Plans for Bishop of Armidale’s Consecration and Installation

From the Diocese of Armidale:

“Our new Bishop, the Reverend Rod Chiswell, will have his consecration and installation service at St Peter’s Cathedral Armidale on Saturday 27th February 2021 at 10 am, followed by a reception at the Armidale Ex Services Club.

The Metropolitan of NSW, the Most Reverend Dr Glenn Davies, will be presiding.

Unfortunately COVID-19 restrictions mean that numbers at the service and reception will be limited, and so attendance will have to be by invitation only. However there are plans to make a live stream of the service available.”

Photo: Rod and Jenni Chiswell.

Blayney’s new Anglican minister

“Reverend Wally Cox is the iteration of Bishop Calder’s plans to bring new life and energy into the Bathurst diocese parishes, and Reverend Cox is under no delusions as to the difficulty of the task in front of him as he begins his life as Blayney’s new Anglican minister…”

– Report and photo Mark Logan, The Blayney Chronicle.

Moore College Library Day 2021 – H.W.K. and Dorothy Mowll

From Moore College:

“H.W.K. Mowll (Archbishop of Sydney) and his wife Dorothy are two of the most significant figures in 20th century Australian church history, and had a lasting and godly influence on Moore College, the Diocese of Sydney and beyond.

Our Library Day for 2021 features Moore College faculty and guest speakers who will explore important aspects of the Mowlls’ life and ministry, onsite and via livestream.”

– Details from the College.

Challenges and opportunities in rural NSW

In the Summer 2020 edition of Moore College’s Moore Matters, Mark Calder, Bishop of Bathurst, shares:

“… I am surprised and delighted and sometimes terrified to find myself in a new role in the Diocese of Bathurst. It is an extraordinary privilege. Having been here a year (on 23rd November) – and a very unique and challenging year at that – I know that I am only just beginning.

My oft repeated line, when asked how things are going, has been ‘the challenges are great, but so too are the opportunities’. So let me tell you a little about both. …”

– Read, be encouraged, pray – and – perhaps – go!

Mandatory masks in latest COVID changes

“New restrictions have been announced for indoor venues, including churches, as a result of COVID-19 transmission on the Northern Beaches and across Greater Sydney.

The measures take effect from Sunday, 3rd January, for Greater Sydney including Wollongong, Central Coast and the Blue Mountains.

Face masks are mandatory for shopping, indoor entertainment, public transport and places of worship…”

– Story from Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net.

See also the Diocesan COVID-19 FAQ page for church workers.

Amazing Place: The place of ‘Place’ – with Matthew Sleeman

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“What is a biblical theology of place?

Matthew Sleeman is a lecturer in New Testament at Oak Hill Theological College in London. …

Matthew says place is more than point on a map. Place contributes to making us who we are.  And we contribute to making the place what it is. We are shaped by our places and we paint ourselves onto places.

Places are locations for ministries, discipleship and living for Jesus.”

– Watch or listen here.

Also from The Pastor’s Heart this week, a very sobering topic:

Processing the Ravi Zacharias sexual abuse scandal – with Dan Paterson.

Christmas is not cancelled, just different

“The latest outbreak of COVID-19, centred on the Northern Beaches, has wrought havoc with Christmas plans but churches have been working frantically to adapt.  …”

– Here’s the very latest from SydneyAnglicans.net.

COVID shows us something deeper — the great unmasking of God

The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, has released his Christmas message for 2020. Read more

Bishop Mark Calder’s Christmas message for 2020

The Bishop of Bathurst, Mark Calder, has released a brief Christmas message.

Click this link to watch the video – and the text is below.

Can you imagine the conversation Mary had to have with Joseph?

“Joseph – we need to talk”. (Long pause while she gathers the courage.) “I’m pregnant”.

What a shock! Mary knew she hadn’t slept with anyone. Joseph knew it wasn’t him!

Joseph was a good guy and decided not to make a fuss but simply walk away.

But God had other plans.

“What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit”, an angel told Joseph in a dream. What a dream!! There would have been comfort in that dream – Mary had not been sleeping around. But confusion too – whatever does “conceived by the Holy Spirit” mean?

Put simply, it means that in this baby, God was stepping into our world. He had an earthly mother, but a heavenly Father. God turned up – not in a majestic palace – but as a small, vulnerable baby, laid in a food trough and needing his nappy changed. Astonishing!

The two names given to this boy help us understand something of the significance of his birth.

The first: ‘Jesus’. It means ‘God saves’. Saves from what? The angel explained to Joseph, “You are to give him the name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins”. “Sins” is not a word we use today. Ultimately it means shutting God out and living as if he doesn’t exist or doesn’t matter. That attitude breaks our relationship with God. Jesus’ whole mission was to mend that relationship. By his life, death and resurrection, he makes it possible for anyone, should they want to, to be forgiven and come back into relationship with him, now and forever. That is pretty wonderful and overwhelmingly generous.

The second name: ‘Immanuel’. It means ‘God with us’. “What if God was one of us?”, Joan Osborne mused in her hit song. Christmas reminds us that God did in fact turn up as one of us. That means he gets us. He knows life! And he’s still with us – by his Spirit. In all our joys and laughter. In all our pain and grief. God is with us! This too is pretty wonderful.

COVID may dent our plans and indeed may have caused us grief this year.

But it is not so powerful that it can change the meaning of Christmas.

God saves. God with us. Revel and enjoy. (Even if your plans have had to change.)

Watch our traditional Christmas service here: https://tinyurl.com/trad-service
Watch our more contemporary service here: https://tinyurl.com/mod-service

And do pray for the churches right across Bathurst Diocese as they seek to share the saving news this Christmas.

CMS Summer School to be completely online

 

CMS NSW / ACT has today announced that the CMS Summer School in January will now be completely online.

In an e-mail to people registered for Summer School, the organising team explains:

“Over the last couple of months, we have been working hard to adapt to government restrictions so that we can gather physically for Summer School. We praise God that over 1000 adults and over 600 youth and children registered for the 2021 conference!

However, as a result of the recent COVID-19 outbreak and the tighter restrictions that have been introduced as a result, it is no longer feasible to proceed safely with plans for an on-site program. …

The online-only conference will begin with a livestreamed session on Saturday night at 7pm, and then livestreamed sessions in the KCC Auditorium from Sunday–Thursday.”

Pray that the modified Summer School will be a great blessing to many.

See also the Summer School website.

Responses to the Appellate Tribunal Opinion

Essential reading on the 11 November 2020 Opinion issued by the Appellate Tribunal:

Restrictions tighten again amid new COVID breakout

“Growing concern over the spread of COVID-19 in Sydney’s North has led to stern warnings from the New South Wales Premier, impacting local churches.

In response to the Premier’s statement and after considering health advice, Archbishop Glenn Davies has written to rectors and churchwardens across the Sydney Diocese, advising churches in the Northern region to suspend face-to-face meetings, for others to consider whether they should go online-only or at the least use facemasks, and for those outside Greater Sydney to maintain COVID-19 protocols. …”

– The very latest from SydneyAnglicans.net

Bullying in churches — legal implications

From Neil Foster at Law and Religion Australia –

“I was invited to give a presentation to ministers of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney earlier this year on the legal implications of bullying in churches.

The Diocese has kindly agreed that the presentation can be made more widely available. This links to the video and also has a link to a written paper to accompany the presentation.”

Armidale’s The Link introduces their new Bishop

The latest edition of The Link from the Diocese of Armidale leads with an article about Bishop-elect Rod Chiswell and his wife Jenni.

Most encouraging.

Read online or download your copy here.

Latest from the Northern Territory — Top Centre Issue 20.3

From David Ray, Registrar of the Diocese of the Northern Territory –

“Dear friends of the Anglican Diocese of the Northern Territory, please enjoy reading the latest edition of ‘Top Centre’, featuring the ordination of Craig Rogers to the Order of Deacons and our new Dean at Christ Church Cathedral, Darwin!”

And from Bishop Greg Anderson’s page –

“We are close to the end of another year – and most of us will hope that next year is very different from this year.

But although 2020 has been challenging in many ways (and very much more challenging for people in other parts of Australia and in the wider world compared with the Northern Territory), so much has remained the same. God is still God, and he is doing his work in the world. Jesus still reigns and the good news about his work of rescuing the world still builds the church. The Holy Spirit still works to transform and empower Christians, and to soften hard hearts. …”

– Plenty of encouraging reading and fuel for prayer.

← Previous Page — Next Page →