ACL Pre-Synod Briefing Wednesday 5th October & Synod Dinner Monday 10th
Two special events for Sydney Synod members: Read more
Youthworks College to move to Moore College’s Newtown campus
From Moore College:
Youthworks has today announced the move of the Youthworks College diploma courses to their new Moore Theological College campus premises.
“A vital need of the moment is men and women committed to gospel work among children and youth in our city and beyond. Youthworks College under the principalship of Dr Bill Salier is uniquely placed to meet this need and its new location in Newtown alongside Moore College will significantly enhance this work. I am looking forward to building on the already close partnership between Moore and Youthworks College” said Moore College principal, Dr Mark Thompson, when speaking of the move.
Youthworks College sees this as a strategic move that is aimed enhancing Youthworks College’s mission of raising up skilled youth and children’s ministers serving in churches and schools.
This move will provide greater accessibility of Youthworks College’s programmes to more students due to the relative ease of the physical location; and the greater visibility of Youthworks College generally as they move closer to the centre of Sydney.
Dr Bill Salier remarked, “We are also excited by the opportunities as yet unseen that will occur as a result of a change of this type. We believe it will further stimulate us to think through what we do, and how we do it, in the new space.”
“Youthworks College is grateful for the generosity of Moore College and the spirit of partnership this represents. We look forward to working side by side, albeit with our different audiences and programmes, sharing the common goal of strengthening Gospel ministry in Sydney and beyond” concluded Dr Salier.
Marriage debate ‘taints’ outcome, says Anglican Archbishop
“The leader of the nation’s largest Anglican diocese has warned that the political debate on same-sex marriage is ‘so tainted’ its resolution is beyond the ‘capabilities of the current parliament’.
Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies said the issue went to a change that would ‘affect the foundations of our society’. All Australians needed to be consulted and the arguments against marriage equality given a fair public hearing, he said. …”
– Full story from The Australian. (Paywalled.) Photo: Moore College.
Alec Motyer (1924–2016)
Renowned Old Testament pastor-scholar Alec Motyer has gone home to be with the Lord, at the age of 91.
Justin Taylor has this appreciation at The Gospel Coalition.
Church Society Director Lee Gatiss has posted another:
“Alec was a pillar of the evangelical Anglican establishment in the second half of the twentieth century, and a terrific example of a Reformed evangelical Bible commentator.
As the ‘church militant here on earth’ becomes increasingly bereft of those in that great generation, we must pray fervently for the continuation of their legacy — especially for the production of more Bible-loving, theologically-rigorous resources which feed warm-hearted, Christ-exalting preaching, but also for more Anglicans with his love for the word and for Reformation truths.”
Update: Terry Johnson has also posted this Personal Remembrance at Reformation 21:
“Each weekday the entire college gathered for lunch. The food typically was English-bland, and 30 years after Victory in Europe Day, in war rationing quantities. The fellowship was wonderful, but the highlight (besides the tea) was Mr. Motyer’s closing prayer following a review of the college’s life.
The prayer before the meal was very brief. “For these and all thy mercies we give Thee thanks, O Lord, in our Saviour’s name, amen.” Motyer was devout but not sanctimonious. It was time to eat; no sense delaying the hungry.
The prayer following the meal was long, and worth the price of admission. He was no Prayer Book cripple. He prayed as he preached, with an Irishman’s passion and filled with Scripture. I never missed lunch, despite the food, because I didn’t want to miss the prayer.”
Additional note: His recently-published “Psalms by the Day — a New Devotional Translation”, published by Christian Focus, is a wonderful example of Motyer’s warm-hearted, Christ-honouring approach to Scripture.
(Image: thesermon.co.uk)
Watch the Annual Moore College Lecture livestream tonight
If you couldn’t get to Moore College for the first evening of this year’s Annual Moore College Lectures, you can watch it from 8:00pm via the college’s livestream.
“Dr Paul Williamson is our speaker for this year’s Moore College Lectures on the topic of Death and the Life Heareafter. Join us to think through the big questions of death, heaven and hell, beginning with a public lecture on the evening of Friday 19 August, and continuing with 5 morning lectures from Monday 22 to Friday 26 August. This is a free event with no registration required.”
Rick Smith joins Moore College’s CMD team
News from Moore College:
“Moore College’s Centre for Ministry Development (CMD) has been assisting in the theologically shaped development of ministers for the past four years. The Centre has recognised the need to assist more clergy through mentoring and for developing new Rectors and has appointed Rick Smith to join the team as a consultant…”
– Story here.
Related: Centre for Ministry Development.
Serving the Lord — Jane Barker
“Jane Sophia Barker (Nee Harden) was born in England in 1807. On October 15, 1840 she married Frederic Barker who, at that time, was serving as a rector in Liverpool, England.
They had no children and served in parish ministry together for 15 years until Frederick was asked to be the second Bishop of Sydney. They arrived in Sydney in May 1855 and Jane would remain in Sydney until her death 21 years later…”
– Jane Tooher opens a window into the life, and faith, of Jane Barker, wife of Bishop Frederick Barker. At SydneyAnglicans.net.
Churches recommit to prayer on Moore College Sunday
Today around Sydney, churches are taking the time to pray for Moore Theological College.
See the MCS website – and watch the video.
Pastoral Letter to Clergy, Parishioners and Friends of the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn from Bishop Stuart Robinson
“Beloved in Christ,
I am writing, with a heavy heart, in response to concerns expressed by parishioners and people in our wider communities around the reports of sexual abuse in the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle. Like me, you will be appalled at what has been alleged and what has taken place…”
– Stuart Robinson, Bishop of Canberra & Goulburn, has published this pastoral letter.
Newcastle Bishop shares a message on the eve of the Royal Commission
From the Diocese of Newcastle:
“The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is holding a public hearing into the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle at Newcastle from Tuesday, 2 August 2016.
Bishop Greg Thompson shares a message with the Diocesan community about working together through what will be a confronting time as we face the past to help build a healthy future.”
Watch Bishop Thompson’s message here. And please pray for all concerned.
Moore College events coming up
The team at Moore College have posted a summary of events coming up in August.
Sydney church planters meet
“Church planters for the first three projects of the Archbishop’s New Churches for New Communities program have met to discuss the vision for Sydney’s fastest growing new suburbs.
The edges of the Sydney basin are expected to become home to an extra 750,000 to 1 million people in coming years and the State Government is already gearing up infrastructure such as rail links…”
– Encouraging news from SydneyAnglicans.net.
Moore’s treasures unveiled
“A campaign has begun to preserve a major collection of Australian Christian history at the library of Moore College, including two of the first books ever printed by press, the first book distributed in Australia, an ancient Hebrew parchment, a first edition of the King James Bible and rare photos of the building of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The historic, and eclectic, group of ‘treasures’ is to be housed and exhibited in the college’s new library, due for completion in 2017, and the college is raising funds to display and preserve the irreplaceable collection.
‘Some of Australia’s priceless national heritage is found in the Moore College library – not surprising, since the college is one of the oldest tertiary educational institutions in the country and it became the repository of special books and artefacts from the earliest days,’ said Moore’s former principal Dr Peter Jensen, who is backing the effort to conserve the treasures.
One of the most historic items of Australiana is ‘Address to the Inhabitants of the Colonies’ by the chaplain of the First Fleet, the Rev Richard Johnson. It was printed in England in 1794 with editing by the slave trader-turned evangelist John Newton. Johnson used it in his work in Sydney, making it the first book conceived and distributed in Australia…”
– Read the full story by Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Richard Johnson’s ‘Address to the Inhabitants of the Colonies Established in New South Wales and Norfolk Island’ (with some editorial input from John Newton) was republished in PDF format for the ACL website several years ago. It is a wonderfully direct gospel tract.
Photo credit: Moore College.
Merged group named Anglicare
“The newly merged group formed from Anglicare Sydney and Anglican Retirement Villages has officially begun, using the name Anglicare.
The merger took effect on July 1st, and although its legal name will be ‘Anglican Community Services’, it will use the trading names ‘Anglicare’ and ‘Anglicare Sydney’…”
– News from SydneyAnglicans.net.
Two new members of the Moore College faculty in 2017
“Last Thursday evening, the Governing Board of the College approved the Principal’s nomination of two new members of the Moore College faculty to begin in January 2017.
Rev Paul Grimmond has been serving as Senior Assistant Minister at Unichurch (UNSW) since 2010, having previously been an editor for Matthias Media (2008–2009) and Rector of Unichurch (2003–2008). …
Rev Peter Tong is Assistant Minister at St Andrews Wahroonga. Prior to 2015 he was an Assistant Minister for five years at Naremburn-Cammeray Anglican Church (2009–2014)…”
– Good news from Moore College. Read the details here.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…