Defending classic marriage — Synod speeches
Canon Sandy Grant moved, and Mrs Tara Sing seconded, the motion “Affirmation of marriage as between a man and a woman” at Sydney Synod on Wednesday 14th October 2015.
The text of Sandy’s speech is now available as a 115kb PDF file, with links to useful resources, and the final form of the resolution, as it was passed, at the end.
Mrs Tara Sing’s speech seconding the motion is below – Read more
New Churches for New Communities
The Archbishop of Sydney’s New Churches for New Communities has released these videos to highlight the work of building new church buildings in the growing areas of Sydney.
(The first video features Bishop Ivan Lee, for whom prayers continue to be requested.)
Sydney Synod reaffirms marriage
“A capacity-crowd at the Sydney Synod has voted for a re-affirmation of marriage as between a man and a woman and called for all Australian Christians to respectfully engage in the public debate on redefining marriage.
‘If we don’t do this – what will our silence say?’ argued Tara Sing [pictured], who spoke as seconder of the reaffirmation motion…”
– Read the story at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Police raid Sat-7’s Cairo offices
“Egyptian police raided Sat-7 channel’s Cairo offices on Oct. 10, confiscating equipment and briefly detaining the pioneer Arabic Christian broadcaster’s country office director.
Detained for hours before being released, director Farid Samir faces possible charges related to operating a satellite TV channel ‘without the necessary licenses,’ a press release by the Sat-7 Cyprus office said two days later…”
– Report from World Watch Monitor.
Archbishop Davies rallies Anglicans as Synod begins
“The Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Glenn Davies, has delivered a rallying address on Christian mission, persecution and perseverance at the start of the church’s 2015 Synod…”
– from Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Read the full text here (will download a PDF file) – or listen at this link (35MB mp3 audio) or watch the video.
Take the time to watch, hear or read the full address.
The Archbishop’s Presidential Address to the Sydney Synod on October 12th, 2015.
Here’s one extract:
“That two TV stations should recently refuse to air advertisements by Marriage Alliance for promoting what is simply the law of the land is a scandal! It is also symptomatic of the wave of naïve enthusiasm for the novelty of ‘same-sex marriage’ that a significant number of corporations have published their endorsement for this change in our law. How, one might ask, does such a position have anything to do with the core business of these companies—it is inexplicable. Why don’t we hear from these companies about their views on the treatment of asylum seekers on Manus Island or the decline in Australia’s foreign aid budget or other controversial issues such as the slave trade, euthanasia or abortion? Have these companies any idea of how many shareholders, let alone employees, who do not share these publicly endorsed sentiments regarding ‘same-sex marriage’?”
Good Governance Workshop
Good Governance Workshop
6:30pm, Thursday 26th November 2015.
This workshop is for you if you’ve been elected to a board or a council, particularly if you feel your own management experience doesn’t prepare you for this ‘governance’ role.
As a service to our diocesan organisations and the people elected by our Synod, the Anglican Church League presents a workshop designed to equip members of boards and committees with good governance principles and practice.
Click the image to download an invitation in PDF format.
What: A series of presentations on governance – particularly as it pertains to the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.
Who is it for? Board members appointed to organisations of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney.
When: Thursday 26th November, 6:30pm–9:00pm.
Where: At The Chapter House – please enter via rear door of St. Andrew’s Cathedral.
How much? No charge.
To register, please send an e-mail to our organising committee at ggw@acl.asn.au via this link, specifying the names of attendees (so we can ensure we have the right number of handouts, etc.).
Main Speakers:
Archbishop Glenn Davies
on Evangelical Governance: what difference does the gospel make to governance?
Dr Robert Tong
on Responsible evangelical governance of diocesan boards.
Canon Bruce Morrison
on Responsible evangelical governance of school councils.
What’s involved in being Archbishop of Sydney?
In the August and September 2015 issues of Southern Cross, Archbishop Glenn Davies writes about some of what is involved in being Archbishop of Sydney.
Both parts are now up on the SydneyAnglicans.net website and you can read them here – Part 1 (Leading in Truth), and Part 2 (Great Mission).
UK Christian leaders speak out on proposed Extremism Disruption Orders
“More than 50 Christian leaders from across England and Wales have written to The Daily Telegraph to warn that the Government’s proposed Extremism Disruption Orders (EDOs) would be a “disaster” for the church.
The initiative was backed by: Revd Tony Jones, Senior Minister of Christchurch Durham; Revd Dr Mike Ovey, Principal of Oak Hill College; and Andrea Williams, CEO of Christian Concern [and Colin Hart Director of the Christian Institute]…”
– from Anglican Mainstream.
Prayers urged for Bishop Ivan Lee
“The Bishop of Western Sydney, Ivan Lee, has been diagnosed with a pancreatic tumour.
He had been experiencing some lethargy and symptoms of jaundice. Scans revealed his bile duct was blocked by a tumour on the pancreas…”
– The Anglican Church League urges all members to pray for Bishop Ivan Lee (a Vice-President of the League) and his wife Virginia.
SydneyAnglicans.net has details to inform your prayers.
UK government backtracks on ‘sinister’ faith leaders watchlist
“A Home Office minister has signalled that the Government now has ‘no plans’ to introduce a ‘watchlist’ for faith leaders…”
– from The Christian Institute.
Abortion-by-phone is ‘commerce, not care’
“The Anglican Bishop of North Sydney, Chris Edwards, says the proposal that Australian women would be able to access abortions by phone and mail smacks of a program driven by commercial concerns rather than by genuine care for people…”
– see SydneyAnglicans.net for more.
‘Anglican Church concerned gay marriage would force Christian wedding suppliers to cater for same-sex couples’
“Conservative elements within Australia’s Anglican Church want new laws giving devout Christians the right to discriminate against same-sex couples, as the Federal Government pushes ahead with plans to hold a national plebiscite on the issue of gay marriage. …
The synod of the Anglican Church’s Sydney diocese will next month consider a report from a senior bishop which argues that wedding service providers should have the “religious freedom” to refuse to cater for gay couples.”
– Report on ABC Radio’s The World Today.
‘Reserve Bank governor Sir Harold Knight offered distinguished service in war and peace’
“Sir Harold Murray Knight KBE, DSC was an Australian economist, best known as the third governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, serving from 1975 to 1982. …
Though his career in central banking featured prominently in his life and demanded much of his time, “it was not what motivated him or gave his life meaning,” his son, Dr Andrew Knight, said. His strong, personal Christian faith drove his core values and led him to devote decades of leadership to the Scripture Union, the Crusader Union, the Bible Society and the Anglican Church.”
– The Sydney Morning Herald has published this obituary of Sir Harold Knight.
(Image: Portrait of Sir Harold Knight by Bill Leak from the RBA Collection via SydneyAnglicans.net.)
UK Govt extremism plans ‘would target Christian charities’
“The Government could remove trustees from Christian charities, including schools, across England and Wales if they are deemed ‘extremist’, according to leaked Government legislation…
It comes after a proposal to enact a ‘national register of faith leaders’ was criticised as an attack on religious freedom not seen since the 17th century.”
– news from The Christian Institute.
International Women’s Consultation — report
“In late June 2015, Caitlin Hurley, Emma Little, Jane Tooher and I headed to London at the invitation of the Proclamation Trust.
The Proclamation Trust has been a leader of evangelical ministry in the UK, through their training of men and women in expository Bible teaching; conferences for clergy, women in ministry, and ministry wives; their Cornhill course; and their many written resources.
The invitation included the opportunity to attend The Proclamation Trust’s flagship conference, the Evangelical Ministry Assembly (EMA), and after EMA to participate in an international women’s consultation organised by Carrie Sandom…”
– at the Equal But Different website, Kara Hartley – Archdeacon for Women’s Ministry in Sydney Diocese – reports on a recent and strategic International Women’s Consultation.
Related: Audio of the EMA 2015 talks. (Proc Trust’s Adrian Reynolds says that the video files will be uploaded in coming days.) Photo by Sam Law.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…