### MELBOURNE CBD CHURCH IN CRISIS

U R G E N T

STOP  PRESS

 NEEDS  ACTION

 

BIOTECHNOLOGY GONE MAD

Large Brand-name Corporations promote eating human tissue

 http://ecofaithnow.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/coca-cola-pepsi-nestle-kraft-promote.html




CRISIS   AT   MELBOURNE   CBD   CHURCH

     Melbourne's   Collins Street Baptist   (CSBC)   is in crisis.

     So many leaders are jumping ship.  Maybe they see an iceberg.

     Some have been pushed overboard by what is an increasingly 'Secret Society'.

  The  players:

           --CSBC--                   Rowena Curtis   (gone!)

      http://www.csbc.org.au/             Jon Chamberlain  (Pastor/Ordination Student sacked for being too good )

                                               Len Lewis  (didn't care for Jon Chamberlain)

                                               Simon Carey Holt  (new Senior Pastor)

                                               Elise Carter        (Exceedingly powerful [SS] Administrator retiring soon)
                                               Elizabeth Butare  (Cafe Ministry - leaving in September

         --Urban Seed--   (Church self-funding subsidiary)

      http://www.urbanseed.org/       Marcus Curnow      Brent Lyons-Lee     Christopher Lacey

                                            Merridie Costello    Kate Allen

In  the  beginning  (almost) .... 
LEN LEWIS was at a spiritual centre in South Australia prior to becoming Assistant to Senior Pastor (officially Minister) Rowena Curtis at CSBC. He became Senior Pastor when Rowena mysteriously disappeared.  Finally returned to Assistant (2nd Pastor).

 
Desperately  seeking ...
 The Church, via ultra-chic ‘Search Committee’, had experimented with its first female CEO - Rowena Curtis. Rowena took over from Jim Barr, who became leader of Canberra Baptist Church 2005-10. 
'Archbishop' Tim Costello played 2nd fiddle to Jim before having a World Vision. Impressively,  Rowena frequented the gymnasium early in the morning! Well, do tell! Did Rowena jump from the ecclesiastical ship or was she pushed? Nobody is saying - to this day. Top Secret!!
i noted Rowena's facial resemblance to Kevin Rudd early on when ‘Kevin 747’ became Federal ALP Opposition Leader and then Prime Minister. Mr Rudd, a Queenslander, was stabbed in the back within weeks of the Federal election by ambitious Victorian Julia Gillard. Did Rowena meet the same fate?

So Len takes the Deputy leadership of the CSBC. Later, Rowena stands aside. This sparks a search for another Search Committee. Frazer, whom i know from the more intimate 5PM Service, is on both SCs. (The back foyer of the Church is called The Narthex. Don’t ask why? It’s shielded from the cavernous auditorium by almost bullet-proof pane of glass.)

Our first female boss Rowena takes off to the Victorian countyside (Kyneton). Her #2, Assistant Pastor Len Lewis, becomes Acting leader and later leader in his own right. But ...
There is bad blood in the air.   CSBC has become a secret society.

Santosh's  comic  touch
But there was one recent stroke of comedy. Santosh Matthew  is Church Treasurer of several years and member for 5. Santosh decides to - wait for it - get BAPTISED. Three years after becoming a Member of CSBC. As you do!! Now such procrastination could only be allowed at Collins Street!!  Why did he do it?  God knows. Could it have something to do with his strong lobbying of the latest plans for demolishing part of the1843 heritage-listed building? (The all-important Verandah Ministry-Cafe simply must have it!)
 Santosh's evening baptism did attract 43 of his family and fans. Santosh is available for your Church baptisms too... Guaranteed population explosion!! 

Pastor Jon Chamberlain  told to pack his bags
Towards the end of 2010, tragedy struck for our beloved Pastor Jon, wife Lucy and 3 children. He was genuine, confidence-keeping, caring people-person. A fine leader too and well-loved. He'd been a Candidate for Baptist Ordination. His tours - Placements - were at Kyneton Baptist Church and Peter MacCallum Cancer Hospital. Jon and Lucy had love for the environment. They even had solar electricity installed in their Footscray home.

CEO Rev Len Lewis thought Climate Change and environment responsibility a joke. Len Lewis was a climate skeptic and wated everyone to know it. Pastors Jon and Len didn't get along. So Pastor Jon Chamberlain, People Person, was knifed by the CSBC and the wider Baptist Church. The fools!!!  Jon was exactly what the Baptist Church needed. He was sociable, played the guitar, and had a rare (for Baptists) inner child. He overflowed authenticity. But not enough to satisfy Len...
It is a disgusting saga!!!.


Elise  the  First  and  Last
Not to be forgotten in these dramas is the role of battleaxe Elise Carter. Elise is rumoured to be a British Army colonel. (Some 'victims of Elise' might add SS!!) One good action was donating her late father's two toolboxes to Victorian bushfire sufferers.

Nothing - NOTHING - happens in the Church without Elise knowing about it. Whatever, don't meet her in a dark lane. A specialist in intimidation, she often screams at people to let them know where they belong. Elise is on her own Crusade. Even this lady is jumping ship later in 2011...

Her old position is being downgraded to a 0.6 part-time position.

Urban  Seed  and the Mission-less Parent
Church subsidiary, Urban Seed, is suffering a MAJOR identity crisis. Urban Seed looks after the homeless, marginalised and unloved with hot meals (vegetarian too), sport and more. It conducts city walks and school group tours. Corporate support is strong, but this doesn't extend to employment. CREDO cafe toilets have been painted by Goldman Sachs staff (pre-GFC!)

Urban Seed have cast away earlier leadership models set by Tim Costello, Mark Pierson (a Kiwi) and Gordon Preece in favour of a hippy consensus approach to multi-headedness (a la Janus). You wouldn’t read about it, but the faceless Board decided to have  FOUR Executive Directors !!!!
4 heads are better than 1 !!

Original CEOs - Marcus Curnow, Chris Lacey and Brent Hyphenated-Name (Lyons-Lee) - had worked together for over a decade. 
Merridie Costello, wife of Tim, founding CEO, Urban Mission Unit, became guru #4 - and peacekeeper.
Chris(topher) Lacey was recently appointed Executive Director.

Urban Seed and Andrew Bolt's articl - TURN ON THE LIGHTS

The Result:  Bad  blood again

   What do you expect from such a poor human resources decision?
   Urban Seed would surely benefit from employing an outsider.

   Urban Seed desperately needs fresh ideas.  Both Marcus Curnow (Cornish descent) and Brent Lyons-Lee (married to Belinda Lyons) would not work under Chris. Brent, anti-gambling crusader who campaigned against the Application by adjacent Victoria Hotel (originally Temperance Hotel) for 31 pokies - stormed off at short notice.

Geelong Boy Brent even fled from his Baptist Church leadership role at NORLANE. Norlane - once called Fordtown - is a poor area surrounded by heavy industry. Urban Seed took over running the Church and last year helped open the  URBAN BEAN cafe in Norlane's Labuan Square shopping centre. Tony Venn heads the Tennyson Street cafe.

Why couldn’t an ‘outside’ person be sought for the CEO position? Too simple? The Board of Urban Seed has exponentially increased friction by this appointment. Where there is no vision etc...

Gone  and  going

Kate Allen (see April 7 2011)  is Personal Assistant/Fundraising Coordinator also took advantage of the mess to abandon her decade-long employer. Kate was a former Resident in the old 10-storey building behind the Church. Strange that the residents live in virtual squalour eg toilets in the building have poor ventilation while Church mismanagement plans to demolish part of the 1843 Church for a chair lift and new toilet. . No need. Except to prove that CSBC can waste money as well as any other body.

Elizabeth Butare  is the latest to jump ship. EB hails from Uganda and has capably supervised the weekday and some Sunday Cafe. Indeeed, the current Church renovation is largely due to the success. A bit of history... A glass frame was erected at the top of the CSBC stairs for the Verandah Ministry and Urban Seed types were furious at CSBC!  Mind you, one squatter had been stabbed to death and it was big news. Elizabeth has capably pioneered the Cafe work.
         Verandah  Cafe  opening  hours  Mon-Fri  9AM-3PM



Of course Church Members approved the renovation and that points to precious little democracy in Churches. Are we all dumb sheep being led to slaughter?? Something stinks in the State of CSBC.  Lack of imagination, excessive PC, poor priorities...
Secret society, Church Politics.




Collins Street Baptist Church (CSBC) is located between the grand Athenaeum Theatre and the old upmarket Georges Store. The Church is in one of the original CBD Church precincts. Land was set aside also for St Michael’s, Scots Church and CSBC.