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Get To Know Haven Barr

Haven is one of our Ministry Apprentices, working alongside our Sydney Labouring Community, at Macquarie Uni. How did you come into relationship with Jesus and how have you grown? What child doesn’t love singing along to Christmas carols about the little baby Jesus and associating that with ...

Advancing Into the Nations – on Campus!

By Haven Barr, Ministry Apprentice at Macquarie University, Sydney A quick thank you to you. Your partnership with the Navigators goes a long way! Your financial decision to support us advances the gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom into the nations. For those of you I personally know, I am ...

Sydney Labouring Community Update Summer 2024

By Scott Brown "In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." - John 16:23–24 - If you've kept up ...

The Road to Freedom: Western Culture 9

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery… You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire ...

Knowing God

By Scott Brown In the Autumn issue of the Compass, Mike Johnson clearly laid out a few simple and crucial rules to follow when reading and studying the Bible in order to interpret it accurately. If you haven’t read that article on How to Read the Bible Better, I recommend you give it a read ...

Insights from the Global Church

By Luke Midena The past few months have been unusually full of travel. While it’s been exciting, I’m looking forward to being home with family for the next while. I wanted to share some highlights from one of these recent trips. I had the privilege of attending the Lausanne Gathering in ...

Meditation: Western Culture 10

Some of my strongest childhood memories come from the times I spent on my uncle’s dairy farm. The heat of summer, the cooling of the milk refrigeration room, the sound and smell of the cows. I would seeing them constantly chewing and later learnt they had 4 stomachs and were often “chewing ...

How Do You Begin a Grassroots Ministry?

Grassroots ministry is the starting point of advancing the gospel and building the next generation, beginning with people around you who haven’t heard the good news of Jesus. As a labourer living and discipling among the lost, how do you begin a grassroots ministry? 1. Pray for: • ...

Campus Life: small windows, deep engagement

By Luke Midena, Canberra Labouring Community Something I love about campus ministries is the intensity and depth of engagement we have with people for a short window of time. As hard as it is when students move on, there is an endless influx of opportunity. I recently farewelled Isaak, who ...

The Joy of Labouring

By Paul Bailey, Melbourne Labouring Community. This article was first published in our newsletter, Compass, Autumn 2026. The Great Commission and the call of sending out labourers into the harvest has been echoed from pulpits for centuries. As each generation pleads these causes, I imagine the ...

Starting Over

THOMAS WHITEMAN & RANDY PETERSEN A Step-by-Step Guide to Help You rebuild Your Life After a Break-up You are not over when your relationship ends. If you've recently gone through a divorce or relational breakup, you know how difficult it is to recover your sense of identity, balance, and ...

2024 - January - Authority of Scripture & Biblical Interpretation

It is important to build confidence in the authority and inspiration of the Bible, and to anchor our story within the Biblical meta-narrative. Developing good Biblical interpretation practices and enriching theology in the central aspects of the Gospel will enhance a correct view of God and ...

2024 - June - The Bible Meta-Narrative

During our Mid-Year training, the Rev Dr Graham Cole led us through some sessions on the biblical meta-narrative, which helped equip us with biblical themes to “out-narrate” our cultures’ stories and show how our deepest aspiration and desires are fulfilled, and that the Bible makes the ...

Canberra Student Conference 2026

Join other students and young workers from across Canberra for a day of being challenged and encouraged in your walk with God. Our national director, Scott Brown, will share on the vision God has given us for labouring joyfully in His kingdom, and we will have small group discussions and ...

Lest We Forget - Anzac Day 2022

By Grant Dibden You can learn a lot about a country from the people or events they celebrate in their monuments. In the USA there’s a great bronzed statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting in his mighty marble temple in Washington. Down the street is a thirty foot statue of Thomas Jefferson. In ...

How to Read the Bible Better

By Mike Johnson, Melbourne Labouring Community (First published in Compass Autumn 2024) Have you ever thought you understood what someone was saying but, without the full picture, made a complete muddle of their meaning? I have, and it’s embarrassing. God speaks through His Scriptures and, ...

From Grant to You – All about Mission

God is a missionary God. He is a sending God. The Father sent the Son to earth to bring His people into a right relationship with Him. And the Son went. As the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sends His disciples into the world to share the good news of the gospel with every nation (John 17:18). God ...

The Harvest is plenty; Pray for Labourers

By Paul Bailey, Melbourne Labouring Community As there are two sides of the same coin, I am often wrestling with the feeling of weak, lost, afraid, anxious, impatient and concerned, whilst on the other side a deep sense of peace, trust, comfort and belief in God, and His sovereignty and will to ...

God's Word Impacting Young Hearts

By Rob Allen (with Angie Allen), Queensland Labouring Community, first published in Compass Winter 2024 issue. Angie and I thank God for having the opportunity to share God’s message of love and hope through His Word with young people over the decades. Many are under enormous social, ...

Apprentices at the Australian National University

Canberra Labouring Community Update by the Swartzentrubers In response to the crowds of people Jesus saw as he ministered, he told his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.” ...

On Mission

A three-part piece by June Sparks The God of Mission It is hard to separate God from His mission. God’s mission in the world and history is to reveal Himself. He has entered the world through Christ, bringing reconciliation between humankind and Himself. When we look at it, we see the focus on ...

An Alien View of God: Western Culture 1

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now ...

Conformity and Challenge: Western Culture 2

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; ...

Spiritual Decline: Western Culture 3

As the deer pants for streams of water,     so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.     When can I go and meet with God? Ps 42:1,2 The prophet Isaiah had a vision of heavenly creatures declaring: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the ...

Viewing Human Achievement: Western Culture 4

   “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:3 Each day we are surrounded by people’s incredible achievements. We can purchase almost any food at any time of the year, we have social welfare systems that assist in times of need, ...

Beyond the Age of Reason: Western Culture 5

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,  Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts". Isaiah 55:8-9 Western culture has made a sharp distinction between ...

The Good Life: Western Culture 8

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s ...

People of Passion

The early followers of Jesus were called ‘people of the way’. This was long before the term ‘Christian’ was coined. Perhaps it came from Jesus’ words ‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life' (John 14:6). People of Passion* is here to help you on your way, following Jesus, The Way. It ...

John Ridgway - The Influence of One Man

A Tribute by Robin Dennis “The least one shall become a thousand and the smallest one a mighty nation” ~ Isaiah 60:22 I was working in Canberra at Parliament House and living in one of the many public servant hostels, Lawley House, which had two sections – the old and the new. Newcomers ...

Get To Know Doug and Geneve Utley

Doug and Geneve Utley are lifelong labourers from our Melbourne community. Doug has served previously as National Director, and he and Geneve have worked with many students and graduates, couples and emerging leaders over the years. He has produced resources such as the Enriching Your Marriage ...

Get To Know Lynn Pak

Lynn Pak is our National Administrator and has been with Australian Navigators for 15 years. For our Winter 2024 issue of Compass, we asked her a few questions to help us get to know her better. While the printed newsletter gave us a snippet, we get a deeper insight into her heart for the ministry ...

A Glimpse of the Gospel Through Abraham

By Luke Midena, Canberra Labouring Community.  Two recent themes we have explored as Australian Navigators are: sharing the gospel through story and understanding the grand story of history as outlined in Scripture.  Let’s bring these two themes together and incorporate our national ...

Jim Downing Interviewed on Today with Megyn Kelly

One of our beloved Navigators, and close friend of Dawson Trotman, Jim Downing was interviewed and honoured on TV by Megyn Kelly in October 2017. As the airing of the interview was postponed a number of times, we were unable to post a link to this special tribute when it finally aired. Here it ...

A Heart for the Nations

By Julie, Short-Term Missions Team, first published in Compass, Spring 2019 My husband and I have always had a deep burden for the nations and a longing to see labourers for the Kingdom next door to everywhere. One thing this burden has prompted us to do is to lead a number of short-term ...

Your Questions Answered! - by Tiew Tuan and Rose

An Australian Navigators Interview, first published in Compass Winter edition 2020 Tiew Tuan and Rose Lau are Perth labourers who consider their office and neighbourhood as their mission fields. We interviewed them to find out how they create community in their local area in order to bring ...

Your Questions Answered! - by Theresa

The abridged version of this interview was first published in Compass, Spring 2019. Being on mission looks different for each of us. Some are compelled to go to far-flung nations while others are called to stay right where they are. What does being a local missionary look like? Theresa Suan ...

God Behind the Scenes

By Luke Midena, Canberra Labouring Community Connecting with people during COVID-19 restrictions can be a challenge, but I wanted to share with you a story about Ethan, who I meet with online. Ethan and I started meeting a few years ago, about the time he finished high school. Although he ...

God is Enough for Me

By Kendrea Dibden, Sydney Labouring Community As a teacher, I know the importance of intentional reflection and analysis to be aware of strengths and shortcomings. Reflexive practice in order to be constantly improving. As a believer this has been a vital part of my walk with the Lord as well. ...

Grant Dibden - Remembering the Sacrifice

In commemorating ANZAC Day this year—25 April—Grant Dibden, as Anglican Bishop to the Defence Force, shares about the sacrifice and spirit of the ANZACs and how ANZAC Day points to Jesus in a special short ...

Your Questions Answered - Men's Workers Group

Robert Walterson is a member of the Navigators Men’s Workers Group in Canberra. We asked him to tell us a bit about the group and how it has helped shape his growth. How did you get involved in this group? I got involved with Australian Navigators in 2018 at ANU’s Orientation Week. I ...

Feeling "small"

By Scott Brown, Sydney Labouring Community When was the last time you felt small? Was it among the foothills of the Rockies or standing on the coastline with nothing but water in view? Perhaps it was staring up at the brilliance of the night sky overflowing with stars. For me, it was in the ...

Remembering the Sacrifice - Anzac Day 2025

John 15:13 (NLT) ~ "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends."  Grant Dibden reminds us of the sacrifice many have made for the sake of our nation. Men and women laying down their lives for family, friends, country. In this video, he highlights two individuals ...

Life's Unpredictability

By Luke Midena, Canberra Labouring Community There have been many ups and downs to start the year, but God is clearly working in the midst of it all. Let me share about two events impacting the student ministry at the ANU. In February, Levi, who runs the ANU ministry, was involved in a ...

No Greater Love

By Grant Dibden The Navigators ministry started in the 1930s, when Dawson Trotman began to work with sailors in the US Navy. Daws spent many hours praying, studying the Bible, and memorising Scripture with a sailor, Les Spencer. Les in turn discipled one of the shipmates, and soon the two men ...

Reaching and Equipping Cadets

We are so thankful for your partnership with Navigators. Every gift you give – whether for an individual labourer, a special project or where needed most – helps our work in advancing the Kingdom. Andrew Oldfield is part of our Canberra Navigator community, working with Trainee Cadets and ...

Get To Know Laylah McLaren

Laylah is part of our Queensland Labouring Community. She ministers with her dad, Dustyn, on campus. Let's get to know her better with a few of these Get To Know questions! How did you come into relationship with Jesus? I was raised in a Christian household: Christian parents, Christian ...

Called to Follow the Fruit

By Tim Mapperson, Melbourne Labouring Community It was mid-June. Stepping out into the cold winter night, we closed the door for the last time. We had been meeting at this Community Centre in Carlton for many years as a campus ministry. Tonight was to be our final night. This season was coming ...

Developing a Taste for God's Word

By Lindsey Swartzentruber, Canberra Labouring Community I have been trying to think of an analogy to explain the newest development with our students and I realised that, really, the closest thing is liver and brussels sprouts. Let me explain… Seven or eight years ago, my research led me ...

Your Questions Answered: How do you grow in joy and faith?

By June Sparks Q: How do you grow in joy and faith? The Bible tells us to rejoice in the Lord always but what does that look like in day-to-day life? In my experience, joy is rooted in trust. It is a byproduct of what Christ has done for me and my life commitment to Him. It has two sides ...

The Authority of the Word of God: A Pillar of Faith

By Grant Dibden, first published in Compass, Summer 2024. In Australia we live in a time characterised by shifting moral values and diverse worldviews. Popular culture tells us to look within to find out who we really are, to ‘be true to ourselves’, which is the key to living full and happy ...

The Power of God's Word From Neighbours to Nations

By an Australian Navigators Labourer Our neighbourhoods are a wonderful place to advance the gospel. My friend, on numerous occasions, has met neighbours from differing cultures with different exposure to Jesus and the Scriptures. With great regularity, I hear how she shares the Scriptures with ...

LifeChange Series: Genesis

Start from the Beginning The book of Genesis is all about beginnings. God creates the heavens, the earth, plants and animals, men and women. When rebellion breaks out, God begins the task of mending His relationship with humanity and all creation. The stories that unfold in this extraordinary ...

LifeChange Series: Exodus

The Story of Humanity’s Redemption Continues The book of Exodus recounts how God brought Israel out of slavery and allowed them to become His treasured possession. Through miraculous deliverance and covenant law, the Redeemer is revealed. Exodus contains one of the earliest sets of laws ever ...

How Can God Love Me So?

By Lindsey Swartzentruber I want to try to tell you some of who God has revealed Himself to be this year. There have been three significant stressors in my life this year which have all led me to various ends of my strength. I have been mentally exhausted with no other ideas, no backup plans and ...

A Sunny Update

By Dustyn McLaren UniSc O-Week 2025 is coming! Starts Feb 17! It’s exciting to be preparing to get back to Uni ministry for 2025. Who but God knows what lies ahead and whose path he will bring us across! Please be in prayer for us as we prepare those who are joining us for Orientation ...

LifeChange Series: Joshua

God Fulfills His Promise It had been centuries since God promised to give Abraham and his family the land of Canaan. Now the time had finally come. The Lord—accompanied by Joshua, His veteran commander—leads His people to take possession of their promised inheritance. We find in the book of ...

Our Apprentices Settling In

By Levi Swartzentruber Normally January is a gradual ramp up toward the start of the ANU year in mid-February, but not this year. Four weeks ago, on January 5, we were waiting with eager expectation at the Canberra airport for our two US apprentices, Laine and JT, to arrive. Let me share briefly ...

LifeChange Series: 1 & 2 Kings

Even the Worst of Sinners How could God ever use a sinner like me? Most Christians wonder this at one point or another. Entangled by sin, we question whether anything we do is valuable to God. First and Second Kings show us how, despite the persistent sins of Israel’s leaders, Israel’s God ...

Go!

By Mary Merrill, friend and faithful supporter of Australian Navigators. We’re a family that loves an adventure – “Go” is an inviting word. So, when we had the opportunity to move to Spain with work, we were thrilled. More than an adventure, we love the Lord and want to be obedient to ...

LifeChange Series: Ezra & Nehemiah

Rediscover God’s Presence When life is a shambles, we wonder what went wrong and long to see things put right. And often we long for the sense of God’s presence to return to our lives. The city of Jerusalem was a shambles—both its walls and its worship were crumbling. Ezra and Nehemiah ...

For the Sake of the Nations

By Scott Brown If you closed your eyes and imagined what it means to embrace something or someone, I wonder what you might envision. Does the word embrace invoke ideas of a friendly smile and an arm over your shoulder? Or perhaps it stirs notions of a warm and hardy handshake. For me, ...

UniSC and SE QLD Happenings

By Dustyn McLaren The University of the Sunshine Coast O-Week 2025 happened! There’s always too much that happens during Orientation Week to share in a short space. O-Week is the best time to meet people because that’s what people are there for that week. During O-Week at UniSC, even ...

You are Needed for the Journey

By Paul Bailey, Melbourne Labouring Community It’s full speed ahead, and I’m not sure if we’ve filled up the tank with enough fuel! The train tracks: Monash University, and open for service; the Train: Monash Navs, and it has begun its journey. “ALL ABOARD!” was called at our first ...

Get To Know Sarah Vernon

Sarah has been part of our Australian Navigators family for several years and recently joined one of our Short-Term Mission Trips. We interviewed her for the Winter 2025 Issue of Compass, our newsletter, where an abridged version of her interview was first published. How did you come into ...

LifeChange Series: Job

Why? Relationships. Health. Work. Where have you encountered suffering? Wherever it is, Job knows how you feel. He experienced grief at every level. When we stumble into hardship, the first question we often ask is Why? And while spotting sorrow is easy, escaping it is hard. Suffering is a ...

LifeChange Series: Ecclesiastes

What Desires Drive You? Every day bombards us with so many desires, and we wish we could pursue them all. Ecclesiastes recounts the story of one person who decided to try. He denied himself nothing that he wanted: Money. Sex. Power. Prestige. Knowledge. Experiences. He pursued them all. But what ...

Get to Know Lashan

Lashan Wijesingha has been a part of our Melbourne Labouring Community for a number of years, journeying alongside our student ministry team as well as training in leadership. We asked him about his relationship with Jesus and his source of joy.  How did you come into relationship with ...

LifeChange Series: Song of Solomon

Layers of Love Like a good love song, the Song of Solomon veils itself with layers of meaning. Human attraction and desire are clothed in images and metaphors that, when unfastened, make many people blush. Those human passions and impulses make up a second layer that, when pulled back, reveals a ...

ANU Market Day Update

By Levi & Lindsey Swartzentruber, Canberra Labouring Community Over the last ten years we have noticed a steady increase in hostility toward spiritual conversations and a corresponding decline in interest among ANU students in joining a Christian group. You have been praying with us that ...

LifeChange Series: Daniel

See God’s Hand in Your Life How can we live faithfully amid the fires of opposition? How can we stay close to God when doubt seeks to devour us? Daniel the prayer warrior shows us how to keep God’s perspective always before us. Zoom in on Daniel’s story and the pressures he faced to let ...

Lest We Forget - Anzac Day 2026

By Grant Dibden, Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force and Chair of the Australian Navigators Board of Directors. You can learn a lot about a country from the people or events they celebrate in their monuments. In the USA, there’s a great bronzed statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting in ...

LifeChange Series: Matthew

In Jesus, God Fulfills His Promises Throughout his Gospel, Matthew takes us back to the Old Testament over and over again to remind us of all that God promised. Since the Fall, humanity had been waiting, hoping for a way back to the Garden, back to life with God and God with us. In Jesus, God ...

Surrender That Brings Joy

By Clint Trebesh, first published in Compass, Winter 2026. Having just graduated from high school with endless hopes and dreams, my life’s mantra echoed the words of the conservationist John Muir when he said, ‘The mountains are calling, and I must go.’ So, throughout my first year of ...

LifeChange Series: Ephesians

How can we live more authentic lives? Christian community can be difficult to navigate. We are called to live in unity with other Christians, but that is sometimes easier said than done. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians addresses hypocrisy, unity, and other key issues the church still struggles ...

LifeChange Series: 1 Timothy

The First Handbook for Church Leaders For Timothy, pastoring the church in Ephesus was an overwhelming responsibility. So Paul wrote to encourage him in his faith and affirm his leadership and abilities. He also gave Timothy some guidelines for choosing leaders from within the congregation ...

LifeChange Series: Titus

Put Doctrine into Practice The Apostle Paul wrote to Titus, a faithful leader helping to establish structure in a young church, encouraging him to help Christians put their doctrine into practice—to behave in ways that would “make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.” Paul offers ...

Experience the Life Series: Love as Jesus Loved

BILL HULL & PAUL MASCARELLA Transformed Relationships Book 3 of Experience the Life Series The love that flows from your life is a reflection of your Christlike character. But what does that look like? By cultivating trust in your relationships, practicing the character of humility, and ...

Step into the Waters

RITA J PLATT Experiencing the Abundance of the Spirit Immerse yourself in life-giving intimacy with the Spirit. Even in the midst of deep disappointment, suffering, loneliness, conflicts with family and friends, and dealing with difficult people or heartbreak, the waters of life saturate us with ...

Experience the Life Series: Lead As Jesus Led

BILL HULL & PAUL MASCARELLA Transformed Influence Book 5 of Experience the Life Series To lead as Jesus led, we must live in obedience to God. By becoming transformed leaders, we can be used by the Holy Spirit as instruments for influencing others for the kingdom. In this last book of the ...

Experience the Life Series: Live as Jesus Lived

BILL HULL & PAUL MASCARELLA Transformed Character Book 2 of Experience the Life Series How do we put on the character of Christ? By living as Jesus lived, daily putting on the character of God and being filled with His presence. This second book in the Experience the Life Bible study series ...