Sydney Synod 2021 postponed

Due to the uncertainties of the current COVID outbreak, Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel has postponed the forthcoming session of the Synod which was to have to commenced on 6th September.

At this time a new date has not been decided. However elections to boards, councils and committees will continue as planned.

The Importance of Children’s and Youth Ministry

“It is no surprise to ACR readers that Australia is radically and rapidly changing as a nation.

Whether or not it is accurate to describe the initial colonies or federated states as a “Christian” nation, it is abundantly clear that as we enter the third decade of the 21st Century, Australia is increasingly a post–Christian and post–church society.

In 2017 45% of Australians identified as Christian and 25% of Australians were described as ‘cold’ towards Christianity. Only 15% stated that they attend church monthly or more.

As confessional Anglicans, we are not specifically concerned with Australia being a culturally Christian nation. However, we are passionate about Christ and his Kingdom. We are passionate about making disciples of all nations by evangelising the lost and discipling the saints …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Tim Beilharz writes to encourage clarity on Children’s and Youth Ministry.

Four clergymen ordained in Bathurst across Anglican and Catholic dioceses

“A number of clergymen have been ordained at Bathurst across two denominations over the past few days.

The All Saints Anglican Cathedral hosted a special service on Saturday for The Reverend Wally Cox and The Reverend Andrew Thornhill, who were both ordained as priests.

Both were ordained as deacons last December, with the former currently serving in the Blayney parish and the latter currently at the Coonabarabran parish. …”

– Good news via The Western Advocate.

Cling to God, care for each other

“We were hoping COVID lockdown wouldn’t happen again in NSW but, once the cases kept coming, it was not surprising when the Premier extended the stay-at-home order yesterday for Greater Sydney.

Just like 2020, our work and life patterns have been mucked up. And, just like 2020, anxiety and depression have reasserted themselves in the lives of many people – if they ever went away.

‘For people who have still not recovered from last year, this has pushed all sorts of buttons,’ says the Rev Dr Keith Condie, co-director of the Mental Health and Pastoral Care Institute and Mary Andrews College. …”

– Encouragement amidst COVID restrictions from Judy Adamson at SydneyAnglicans.net.

The Election of Archbishop Mowll: A Decision with Consequence

“The Conservative Evangelicalism which permeates the diocese of Sydney today has not always characterised the diocesan leadership. Although Sydney may always have had an Evangelical flavour, in the early 20th century the leadership of the diocese represented a more liberal emphasis.

The election of H.W.K. Mowll as Archbishop (1933-1958) changed the trajectory of the diocese toward a more conservative theological position. The significance of Mowll’s leadership was not merely a result of his duration in office, but rather the growth, innovation and theological consolidation which he instigated. …”

– Dr. Ed Loane, Warden of St. Paul’s College, University of Sydney, reflects on a turning point for the Diocese of Sydney.

Moore College recognised as a University College

“Moore Theological College has today (01/07/21) been registered in the new University College category by the Australian government Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). In the TEQSA media release, TEQSA Chief Commissioner Professor Peter Coaldrake explained the significance of the University College category:

‘[T]he new University College category […] recognises high-quality institutions and provides them with new opportunities to develop course offerings that meet the future needs of students, employers, industry and communities. The updated standards also include augmented research requirements for universities.’

‘TEQSA […] congratulates NIDA, AFTRS and Moore Theological College for being the first three providers to be registered in the new University College category.”

“Each of these providers demonstrated to TEQSA that they offer high-quality higher education and meet the standards for registration as University Colleges.’…”

– Good news from Moore College.

Can’t get to church to pick up Southern Cross?

Even if you can’t get to church to pick up the latest edition of Southern Cross magazine from Anglican Media Sydney, you can still download your copy – or read it online.

It includes Archbishop Kanishka Raffel’s column.

In part, he writes, reflecting on Prayer in Partnership and the Letter to the Philippians:

“God has committed himself to the salvation of his people, including their preservation until ‘the day of Christ’. What God began, he will complete.

No wonder Paul says, ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God’ (4:6).

In troubling and anxiety-inducing circumstances, prayer to a God who hears us, and is committed to our perseverance until the last day, results in ‘the peace of God, which transcends all understanding’ (4:7).”

Faith vs Reason

“A lot of people assume that faith and reason are irrevocably opposed. Reason is seen as the ability to think, understand and form conclusions logically. Faith is seen as belief in things based on conviction rather than proof. So, we find people very nervous of the merits of either faith or reason. …”

– In the latest (July 2021) Ministry Matters from the Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa New Zealand, Bishop Jay Behan writes about the relationship between Faith and Reason.

Also in this edition, there’s encouraging news from South Auckland, “Gifts from God – the Formation of South Auckland Anglican Mission”, and “The Call to New Zealand” from Mike & Maddy Turner waiting to go to West Hamilton Community Church.

Fuel for your prayers.

Anglican Church Quenching Community Thirst In Marsabit

“In one of the remote parts of Marsabit County, Nairibi Sub-location in Laisamis Constituency, the Anglican Church is transforming lives of a community that has experienced water crisis for many years, by availing the precious commodity to them. …

According to the Co-ordinator, a study by the organization established that most residents of Marsabit have to trek long distances in search of the precious commodity which is not only tiring but also a drain on their useful time.

He told KNA that the high levels of illiteracy among women in the region, is linked to the water shortage problem as girls spend their valuable time fetching water and end up dropping out of school.

The boy child is also not safe as he has to undertake the chore of taking livestock to watering points which are situated far away from where they attend school.”

– Good news from Kenya.

And similar work to which you can contribute:

Marsabit Water and Income Generation – Anglican Aid.

Bringing the gospel to the North West

Here’s an encouraging and challenging video from the Diocese of North West Australia. Might you answer the call?

And a message from Bishop Gary Nelson to Christians in the North West –

“The diocese of North West Australia seeks to make disciples of all nations as we centre our church life in the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. As you pray, share your resources and visit, please remember to give God thanks for his unfailing, steadfast love to us. Thank you for your support.”

– Read it all here.

Now, it’s a total lockdown

“With just hours before Sunday church services, Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Wollongong and the Central Coast have been thrown into a lockdown.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced that Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Central Coast will enter a two-week lockdown as of 6:00pm on the 26th June. …”

– The latest from SydneyAnglicans.net, including links to find churches with online services.

Are you more Likely to be Abused as an Anglican?

“The report suggests that ‘Absolutist discourses related to marriage as a lifelong commitment, the submission of the wife to the husband, unconditional forgiveness and suffering for Christ….are harmful for those who experience abuse’.

I would suggest that it is the misunderstanding and misuse of these teachings which causes harm. Those who misuse these teachings are blaspheming. As are those who reject them.

The key biblical teaching on this is that men are to love their wives as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25-27). It’s a level of service, sacrifice and love way beyond anything our secularists could even dream of. And a million miles away from the ‘bible says I can beat you with impunity’ caricature so beloved by those who want to attack our faithful Anglican sisters and brothers. …”

– Published last week on The Australian Presbyterian’s blog, David Robertson takes a look at the report and some of the subsequent commentary and argues that the Word of God is the cure…not the problem.

ACL Annual General Meeting 2021 — Report

The 2021 Annual General Meeting of the Anglican Church League took place on Thursday 10th June at Moore Theological College, Newtown.

ACL President the Reverend Andrew Bruce (pictured) spoke on Acts 1:1-14. He encouraged the meeting with the reminder that Jesus is the ascended Lord, that his gospel will go to the ends of the Earth, and that this will happen through the testimony of his disciples, in the power of the Holy Spirit. He pointed out that the apostolic mission began with earnest, dedicated and united prayer.

Reverend Bruce exhorted all present to wait on the Lord and engage in devoted prayer as we continue this significant task of gospel proclamation. Humanly speaking, the “odds” of being able to proclaim Jesus to the ends of the earth seem impossible. Yet this impossibility is the normal situation for God’s people. In the end, the risen and ascended Lord will see his gospel go out. Thus, we can only engage in this mission through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Andrew then moved on to provide some thoughts on some of the aspects of Sydney Diocesan life. He emphasised the need to be reinvigorated in our lives and our churches with gospel confidence. As a Diocese, we are in constant danger of focusing on the “urgent” matters that our world sees as priorities, rather than the truly important things of gospel ministry: prayer, godliness, evangelism, and recruiting and training.

Reverend Bruce exhorted us to ensure that the “urgent” does not take up all of our resources so that we neglect the important. We do not have unlimited resources – indeed we are quite stretched – and so we need to be wise, courageous and sacrificial in saying “no” to things that seem urgent but are not central to what we do.

He also exhorted us to reinvigorate our evangelism. All ministry today is cross-cultural, because of the vast difference between our aggressive secular culture and our gospel culture. So evangelism must be relational and person-to-person. This means we need to engage deeply with the laity, since one-to-one mission is primarily lay-led. This requires gospel courage and endurance.

We must also reinvigorate our recruiting and training. We need to ensure there are strong numbers of Anglican candidates in training at Moore College, that they sign up in good time for us to evaluate them, that we recruit Rectors, and that we retain those we have trained.

The ACL can play a key role in advocating for Diocesan structures to make courageous and bold decisions to seek always to value the important over the “urgent”.

The President closed his address with a reading from Romans 12:1-2 and prayer for our Diocese.

The meeting received the Treasurer’s Report, approved positions for Elections Secretary, Recruitment Secretary, Membership Secretary and Communication Secretary, and elected office holders. Office holders for 2021-2022 are listed here.