A Prayer for the people of Sydney and the Illawarra

As Sunday’s Day of Prayer for the Spread of the Gospel (including a prayer gathering in the Cathedral on Sunday afternoon) approaches, Archbishop Kanisha Raffel has written this prayer which you may wish to use –

A Prayer for the Spread of the Gospel in Sydney and the Illawarra

Dear heavenly Father

We praise and thank you for sending into the world, your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ to be the world’s redeemer.

Thank you that by his death and resurrection you have opened the way to life abundant and life eternal through the forgiveness of ours sins. Thank you that by repentance and faith, we are adopted by grace into your family, and given the gift of your Holy Spirit who assures us that we are your children, and enables us to call you Father, not because of anything we have done, but because of your great mercy and love.

Gracious God, we pray for Sydney and the Illawarra, from the Hawkesbury to the mountains, from the new growth corridors to the coastal suburbs and the inner city, from the southern highlands to Wollongong and the towns and villages of the south Coast – would you pour out your Spirit to bring many of our neighbours, friends, families and colleagues to saving knowledge of your Son.

Would you equip all your people, in our families, churches, schools, agencies and organisations, in every community across our diocesan fellowship to fulfil the works that you have prepared in advance for us to do so that in every way we make known the excellencies of your Son, who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Dear Lord, hear our prayer for all those who do not know you, and do not know your love for them in the gospel of your Son. Please open blind eyes, please soften hard hearts, please lift the veil from those blinded by the god of this age so that all may see the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Dear heavenly Father, by the proclamation of your gospel, by our ready answer for the hope that we have, by our lives and in our fellowship, bearing witness to the transforming power of the risen Lord, would you make known the truth, beauty, majesty and mercy of your Son and call many from death to life, from darkness into his wonderful light, from slavery to sin and death, into the Kingdom of the Son whom you love.

Even as you have been merciful to us, pour out your mercy in the gospel of your Son and bring many more we pray to repentance and faith in him; build your church from every tribe and people and language and nation, to the praise and glory of the Lamb who was slain, who by his blood purchased a people for himself, who alone is worthy of all praise and honour and glory and blessing forever and ever, Amen.

Win-win on housing and ministry

“More than 250 new affordable homes and critical ministry infrastructure are set to be developed in Bankstown and Regents Park, providing a much-needed boost for west and southwest Sydney.

The projects secured funding under the Federal Government’s Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF). …”

– Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net reports on projects in the parishes of Bankstown and Regents Park.

Giving thanks for Campus Bible Study — 50 years on

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“Today we review the 50 year impact of The University of New South Wales’ Campus Bible Study on Christian ministries across Australia and around the world – in raising up gospel workers, sending missionaries, planting churches and in Christian publishing.

Former Anglican Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen led the ministry for thirty years till 2005. Since then Paul Grimmond and Carl Matthei have been senior chaplains.

Alan Stewart started studying at the University of New South Wales just two years after Phillip Jensen arrived as Anglican Chaplain. Alan was saved by Jesus in 1979 and went on to assist in the ministry, before becoming CEO of Anglican Youthworks, Bishop of Wollongong, head of Church Planting for Sydney Anglicans and then national director of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.

Tony Payne and Tracey Gowing started as undergraduates a few years after Alan. Tony went on to run the influential Christian publishing house Matthias Media, while Tracey led the Christian ministry at Cumberland College Christian Group before returning to UNSW as a senior staff member at Campus Bible Study.”

– Watch or listen here.

Bringing Hope to the Illawarra

“March 2025 will see one of the largest evangelistic campaigns for many years in the Illawarra region.

‘Hope For The Illawarra’, a partnership between the US broadcast ministry Leading The Way and churches in the Illawarra, will culminate in outreach events. …”

– Russell Powell has news of good news for the people of the Illawarra.

At SydneyAnglicans.net.

Major fire destroys parts of St Hilary’s Kew

“The Anglican community was distressed to hear that there was a major fire at St Hilary’s Kew (on the corner of John and Rowland Streets) in the early hours of Friday 10 January. …

Thanks to the quick action of the fire fighters, they were able to save the church and the hall (both original buildings on the site). …

Offices, the main kitchen, and other spaces were significantly affected. The church has sustained some smoke and water damage”

– Story at The Melbourne Anglican.

Photo via The Melbourne Anglican.

Cross-cultural ministry that seeks to connect

“In our part of Sydney, Chinese migrants come from very diverse backgrounds. Their occupations range from working on construction sites as builders, to running their own businesses, to working in offices as white-collar workers. There is a real mix of people in Lidcombe since it is now an important transport hub in Sydney, and it attracts many Chinese migrants who settle here. …”

– At the Moore College website, Danny Au Yeung, Rector of Lidcombe Anglican Church, shares some points for prayer in a strategic part of Sydney.

Holding out the good news to multicultural western Sydney

“Minchinbury is a suburb in the heart of western Sydney located just south of Mount Druitt and Rooty Hill. The local area is a melting pot of nations, with only 53 per cent of people in the catchment born in Australia. (It’s 70 per cent across New South Wales.) If Minchinbury was a street with 100 people living in it, 10 would be Filipino, four Indian, 81 would speak more than one language, 12 would be Islamic, 33 would be Catholic, and only 15 people would have no religion. …”

– Moore College has published this encouraging report from Mike Smith in the parish of Minchinbury.

Earlier the College published this ministry story from David Misztal at Wentworthville.

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.

Praying for 2024 Ordinands

“Please pray for these candidates as they prepare for ordination on February 17, 2024 and for taking up positions at the following parishes …”

– SydneyAnglicans.net has the list – for your prayers!

William Ansdell Leech (1842-1895) and the Fresh Air League

“On 25 September 1890, in his parish of Bong Bong in the Southern Highlands of NSW, the Rev William Ansdell Leech, an Anglican clergyman, formed a Ministering Children’s League (MCL) group from which the NSW Fresh Air League (FAL) would arise.

Initially, the activity that gave rise to the FAL was Leech’s particular way of fulfilling the ideals of the MCL. It soon became apparent that providing holiday accommodation for poor children and families in a healthy mountainous environment was a ministry deserving of its own name. …”

– Paul Cooper, Research Fellow at Christ College, Sydney, provides another fascinating window in to the (not-so-distant) past at Philanthropists And Philanthropy In Australian Colonial History.

Image: colonialgivers.com

Moore College farewells The Rev Dr Chase Kuhn

“Moore College’s much-loved lecturer in Christian ethics and theology, The Rev Dr Chase Kuhn, has accepted the Archbishop’s invitation to become the Rector of St Matthias Centennial Park in Sydney. Dr Kuhn’s long-standing love of church-based pastoral ministry means that this move has not surprised any who know him.

While we will be very sad to see him go, we are so glad that he is able to use his very considerable gifts in the service of this community of God’s people. We share the joy of this opportunity with Chase, Amy and the family. …”

– News from Moore College.

“Jesus has come to invade the realm of darkness”

“Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has visited the Diocese’s newest Anglican building, Leppington Anglican Church, celebrating ministry to what has become known as the ‘new southwest’. …

The church’s opening was disrupted by COVID and the service was the first opportunity to mark the event. …”

– Leppington opens as ‘new SouthWest’ emerges.

Russell Powell writes of Hope Anglican Church at Leppington.

Embedded in the article is the video of the service, including an interview with the Archbishop, and his sermon. The Archbishop reminds us, “Jesus has come to invade the realm of darkness”.

Getting to know CityAlight

Recently, Sol Fenne, Music Coordinator at 20schemes music in Scotland, spent some time with Rich Vassallo to get to know CityAlight, a music ministry which has blessed many people – at St. Paul’s Castle Hill, across Sydney, and right around the world.

A most encouraging video and a great reminder to pray for the team of CityAlight.