South Africa: Joy and hope in a pair of shoes!
“Jesslyn, a Grade 5 student at Kuyga Primary School, would begin each day with quiet determination. Leaving the small metal home where she lives with her mother and brother, she would start the 30-minute walk to school along a dusty, dirt path.
But very quickly, she would grow weary. Her shoes were worn out …”
– Here’s some encouragement to not grow weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9) from The Archbishop of Sydney’s Anglican Aid.
Bathurst Diocese Newsletter for Advent 2025
Bishop of Bathurst Mark Calder has published the Bathurst Newsletter for Advent.
Please be encouraged to use it to inform your prayers: for the churches of the diocese, that they may be strengthened and encouraged – and also for the people of this large region of NSW, that many may hear the words of eternal life this Christmas, and find salvation in Christ.
Bishop Calder writes with much encouragement in the newsletter:
“Dear friends,
As we prepare to observe Advent again, I wanted to share a few thoughts. It is a time in our church calendar which has been misunderstood AND come under increasing secular influence. Advent reminds us that Christians are people who wait. We live with the reality that the world is not as it should be BUT we cling to the promise of Jesus’ return when everything will be put right. Advent doesn’t ask us to be cheerful or sentimental. It asks us to watch, to pray, and to recognise our deep need for the One who will come again.
We look around and see conflict, sorrow, failures, and tragedies. Advent puts to us that we can face these things without despair. It invites us to hold them before God, trusting that he has not forgotten his promises. Jesus will come with justice and mercy. He will heal, restore, judge and renew. That is our hope — not a vague wish, but a sure and certain expectation.
And so, Advent urges us not to be anxious or frantic. But steady. Prayerful. Grateful for every anticipation of all that Jesus’ return will mean.
Only at the end of Advent do we turn to Christmas. And when we do, we are reminded that our Advent hope is not hope against hope but is gloriously grounded in the historical reality that Jesus has already come among us as a real human being. The child of Bethlehem is the Lord of glory who will return. His first coming assures us of his second.
May this Advent renew your hope and steady your heart as you wait for him.
Mark.”
– Read it all here. (Looking for a pre-loved car? The newsletter might contain the answer.)
Renewal at St Alban’s Leura
The Australian Church Record speaks with James Delanty, Rector of St Alban’s Leura, about how God has brought renewal and joy to this historic Blue Mountains parish—and how a vision centred on being “overflowing with joy in Jesus” is shaping both church life and community outreach.
“When I arrived, the church had been without a rector for 18 months and was struggling through the lockdowns. On my first Sunday, there were 18 people meeting every second week, alternating with Zoom. But over time, through preaching God’s word and making the liturgy accessible, we’ve seen remarkable renewal—both in joy and maturity. …”
Living and Speaking of Christ in a Secular Age
From Moore College:
“If you have ever felt like your life is a set of non-overlapping bubbles, work here, sport there, church on Sundays, neighbours somewhere else, you are not alone. Josh and Susannah Apieczonek reflected that this kind of compartmentalisation has become sadly normal in Western life. It is not how we were made to live, but it has quietly shaped how we see the world. This is one reason many Christians feel held back from sharing the gospel: our worlds rarely intersect, our schedules are full, and our instincts are shaped by a culture that prizes the here and now over the eternal. …”
– Sarah Bingham shares highlights from a talk by Josh & Susannah Apieczonek.
She explains,
“Josh and Susannah Apieczonek have long been connected to Moore College. Josh, now the incoming Head of Mission and Lecturer in Mission, completed a Bachelor of Divinity and Diploma of Ministry in 2004, and Susannah studied at the College in 2008. Before moving to France, Josh taught Christian Studies and served as a chaplain at St Andrew’s Cathedral School, Sydney.
Together, they have spent the past decade serving with CMS in Lyon, France, in student and church ministry, particularly among university students and in church planting. …”
How to Present Your Sermon Really Well
“Like every skill worth doing, good preaching requires sustained study, effort, practice, self-evaluation, and a determination to improve and master the skill.
Good delivery must come not as a replacement for, but as the culmination of the certain basic convictions about preaching:
That preaching is central to Christian worship, growth, and evangelism;
That preaching must be Christ-focussed;
That the preacher must be a godly Christian growing in Christ;
That the sermon must expository and carefully prepared. …”
– Agree or disagree with details, Campbell Markham writes to encourage and help preachers do what is vitally important. At AP.
Related:
The Preacher Responding To Criticism
– Bob Thomas writes at The Expository Preaching Trust…
“Criticism of our preaching falls into three categories: ‘mindless’ criticism and therefore not worth worrying about except to try graciously to correct; negative criticism but worth swallowing our pride, taking notice of and responding to; and positive criticism, so thankfully received as it spurs us on to greater endeavour.”
Integrity in preaching
“…in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.” – Titus 2:7-8, ESV
“Titus 2:7-8 teaches not just that a Christian leader be a person of integrity, but also that their integrity should be on display to the world, and that it should be evident in their teaching. This is not ‘practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them’ (Matthew 6:1); rather, it is more calling our people to ‘Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ’ (1 Corinthians 11:1).
How are Christian leaders to display their integrity in their preaching? I have three suggestions …”
– At The Expository Preaching Trust, Michael Leong has this encouragement for preachers.
Compelled by the love of Christ
Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel preached at Chapel at Moore Theological College on 30th September.
He spoke on 2 Corinthians 5:11-21.
“…the crucial Christian conviction – we are convinced that one died for all – the foundation of Christian hope.”
Watch on YouTube, for your encouragement and edification.
The Boiler Room
“The story is told of five young student ministers who decided to hear Spurgeon preach one Sunday. They had never met him, and as they waited for the church doors to open, they were met by a young man who asked them: ‘Gentlemen, let me show around. Would you like to see the boiler room?’
Now, in mid-19th century Victorian England the boiler room was a hot and dirty room down in the very heart of the church building. Think of it like a dingy basement. The boiler room was essentially the powerhouse of buildings at that time. …”
– At AP, the Presbyterian national journal, Troy Appleton ends this brief article with encouragement and a challenge for church members.
My story, God’s story
“Your story is unique. Sharing your story is one of the most authentic ways you can witness to your faith and confidence in Jesus. It is so adaptable to different situations from sharing one-on-one at a cafe? or sharing to a group of people at an event, or even in written form. And when it’s our story, it’s not a debate, or pushy, or fake and, if it comes from the heart, it will be personal, engaging and real.
I am convinced that personal stories (testimonies) are a very powerful tool that the Holy Spirit uses to stir spiritual interest and to draw people towards Jesus. …”
– David Bassett, Assistant Bishop in Perth, writes to encourage Christians to share their story – and offers some simple principles to help.
On page 2 of The Messenger from the Diocese of Perth, for October 2025.
Moore Matters Spring 2025 edition
The latest edition of Moore Matters – from Moore Theological College – is now available.
The theme of this issue is Love.
If you are not able to pick up a printed issue at church, you can read online or download a PDF version from the College website.
Hope for the Illawarra
“In my time in ministry, I have encountered many people who, while acknowledging Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples” feel impossibly ill-equipped, and so are reluctant to do so.
In fact, many of these people further claim that they lack any ability whatsoever to evangelise, presuming the work of evangelism is for those whom God has so gifted. Yet what is apparent is that God typically calls people to himself through the patient, prayerful and consistent sharing of the gospel by regular Christians, despite how prepared they may or may not feel. Having said that, it should be our constant desire to better equip Christians for evangelism to grow their confidence in sharing the gospel with others.
Some of the key ways this can happen is through the encouragement of other believers, through training and equipping one another, but also by engaging with those who have a gift for communicating the gospel clearly and winsomely. Listening to someone who is gifted with communicating the gospel can be an encouragement for Christians, but it can also provide us with a great opportunity to invite someone to hear the gospel taught with clarity and faithfulness.
This was precisely what the churches in the Illawarra were offered when Christian broadcasting organisation Leading the Way invited them to participate in a mass-scale mission campaign, which would culminate in evangelistic outreach events at which Dr Michael Youssef would speak. It was an offer that was gladly accepted. …”
– At The Australian Church Record, Ella Leach shares some wonderful encouragement from Hope for Illawarra.
Photo via SydneyAnglicans.net.
ACL Synod Dinner 2025 audio
If you missed the panel discussion at the ACL Synod Dinner on 15ht September, with the topic of Hope from the Coal Face, the audio recording is available here:
Our panel speakers:
The Rev Canon Bruce Morrison has been the Senior Minister at St John’s Anglican Cathedral, Parramatta for over twenty years.
The Rev Jason McPhail is the Assistant Minister at St John’s, Keiraville International Church.
Mrs Wendy Potts is the Anglicare Sydney Learning Consultant – Evangelism.
Jason McPhail and Wendy Potts contributed to the recent Hope for the Illawarra Mission.
100 Ministry Stories from Moore College — Dani Treweek
Moore College has published the latest video in its 100 Ministry Stories.
Veronica Hoyt, Director of the Priscilla & Aquila Centre, speaks with Dani Treweek.
Most encouraging.
– Watch here.
See also:
Singleness book wins Christian book of the year
The real meaning of singleness
100 Ministry Stories from Moore College — Grahame and Patty Scarratt
Moore College has published another video in its 100 Ministry Stories.
Peter Jensen speaks with Grahame and Patty Scarratt.
“From surveying in NSW to serving in Chile, Grahame and Patty Scarratt’s journey has been marked by a deep love for God’s word. What began at Moore College grew into decades of ministry across Latin America—most significantly the translation and teaching of the Preliminary Theological Certificate (PTC) and the beginnings of MOCLAM.
Through their work, countless pastors and church members gained access to solid biblical training in their own language, shaping the Anglican Church in Chile and beyond. Even after returning to Australia, the Scarratts continued publishing and supporting resources so that more people might know and teach the Scriptures.”
– Watch here. (And Grahame has a challenge for churches in Sydney.)
Related –
Preliminary Theological Certificate (PTC) from Moore College.
Reading as Rebellion
“Everyone agrees. We live in an age of vanishing readers – a digital desert where sustained attention has evaporated and the next generation risks losing its imaginative inheritance.
But we can still read! some say. Sure, we read snippets here and there wherever we scroll online, and we dip into an occasional article or post on a sports page or in a political forum. But reading a book, going about it the old-fashioned way, where you give yourself over to a thoughtful and sustained argument that unfolds over several chapters, or where you lose yourself in a novel alive with beauty and subtlety – this practice appears less and less common for all ages, but especially the young. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition, Trevin Wax has encouragement and a challenge for us all.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…