An Indonesian Perspective on Partnership
Posted on Tue, 29/11/2011
In early November, Hery Susanto, the Academic Dean of Indonesian Church of Christ Theological School in Salatiga and a representative of GMP’s newest partner, the Indonesian Churches of Christ or Gereja Jemaat Kristus Indonesia (GJKI), visited Western Australia and was welcomed in a number of churches. Hery shared at the Indonesian Family Church, City Church of Christ, City Lighthouse Church, The Baldivis Church, Subiaco Church of Christ and The Rocks Ministry. He also met faculty at Harvest West Bible College and Perth Bible College. There are some great insights and lessons to learn from Hery’s view on partnership.
Bevan Griggs, WA Mission Mobiliser reports, “Hery is an articulate and engaging speaker. He brought challenging and interesting messages on forgiveness and involvement in mission. He described his vision of partnership with each group. The first and most important aspect of partnership is prayer. Hery explained that Indonesia is a wonderfully fertile place for the gospel but is not without difficulty. To break down spiritual barriers they require our support in consistent prayer. Secondly, friendship is crucial and strong bonds in relationships with Australian churches are needed in order to have a real and effective partnership. Thirdly, Hery explained that fresh ideas and expertise is highly prized as it’s impossible to be an expert in everything! Partnering to him means sharing our skills and talents with each other. The fourth aspect of partnership Hery spoke of is resourcing – financial, material and practical.
“Another insight we received from Hery was how to reach out to Muslims. He explained that when evangelising a new area it was important not to preach the gospel which sounds quite contradictory. The most important thing to start with was asking a simple question, “What are your greatest needs in this community?” After taking time to build friendships, especially with community leaders, and attempting to meet the most crucial needs of the community, then people would naturally ask, “Why are you doing these good things for us?” which then led into an opportunity to speak of Jesus.
“While in Perth, Hery blessed long-time Indonesian missionaries and loyal supporters, John and Shirley Truscott with an emotional visit sharing stories and looking at photos. He was grateful to Glyn and Isabel Jenkins for accommodating him during his stay.”