The lockdown challenge and emotional wellbeing
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“Anxiety, social isolation, loneliness, defeat & loss of agency… in this lockdown period. The research shows this is especially a problem for young adults but for all us as well.
Mike Sheedy is the Head of Mental Health and Trinette Stanley is Family & Life Skills Educator with Anglicare. What can we as pastors do to help our staff, members and the broader community?”
Moore College recognised as a University College
“Moore Theological College has today (01/07/21) been registered in the new University College category by the Australian government Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). In the TEQSA media release, TEQSA Chief Commissioner Professor Peter Coaldrake explained the significance of the University College category:
‘[T]he new University College category […] recognises high-quality institutions and provides them with new opportunities to develop course offerings that meet the future needs of students, employers, industry and communities. The updated standards also include augmented research requirements for universities.’
‘TEQSA […] congratulates NIDA, AFTRS and Moore Theological College for being the first three providers to be registered in the new University College category.”
“Each of these providers demonstrated to TEQSA that they offer high-quality higher education and meet the standards for registration as University Colleges.’…”
– Good news from Moore College.
Sunday morning encouragement
With thanks to Emu Music.
COVID rules for NSW churches — exemption issued, though not necessary
“Following on from my recent post outlining COVID-19 restrictions that will impact NSW churches, the NSW Health Minister has now issued an exemption under the Public Health (COVID-19 Temporary Movement and Gathering Restrictions) Order 2021 (the “TMGR Order”), cl 25, dealing with singing in live-streamed services and in places of public worship outside Greater Sydney (where gathering for church in limited numbers and with face masks is still permitted). The Minister is to be commended for responding to concerns that have been raised by advice given by officials of his Department to some churches …”
– Neil Foster, Associate Professor in Law at Newcastle, welcomes the clarification given by the Health Minister.
See also:
Can Sydney churches sing in livestream services this Sunday? – The Pastor’s Heart.
Can’t get to church to pick up Southern Cross?
Even if you can’t get to church to pick up the latest edition of Southern Cross magazine from Anglican Media Sydney, you can still download your copy – or read it online.
It includes Archbishop Kanishka Raffel’s column.
In part, he writes, reflecting on Prayer in Partnership and the Letter to the Philippians:
“God has committed himself to the salvation of his people, including their preservation until ‘the day of Christ’. What God began, he will complete.
No wonder Paul says, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God’ (4:6).
In troubling and anxiety-inducing circumstances, prayer to a God who hears us, and is committed to our perseverance until the last day, results in ‘the peace of God, which transcends all understanding’ (4:7).”
Faith vs Reason
“A lot of people assume that faith and reason are irrevocably opposed. Reason is seen as the ability to think, understand and form conclusions logically. Faith is seen as belief in things based on conviction rather than proof. So, we find people very nervous of the merits of either faith or reason. …”
– In the latest (July 2021) Ministry Matters from the Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa New Zealand, Bishop Jay Behan writes about the relationship between Faith and Reason.
Also in this edition, there’s encouraging news from South Auckland, “Gifts from God – the Formation of South Auckland Anglican Mission”, and “The Call to New Zealand” from Mike & Maddy Turner waiting to go to West Hamilton Community Church.
Fuel for your prayers.
GAFCON Chairman’s Pastoral Letter July 2021
“Every day we are challenged with troubling news from around the world. Of late, there is a further complication from the global pandemic. There is a mutation to COVID-19 called “Variation D.” In addition, some regions are having a much higher mortality rate than others.
Archbishop Laurent Mbanda has shared that a rise in cases has led to a new lockdown in Rwanda. Western Kenya and parts of Uganda are also being hit very hard. Archbishop Stephen Kaziimba reports that Uganda is in the midst of a 42-day total lockdown. …”
– GAFCON Primates Council Chairman Archbishop Foley Beach shares his pastoral letter to members of the GAFCON family for July 2021.
Methodist Church and the way of the world
“Following prayerful consideration by the whole Church, the Methodist Conference has voted to confirm provisional resolutions on the principles or qualities of good relating, understanding of cohabitation and same sex marriages conducted on Methodist premises or by Methodist office-holders.
A report on marriage and relationships, ‘God in Love Unites Us’, was received by the Conference in 2019 and the local District Synods were asked to consider the provisional resolutions and report back to this year’s Conference which is being held this week in Birmingham. The Conference received a report on the results of the local conferring which showed that 29 out of the 30 Synods confirmed support for the provisional resolutions.
The Revd Sonia Hicks, President of the Conference, prayed ahead of the main debate on Wednesday morning in Birmingham, asking that the Conference’s ‘words may be imbibed with your grace, with tenderness from on high.’
A range of views were expressed on the resolutions, in particular on cohabitation and same sex marriages. The Revd Dr Jonathan Hustler, spoke to the Conference acknowledging the ‘depth of feeling, pain and anxiety that there is’ with a commitment to work across the Connexion with District Chairs to heal divisions. …”
– from this news release from the Methodist Conference in the UK.
The discussions can be seen here – scroll down to “Wednesday 30 June 2021 – Session 3 14:15 – 16:15”.
Anglican Church Quenching Community Thirst In Marsabit
“In one of the remote parts of Marsabit County, Nairibi Sub-location in Laisamis Constituency, the Anglican Church is transforming lives of a community that has experienced water crisis for many years, by availing the precious commodity to them. …
According to the Co-ordinator, a study by the organization established that most residents of Marsabit have to trek long distances in search of the precious commodity which is not only tiring but also a drain on their useful time.
He told KNA that the high levels of illiteracy among women in the region, is linked to the water shortage problem as girls spend their valuable time fetching water and end up dropping out of school.
The boy child is also not safe as he has to undertake the chore of taking livestock to watering points which are situated far away from where they attend school.”
And similar work to which you can contribute:
Marsabit Water and Income Generation – Anglican Aid.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…