Colin Bale to be Moore College Vice-Principal

“Rev Dr Colin Bale has been appointed Moore College’s new Vice Principal. Colin has been a member of the College faculty since 1999 and its Academic Dean since 2009. The two roles will be joined from 1 January 2015…”

– Grab the details from the Moore College website.

Sydney Synod gives thanks for Bishop Ken Short

Sydney Synod paid tribute to the late Bishop Ken Short today, adopting these words brought to the Synod by Bishop Peter Tasker –

“This Synod notes with great sorrow the death of Bishop Ken Short last Sunday evening.

We give thanks to God for the extraordinary ministry of Ken, who has faithfully served his Lord and Saviour throughout his life and has been a blessing to others In his various ministries as an elder statesman of the Diocese of Sydney, missionary in Tanganyika evangelist, parish rector, military chaplain, regional bishop, Dean of Sydney and Bishop of the Defence Forces.

We pray for his widow Gloria and the family as they grieve their loss, yet rejoice with them in the sure and certain knowledge that our brother Ken is now ‘at home with the Lord’.”

Bishop Short’s funeral service will be held, with military honours, at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney, on Monday 27th October at 2:00pm. We understand the service will be streamed live for those who can’t attend.

(Photo: Ramon Williams.)

Anglican Aid’s Inaugural Festival of Just Ideas

Anglican Aid’s Inaugural Festival of Just Ideas is on this coming Saturday (25th October 2014) at Broadway. It’s not too late to book in.

Sydney Synod resolution on Global Anglicanism

The Synod of the Diocese of Sydney has passed a resolution, encouraging GAFCON to continue and expand its work. Here is the complete text:

“9.23 Global Anglicanism

Synod –

(a) gives God thanks for the success of GAFCON 2013 (Global Anglican Future Conference) being made up of 1358 delegates from 39 countries including the 99 delegates from Australia,

(b) recognises that GAFCON is an emerging instrument of communion when others have failed to provide the well needed leadership at a time of growing liberalism within Anglicanism, aggressive secularism, militant Islamism and seductive syncretism,

(c) encourages and supports GAFCON/FCA (Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans) in its desire to expand its membership, develop networks, authorise and affirm those who have been excluded by their dioceses or provinces,

(d) recognising Synod’s desire to be in full communion with the ACNA (Synod resolution 46/09), Synod congratulates the Most Reverend Foley Beach on his consecration as Archbishop to the ACNA (Anglican Church of North America),

(e) encourages the development of FCA Australia and its inaugural conference, “The Anglican Future Conference” to be held in Melbourne next year,

(f) looks forward to the next GAFCON as a principle gathering of leaders in the Anglican Communion, and

(g) requests the Secretary to write to The FCA Primates’ Council, The ACNA and FCA Australia informing them of this.

(The Rev Gavin Poole/The Rev Dr Michael Stead).”

– via the GAFCON website. Emphasis added.

Mission Property Committee update

This 10 minute update video from the Mission Property Committee was shown at Sydney Synod yesterday (October 13th).

It’s an encouraging overview of the progress made in securing sites in new developments around Sydney. Uploaded by Anglican Media Sydney.

Update: an edited 5 minute version is now also available.

New Bishop for Georges River Region

During his Presidential Address to the Diocese of Sydney’s Synod, Archbishop Glenn Davies today announced a new bishop for the Georges River Region – Peter Lin, Rector of Fairfield with Bossley Park.

– Story and photo from Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Listen to Archbishop Davies’ address, watch it here, or read the text (PDF).

Australian Church Record — October 2014

The latest issue of The Australian Church Record, Number 1914, October 2014, is now out on their website (just in time for Sydney Synod). Here are some excerpts:

From ‘Faith Under Attack‘

“So Protestants should be alarmed at recent trends in scholarship presenting fine-sounding arguments for faith + something else. And Anglicans need to be alarmed at even small additions to their liturgy that confuse those praying it in this same direction.”

From ‘Faith Alone v. Faith at work‘

“The tendency of the human heart to want to boast in its own achievements is all too prevalent. But there is nothing that we do to merit our justification before God. Like our forebears, contemporary Protestantism must continue to work carefully and clearly in defining the place of faith.”

Download your copy here.

Moore College Annual Report 2014

See the Moore College Annual Report for 2014. Much cause for thanksgiving.

1.4MB PDF file.

Sweatcon15

“SWEATCON is a training conference in the South-West (SW), for the SW, by the SW. The conference seeks to train up leaders and future leaders in the churches of the SW.”

Next year’s conference is 20th – 23rd January 2015 at Hoxton Park and there’s a promo video here.

Moore Vice Principal Bill Salier to head Youthworks College

“The Rev Dr Bill Salier has been appointed the new principal of Youthworks College replacing the Rev Andrew Nixon. He will take up his appointment in January 2015.

‘I leave Moore College profoundly grateful to our Lord for its teaching and shaping of me over many years. Now it’s time to look forward, to be used by our Father in a new context, and continue growing the complementary and mutually supportive relationship between Moore and Youthworks.’…”

– the latest from Moore College.

Mike Horton on Moore

It’s easy to take a place like Moore College for granted.

While he was in Sydney for the Annual Lectures, Mike Horton (Westminster Seminary California) spoke about the role of Moore.

Among other things, Mike gives this advice –

“If God is calling you to ministry, start at Moore – don’t end up at some point down the line – Why not get right at it?” Take a few minutes to watch the videos:

1. On the challenges facing the church and why people should study at Moore.
2. On Moore and the need for theological education.
3. Mike is asked about his ministry.

Thinking about Moore College for 2015?

Moore College would like you to think about studying next year.

Undergraduate? Postgraduate? Distance learning? See what the college has to offer and apply by November 30 to avoid extra admin fees. Details here.

The worst media Christian bashing this year?

“There’s probably no point waiting to the end of the year to award the prize for the worst media monstering of a Christian for 2014. Because the Sydney Morning Herald has published such an egregious story on Dean Phillip Jensen… that any other winning entry is unlikely.”

– Phillip Jensen has been criticised by the media before, and John Sandeman catalogues yet another example.

See also the article in question – The truth behind ISIL – by the Dean.

New Director for Moore College’s Centre for Christian Living

“Rev Tony Payne has been appointed the director of Moore College’s Centre for Christian Living. The centre, established in 2010 to resource Christians to live as disciples of Christ and to tackle the hard issues of the twenty-first century, will be ‘rebooted’ in early 2015…”