News
Looking to the Resurrection
In this issue: Welcome to the New Staff · Responding to Current Challenge · Suffering is not the End of the Story
Looking to the Resurrection
MARK DOYLE
Executive Director
DEAR FRIENDS,
The Coronavirus global pandemic has disrupted our lives in a way that few of us could have anticipated. At NET, where we are known for our peer to peer team, face to face, relational style ministry, it has been an especially challenging time.
Leading NET through this time has been interesting, to say the least. My personal experience has felt like riding an emotional roller coaster as day after day new difficult decisions needed to be made quickly in order to protect our volunteers and the young people that they serve. One moment everything seemed normal, stable, routine and grounded. The next moment it was like the world as we knew it had suddenly ceased to exist. Things felt fluid and unstable, like the ground beneath our feet was no longer solid. I can’t tell you how many times I heard the word ‘unprecedented’ and I soon found it rolling off my tongue and out of my lips like it was a normal part of my vocabulary.
Both the health crisis and the economic crisis that has occurred as a result, have left many of us feeling out of control. We’re not used to this in western culture. We make things happen. The world is a safe and predictable place, or at least it’s supposed to be. This pandemic and the sense of loss of control and grief that it has brought for so many in our community is very real. So many hopes and dreams were shattered in an instant. So much loss: the loss of lives, loss of jobs, loss of financial security, loss of health, loss of relationships and connection, and a loss of freedom. Some of the loss is huge, like the loss of a loved one. Some of it is smaller, but the pain is still real, like the reality of holding your wedding with only 5 people in attendance or the loss of an overseas trip. Most of us have experienced this loss at one level or another in a very personal and profound way over the past few months.
Right when I felt like I was at my lowest, when we had lost half our teams and sent half of our missionaries’ home and the financial implications of all of this began to sink in, something shifted. On a practical level it was the Australian government and Prime Minister Scott Morrison riding in on a white horse named JobKeeper, but on a spiritual level it was so much deeper and more profound than this. On a spiritual level it was a gift called HOPE.
I experience hope similarly to the way that I experience a campfire. Hope brings me light in the darkness, it fights off the cold and it makes a situation that can sometimes feel scary or uncomfortable a lot more bearable. Once the flame of hope was lit in my heart, new questions emerged for me. These questions were very different than the original ones. It shifted from what has been lost, to what has been gained? What good could emerge from this?
As I was scrolling Facebook one night with all these things swirling around in my brain, I stumbled on this quote from Fr Jerome Zeilor:
Satan: I will cause anxiety, fear and panic. I will shut down business, schools, places of worship, and sports events. I will cause economic turmoil.
Jesus: I will bring together neighbours, restore the family unit, I will bring dinner back to the kitchen table. I will help people slow down their lives and appreciate what really matters. I will teach my children to rely on me and not the world. I will teach my children to trust me and not their money and material resources.
It reminded me that even in difficult times like these, that God still has a plan for us. As I leaned into this hope I realised that there were actually so many good things that could come out of this if I looked through the lens of hope. Good things for me personally; good things for my family and my relationships; good things for my children and good things for NET. In bringing all of this to prayer, I felt extremely convicted by the Lord that He did indeed have a good plan for NET during this time and that if we remained close to Him that through His grace we could even find a way to be more fruitful than before.
It was like the tree described in Jeremiah 17:8
“They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
I believe that God can make a way for NET Ministries Australia right now. Even in this time of drought and difficulty and heat, that God will still find a way to bear good fruit in our ministry if we remain planted in Him. Good fruit with the young people to whom we minister, good fruit in our teams and good fruit in each one of our Netters.
During this Easter season, let us be people of HOPE. Let us be united in our families as we love, care and support each other through this challenging time; united in prayer, firmly rooted and planted together in Jesus, and united in our mission of encouraging young people to love Jesus and embrace the Church.
Mark Doyle Executive Director
WELCOME TO THE NEW STAFF
Harrison Raney
Hi, my name is Harrison Raney and I’m from Michigan in the United States. I love movies (especially ‘Lord of the Rings’), hiking, American baseball, singing, and playing instruments such as guitar and piano. In my hometown, and at university, I have always been active in evangelistic ministry, particularly in leading praise and worship for parish youth. Last year, I took a further step and signed up for a year with NET Ministries and completed a year of mission on the Melbourne team.
These experiences have formed a foundation from which I have come to believe in God ‘s call to lifelong mission in the Catholic Church. I’m not sure of all the details but I’m both excited and honored to continue my mission journey this year by serving on NET Australia’s 2020 staff. I ask that you keep me in your prayers, that God will continue to use the gifts and talents He’s bestowed upon me to equip me to serve in His Kingdom. God bless you all!
Madeleine Luciani
Hi everyone! My name is Madeleine Luciani, but you can call me Maddie. I’m 25 years old and from Melbourne. Having grown up there my whole life, I finally stepped out of what I called home and said goodbye to loved ones in 2018. This was when I first began serving as a missionary with NET on the National Team. On this year my heart grew a deeper desire to serve others, particularly the youth of Australia. It was from this desire that led me to continue to do another year of mission, serving on the ACU North Sydney Team in 2019. God has continued to work in my heart the desire to continue His mission of serving the Church, a calling that I now realise is lifelong! This year I am working with NET and have officially left Melbourne, calling Brisbane home. This journey has been one of complete trust in God and is calling me to a deeper faith each day.
Rebecca Crouch
My name is Rebecca Crouch and I am originally from a small town called Ganmain, in Western NSW. I have been in the NET family for a few years now. I did two years on NET in 1994 and 1995 before coming onto NET Staff in Australia from 2004 to 2010. More recently I lived in Ireland for the past 7 and a half years where I was Program Director for NET Ministries Ireland. This was probably the most formative season of my life to date and I fell in love with the people, the culture, and most importantly, more in love with Jesus and His Church. I am passionate about young people coming to know Jesus and finding a place and a voice in the Church and becoming all they are called to be!
I am so grateful to the Lord for calling and leading me back home to serve Him & the Church here in Australia.
NET TRAINING 2020
Orrin, returning for his second year on NET and Wilhelm, a staff member at Orientation Day
The Cape Town team
“Peregian Cup” the annual volleyball competition held at Initial Training
Bishop Stephen Lowe (Hamilton, N.Z.) commissions the FX ACU North Sydney Team
Adoration: during the first few days of retreat
Getting to know one another at Orientation Day
Shayne preaching to the group during Initial Training
Enjoying talks at Music Training
RESPONDING TO THE CURRENT CHALLENGE
This NET Wollongong team encountered a whirlwind of activities and emotions within just the first month of mission. The first few weeks were absolutely beautiful. Our face-to-face ministry consisted of leading school retreats, participating in parish events, and a weekly youth group.
I remember the day we were told our ministry would no longer be face-to-face, but online. We had just begun building connections with students and felt that we were thriving in this fruitful, uplifting environment. Doubts and fears about the new ministry flooded my mind. I then expressed my frustration to God in prayer and He filled me with His peace and love. I was convicted that God called me here and He was going to provide in this new ministry. If my story can reach one person online, then it was certainly worth it.
ARIANA SALAZAR
NET Team Wollongong
My team has been a tremendous blessing whilst on NET. Each member is filled with great life-giving joy. Together, we spend quarantine working on exciting videos for evangelisation and we laugh constantly. Fun projects to come are our testimonies in the form of a Draw My Life, dancing and singing videos, and an exciting talk show! While the transition to online ministry was challenging and unlike anything we ever expected, we hope to bring joy and light to this time of suffering in the world.
God’s goodness is by no means limited to face-to-face ministry. People are spending more time on their phones and connecting to social media at this time. It is even more necessary to be bold and share our faith online. Every person on the other side of those screens is a beloved child of God. We have faith that God will use us and give us the tools necessary for evangelisation in this technological age. This storm shall pass, but His love remains. His love gives us the energy to keep the mission going.
SUFFERING IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY
The question of suffering is one of those questions that doesn’t go away. Every human person in successive generations ask the questions about suffering. Why? Why me, why her, why now? Suffering is one of those experiences that accompanies our humanity. Who has ever heard of a person who has not suffered. Just this week, I heard the shocking news that a friend of mine had died in Italy. He was a good man; a man who loved his family, cared for those who struggled in life; a man who loved God and served his Church with great devotion. His death came quickly as a result of the Covid 19 virus. One moment, strong and healthy, the next he was hospitalised and died alone, separated from his loving family and friends. He will be buried according to the current restrictions in Italy. Its easy to find many “why” questions around this experience.
As Christians, our faith helps us to see things from a different perspective. It doesn’t make suffering easy, but it does give a reason to hope beyond the current circumstances. Suffering is not the final word. In our journey through Lent, the Church gives us the gospel which speaks of the death of Lazarus. Both Martha and Mary ask Jesus the question, “Where were you? Why didn’t you come and heal him (Lazarus)?” These women lend their voice to our own questioning, to our own inability to comprehend “where is God?” It was the same sense of abandonment that Jesus himself experienced both in the garden of Gethsemane and on the cross. Jesus gives us an insight into the suffering of Martha and Mary, not by responding to their question but by asking about where Lazarus is buried. The scriptures tell us that Jesus’ response is to weep, to share their suffering. He then goes on to heal Lazarus. Jesus does not by-pass the suffering of Martha and Mary even though he knew he would heal Lazarus. Jesus was not there to put on a show but to deeply enter the human experience of his friends in their suffering.
SHAYNE BENNETT
Founding Executive Director of NET Australia.
This image of Jesus entering into the suffering of others is most clearly seen in his passion and death. The Son of God was tortured and murdered. It seemed like that was the end of the story – but it wasn’t. God raised Jesus from the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit and in so doing conquered death and suffering, robbing them of their power so as to give a different ending not only for Jesus but also for us. In our experience of suffering, it seems that God does not remove our suffering, at least not straight away. He uses our suffering to bring about something better both for us and others. God did not rescue Jesus from death – Jesus died before he was resurrected; Jesus did not rescue Lazarus – he was truly dead before Jesus raised him from the dead; our suffering does not go away but Jesus enters our suffering with us just as he did with Martha and Mary and he tells us – this is not the end of the story. Like Jesus in the garden, we can ask God to “take the cup from us” but in the end, our desire is to accept God’s will. Sometimes, we forget that Jesus accompanies us in our season of suffering and death, both throughout our lives and in our final moments. His promise is to raise us up, to transform us both in this life and in the life to come. When we allow Jesus to draw our suffering into his, it gives suffering a whole new level of meaning. It actually transforms us.
PRAYER
Jesus I ask you to be with me in this experience of suffering. Give me the strength to endure and the faith to believe that you will transform this suffering into newness of life.
WILL YOU HELP BRING HOPE TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE OF AUSTRALIA?
As we continue through 2020 and this season of uncertainty that surrounds the Coronavirus, will you help bring hope to the young people of Australia?
Right now, perhaps more than ever, the young people of Australia need support. Many of them are feeling isolated, anxious, lonely or out of control and our deepest desire at NET Ministries is to lead these young people into relationship with the one person who can truly make a difference to them. We want to give young people the gift of faith, so that they can experience the true meaning of Easter. Even when all seems lost as the stone is rolled in front of the tomb, we know that this is not the end of the story, and our hope is reborn on Easter Sunday as Jesus rises from the dead! We want to share this hope with the young people of Australia. Your financial support enables us to reach thousands of young people each year with the message of hope, joy and fullness of life that we discover anew every Easter.
We understand that these are not ordinary times. They are not ordinary for us as we have wrapped up early or indefinitely suspended 4 of our 8 teams. Along with this comes a major negative financial impact at NET. We also understand that these are not ordinary times for you. If you find yourself in a position where you cannot give financially right now, we want you to know that your support, however that looks, is deeply valued, especially your prayers. If you find yourself in a position where you can give right now, we want you to know that your generosity will be making a major impact at a time when it’s needed most.
God bless,
Mark Doyle Executive Director
Are you able to help?
And as always, please pray for us as we seek to fulfill our mission. We hope to see young hearts transformed as they encounter Jesus. That's why we exist. Thank you for your generosity.