from Canada where he pastored three Christian Reformed churches: Alliston CRC, Alliston, Ontario(1983-87), a church plant: New Life Community Church, Pickering, Ontario(1987-95), and Bethel CRC, Listowel, Ontario (1995-2007). Jack is a graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity - 1983) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry - 2003) Jack and his wife Jeannie currently live in Petrie, a northern suburb of Brisbane in Queensland. They attend and are members of Bray Park Community Church. They have four adult children and seven grandchildren living in the USA and Canada.
In Isaiah 58:11 we read: "The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Australia has seen times of drought and floods. There is another type of drought in Australia; there is a spiritual drought. But God promises to provide refreshing rain, a never ending supply of refreshing water. The water he provides will satisfy the needs of all Australians. As we take up the missional vision God has given us we extend the life changing invitation of Jesus: "Come! Whoever is thirsty, come, and take the free gift of the water of life!" (Revelation 22:17)
Do you know what God is doing in the world? What is his plan that has been unfolding since the creation of the world? And where is everything heading? Perhaps as you look at the chaotic state of our world you wonder whether or not there really is a divine plan. We meet Job in the book of the Bible that bears his name, and he questioned over and over again whether or not God really...
Billions of dollars are raised each year through crowdfunding. Perhaps you have partcipated in this as well. Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising small amounts of money from a large number of people. Many people doing it really tough in life are helped when someone starts up a go-fund-me page or using some other form of crowdfunding. You might consider the giving of money at church as one form of crowdfunding. ...
In our digital and computer world we have increasingly become accustomed to 'copy and paste'. Pictures, texts, podcasts, videos, and just about everything else. On social media, for school assignments, at the workplace, and just about everywhere else. Just 'copy and paste'! Copy what you see and then paste it. But this is not new! As human beings we are prone to copy and paste. We see what is happening around us in our culture, and...
One of the questions I often ask children and young people has to do with one's vocation in life. I would frame the question this way, "What do feel God is calling to do when you finish high school?" Perhaps this kind of question might seem a bit odd or misplaced. What has our work to do with one's calling in life? Is there a relationship between faith and vocation, faith and work? If so, what? ...
It takes a whole village to raise a child! This African saying is believed to originate from the Igbo and Yoruba people of Nigeria. My son-in-law grew up in the heartland of Africa, and I soon appreciated that this idea that ‘it takes a whole village to raise a child’ is fundamental to many African cultures. The main idea behind the saying is that it takes a whole community, and not just two parents, to bring...
