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)
Have you heard of Cardinal Borromeo? A story is told by Abraham Kuyper when he gave the Stone Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1898. A 16th century plague had ruined the Italian city of Milan, and as the story goes, Cardinal Borromeo bravely stayed in that city to feed and pray for those who were dying. Kuyper admired this Cardinal’s piety, but he admired John Calvin even more: During the plague, which in the 16th...
Water currents affect weather patterns. A clear example is an El Nino. When the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean become substantially warmer than average this causes a shift in atmospheric circulation. For Australia this means that 2015 will shape up to be one of the hottest years on record. Weather pattern bringing drought and bushfires is expected to reach full force by Christmas. New currents are also happening with the CRCA SWIM mission in Solomon...
In the CRCA we talk lots about church health. It has been stated that healthy churches are growing churches. But is this true? If a church is healthy, does that means that we will see growth? And what kind of growth are we referring to? Growth in numbers? Growth in spiritual vitality? Growth in gospel impact? Peter Smit has been engaged as a church planter in Baldivis, a growing suburb south of Perth in Western Australia. I asked him about the correlation between...
What is discipleship all about? How do we reach out to the lost, help people come to faith, encourage spiritual growth, and equip followers of Jesus to disciple others? People gathered in Campbelltown CRC to explore what it means to make true disciples.(see more photos) There were senior members who had a real concern to pass on their faith to their children and grandchildren. There were uni students exploring what they might do to engage fellow...
Sometimes one feels all alone! There might be hundreds of people around, if not more, but you still feel alone! That’s how I felt as I made my way to Victoria this week to catch up with pastors, church leaders, and then move on to Adelaide for several speaking engagements on the weekend. Perhaps it was leaving my wife and home, knowing that many days will pass before I return. I do sense the distance from...
