Pastor Johnny Murison with participants known as “Aunty Val” and “Uncle Max” at The Way, Redfern.
Pastor Johnny Murison, an Avondale theology graduate of 2004, was named Avondale College Young Alumnus of the Year in a forum assembly at the college earlier this year.
In a written message, Johnny challenged students to take risks for God. Recalling his appointment to ministry in Sydney, he said, “I’m a bushman and I was hoping I would get sent to the bush. Instead, the church sent me to the urban jungle. I knew I had to get out of my comfort zone,” he said. He added, “When you take a risk you grow and your faith deepens. When you use your gifts and talents for God, he will take you places you have never been before.”
The Young Alumnus of the Year Award honours outstanding professional achievement and excellence, innovative or inspirational leadership, or notable contribution to a humanitarian cause or commitment to service. Alumni aged thirty and under who have graduated five years previously are eligible for the award.
After graduating from Avondale, Johnny Murison was appointed as minister of the Mount Druitt Seventh-day Adventist Church in western Sydney and as Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministries for the SDA Church in the Sydney region. He has developed into a powerful preacher, and the Mount Druitt church grew under his leadership. He was ordained in May 2010. In addition to his ministry for indigenous people throughout the Sydney region, he is now an associate minister of the Parramatta SDA Church, Sydney. Adventist Media Network has also appointed him as a support presenter for a new evangelistic DVD series called Beyond Search.
Early in his ministry, Pastor Murison helped establish a church plant called The Way for indigenous people in and around the inner-Sydney suburb of Redfern. Every Saturday a Sabbath School operates continuously from 10 am to 2 pm. People are free to drop in and out, some staying for the entire program. Lunch is provided for up to 150 people. Once a month there is an afternoon church service followed by an evening meal. The service is also broadcast to people who gather to listen outside. On Monday evenings a drop-in centre caters for some 50-80 people, with an evening meal, a computer room, and opportunities to talk and pray with staff. On Wednesday evenings staff provide numeracy and literacy tuition for kids of Redfern and surrounds, together with a cooking class, which becomes the evening meal for those who attend. This is followed by a games program. Pastor Murison organises Bible studies for interested contacts of The Way, and each year plans an evangelistic outreach in the form of a concert.
Horse-riding camp for indigenous teenagers.
The centre conducts a strong community welfare program, providing clothing and furniture to needy people. Pastor Murison organises camps for older teens and young adults, with activities such as horse-riding and four-wheel driving. An associate, Ted Moxon, runs camps for early teens.
The staff of The Way are assisted by volunteers from several Adventist churches and churches of other denominations. A number of local aboriginal people also assist. In 2011 ADRA has agreed to fund a teacher to expand the numeracy and literacy program to three afternoons per week after school. However, additional suitably qualified helpers are urgently needed, even for as little as one evening per month. If you would like to help, please contact Pr Johnny Murison 0402 805 821 or Ted Moxon 0421 087 612.
Tags: Avondale Alumni Association, Faculty of Arts and Theology, Johnny Murison, School of Ministry and Theology