A Fireside Chat with Bishop Rod Chiswell

The December 2021 – January 2022 issue of The Link from the Diocese of Armidale is now up on their website.

Lots of encouraging articles and fuel for prayer.

Bishop Rod Chiswell writes,

“Greetings from Armidale. I hope you’ve weathered the winter and stayed warm in your patch. Since moving to Armidale, I’ve rediscovered the joys of sitting by the fire. So, this letter from me comes as a kind of fireside chat to share some of the things that are on my heart.

During my first eight months in the job as bishop, at every opportunity in parishes around the Armidale Diocese, I have been underlining the central importance of God’s word. …”

– Read it all on page 3 of The Link, available via this page.

Also in this issue, Bernard Gabbott reflects on “shepherding a scattered mob” during COVID in Narrabri.

The Diocesan vision is to “Introduce people to Jesus and help them home to Heaven”. How wonderfully clear and encouraging!

New video: Thank you for supporting the Gospel in Greenfields

Here’s the latest encouraging video from the Archbishop of Sydney’s New Churches for New Communities.

Our trust vindicated at Christmas

“At Christmas, God proved himself worthy of our trust.

Having put the world on notice that he was going to pay us a visit, he told us where. …”

– Neil Percival, Rector of the Parish of Young, has had this Christmas message published in The Boorowa News.

Bringing Jesus to a needy city

“It may have been a stormy night under COVID restrictions, but masks could not hide the enthusiasm as Canon Andrew (Sandy) Grant was installed as the new Dean of Sydney. …”

– Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net has this report on the Installation of Dean Sandy Grant.

Watch the entire service here.

Paul Sampson to be BCA’s NSW/ACT Regional Officer

Bush Church Aid Society’s National Director, Greg Harris, has this announcement:

“I’m pleased to announce that The Revd Paul Sampson has accepted the role of BCA NSW/ACT Regional Officer.

Paul and his wife Cathy have three adult children – Marsden, Anastasia and Geneva.

Born and raised in Gunnedah in country New South Wales, Paul became a Christian in his early twenties after being invited along to church in Wollongong where he heard the Gospel clearly preached. …”

– Read it all here. Photo: Paul and Cathy Sampson.

December 2021 Southern Cross magazine

The December 2021 issue of Southern Cross magazine from the Diocese of Sydney is now available online – as well as in printed form from parishes across Sydney.

You can download your own PDF copy at magazine.sydneyanglicans.net

Synod steps into the “greenfields”

“When Bishop Peter Lin spoke to the Archbishop’s Election Synod this year, he shocked the audience with a series of big numbers. …

The future shock of the speech stirred a move to bring the Synod to the so-called ‘greenfields’ areas of southwestern Sydney. So, for the first time since 1866, the church parliament of the Diocese will not begin its meeting in the city centre.…”

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Russell Powell highlights the massive changes planned for Sydney – and what the Anglican Church is doing.

Ordained for far and wide

“It’s a very great joy to be settting aside these men and women for this ministry,” said Archbishop Kanishka Raffel as he took his first ordination service as Archbishop. “I am reminded of my own deaconing service in St Andrew’s cathedral and I’m so grateful to God for his faithfulness.”

The Archbishop spoke as ordinands prepared to embark to ministries as wide afield as suburban Sydney to Darwin, Norfolk Island and the Seychelles.  …

– Encouraging story from Russell Powell about the latest ordinations at St. Andrew’s Cathedral.

Armidale Synod meets Saturday 20 November 2021

The Synod of the Diocese of Armidale meets on Saturday in Tamworth.

You could pray for the members of the Synod, and Bishop Rod Chiswell, as they seek to proclaim the saving news of Christ in their part of NSW.

New CEO for Anglicare Sydney announced

“This morning the chairman of Anglicare Sydney’s board, Greg Hammond, announced that the organisation’s new CEO is business consultant Simon Miller.

Mr Miller is managing director and senior partner at the Boston Consulting Group, and has many years’ experience advising company boards, executives and CEOs on everything from strategy to artificial intelligence. …

In addition, Mr Miller has been executive officer for the Sydney Diocese’s Social Issues Committee.”

– News from Judy Adamson at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Bishop Grant Dibden on Defence Sunday

From Defence Anglicans – and a great reminder to pray.

Related:

Running a Remembrance Day service on Thursday?

Here are some resources.

Christmas comes early!

“Density limits have been lowered to 2m2 and singing is back for churches from Sunday November 14, according to an easing of restrictions announced by Premier Dominic Perrottet.

Freedoms for the fully vaccinated in New South Wales that were to be introduced on Dec 1 have been brought forward to Monday, Nov 8. But freedoms for the unvaccinated will now not be introduced until Dec 15. …

Singing will return but masks are still mandatory indoors until December 15. From the intial government information, it appears that those not yet vaccinated, although they can attend church, will not be allowed to sing. See the government timeline here.”

– Read the latest at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Defence Sunday 7 November 2021

This Sunday is Defence Sunday, and Grant Dibden, Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force, has recorded a 3’30” video message.

A copy can be downloaded from the Anglican Media Sydney Vimeo account for use in church services – and do pray for this important ministry.

Southern Cross November 2021

In December, printed copies of Southern Cross, the magazine of Sydney Diocese, will again be available in churches.

The November issue is online-only, and is now available. Download your copy at magazine.sydneyanglicans.net

Be sure to read “Christians speak out against assisted suicide” –

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has urged Christians to speak up against the assisted suicide bill, which he calls “a momentous shift in medical practice and community expectation”

The bill, introduced into the NSW Parliament in October, uses the terminology of “voluntary assisted dying” but the Archbishop says it goes beyond the physician-assisted suicide it would legalise.

“It marks the final abandonment of one of the cornerstones of Western civilisation: the sanctity of life,” the Archbishop says. “Advocates of Voluntary Assisted Dying – a deeply misleading cluster of words – have emphasised not the sanctity of life, but quality of life as subjectively experienced, and the primacy of autonomous choice.”

The Archbishop, senior bishops and Christian medical groups have pointed out several ways the bill would not provide extra choice, as proponents argue, but would have a flow-on effect to all those battling terminal illness. …

– Read it all on page 5.

New Zealand Assisted Dying Bill comes into force on November 7

“In a salutary piece of information recently, I learned that doctors assisting the death of pertinent patients in New Zealand would receive the sum of $1087.20 … to bring about the death of these people. I was shocked…”

– Charles Tyrell, former Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Nelson, writes to The Church Times (copy via Anglican Mainstream).

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