North West Network May 2020

The May 2020 edition of North West Network is now available at this link. (3.3MB PDF file.)

Fuel for your prayers for the Diocese and people of North West Australia.

The pandemic is making it harder to deliver medically assisted death, doctors say

“Some doctors say the pandemic is making it harder to provide medically assisted deaths to patients who request them, due to shortages of protective masks and gowns and last-minute scrambles to find places to perform the procedure…

One patient in Ontario had the procedure performed in a funeral home… The patient was given a room and had their life ended with medical help on the premises, she said. The patient’s funeral arrangements also took place there …”

– Story from the CBC (Canada) via the Anglican Samizdat.

How a NSW aged care facility became a ‘pseudo hospital’ for coronavirus


“A Western Sydney aged-care facility has become Australia’s second biggest cluster of coronavirus deaths, and its chief executive officer has warned more are on the horizon.”

– ABC News speaks with Anglicare Sydney CEO Grant Millard.

Plenty to pray about in this situation. Image: ABC News.

Ashley Null on Cranmer’s Collect for the Second Sunday after Easter

“Cranmer’s Collect for the Second Sunday after Easter reminds us of his perennial concern to link justification to sanctification. In so doing, he answers the all-important question for Christians: where do we find the motivation to be more like Jesus?

An original composition, the prayer makes clear that the secret to godliness lies in gratitude for the free gift of salvation. …”

– Ashley Null continues his post-Easter devotions for GAFCON.

Gospel Presentation by Bishop Rick Lewers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjS0eLlv5ys&feature=emb_logo

Bishop of Armidale Rick Lewers shares the heart of the Christian faith.

Give thanks for bishops who know and tell the gospel!

Coronavirus and Christ

“In Coronavirus and Christ, John Piper invites readers around the world to stand on the solid Rock, who is Jesus Christ, in whom our souls can be sustained by the sovereign God who ordains, governs, and reigns over all things to accomplish his wise and good purposes for those who trust in him.”

– Here’s a new, and very timely, resource from John Piper at Desiring God.

It’s available in printed, text and audio formats, and in multiple languages. See his video explanation at the link.

Treasurer clarifies JobKeeper rules

In a press release this evening, Federal Treasurer, The Hon Josh Frydenberg MP, announced,

“Changes will allow JobKeeper Payments to be made to religious institutions in respect of religious practitioners (with the exception of those that are students only), recognising that many religious practitioners are not ‘employees’ of their religious institutions.”

– JobKeeper update 24 April 2020.

Meditating on the glory of Christ

“In an earlier post, I suggested that the confinement of the COVID-19 crisis might provide Christians with an opportunity to recover the art of meditating on Scripture to prepare ourselves for our greatest act of faith – coming to terms with our finitude and ultimately handing our bodies over to Christ in death.

Doing this requires the cultivation of habits and disciplines on our part. At the very least it involves setting aside time, removing distractions, turning off the technology, together with prayer and patience.

A while back a friend and I tried to set aside a couple of hours individually each month for this, and then got together to compare notes together afterwards. …”

– Dr Andrew Leslie at Moore College writes in The Australian Church Record.

A man for such a time as this

“In his Easter sermon, the new Anglican Bishop of Bathurst, Mark Calder, spoke about his grief over what had been lost during the COVID-19 pandemic and how he yearned for the restoration of normality.

And yet at the same time, he can see how God has gone before him, preparing him for just such a time as this when churches across the nation are closed.

Before entering ministry, Calder’s professional background was as a video editor. …”

– Eternity News has this profile of Bishop Mark Calder.

It’s a good reminder to pray him and also for the people of the diocese of Bathurst.

Anglicans and pandemics: 101 years on

“This is not the first time that the ACR has seen a pandemic.

From 1880, the Church Record, as it was known, reported on all the news relating to the Anglican Church in Australia and New Zealand. So I did a bit of research and trawled through the archives to find out what the Church Record said about the 1919 influenza epidemic.

I discovered that the ACR has ‘seen this movie before’ and has some wise advice for us today. …”

– Bronwyn Windsor shares the encouragement she discovered. At The Australian Church Record.

ANZAC Message from the Anglican Bishop of the Australian Defence Force

Bishop Grant Dibden, the Anglican Bishop of the Australian Defence Force, has recorded this ANZAC message.

He’s also recorded this Prayer for ANZAC Day.

(Both are also available here.)

Maybe you could use them in your online services this weekend.

Thanks to Russell Powell and Anglican Media Sydney.

See also:

ANZAC Day Resources – Defence Anglicans.

Mike Baird named as new HammondCare CEO

“HammondCare has today announced that Mike Baird has been appointed as incoming Chief Executive Officer and will replace Dr Stephen Judd who is stepping down on August 31, after more than 25 years in the role.

HammondCare Board Chair, John Kightley, said that Mr Baird had been selected after a rigorous search for the critical appointment, that commenced when Dr Judd announced in July 2019 his intention to stand down in 2020. …”

– Read the full news item at HammondCare.

Moore College Open Night – Online!

11 May 2020, 7:30pm – 9pm

A night to meet online, get an insight into Moore’s in-depth theological training, plus have your questions answered by faculty and students. A live Q&A session is available.

RSVP here.

Easter Around the World

GAFCON has compiled this video montage.

Church meetings and COVID-19 in Australia

“For most believers in Australia, ‘law and religion’ issues have been interesting but not part of their regular experience. But in this unprecedented time of the coronavirus pandemic, the simple activity of attending regular church services or home groups has been, like much of the rest of life, turned upside down. We now find that our normal weekly gatherings are potentially illegal!

In this post I want to review some of the recently-made laws that impact church meetings in Australia.”

– Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia summarises the implications of the current health orders for churches.

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