Reflections on my expectations of Ministry Fifty years ago

“Following a year of teaching secondary school English and History, I entered Moore Theological College in 1966 (aged 21). Ordained in Sydney (deacon, 1969; presbyter, 1970), I was assistant minister at Yagoona, St Michael’s Wollongong, and then Eastwood, before undertaking a New Testament research degree at Durham University, UK. Returning to Australia in 1976, I was invited to start a new church in Wanniassa …”

– In The Australian Church Record’s 2020 Winter Journal, John G. Mason reflected on fifty years of ordained Christian ministry.

Obeying government and obeying God

“The Bible’s teaching on our relationship to human authorities is quite clear. Those who govern us are set in place by God. …”

– In his column in the October 2020 Southern Cross, Archbishop Glenn Davies considers the relationship of Christians and the government – in these ‘COVID-19’ times.

Hopeful signs

This morning, Archbishop Glenn Davies tweets,

“I met with Minister Brad Hazzard yesterday. I assured him of our prayers as we all work together to stop COVID-19. We spoke about inconsistencies in current rules and he assured me that an announcement tomorrow will help churches better serve our communities.”

Update, 21 October 2020:

“From this Friday, the number of people who can attend religious gatherings will be lifted from 100 to 300, subject to the 4–square-metre rule.”

– ABC News.

A place of hope opens in Sydney’s West

“’To the Glory of God and the growth of His Kingdom’ – so says the plaque unveiled at the official opening of Sydney’s latest Anglican church building.

The 21st-century design of the Stanhope Anglican Church was projected on the screen in the auditorium as Archbishop Glenn Davies joined the church’s pastor, Steve Reimer, members of the church and invited guests in opening the building. …”

– Good news from Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Jo Gibbs to be new CEO of Anglican Deaconess Ministries

“ADM is pleased to announce the appointment of Jo Gibbs as its new CEO, effective 17 November 2020.

Jo Gibbs joins ADM from St Pauls Castle Hill, where she has been the Care and Assistant Discipleship Minister. Prior to this, Jo spearheaded work in international and cross-cultural settings. …”

– Announcement from Anglican Deaconess Ministries.

See also:

Congratulations to the new CEO of Anglican Deaconess Ministries – Moore College.

“Jo is known to many of us as a godly woman and a gifted fellow-worker in the gospel.”

Sydney Archbishop: Indian MP must retract false statements about Graham Staines

“The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies has demanded an apology and a retraction of statements made by an MP during a debate in the Indian Parliament which accused murdered missionary Graham Staines of child abuse. The Archbishop called the statement ‘slanderous’…”

– Story from Indian Link via SydneyAnglicans.net.

See also the Diocese of Sydney Media Release, 08 October 2020.

Anglican Church Diocese of Sydney
Media Statement

Call for retraction of false statements about murdered missionary    

Archbishop Glenn Davies has called for an apology and the retraction of a slanderous accusation by an MP during debate in the Indian Parliament in which murdered missionary Graham Staines was accused of child abuse.

Mr Staines was an Australian missionary who worked tirelessly and selflessly with leprosy patients in India for more than 30 years. Along with his two sons, Timothy (aged 8) and Philip (aged 10), he was burned to death in an attack by Hindu extremists in Uttar Pradesh in 1999.

During Parliamentary debate in September, a member of the ruling BJP party and a representative of Uttar Pradesh state, Satya Pal Singh, accused Mr Staines and other Christians of molesting 30 girls belonging to local tribes in Odisha and converting them to Christianity. He cited this as the main reason for the murders and as justification for stringent amendments to the law on the basis ‘forced conversions’ are still being perpetrated by Christian missionaries.

The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies called the comments ‘reprehensible’.

“The murder of Graham Staines and his sons was a stain on the history of India. The then President K.R. Narayanan was right to describe it as ‘a monumental aberration of time-tested tolerance and harmony’ and that the murders belonged to ‘the world’s inventory of black deeds’. For the MP to now use parliamentary privilege to bring such baseless accusations for political purposes deserves the strongest condemnation. A retraction and full apology should be issued for the sake of truth and as a bulwark against religious intolerance.”

The Archbishop said many Sydney Anglicans have travelled to India in recent years and been welcomed, along with the help they bring to the population. “I would like to think that the Government and others from Mr Singh’s party would not sit idly by while such comments are made. They should be repudiated in the strongest possible terms.”

Archbishop Glenn Davies
8 October 2020

Review: The Mission Before Us

“You are an Anglican from Sydney? Get this book.

Read it carefully. Read it prayerfully. If it is aimed at you, do something about it.

And it is aimed at all of us. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, former Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Peter Jensen, commends “The Mission Before us”.

Learn how you can get your free copy.

Southern Cross magazine for October 2020 now out

The latest Southern Cross magazine (October 2020) is now available for download, or reading online.

Features include:

• Christians and sport
• Getting back to church in Sydney
• Evangelism in COVID Melbourne
• The latest Ordinations
• Persecution of Chinese Christians by rewriting John 8

Grab your copy here.

Bathurst Synod – Presidential address 2020

Here is Bishop Mark Calder’s first synod charge, as presented to an extraordinary session of the 49th Synod of the Diocese of Bathurst, 19th September 2020.

A powerful and challenging address. Fuel for prayer.

Update: The full text is now available.

North West Network, September 2020

The latest issue of North West Network, the newsletter of the Diocese of North West Australia, is now available.

Great to not only learn what is happening in the north west, but also as fuel for prayer.

It’s a 1MB PDF file here.

Bishop admits past failures and outdated services are hampering church growth

Here’s a Media Release from the Diocese of Bathurst, 18 September 2020:

Bishop admits past failures and outdated services are hampering church growth

The Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Bathurst (covering central and western NSW) will tomorrow admit that there has been much in the past – including sexual abuse by church leaders and certain financial decisions – which has been shameful and damaging to the reputation of the church.

Bishop Mark Calder will make the remarks during his first major address to church leaders of the diocese at their annual gathering, known as synod, on Saturday 19th September just after 10am.

In the 45-minute speech, Bishop Calder will ask church leaders to ‘name the past’, ‘face the present’ and ‘explore the future’.

“There is significant baggage that we must deal with before we can move forward, including mistrust, unresolved conflict, a damaged ‘brand’ and lack of financial resources to try anything new,” Bishop Calder will say.

If we continue doing the same things the way we always have, we cannot expect any different outcome. We cannot expect to grow or reach those generations we are currently missing by doing more of the same.

“Looking to the future, church leaders must help renew the church through prayer, through becoming more outward-looking, through seeking new clergy, through more contemporary church services and through everyone becoming more confident in sharing the great news of forgiveness Jesus Christ lived, died and rose to make possible.”

The synod this year will meet electronically via Zoom for the first time in the diocese’s history due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Editor’s note: Please continue to pray for Bishop Mark Calder and for the churches of the Diocese of Bathurst, as they seek to live for Jesus.]

Bishop of Armidale flags return to parish ministry — at Shoalhaven Heads

“This has not been an easy decision but nor was the call to be a Bishop, but what a privilege it has been to serve among you.

In my time as Bishop I have watched the suffering of a drought affected rural diocese and stood beside and with you in such suffering. I have ordained and appointed many of you to positions. Like yourselves, I have lived with the frustrations of what can and can’t be done and been forced, like all of you, to fall back on our great God in faith. …”

– from Bishop Rick Lewers’ message to the clergy and parishes of the Armidale Diocese.

Please do pray for Rick and Janene, for the parish of Shoalhaven Heads, and also for the saints in the Diocese of Armidale.

South Sudan Floods appeal

“Sydney-based Reverend Samuel Majok, leader of the South Sudanese congregation at St Mark’s Oakhurst, is raising funds for many thousands of people impacted by recent severe flooding that devastated most of Jongei State, where Samuel’s family is from. …”

– Learn more at Anglican Aid. (Photo: Anglican Aid.)

See also:

The emergency you haven’t heard about – SydneyAnglicans.net

Death and starvation as floods destroy South Sudan – ABC Religion and Ethics Report.

West Wyalong Anglican Church

Bishop of Bathurst Mark Calder is praying for someone to serve as the new Minister at West Wyalong – someone who will bring the word of God to equip the saints and to make an impact for the Lord Jesus Christ.

It would good to join him in that prayer.

For more info, see Ministry Opportunities.

Southern Cross — September 2020

The September 2020 issue of Anglican Media Sydneys Southern Cross magazine is now available to read online, or to download as a PDF file.

(Click on the icon at the top left of the linked page to download.)

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