Avoiding “long COVID” in our churches
Posted on May 25, 2021
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“For some people, the impact of the COVID-19 virus can last weeks or even months after they have been infected. These ongoing symptoms are known as ‘long COVID’.
Despite its title, this article is not about medical long COVID. Rather, I am using long COVID as a metaphor for the ongoing disruption to our churches caused by COVID-19. …”
– Bishop Michael Stead writes with some key encouragements for churches – at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Ten Reasons to Persevere in Gospel Ministry
Posted on May 24, 2021
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“It is widely acknowledged that there is something of a current crisis in the evangelical church. Too many are dropping out of pastoral ministry and seeking to do something else. This is a tragic situation that must be urgently addressed.
To be fair, there are a number of legitimate reasons why this might occur. And I don’t want to discount the validity of an individual’s personal decision. But as I am presently preaching through Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, I’ve been struck by the numerous encouragements Christ’s apostle gives as to not lose heart…”
– Encouragement from Mark Powell at The Gospel Coalition Australia.
George Whitefield College gives thanks for Dr. John Newby
Posted on May 23, 2021
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George Whitefield College in Capetown gives thanks to the Lord for former Vice Principal The Rev. Dr. John Newby, who was called home earlier this month.
Photo: John Newby and then Principal Broughton Knox.
See also this tribute from REACH South Africa.
Archbishop of Canterbury issues ‘personal apology’ over charity abuse
Posted on May 21, 2021
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“The Archbishop of Canterbury has issued a ‘full personal apology’ to the survivors of abuse by former barrister John Smyth QC in the 1970s and 80s.
Smyth, who died aged 77 in 2018, violently beat boys who attended Christian summer camps.
Justin Welby said: ‘I am sorry this was done in the name of Jesus Christ by a perverted version of spirituality and evangelicalism.’…”
– Report from BBC News.
Here is the full text of Archbishop Welby’s Statement.
Preaching Mentoring
Posted on May 20, 2021
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“This year, quite by accident, I have been involved in a number of preaching mentorships.
These mentorships are one on one, held on a weekly basis, and focus on preaching rather than other aspects of pastoral leadership. The sessions are held for half an hour and focus on either the next text to be preached or as a review of the last sermon preached.
Consistently, as with all Trust activities, there is no financial charge for any of our services or resources. The Trust is dependent on donors who meet all the costs of the ministry so that there is no financial pressure on those accessing any of our resources.
At the moment we are assembling a group of experienced preachers who will be available to mentor preachers via Zoom. …”
– A very practical and generous offer from David Cook at the Expository Preaching Trust.
‘Our strategic moment’: The massive greenfields challenge for Sydney Diocese
Posted on May 20, 2021
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“It is crucial strategic moment for the work of the Gospel in Sydney. There is limited time to act as the city of Sydney undergoes massive infrastructural changes.
The phenomenal population changes demand a reimagining and redistribution of Church assets, ministry resources and people. The growth will be tremendous, and so will be the responsibility.
In the next 50 years, the current Western Region alone will have a population two and half times that of the South Sydney Region or the Northern Region.”
– In another very helpful episode of The Pastor’s Heart, Bishop Peter Lin and Ross Jones, the CEO of the Anglican Church Growth Corporation, speak about the strategic opportunity facing the Anglican Church in Sydney.
How to reach Australia + The Queensland Presbyterian crisis
Posted on May 19, 2021
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On the latest edition of The Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steele speaks with Queensland Theological College Principal Gary Millar at the Reach Australia conference on the NSW Central Coast.
As well as sharing from his keynote addresses on Holiness and Hope, Gary is asked about the problems facing Queensland Presbyterians and the College he leads.
Does the Church of England deserve to survive?
Posted on May 18, 2021
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“Let me tell you a story. Once upon a time, not so very long ago, a business enterprise decided to sponsor an educational establishment.
The business made widgets, and at the time everyone thought that widgets were just the bees knees. People bought the widgets; they learned about how widgets were made; they visited widget shops and even widget museums, dedicated to understanding all about the history of widgets. …”
– British theologian Ian Paul is bemused by the silence of Church of England bishops when a Church of England clergyman is attacked for teaching Church of England doctrine.
Annual General Meeting 2021
Posted on May 18, 2021
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The ACL gives notice of, and warmly invites our members to attend, the 2021 Annual General Meeting.
Date: 6.00 pm, Thursday 10th June, 2021.
Location: T.C. Hammond Room, Moore Theological College, 1 King Street, Newtown NSW 2042.
Hear from ACL President Andrew Bruce, as he speaks to us from God’s word. Hear what the League has achieved, under God, over the last year, pray for the League’s future work, and take part in making decisions.
In order to vote, current members should renew by 10th June.
PrayerMate celebrates ten years
Posted on May 18, 2021
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PrayerMate is ten years old, and has been a blessing to so many. It may help your prayer life.
The Equality Act, other symbols of a new era, and the church’s response
Posted on May 18, 2021
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“Phil Ashey of ACNA’s American Anglican Council has written with customary clarity about the implications of the Equality Act for Christian life and witness in the US.
Behind the (as many see them) apparently reasonable laws to prevent egregious and unjust discrimination are assumptions contained in the Act about belief and worldview.
It is not just actions which will now be policed (for example, refusing to bake a cake celebrating a same sex wedding,), but words. It seems that to express publicly a view derived from the bible about binary genders and a heterosexual norm might become ‘legally discriminatory’. Canon Ashey shows how the definition of ‘public space’ has been widened specifically to include churches. …”
– Andrew Symes writes at Anglican Mainstream.
Out-Thought or Out-Discipled? Mission and Ministry in 2020s Australia
Posted on May 17, 2021
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“In 1901 about 96 percent of Australians identified themselves as Christian. By the 1950s this had hardly moved, with a good 89 percent nominating Christian on the census.
The big change has happened in the last half-century. It began in about 1963, and it has accelerated in the last ten years. The next census, due this August, is almost certain to mark a significant milestone: the first time fewer than fifty percent of Australians identify as Christian. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Rory Shiner helps us understand the context in which we preach the gospel to Australians today.
His article was first published in the recent ACR Journal.
Image: The Pastor’s Heart.
New Prayer Cycle for the Diocese of the Northern Territory
Posted on May 17, 2021
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The Diocese of the Northern Territory has produced a Prayer Cycle to encourage prayer for the work of the gospel in the Top End and elsewhere.
Waves of frustration: Following Jesus in mid-pandemic Europe
Posted on May 14, 2021
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“This is a season of great frustration, sitting in Bari, Italy, amidst the third wave of Covid-19, which doesn’t feel like it was really separate from the second. In my daughter’s class, there are 6-year-olds who have not been at school in person since October.
Frustration is revealing itself in pretty much every element of life, and everyone is feeling it, many to a worse extent than we are. …”
– The Australian Church Record has this on-the-spot reflection from Jessica Cowell in Italy. Food for prayer.
Presbyterian Church of Queensland goes into receivership
Posted on May 13, 2021
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“The Presbyterian Church of Queensland has gone into receivership, raising questions about the long-term fate of its aged-care facilities, schools and other operations.
PwC Australia intends to continue all operations while it carries out a sweeping review of the church’s activities and financial position.…”
– Unwelcome news via The West Australian – and a matter for much prayer.
See also this PCQ Media Statement which gives some of the background, and a Letter to Congregation Members from the Clerk of Assembly.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…