They’re retired, but not from gospel work

Hannah Felsbourg

3 August 2024

It was in 2015 at Lighting Ridge where Greg and Jocelyn Lay met farmers who were forced to kill the last of their cattle which they could no longer afford to feed. 

The region had suffered drought for three tough years. A mine had shut down for lack of water to extract opals, and nursery plants were left to wither and die. 

Coming from Melbourne, it was a revelation for the Lays to see firsthand what people from rural Australia were going through. 

The Lays assisted the church in assembling food baskets for those in need and organised a breakfast and other outreach events for those staying at the motor camp. 

Unprompted, envelopes with $50 notes began appearing on their windshield. Campers wanted to contribute to assisting struggling farmers. 

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Ministry workers in remote areas often support communities dealing with hardships like drought or floods but have limited access to resources due to geographic limitations. 

The Bush Church Aid Nomads scheme connects Christian travellers with field staff and the churches they serve, enabling them to aid those workers in ministry on their travels. 

BCA Nomads coordinators Greg and Jocelyn Lay aim to equip other nomads like themselves to offer their services to field workers in times of need. 

Nomads provide hands-on assistance and offer emotional and spiritual support to field workers and others across rural Australia. 

Some of their contributions are to maintain church buildings, cook meals, and assist with preaching, children’s ministry, and other church initiatives. 

Remote churches in towns with mostly tourists or fly-in fly-out workers struggle to build a stable community of believers to bolster them in ministry. 

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The Lays maintain friendships with many of the field staff they have met, supporting them through video calls to encourage them to continue in their gospel work. 

Even nomads who no longer travel now uplift field workers through prayer, providing them with continued spiritual backing. 

Many of the BCA nomads are retirees who want to travel around Australia but want to have a meaningful purpose behind their journey.  

The work is entirely voluntary, with no financial benefits, yet they find immense reward in their ability to serve others. 

Despite the challenges nomads face, such as the costs of travelling in the outback and navigating different state requirements for police checks, the Lays remain dedicated. 

They have been travelling as nomads since 2012 and believe God has protected and guided them along the way.  

While driving to Coober Pedy, a strong head wind caused their diesel to run out sooner than expected and they had to stop at a layby about 90km from their destination. 

There were two other trailer campers stopped at the site and one of them had some spare diesel the Lays were able to buy to get them back on the road. 

The other nomad couple they were following pulled into the layby and realised the wind had ripped their caravan door off. 

They flagged down a road train and the driver told them where he had seen it on the road. They found it and continued to Coober Pedy where it could be repaired. 

The Lays believe it was through God’s intervention that fuel was available to purchase, and the caravan door was recovered as it may have been forever lost if they had not stopped. 

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When the Lays became BCA Nomads coordinators in 2019, they developed a system allowing nomads to see the specific needs of field staff in each location on a map. 

Their flexibility and willingness to help wherever and with whatever is needed have become hallmarks of the BCA Nomads’ service. 

Mr Lay, with his background in IT, has assisted with technical needs, while Mrs Lay has contributed by painting and tidying up church grounds. 

Even before joining the nomads the Lays went to Marysville to assist after the town was affected by bushfires in 2009. 

“I was just a housewife, and I thought, ‘What can I do to help?’ but there’s always things you can do,” Mrs Lay said. 

“You don’t have to have special gifts and talents and training and things. Anyone can do it.” 

When asked what she would say to anyone who was thinking of becoming a nomad, Mrs Lay’s response was, “Go for it.” 

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