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Pat O’Keeffe:

In mid-February we enjoyed a very special day in the life of our church here in Katherine. We had the joy of celebrating the baptism of five people. We started planning the service last year for one person and then ended up baptising four adults and one little baby! It was wonderful to thank God for drawing these brothers and sisters to Himself, hear their profession of repentance, faith and commitment to Christ, and pray for the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The church was full of people, and our hearts were full of praise to God.

One of those who was baptised was Ashleigh a music teacher at Katherine High School who had been in Katherine for just over a year. Ash radiates the joy of Jesus and it’s even more obvious in person! Ash’s story is also a beautiful insight into what makes our new church family here in Katherine so special. This is what she shared with us on that baptism Sunday and is so happy for me to share with you…

Ashleigh:

“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6

Many of us know these words intimately, the final verse of Psalm 23. What really speaks to me about this verse is the verb. “Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.” The Hebrew word for follow in this verse, “radaph” (rah-darf), literally translates to “to chase after”, “to pursue”. I love this image that our Lord’s goodness and love are not passively following but actively pursuing. Indeed, as we sing in Goodness of God, “Your goodness is running after me.” Jesus loves us so much that He is constantly reaching out to us, in big ways and in small.

So, in sharing some of my story, I wanted to anchor on that idea: for my whole life, Jesus has been reaching out to me and drawing me in, patiently and faithfully. I wanted to briefly share four ways that He has drawn me in across my life. At first through story, then through His Word, through music and through community.

Drawing me in through story

I didn’t grow up in a Christian household and the Religious Education at my local primary school was humble, but I vividly remember being so moved by a telling of Luke 17: Jesus heals the 10 lepers. At only about seven years old, I remember coming home from school and explaining the miracle to my mum. “Mummy, they were all sick and He healed them all! But guess how many came back to say thank you? Only one! One out of 10!” I was astounded. And that night was probably the first time I ever said, “Mummy, thank you for being such a good mummy.”

This is the first time I can remember this feeling. Being amazed by what Jesus did and knowing that it was teaching me something important. And you could see that it was not just my mind being transformed, but my actions and how I treat other people. This is just one example of Jesus drawing me in through story.

But He also drew me in through His Word…

At about age 12 or 13, I was helping my mum organise some things in the back of a cupboard when I came across a small copy of the New Testament and Psalms from her brief time in a Christian school. Curiously, I asked, “Mummy, can I read it?” So, I started off, page one. No teacher, no church, no context, no idea. But I read it. Cover to cover. And being a clueless 13-year-old, I got to the end and thought, “Hmmm…I barely understood half of that. I’d better read it again.” So, I did, again and again.

I read the psalms a lot, mostly because they had fewer words.

But why would a 13-year-old do this? When there’s fantasy books and iPads. I can’t explain it any other way than God, through pure grace, was drawing me in, giving me a way to start getting to know Him before I was old enough to take myself to church. Again, I just sensed that this was something fundamentally, existentially important. And I wanted to know more.

So, this kind of brings me to adult life. He’s drawn me in a little bit through story, a little bit through the Bible.

The next big step was music

Music is one of the most significant ways that God has been at work in my life. I was a chorister in Brisbane’s Anglican Cathedral for three years before moving to Katherine. In fact, it was music that invited me in to organised religion in the first place. I was studying music at the University of Queensland and my choir lecturer was also the Director of Music at the Cathedral. He picked me out of the university choir and invited me to join the Cathedral Choir.

It was only as a chorister that I began attending church regularly. I’m sure I don’t have to explain the profound power of music to stir a soul and connect you to something bigger than yourself. And I hope that my playing and singing at church testifies to that more sufficiently than what I could do in words.

Then Jesus’ next big move for me was bringing me here to Katherine.
 

Which brings me to number four, drawing me in through community.

I had a very tough time in my first six months in Katherine. But I have come to absolutely LOVE Katherine because of the wonderful people here. My deepest thanks to Rachel and Cat who were so welcoming when I first started coming to St Paul’s; I have been inspired by your examples of what it means to live the Christian life as a woman. And Pat and Issy, when you guys came, things exploded in the best way. Prayer meetings, bible study, family lunches…our community is truly thriving. You’ve both been a huge support to me personally and you have strengthened my faith in so many ways.

I love being a part of our church community so much; it is a source of purpose, connection and joy. I can honestly say that it is because of the encouragement of people at St Paul’s that I have come to know who Jesus is. And it’s really this stage in the journey that led me to be baptised. I’m a long way from where I grew up, but I am blessed to call everyone at St Paul’s family.

Moving to Katherine is the single best thing that’s ever happened to me, because it led me to Jesus. I had been reading the Bible and praying for 10 years but it was only because God brought me here that I have not just heard the Word but received it, and it has taken root in me. And my life has transformed in the most remarkable ways. I am overflowing with genuine joy, not joy attached to achievements or material things but an everlasting joy. And a joy that I love to share with others around me.

At every point along the journey, in so many different ways, Jesus has been patiently and faithfully inviting me in. Drawing me into the very centre of His love. I hope that my words point to how Jesus’ goodness and love have been pursuing me, all the days of my life. And my baptism allows me to “dwell in the house of the Lord forever”.

Amen!

We hope that you join us in giving thanks for God’s work in Ash’s life, and in all the others who were baptised that day in Katherine. Please pray that God would grow Katherine Anglican Church to be a place where people can encounter Jesus and experience his love in fellowship with one another. Ask that God would continue to chase after people with His goodness and draw them to Himself here in Katherine!

Today we invite you to prayerfully consider the role you can play in making stories like Ash’s possible for others, so every person in the bush has every chance to know Jesus.

You can donate to our mid-year appeal at bushchurchaid.com.au/sharejesuswiththebush