‘Indefinitely mothballed’: Quake-hit cathedral’s dire future unless $30m found by August
“The Christ Church Cathedral rebuild has a funding gap of $114 million – and if $30m isn’t secured by August this year, the project will be indefinitely mothballed, it has been announced.
And the Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Limited said a ‘mothballed scenario’ would ‘be hidden from view, and people will not be able to visit it, or preserve it, because it will remain a construction site in suspension’.
The iconic building had lain in ruin for many years after the Canterbury earthquakes. …”
– Report from NewstalkZB, New Zealand.
Photo: Christ Church Cathedral in 1978.
Armidale Diocese gives thanks for Barraba Bash ’24
“This year’s Bash was a brilliant day!
On March 23rd, 220 youth from right across the Diocese gathered together to praise God in song, listen to his Word preached faithfully and have a whole lot of fun.
Over the day we did a deep dive into Hebrews chapter 12 as we considered big questions like ‘What does it mean to endure as Christians?’, ‘How can we carry on living for Jesus when our friends live so differently?’ …”
– Give thanks with the churches in the Diocese of Armidale for this key youth event.
Food, glorious food for the soul
“We live in a busy age where the temptation is more and more to be disconnected as we live our lives. Look around eating establishments outside the home and it is very common to see headphones cutting off conversation, and to see eyes glued to screens even among people seated at the same table.
The same kind of thing can creep into the family mealtime. What’s more, with the kind of schedules many of us have, the mealtime can be inconvenient, rushed and detached. Many spend their meal times around screens (common or individual) with very little opportunity for the kind of fellowship that sharing a meal can and should provide. …”
– The latest Ministry Matters newsletter from CCAANZ (the Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa/New Zealand) is all about food.
Bishop Jay Behan (pictured) writes on “Breaking bread together – The power of the family table”.
There’s also an article on how CCAANZ churches are using food to share the gospel.
Making the most of an “extensive job description”
“There are no doubt many anniversaries to be celebrated in 2024, but the one I am personally thankful for is the 30th anniversary of the appointment of the Archdeacon for Women’s Ministry.
I’m reflecting, with thanks to God, about all that has been done, who did it, and how we can continue building on this vital work. …”
– Archdeacon Kara Hartley reflects – at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Bathurst Easter Newsletter 2024
For your prayers and encouragement. (PDF file.)
On Good Friday, we get a glimpse into hell and heaven
“At the centre of the Christian faith are the great Easter events – Jesus’ death on a cross, and on the third day his bodily rising to new life, victorious over sin and death and the devil.
Australians embrace these events as a holiday but most regard them with sentimentality. For Christians, however, the days could not be more weighty, for in Good Friday and Easter Day we glimpse hell and heaven. …”
– Archbishop Kanishka Raffel writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Passion play with puppetry
“When Epping rector Bishop Ross Nicholson first raised the idea of a Good Friday passion play centred on a large puppet of Jesus, the response was sceptical. Could this really work?
Given that his previous church in Tasmania had done the play for years, he was able to reply with an enthusiastic ‘Yes!’…”
– Judy Adamson has the story at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Photo: Ross Nicholson.
Find Joy, Love and Hope in Jesus — Easter 2024 message from Archbishop Kanishka Raffel
Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has released this Easter message.
Great to play in church – and to share with your friends.
Also, see this report from Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net – and download the video – or the text (PDF file).
Bathurst Diocese: Two more Ordinations coming up in April
“Dear brothers and sisters across our diocese,
It is with gratitude to God that I announce today that Mr Joshua Taylor and Mr Stuart Border are to be ordained as Deacons at All Saints Anglican Cathedral on Saturday 20 April at 11am.
This follows the unanimous recommendation of the diocesan ordination discernment panel, following their recent final discernment interviews with Josh and Stuart, both candidates having been prayerfully and carefully discerned for these orders over the past 12 months. …”
– More encouraging news from the Diocese of Bathurst, and a cause for thanksgiving. The Bishop’s Commissary, Dean of Bathurst James Hodson shares the news. (PDF file).
Easter 2024 at the Cathedral
Easter Services at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney – as well as Handel’s Messiah (ticketed event) on Good Friday.
Details at the Cathedral website.
Bathurst Diocese: Lay Stipendiary Minister for the Narromine Parish
“Thanks be to God that today in the parish of Narromine it is being announced that Mr Luke Merriman is to commence there during May 2024 as Lay Stipendiary Minister. …”
– More encouraging news from the Diocese of Bathurst. (Via the Bathurst Diocese Facebook page.)
Latest edition of The Link from Armidale Diocese
The latest (Feb – March 2024) issue of The Link from the Diocese of Armidale is now up on their website.
No agreement on ‘least-worst’ laws
“More than a half a decade before the NSW government brought on its ‘Conversion Practices’ bill being debated this week, the Sydney Anglican Church expressed its opposition to harmful ‘conversion therapies’. It had become apparent from the testimony of survivors that some groups, including Christian faith groups, have employed harmful practices in an attempt to change or suppress feelings of attraction to the same sex, or gender dysphoria.
Our decision to speak out came in 2018, before the move to legislate against such practices across Australia. Since then, such legislation has moved beyond these now rare and bizarre practices and in some jurisdictions encroaches unnecessarily and ominously into areas of orthodox religious belief and ordinary faith practices including teaching and preaching, prayer, conversation and mutual encouragement.
There have been comments that churches and faith groups have been consulted and are happy with the bill now on the table. This is not the case. …”
While grateful for the government’s engagement with faith communities on legislation, the Archbishop concludes that,
“What we have ended up with is a ‘least worst’ version of such legislation compared to some other Australian jurisdictions but cannot be regarded by biblical Christian churches as representing good law.”
– The Daily Telegraph has today published this op-ed by Archbishop Kanishka Raffel – and SydneyAnglicans.net has a copy.
Good to read and share – and do pray for the Members of Parliament as the proposed legislation is scheduled to be debated today.
Brian Rosner to finish as Principal of Ridley College at the end of 2024
“During the chapel service on 19 March 2024, Brian Rosner announced to students that he will be finishing up as principal of Ridley College at the end of this year.
After this, Brian will spend 2025 on research leave and then return in 2026 as a lecturer at the college, focussed on teaching, speaking and writing.
Brian will be giving a concluding, not-to-be-missed public lecture as principal on the evening of Wednesday, 16 October 2024.
Brian has led Ridley since mid-2012. …”
– Announcement and video at the Ridley College website. And food for prayer. Brians asks for prayer for three things —
- The Ridley Board as the search for Ridley’s tenth Principal gets underway.
- The College – that God would continue to provide for them that they would conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- That he will finish well as Principal and serve God fruitfully in the years to come.
March – April 2024 Southern Cross magazine
The latest issue of Southern Cross magazine from the Diocese of Sydney is now available for download – and print copies should have reached churches.
Many articles to read – but here are two –
Understanding the Cross – Archbishop Kanishka Raffel (page 22).
“At the centre of the Christian faith are the great Easter events – Jesus’ death on a cross, and on the third day his bodily rising to new life, victorious over sin and death and the devil.
Australians embrace these events as a holiday but most regard them with sentimentality. For Christians, however, the days could not be more weighty, for in Good Friday and Easter Day we glimpse hell and heaven. …”
and
Remembering Nicholas Ridley – Dr Mark Earngey (page 24).
“Many modern Christians have heard of Thomas Cranmer, some have heard of Hugh Latimer, but most have no awareness of Nicholas Ridley (c1500-1555).
This would have surprised his contemporaries – even his opponents – because of his centrality to the English Reformation. One of his enemies put it like this: ‘Latimer leaneth to Cranmer, Cranmer to Ridley, and Ridley to the singularity of his own wit’. It was thought that if Ridley could be toppled, then the prizes of Cranmer and Latimer would also be won. Evidently, Nicholas Ridley was a Reformation giant of his time, and we can appreciate much from his life and ministry in ours. …”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…