Don’t let prayer be our last resort

From Archbishop Kanishka Raffel:

“On Sunday, May 4, I have invited all of our churches to share in a day of prayer for the spread of the gospel across our Diocese – from the Hawkesbury to the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands to Wollongong and the South Coast, and Greater Sydney. A day of prayer for our friends, family, neighbours and colleagues who don’t know Christ, to come to know him and his redeeming love. …”

– Read it all at SydneyAnglicans.net.

The Link – Autumn 2025 – from the Diocese of Armidale

Published online a few weeks ago, the Autumn 2025 issue of The Link from the Diocese of Armidale has local stories and food for prayer.

Available here. Or direct PDF file link.

Pastoral Care that Commends the Gospel, with Sarah Condie

A Gospel Coalition Australia podcast with Jonathan Holt:

“One key part of the ministry we share as the body of Christ is the pastoral care we extend one another. In this episode we are joined by Sarah Condie to talk about how our pastoral care might commend the good news of Jesus.

How do we fulfill the many one-another verses in the New Testament, especially when we often feel burdened with our own concerns, or very aware of our own limitations.

Sarah works with her husband Keith, for Anglican Deaconess Ministries, at the Mental Health and Pastoral Care Institute.”

– Most encouraging. Photo: Keith and Sarah Condie.

Nexus 2025: Post-conference reflections on personal and team-based evangelism

“With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, said Jesus.

It’s so often like that, isn’t it?

What you bring to a thing is very often what you end up getting out of it. The questions and attitudes you have at the outset usually determine how you hear, what you hear, and what you come away with.

So in the following reflections on the Nexus Conference that was held a couple of weeks ago, I must ask the reader to bear with the questions I turned up with. They have been on my mind for some little while, and they no doubt determined why I found the conference to be a vastly encouraging and stimulating day. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Kirsten McKinlay shares her reflections on Nexus 2025.

Thanks to the Nexus team, you can hear the talks yourself!

Being an Influencer

“ ‘Trev, go home. One day I want to be able to say, see that guy who is a well-known engineer, he used to spend time at my slot car track and work for me part-time. I don’t want them to say, see that bum over there, I knew him once.’

I spent much of my time as a teenager at a local pinball parlour and slot car track. The man who owned the establishment took an interest in me and employed me part-time. One night when I wasn’t working but just hanging around, he sent me home with these words.

After I was rather miraculously converted from atheism to Christianity in my 30s, I began to remember many points in my life, like this one, when the words and actions of others influenced me in tiny incremental ways towards the ‘good’. …”

– In the latest edition of CASE News from New College, Trevor Cairney reminds us of that the Lord can use weak vessels like us to bring good to others.

Photo: Trevor Cairney at the 2024 ACL Synod Dinner.

Talks from the Bathurst Diocese 2025 Conference

Videos of the talks from the Diocese of Bathurst 2025 Conference – held last weekend – are now available for your encouragement and edification.

And food for your prayers too.

Chris Braga: ‘I believed therefore I spoke’

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“That’s what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:13. And yet it’s a verse hardly referred to in the last few decades in discussions over who is responsible for evangelism.

Chris Braga of Grace West Anglican Church Sydney told the Nexus Conference in Sydney that 2 Corinthians 4:13 shows that there’s a spiritual reflex that internal faith (in the death and resurrection of Jesus) will challenge fear and lead to speech.

Not because we’re commanded, but because we can’t help ourselves.

Chris Braga says implications are that proclamation is for every Christian, one’s Christian faith is always public and a command is not needed to link faith to speech.”

– Watch or listen here.

Being prepared

American astronaut Butch Wilmore who, along with fellow astronaut Suni Williams, had an unexpectedly long stay on the International Space Station, was ready for a question in a press conference in space. (The two returned safely to Earth last week.)

Related: 1 Peter 3:15.

Videos from Nexus25 available

Thanks to the team at Nexus25, the videos of the talks from Monday’s conference are now available for your edification.

Talks by Dave Jensen, Dominic Steele, Chris Braga and Phil Colgan.

– See them here. Very helpful and challenging for ministry teams, small groups and individuals.

Old Preaching

“The greatest challenge in writing about preaching with older people is the sheer diversity of older people, their needs and backgrounds. So, this blog provides some thoughts, you will need wisdom to apply them to your context. As preaching requires both exegetical content and public speaking skills, I will start with the question of content and finish with some quick public speaking with older people tips.

The greatest content danger for sermons for older people is assumption. …”

– At The Expository Preaching Trust, Aged Care Chaplain Ben Roland shares some help and encouragement.

Encouragement from Scripture: Colossians 4:2-6

Paul writes:

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison – that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

Walk in wisdom towards outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

– ESV.

A pod for God

“Before Steve Jobs at Apple invented the iPod, podcasts were called radio shows. As someone who made radio shows for 30 years, perhaps I am not the best person to review podcasts. But then again, maybe I am. Because the basic rules haven’t changed much.

Rule number one is to say something interesting. Rule number two is to be listenable. Sounds simple, right? But not every podcast follows these rules, as just about anyone with a microphone and an internet connection can now be a podcaster. …”

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Russell Powell introduces a new podcast he has discovered.

The Evangelism and New Churches podcasts page has links to the Fire Up podcast and all the previous episodes on Apple or Spotify.

Preaching Workshop 3-5 June 2025 — Expository Preaching Trust

At The Expository Preaching Trust, David Cook shares details of the Preaching Workshop coming up on 3-5 June at Drummoyne.

A valuable resource for preachers.

A first glance at the pastor’s heart – 2 Corinthians 1:1–22

Moore College Principal Dr Mark Thompson speaks from 2 Corinthians 1:1–22 at the start of the College academic year.

Watch here.

Southern Cross magazine February – March 2025

The latest issue of Southern Cross magazine (February – March 2025) is now available in churches.

If you miss out on getting a printed copy, a digital version is available from sydneyanglicans.net.

• Ministry to bubs and preschoolers
• Welcoming
• Positive masculinity
• Outreach in your suburb
• SRE teachers

PLUS: news, views, reviews and more

Next Page →