Pastor John Beck has accepted a call to be the first Indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministries (ATSIM) senior remote area pastor at the Australian Union Conference (AUC), after Pastor Don Fehlberg retired earlier this year.
Pastor Beck has been working for ATSIM in various capacities at a conference level for almost 20 years and has immense experience sharing God’s love to Indigenous communities.
“I feel positive that God is calling me to this position,” Pastor Beck said. “I have been involved in this ministry, helping Pastor Don, and it will be good to be able to focus on the outback and remote areas, reaching new people and spending time with friends as I minister to them.”
The role involves an immense amount of travel to be able to reach remote communities throughout the Northern Territory.
Pastor Beck, his wife Yen and daughter Ashima will make the move from Perth to Darwin in the new year. Darwin has a high population of Aboriginal people, allowing him to focus on growing the Indigenous membership there.
“God willing, we will be able to create more groups and eventually churches right across the outback,” Pastor Beck added.
“ATSIM has been conducting a targeted ministry to the Northern Territory for the past 20 years and today we see the success from the work which has been done,” said ATSIM director Pastor Darren Garlett.
“Pastor Don and Eileen Fehlberg have been instrumental in their visitation, networking and evangelism and John will build on this work. He will encourage church participation and attendance in all areas and liaise for Mamarapha College with students who are enrolled.
“John is a successful evangelist and soul winner who understands the region and the people” he added. “We are confident we will see the ATSIM work flourish even more in the region and we wish John and his family God’s blessing.”
