The Smiths' Newsletter
		Reaching youth with the truth -- the Gospel of Christ	Marton, New Zealand. Phone (+64-6) 327-7624 E-mail:	Making Christ's last command our first concern

Bevan and Audrey Smith Lynnea Smith Callum Smith Amelia Smith	Dear Friends,	We trust you are well and enjoying the things of the Lord
	Changes in the Wind	For eight weeks or so the Lord has been working in and around our lives in a remarkable way. Soon after we returned from 5 weeks in the USA, I was approached by a church, with whom I have had quite a bit of ministry, to consider joining their pastoral staff. This is something that Audrey and I have only begun to talk about this year and so we did not treat this opportunity as lightly as we might have in earlier years in our ministry. The end result of the process of prayer and careful consideration is that the position of associate pastor has been offered and we have accepted. The changeover date will be September 12th.
	The Lighthouse	The church is called ‘The Lighthouse' and is located in Masterton. It is a very new church, begun in March this year, but the Lord is using these people to great effect in reaching unchurched people. ‘The Lighthouse' is firmly fundamental in doctrine and aggressively evangelical by nature. My role will be mainly in the area of teaching, administration and strategy development working closely with Torrey Hilton who has pastored the church since its recent beginning. We are very excited to be able to join the team operating there and the possibility of being involved in the lives of new believers. We are also looking forward to being able to have a more consistent ministry in the lives of people living in the same town as we are.
	Leaving Word of Life	The hardest thing for us in this decision has been the fact we have just returned from the US on deputation, and to fulfill these new responsibilities we must leave Word of Life. We have had a wonderful relationship with the staff here in New Zealand and enjoyed a good tenure with the ministry. We can honestly say that our first experience of vocational Christian ministry has been a very positive experience and also one of great learning and personal development. In todays terms 7 years is almost considered long term and we feel it is time to move on into another form of ministry for our Lord. We look forward to ministry in 'The Lighthouse' for a variety of reasons. Firstly the job description is suitable to my areas of giftedness — teaching and administration. Also the church is firmly committed to an evangelistic emphasis and a life development process for its members. The approach taken is quite unique here in New Zealand and has already been bearing fruit. Also Audrey is looking forward to serving the Lord in Masterton. With all my travel we have not done alot together in ministry over the past 7 years so that change will be welcomed. We have a very big transition to make in the near future and we value your prayer in that. This move will involve a major change in our lifestyle and will really test our adaptability. I trust this letter adequately informs you of our situation.
	A note of appreciation	It is hard to tell who over the years have been praying for us. Every so often we hear something that tells us more people pray for us than we thought. If you have been praying for us over the years we would like to say thank you for your faithfulness to our team effort as we have sought to influence the youth of New Zealand for Jesus Christ.
	Volleyball Tournaments	The last month I have been involved in evangelistic volleyball tournaments. In Wellington a few weekends ago, I preached and we saw 4 young people receive Christ. It was neat to talk to some youth leaders who told us that some teens who got saved several years earlier were there and are going on in their walk with the Lord. Praise the Lord! Sincerely yours in Christ, The Smiths. (Bevan, Audrey, Lynnea, Callum, and Amelia)