David Cook next Moderator-General of Presbyterian Church of Australia

via Gary Ware. (David is well known and loved by many Sydney Anglicans, having studied at Moore College, and spoken at many conferences and conventions. He is the former Principal of SMBC. David has been preaching at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in London in recent months.)

When to jump ship?

“Anyone in a mainline denomination infected by liberalism, or some other divergence from the evangelical faith, will have faced the question of when to stay or when to go? How bad does the denomination have to get before you decide to abandon ship? Recently, this question came closer to home as an evangelical Anglican pastor in Australia, when a bishop in another diocese knowingly appointed a clergyman in an open same-sex relationship to charge of a parish. …”

– Over at The Briefing, Sandy Grant mulls the question – with help from John Charles Ryle.

‘Church leaders pay tribute as Bishop Wallace Benn nears retirement’

The Church of England Newspaper has a report on the coming retirement of Wallace Benn, Bishop of Lewes.
(Photo:Peter Frank / GAFCON.)

New CMS Victoria State Director

“The Revd Dr Jonathan Wei-Han Kuan has been appointed the new State Director of the Church Missionary Society in Victoria, the Chair of the Victorian Branch Council of CMS, Pam Thyer, has announced.

Dr Kuan will take up his appointment on Monday 24 September…”

– CMS Victoria media release, via Anglican Media Melbourne.

Gav Poole elected President of the Anglican Church League

Media release, 9th August 2012

At its Annual General Meeting on 9 August, the Anglican Church League elected the Rev Gavin Poole, Rector of Cherrybrook Anglican Church, as its new President. Mr Poole succeeds the Rev Dr Mark Thompson who had been the President of the League since 2005.

Dr Thompson spoke enthusiastically about the new president.

‘Gavin brings to this role his wealth of experience as a Rector in the diocese, as part of a ministry team in the United States for several years, and helped organise the FCA Leaders’ conference in London this year’, he said.

‘He is deeply committed to the evangelical character of our diocese and the importance of the work of the League in guarding and growing that critical inheritance. He is an excellent choice to lead the League into the next period of its life.’

Gavin commented,

‘I have a strong appreciation for this diocese and its evangelical heritage. We must work hard to maintain and build upon that which has been left to us by our evangelical forefathers. I am also thankful for the way Mark has served the ACL over the past 7 years. I look forward to serving in this capacity.’

The ACL Council encourages prayer for Gavin as he takes up his new responsibilities.

(Photo: The four most recent Presidents, left to right: The Rev. Gav Poole, Outgoing President Dr. Mark Thompson, Previous Presidents Rev. Zac Veron and Canon Bruce Ballantine-Jones.)

Tasmanian Parliament urged to reject same-sex marriage legislation

“The Anglican Church in Tasmania has today urged Members of Parliament to reject the Premier’s proposed legislation to allow same-sex marriage in Tasmania.

The Church continues to hold the position that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman, voluntarily entered into for life. …” – Media release from the Diocese of Tasmania.

Bishop of Riverina to retire

“The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Riverina, Doug Stevens, has announced his intention to retire from his present role on Sunday, November 11. …

‘Having recently turned 60, I feel that it is time to respond to what I perceive as God’s leading to return to parish ministry…”

– from page 3 of Anglican News – The Newspaper of the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn, August 2012. PDF file.

New Principal for SMBC

The Board of the Sydney Missionary and Bible College has announced that new Principal of the College will be the Rev Stuart Coulton.

Stuart studied at Moore College in the 1980s. He has served as Pastor of the Presbyterian churches in Burwood (1987-1991) and Blacktown (1991-2002) before teaching full time at SMBC from 2002. He has been Vice-Principal since 2004. Announcement here (PDF file).

Communiqué of the Global South Primates, Bangkok, 20 July 2012

“We, the Primates and representatives of 17 Global South Provinces, met in Bangkok, Thailand, from 18-20 July 2012, in conjunction with the Global South Conference on the Decade of Mission and Networking. …

6.  We note with great sadness the passing of Resolution A049 at the 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church which authorized a liturgy for blessing same-sex unions. This action confirms our disappointment that The Episcopal Church has no regard for the concerns and convictions of the vast majority of Anglicans worldwide.

7.  We stand in solidarity with our brethren in the Communion Partners who have dissented from this action. …”

– from the Communiqué from the meeting.

South Carolina speaks out on TEC General Convention

The Bishop of South Carolina, Mark Lawrence, has requested that a letter be read aloud to all congregations in his diocese today, following landmark votes at the TEC General Convention during the week –

“Given these changes in the doctrine, discipline and worship of the Episcopal Church the question that is before us is: ‘What does being faithful to Jesus Christ look like for this diocese at this time? How are we called to live and be and act?  In this present context, how do we make Biblical Anglicans for a Global Age?’”

Read the text of his letter below – Read more

South Carolina delegates leave TEC General Convention early

“The bulk of the deputation to the House of Deputies from the Diocese of South Carolina has left General Convention one day early, following the actions of the Convention thus far to (a) add transsexual persons to the list of people who cannot be denied work at any level in the Episcopal Church (USA); (b) adopt a rite for the blessing of same-sex unions, in violation of both the Book of Common Prayer and the ECUSA Constitution; and (c) refuse to act at this time on the proposed Anglican Covenant. …”

– Story from The Anglican Curmudgeon.

South Carolina statements here –

“It is with heavy hearts that Bishop Mark Lawrence and the South Carolina deputation to General Convention must report the final passage and adoption of Resolution A049, the Resolution to Authorize Liturgical Resources for Blessing Same-Gender Relationships. The Bishop and our deputation, in both speaking and voting against its passage, remain united and unanimous in our support of the historic understanding of ‘the doctrine, discipline and worship of Christ as this Church has received them.’…”

Related: Why is the Episcopal Church near collapse? – Beliefnet. (h/t SydneyAnglicans.net)

“This is no longer George Washington’s Episcopal Church – in 1776 the largest denomination in the rebellious British colonies. Membership has dropped so dramatically that today there are 20 times more Baptists than Episcopalians.”

NZ Church to hold conversations ‘with the wider community’ on marriage

“Without dissent, and after a debate that at times included displays of raw emotion, the synod passed a resolution that “asks Episcopal Units to hold conversations in our church and with the wider community about the nature of marriage.”

It’s clear that the mover of the resolution, the Rev Glynn Cardy, of St Matthew-in-the-City, in Auckland, hopes this will lead, eventually, to the possibility of gay and lesbian couples getting married in Anglican churches…”

– more ‘conversations’ coming to the Anglican Church of NZ. Text of resolution here.

Remembering a Pioneer

“On 13 July each year we remember Bishop Sydney Kirkby, a pioneer missionary for Rural Australia and the Bush Church Aid Society.”

– The Diocese of Perth website gives thanks.

Read more about Bishop Kirkby (1879–1935) at The Australian Dictionary of Biography.

 

TEC affirms “gender identity and gender expression”

“‘Gender identity and gender expression’ have been added as a category of protected classes of personas and behavior for the Episcopal Church. On 9 July 2012 the House of Deputies adopted resolutions … forbidding discrimination in the employment, ordination and the ‘life, worship, and governance’ of trans-gendered or transsexual persons……”

– George Conger reports at Anglican Ink.

No censure for “Fort Worth 9” in TEC House of Bishops

“The push by the provisional bishops of Fort Worth and Quincy to censure nine bishops for disloyalty to the Episcopal Church has failed in the House of Bishops and has likely sunk any attempt to discipline the accused through the church’s legal system. …”

– George Conger reports at Anglican Ink.

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