Thursday 28th September 2006
 “The Bible Explained” Michael Bennett, the author of Christianity Explained, is launching a new resource – The Bible Explained. Michael writes, “In writing the Bible Explained, I set myself this limited goal: how can I help a raw, new believer, with little or no Bible knowledge, to grasp the overall message and thrust of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, in a short time, like eight lessons; and can I achieve this goal right at the beginning of their Christian walk, and not ten to twenty years down the track?” Michael will be back in Sydney in October and November to promote this new resource. Download a PDF file with details.
Thursday 28th September 2006
 9Marks – helpful resources for the Church“Have you ever considered what it means for a church to be healthy? Have you ever thought about how that health is nurtured and sustained? If so, have you reflected on why you answer those questions the way you do?
These are the questions that have captured us at 9Marks. Perhaps you’ve been mulling over these same questions in the context of your own church for a while now; or maybe this is the first time you’ve ever encountered them. Either way, we’d like to personally invite you to think with us about the health of the local church and the methods God has designed to promote it...” Very helpful material from Mark Dever and friends at 9Marks.org
Saturday 23rd September 2006
Global South Primates Meeting – Kigali CommuniquéA wide-ranging Communiqué has been issued by the Global South Primates Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda. Among other things, they said, (Para 10) – “b. At the next meeting of the Primates in February 2007 some of us will not be able to recognize Katharine Jefferts Schori as a Primate at the table with us. Others will be in impaired communion with her as a representative of The Episcopal Church. Since she cannot represent those dioceses and congregations who are abiding by the teaching of the Communion we propose that another bishop, chosen by these dioceses, be present at the meeting so that we might listen to their voices during our deliberations. c. We are convinced that the time has now come to take initial steps towards the formation of what will be recognized as a separate ecclesiastical structure of the Anglican Communion in the USA...” From the Primates Communiqué.
Friday 22nd September 2006
“Tutu Expresses Shame at Anglican Church”“Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in the first authorized biography of the Nobel peace laureate, said he was ashamed of his Anglican Church’s conservative position that rejected gay priests. ...The retired archbishop was critical of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams for bowing on the gay priest issue to conservative elements, particularly African bishops, in the 77-million member Anglican Church that includes Episcopalians in the United States...” From CBS News. (It is sobering to reflect on Luke 9:26 and Romans 6:19–23.)
Thursday 21st September 2006
 Interview with Bishop of Pittsburgh Robert DuncanBishop Robert Duncan, Episcopal Bishop of Pittsburgh, is also the leader of the Anglican Communion Network – a federation of conservative Episcopalians, including 10 affiliated dioceses in the USA. Bishop Duncan was one of the participants in the New York Summit, 11–13 September, held at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, concerning the appeal by a number of dioceses for Alternative Primatial Oversight. Representatives from the liberal majority of The Episcopal Church were also present. In this interesting 25 minute interview, Bishop Duncan speaks about the meeting and the likely fallout. From Anglican TV (Broadband recommended.)
Monday 18th September 2006
“Parents have lost the art of raising children, says Jensen”“Australian parents have forgotten some of the basic arts of raising children, the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, has said. Children have abundant material possessions but suffer from a ‘serious hope deficit and an equally serious love deficit’...” From The Sydney Morning Herald.
Sunday 17th September 2006
 “Battle for the Soul of Canada” – new book to be released by Ed Hird Ed Hird, the Rector of St. Simon’s North Vancouver is releasing a book to encourage the raising up of a new generation of leaders in the church in Canada. Ed draws on his experience in ministry as the Rector of a church which last year walked away from its property in the Diocese of New Westminster.
Ed writes, “Canada is in a severe leadership crisis, particularly in the churches ... we in Canada are being challenged to raise up a whole new generation of leaders, like Timothy, who are willing to stand up for truth and love our nation back into health.” Of the book, Canon Michael Green writes, “Churches rot away when good men keep silent. Thank goodness for Ed Hird’s courage and clarity in contending for historic Anglicanism amidst a Canadian Anglican Church which has lost its way.” See VirtueOnline for details on how to obtain a copy of “Battle for the Soul of Canada”.
 Sunday 17th September 2006
Archbishop Yong Ping Chung visits North America
“Retired Anglican Archbishop Datuk Yong Ping Chung of Southeast Asia landed in the metro area Friday to show his support for a conservative Episcopal church that has aligned itself with leadership outside the United States. ‘I am doing some encouraging,’ said Yong, who will preach at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Flowood on Sunday. ‘I will encourage people to stand firm and not forget our mission to win souls for Jesus.’...” – from the Jackson Clarion Ledger, Jackson, Mississippi. Earlier, Archbishop Yong Ping Chung spent time in Canada encouraging believers there. See VirtueOnline, “Do not bow the knee to Baal”, and also The Anglican Coalition in Canada.
 Friday 15th September 2006
Bishop Iker (Fort Worth) comments on the New York Summit“Another meeting has come and gone, with no clear results or final resolutions. Another ‘conversation’ has taken place, where diverse views were exchanged, but no unified way forward could be discerned. So where does that leave us? Well, it does not leave us in the same place as where we began! We have moved further along the path to the difficult decisions that ultimately must be faced, in every diocese and in every parish. Certain options have been discarded; others remain open. ... It was not always a pleasant exchange of views. At times the conversations were blunt and even confrontational. Nonetheless, what needed to be said was said and heard, in a spirit of honesty and love. That being said, it is my sense that the time for endless conversations is coming to a close and that the time for action is upon us. I am not interested in having more meetings to plan to have more meetings.” – from The Diocese of Forth Worth website.
Thursday 14th September 2006
New York Bishops meeting “unable to come to common agreement on the way forward”Statement issued by the Meeting of Bishops – “A group of bishops met in New York on 11-13 September at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury and in consultation with the Presiding Bishop to review the current landscape of the church in view of conflicts within the Episcopal Church. The Archbishop of Canterbury had received a request from seven dioceses for alternative primatial pastoral care and asked that American bishops address the question. The co-conveners of the meeting were Bishops Peter James Lee of Virginia and John Lipscomb of Southwest Florida. Other participating bishops were Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop-elect Katharine Jefferts Schori and Bishops Jack Iker of Fort Worth, Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh, James Stanton of Dallas, Edward Salmon of South Carolina, Mark Sisk of New York, Dorsey Henderson of Upper South Carolina, and Robert O’Neill of Colorado. Also participating was Canon Kenneth Kearon, the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion. We had honest and frank conversations that confronted the depth of the conflicts that we face. We recognized the need to provide sufficient space, but were unable to come to common agreement on the way forward. We could not come to consensus on a common plan to move forward to meet the needs of the dioceses that issued the appeal for Alternate Primatial Oversight. The level of openness and charity in this conference allow us to pledge to hold one another in prayer and to work together until we have reached the solution God holds out for us.” – from the Anglican Communion News Service.
Sunday 10th September 2006
“Hinduism no barrier to job as priest in Church of England”“A priest with the Church of England who converted to Hinduism has been allowed to continue to officiate as a cleric. The Rev David Hart’s diocese renewed his licence this summer even though he had moved to India, changed his name to Ananda and daily blesses a congregation of Hindus with fire previously offered up to Nagar, the snake god. He also ‘recites Gayatri Mantram with the same devotion with which he celebrates the Eucharist’, according to The Hindu, India’s national newspaper...” Story from Ruth Gledhill in The Times. See also Ruth’s blog – and the story in The Hindu.
Friday 8th September 2006
 Richard Coekin speaking in Sydney next week – “Proclamation + Protest”Richard Coekin, Senior Pastor of The Co-Mission Initiative church plants in South-west London, arrives in Sydney this weekend and is speaking at various functions next week – including the St. Andrew’s Cathedral Spring Festival (Saturday September 16) and Ministry Intensive (Friday September 15). The Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, is also speaking at these events. These are sponsored by Ministry Training & Development of the Diocese of Sydney. You can download an information and registration form here (512kb PDF).
 Wednesday 6th September 2006
Colin Buchanan releases song as a tribute to Steve IrwinChristian singer/songwriter Colin Buchanan has today released a tribute song to Steve Irwin. It’s available for free download by ckicking the graphic. Readers may be able to think of helpful ways the song could be used this weekend as many people mourn for Steve.
Wednesday 6th September 2006
“Evangelist Lee Buck dies”“Lee was probably the Episcopal Church’s best known, leading lay evangelist for many years, before leaving ECUSA and joining a parish under another ecclesiastical authority. He could no longer abide the Episcopal Church’s apostasies. He was deeply saddened by the TEC’s moral and theological decline...” Story from VirtueOnline.
Monday 4th September 2006
Bishop Glenn Davies recovering in hospital after an accidentThis Statement has been released today by the Archbishop’s office – The Archbishop has announced that Dr Glenn Davies, Bishop of North Sydney, had an accident last Saturday morning while working in the grounds of his home in the Blue Mountains.  Heavy branches of a tree fell and hit him on the head. He was taken to the Nepean Hospital, where he has spent the last few days. He had a head injury and has heavy bruising and stitches to his face.
Bishop Davies will be away from work for the next two weeks at least. “We should pray for the swift recovery of Glenn Davies, and give thanks to God that there appears, at this stage, to be no lasting damage from the accident. We must pray also for Mrs Dianne Davies and her family as they care for Glenn over his recovery period,” Archbishop Jensen said. “Since this is a somewhat stressful time for the Davies family, we think it best that enquiries about the Bishop’s health should not be asked of Mrs Davies, but that those concerned for him should contact either Archdeacon Terry Dein, or Dr Davies’ Personal Assistant, Ms Ros Allibone,” the Archbishop said. Please pray for Glenn and his family at this time.
Sunday 3rd September 2006
“Conservative Anglicans prepare to celebrate their ‘common cause’ ”“While one group of conservative Anglicans continues to work for change within the Canadian church, another group continues to function under the authority of Anglican archbishops from overseas – one of whom will visit the Vancouver area next month. But both groups agree that they are united by a ‘common cause’, which they will celebrate at a special meeting in North Vancouver September 8...” Story from CanadianChristianity.com.
Sunday 3rd September 2006
“Exodus Ministry Applauds Anglican Head’s ‘Stand for the Truth’ ”“One of the world’s largest Christian referral ministry addressing homosexual issues and helping individuals ‘recover’ from homosexuality applauded the Archbishop of Canterbury who recently said homosexuals must change their behaviour to be welcomed in the church. Lauding the Rt. Rev. Rowan Williams, one-time liberal advocate of same-sex relationships, Exodus International president, Alan Chambers, said ‘We applaud the archbishop’s courageous stand for the truth.’ ‘The lack of biblical clarity on the issue of homosexuality is rampant in far too many congregations. Ours is a passionate call to the global church to extend the love and kindness of Jesus Christ, the hope of freedom for those who seek it and the steadfast truth of the Scriptures,’ he added...” Full story from The Christian Post.
Tuesday 29th August 2006
New Rector for the Parish of South Sydney | Heather and Paul Dew
(Photo: AMS) |
Bishop Robert Forsyth, Bishop of South Sydney has informed members of South Sydney parish that the Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen, has appointed the Rev Paul Dew to be the new Rector of their parish. South Sydney parish includes St Saviour’s, Redfern and St James’, Beaconsfield, as well as the Crossroads Aboriginal Church. The former Rector, John McIntyre in January 2006 became Bishop of Gippsland in Victoria. The Rev Paul Dew is presently the Regional Officer for New South Wales for the Bush Church Aid Society. He has extensive ministry and pastoral experience in regional areas of the State, having held appointments in the Dioceses of Grafton and Armidale, in the centres of Ballina, Quirindi, Werris Creek and Narrabri. He is married to Heather and they have three adult children. Paul Dew grew up on a farm situated some 50 miles west of Kempsey. He has lived and worked with Aboriginal people from his youth. Those relationships have formed an abiding importance and interest for him throughout his ministry, so that in every centre he has developed relationships with local Aboriginal people, and many of those relationships continue until this day. The parish of South Sydney is noted for its commitment from an evangelical perspective to speak with compassion and justice within the community to local, national and global concerns. Mr Dew, while Rector of Narrabri, was the President of the local Community Aid Society, an umbrella body that operated a wide range of schemes to meet various local needs for individuals and the wider community. Reflecting on this new ministry opportunity at South Sydney, Paul Dew said: ‘I want to build upon the work of the previous and existing ministries and come alongside the congregation so as to promote the gospel to see all presented mature in Christ. I am looking forward to working together with the present community of the faithful in the three congregations of the South Sydney Parish building one another up in love and good deeds.’ Mr Dew gained a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics degree and Dip.Ed from the University of New England. He entered Moore Theological College in Sydney for theological training, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Theology and an MA. He was ordained Deacon in 1982 in the Diocese of Grafton and the following he was ordained Priest in that same Diocese. The Regional Bishop of South Sydney, Bishop Robert Forsyth said: ‘I welcome Paul Dew’s coming to South Sydney. He has big shoes to fill, but he is a quiet, experienced, humble man who loves people and I believe over the years will win a very great following in the area and lead a flourishing church.” Press release from Anglican Media Sydney.
Saturday 26th August 2006
“Liberal Christianity is paying for its sins”“The accelerating fragmentation of the strife-torn Episcopal Church USA, in which several parishes and even a few dioceses are opting out of the church, isn’t simply about gay bishops, the blessing of same-sex unions or the election of a woman as presiding bishop. It also is about the meltdown of liberal Christianity. Embraced by the leadership of all the mainline Protestant denominations, as well as large segments of American Catholicism, liberal Christianity has been hailed by its boosters for 40 years as the future of the Christian church. Instead, as all but a few die-hards now admit, all the mainline churches and movements within churches that have blurred doctrine and softened moral precepts are demographically declining and, in the case of the Episcopal Church, disintegrating...” Opinion piece from The Los Angeles Times.
Saturday 26th August 2006
“Church steps-up fight against nude dancing club”“The Dean of Hobart’s St David’s Cathedral says it is reprehensible for a club to be offering performances by nude dancers at a venue next door that is owned by the church. The Anglican Church says it has had further legal advice that the dancers breach the moral covenants of the club’s lease, and that operating as a hotel and sports bar is also a breach of the lease...” Full report from ABC News Online. (The St. David’s Cathedral website here.)
Tuesday 22nd August 2006
Statement from the Archbishop of Sydney on the election of the Archbishop of Melbourne “I welcome the news of the election of Bishop Philip Freier to be the next Archbishop of Melbourne. I assure Bishop Philip and his wife Joy of my continuing prayers, and also those of the people of the Diocese of Sydney, as they move into this new and challenging area of mission and ministry. It is a vast change from their present role in the Diocese of the Northern Territory, but they are well equipped for this new leadership to which they are called.
We pray also for the clergy and people of Melbourne Diocese as they welcome their Archbishop, who is a missionary Bishop, and as they move with him into a new era of service and witness to the Lord Jesus Christ in their community. In electing Bishop Freier as their Archbishop, the Synod of Melbourne Diocese has made a significant contribution to the unity of the Anglican Church of Australia. Philip Freier is a person with extensive ministry experience in a wide range of areas, and, importantly he is someone who is admired and welcomed by all sections of our Australian Church.” – Statement from Archbishop Peter Jensen, 22 August 2006.
Tuesday 22nd August 2006
New Anglican Archbishop for Melbourne – Dr Philip Freier “The Right Reverend Dr Philip Freier has been elected by an overwhelming majority as the new Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne.
Bishop Administrator of the Diocese Dr John Wilson said, ‘I am delighted with the election – this is a wonderful choice. Bishop Freier brings a very rich experience, coming out of an Australian context.’ Archbishop-Elect Freier, 51, who was elected by a two-thirds majority of Synod members at the special Election meeting 14-19 August, is currently the Bishop of the Northern Territory. He was ordained priest in 1984, and has been a bishop since 1999 when he became Bishop of the Northern Territory...” Story from Anglican Media Melbourne.
Monday 21st August 2006
“Williams calls for summit meeting of Episcopal Church leaders”“The heat on the Anglican Bunsen burners turned up dramatically with the announcement that the Archbishop of Canterbury had asked Bishop Peter Lee of Virginia and Bishop John Lipscomb of Southwest Florida to convene a small group of bishops from the Episcopal Church (USA) to meet together to discuss some of the difficult issues facing the Church and to explore possible resolutions. Along with Bishop Frank Griswold, those invited include Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori, Bishop Bob Duncan, and Bishop Jack Iker...” Report from VirtueOnline.
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