Commissioning in Cowra

From the Bathurst Diocese Facebook page:

“A great afternoon commissioning Ben (with Alissa) Connelly for ministry in Cowra with great thanks to BCA for their partnership. In the photos you’ll see the Rev’d Greg Harris, national director of BCA and various Bathurst clergy and spouses of who gathered for today.”

– A cause for thanksgiving and prayer. See also the BCA website.

Anglicans honoured in Australia Day list 2023

“A senior public servant and a former Dean of the College of Divinity are among Anglicans in Sydney given Australia Day Honours. …”

– Russell Powell has the story at SydneyAnglicans.net.

(Image: SydneyAnglicans.net)

Darrell Parker be installed as Bishop of North West Australia on 15th February

The Diocese of North West Australia advises that Darrell Parker will be installed as the Bishop of North West Australia at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Geraldton on Wednesday 15th February at 6:00pm AWST (9:00pm AEDT).

“We would be delighted if you could join us for this special occasion, either in person or through the livestream.

But above all, please join us in praying for Darrell and Elizabeth as they work out how to serve God faithfully and well in this new role, and that under Darrell’s watch the gospel will be boldly proclaimed in all the towns in North West Australia.”

Darrell will be consecrated at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney at 7:00pm AEDT (4:00pm AWST) on Friday 3rd February 2023.

Both services will be live-streamed on the Geraldton Cathedral website.

Photo: Darrell and Elizabeth Parker.

Commissionings and encouragement in Bathurst Diocese

Many will be encouraged by recent news from Bathurst.

The Bishop’s Newsletter – Summer Edition 2023 is available for download (PDF file).

Bishop Mark Calder writes, “This is the second of a semi-regular newsletter from me as a way of trying to increase communication around the diocese.”

Highlights include:

COMMISSIONING SERVICES

Grenfell – Tim Smith 11am Sat Jan 21
Oberon – Jonny Lush 1.30pm Sun Jan 22
Cowra – Ben Connelly 1.30pm Sat Jan 28
West Wyalong – Steven Klouth 11am Sat Feb 11
Cobar – James Daymond 11am Sat Feb 18

Ordination—04 Mar, at the Cathedral, 10am – James Boardman to be made deacon.

There’s also a parish profile for the Parish of Kelso which is vacant (and in a strategic location).

There’s plenty to pray about for Bathurst (and other country dioceses). In particular, pray for Bishop Mark Calder and his wife Susan with oversight and responsibilities for such a large area of NSW. Pray for those beginning ministries from Oberon to Cobar, and for the churches in which they minister. Pray that the men and women of these country areas might thirst to hear the gospel and to know Christ.

Photos – Commissioning services held over the weekend for Tim (and Jess) Smith at Grenfell and Jonny (and Liz) Lush at Oberon. Via the diocesan Facebook page.

Dean of Sydney: ALP ‘can do better’ on Pokies

A media release from earlier this week:

“The Dean of Sydney, Sandy Grant, a long-time campaigner for poker machine reform in NSW, has responded to the NSW ALP’s launch of its gambling reform policy today.

He said:

Although I am pleased to see some helpful steps in the ALP’s proposals that will be helpful, the ALP can do better by committing to the principal of introducing a cashless gaming card, with mandatory pre-commitment, for poker machine use right across NSW.

With NSW losses on poker machines approaching $8 billion per annum – that’s over $20 million/day! – we urgently need ‘Airbags on Pokies’.…”

– Read it all here.

Bathurst Diocesan Prayer Diary 2023

Please be encouraged to pray for the churches and people of the Diocese of Bathurst using their 2023 Prayer Diary.

Downloadable here as a PDF file.

One of the prayer requests for Day 15 –

“Please pray for the financial sustainability task force, that you would give them wisdom as they seek to lead our diocese to a better financial position. …”

Sydney Church History — repost

We first posted this link in August 2020. As CMS Summer School at Katoomba concludes for 2023, here are even more reasons to give thanks to God:

“In 1965 John Stott, the Rector of All Souls Langham Place in London, visited Sydney to preach on 2 Corinthians at the CMS Summer School.

‘I heard only one of those Bible studies but I was so taken by the way he stuck to the text and stayed with it. He could show you the logic of the argument in the Scriptures, prior to that I had tended to get an idea from the passage and to leap all over the Bible supporting the idea from other parts, so that the people I taught knew the ‘idea’ but not the passage from which it came or how that passage fitted into some overall argument from the Scriptures. It is to John Stott I owe what ability I have to expound the Bible.’

Those were the words of the esteemed Sydney evangelist and preacher, the late John Chapman…”

– David Cook writes to remind us of our history, and how God works. At The Expository Preaching Trust.

(David Cook has served in parish ministry, as the Principal of SMBC, and as the Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.)

Bishop of Tasmania’s Training Event 2022

From the Diocese of Tasmania:

“On 17 and 24 September, over 500 Anglicans from across Tasmania gathered in Hobart and Launceston to attend the annual Bishop’s Training Event.

In its 6th year, it was our biggest year yet, and we enjoyed encouragements from Bishop Richard and Wei-Han Kuan (the State Director of CMS Victoria). We are making the videos of the keynotes available and you can watch them below.”

– Most encouraging.

Moore College events calendar for 2023

Moore College has put online a very handy calendar of their events planned for 2023. (PDF file.)

The Library Showcase on 1st November (“Howard Guinness and the beginnings of university ministry”) sounds particularly interesting.

Top Centre 22.4

The latest issue (22.4) of Top Centre, the magazine of the Diocese of the Northern Territory, is now online.

Download it for your encouragement and to inform your prayers. (PDF file.)

Bishop of Bathurst’s video message Christmas 2022

This video is a companion to Bishop Mark Calder’s text version previously published.

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel’s 2022 Christmas message

With thanks to Anglican Media Sydney. Download your copy here.

And read this report from SydneyAnglicans.net.

The oldest parish in the Diocese helps the youngest

“Marsden Park is the newest parish in the Diocese of Sydney. So when its senior minister, the Rev Mark Collins, got a series of messages from the oldest parish in Sydney, he wondered what they might mean. …”

– SydneyAnglicans.net has an encouraging story of gospel partnership.

Bathurst Diocese parishes without clergy

From the Bathurst Diocese Facebook page:

“In the coming weeks, Bishop Mark [Calder] will commission new ministers in Oberon, Grenfell, Cowra, West Wyalong and Cobar!

We are so thankful to God for his provision. And yet, we still have 12 parishes without clergy! Rural ministry has surprising blessings! Maybe it is time to explore a new context, even though it may involve sacrifice and new challenges.

Bishop Mark would love to hear from you.”

Might the Lord be calling you?

Click the image for a larger version.

A Christmas 2022 message from Bishop Mark Calder

Bishop of Bathurst, Mark Calder, has written this Christmas op-ed:

_______

Christmas is the sure sign that God is real and that he loves us.

That he’s real? We know that because he turned up. Jesus is none other than God in person. That’s extraordinary. And he turned up not in a palace, but in a food trough among farm animals. Such was his humility!

That he loves us? Only love would motivate the God of the universe to step into the world he created and be therefore vulnerable to humanity which had already turned its back on him!

Why did he do it?

Because he loves us so much that he didn’t want to leave us in the mess we’d made of things by shutting him out. Through his teaching, his life, and his death and resurrection, he makes it possible for anyone who wants to welcome him back into their life, to be forgiven, and reconciled to him for a great life now, and all eternity.

2022 has been another very tough year. Our only hope is not that things will get better, or that next year will be free of sadnesses and challenges (though I hope it is!); our only hope and help is to welcome the love, strength, and new life that God turned up 2,000 years ago to make possible.

Have a great Christmas!

Mark Calder
Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Bathurst – covering central and western NSW.

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