Episode 28: Melissa Lipsett — Why Empowering Women Is The Key To Flourishing Communities
Melissa Lipsett is the Chief Operating Officer at Baptist World Aid, a Christian aid and development organisation helping Australians tackle the injustice of global poverty.
Melissa is an experienced executive with a wealth of experience in the Christian not-for-profit space. Her skills in leading and managing diverse teams and complex organisations were developed in the Australian military, refined in executive leadership within the contemporary church context, and further developed in the Christian for-purpose sector. She has extensive cross-cultural experience and a deep appreciation and respect for working alongside First Nation peoples.
Melissa is a strong professional and servant leader and plays active roles in governance across the church and for-purpose Christian sector. She holds a Bachelor of Ministry and a Bachelor of Applied Science, and is also a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Melissa is passionate about helping people know – and reflect – the love of Jesus. She is ordained in the Uniting Church but has extensive cross-denominational experience, and is a sought-after public speaker in this space bringing together her passions of excellent leadership, advocacy, pastoral and practical theology. Melissa truly believes that the ending of poverty is possible and is determined to work toward and inspire others that together we can make a better world for all.
In this episode we discuss; the work of Baptist World Aid in tackling global poverty; ethical fashion guides; the coronavirus disaster unfolding in PNG; and most importantly, the transformation that takes place when we educate and empower women.
She also opens up about her own leadership style and how it has changed over the years and the core values that have guided her throughout her years of leadership in a variety of roles and sectors.
You can learn more about the work of Baptist World Aid at BaptistWorldAid.org.au and also reach out directly to Melissa through her LinkedIn profile.
Subscribe — justicematters.transistor.fm
Support the show — patreon.com/justicematters
Full Transcript
Melissa Lipsett
But when we empower women when we allow them to flourish when we give them a seat at the table when we educate them, women don't push men down. As they rise, their community rises with them, just that mutual flourishing that we talked about before. So, you know, when we teach a woman to read, we know that we teach, you know, somewhere around about five or six, or even seven or eight other people to read, because a woman teaches her children to read and she teaches her sisters to read. She teaches her community to read and if he'll let her, she'll even teach her husband. But when we teach a man to read, he tends not to teach anybody else. So we just teach the one person
Tim Buxton
Welcome to justice matters, the podcast inspiring a world where everyone belongs. I'm your host, Tim Buxton. G'day, welcome to another episode of justice matters. It's a joy to have Melissa lipset. With me on the episode today, we just got done having a great chat and talking about many issues that are dear to her heart, Melissa is the newly appointed CEO of Baptist world aid that are doing a phenomenal work to try and alleviate poverty around the world. And they're doing great work right now in the Papa New Guinea crisis, which we talk a little bit about now is they're being severely impacted by COVID. In the minute, we talk about issues around women's inequality, and the power there is when we elevate and serve, and, and provide economic empowerment towards women in our world. And we talk about that issue quite a bit. And maybe a lot of the shortcomings that institutions like the church have had in regards to women's and inequality. Guys, she's a wonderful person that I have had the privilege of knowing for a number of years now. And I know you're going to really love hearing from her. As with all my guests, I learned so much. And I hope you'll get the chance to learn from her today, too. Thanks for listening.
Tim Buxton
First of all, congratulations on your new role as the Chief Operating Officer at Baptist World Aid. I think you're the perfect candidate. I'm sure that they're realizing that too. But can you give us a bit of a Yeah, overview of what who Baptist world aid is? And a bit about what they do and focus on?
Melissa Lipsett
Yeah, sure, Tim? Well, yeah, I'm thrilled to be with Baptist world aid. And I feel like this is this role is an alignment of purpose and passion for me. So it's really a sweet spot. Baptist world aid is an expression of the Baptist Church in Australia. And really, it says, you know, faith is not just about our personal relationship with Jesus, but it's about us having a transforming relationship with the world. And we want to have that transforming relationship with the world with the most vulnerable of people. And so Baptist world aid works in it believes in fullness of life for everybody. And so we work to bring that in places where it doesn't currently exist. And there's some foundational principles there that obviously come from the Christian faith. You know, we would expect that as Baptists world aid, but but we don't just work in a in faith areas, we work with the most marginalized people in the world, very much the least of these, with that very great belief that fullness of life should be available for all
Tim Buxton
Yeah. And you know, we probably live in a day and age right now, where we are so much more aware of the poverty and suffering of our neighbors, I think we we would tapped into the news. We know there's global events that that just remind us on a day to day basis, that
Melissa Lipsett
I think that's it, that's a good thing. I think in the past that we thought the world is very vast. And the choices that I make, don't have don't make a difference for other people. They don't make a difference for the environment. But we actually know that's not the case now, and somebody just asked me yesterday, whose fault is it? Whose fault is poverty? And I said, Well, actually, it's everybody's all of ours. Yes, absolutely. Because I take too Much I used too much. And when I do that it has an effect a negative effect on somebody else, it has a negative effect on the environment and that degradation in the environment has a negative effect on somebody else. So, it's, we can't, we can't say it's not our responsibility, this is everybody's responsibility. And, you know, from a faith perspective, and you'd expect me to come from that perspective, but, you know, I absolutely believe in equality for all equal responsibility for all an equal provision for all I really believe that that was, you know, that's that that comes straight. That's the biblical foundation. You know, those are biblical principles. And so when we think about those, you know, some of us are not meant to be hugely better off than others. There is supposed to be enough for everybody. And there actually is enough.
Tim Buxton
There actually is right, yeah,
Melissa Lipsett
There is. Yeah, that's the thing. And, you know, it's about, it's about unjust systems, and unjust policies and, and power that's used inappropriately, that we end up with this, but we can't abdicate responsibility for all that for some to somebody else. So I make it very personal for people, I say, Yes, I'm responsible, and you're responsible, if you've ever taken too much, if you've ever use too much. If you've ever wasted anything, then we are all responsible at some level.
Tim Buxton
Yeah. And I would say that, that responsibility, that ability to say, hey, look, if I'm responsible, then I must obviously, be called into action to do something about it. And it always and sometimes the the, the issues that we're faced with seem insurmountable, so big for one individual, but there are it is, I find reorientate in our daily lives towards that, that end, as well as obviously tackling big issues, which is where organizations like Baptist world aid collectively can then use that, that collective, you know, power of the people to make significant changes in advancements in society.
Melissa Lipsett
Absolutely. The ethical fashion guide is a really good example of that amount. 10 years ago, Baptist world aid started to put together information about fashion in Australia, and started to talk to fashion companies about how they produce their garments, is a huge industry, particularly for women, we, you know, most of us love fashion. And so, now we have produced every year something called the ethical fashion Guide, which allows Australian consumers to look at a brand before they purchase it and work. And they can see whether that article of clothing has been produced in an ethical way. And what we're really looking there for there is a fair wage, a living wage for the person at the end of that supply chain. And there's some other things along their way along the way, as well. But essentially, we're looking for, you know, into it from one end of the supply chain to the other is the person getting a living wage? And the reality is that our purchasing decisions can change that. Yes. And we know that over the last 10 years, that work that we've been doing in that space, has changed the behavior of Australian companies around how they source and where they source fashion garments from, or indeed, you know, that advocacy has gone into achieving better outcomes for those fashion workers. So that's a really simple thing that every single person in Australia, whoever buys a T shirt, whoever buys a new dress, whoever buys a pair of jeans, it can can they can make a difference in the way that they make that purchase.
Tim Buxton
Yeah. And like you've kind of alluded to it, not only does it help the consumer make the right decision and but what it is doing is it's holding companies to account and until they feel like they're being held to account they're not going to change their practices. And that has a ripple effect on industries as a whole might not just be the fashion industry. It will be all companies that are realizing, hey, we're being held to account for our carbon emissions. Now we've got Got to prove that it's not just profit, but its planet and its people and our impact on that that matters as well. So you're right,
Melissa Lipsett
Yes. And we've seen companies realize that this is good business sense. It's not just about, you know, a better supply chain, it is good business sense for them. And Australian consumers are now actually looking for an ethical fashion tag on their garments. And if you, if I speak to the average woman in Australia, who likes to go shopping, and I say to them, would you be prepared to pay a little bit more, knowing that the woman or the man who's made that garment is going to be able to receive a living wage? They say, Yes, absolutely. So the next time, you know, you see a really cheap item of clothing, you have to ask yourself, it's so cheap, is, you know, how is that being produced? What's the person who's producing it getting paid and, you know, but you can, you can check out ethical fashion guide, and at least dozens and dozens of companies in Australia, and they have changed their behavior. We rate them every year, and their ratings have changed.
Tim Buxton
Oh, that's phenomenal. Yeah, what I shout out to my good friend, James Bartel, who founded Outland, denim and certified B. Jeans company, denim company, that is has done phenomenal work and is leading the way in, in a lot of those efforts. And, and as I talked with him, and and just see the impact it's having on the lives of the workers from the very, you know, from those that are not only getting a living wage, but are then being trained through their program to how to live a full health, healthy life and to care for their children and providing education for their kids, it's, it's so well worth paying a little bit extra to make sure that you know, you can not only provide a living wage, but business and we've had a lot of like social enterprises kind of come in on this podcast, that business actually can be a part of the solution to ending poverty, it doesn't have to be, well, there's just the, the capitalist business element over there. And we've just got to, you know, kind of wipe that out and kind of somehow move to to this, but we can actually utilize the power of of creating products that we all love and need on a day to day basis that can have real huge social impacts. so yeah,
Melissa Lipsett
Yeah, it's really great to see, were thrilled to be a part of that.
Tim Buxton
So that's obviously one of them. One of the main areas that Baptist World Aid has led the way in providing that fashion ethical guide. What are, what are some of the other kind of major initiatives that you guys have going on at the moment?
Melissa Lipsett
Yeah, well, we, we participate in a range of advocacy issues, along with other great organizations in Australia. So for instance, were a part of my car, which works to advocate to the Australian Government around things like our international aid budget, and really important stuff like that, how our taxpayer dollars get spent. And so so there's a number of advocacy, planks to our work, and but we also participate in community development. So we believe in, as I said, Before fullness of life for everybody and for and that really looks like economic dignity. And so we work in places with, you know, the poorest places on the planet, with the most vulnerable people in the world. And most of our work is in Southeast Asia. We do some work in Africa and the Middle East also. But we looked at those really vulnerable groups of people and we certainly work in disaster relief and recovery. And, and in fact, we're doing a lot of pre work in disaster avoidance, or, or disaster resilience, I guess. I'm not avoidance, but resilience and building community structures to help people become more resilient when an if there is a disaster, but we certainly respond when there is a natural disaster and at the moment, we're responding around Papua New Guinea. Since the COVID crisis we we've we've particularly chosen to work with With hospitals Baptist hospitals in PNG, to be providing sufficient PP to keep those hospitals open and operating, and we envisage being in PNG, through COVID response for quite some time to come, the situation is really bad there.
Tim Buxton
It's devastating, Yeah, maybe you could explain for our listeners what's going on. Because in Australia right now we have it's, it's almost a non issue for most of Australians. I won't say everybody, but yeah. But in comparison, yeah, maybe give some insight there.
Melissa Lipsett
PNG are amongst our nearest neighbors. And at the start of the pandemic a year ago, there, they they did very well at containing the virus, but through a variety of factors that now they're very much in a catastrophic wave. We don't know what the percentage of people with COVID is, because you know, rates of testing aren't as high as they are in Australia. And we know that things like social distancing a much, much harder to achieve, just in terms of the way people live their normal lives. And there's not the same level of education or availability of pp. So, for instance, we do have hospitals who are at risk of closing through lack of PP, so we've been able to come alongside them and provide that, that, you know, sometimes it's not about PB not being available in country, it's about whether the hospital or the organization can afford that pp. So, you know, and so that comes back to, you know, making resources available so people can access what's actually there. And so, if you look at, for instance, the major hospital in, in Port Moresby, last week, they tested women who were in the maternity ward there, and over half of those women had COVID. And, you know, there wasn't even any way to separate them from women who tested negative two COVID. So we don't know what the real rates are, we just know that rates are rising and rising rapidly, and people are dying.
Tim Buxton
Well it's great to know that that you guys are able to respond, and we know that there has been a enlarger a positive response. I know recently, but again, we can all do, we can all do more we can we can talk about these issues more in recognize that this, you know, this is something that yeah, it?
Melissa Lipsett
Yeah, that's for sure. I think so much of this is about education and awareness. And we've seen the Australian Government respond really well, in these last couple of weeks with them commitments of vaccines into PNG. And as we speak, there's a contingent of military personnel. Or, actually, it's it's a contingent of medical personnel, they were taken there by the military. So you know, we have swung into action. And we're really grateful that the government has stepped up to do that. And we've been absolutely so encouraged by our donors and supporters who put their hands in their pockets to provide PPA for hospitals. You know, we launched an appeal about that a couple of weeks ago. And that's just been incredibly successful, far more than successful than than we might have envisaged, which will allow us to continue, you know, throughout the relief effort over a long period of time.
Tim Buxton
You know, it kind of comes back to what we're talking about earlier about this, this the world being so much smaller and being so much more interconnected. You know, when we when we help when we come to the aid when we come to the service of those in need. In the long run, believe it or not because we are interconnected, we don't do it just because it benefits us. But we are all benefit as a process when our neighbors are doing well. We do well. And and it's it's it's I think it's sometimes just that awareness that hey, it's we kind of get fear sends us into a panic. I think right now with you know, the availability of vaccines everyone's trying to grab for themselves thinking, if I just get for me, it's going to be okay. But actually, do you understand that having everyone vaccinated actually is what's going to help us all and that ability to understand that, that we got to work together in these things. And the temptation is to go to our little tribes to go to our little communities and to kind of take care of ourselves. But I think the real call is to Hey, now let's stretch beyond that. Beyond the fear in service of others.
Melissa Lipsett
Yeah, that's right. And I mean, you and I both know from our interactions with them, you know, people who are very different from us, then when, when you when you're in relationship with somebody else, you the differences fade away. And you know, you look into the eyes of another human being, and all you see is another human being and and gender love that, you know, faith basis, and so many things, just cultural differences, they all just fade away when you connect with a human being. And the more that we can do that and we realize is this mutual exchange and mutual flourishing, it's not about us providing for somebody else, and not getting anything but the exchange is both ways. So, so much to learn from each other. And, you know, yes, we're able to provide resources but but as we reach out and engage with other people, you know, that they're, it's very much a mutual exchange and hugely beneficial all around. Yeah, it's that mutual flourishing that we rise together.
Tim Buxton
Yeah, we rise. Exactly. Yeah, it's almost. Yeah. It's, I heard it's put this way, you know, there's a ladybug that lands on my hand. That Ladybug doesn't know that it's an Australian Ladybug. It's it's a ladybug, you know what I mean? It's like it doesn't have this awareness of it, and what makes me Australian or American or Papua New Guinea. And like, sometimes we are overly aware of our, our specificity of who we are that we forget, like you said, We are all just human at the end of the day. And if we could all just embrace and love one another and, and care for one another with that same sense of awareness. Anyways, yeah, it would be,
Melissa Lipsett
You know, it's such a, you know, it's a responsibility to do that. But it's also such a privilege. I have such incredible relationships with people right around the world. And, you know, my life is so much fuller, because of those relationships, you know, it's that, you know, they are life giving relationships. And I feel incredibly fortunate to have had those experiences. But the reality is that, you know, there are people in our streets who are very different from us, there are people in our apartment blocks who are very different to us, but, but if we connect together, if we look into each other's eyes, if we seek to understand each other and care for each other, so much of that difference melts away.
Tim Buxton
Yeah. So well said, and maybe we could take a little pivot here and turn maybe to talk towards some of the more difficult challenges and issues. And I was, you know, there's the sense of, when we act in compassion towards those in need, there's an act of mercy, you could say, and and we're called to be people of mercy and act in compassion and help. But there's, there is a slight difference when we talk about this idea of acting injustice, because mercy will say, I help you in in the state of suffering or need or pain that you have. But true justice asks the question, why? And what is the system? Or what are the reasons for you getting into this situation in the first place? Right, what is it why why is it poor and in in systemic poverty in the first place? And how can we make sure that we aren't just like putting a bandaid on issues putting a bandaid on on problems, I love how you talked about building disaster resiliency, because that's not about Bill putting a band aid and aid, which is often very much needed in that height of a crisis or a pandemic, or, or an emergency, you do need to provide emergency aid in those situations. But how do we develop, you know, resiliency? How do we address some of the issues and root causes of those things? And maybe you could talk a bit into some of that? What are some of the maybe in justices or issues that are more dear to your heart, as well?
Melissa Lipsett
Yeah, sure, Tim? Well, I mean, the one that's very dear to my heart is around the around women around gender. And I have seen women be such incredible agents for change in their communities, that I simply don't understand why we seek to keep women pushed down, because women are just, women are incredible, they really are there. And I can't understand why we wouldn't want to empower women at every chance with age at every level in society, you know, because, you know, they bring a different voice to the table. And, you know, that's so that diversity of voices is so important as we look at systems and structures. And, you know, for me, it comes down to you know, there's there's a power imbalance in our world. Yeah. And, and most of that power is held by men. Yes. And it's not women like me who suffer as a result of that I've had enormous opportunity. But it's women who, you know, who are much more impoverished, you know, who live in impoverished situations, they suffer the most from those imbalances of power, because, you know, that power invades every structure of our society. And, you know, the powerful are the ones who, you know, policies are written and structures are set up. And business is done in a way that benefits those who are already powerful and for me, You know, it is a gender issue. And we know that women, you know, bear the brunt of those power imbalances right around the world. But when we empower women, when we allow them to flourish, when we give them a seat at the table when we educate them, women don't push men down. As they rise, their community rises with them, just that mutual flourishing that we talked about before. So you know, when we teach a woman to read, we know that we teach, you know, somewhere around about five, or six, or even seven or eight other people to read, because a woman teaches her children to read, and she teaches her sisters to read, she teaches her community to read any appeal letter, she'll even teach her husband. But when we teach a man to read, he tends not to teach anybody else. So we just teach the one person, but and that, you know, that happens, not just in literacy, of course, but it happens in every part of a woman's life, she, she's the, you know, predominant care of children, for instance, around the world. So, you know, she seeks to, you know, to bring her children up with her, she seeks when she's educated, she wants educated for education for children, actually, even if she's not education, educated, she wants education for her children. And so I think that communities benefit when women flourish. And so I love the fact that I get to work. You know, the organizations that I've been working with in recent years, we we do focus on, on community development, with women, and by extension with children, because there's so much there's so much impact when we do that. There's a multiplier effect.
Tim Buxton
Yeah. I love the way you explain that. I know, that's definitely I've read a lot about organizations, the Bill Gates Foundation have have spent a lot of time researching and putting focus on, you know, economic empowerment, especially of women. And, and, yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's humbling to say, you know, I have a wonderful wife myself, who I've witnessed the way that she has served our family and served us the things that she's able to do that I know, I could never, never do. And, yeah, it's it's amazing that you've put that not only brought that towards us, maybe we'll touch on a little bit. Because I feel like this, especially in both you and I have a very much an affection and love for local churches, we've spent a lot of time working in them and serving in them. But unfortunately, it has been an area maybe that even the church has, in so many ways lagged behind. Yeah. And
Melissa Lipsett
Don't get me started...
Tim Buxton
Well, well, you know, I do want to because this, it's about having the conversations and that we don't always want to have, how are we going to be educated and learn unless we, we realize that, hey, these are systemic issues, even maybe within our own communities that we can solve and have a blind spot to. But yeah, let's go there.
Melissa Lipsett
you know, a couple of years ago, when the me to movement started, I felt desperate sadness, because I really thought that the church that should have been the church's moment in history, because the church has the biblical mandate for a quality, including gender equality. And so we should have been able to say to society to community, look at us look at the way we do this, look at the way we mutually, you know, which which men and women mutually flourish side by side, but we couldn't, because, you know, we've got it. So we've done it so badly within the church, that we've actually become irrelevant to the conversation. community thinks that we haven't got anything relevant to add to it because we're so far behind. But we now want to lead the way. And I think that's an absolute tragedy for the church that we have now dropped a long way behind. And so I'm really passionate about dismantling those, quite frankly, I think power structures with within the church. That's to perpetuate that inequality, of men and women's voices, not some churches are better at it than others. It's, you know,
Tim Buxton
You can't group everybody into the same basket, but but it is, you know, by and large an issue that needs to be addressed.
Melissa Lipsett
And and look, I hear that some people, you know, will argue very strongly that it's a theological issue, but I just don't think it is. I think that, you know, when we look at the whole mosaic of Scripture, when we look at those foundational statements about people being made equally in the image of God, man and woman being made equally in the image of God, we just can't dress it up as anything else. Yeah, you know, God is interested in the quality, he's interested in responsibility. He's interested in provision for all, you know, and they build one on top of the other equality, equal responsibility, provision for all, you know, you just can't get away from it. So I'm really passionate about that. And, you know, probably, probably, as I get older, I speak out more strongly about it, because I see so many incredible young women who, who are not being given the opportunity to, to have their voices counted. And, and I I really think it's not just about them suffering, when women don't have their voices heard. They suffer. Yes, it's true. But I think their children suffer, and their partners suffer, their husbands suffer, certainly their community suffer. and by extension, the world suffers. So I just, you know, I, the older I get, the more passionate I get about saying, you know, we have to make space for young women to bring their voices to the table. And and look, I do hear a lot of men saying, Oh, yes, we want to champion young women. And I say, yeah, that's absolutely fantastic that you want to champion that. And that certainly happened for me, I've been championed by men, but then there's the next step of that is to make space for them. And to make space for those voices, some men will have to step away. You can't, you know, there's no, there's no doubt in my mind, that that means some men stepping back. And that's where the rubber really hits the road. It's, I'm prepared to champion women, but um, am I prepared to sponsor them, and step back myself to enable one of them to step forward? And I believe that as we do that, we will see the mutual benefit for all as we do that.
Tim Buxton
Yeah, you remind me when just the word empowerment, right? When we want to champion or empower somebody, it means those with power, must give up their power to give it to somebody else, so that they can be elevated and empowered. And so it can't happen without one or the other. Right?
Melissa Lipsett
That's exactly right. Yeah. And we we tend to bristle when we talk about the power word. But I think it's really important that we name it as that.
Tim Buxton
Yeah. 100%. And, well, I think thankful for the way you have been such a shining, I think, an example to many people of serving in leadership in various capacities. And I'm sure there's been some challenges along the way. Some lessons learned, in your various roles in both coming from the military background insert, you know, to towards a more church, background, various organizations, nonprofit organizations, are there any? I mean, I'm sure you could share some of the challenges that challenges which you've already kind of maybe alluded to already, but what advice and what lessons have you learned from some of the difficulties that you've you're faced with over the years?
Melissa Lipsett
Oh, if I had all of those years over again, how differently might I do some things? I did come out of a military background, and I think that you come out of the military with a particular style, or I did and I think that style has changed a lot over the years and I'm grateful for that. But I'm, I'm grateful for that military foundation. So I think I've been able to bring a very focused, but pastoral leadership to the way I lead now. So So probably I lead very differently to Why I might have, say 30 odd years ago. And, and I'm glad of that, and I'm sure those people that I serve, and glad of that, but But honestly, I do believe in servant leadership, first and foremost, that should as we lead, it should be always about the people that were leading, and their well being and their opportunities, and, you know, outcomes for them. I think that, you know, we think of leadership as being a bit glamorous, but it shouldn't be at all, it should always be focused on the other. And so I think I've got better at that, as the years have gone by, and I genuinely believe that it's a privilege to serve other people. And as a leader, I want to be known for serving other people. I don't want to be known for anything else. Really.
Tim Buxton
Oh, that's, that's fantastic. How, how would? How would your husband describe Melissa, just so he can get a bit bit behind the, the, you know, unveil a bit more of who Melissa is to our guest this morning? What would what would he say about you?
Melissa Lipsett
And look, I think there's no question that I'm task focused and bias towards action. Yeah. And, you know, I can want to move quite fast with that. And, you know, I probably, I'm probably more gentle with my team than I am with with my family. So he might be, he might roll his eyes a bit. You know, he's been known to say Happy wife happy life. But look, he's a leader in his own right. And, and a very effective and proficient leader. And, you know, we've probably got better together over a 40 year period. But yeah, look, you know, this, there's no question that we probably, you know, we save our we save our, our worst behavior for our family. But, you know, we've been together for a long period of time now, we've been together for over 40 years, married for 38. Wow. And, yeah, it's, it's a very, it's a robust relationship we're both passionate about, about what we do and how we do it. But we have really shared values. So those, those foundations are the same in both of us. So I think we really appreciate that in each other. But yeah, I mean, on the average day, he probably told me to slow down a little bit and take a bit more care around him.
Tim Buxton
Right. Quite the maybe overachiever. And in one, in some respects, maybe or?
Melissa Lipsett
I just like to spend a lot of plates at once. So I'm energized by that. And you know, not not everybody is to the same extent. And, you know, I think I do expect a lot of other people I expect a lot of myself, and I, but I do expect a lot of other people as well. And I think that, you know, but if you appreciate people, I think they're really up for that. And I think the work that, you know, we don't get very long on this planet. Sure. And I do want to make a difference. In the short time that are in the relatively short time that I've got left, I really, you know, I really do want to make a difference. So yeah, I have high energy for, you know, for the things that I'm passionate about now.
Tim Buxton
And and and we are also grateful for that because you have everywhere you've gone, you've left an incredible impact. And I love the way that right now in this season, as you were sharing with me on a previous chat we have your husband is really champion you in this season of your life. Like you said, He's been a leader, a leader in as a pilot with cuantas. And, and has obviously taken the time now to say, You know what? Yeah, we're gonna follow you, Melissa, and where you go, and yeah, to have a husband that's champion zoo, and that way must be something here. So thank you.
Melissa Lipsett
I know. Pete has always champion me. And you know, and I've seen him champion our daughter, too. You know, that's fantastic to watch your dad do that for his daughter. But yeah, I'm incredibly grateful to Peter. I couldn't be doing what I do now. Without his support. And quite frankly, I couldn't have done 20 years of church leadership without his support and without the family support. I mean, you know, 20 years of a large church, you know, it's a big engine to keep, oh, my goodness, you know, my family was phenomenal. I invested 20 years of their lives in, in the local church. And, you know, they were incredibly gracious about that. And, yeah, you know, my husband, you know, my mum, my kids. Yeah, we've stayed on in Sydney, for me to do this role long past the time when we thought that we might have gone home to Queensland to be with, you know, my kids, my adult kids and, and, and my older parents, but, you know, they've been incredibly gracious about allowing us to stay and encouraging us to do that encouraging me in particular, to follow my passions. And I'm incredibly grateful to Pete and the family for that,
Tim Buxton
Yeah. There's so many sacrifices, especially in in church, pastoral leadership and in in the work that you're doing now that a lot of people don't see and to have to come, come through decades of that, and to be strong and healthy and ready for the next challenge is probably a testimony to that support. Now, you mentioned that you have shared values. And one of my questions I wanted to ask you, was what what are what would you say is a core value that you that you possess, in your life that drives you? And what you do? What if you had to pick one? Or something that Yeah,
Melissa Lipsett
For us, it's got to be our Christian faith, that we, we do truly believe the same things. And, you know, we didn't always, we weren't Christians, when we got married, and I became a Christian soon after we were married, and, you know, drag people on to church. And, you know, God was very kind and gracious and and, you know, Pete became a Christian also said, there was a very long time ago now. And we've both sought to, genuinely to follow Jesus call on our life. And for Pete, that was in you know, in secular life, no question. You know, he was a international airline pilot. But you know, I've had people reach out to me even recently, to say, I don't know you, Melissa, but I knew your husband when he was flying. And he, he shared his Christian faith with me, and I knew what you both believed. And so he was, you know, when I meet people who Peter's worked with, for years, and years and years, they told me, that he's the nicest bloke that they've ever met, and ever work with, and kind and gracious and generous, much more so than me, probably. But you know, that, that Pete would say, that comes from that understanding of who we are in Christ, that we are made equally in the image of God that looking into somebody else's eyes and seeing the face of God in them. And you know, that really does drive pay and die. That is our core value that we both believe that inherently
Tim Buxton
Look, yeah. When you choose to follow the life and teachings of Jesus, when you reflect on that and the way he lived his life and the way he we've talked about issues of a women empowerment, we've talked about issues of of those that are you know, serving the those that are poor that are sick that are that on the outskirts of society, you I can imagine you cannot truly sincerely follow him without being like him and being trained transformed to that end as well.
Melissa Lipsett
Well, it's just loved him at the end of the day. You know that I think that at the end of the day, that's what we're called to do film first and foremost and and honestly, love changes everything.
Tim Buxton
Wow. So central
Melissa Lipsett
Jesus loved for me changed everything about me in my life. And now I just get to do that out of the out for other people out of the overflow of his love for me.
Tim Buxton
Yeah, I think so often, we overcomplicate things, don't we? We we when it truly is look.
Melissa Lipsett
Yeah, for sure. Any you know, we can all love. We're all capable of that.
Tim Buxton
Yeah. Well, it's been wonderful. for chatting with you about these, you know, the incredible work, I love that you're now in a position to to impact a whole, not only the world, that and those that you're serving, but a whole movement right to, to challenge them to beckon them the Baptist community around the world, you are in a position to be able to say, Hey, this is what it truly means to live out your faith. And it is to do justice, to love mercy to walk humbly before your God to steal the words of a prophet in the northern part of Israel of many, many centuries ago. That is a great call and a great work that you've been called to how, you know, what are your thoughts when you think of it like that?
Melissa Lipsett
Yeah, I'm really excited about that. You know, Baptist World Aid, Australia is a fairly unique organization, it doesn't really exist in this manner around the rest of the world. And so we're really excited about the opportunity to say to 150 million Baptists around the world, Hey, how about getting on board with us and doing this sort of work? Can you imagine the difference? 150 million Baptists could make Wow, as they all seek to do it, you know, as they all seem to genuinely love their neighbor. And so yeah, we're at episode at Australia, where we're genuinely excited about what we get to do in our own patch, but also about being able to call you know, our Baptist family around the world to this work.
Tim Buxton
Yeah. Well, I know you've, you've just begun the work. I can't wait to see how it all kind of unfolds. As you as you embark on this wonderful new season of your career and your life. Thanks so much for Kind of, yeah, jumping on and sharing your heart with us today. And yeah, it's been really wonderful chatting with you, Melissa.
Melissa Lipsett
Great to chat with you, Tim. Glad to have you here in Australia, and, and I love what you do as well.
