Response to National abuse study
“All Anglicans should be deeply grieved by the study released this week by the Anglican Church of Australia on domestic and family violence.
‘Like my predecessor, I want to state clearly that all forms of domestic abuse are incompatible with Scripture and Christian faith,’ said the new Archbishop of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel. ‘Nothing justifies violence or coercion. Christian relationships are to be marked by love, gentleness and respect.’…”
– This Media Release was published last week by the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.
This Mortal Coil: Archbishop of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel
On ABC Radio’s This Mortal Coil, 13 June 2021, new Archbishop of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel, is invited to tell his story.
“We don’t have anything else to offer apart from Jesus.”
Listen here, 40 minutes – and be encouraged to share widely.
(Thanks to SydneyAnglicans.net for the link. Image: The Pastor’s Heart.)
The Gospel Coalition Australia interviews Archbishop Kanishka Raffel
Akos Balogh from The Gospel Coalition Australia recently spoke with Kanishka Raffel about his new role – and asks the new Archbishop how we can pray for him.
Dr Colin Bale made Emeritus member of Moore College Faculty
“At the end of this semester, Dr Colin Bale will retire from the Moore College faculty. Dr Bale was appointed to the faculty in 1999 and has served as head of the Church History department, Academic Dean, and Vice Principal. During some of that time he worked on his PhD at Sydney University in the area of Australian history, and more particularly the lessons to be learned from the gravestone inscriptions of those who fell in the First World War.
Dr Bale has made a remarkable contribution to the life and health of Moore College. In recognition of this, the Governing Board of the College has unanimously agreed to appoint him as an Emeritus Faculty member upon his retirement. With this appointment, he will join the likes of Dr Paul Barnett, Dr Peter Jensen, Dr Peter O’Brien, Dr David Peterson, and Dr Barry Webb. …”
– Read it all at the Moore College website.
Bishop of Gippsland supports Synod motion endorsing extra-marital relationships
“The Diocese of Gippsland, at its recent synod, has voted to change its own version of Faithfulness in Service, the national church’s guidelines for standards in ministry, to remove the classical definition of chaste relationships (marriage between a man and a woman) and replace it with a more ambiguous definition of ‘committed and monogamous relationship’.
The resolution came from Bishop-in-Council and was endorsed by Bishop Richard Treloar in his Presidential Address. …”
– Report from davidould.net.
See also:
Bishop Treloar’s Presidential Address, 2021. (PDF file.)
The Gippsland Anglican, June 2021. (PDF file.)
A statement from GAFCON Australia: (June 01 2021, on Facebook)
“Gafcon Australia
Please find below a Statement from Gafcon Australia concerning a resolution of the synod of the Diocese of Gippsland.
In May 2021, the Synod of the Diocese of Gippsland made the following resolution:
1. In accordance with Section 7 of the Professional Standards Act 2017 and subject to the qualification that:
– Clauses 7.2 and 7.4 of Faithfulness in Service are to be understood and applied in the context that a member of the clergy or church worker who is in a committed and monogamous relationship with another person is not to be regarded as being in breach of Clauses 7.2 and 7.4 only because that relationship does not have the status of a marriage solemnised according to an Anglican marriage rite;
– Faithfulness in Service (November 2016 version) is otherwise affirmed and adopted as the Code of Conduct for observance by Clergy and Church workers in the Diocese.
2. The registrar shall amend the version of Faithfulness in Service published on the Diocesan website by inserting the qualification below the heading “Preamble” to section 7 of Faithfulness in Service and include the following note: –
(Faithfulness in Service was qualified by this paragraph when adopted by the Diocese of Gippsland as the Code of Conduct for observance by Clergy and Church workers in the Diocese.)
It grieves the Board of Gafcon Australia that the Bishop-in-Council of the Diocese of Gippsland promoted a motion to their Synod, which amended the operation of Faithfulness in Service, the National Code of conduct for church workers, in their Diocese.
The effect of this resolution is to sanction sexual relationships outside of marriage, as the Anglican Church of Australia has received it and continues to uphold. It is regrettable that by removing the possibility of any disciplinary action against a member of the clergy or lay church worker in such a sexual relationship with another person (whether of the same sex or opposite sex) the Diocese’s Code of Conduct is now in breach of the teaching of Scripture (Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral) and the teaching of marriage that our Church upholds.
Gafcon Australia supports those Anglicans in Gippsland who are likewise grieved by this development.
From the Board of Gafcon Australia.”
Image: Diocese of Gippsland.
Southern Cross — June 2021
The latest Southern Cross magazine (June 2021) from Anglican Media Sydney is now available.
While printed copies will be distributed in churches, it also can be read and downloaded online.
Plenty of encouraging reading,
Moore College: certainly worth supporting — Peter Jensen
Former Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Peter Jensen, explains why Moore College is certainly worth supporting.
Oh, and they have an End-of-Year financial appeal.
No higher title than ‘child of God’
“There was a knock at the cathedral door just moments after the afternoon rehearsal for the consecration and inauguration of Kanishka Raffel.
The door was opened by the Archbishop-elect himself. ‘Would you like a cup of coffee?’ he said to person at the door, one of the many people in difficulties who take shelter around the Cathedral.
‘Do you take sugar?’ the about-to-be Archbishop said as he went off to make the coffee himself.
It seemed fitting that only four hours later, before the Governor-General, politicians and leaders of other religious denominations, he was giving a sermon urging humility before the cross of Jesus. …”
– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Russell Powell has this story on last night’s service of Consecration and Inauguration.
You can watch the entire service here – or click this link to go straight to the Bible reading by Mrs Cailey Raffel and then Archbishop Raffel’s sermon.
Photos by Russell Powell (click for full images):
Dean of Sydney Kanishka Raffel, about to enter the Cathedral for the Service of Consecration and Inauguration. By Russell Powell
Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel. By Russell Powell.
Watch the Consecration and Inauguration of Archbishop Kanishka Raffel
The Consecration and Inauguration of Kanishka Raffel as Archbishop of Sydney was streamed live from St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney from 7:00pm AEST on Friday 28th May.
A most encouraging and Christ-honouring occasion.
The Order of Service may be downloaded at this link.
The heart of Sydney’s new Archbishop Kanishka Raffel
Most encouraging and worth sharing widely.
And please do continue to uphold Kanishka and Cailey in prayer ahead of the Inauguration on Friday at 7:00pmAEST.
‘Our strategic moment’: The massive greenfields challenge for Sydney Diocese
“It is crucial strategic moment for the work of the Gospel in Sydney. There is limited time to act as the city of Sydney undergoes massive infrastructural changes.
The phenomenal population changes demand a reimagining and redistribution of Church assets, ministry resources and people. The growth will be tremendous, and so will be the responsibility.
In the next 50 years, the current Western Region alone will have a population two and half times that of the South Sydney Region or the Northern Region.”
– In another very helpful episode of The Pastor’s Heart, Bishop Peter Lin and Ross Jones, the CEO of the Anglican Church Growth Corporation, speak about the strategic opportunity facing the Anglican Church in Sydney.
New Prayer Cycle for the Diocese of the Northern Territory
The Diocese of the Northern Territory has produced a Prayer Cycle to encourage prayer for the work of the gospel in the Top End and elsewhere.
Roebourne’s Holy Trinity Church, the oldest church in WA’s north-west, celebrates 125 years
“The historic Holy Trinity Church in Roebourne — transformed last year after decades of neglect — turned 125 this week, with more than 50 people attending celebrations to mark the milestone.
Some travelled more than 1,600 kilometres to celebrate the anniversary of the church, which is the oldest in north-west WA. …”
– This story from ABC Pilbara serves as a reminder to pray for gospel ministry in Roebourne and elsewhere in the North West.
The Anglican Church League welcomes the election of Kanishka Raffel
The Anglican Church League expresses its congratulations to Dean Kanishka Raffel on his election to become the new Archbishop of Sydney. We look forward to his installation at St Andrew’s Cathedral on 28 May 2021.
We give thanks for the prayerful and diligent way the members of Synod chose our new Archbishop from among four godly nominees. We also wish to express our appreciation to all the nominees and their families for allowing themselves to be considered for such an important role, and we commit to praying for their ongoing ministry within the Diocese of Sydney.
Over his entire ministry life, both within and outside the Diocese, we have seen Kanishka demonstrate a heartfelt love of Jesus and a commitment to following him as Lord, whether it be through the gracious proclamation of the Gospel to the lost, or in the courageous contention for Evangelical truth with the wider Anglican Communion. We are confident he will continue to bring these same traits to the new ministry role of the Archbishop of Sydney.
The ACL encourages its members to continue to uphold Kanishka, Cailey and their family in prayer as Kanishka seeks to lead our Diocese in mission to the lost and lead the wider church in faithfulness to the Scriptures. We give thanks for his willingness to serve.
Kanishka has been a member of the Anglican Church League for more than 25 years.
Rev. Andrew Bruce
President
Dr. Robert Tong AM
Chairman
Kanishka Raffel with Richard Glover on ABC Radio Sydney
Updated with a direct link to the interview.
Richard Glover on ABC Radio Sydney interviewed newly elected Archbishop of Sydney Kanishka Raffel on Monday 10th May 2021.
The interview can be heard at this link.
Image from the Cathedral video stream, 09 May 2021.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…