The harvest is plentiful — more workers for Bathurst Diocese
Bishop of Bathurst Mark Calder has announced two new appointments –
“Excited to announce the appointment of the Reverend Andy Martin as rector of Holy Trinity Orange from October (pictured at left with his wife Amanda and their two girls), and the appointment of Tim Smith, who will serve from 2023, initially as Deacon in Charge of Grenfell parish (pictured here with Jess and their baby).”
– from the Bathurst Diocese Facebook page.
See also Bishop Mark Calder’s keynote address from the Diocesan Conference held on 30 July 2022:
A tonic for any church. Well worth watching – and plenty to pray about.
Archbishop Kanishka Raffel at Geraldton Cathedral’s Diamond Jubilee
Last week Archbishop Kanishka Raffel travelled to Geraldton in Western Australia for the Cathedral’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
He was welcomed to speak at the celebration service by Acting Dean David Seccombe.
Encouraging and a great reminder to pray for the progress of the gospel in the North West.
Moore College Sunday 2022
Moore College Sunday 2022 is coming up.
The College has posted videos and graphics you can use to encourage your church to pray.
Praying for the North West and the election of a new Bishop
In the latest edition of North West Network (PDF file), Paul Spackman, Administrator of the Diocese of North West Australia, asks for your prayers for the election of their new bishop.
The election synod is planned for August 26-28 2022.
New Dean of Geraldton
“Cathedral members are rejoicing at the news that the Revd Lachlan Edwards has been appointed the new Dean of Geraldton.
Lachlan and his wife Bec have spent the past decade ministering in Sydney at Christ Church Lavender Bay and Fig Tree Anglican Church.
They are thankful to be returning to the place where they served after graduating from Trinity Theological College in Perth. …”
– News from the Diocese of North West Australia.
Praying for Bathurst’s Strategic Plan
“Sharing Jesus for Life” is the catchphrase of the Bathurst Diocese Strategic Plan to be launched at the diocesan conference in two weeks.
It’d be good to pray for all attending the conference, and for Bishop Mark Calder as he leads it.
Happy 142nd birthday, Australian Church Record!
“On the first of July, 1880 the ACR began. Its name back then was ‘The Church of England Record’.
Its very first article explains its object and purpose – and it’s remarkable that (1880s language conventions notwithstanding) it’s still the ‘vibe’ of the ACR, 142 years on. Note the references to ritualism, liberalism, mission, children’s and youth ministry, godliness of life, personal evangelism, etc. …”
– And you thought the Anglican Church League (founded c. 1909) was old.
Read about the ACR’s Object and Purpose as it was in 1880.
Related:
ACL Centenary Dinner Address, September 2009.
An open letter to the Archbishop of Brisbane
In response to Archbishop Phillip Aspinall’s Address to the Brisbane Synod on 25th June 2022, The Rev. Peter Judge-Mears, the Rector of a parish in the diocese, has written an open letter –
“Dear Archbishop Phillip,
I wrestled hard with how I should respond to your Presidential Address last month. I remain grateful for your gracious invitation to address my concerns with you in person. However, I feel that the very public nature of your comments and the impact they have had on our Diocese demand an equally public response. …”
Read the full letter here (PDF file).
It would be good to pray for all involved.
And read Archbishop Aspinall’s Presidential Address here (PDF file).
Photo: Archbishop of Brisbane Phillip Aspinall.
Top Centre 22.2
The latest issue of Top Centre, the magazine of the Diocese of the Northern Territory, is now available from their website.
It serves as a good reminder to pray for the churches and the progress of the gospel in the Northern Territory.
More encouragement from Bathurst Diocese
The Diocese of Bathurst – via its Facebook page – shares encouraging news and food for prayer –
Tim Smith, pictured with Jess and Annie Amelia, at left, and Jonny Lush, pictured with Liz, have been approved for ordination as deacons. The ordination service is planned for December.
“We are currently discerning where they may best serve the Lord in 2023, when 16/28 parishes without clergy will become 14/28!!”
At right: The Rev’d Ben Mackay will be ordained priest in the church of God on Saturday 16th July at 2pm, at St George’s Parkes.
Southern Cross July-August 2022
The Diocese of Sydney’s magazine, Southern Cross, for July-August 2022 will be available in parishes this weekend.
It’s also available for download. Grab your copy now.
Archbishop Ben Kwashi’s visit to Sydney cancelled
From Anglican Aid Sydney, 20 June 2022 –
“It is with great excitement that we will be welcoming Archbishop of Jos, Nigeria, Ben Kwashi to Sydney in August, 2022. Archbishop Kwashi has agreed to present at an event for Anglican Aid supporters and ministry leaders on Saturday 13 August 2022.”
Update:
Anglican Aid has reported that Archbishop Kwashi’s visit has been cancelled due to his need for a medical procedure in late July.
Please continue to uphold in prayer Archbishop Kwashi and his family.
And do continue to support Anglican Aid.
Earlier:
Frontline church leader battles cancer – SydneyAnglicans.net, October 2020.
Annual General Meeting 2022 — Report
The Annual General Meeting of Anglican Church League was held at St Andrew’s Cathedral School on 16 June 2022. Here’s a report.
Bible reading and Prayer
ACL President the Rev Andrew Bruce shared from God’s word on Acts 14:1–20. He encouraged us that in this passage, the gospel of Christ is preached in all its saving power. Nevertheless, the preacher is (shockingly and appallingly) bashed and left for dead. We saw that as the gospel goes forward, opposition arises. We prayed for encouragement and perseverance as the gospel goes forward in our own circumstances.
Presidential Address
Rev Bruce noted that this was his last address as President, having served in this role for seven years. He reflected that during the time of his presidency, the ACL had restructured its operations to better achieve its aim of having “the right people in the right places doing the right things”. The restructuring had resulted in greater efficiency and effectiveness for the Council and greater engagement with members.
Treasurer’s Report
The treasurer spoke to the financial reports. He noted the surplus over the last couple of years is related to the lower than usual expenses due to reduced activity during the COVID pandemic.
Vice-Presidents’ Reports
Reports from two Vice-Presidents were interspersed with elections (see below for election results).
The ACL and the Sydney Diocese
ACL Vice President the Rev Canon Phil Colgan spoke on the vital work of the ACL in promoting Christ and the reformed evangelical Protestant faith through the structures of the Sydney Diocese. He noted that we see ourselves as servants of the Synod. While the COVID pandemic has meant that Sydney Synod had not been able to meet recently, there have been elections, and the ACL has nominated good candidates who have won those elections.
A significant challenge facing the Synod is that it is becoming harder to find and raise up lay people for important roles on boards and committees. This is especially important in our schools, where the key issues of gender and sexuality are at the fore. Members of the ACL have a vital role in finding excellent lay candidates for the Council to recommend.
General Synod and The Line in the Sand
ACL Vice President Dr Claire Smith spoke on the recent General Synod in May 2022. She noted that there were many reasons to be thankful to God, including the godly leadership of Archbishop Kanishka Raffel, and that many good motions were discussed graciously and passed. She commended the excellent daily email updates for ACL members written by ACL Council member the Rev Kate Haggar.
Dr Smith noted with sadness the decision of 12 out of 24 Bishops (plus two abstentions) to defy the will of the General Synod by rejecting a key motion on marriage and human sexuality. Members of the ACL will be familiar with the book The Line in the Sand, published jointly by the ACL and the Australian Church Record and available for free download, that addressed the issue in detail. Dr Smith also commended the ABC Religion & Ethics article by ACL Vice-President the Rev Canon Dr Mark Thompson, “I contend that twelve bishops did defy the will of the General Synod over human sexuality: A response to Matthew Anstey”. Thankfully, the General Synod passed other motions and statements affirming the biblical understanding of marriage.
Election results
The following office-bearers were elected:
President: The Rev Roger Cunningham
Chairman: Dr Robert Tong AM
Treasurer: Mr Ned Teuben
Secretary: The Rev Mike Leite
Elections Secretary: The Rev Andrew Bruce
Membership Secretary: The Rev Mike Taylor
Communications Secretary: The Rev Dr Lionel Windsor
Minutes Secretary: The Rev Matthew Whitfield
Vice Presidents:
Mr Clive Ellis
Dr Laurie Scandrett
Dr Claire Smith
The Rev Canon Phil Colgan
The Rt Rev Dr Gary Koo
The Rev Canon Dr Mark Thompson
Councillors:
Ms Stephanie Adams
Mr Jeremy Freeman
Mr Edward Hannah
Mr Michael Latten
Mr Angus Martin
Mr Malcolm Purvis
Mr Henry Pascoe
Mr Phillip Witheridge
The Rev Dr Mark Earngey
The Rev Nigel Fortescue
The Rev Dr Raj Gupta
The Rev Kate Haggar
The Rev Canon Tom Harricks
The Rev Graeme Howells
The Rev Caitlin Orr
The Rev Gavin Parsons
The Rev Gavin Poole
The Rev Jason Ramsay
The Rev Craig Roberts
The Rev James Warren
Motions of thanks
A motion of thanks to the Rev Andrew Bruce for his faithful service as President over many years passed by acclamation.
A motion of thanks to Dr Laurie Scandrett for faithful service as Treasurer passed by acclamation.
The meeting closed in prayer, led by newly elected President the Rev Roger Cunningham.
With thanksgiving for Brian Richardson
We are very sorry to hear the news that Archdeacon Brian Richardson has died in Sydney.
Brian was Archdeacon of North Sydney 1982-1993. Previously he served as Rector of Turramurra 1977-1984, Manly 1966-1977 and Carlingford 1960-1966.
Our readers will want to uphold Brian’s family in their prayers at this time. We are thankful that Brian is now with Christ, and that is “better by far”. (Philippians 1:23.)
His funeral will be held at St James’ Turramurra tomorrow, Thursday 23rd June 2022 at 11:00am. (Video link here.)
Honoured for fostering love
“North Shore couple Carolyn and David Stedman, who have fostered 74 children, are among several Sydney Anglicans honoured in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours…”
– SydneyAnglicans.net has the story.
Image: Seven’s Sunrise via Anglican Media Sydney.