And all the people said… [inaudible mumble]
Posted on March 29, 2025
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“I probably said it at church today about 15 times. You might have said it slightly less. It’s a ‘religious’ word. You find it translated in English Bibles 50 times, each time in connection with worship. What am I talking about? It’s the little word: ‘Amen’. …
Nothing saps the spirits like reaching the end of a prayer and getting a whimper of an ‘Amen’. …”
– Simon Arscott at Gentle Reformation reminds us what “Amen” is for. (Link via Tim Challies.)
Hope for the Illawarra this weekend
Posted on March 28, 2025
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It would be good to continue to keep the churches and people of the Illawarra in your prayers – especially this weekend.
Details here and here.
Talks from the Bathurst Diocese 2025 Conference
Posted on March 28, 2025
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Videos of the talks from the Diocese of Bathurst 2025 Conference – held last weekend – are now available for your encouragement and edification.
And food for your prayers too.
Complementarian: Church Society Podcast S16E09
Posted on March 27, 2025
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From Church Society:
“Ros Clarke, Kirsten Birkett and Lee Gatiss discuss complementarian theology and practice in the Church of England today.”
– Listen here.
Chris Braga: ‘I believed therefore I spoke’
Posted on March 26, 2025
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From The Pastor’s Heart:
“That’s what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:13. And yet it’s a verse hardly referred to in the last few decades in discussions over who is responsible for evangelism.
Chris Braga of Grace West Anglican Church Sydney told the Nexus Conference in Sydney that 2 Corinthians 4:13 shows that there’s a spiritual reflex that internal faith (in the death and resurrection of Jesus) will challenge fear and lead to speech.
Not because we’re commanded, but because we can’t help ourselves.
Chris Braga says implications are that proclamation is for every Christian, one’s Christian faith is always public and a command is not needed to link faith to speech.”
The Goodness of God — Two Ways News
Posted on March 25, 2025
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From Phillip Jensen:
“‘Good’ is such a strange word. We all know what we mean by it, but it is so difficult to define. So when God declares his creation to be ‘good, very good’ what is he saying? Is the world itself good or simply pleasing? And if it is good, what is it good for?
In this week’s Two Ways News, Peter and I venture into the meaning of God calling the world good and the implications that has for living in this world and the next.”
– Listen (or read the transcript) here.
Addressing a Roman Catholic Resurgence
Posted on March 25, 2025
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“We are in the midst of something of a resurgence of Roman Catholicism, though many are not aware of this.
Despite many recent controversies, failures, disputes and divisions, it remains a real force in the world, influencing society, politics and spirituality.
Just recently, The Rosary in a Year podcast surpassed The Joe Rogan Experience to claim the top spot on Apple’s charts, with much being made of what implications this has for our understanding of where modern culture is heading. …”
– At The Australian Church Record, Adrian Russell commends the Reformanda Initiative to help us understand and helpfully respond to the resurgence of Roman Catholicism.
Bible Society sells Koorong to Excelsia University College
Posted on March 24, 2025
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“Koorong’s Next Chapter: Excelsia University College to Lead Australia’s Largest Christian Retailer
The Board of Bible Society Australia (BSA) has announced BSA has entered into a contract of sale for Koorong, Australia’s largest Christian retailer, to Excelsia University College (EUC). This transition will take effect from the close of trading on Monday, 31 March 2025.
Koorong has been owned by the Bible Society Australia Group for nine years since the Bootes family sold the business to BSA Group in 2015. During this period, Koorong has remained a trusted and vital resource for the Christian community in Australia. As the country’s largest distributor of Bibles, its mission has always been deeply aligned with that of BSA. …”
– Announcement from Excelsia University College. (Until 2015, Excelsia College was known as The Wesley Institute.)
Update from John Sandeman:
“Excelsia University College was formerly the Wesley Institute which was founded as an offshoot of Wesley Mission with creative ministry and theology as its core. It has added business, counselling and education but has dropped theology. It has announced a move to a new campus at Pennant Hills in northern Sydney.”
Illawarra’s Wave of Hope
Posted on March 24, 2025
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“Christians in the Illawarra have prayed high and low for the coming Hope for the Illawarra events, from Mount Keira to Wollongong Harbour.
‘It’s a combination of 18 months of endeavour,’ says Bishop Peter Hayward, chairman of the committee that has organised three major opportunities to share Jesus on March 28 and 29. …”
– Food for prayer – from Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Word In Song Conference Sydney West — 21 June 2025
Posted on March 23, 2025
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Here’s something which may well be of interest to churches and church musicians in Sydney’s west –
Emu Music’s Word in Song Conference for Sydney’s west. Saturday 21st June 2025.
Being prepared
Posted on March 23, 2025
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American astronaut Butch Wilmore who, along with fellow astronaut Suni Williams, had an unexpectedly long stay on the International Space Station, was ready for a question in a press conference in space. (The two returned safely to Earth last week.)
Related: 1 Peter 3:15.
Prayer update from Cobar — March 2025
Posted on March 22, 2025
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If you are praying for parishes in the Diocese of Bathurst, you’ll want to see the latest brief video update from James Daymond in the BCA-supported parish of Cobar.
Earlier:
New Resident Minister for Cobar after 20+ years – November 2022.
Can we remain silent? — a ‘Must Read’ post
Posted on March 21, 2025
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From SydneyAnglicans.net, writing about a proposed bill coming before NSW Parliament,
“As the NSW Parliament considers widening access to abortion and forcing doctors to facilitate it – regardless of their conscience – two medical professionals urge Christians to speak out.”
‘I’ve been a doctor for 15 years and I love my work – I just love it. In general practice I’m in the privileged position of doing something I love, helping people and caring for them through all stages of life. …
if the Bill being considered by the NSW Parliament passes unamended … Christian GPs will be faced with the alternative of compromising either their faith and beliefs or their medical qualifications, and that’s a fairly nasty position to put people in.’
And this would be very good for congregations to know about / pray about this weekend. Image: SydneyAnglicans.net. Bold added.
See also:
Statement on Abortion Law Reform proposals – Media release from the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, 20 March 2025.
I bought a globe. You should too.
Posted on March 21, 2025
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“I bought a beaten-up second-hand globe from a charity shop for $12.
It looks a bit faded and fragile, but it does the job. It sits in my office as a reminder that the world doesn’t end on the corner of the Google Maps screen. It doesn’t end at the diocesan or state border.
We are connected with people around the world, in ways both beautiful and powerful…”
– Michael Kellahan, Executive Officer of Gafcon Australia, encourages you to go out and buy that globe.
The Church Record’s Easter Recommendations
Posted on March 20, 2025
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From The Australian Church Record:
“A few of the ACR team share some top picks for a Jesus-focussed Easter.”
– on the ACR website.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…