The ACL commits to Prayer for the election of the next Archbishop of Sydney
The Election Synod to choose a new Archbishop of Sydney is set for August 5th – 9th 2013.
The ACL is planning Prayer Meetings in June to pray for the election.
The February meeting of the Council of the Anglican Church League passed this Resolution, which was proposed by ACL President The Rev. Gav Poole –
“The ACL confirms its longstanding practice of not promoting a preferred candidate for the Archbishop’s election.
It is noted that all members, councillors and executive are free to participate in the election on a personal basis.
And the ACL commits itself to organise prayer meetings around the diocese calling upon God for a new Archbishop who will uphold the Evangelical character of our diocese.”
Please stay tuned for details of the forthcoming Prayer meetings, and please commit to seeking the Lord in prayer on this matter.
Call for prayer after tragedy hits Youthworks team
“A member of the Youthworks Shoalhaven team has been killed in a motor bike accident on the way to work…”
– More at SydneyAnglicans.net.
2013 Priscilla & Aquila Centre conference talks online
Video and audio files from the 2013 Priscilla & Aquila Centre conference at Moore College have now been posted online – at the Priscilla & Aquila website.
Guarding the Gospel
Moore College Principal-elect Dr Mark Thompson –
“On one occasion I heard [Archbishop Marcus Loane] remark with concern that a new generation of clergy had no idea at what great cost the diocese of Sydney had been won for the evangelical cause or how easily it could all be lost…”
Read it all here:
I did not know Archbishop Marcus Loane well. I did know, of course, that he was one of the truly great Archbishops of Sydney (there have been a few — Frederic Barker comes to mind, though he was never actually styled ‘Archbishop’, as do Howard Mowll, Donald Robinson and Peter Jensen). Nevertheless, he had retired the year before I entered Moore College as a student and, though over the next twenty years or so I heard loads of Marcus Loane stories (and even more impersonations of his unique voice and speaking style), I had very few opportunities to meet with him. When those opportunities came, though, they always left a deep impression. Read more
Archbishop Jensen on the 225th Anniversary of Australia’s first Christian service
Here’s Archbishop Peter Jensen’s sermon given at St. Philip’s York Street on February 3rd 2013. It was the 225th Anniversary of the first sermon preached in the Colony of New South Wales, by the Rev Richard Johnson.
“Today we have little concept of the difficulties and dangers through which the First Fleet passed in order to deliver its cargo to these shores. Its arrival here was a masterpiece of organisation, skill and courage.
Given the ubiquity of modern communications, we can scarcely imagine what it was like to travel so far with little chance of report or cry for help. We forget how rarely European ships had passed this way and how uncharted the sea was. We can scarcely conceive how frail their ships were, how powerful the forces of nature that imperilled them, how lacking in the technical instruments by which the path may be found and the course traversed in safety.
I think we may say that in truth the voyage of the First Fleet was one of the greatest feats of seamanship in recorded history. …”
– Read it all at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Sydney Ordinations 2013
Thirty four candidates have been ordained to various ministries at a service at St. Andrew’s Cathedral. Russell Powell has the encouraging story at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Launch of ‘Common Prayer’ — February 6th
The Archbishop of Sydney’s Liturgical Panel and Anglican Press Australia are launching new Common Prayer: Resources for gospel-shaped gatherings on Wednesday February 6 at 4:00 pm.
The venue is the Chapter House at St Andrew’s Cathedral and an invitation has gone to all Rectors and members of ministry teams. RSVP Friday February 1 to Andrew Eisenhauer on 8268 3316.
(Copies of Common Prayer will be available for purchase on the day.)
Moore College ‘Big Day In’ — Sat 2nd Feb
“Moore College is holding its annual Big Day In on February 2 to welcome and orient new students to the college. …
Starting at Moore College you no doubt have a lot of questions and uncertainties, and the Big Day In is designed specifically to familarise you with the campus and culture.”
The Best Christmas Ever
“Christmas 2012 turned out to be the best Christmas ever! Who would have thought that we would have such a large congregation on Christmas night itself! Nearly all our initiatives worked better than anybody expected. In terms of congregational members’ involvement, evangelistic outreach, follow up contact cards, and conducting different gatherings, a whole new way of programming Christmas has been created for 2013.
To call it “the best Christmas ever” is a great claim that is of course slightly ridiculous…”
– Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, looks back at Christmas 2012 at the Cathedral.
Christmas Eve from St. Andrew’s 2012
Watch a recording of the live stream of Carols from St. Andrew’s Cathedral 2012 – here. The service starts around 14 minutes into the recording.
Archbishop Peter Jensen’s Christmas message 2012
With thanks to SydneyAnglicans.net.
And here is the text of the message formatted to A5 (two-up on an A4 sheet) – perhaps you could use it as a church newsletter insert. (180kb PDF.)
Reminder: Carols from St. Andrew’s Cathedral rebroadcast
Last year’s Christmas Eve Celebration from St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney is being replayed this year on Christmas morning.
ABC 1 at 7:00am Christmas Day
Let your friends and neighbours know – and you could watch it over breakfast before heading to church.
If you enjoy it , you could contact the ABC to thank them for broadcasting it again.
Changes
“By now many of you will have heard the news that my responsibilities at Moore Theological College, Sydney will change from 12 May 2013.
From that date I will begin to serve as the thirteenth principal of the College, succeeding John Woodhouse whose monumental contribution to its life is recognised by all. John’s model of servant leadership, his absolute confidence in the power of the word of God to change lives and drive effective Christian ministry, his generous treatment of all — those with whom he agreed and those with whom he disagreed — will continue to bear fruit in the College and through its graduates for many years. It is a rather daunting prospect to follow him in this responsibility let alone consider the long list of faithful servants who have borne it before him (e.g. Peter Jensen, D. Broughton Knox, Marcus Loane, T. C. Hammond, and Nathaniel Jones). …”
– Mark Thompson writes at Theological Theology to ask for your prayers as he becomes Principal of Moore College next year.
Australian Church Record, December 2012
The latest issue of The Australian Church Record, and the results of their recent Survey of Sydney Synod members are now available from their website.
New Centre for Ministry Development
News from Moore College –
Moore College’s campus in Newtown is becoming a “ministry training and theological education precinct”. A growing number of organisations, devoted to serving the churches in these ways – are being located on the campus, enabling closer cooperation and partnership. Part of this development has been the creation by Moore College of the Priscilla and Aquila Centre and the Centre for Christian Living.
The College is pleased to announce plans to establish a new centre: the Centre for Ministry Development (CMD). CMD will partner closely with other best practice ministry training practitioners to help pastors and ministers strengthen their ministries through training and support that is personal, localised and practical.
“Faithful Christian ministers always long to serve Christ and his people with more insight, improved skills and greater effectiveness. We believe that full-time theological education builds a firm foundation, and that ministers then need ongoing development to be the most faithful and effective ministers they can be. CMD will support this development with the best possible coaching and training tools,” said Principal John Woodhouse.
“I am delighted to announce that the experienced pastor and church planter, Archie Poulos, will lead this new initiative,” said Dr Woodhouse. “Archie is currently the head of the Ministry Department at Moore College and is widely known for his pastoral care and wisdom as well as his wealth of perceptiveness and ability in ministry matters.”
The Centre for Ministry Development will be officially launched in the first half of 2013. More details on the centre and it’s activities will be made available in the New Year.
– Source.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…