Pastoral Farewell Letter from the Bishop of Bathurst
After the service in Bathurst Cathedral today to signal the end of his time as Bishop, Mark Calder released this Pastoral Farewell Letter –
“Dear brothers and sisters,
At our recent Bishop-in-Council meeting in Dubbo, BiC asked that what I shared with them in my Bishop’s Matters might be shared more widely across the Diocese.
As this was my final Bishop’s Matters, I was a little more reflective than usual. I didn’t attempt to rehearse the last seven years, nor offer a grand assessment of my time here. Rather, I wanted to note with thanksgiving something of what the Lord has done among us, acknowledge some areas where I have needed considerable help, and say something about what I hope the Diocese will continue to value and pursue in the next chapter.
So, with only a little adaptation for a wider audience, here is something of what I shared. …”
– Download the PDF file to read his full letter.
Bishop Mark Calder’s Presidential Address to the Bathurst Synod 2026
Bishop of Bathurst, Mark Calder, who concludes his time as Bishop this afternoon, gave this final charge to his Synod on Friday 18th September –
“The next Bishop will not be the most important person in the future of our diocese – for Jesus is.
And you are a close second.
I said in my 2024 address, that I only had one agenda. Jesus.
Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ must be our focus.
And sharing him must surely remain our mission. He must be our ongoing confidence, joy, and motivation.
Our sermons through Romans earlier this year reminded us:
– That only by trusting him are we reconciled to the Father
– That we are so radically loved by Jesus that he died for us while we were still sinners.
– That if we’re in Jesus, there is no condemnation.
– That all things work together to conform us to the likeness of Jesus.
– That because Jesus is for us, no one can stand against us.
– That nothing can ever separate us from the love of Christ.And yes, this may be sounding more like a sermon than a synod address. But I want to urge you brothers and sisters. In this next chapter of the diocese, to make Jesus your agenda: The knowledge of Jesus. The love of Jesus. The comfort of Jesus. The compassion of Jesus. The reconciling work of Jesus. The power, presence and joy of Jesus by his Holy Spirit. The proclamation of Jesus. The life of Jesus, sweeping through you and the central west of New South Wales.
The next bishop will not be the most important person in the future of our diocese, for Jesus is. And you are a close second.
You, the lay people and clergy of the diocese, are the second most important people in the next chapter of the diocese. In your hands, is so much of what will ensure the ministry in this diocese flourishes. …”
Thanks from Bathurst
From the Diocese of Bathurst –
“This afternoon Bishop Mark addressed Sydney Synod to say ‘thank you’.
Reflecting on what Christ has accomplished across the Diocese over the past seven years — new gospel workers, growing attendance and Bible study groups, and a significant increase in children’s and youth ministry — he warmly thanked Archbishop Kanishka and members of Synod for their extraordinary partnership:
‘Without your vision and generosity, none of this would have been possible. Thank you for believing that gospel ministry in regional and rural New South Wales, matters. To God be the glory!’ ”
– Text and photo from the Bathurst diocese Facebook page.
All Saints’ Cathedral Bathurst seeks its next Dean
Via the Diocese of Bathurst Facebook account –
“All Saints’ Cathedral Bathurst is seeking its next Dean.
The Cathedral is both the principal church of the Diocese of Bathurst and a parish church serving the city and surrounding communities. We are looking for a prayerful and resilient leader who will bring clear Biblical preaching, a love for people, appreciation and affection for both traditional and contemporary Anglican worship, and a vision for growing and unifying the Cathedral’s ministry.
The Dean works collaboratively with the Bishop and diocesan leadership and leads a ministry team of clergy, staff and volunteers as together we seek to SHARE JESUS for LIFE.
God is at work in the diocese and cathedral, and it may be that the Lord is preparing you to join us. We’d love to hear from you.
Expressions of interest, including a CV and links to recent sermons, should be sent to Archdeacon Andrew Thornhill at rector@dubboanglicanchurch.org.”
– And the Parish Profile for the Cathedral can be seen here (PDF file).
Bishop Mark Calder — “I want Sydney Synod to know what a difference their partnership has made”
Mark Calder, Bishop of Bathurst, retires on Saturday 19th September.
In his last Bishop’s Newsletter, he writes to Christians across the diocese:
Dear friends,
On Wednesday 16 September, I have the opportunity to visit the Sydney Diocesan Synod to say, “thank you”.
When I arrived in Bathurst nearly seven years ago, the Diocese of Sydney had already committed to supporting us with an extraordinarily generous gift of $250,000 each year. That support continues through to 2030.
I want Sydney Synod to know what a difference their partnership has made.
It has not simply helped us balance a budget. It has given us breathing space to rebuild and strengthen ministry, and to keep our focus where it ought to be: Sharing Jesus for Life.
So, there is much for which we are SO thankful to God.
Average weekly attendance across the Diocese has recovered from just over 1,000 in 2021 to more than 1,500. Bible study groups have grown from 35 in 2019 to 66, with more than 500 people now attending. In 2019, only 7 per cent of our parishes had a weekly children’s or youth ministry. Today that figure is 57 per cent.
Of course, we still have some small parishes without clergy which face an uncertain future, and the financial challenge of redress is enormous.
And yet, despite these challenges, I’m glad that before I finish, I can thank Sydney Synod for their generosity and prayers; for the people they have sent to serve among us, and for believing that gospel ministry in central and western NSW, matters.
Above all, we thank God for what he has done among us.
Mark.
Also from the newsletter:
Please pray for ongoing wisdom and the Lord’s guidance for the Bishop’s Election Board.
Please pray for our Synod on 18– 19 Sept. Pray for a sense of unity and excitement as we gather as Synod. Pray for the Bishop’s Synod address that it will be clear and helpful, for wisdom in dealing with the motions and legislation, and that we will work together well as we seek to strengthen the cause of the gospel. Pray that we’ll respond to the challenge of redress with compassion for victims and deep trust in God. Pray that the closing service in the Cathedral will be a time of blessing and encouragement as we praise God and hear his word.
Download the newsletter here – and please uphold in prayer Mark and Susan and the churches across the diocese.
Lastly:
James Daymond reflects in Mark’s episcopacy in the Australian Church Record’s Synod 2026 Journal –
“One by one, new ministers were appointed. …
As time marched forward with a friendly step, parishes began to think more intentionally about their ministry priorities and came to adopt the mission statement for the diocese, ‘Sharing Jesus for Life’. In God’s goodness, people started coming to church. Some congregations experienced significant increases. Intro- ductory courses and Bible studies were introduced. Gospel partnerships were further developed beyond the diocese. …”
– The whole issue is worth reading, but don’t miss this report on pages 52-56. (3.5MB PDF file.)
Also on the Bathurst diocese website.
Praying for Bathurst Diocese — Prayer diary August 2026
If you pray for the ministry of the gospel, and the salvation of men and women, across the Diocese of Bathurst, this prayer diary will be a help!
And here’s a map to help visualise the locations you’re praying for –
Bathurst Bishop’s Newsletter — August 2026
Read the latest from the Diocese of Bathurst in The Bishop’s Newsletter for August 2026 – including –
“We give great thanks to God for the upcoming ordinations and commissioning on 22 August at 11am. …
Bishop Mark’s final service: A service of Praise, Prayer and Proclamation, 1.30pm, Sat 19 Sept at All Saints Cathedral. All welcome.
At the conclusion of the service, Bishop Mark will officially lay up his pastoral staff and his time as bishop will conclude.
The bishop’s election board recently reported: ‘We have met several times, and we believe, under God’s hand, that we have identified a number of suitable candidates. We appreciate your continued prayers for wisdom and discernment’…”
And from Bishop Mark Calder –
“Dear friends,
Four years ago last month, we launched Sharing Jesus for Life. It was never intended to be just another diocesan slogan or a strategic document that sat on a shelf. It was, and remains, a reminder of why we exist as churches: to share the Lord Jesus so that people might find life in him. …”
– Please be encouraged to download the newsletter and use it in your prayers, particularly in this coming time of transition for the diocese, for the eternal welfare of men and women, boys and girls, across this huge region of New South Wales.
Ordinations for Bathurst Diocese announced for 22 August
From the Diocese of Bathurst –
“Bishop Mark [Calder] has announced today that, God willing, five people will be ordained at All Saints’ Cathedral, Bathurst, on Saturday 22 August at 11am.
Robert Yemm, Xanthe Yemm and Justin Baker will be made Deacons,
and Robbie Nichols and Jim Kapetangiannis will be ordained Priests.
Please join us in thanking God for each of them and praying that the Lord will strengthen and sustain them as they prepare for this significant step in their ministry.
(Steve Cimarosti will be commissioned as Archdeacon in this service.)”
–Source, Bathurst Diocese Facebook page.
Three key positions for your prayers
For your prayers – three strategic positions to be filled in the not-too-distant future –
• As readers of our website will know, Dr Mark Thompson, Principal of Moore Theological College, will retire at the end of 2027.
• Bishop Mark Calder, Bishop of the Diocese of Bathurst, is concluding his term as Bishop on 19 September 2026. (Bishop’s Election Board.)
• And in the Presbyterian world, Dr Ian Smith, Principal of Christ College (the NSW Presbyterian theological college, at Burwood) will also retire at the end of 2027. (Applications.)
Please do uphold these men in your prayers, and pray for the bodies responsible for finding their successors, so that Christ is honoured, so that churches are strengthened, and so that many hear and believe the gospel, are saved, and grow as disciples.
Bathurst Diocese Bishop’s Newsletter June 2026
The latest Bishop’s Newsletter from the Diocese of Bathurst has been published. PDF file at this link.
Among other important topics is this request – “Please pray for great wisdom and the Lord’s guidance for the Bishop’s Election Board.” (Bishop Mark Calder retires on 19th September.)
In this newsletter, Bishop Calder writes,
“It’s been a joy and privilege to preach through Romans these past weeks; something I’ve not done before. It quickly became clear to me that Romans is not simply a detailed theological document. It is a deeply pastoral letter, written to ordinary Christians learning what it means to live in the King’s kingdom.
Again and again, Paul takes us back to the gospel: our universal sinfulness, God’s astonishing grace, justification by faith, peace with God, life in the Spirit, and the certain hope of future glory. Yet Romans never leaves these truths in the realm of theory. The gospel transforms how we think, how we worship, how we suffer, how we relate to governing authorities, how we love one another, and how we live together as God’s people.
I soon realised how determined Paul is to remove every ground for boasting in ourselves. We cannot boast in law-keeping, our religious background, or any effort to make ourselves right with God. Instead, we are reminded again and again that it is only through Jesus’ sacrifice that we are declared right with God. If we are to boast at all, we boast in the Lord.
Romans also reminds us that God’s saving purposes are far bigger than we often imagine. Through Christ, God is creating one people from many peoples, united not by background, culture, tradition, or personal preference, but by faith in his Son. We are to serve one another in humility and love our enemies generously.
My prayer is that this series has helped us to more clearly see the greatness of Jesus and what he has done for us, that we might with one mind and one voice, glorify him.”
Also on the diocesan website, and for your prayers and consideration, there’s a reminder of this parishes which are seeking leaders –
St Barnabas’ Orange East at 100
The parish of St Barnabas’ Orange East celebrated the centenary of the parish and Christian ministry in this key central west city on Sunday.
Photo: Cutting the celebration cake. The Rev’d Bob Cameron, immediate past Rector, Bishop the Rt Rev’d Mark Calder, and the Rev’d Ben Mackay, current Rector.
Via the Bathurst Diocese Facebook page.
No condemnation No separation — Romans chapter 8
Bishop of Bathurst Mark Calder is continuing his series on Romans – this week he is up to chapter 8.
See the full series here.
Help for Nyngan?
From the Diocese of Bathurst Facebook page:
“Friends, Nyngan currently has no Sunday services, as they have no clergy and no licenced lay minister. We struggle to know how to help such churches. Would you be up for a chat about helping?”
Peace with God
At Moore College chapel on Friday, Mark Calder, Bishop of the Diocese of Bathurst, preached from Romans 5:1-11.
– Good to hear and great to share.
Changes in Bathurst Diocese
Today, the Rev Ben Mackay will be commissioned as Rector of St. Barnabas Orange East. Please uphold him and Bron and their family in your prayers – as well as Bob and Fiona Cameron, who served at East Orange from 2017.
– via the Diocesan Facebook page.
Also, The Western Advocate has published a story on the upcoming retirement of Bishop Mark Calder. It’s a great reminder to pray for Mark and Susan and also for the election of the next Bishop of Bathurst.
– via the Diocesan Facebook page.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…