When my wife Debbie and I met and married almost 33 years ago in an AOG church, the one thing we agreed before marriage was to be missionaries. For me, the call to follow Christ has always been a call to service, a service to others.
During my childhood my parents were not practicing Christians, and I wasn’t a passionate follower until I came to faith in 1979 when I met Christians at university. I moved to Brisbane from Maryborough to become a teacher. The more time I spent with Christians at university, the more I wanted what they had.
God has used many people to influence my Christian walk including my wife, and several people from the Griffith University Christian Union who helped lead me to Christ. Like many Christians, I also had a praying grandmother. I found out a couple of years ago that my Grandma Wilkie (maternal grandmother) had hoped that my brother and I would go into Christian ministry. My brother has served as a Baptist Pastor and I’m soon to be ordained in the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane as a Deacon (with the hope of priestly ordination next year).
My journey into ministry started off with a desire for solid biblical and theological education. So I completed a Certificate in Theology through Moore College by correspondence from 1984 to 1987. Then from 1988 to 1990 I studied a Bachelor of Theology at BST, majoring in Old Testament and New Testament. Our daughters were just babies when we lived as residents at BST. We made life-long friends, especially as we became close to other families who lived on campus. I learned so much from my peers and thrived on the academic depth and seriousness of the programs.
While living in Toowong, my wife and I wanted to find a local church that would be suitable for our young family. We were invited by a friend to visit the Church of the Holy Spirit in West Toowong, and felt so welcomed that it didn’t take long for us to be part of the community. That was the start of my journey as an Anglican.
After finishing my studies at BST, we served with the Church of Melanesia. Then, on returning to Australia, I worked as a lay chaplain at St Hilda’s on the Gold Coast for many years, gaining a deeper appreciation of a chaplain’s role in being pastoral, compassionate, and a community builder. While on the Gold Coast we found a wonderful church community at St James, Biggera Waters. I am so thankful to have been mentored by our Parish Priest, Rev Ron Bundy, who also welcomed a team of BST students as part of their Mission Exposure Week training in 2014.
As I look forward to full-time church ministry, I am especially thankful to the Lord for his hand in guiding me and providing encouragement through mentors, priests, deacons, friends, fellow students and of course my family. The education I received, including the recent Anglican-specific training at St Francis Theological College, has shaped me for service.
For those who are seeking ordination, whether it be in the Anglican Church or other denominations, I would encourage you to pray and trust God. He is gracious in transforming you and others. Be a faithful and committed friend, and community person in your church. Seek guidance from wise people and have your eyes open to the cost. When you are looking to gain a more solid biblical foundation, seriously examine what program of formation is involved.
For me, the centrality of the life and work of Jesus in my life has been paramount. That is, the comprehensive and complete work of Jesus the Christ, summarised in terms like incarnation, passion, resurrection, ascension and promised parousia. The transforming work of the Holy Spirit in the church (Christian community) and scripture has guided me, but it comes back to the centrality of Jesus.
Trevor will be ordained as a Deacon at 10am, on 5th December 2015 at St John’s Anglican Cathedral, Brisbane. Archbishop Phillip Aspinall has appointed Trevor to be Assistant Curate at Anglican Parish of Surfers Paradise. Please pray for Trevor and his family as they transition into this next phase of their life and ministry.
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