What God Can Do!
Many years ago a lost drunk (with a bottle of meth in his hip pocket) came to Pastor Phil Brewster at Mareeba Community Church and asked to be taken to the Aboriginal Reserve (and the pastor did). Now, years later Aboriginal elder, Vincent Mathieson tells the follow on of that – his story.
“At the end of 1979 the Lord showed Himself to me (just like the picture on the kitchen wall). He called out to me “Come”. I was shaking. For days I kept hearing that voice calling me “Come”. I was afraid. I told my wife “Jesus is calling me”. My Christian wife, Pam told her brother. Tom said “Tell him, if he means it to come with you to our Bible Study”.
There Pastor Phil talked with me and I prayed for forgiveness. Then Pastor prayed for me. I felt as if a heavy load was lifted from me. I felt light. I now had God in my life. I did a real turn around. God could, and did change my life! What a change! Since then I’ve stuck to my God and He to me! The journey hasn’t always been easy. A few years ago when my wife was so sick it was tough. I became her carer until the Lord called her home. But through it all God has helped and kept me.
I’ve been one of the Aboriginal elders at Mareeba Community Church for years and on the Board of the Aboriginal and Islander Christian Fellowship since it began. Over the years I’ve been involved in Sunday School, Youth Programmes, open air meetings, Prison Chaplaincy, Gospel Outreach trips, bus driver, guitarist, singer, and shared in leadership in the church programme when we didn’t have a Pastor. But God has been stirring me, and calling me to walk a new road – to be more involved in pastoring ministry.
In February 2008 I began a Certificate III of Theology to be followed by a 2 year Diploma of Theology at Wontulp-Bi-Bunya College for Aboriginal Christians at Cairns — so different from stock work, railway, council and main roads work! We did live-in study modules in Cairns to begin each term, then came home to complete our home studies and work with the local church. I also to learned to use the computer and do many new things. After studying I needed to work again. At the end of 2011 I stopped working with the fly in, fly out Main Roads Flood Recovery Programme and looked for home based work around Mareeba so I could assist with the Church programme.
God also gave me special blessing – a wonderful Christian wife, Veronica, who had been fellowshipping at Mareeba Community Church. We were married in 2012. We now have a son and the care of Veronica’s 3 children.”
It is with joy Vincent has now been asked to the Ministry/Pastoral Care role with the A.I.C.F. Mareeba Community Church – something God has been stirring in his heart for a long time. This is a real step of faith that God will provide the salary for Vincent.
We must seize the opportunities to make God known in a community that is open to, and so needful of God’s Way for living.
A request from Vincent: “Please pray for me that God’s Spirit will help me in my understanding of His Word.”
Pray Vincent will truly be God’s empowered man to introduce people to Jesus and help them grow in their Christian faith, and living.
Pray Mareeba Community Church will be the light, showing the Way, teaching the Truth, and bringing people to God’s family at Mareeba, on the Atherton Tablelands, and beyond!