SUEU votes 71-1 against changes to controversial membership requirements

sueu-logo“An extraordinary general meeting of the Evangelical Union (EU) has seen the organisation formally reject proposed changes to its constitution that would remove a mandatory faith-based declaration for new members.

In a secret ballot, members voted 71-1 opposing the proposed changes, well short of the two-thirds majority required for constitutional amendments.

A packed Holme Reading Room heard over an hour of speeches from members who supported the declaration, most claiming it is inextricably linked to the society’s identity. Not a single speaker spoke in favour of its removal…”

– News from Honi Soit.

Eternity Newspaper has this report.

Earlier:

Easter messages 2016

gospel-message-outside-melbourne-cathedral-19-mar-2016-smEaster is a wonderful opportunity to speak with clarity about the meaning of the Lord Jesus’ death, and the implications of his Resurrection.

Please pray that church leaders will communicate that message as they should, that Christ will be honoured, and that men and women will turn to him in repentance and faith.

Here are some of the messages we’ve spotted so far.

Will our messages to the world this Easter be as simple and clear as the sign in the photo? –

Diocese of the Northern Territory, Bishop Greg Anderson –

“Political commentator Mungo MacCallum recently described Malcolm Turnbull’s performance in the top job as ‘a hugely disappointing resurrection’.

Maybe it is good that the word resurrection still has some place in today’s media. But the first resurrection sets the benchmark. All other so-called resurrections, including the PM’s, are inevitably hugely disappointing. They all, in the end, run out…”

Diocese of Armidale, Bishop Rick Lewers –

“What is surprising about Easter is that the death of Jesus on the cross is all about clemency. Not His, but ours. It is where God would take upon himself the sins of the whole world, accepting the blame for what we have done in preference to leaving us stranded in our blameworthiness with no hope of forgiveness…”

Presbyterian Moderator-General David Cook –

“Toplady’s hymn expresses it well:

‘Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to thy cross I cling;
Naked turn to you for dress;
Helpless look to you for grace;
Foul I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Saviour, or I die.’

By dying on that cross, Jesus won our salvation…”

Diocese of Melbourne, Archbishop Philip Freier –

“What is the resurrection promise of Easter Day? – God’s love will endure and continue, no matter what. Christians look to Jesus’ rising from the dead as not just an historic action but as the promise of his presence with us today – even in the worst of circumstances…”

Australian Baptist Ministries, National Ministries Director Keith Jobberns –

“The Easter celebration is a reminder that humans have been given a second chance. The Easter narrative records that in Jesus, and through relationship with Him we can find freedom from the shackles of fear, acceptance despite our faults and the opportunity to begin anew with God and our fellow humans…”

Diocese of North Queensland, Bishop Bill Ray (PDF)–

“Yes, Christians believe that ‘on the third day Jesus rose from the dead’, but Christianity is more than just believing, it is living this new life in Christ and bringing it to others…”

(Photo: Bicycle bearing a gospel message, in Federation Square, Melbourne, with St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in the background, 19th March 2016.)

‘Outback Bishop : Divine Stage’

bp-rob-gillion-credit-abc“When the Anglican Church couldn’t find a bishop to fill an Outback posting, it sought divine assistance from head office.

Enter stage left from London Reverend Rob Gillion, a former professional actor. As the Bishop of Riverina, he’s taken on his most important role yet and on his biggest stage: a fair swathe of New South Wales.…”

– The ABC’s Landline ran a profile on the Diocese of Riverina’s Bishop Rob Gillion.

Runs for 22 minutes. Image: ABC.

Related: The theatrical Bishop caring for a far-flung flock in the outback – ABC News.

Tasmania’s new bishop wants to rebuild trust in the Church

Richard Condie“Tasmania’s new Anglican bishop wants to rebuild trust in the church.

Bishop Richard Condie was installed to the role on Saturday at a service in Hobart attended by 700. One of his first tasks was to meet a victim of child sexual abuse…”

– Report from The Examiner. (h/t SydneyAnglicans.net)

Richard Condie to be installed as Bishop of Tasmania this Saturday

Richard and Helen CondiePlease uphold in prayer Richard and Helen Condie, as Richard is installed as the twelfth Bishop of Tasmania at St. David’s Cathedral in Hobart tomorrow, 19th March.

Related: Diocese of Tasmania.

Peter Bolt to take on role at Sydney College of Divinity

peter-bolt-2016News from Moore College:

“Dr Peter Bolt, Head of New Testament at Moore College, is to become the Academic Director at the Sydney College of Divinity.

Peter has been teaching at Moore since 1990, during which time he has not only passed on a love of the Gospels to hundreds of students but has written numerous books and articles and brought to birth the College’s own PhD program.

‘We owe an enormous debt to Peter’, said the College’s Principal, Mark Thompson. ‘He is an extraordinary exegete, a first-class scholar and has led our New Testament department with distinction for the last fifteen years. While his departure is a very significant loss for the College and for many of us personally, we trust the Lord is opening up an opportunity for Peter to use his exceptional gifts more widely for the advance of his kingdom.’

Please pray for Peter as he makes this transition and for the College as we look for someone to build on Peter’s legacy.”

– Source. Related: Sydney College of Divinity.

Sydney University Evangelical Union ‘facing deregistration’

sueu-logo“A five-year tussle between the University of Sydney Union and the Evangelical Union has finally reached an impasse, with the university now unequivocally stating that the EU must remove the requirement for members to sign a faith-based declaration, and threatening them with deregistration from the clubs and societies program if they fail to comply by 31 March…“

– This report from Eternity newspaper.

See also:

Story from Honi Soit, 13 March 2016.

What we Believe, featuring a video from past President Hugh Chilton.

The Doctrinal Basis of the EU

  1. The divine inspiration and infallibility of Holy Scripture as originally given, and its supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
  2. The unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the Godhead.
  3. The universal guilt and sinfulness of man since the Fall rendering man subject to God’s wrath and condemnation.
  4. Redemption from the guilt, penalty and power of sin, only through the sacrificial death, as our Representative and Substitute, of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God.
  5. The conception of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit and His birth by the Virgin Mary.
  6. The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
  7. The necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit to make the death of Jesus Christ effective to individual sinners, granting each one repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ.
  8. The indwelling and work of the Holy Spirit in the believer.
  9. The expectation of the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anglicare — ARV merger Synod delayed

Sydney Synod“A special Synod to consider a merger of Anglicare and ARV has been delayed…”

– from March 31 to April 27. SydneyAnglicans.net has the reasons.

Canberra – Goulburn conference to focus on discipleship

Mike and Sally Breen

The Centre for Lay Ministry and Mission in Canberra & Goulburn diocese is running a discipleship conference in May.

Bishop Stuart Robinson writes, “We’d love to see people from all over Australia attend and learn from Mike and Sally Breen.” Details here (PDF).

New Dean for Australian College of Theology

Dr Martin SutherlandThe Board of the Australian College of Theology has announced (PDF) that Dr. Martin Sutherland, currently Academic Dean of Laidlaw College in Auckland, will be the new Dean and Chief Executive Officer of the ACT, from July 2016.

Colleges affiliated with the ACT include Youthworks College, Mary Andrews College, SMBC, and the Presbyterian and Baptist colleges. (Photo: Laidlaw College.)

Moore College celebrates a birthday

Moore College at 160160 and counting. A cause for thanksgiving to the Lord.

Around the Anglican Church of Australia 27 February 2016

How should Anglicans respond to climate change?Here are a few snippets from around the Anglican Church of Australia this weekend.

Please pray that all of us will keep Christ’s saving gospel front and centre, and proclaim it clearly, as we should (Colossians 4:4, Matthew 28:16-20):

Melbourne

Anglican Media Melbourne has this video from a forum held on Ash Wednesday. One of the speakers was The Rev Andy Bowman (pictured), Co-Director of the Anglican Alliance:

“Ash Wednesday’s appropriate because first, we’ve got to lament the kind of poor response we’ve shown over the last two decades – and so we began the day today thinking about how we should be grieving that, how we should be seeking forgiveness about that…”

“… How can we restore the Earth to what it should be – what it was – when God first created it and gave us that great responsibility of stewarding it.”

North Queensland

The funeral of Bishop John Lewis (Bishop of North Queensland 1971-1996) will be held at St. James’ Cathedral in Townsville, today Saturday 27th February.

In his weekly bulletin, current bishop Bill Ray explains that he is sorry medical reasons prevent him being at next month’s Australian Bishops’ Conference in South Australia. He writes:

“Despite what you may have read in the press, it has been my experience that each Bishops’ Meeting is a time of fellowship and learning as well as a time where people show respect to each other.

I have found each conference very helpful and I am disappointed that I will not be present.”

Bathurst

Bathurst Diocese is advertising an Encouragement Workshop at St. John’s Wellington in March.

Canberra & Goulburn

Canberra– Goulburn Diocese reports that a UK expert in children’s church, The Rev Mark Griffiths, is touring regional areas next month to help churches reach young people.

Perth

The Diocese of Perth has an essay on “Liberation theology in modern Australia”.

The Dean’s Story — Kanishka Raffel on ABC Radio’s The Spirit of Things

Kanishka RaffelTerrific interview with Kanishka Raffel coming up on ABC Radio on Sunday – but available on the website now.

The full programme is a 26MB mp3 file, and the interview runs for the first 43 minutes.

Well worth hearing and sharing widely.

(h/t SydneyAnglicans.net)

Call to help Aboriginal church leaders thrive

Bishop Greg Anderson“The Anglican Bishop of the Northern Territory is calling for up to 50 mature Christians to move to Arnhem Land to disciple up-and-coming Aboriginal church leaders on a long-term basis.

Dr Greg Anderson, a former CMS missionary to the NT who returned to Darwin as bishop a year ago, sees the need for ‘an ongoing, possibly permanent partnership’ between mature Christians and Aboriginal churches in Arnhem Land. 

‘We have local, ordained leaders but some of them are old, well past ‘whitefella’ retirement age, and there’s a younger generation we’re looking for to come up behind them and there are some signs of those people coming forward, but those people need [cultural] scaffolding.’…”

– Story from Bible Society Australia.

Related: Diocese of The Northern Territory.

‘Newcastle Anglican Bishop … concerns about a breakaway conservative movement’

Greg Thompson“Fractures in the Australian Anglican Church on the issue of gay clergy are set to boil over at a national meeting of bishops in early March, prompting Newcastle Anglican Bishop Greg Thompson to miss the event and accuse Sydney diocese of leading a breakaway conservative movement.

The emergence of a ‘para Anglican Communion’” was underway, Bishop Thompson said in a letter to Anglican Primate Archbishop Philip Freier in December, in which he declined to attend the annual bishops conference in South Australia from March 6 because it would give the impression of a united church that conflicted with reality.

He accused Sydney diocese of demanding other dioceses sign up to Anglican protocols on homosexuality, or Sydney would not attend any further national bishops’ conferences…”

– Story from The Newcastle Herald via SydneyAnglicans.net.

At his blog, David Ould shares some thoughts on the article.

Update: Newcastle Anglican Bishop Greg Thompson “could not simply stand by” as Sydney diocese acted against two bishops – The Newcastle Herald.

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