Latest Northwest Network – fuel for prayer

The latest Northwest Network, from the Diocese of North West Australia, is now available for your encouragement to to fuel your prayers for the people of the north west. Dated August 2019.

900kb PDF file.

Dean of Sydney and GAFCON Australia react to the Wangaratta same-sex blessing vote

At today’s The Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steele speaks with the Dean of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel, about the decision of the Diocese of Wangaratta to reject the Biblical doctrine of marriage.

See also:

Statement from Gafcon Australia – 9 September 2019

The Board of Gafcon Australia expresses its dismay over the decision of Synod of the Diocese of Wangaratta to make provision for the blessing of same-sex marriages. We believe this has torn the fabric of our communion within the Anglican Church of Australia.

This decision is contrary to the teaching of Scripture about the nature of human sexuality and marriage. It is also contrary to the doctrinal position of the Anglican Church of Australia. General Synod has repeatedly affirmed that marriage is a lifelong exclusive union between a man and a woman. The Bible does not allow the blessing of any sexual relationship which is not marriage between a man and a woman.

Contrary to the views expressed by Bishop Parkes, the Anglican Church of Australia has always been a church that confesses its faith. Every deacon, priest and bishop has declared their faith and pledged their commitment to our doctrine at their ordination. This confession includes adherence to the Holy Scriptures, the Creeds, the Book of Common Prayer and the 39 Articles of Religion. Bishops are required to “correct and set aside teaching that is contrary to the mind of Christ”.

The resolution in Wangaratta is emblematic of a move in the Anglican Church of Australia away from our doctrine. Several Synods have now passed motions calling for services of blessings of same-sex marriage. Moreover, the Synod of the Diocese of Grafton showed its theological drift in June this year, by voting against affirming “the authorised standard of worship and doctrine of the Anglican Church of Australia as set out in the Fundamental Declarations and Ruling Principles of the Constitution.”

We therefore extend an invitation to any member of the Anglican Church of Australia, including those in the Dioceses of Wangaratta and Grafton, who are troubled by these developments, to contact Gafcon Australia atinfo@gafconaustralia.org or any of the Board members listed below.

Gafcon Australia is a growing movement of Anglicans across the breadth of the Australian Church, who uphold and promote orthodox, biblical teaching. Our aim is to provide mutual encouragement, fellowship and support for those who are committed to the same, both those who feel out of step with their Bishop and/or Synod, and those who are committed to working within the Anglican Church of Australia for biblical faithfulness. We are glad to affirm our commitment to the doctrine and order of the Anglican Church of Australia as it has been handed down to us. For more information see www.gafconaustralia.org

Gafcon Australia Board

The Rt Rev Dr Richard Condie (Chair), Tasmania; the Most Rev Dr Glenn Davies (Deputy Chair), Sydney; the Rev Stephen Carnaby, Tasmania; Mr Philip Gerber, Sydney; the Rev Paul Hunt, Adelaide; the Rev Joshua Kuswadi, NT; Mrs Fiona McLean, Melbourne; the Very Rev Kanishka Raffel, Sydney; the Rev Trevor Saggers, North Queensland; Dr Laurie Scandrett, Sydney; Dr Claire Smith, Sydney; the Rev Peter Smith, Perth.

– Source: GAFCON Australia.

Mark Short gives his first Presidential Address as Bishop of Canberra & Goulburn

With the title of “Across the Divides: Engaging a World of Difference with the Love and Truth of Jesus”, Bishop Mark Short has given his first Presidential Address to the Synod of the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. Read it here (PDF file).

The Synod meets in Goulburn until tomorrow.

Related:

Media release from the Diocese: (docx file)

New Canberra Goulburn Anglican Bishop Plans to Engage the World with the Love and Truth of Jesus.

Canberra-Goulburn’s Anglican Bishop has called on church-goers to engage a diverse and sometimes divided world with the love and truth of Jesus.

“We live in a world where we increasingly differ from each other, as globalisation brings us into greater contact with a diversity of experience and worldviews. We are increasingly a world where we differ with each other. Sometimes alongside, sometimes in reaction to globalisation there is a re-assertion of the local and the particular”, said Bishop Mark Short is his opening address to the Diocesan Synod in Goulburn today.

Bishop Short said that rather than retreating from the world or erecting barriers between them and the world Christians needed to move out into their neighbourhoods and communities.

“I suggest three ways in which we can engage our world with the love and truth of Jesus.

The Bishop hopes to implement this pattern of see/hearing/feeling in 2020 in a number of missions. Working in partnership with churches and agencies he envisages a period of engagement that involves: (i) meeting with members of the wider community to help us see the needs around them; (ii) inviting members of the wider community from all backgrounds into a conversation about questions of faith; (iii) welcoming members of the wider community to an experience of hospitality where they have an opportunity to meet Jesus.”

Vote by Synod of the Diocese of Wangaratta ignores ‘clear words of Scripture’

Anglican Diocese of Sydney

Public Statement

Response to a vote by the Synod of the Diocese of Wangaratta

The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, has issued a statement in response to a vote by the Synod of the Diocese of Wangaratta to authorise a service to bless civil marriages. The Bishop of Wangaratta has claimed this service would allow for a blessing of same-sex unions and that he personally intends to use it for that purpose.

Archbishop Davies said,

“It is highly regrettable that clergy and lay people in the Diocese of Wangaratta have chosen to follow their Bishop rather than the clear words of Scripture concerning God’s design for human sexuality (Matt 19:4-12).

The doctrine of our Church is not determined by 67 members of a regional synod in Victoria nor is it changed by what they may purport to authorise.

Time and time again, the General Synod has affirmed the biblical view of marriage as the doctrine of our Church. To bless that which is contrary to Scripture cannot, therefore, be permissible under our church law.

The circumstances of this event are reminiscent of the actions of the Diocese of New Westminster in Canada in 2003. It is now universally acknowledged that those events were the beginning of the ‘tear in the fabric of the Anglican Communion’.

Moreover, to claim the authority of our Church to carry out a service of blessing contrary to the biblical view of marriage and the doctrine of our Church will certainly fracture the Anglican Church of Australia.

Dr Glenn N Davies
Archbishop of Sydney
2 September 2019.”

– Source: SydneyAnglicans.net.

Mark Calder announced as Bishop of Bathurst

An announcement from Archdeacon Brett Watterson, Administrator of the Diocese of Bathurst:

“We look forward to the Rev’d Mark Norman Calder’s consecration as a Bishop in the church of God, 7pm Thursday 21 November in St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney and installation, 11am Saturday 23 November at All Saints Cathedral, Bathurst.

Mark was born in Broken Hill, when his parents were running the BCA hostel. Moving to Sydney and settling in Eastwood, he attended Eastwood Primary school and Epping Boys High. After 6 years working in the television industry, he studied at Moore College from 1984-87. Following nearly four years working as an assistant minister – first at Lalor Park and then at North Sydney – he was appointed rector of St Andrew’s Roseville in September 1991. During this time, he served on the council of the northern region of the diocese, the Anglican Media Council, the council of Shore school and on the standing committee of the diocese.

He became rector of Noosa on the Sunshine Coast in the diocese of Brisbane in November 2009. Wanting to learn from other traditions within the Anglican church, he immersed himself in the life of the diocese, serving at various times as area dean, diocesan nominator, General Synod rep and member of the council of St Andrew’s Anglican College Peregian Springs. Concurrent with his appointment at Noosa, he served for four years as priest-in-charge of the neighbouring parish of Cooroora.

Mark and Susan celebrated 30 years of marriage in July this year. They have three children: Philip – married to Sidney – lives in Townsville; Emily – married to Anthony – lives in Ipswich; and Michael lives in Toowoomba. Mark and Susan love being grandparents to Emily and Anthony’s children, Mackenzie (3) and Charlie (1).

Mark enjoys his family, God’s glory in creation, many aspects of today’s technology and long drives!

Mark communicated his desire for the diocese of Bathurst in this way:

My prayer is that under my leadership, the Diocese will grow communities of faith, full of people who have confidence in their forgiveness through the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and joyful assurance of spending eternity with God by his grace. I trust that in every city, town and village, the Anglican church is known and loved, present in the community and valued for its contribution. I pray that as a result, more and more people will become disciples and grow strong and clear in their relationship with the Lord Jesus, to the glory of God.”

See also:

A new role for our minister – Anglican Church of Noosa.

Sydney helps Bathurst – SydneyAnglicans.net, 15 October 2018.

Wangaratta Synod prepares to push Anglican Church of Australia to the Brink

“As I write the synod of the Diocese of Wangaratta is in the final day of its current session.

Bishop Parkes has been very clear that he intends to support and endorse a motion before the synod to allow for blessings of those individuals who have entered into a same-sex marriage in Australia. …

Bishop Parkes’ Presidential Address provides a clear insight into his thinking on this topic.…

It seems certain that the synod will pass the motion and the crisis will be upon us. As we’ve reported previously, we should expect to see conservative bishops take out disciplinary measures against Parkes. The matter will also be referred to the Appellate Tribunal.”

– David Ould writes on the Synod of the Diocese of Wangaratta, which concludes today.

Photo: Bishop David Parkes, who speaks (in his Presidential address) of the influence on his thinking  of John Macquarrie and Friedrich Schleiermacher, among others.

Update 1:

“The Diocese of Wangaratta has passed their motion calling for the blessing of individuals who have taken part in a same-sex wedding. The voting, reported by prominent supporter of the motion Ven. John Davis (Archdeacon Emeritus of the Diocese), was that 67 for, 18 against and one abstention.”

Update 2:

“In the coming weeks, Bishop Parkes will bless two priests from Wangaratta, John Davis and Rob Whalley, who have been in a relationship for more than 20 years.” – ABC News, 1st September 2019.

Vale Bishop Tony Nichols

From the Diocese of North West Australia:

“We praise God for the life of Tony Nichols, Bishop of North West Australia 1992–2003, who died yesterday, aged 81.

Tony will be remembered for his wise and godly leadership and for consolidating the Diocese’s commitment to the gospel and biblical teaching. Please pray for God’s comforting hand on Judith and the family.”

Via Facebook. (Photo: Dalkeith Anglican Church.)

Are the Nationals the ‘New Greens’?

“Are the Nationals the ‘New Greens’? Has the National Party been commandeered by the Progressive Left? What does the National Party stand for any more?

G.K. Chesterton said: ‘When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing in anything.’ Equally, it could be said that when a political party loses its reason for existence and its moral fabric it will inevitably allow anything. …”

– The Bishop of Armidale, Rick Lewers, doesn’t beat about the bush in his latest “In Focus” article.

Melbourne Anglicans Urge Diocese of Wangaratta “not to break the unity of the church”

“A prominent group of Melbourne Anglicans comprising both senior clergy and lay people today issued an open letter to the Bishop of Wangaratta (the Rt Rev John Parkes and the synod (diocesan parliament) of the Diocese of Wangaratta urging them not to pull away from the rest of the Anglican Church of Australia by acting on their own in their upcoming synod meeting 30 & 31 August.

Bishop Parkes has said he plans to ask the synod to approve the blessing of couples that have had same-sex marriages. …”

– A press release (PDF file) late last week from The New Cranmer Society in Melbourne.

Carcoar prepares to fight sale of St Paul’s

“The community of Carcoar is preparing to fight the Bathurst Anglican Diocese over a proposal to sell the historic St Paul the Apostle church.

The administrator of the Anglican Diocese of Bathurst Archdeacon Brett Watterson addressed 12 members of the Carcoar church community on Wednesday, August 7, informing them that the church was looking at options that included selling the church on the open market. …”

– Story from The Blayney Chronicle.

Image: Carcoar.com.au.

Wangaratta Lays Down the Gauntlet … who will pick it up?

“The Anglican Church of Australia has arrived at the crisis moment that so many of us have feared and warned about.

The Melbourne Anglican reports that Bishop John Parkes of Wangaratta will ask his diocese’s upcoming synod (meeting on the weekend of August 30-31) to endorse a liturgy for the blessing of same-sex marriages and will, himself, be prepared to preside over such a service.

So why this move and why now? Parkes gives his own reasons in the interview but one key factor isn’t noted. …”

– David Ould alerts us to an impending crisis for the Anglican Church of Australia.

The Prodigal

“I was recently asked to speak on the story of the Prodigal Son, a story which you can find in any Bible. The story is a famous one and often used proverbially in words like, “the prodigal returns”. Some literary giants have described this story as the greatest story ever written. For me it is the greatest story I have never really addressed. So in this article I thought I would invite you into the story that Jesus tells.

The story is really about three shameful people. …”

– Bishop of Armidale, Rick Lewers, continues to write helpful pieces for his local newspaper. Here’s the latest. Many of these could be useful conversation-starters.

“Grafton Synod indicates rejection of both National Constitution and Bishops’ Agreement”

“The Synod of the Diocese of Grafton, which met this last weekend, has passed a number of controversial motions and heard a question which indicate a walking away from aspects of the national church constitution and the recent Bishops’ Agreement. …

the Synod debated asking the General Synod to introduce same-sex marriage and blessing liturgies. That motion, as expected, was passed along with a number of related matters. What surprised some delegates at Synod was that the following motion was comprehensively defeated:

27. Standard of Worship and Doctrine

That this Synod affirms the authorised standard of worship and doctrine of the Anglican Church of Australia as set out in the Fundamental Declarations and Ruling Principles of the Constitution.

The motion was defeated in a vote by houses with approximately 2/3 of the delegates voting against.”

– David Ould has a report.

New ACL Council elected for 2019-2020

The Anglican Church League is pleased to announce the following office bearers were elected at our AGM on 6 June 2019.

Please continue to pray for the work of the Council and Executive, that they would serve humbly and faithfully to help promote Christ and the reformed evangelical Protestant faith through the structures of the Anglican Church of Australia.

The Anglican Church League, Office Bearers and Councillors for 2019 – 20

President: The Rev Andrew Bruce
Chairman: Dr Robert Tong AM
Secretary: The Rev Canon Tom Harricks 
Minutes Secretary: The Rev Matthew Whitfield
Elections Secretary: The Rev Gavin Poole
Membership Secretary: The Rev. Michael Leite
Communications Secretary: The Rev Dr Lionel Windsor
Treasurer: Dr Laurie Scandrett

Vice-presidents

Dr Claire Smith
Dr Laurie Scandrett
Mr Clive Ellis
The Rev Canon Dr Mark Thompson
The Rev Canon Phil Colgan
The Rt Rev Ivan Lee

Councillors

The Rev Roger Cunningham
Mr Jeremy Freeman
The Rev Dr Raj Gupta
Mr Edward Hannah
Mr Luke Jackson
Mr Angus Martin
Mrs Michele Morrison
The Rev Scott Newling
The Rev Caitlin Orr
The Rev Gavin Parsons
Mr Malcolm Purvis
The Rev Craig Roberts
The Rev Mike Taylor
The Rev Kate Haggar
The Rev Jason Ramsay
The Rev James Warren
The Rev Nigel Fortescue
The Rev Dave Keun

Emeritus Vice-presidents

The Rev Canon Dr Bruce Ballantine-Jones OAM
The Rt Rev Dr Paul Barnett AM
The Rev Canon Allan Blanch
Mr John Colquhoun
The Most Rev Dr Glenn Davies
The Rev Neil Flower
The Rt Rev Dr Harry Goodhew AO
The Rev Tom Halls
The Rt Rev Dr Peter Jensen
The Rev Phillip Jensen
The Rev Neil Macken
The Rt Rev Gary Nelson
The Rev Dr Peter O’Brien
The Rt Rev Dr Reg Piper
The Rev Canon Jim Ramsay
Mr Bruce Robinson
The Rev Gordon Robinson
The Rt Rev Ray Smith
The Rt Rev Peter Tasker
The Rev Dr John Woodhouse
The Rev Zac Veron.

Sydney Rector elected Bishop of The Murray

Announced in churches across the Diocese of The Murray today, this news from Dr Robert Tong AM, Chair of the  Bishop Election Committee and Chancellor:

“Following the retirement of Bishop John Ford, the Bishop Election Committee of the Diocese of The Murray is pleased to announce the election on 25 May 2019, of the Reverend Keith William Dalby to be the 5th Bishop of The Murray.

The bishop-elect is the Rector of St John’s Gordon in the Diocese of Sydney. He served his curacy at Mitcham (Adelaide Diocese) and then ministered in the Diocese of Ballarat as Rector of Timboon and then Rector of Warracknabeal before moving to Sydney.

Prior to ordination Keith spent 12 years as a submariner in the Royal Australian Navy. His theological training was at St Barnabas Theological College (BTh) and during his time in Gordon he completed the requirements for the award of MA in Theology from Moore Theological College. Keith is married to Alice and they have five children.

Arrangements for Consecration and Installation will be advised later.”

From The Murray diocesan website:

“The Anglican Diocese of The Murray is located in the south-eastern region of South Australia, taking in the Fleurieu Peninsula, Riverland, Adelaide Hills, Murraylands and the southern suburbs of Adelaide. The Diocese has 16 parishes or pastoral districts. The cathedral church of the Diocese is the Cathedral of St John the Baptist, Murray Bridge.

The Diocese is one of three in the Province of South Australia.”

(Photo via Twitter.)

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