Bathurst Diocese Church services resuming

Posted on May 29, 2020 
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Here’s a media release from the Diocese of Bathurst:

The bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Bathurst (which covers central and western NSW), Mark Calder, has welcomed the announcement from the Premier’s office today that services of worship may resume again, so long as there are no more than 50 people present and that appropriate hygiene requirements, health checks and social distancing is observed.

“We have been in preparation for this announcement for a couple of weeks and have been readying our church leaders for the possibility that church services may soon resume in a modified form,” Bishop Calder commented.

“However, because some of our buildings are quite small and many of our people fall within the most vulnerable age group, we are taking a cautious approach to resuming services.

“While the cleaning, checking, contact recording requirements are all perfectly understandable, they are quite onerous.

“So we are leaving the decision about whether or not to resume services at this time, to each local church’s leadership. People should contact their local church, to see what is planned.”

Should churches wish to resume, they must apply to the Registrar of the Diocese and sign off that they have met all the demands of the multi-faceted checklists which have been provided.

“Everyone in their local context has to be comfortable with this decision. Clergy ought not to press lay people to meet the requirements of meeting again, nor should lay people press clergy to resume,” Bishop Calder said.

“Our relationship with God is not dependent on following certain rituals and ceremonies but is nurtured as we hear the Bible read and explained and respond with prayer and transformed lives.”

Bishop Calder has been producing online services each week since lockdown, (available here https://www.bathurstanglican.org.au ), and many parishioners are content with this form of church for the time being.

“The safety of our people and the community is of primary concern, and churches who do resume services, will be absolutely committed to keeping everyone safe.”

Safety first as restrictions on church gatherings eased

Posted on May 29, 2020 
Filed under COVID19, Sydney Diocese Comments Off on Safety first as restrictions on church gatherings eased

“Archbishop Glenn Davies has welcomed the lifting of numbers allowed for church gatherings, weddings and funerals saying a return to public worship will bring ‘relief, joy and comfort’ to many people. …”

– Story from Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Archbishop Davies’ full statement, courtesy of SydneyAnglicans.net, is below. Note his remarks about singing, Bibles and hymn books:

“I recognise the challenges that the Government faces in loosening restrictions while maintaining a COVIDsafe environment. This has been a delicate balancing act and I appreciate the level of consultation and the careful yet flexible approach of Premier Gladys Berejiklian, Health Minister Brad Hazzard and health officials.

Our first concern is public safety and where risk cannot be minimised, then some churches will not be able to re-open their buildings.

But I was able to assure the Premier that Anglican churches are well prepared to return to normal services, within the limits of the 50 person maximum, appropriately distanced. Hand sanitisers will be available at each entrance, along with signage indicating that anyone with symptoms such as fever or cough, should not attend. Church premises will be thoroughly cleaned between services and designated ushers will record the contact details of each person who attends.

We realise that this is not the normality we enjoyed in 2019, as congregational singing will not be possible, the greeting of peace and the distribution of Bibles, hymn books and paper service sheets will not resume. However, we are grateful for the relief, joy and comfort that many parishioners will feel in meeting again in public Christian worship. Some congregations, of course, will be too large to return to public worship but will continue to provide church online until it is safe for the whole congregation to gather as one.

We continue to pray for our Federal and State Governments as they navigate the terrain of a coronavirus world and provide us with wise advice and prudent measures to protect the safety of all.

Archbishop Glenn Davies
29 May 2020.”

Coronavirus restrictions in NSW to be eased for wedding, funerals and religious services

Posted on May 28, 2020 
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“The New South Wales Government has announced coronavirus restrictions at religious services, weddings and funerals will be relaxed from June 1.

Twenty people will be able to attend weddings, 50 at religious services at places of worship and 50 at funerals, subject to the four-square-metre rule. …

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said extensive COVID-19 outbreaks in places of worship and amongst choirs overseas highlighted why the NSW Government had been cautious in easing restrictions.”

– Report from ABC News.

Quiz Worx Home Delivery

Posted on May 28, 2020 
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“For over 20 years Quiz Worx has been Sharing Jesus with Kids Everywhere through fun and creative live puppet shows.

With the global pandemic of COVID-19 shutting down all opportunities for live ministry, Quiz Worx has turned its creative attention to making resources that can help churches and families share Jesus with kids in the home.”

– Terrific resources from Quiz Worx.

Preparing and praying for return

Posted on May 27, 2020 
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“Archbishop Glenn Davies and diocesan bishops have held talks with the NSW government about re-opening churches for up to 50 people as June is set to begin with pubs, clubs and restaurants allowed to have 50 seated patrons. …

Dr Davies said until there was an official lifting of numbers for churches, ‘We should all be prepared to continue, as we have successfully been doing for the past two months, with our online services.’…

Dr Davies recommended that, ‘Until there is clear medical evidence that it is safe to do so, no congregational singing should be allowed, as a precautionary measure.’…”

– SydneyAnglicans.net has the latest.

What it means that one of our time’s greatest scientists is a Christian

Posted on May 27, 2020 
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“National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins — who knows the reference — is not prone to laying up treasures on Earth. But the Templeton Prize, which honors the role of science in the advance of meaning, is still a rather nice bauble to have. …”

– The Washington Post has this piece on Dr. Francis Collins.

See also:

Photo: National Institutes of Health.

Is freedom of religion a human right? – Livestream from The Centre for Christian Living

Posted on May 26, 2020 
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From Moore College’s Centre for Christian Living.

Wednesday 27 May 2020 at 8:00pm:

“In our part of the world (Australia) we enjoy religious freedom. But the current debate over the Religious Discrimination Bill (now in its second draft) may bring some of that freedom into question.

Michael Kellahan, the Executive Director of Freedom for Faith, will help us understand the Australian cultural and political context that has made this issue so contentious, and CCL Director Chase Kuhn will help us think through the biblical and theological principles that help Christians appreciate the goodness and complexity of contending for religious freedom.

We hope you will join us (virtually) for our first livestream only event!”

They also write:

Please note: online bookings will close 12pm AEDT Wednesday 27 May. Instructions will be emailed to all attendees a couple of hours before the start of the event.

Managing congregational anxiety in the post COVID-19 reboot

Posted on May 26, 2020 
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From Dominic Steele at The Pastor’s Heart:

“We are addressing how we care for and lead our congregations on the way back. We are seeing states quickly move through the different stages of opening up.

How do we handle the fear of change, and navigate the decisions of starting to meet again. How do we help our members flourish in community while keeping a physical distance? How can we come through this stronger? What about the feelings that they and we are experiencing, and how can we support them through the next few months?

The best advice for Australian churches is still to expect a protracted period with congregations limited to 100 people, with one person per four square metres, for many Churches, this necessitates change, with congregations to be divided or planted.

Jenny Brown heads The Family Systems Practice, is an experienced family systems therapist and the author of Growing Yourself Up.

Nigel Fortesque is the senior minister of Christ Church St Ives.”

– Watch here.

The Coronavirus Crisis as a Wilderness Experience

Posted on May 25, 2020 
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“To what might we compare this unexpected and unsettling coronavirus season? We might think of it like “Groundhog Day”: a repeating monotony of locked-down life.

We might think of it like the holding pattern of an aircraft coming in to land: an interminable period of waiting– like that of refugees waiting for a safe place to call home.

A related question to ask is, where the current pandemic fits into each of our life stories? It’s a question worth pondering, for, as Alistair McGrath puts it, ‘the story we believe we are in determines what we think about ourselves and consequently how we live.’

The Bible throws up an intriguing answer to both questions …”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Brian Rosner shares some thoughts on how the Lord continues to work in his people.

‘Texas Supreme Court Repudiates ECUSA’s Sophistries’

Posted on May 24, 2020 
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“In a comprehensive and unanimous thirty-page decision filed Friday morning, May 22, the Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of Bishop Jack L. Iker and reversed the Court of Appeals’ earlier decision to the effect that ECUSA’s rump diocese, and not Bishop Iker’s diocese, controlled the Texas corporation which holds title to the properties of those parishes which in 2008 voted to withdraw their diocese from the unaffiliated and unincorporated association that historically has been called the (Protestant) Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

The decision is as straightforward an application of “neutral principles of law” (espoused by the U.S. Supreme Court in Jones v. Wolf) as one could find among the courts to which ECUSA has presented its “hierarchical church” sophistries. It repudiates those sophistries in a succinct passage (pp. 24-25) …”

– A S Haley, The Anglican Curmudgeon, reports on the latest legal decision concerning The Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Fort Worth.

Pictured: The recently-retired Bishop Jack Iker, Fort Worth.

Earlier posts on the subject.

SRE at Learning at Home now available

Posted on May 22, 2020 
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Writing on the GAFCON website, Youthworks CEO Craig Roberts writes,

“…the COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools to go online. Youthworks has modified some of its SRE lessons for parents to use at home with their children AND the government has put a link to our resources on every school website.”

– Read his report here – and you can also access the SRE material here.

The importance of Priest and priest

Posted on May 22, 2020 
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“Who needs priests? For many in our society, there is a real cynicism around the word ‘priest’ and the idea of a religious establishment.

Yet there are some who have an earnest desire for priests. Perhaps we want people who are holy because we know deep down that we are not very holy, and we like to outsource. So we want people who have dedicated their lives to knowing God, who are trained in handling the Scriptures, paid to look after our spiritual wellbeing… and that way we don’t have to think too much about it.

But both the writer of the book of Hebrews and our Anglican tradition expose the folly of these attitudes. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Ben George points us back to our great high priest.

Pressing on or Treading Water?

Posted on May 20, 2020 
Filed under COVID19, Encouragement Comments Off on Pressing on or Treading Water?

“There is still a strange eerie feeling about the community at the moment. It was present during the bushfires, and it is still here with the coronavirus. If normal life was all about parties, crowds, and living it up, then normality has yet to return. Everything remains disrupted, although to varying degrees.

To some, it all seems rather exaggerated, even manufactured, perhaps a plot concocted by political powers who are seeking to exercise yet more power. To others, it seems that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have been let loose, and the end is nigh.

If we are Christians, we are called upon, in the first place, to be faithful, and seek God’s Word for our hearts and minds. …”

– Great encouragement in this message from The Rev. Dr Peter Barnes, Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.

Archbishop Foley Beach’s Invitation to GAFCON Sunday 2020

Posted on May 20, 2020 
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GAFCON Sunday is on June 28 2020, and GAFCON’s Chairman, Archbishop Foley Beach invites you to take part.

Watch the video, and also see these resources.

Adaptive Leadership in COVID-19 with Brian Tung

Posted on May 19, 2020 
Filed under COVID19, Resources Comments Off on Adaptive Leadership in COVID-19 with Brian Tung

“Brian Tung says leading our churches successfully out of COVID-19 is going to be much more complex than the journey in.

He says don’t squander the God-given opportunity to make ‘real’ change in the COVID-19 rollback.

How do you fix it even when it’s not broken?  Note, People don’t hate change. They hate loss. How do you make the most of the productive zone of disequilibrium. …”

– The latest episode of The Pastor’s Heart.

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