Guardian June/July 2013

JULY 2013

THE MAGAZINE OF THE ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF ADELAIDE

ANGLICAN SCHOOLS: Everyone Belongs

INSIDE: Gambling With The Future

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THE ANGLICAN GUARDIAN

Published by the Diocese of Adelaide Edited by Katrina McLachlan Phone: (08) 8305 9348 Fax: (08) 8305 9399 Email: communications@adelaide.anglican.com.au www.adelaide.anglican.com.au Layout by Benjamin van Caspel Phone: 0478 082 114 www.caspeldesign.com

Photography by Brenton Edwards Phone: 0419 815 443 Subscriptions: Diocesan Office 18 King William Rd, North Adelaide 5006 Phone: (08) 8305 9350 Advertising enquiries contact: Loan Leane Phone: (08) 7007 9020 loan@joiecreative.com.au Printed by Lane Print & Post Phone: (08) 8179 9900

WAITING

By Joan Fenney

Standing

for my turn

straight and still perfectly behind

not realising I’ve been given

another stone person the line

a free pass to go straight to the top

long and unmoving I wait for a cue a sign

skip the steps run on ahead flap my wings fly as high as I dare.

permission

The Guardian is a member of The Australasian Religious Press Association

Ann Nadge is The Guardian’s poetry editor. Submissions of 20 lines or less are welcome.

Send to the general editorial email address.

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A TRAGIC SACRIFICE Archbishop Jeffrey Driver

And sitting down, they watched him there, the soldiers did.

And while they played with dice, He made his sacrifice, According to the biblical story, while Jesus suffered on the Cross, his crucifiers gambled the time away (Matthew 27: 35-36).

Gambling is like that. There is always a sacrifice nearby. Most often it is someone else who makes it.

Take poker machine gambling. Nearly 100,000 Australians have a serious addiction to poker machines. But the money they pour through the slots is just part of the price1. For every one person who has a gambling problem, four or five are profoundly affected; a spouse; the children; parents, colleagues.

They are forced to make their sacrifices as well, Children go to school hungry. The bills are not paid. Sometimes there is domestic violence. It is almost never just one person’s problem.

That’s why it is ridiculous to justify problem gambling as an “individual choice”. People who are truly addicted struggle to exercise choice.

And their “choice” just affects them and them alone.

So I welcome our Premier’s resolve to do something about the offering of live odds during sporting coverage on television. I understand that there are complexities of State and Federal law to be negotiated, but the resolve is important.

It is true that gambling on sporting matches is still a small part of the picture nationally. But there are insidious aspects to live gambling during sporting matches that must be recognised.

Embedded in sporting matches, gambling insidiously invades the lounge room threshold.

Individual choice is diminished and the very vulnerable are exposed. With sporting matches often shown in family time, it exposes children to temptations they are not mature enough to resist. National data indicates that 60 per cent of young people aged 15-17 years gamble,

with about three per cent of 15-17 year olds having a gambling problem; this rate is 50 per cent higher than for adults.

What makes people gamble? The experts tell us there any number of reasons. For some, as it may have been for the soldiers by the Cross, it might be an escape from harsher realities.

For some it is the expression of an addictive personality. But it often begins as the wish for something better or different; a win to change it all.

It is illusory, of course. The odds are calculated to produce losers, not winners and even if the big win occurs, there is little guarantee that it will bring true happiness.

Our faith takes us to a deeper place. It reminds us that true human well-being emerges out of a relationship with God. St Augustine of Hippo put it like this: “We are restless until we find our rest in Him”.

Of course we must look at legislation and other appropriate measures to curb the problem and protect the innocent. But as the Church, may we never be slow to proclaim the peace that comes through what Christ has done for each of us. In a victim on a Roman Cross, we begin to find the answer to all of the world’s easy answers and false salvations.

And sitting down, they watched him there, the soldiers did.

And while they played with dice, He made his sacrifice, To rid God’s world of sin.

He was a gambler, too, my Christ.

He took his life and threw it for a world redeemed.

And ere the westering sun went down, Crowning that day with its golden crown, He knew that he had won.

(G. A. Studdert Kennedy) About a third of regular poker machine players have a problem with addiction. Nearly 100,000 Australians lose more than $20,000 a year through their poker machine habit

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contents

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fAITH

4. Opening Our Senses to God

in the Garden 6. Windows Into The Life Of Christ 8. Combined Anglican Schools Worship 10. Distinctive Deacons

12 mISSION 12. Good Medicine for the Spirit 14. Far-Reaching Relationships

Grow at St John’s 15. The power to change the world

16 fOCUS 16. Gambling With The Future 18. 175 years - A Testimony to the

Gracious Hand of God 20. A Happy Sorry Day 21. Choirster for A Day

22 SCHOOLS 22. Tracing St. Columba’s Footsteps

24 cOMMUNITY 24. Local, National &

International news 26. God words 27. Books 28. People and Places 30. Advertisements

f AITH

opening our Senses to God in the Garden Andrew Mintern and the Year 5 students at St. Peter’s Woodlands take us on a botanical journey

The entire Salvation story of the Bible begins in a garden. Genesis 2:8 tells us: “The Lord God planted a garden in Eden”. In the Genesis story, the garden is a place of provision for human need, a place for humanity to exercise care and responsibility for the earth, and it is also a place of encounter with God. Intriguingly we are told in Genesis chapter three of the Lord God taking a stroll in the garden in the evening breeze. We are all familiar with the Garden of Eden story, with its twin aspects of the paradise of creation and the fall of humanity resulting in expulsion from the garden. Gardens are significant throughout the bible - the Garden of lovers in Song of Songs; the prayer of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane; and, the encounter with the risen Lord in the Garden of resurrection, an encounter where Mary mistakenly thinks the risen Lord is the Gardener. As most of the Bible was written in an agrarian society, it is not surprising that gardens would feature prominently. However, at a more spiritually significant level we find there is a far deeper connection between gardens and our faith journey than just historical context.

Those aspects of the gardens mentioned above involve five very profound human encounters with God: the gift of Creation; failure to keep God’s commands; experiencing intimacy; crying out for help; and, encountering new life. These are deeply spiritual moments that we all encounter and so it is not surprising then that many people still turn to gardens (either cultivated or natural) as places of prayer, meditation and spending time walking with God. They turn to gardens in times of need and in times of relaxation and spiritual sustenance.

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It’s calm and natural here and you want it to last forever.

- Corey

our place within it and our interdependence with the ecosystems in which we live. Therefore our best starting place was to take time to consciously notice the world around us.

The Year 5 students at St Peter’s Woodlands Grammar School are currently doing a Unit of Inquiry on the topic : health and wellbeing is connected to our relationship with our environment. As part of this topic each class spent some time meditating in the part of the school which is called the Bowen Garden. This garden was established in 2004 as a community project of the Parents and Friends Association and the School Council.

Its purpose is “demonstrating the importance of conservation and the preservation of our natural resources for future generations.” It was the ideal place in the school for us to spend some time feeling connected to the environment. The garden itself, although small, contains both native vegetation and planted herbs and vegetables. It therefore provides an experience that encompasses both cultivated and natural garden environments.

I loved going to the Flinders Ranges because I was in nature all the time and not being distracted by the technology of man-made machines.

- Angelique

I am grateful for peace and quiet when I am in places like the park and the beach.

- Sophia Sometimes we forget that prayer is just as much listening as it is speaking. In fact prayer can use other senses as well - touch, smell, sight and taste can be experiences of prayer as well as speaking and listening. In order to care for the environment we have to take time to notice it. We have to understand its needs and we have to understand

We began with a simple listening meditation, you may like to try it in your garden - Close your eyes and begin to listen to the world around you. When you hear a sound, notice it and give thanks for it, then move on to another sound. Some sounds may be human, some may not, some may be enjoyable to listen to and some may not, but whatever the sound, notice it, give thanks to God for it.

The most surprising thing about this simple meditation is just how many sounds we can hear. Usually we make so much noise that we fail to notice the world around us. God’s world. When we listen we discover a layered world of sound of which we were only dimly aware. Near and loud sounds come to us first – children playing sport, a piece of machinery at work, a bus driving by. But then other sounds emerge in the landscape.

The wind in the trees and how it sounds different in the variety of trees around us. Birds calling and singing in the greenery around us. Near and far. Different species. Other indistinct sounds, rustling in the undergrowth, breathing, and the sound of silence.

not stop to notice it then we limit our ability to care for it. Gratitude is a key spiritual value in our caring for the environment. Once we take the time to notice, then further questions for inquiry may arise for us. Why are the leaves different? What purpose do they serve? What are the needs of this plant?

How do we preserve not just one plant but all these different ones? Which plants are indigenous to the area and which are not?

I’m grateful for wilderness that has animals and for the relaxation which is so peaceful when we go camping every year.

– Cooper All of us are busy these days, children especially so. They have a wonderful array of opportunities that many of us would have loved when we were kids. Yet perhaps one thing they lack, which we had in abundance, is large amounts of free time with which to simply just explore the world. Taking time to wonder, time to notice and time to ‘be’ is crucial in so many ways. It is necessary for a healthy prayer life. It is a necessary recharge for our health and wellbeing. It is also necessary in living our connection with the environment and in being faithful to our calling as stewards of the world’s natural resources.

I’m grateful for every single animal in the world because they live in a natural habitat.

– Richard.

The words of Shirley Erena Murray’s hymn capture the essence of these reflections:

A second meditation involved three other senses: touch, sight and smell. Again you may like to try this in your garden. Explore the area around you. Don’t rush. Look closely at the plants, rocks, trees, ground. What do they feel like? What does your touch feel like to the plant? Is there a scent? Take time to explore gently and quietly. Appreciate and give thanks to God for what you discover.

I’m grateful for the beautiful beaches because it’s so relaxing and it’s so beautiful in the sunset.

There’s so many details in the

sand, so many different shells and small grains of sand of different colours. I love the beach.

- Petunia It is amazing what you can notice when you take the time. We discovered that a lemon tree in the cultivated part of the garden had a number of distinct scents – the leaves, flowers, ripe and unripe fruit all had different aromas. Bark and leaves on the trees had a wide variety of textures to them. Our first response may be gratitude – sheer awe and wonder at the beauty of our world. If we do

Touch the earth lightly, Use the earth gently, Nourish the life of the world in our care: Gift of great wonder, Ours to surrender, Trust for the children tomorrow will bear.

The Environmental Movement and eco-theology of recent decades has taught us much and reinvigorated much interest in this area.

It is surely something that we should never take for granted, and need to re-learn in every generation.

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WINDOWS INTO THE LIFE OF CHRIST

By Jenny Wilson

It all began in a stable in Bethlehem. Or was it when, in a conversation with an angel in Nazareth, a young woman called Mary assented to bear God’s son? Or, if our text is the Gospel according to St. John, perhaps it all began before the dawn of time. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God. …the Word became flesh and lived among us, … full of grace and truth …(John 1:1,14). Jesus Christ, the Word of God, lived as a human being - Jesus of Nazareth - in a small country in the Middle East some two thousand years ago.

The life of this Jesus was a sacrament, a window into God. The accounts of Jesus’ adult life open with his baptism in the river Jordan by his cousin John. As he was baptized, the heavens opened and the Father’s voice pronounced Jesus “Beloved”. Jesus’ life was driven and guided by his sense of closeness to the one who so named him,

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the God whom he knew as Father. Jesus was passionate in his loyalty to that Father and to the kingdom, the reign of God that he believed his life was inaugurating on earth.

Jesus was both the consummate teacher and healer. Jesus was a Jew and so he taught in the style of a Jewish rabbi. Jesus taught his disciples to pray. He used exaggeration to catch the crowd’s attention and he taught in parables which they found notoriously difficult to understand. The very form of parable, which seemed to be intended to leave the hearer puzzled, was itself a window into the way of the kingdom of God. Jesus broke the religious laws, working on the Sabbath and associating with those who were considered unclean. His words and his actions, his very life, shone a light onto the nature of the Father he so devoutly loved.

Jesus healed the sick and cast out evil spirits, the spirits of negativity. In our time and place, healing is about restoration to functioning. Things were different in the time and place of Jesus. There, healing was about restoration to community. Jesus healed by sitting alongside a person, embracing the truth of that person, however difficult that truth might be. He sat with the man crazed in the Garasenes and left him “clothed and in his right mind” (Mark 5:15).

Jesus healed the woman with a hemorrhage who touched his cloak, a person who would have rendered him an outsider by that touch. And Jesus told that woman that her healing had taken place in response to her faith (Mark 5:25-34). Jesus gave integrity to those he healed, asking the blind man who called out to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51). Jesus healed from the place of utter intimacy with his Father, God. And that healing restored those he touched to wholeness and belonging in the community.

and death. In that garden, Jesus begged his Father to take that “cup” away from him. Yet he gave himself up to the will of his Father, clinging on to what he had always known – that God’s will is always about life.

And so Jesus died. He was crucified, dying the shameful death of a criminal at the hands of the Roman authorities. He died, crying out to his Father in his sense of abandonment, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). And he died forgiving. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” Jesus said, as he looked upon those who had nailed him and the two criminals beside him to their crosses (Luke 23:34).

Jesus embraced what it is to be a human being in every way. He faced terror in the Garden of Gethsemane when he knew that his confrontations with the religious leaders would almost certainly result in his trial

Jesus’ body was placed in a tomb. But death could not contain him. In the days that followed, the women and men, the disciples that loved Jesus, found that he was, in the resurrection, with them in a new way.

Although they could not cling onto him, he was present with them, forgiving, teaching, bringing peace. When he ascended to his Father, Jesus sent his spirit, the Holy Spirit, the spirit of life, the spirit of forgiveness.

And it is through this Holy Spirit that the church to which we belong owes its life.

Wintersong at the Cathedral

Four Windows into the life of Christ

St. Peter’s Cathedral Precentor, the Rev’d Jenny Wilson, will preach a sermon series “Four Windows into the Life of Christ” at Evensong at 7pm on Sunday 4th , 11th, 18th and 25th of August. Each evening the choir will sing an anthem from Messiah by G. F. Handel.

4th August — Teacher

All are welcome to join the Cathedral community for a light meal of soup and bread in the Cynthia Poulton Hall from 6pm each Sunday evening. For catering purposes, please contact the Cathedral Office on 82674551 or office@stpeterscathedral.org.au should you wish to attend any or all of the meals.

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened (alto recit) He shall feed his flock (alto aria) Come unto him (soprano aria)

“The life of this Jesus was a sacrament, a window into God.”

Music from Messiah:

The Lord gave the word (chorus) How beautiful are the feet (soprano aria)

11th August — Healer Music from Messiah:

18th August — Death Music from Messiah:

Surely he hath borne our griefs/ And with his stripes we are healed (chorus)

25th August — Resurrection Music from Messiah:

Behold, I tell you a mystery (bass recit) The trumpet shall sound (bass aria)

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Combined Anglican Schools Worship when everyone belongs...

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Seeing St Peter’s Cathedral filled with twelve different school uniforms is an impressive sight. Middle school students from South Australia’s twelve Anglican schools gathered for worship on the 22nd of May. The splashes of colour in the Cathedral came not only from the uniforms but also from the twelve canvases that students brought for display from last year’s service “Anglican Schools Do Justice.” These canvases portrayed each school’s vision for mission and service beyond their school.

This year we deliberately chose to focus within. Our theme, “When everyone belongs...” encouraged us to reflect on inclusion and belonging in our school communities. The service featured great contributions from all the schools. St Peter’s College provided the choir and a beautiful rendition of The Lord Bless You and Keep You. St John’s Grammar School performed a moving and thought-provoking drama on belonging from

can ngli p i ed A bin Worsh m o C ools Sc h on 013 o n 0 ay 2 12 .0 2nd M ral 2 d day Cathe s e n ’s Wed t Peter S

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perspectives of different people, some of whom had everything you might think would help them belong but did not feel a sense of it, and some who had very little but who still had a strong sense of belonging. We were challenged to think about what we invest in for our sense of belonging.

Four student speakers from Pedare Christian College, Woodcroft College, Pulteney Grammar School, and St Peter’s Collegiate Girl’s School, all related things they had done as a school community for developing a sense of belonging in their schools. The Bible Readings about Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) and Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) were very apt and read in parts by students from different schools.

Cathedral organist Shirley Gale provided organ music which the students found an amazing experience, most of them not having been to the Cathedral before.

Guitarists from Pedare Christian College

Andrew Mintern with students from St. Columba, Walford and St. Peter’s Woodlands

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helped out in the final song “Go Make a Difference’ which was very much the thrust of the Archbishop’s challenge to us, to seek out and help those in our communities who are not feeling a sense of belonging. Each school was handed a scroll by the Archbishop with the words: When Everyone Belongs… A Charter of Belonging for our school. Write below student statements about the importance of belonging at your school. Write some important things you already do that help people feel that they belong and add some further steps you might take to increase this sense of belonging. Involve your student leadership and present this to your school community. In time, each school will provide feedback about their ideas.

The Archbishop also talked to us about the efforts of the Sudan Pilgrims and Church Office staff in helping a young Sudanese boy feel more included by bringing him to Adelaide for much needed medical treatment. It was a great example of what we can do to make a difference in someone’s life.

“When Everyone Belongs...” is bound to inspire some very positive discussions and actions in our schools. To encourage this further each school took back a bookmark for every student, provided by the Diocese. Sometimes the smallest act of kindness can make a big difference.

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f AITH

DISTINCTIVE DEACONS The process of ordination is a unique and personal journey but the stage of being ordained as a deacon is one all members of the Anglican clergy will share.

The deacon is the specific sacramental sign in the Anglican Church, of Christ the Servant and deacons are ordained to a ministry of service to others.

Some deacons remain as permanent deacons by choice, while others stay deacons for a period of time (usually a year) and are then ordained as priests.

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Within the work of the Church, then, the deacon stands as the one who serves. This is true for every aspect of his or her ministry.

Even if a person goes on to be a priest or a bishop they are still a deacon and they will always embody the ‘diakonia’ of service to those in need.

People who are called by God to remain as deacons will always be part of a ministry team working with a priest, usually in their own parish. At the same time, however, they are encouraged to work in the community.

Seven of Adelaide’s deacons gathered recently to reflect on more than twenty years of wonderful and challenging times.

Speaking on behalf of this special group of “Distinctive Deacons” Marian Giles shares the following reflections: “Over many years the deacons of the Adelaide Diocese have met regularly for support, spiritual refreshment and to encourage others who may feel called to the distinctive order of deacons,” Marian says.

A MU Australia Provincial Celebration of Mary Sumner Day Mothers’ Union Australia is extending a warm invitation to everyone from the Dioceses of Adelaide, the Murray and Willochra to help celebrate Mary Sumner Day at St George’s Anglican Church, Cowan Street, Gawler on Friday August 9.

Mary Sumner, the wife of the Rector of the parish of Old Alresford, was the founder of the Mothers’ Union in the United Kingdom in the late 1800s.

Little could she have known that from its humble beginnings in the parish rectory, it would become in time, one of the largest worldwide mission agencies of the Anglican Church.

Today the organisation has some 3 million members in 83 countries around the world.

“While deacons are part of the church we also serve in the community and for a number of us, working in chaplaincy in aged care or as hospital chaplains has been our calling.

“But deacons are also involved in pastoral care such as supporting refugees and new comers to Australia and encouraging other people to be involved in the necessary support networks.

“Some deacons have a teaching and preaching role but often our ministry depends on the parish in which we find ourselves and who we are as individuals.

“Whatever our place in the life of the Diocese all deacons express great soul searching until finding the role that God has called us to and then great joy and humility fulfilling that role.

“In recent months, with the encouragement of the Archbishop, a number of other people have joined us as distinctive deacons and we are grateful for their presence and work.”

Programs supported by MU include literacy, family planning, parent education, and financial management.

MU Australia, although autonomous, is part of the worldwide Mothers’ Union and as such provides financial support for support programs at local, national and international levels.

The Provincial celebration of Mary Sumner Day will honour the memory of a visionary, who from small beginnings in her local parish, dreamed a dream of creating an organisation which would grow and flourish into a movement known by prayer and action throughout the world for providing Christian care for families and the advancement of the Christian religion in the sphere of marriage and family life.

The festivities will commence with a service of worship at 11.00am followed by lunch with guest speaker, the Right Rev’d John Stead, Bishop of Willochra, addressing the topic ‘the Mothers’ Union and Fresh Expressions’.

Visitors are welcome and entrance will be by gold coin donation. For further information contact the Provincial President, Mrs Elizabeth Harris, telephone (08) 88472332 or email miamiaeditor@bigpond.com.

The website for MU Australia is www. mu.org.au and worldwide www. themothersunion.org

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mISSION

good medicine for the spirit

By Amy Noonan

Peter Williams always wanted to work in a hospital.

But it was a longer journey to the wards than he first anticipated as a teenager.

“I’d initially wanted to do medicine and the year I applied for university was the first year they had a quota and I missed out. I went out and got some other jobs and then felt a call to ministry. Looking back now, I think I’d probably say God’s hand was in the vacancy of the chaplaincy coming at the time I was ready,” Rev’d Peter says.

“I think it’s God’s sense of humour . . . it’s being able to work in the hospital setting but doing something a little different, being a doctor of the spirit, of the soul.”

This year marks Rev’d Peter’s 30th year of working as a hospital chaplain. He was based in a country parish after six months of working in the United Kingdom and he had completed pastoral training in hospitals when a vacancy arose at Flinders Medical Centre in August, 1983.

“I have a love for people and in hospital chaplaincy work you spend a lot of time with people, listening to their stories, seeking to

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vv

Marian Giles An Anglicare chaplain’s personal reflection It has been a great privilege to be the chaplain of All Hallows Court for nearly twenty years.

The role of the chaplain is to journey with people and in aged care it is usually through the last period of their life. With their bodies and sometimes their minds not functioning as they would like, the chaplain is there to help them express the true values of life.

I am always inspired by the way that people live above their physical condition. Many have much that they could complain about but their true personalities and endurance win through.

understand why they are telling you what they are telling you at that time.”

“Often people have immense resources within themselves.”

Rev’d Peter , his assistant chaplain Deacon Hilary Reddrop and 10 Anglican lay people who are volunteers meet with patients and their families as needed. Rev’d Peter says hospital chaplaincy can range from a simple chat to exploring some of life’s fundamental mysteries.

Rev’d Peter says he has learned many things from his work, including two of the most important lessons.

“For quite a few people they are just glad to see a friendly face and have a talk about the time of day. For other people, they’ve had a very bad diagnosis or they know they’re coming to the end of their life or their relatives know that and there are very real issues they want to talk about.

“What’s it going to be like? What’s happening?

They may want to have some little service to acknowledge where they are, they may want a prayer. It varies from person to person according to the situation they are in and the depth of their spirituality.”

When he is confronted with the big questions – including the meaning of life and the nature of suffering – Rev’d Peter says he helps those seeking the truth to find it within themselves.

“I think one of the important things is the art of listening actively. Listening with all our senses, not just our ears but our eyes and our intuition, feelings, listening to the feelings behind words, listening to body language. It’s important to really listen and let people talk,” he says.

“I think another very important lesson is we don’t necessarily have to have all the answers.

Often, in my own helplessness, I’m reminded of Paul’s words that ‘when I am weak, I am strong’.

“We’ve all got gifts to care for one another.”

Once a week we hold a service in the chapel and also celebrate festivals such as Christmas and Easter. These services are open to all and so the congregation consists of people from all denominations.

New residents tend to be a focus for my ministry.

These people are often traumatized because they have to leave their homes or maybe they have been in hospital for weeks awaiting a placement. For some, arriving is associated with relief while for others it is fear but in any case everything is very strange for them. To just sit and listen often helps them and me understand the importance of embracing every stage in life.

I hope that people have found a deeper meaning in life and are much more at peace with God after I spend time with them.

A deacon’s ministry fits very well with me. A deacon is ordained by the church but is freed to work in the community. To be known as the chaplain who can relate to residents, relatives, staff and volunteers alike is what being a deacon and chaplain is all about!

May this be my prayer! May my life be characterized by the humility and gentleness that brings hope to the vulnerable and the frail elderly and all those who care for them.

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mISSION

FAR-REACHING RELATIONSHIPS GROW AT ST JOHN’S

By Rosemary Argue As well as being a Maths teacher, football coach and Head of Gooch Middle School at St John’s Grammar School, Brian Wicks co-ordinates a life changing nine day trip for Year 10 students.

For the past four years he has taken a group of St John’s Grammar students to Pipalyatjara Anangu School in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) lands.

Photos by Meg Hansen

“What I get out of going to church and reading the bible is that Jesus was about relationships. This trip is an opportunity for these students to develop a relationship with a special and unique group of people.

I believe that as Australians we should celebrate Aboriginal culture - it being the oldest continuing, living culture; having a unique art form; a complex culture that survived over millennia in central Australia where it’s so resource-poor and they’re the first Australians,” Brian says.

Brian together with Sally Letcher, another staff member, take a group of eight Year 10 students to Pipalyatjara. It takes two days to travel by minibus and the group is self-sufficient taking swags and all the food required.

“It’s a small community up there - only 250 people and there’s about 50 kids in the school. So we limit our numbers. I think it’s important for our guys to be in a minority in such a different place and yet the paradox is that you’re right in the middle of Australia,” Brian Says “The white teachers at the school are a long way from home and they’re in a pretty extreme teaching environment and so they don’t need to babysit another eight kids.

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Nor does the community need to feel that beyond their already unbelievable generosity that we are imposing on them more than we have to. We want to be adding to their education experience, to their sense of social wellbeing and forming friendships,” Brian says.

Each morning the students split up into pairs and sit in on lessons.

“They’ll just join in with whatever. It might be a maths lesson, it might be a language rich English lesson or it might be a Pitjantjatjara lesson. And so there’s a whole flow of learning there - our kids are able to provide mentoring in terms of written English but there’s a lot of great opportunities for the Pip kids to provide mentoring too.”

In the afternoons the students visit Patilpa Gorge to hear the tjurrkpa (the story or dreaming) of how people came to Pipalyatjara, the Ninuku Arts Centre and go maku (witchetty grub) hunting.

But Brian believes it is the afterschool experience that is the best.

“There’s a youth club that’s run by the local community where kids play sport, there’s pool tables, video games and our kids just go over and hang out. It’s the most valuable time because they’re just being with people and really start to form bonds. Ultimately that’s what this trip is about: kids from St John’s can say they’ve got friends in a remote aboriginal community and kids growing up in Pipalyatjara know that there are people in Adelaide that they can relate to.”

The power to change the world

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

A wonderful statement from the inspirational Nelson Mandela and a phrase that beautifully describes the intention of EDUCARE – Sharing Hope Through Education.

The story of EDUCARE inc. began in 2000 when Alexandra and Brain Black travelled to Africa. One of the countries they travelled through was Tanzania. There they visited a Masai village where the chief explained that, although children were required to start school at five, children did not move into the town to attend school until they were seven which meant they were way behind from the very beginning.

While the chief had managed to acquire a tin shed which had a dirt floor, some very used desks and a black board with some chalk; it was the chief’s sister who was teaching the children and they had nothing to write on, no pens or pencils and no books to read.

Being a teacher in South Australia Alexandra was shocked.

“We have so much and they so little,” she says.

“Once home my husband and I set about establishing an organisation to send second hand books to this and other resource poor schools in developing countries.”

“Our belief is that education is the key to raising people’s hopes and expectations above the grind of abject poverty and leading to stability and peace.”

The first shipping container was purchased in November 2001 and placed at the rear of St George’s Church in Magill, South Australia. This is where the second-hand resources donated from schools are stored, sorted and continue to be packed every month.

“Goods are sent to Africa one pallet at a time so that receiving schools can physically manage the transportation and unpacking,” Alexandra says.

“A pallet of approximately 24 cartons costs $1,100 to send but occasionally there are added expenses when difficulties arise with handling, documentation and customs.”

EDUCARE Inc. is always looking for new members and volunteers to help collect, sort and pack books on the third Thursday of every month (Except December and January) at 10.00am in the St George’s Anglican Church Hall, St Bernards Road, Magill.

Educare is currently in desperate need of children’s books. All donations can be delivered to St George’s Church during office hours on Monday to Thursday or collection can be arranged by contacting the office.

For more information contact: Telephone: (08) 8364 4152 Facsimile: (08) 8364 4897 Mobile: 0417 850973 Email: office@ stgeorgesmagill.org.au Web Site: www. educareoz.com

“Our devoted group of volunteers raise money through quiz nights, fashion parades lunches, lamington drives and raffles. Friends also make donations, including one from Rose Park Primary School SRC for $1,000.”

While EDUCARE Inc normally works independently it does collaborate with other organisations, such as Hope Inc, Word Youth International, Anglican and Uniting Churches, to transport books, receive and distribute materials.

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GAMBLING WITH THE FUTURE Sports betting is increasingly controversial but the real story on gambling reform will only unfold when the $10 billion dollar a year poker machine industry is forced to address ‘the spin’. Katrina McLachlan considers the forces driving the gambling reform debate.

You could be forgiven for not completely having your head around the current status of gambling reform in South Australia and around the country. There are currently at least five proposals on the table to limit TV advertising on sports betting and the debate over pokie pre-commitment and minimum bet limits continues to go round and round in circles.

If you’re sick of sports betting you’re not alone. The advertising of sports betting has created a furore and there are a variety of proposals afoot to limit some or all aspects of sports betting advertising.

In response to Prime Minister Gillard’s announcement that the Government would ban live spruiking during sports broadcasts, Free TV Australia has prepared a code of conduct around sports betting advertising, which would limit the spruiking of live odds to designated breaks in play and stop announcers and commentators from advertising odds during play. This is now with the Australian Communications and Media Authority and although the current situation will change, the ads being broadcast will continue.

In May, the South Australian Government committed to regulating bookies to stop

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live odds being broadcast and otherwise promoted at sporting arenas but how this is going to be comprehensively implemented is unclear at the moment.

Australia is a lucrative market for the sport betting industry – we have the biggest gambling losses per capita of any country in the world. Key players centrebet, sportingbet, TAB Sportsbet, tomwaterhouse.com and bet365 are competing for market share and advertising has been their number one weapon. This year alone there has been a 20 per cent increase in spending on gambling advertising.

Independent Senator for SA, Nick Xenophon, has criticized the Federal Government’s proposed live odds ban during games because it “fails to prevent kids from being bombarded with ads during sports broadcasts”.

Senator Xenophon introduced legislation into the Senate in June 2011, seeking to ban all gambling advertisements during g-rated periods.

“Just like the Prime Minister’s backflip on meaningful poker machine reform, Communications Minister Conroy has proven that this Government cannot be trusted to put the interests of ordinary Australians above

those of the multi-billion dollar gambling lobby,” Senator Xenophon says.

Many people make the argument that gambling is legal, advertising is legal, adults can make their own choices and it’s just a bit of fun. But the reality is actually often very different, especially when you consider the effect on children.

It is illegal for children to place bets and it is illegal to advertise gambling during children’s programming, but sporting telecasts are an exception. Children also do not understand the persuasive intent of advertising messages and can’t critically evaluate them to make informed decisions. And it is not fun for many children when they have to endure family breakdown, poverty, or even the loss of a parent.

Addressing the saturation of gambling advertising is important because if we don’t, children will come to associate gambling as an integral part of watching sport. This inevitably translates into more under-age gambling, as kids can easily anonymously gamble online and on smart phones.

However, sports betting is only the tip of the massive iceberg that is Australia’s gambling industry. Sports betting is worth around

$500 million a year in net revenue, compared with the poker machine industry’s $10 billion-plus. Poker machines are ubiquitous and highly accessible, and they are the overwhelming cause of gambling problems in Australia.

The Productivity Commission estimated in 2010 that up to 160,000 Australian adults had a severe gambling problem, with a further 230,000 at moderate risk of developing a problem with their gambling.

Archbishop of Adelaide, Jeffrey Driver, has consistently urged the SA Government to address the damage poker machines inflict on problem gamblers and their families.

“Pokies will let you play up to 281 games a minute,” the Archbishop says.

“The more you feed them the more they will swallow and the speed at which they do that in South Australia is amongst the fastest in the world.”

“People who defend poker machines often point to the high rate of return as one of the

reasons that pokies are just ‘good, clean fun’.

The reality is that every poker machine can meet this ‘rate of return’ requirement while still leaving the gambler with no money at the end of the day.

and the result and the odds are made clear to the participants.

“And poker machines are unique in the gambling world as they are the only form of gambling where there is absolutely no chance of influencing the outcome.”

“While players of lottery are unlikely to experience problems with their gambling (less than 3 people in a thousand), 30 per cent of regular (weekly) pokies players have problems associated with their gambling.”

The SA Government is proposing that gaming venues have the option to increase the number of machines on-site from 40 to 60 if they agree to some stricter measures to tackle problem gambling, including fasttracking voluntary pre-commitment and on-screen message technology and limiting ATM withdrawals to $250 a day but there is no reference to the speed of machines and there is exception from the $5 bet limit on all machines that currently have higher than $5 limits.

Research shows that it is less common for excessive gambling to be associated with lotto, sports or bingo gambling which allow for longer periods of time between betting

“Anyone can experience problems with poker machines,” the Archbishop says.

“One dollar betting limits and lower spin rates need to be adopted to help protect the most vulnerable of people who cannot control their gambling spending.”

The Productivity Commission Report recommended that maximum bets per spin and spin rates be combined in such a way that maximum hourly losses do not exceed $120. While this may seem logical and simple, achieving such significant reform is challenging. So, if your head is still spinning – join the club, but stay tuned because this story is far from over.

The Productivity Commission’s 2010 report into gambling http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/inquiry/gambling-2009/report

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SA Heads of Churches Gambling Taskforce Baptist, Lutheran, Christian Revival Crusade, Salvation Army and Uniting Church denominations. A founding member of the Taskforce, Helen Carrig says it has provided a way for the Christian churches in South Australia to work together on what is a major social issue.

The GTF first met in late 1998 and by early 1999 had agreed to two principles to guide its work.

Poker machine gambling was introduced into hotels and clubs in South Australia in July 1994 and in 1998 the Anglican Church Synod passed a motion unanimously asking for the South Australian Heads of Christian Churches to establish a Gambling Taskforce to develop a cross denomination pastoral response to growing levels of gambling harm in South Australia.

Members nominated to the inaugural taskforce came from Anglican, Catholic,

“Gambling Taskforce members believed that the application of a “harm minimisation” approach to problem gambling was the most appropriate pastoral care approach for churches to take,” Helen says.

“So it was decided we should engage with the gaming industry, rather than stand alone on debates and maintain the probation approach to gambling.”

The GTF advocated for the establishment of an independent regulator with primary responsibility for reducing gambling harm

which was achieved with the establishment of the Independent Gambling Authority in 2001.

Since then the GTF has been a major contributor to IGA inquiries, advocated for legislative change and also engaged with the industry to promote measures that are likely to reduce the risk of gambling harm.

“I believe there is now widespread community recognition of the individual and social problems caused by the rapid expansion of the gambling industry over the last fifteen or so years,” Helen says.

“The Gambling Taskforce continues to play a leading role in the development of gambling policy through legislation and regulation in South Australia.”

For more information on how you can help support the work of the Taskforce contact Mark Henley at markh@unitingcommunities.org

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Holy Trinity, Adelaide, was the first Anglican church built in South Australia and is the oldest church building in the state still standing. Christians have been worshipping on Acre 9, North Terrace, for 175 years. This history vividly traces the chequered career of this city congregation, led by only eleven incumbents. On more than one occasion the congregation nearly expired, on others it has been the fastest growing Anglican congregation in Adelaide, and most recently has established a network of five more churches spread throughout the Adelaide metropolitan area, with more than 1300 members. Charles Beaumont Howard, Colonial Chaplain and first incumbent, brought a robust evangelical Protestant faith to Adelaide. This commitment to ‘Jesus Christ and Him crucified’ as the sole ground of salvation has informed the congregation ever since: it is unmistakably an Evangelical Anglican congregation. Brian Dickey has written to capture the interest of the ordinary reader. Many who have worshipped at Holy Trinity, or have relatives among the more than 16,000 couples married or the more than 17,000 baptised in this historic pioneer church will be interested to read this carefully researched and perceptive history. This history has now been brought up to 2012 in the second edition, with five new chapters a Conclusion, and many new images.

Available in book form, on the Holy Trinity website as PDF files, and as an ebook.

Holy Trinity

175th CelebratioN

The highlight was the launch of Brian Dickey’s Holy Trinity Adelaide 1836-2012; the history of a city church. The Revd Paul Harrington, Rector, and Brett Cowell, Chairman of Trustees, spoke generously about this updated edition of the original

1988 book. This one is in colour and 50% longer. Brian Dickey responded by reiterating the strength and continuity of the evangelical tradition which has informed the ministry at Holy Trinity from the time of C.B. Howard until today.

Dr Brian Dickey holds status as an associate professor of history at Flinders University, Adelaide, having taught there for thirty-three years. He is the author of thirteen books and many learned articles on Australian history. He and his wife Janet have worshipped at Holy Trinity since 1967, where he has filled various leadership posts.

Not surprisingly, 175 years after the event, Paul Harrington preached on the same text as Charles Howard chose for the foundation stone laying on 26 January 1838: ‘The Lord of Heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build’ (Nehemiah 2:20). He acknowledged the dedicated service of so many people that has built up this church since the beginning, and has kept it going ever since. Naturally there remain challenges as the church moves forward, establishing new churches in the diocese and thereby

Adelaide Hymnfest Bible Society invites you to join with us for an afternoon of singing favorite hymns.

Date: Sunday 25th August 2013

Time: 2.30pm

Place: St Peters Anglican Cathedral, King William St, North Adelaide A collection will be taken for the work of the Bible Society in Rwanda

The Hon Mr. Robert Brokenshire MLC will be MC at this event Come and share with hundreds of others in celebration our annual Hymn Fest, we will be singing many of the most popular old hymns with the assistance of the Adelaide Harmony Choir, the Salvation Army Adelaide Band and the principal organist of the Cathedral. We will also be featuring the Rwandan Community Singers so don't miss this wonderful event.

Holy Trinity Adelaide 1836–2012 The The history history of of aa city city church church

Brian Dickey

Holy Trinity Adelaide celebrated 175 years in the venerable North Terrace building at all four services on Trinity Sunday.

The main event was at the 9am service, attended by His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce and Mrs Scarce, since the Governor confirms the appointment of the Rector of Holy Trinity. The Revd David Smith led the Morning Prayer service, using elements from the Book of Common Prayer, much to the comfort of the many invited guests returning their church of former times.

Holy Trinity Adelaide, 1836–2012

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Brian Brian Dickey Dickey

bringing hundreds of people to active membership, whether from previous disinterest or disconnection or simply local convenience. The event both inspired and challenged everyone.

In the morning between services there were stalls promoting some of Trinity’s ministry partners, including Evangelical Students, City Bible Forum, Church Missionary Society, Scripture Union, Bush Church Aid and Bible College of South Australia. There were sausages on the sizzle and all the usual supporting activities to make a fun event.

Copies of the book went like hot cakes, so that by lunchtime all available copies had been sold and a reprint was promised.

Similar recognitions of the 175th anniversary and the book were included at the other services. At 10.30am the Revd Chris Jolliffe introduced representatives from the five churches recently planted

by Holy Trinity to bring greetings and tell something of their experiences.

Delightfully, Phil Crawley, a church trustee and member of the Trinity Hills congregation, was joined by his mother, Kay Crawley, who reported on the newest church, Trinity Inner South (at the colonel Light gardens RSL).

The evening services, where the demographic is younger and more international in flavour and contains many students (especially at 7pm), Brian shifted his style, but retained his central message.

The whole day was a marvellous celebration and affirmation of the life of this large and busy church.

Trustee Brett Cowell, Rev. Paul Harrington, author Brian Dickey and trustee Philip Crawley

175 years

A Testimony to the Gracious Hand of God

By The Rev’d Paul Harrington Our 175th celebration Sunday focussed on theme ‘A Testimony to the Gracious Hand of God’, We considered Nehemiah 1-2 where, despite overwhelming obstacles, God worked out His good purposes for His people in the 5th century BC. We acknowledged that by God’s sustaining power we had been brought though the highs and joys but also the lows and struggles. However, throughout the 175 years our mission has remained the same – to proclaim Christ and Him crucified. Nothing has changed in that regard.

Our mission starts with what God has already done for us; not what we can do for Him. God’s kindness in sending His son into this world to live and die on a cross for us is our foundation.

Jesus took the punishment for our sins so that we could be in relationship with our Holy God

both now and for eternity. These truths are at the heart of all Christian ministry. I experienced this amazing gift of forgiveness and restoration as a cynical Adelaide University law student in 1978 . I’m personally grateful for the ministry of people from Trinity who God used to help me at that time.

Over the past 175 years Trinity’s leadership has changed and the style of ministry has varied, but the goals of our church have remained the same. We started as a church plant initiated by far-sighted believers in England who wanted to promote the knowledge and worship of God in the ‘colonies’. Prompted by the same concern we have sent many missionaries around the world and planted other gatherings around Adelaide.

The specifics of our ministry focus have changed over time. Today we have particular opportunities with university students, city workers and an increasing number of internationals. We are praying and considering how we can connect more effectively with the growing number of CBD residents. The major redevelopments happening at our end of town are causing us to rethink our evangelistic outreach. Only God knows what the future will bring. What we do know is that God will faithfully work out HIS purposes in Adelaide and the world. My prayer is that we will never shift from proclaiming Christ and Him crucified. I pray that the Trinity leadership and congregations will be constantly gripped, thankful, renewed and motivated to action by this truth.

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A Happy Sorry Day at St David’s Burnside

By Christobel Mattingley Trinity Sunday was both Sorry Day and Happy Day, ecumenical and multicultural at St David’s, Burnside. It was our fourth Gathering Together Reconciliation Service since NAIDOC Week 2008, when two plaques, one in English and one in Kaurna, were unveiled, acknowledging that the church stands on the land of the Kaurna People.

On May 26 - Sorry Day and the beginning of Reconciliation Week - a large congregation from across Adelaide and beyond gathered for the blessing of the Aboriginal flag and the baptism of an Aboriginal child in the church vibrant with paintings by artist Kunyi June-Anne McInerney, her children and foster children.

There was a buzz of excitement as visitors arrived. The Catholic Aboriginal Ministry at The Otherway Centre, Payneham, cancelled their Mass to come and celebrate with us, and worshippers from Lutheran, Baptist and Uniting Churches, a Quaker and several Catholic nuns also joined us, in addition to members of the active Blackwood Reconciliation Group with its connections to the Colebrook Children’s Home, now Reconciliation Park. As well as Kaurna of the Adelaide Plains, there were other First Nations Peoples, Narrunga, Boandik, Pitjantjatjara and Yunkuntjatjara. Sri Lankan and Iranian families came, as well as our own parishioners with Hungarian, Polish and English roots.

Silence fell at the sound of the didgeridoo as the procession entered, led by Boori Monty Prior, first Australian Children’s Laureate and son of a Birri-Gubba man of Queensland, playing the traditional instrument of his mother’s group, the Kunggandji. He was followed by two Aboriginal boys and a boy from St David’s, proudly carrying the flag.

Strong Kaurna woman, Katrina Karlapina Power, gave a spirited and challenging Welcome to Country. She and her mother, the late respected elder Alma Wridgway,

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Rev. Sid Graham blessing the flag. (Tom Turner)

had given the Welcome in 2009, and in 2010 Katrina continued the motherdaughter tradition with her daughter and granddaughter, then a babe in arms.

Overjoyed to be giving it for the third time, Katrina stood proud in her kangaroo skin cloak, with daughter Taylor and granddaughter Tiyana, now three and excited in her white party dress for her baptism.

Boandik elder, gracious Shirley Peisley, who campaigned vigorously for Aboriginal recognition in the 1967 referendum and who has continued to work tirelessly ever since for all First Nations Peoples, read the lesson from Colossians 3: 12-15, and gave a traditionally painted cross and candle holder to our church.

Before blessing the flag, the Reverend Sid Graham, Aboriginal Anglican priest, shared with the hushed congregation the pain, the anger and the sense of abandonment he had suffered as an institutionalised child, and his feelings on finally being reunited with his family. We all felt his anguish as he told how after his mother’s death he found letters she had written to the dreaded “Welfare”, Aborigines Protection Board pleading for Sid to be allowed home to his family. These went unanswered. But her request for him to be allowed to be with his family one Christmas met with refusal and reply “that he would be sent to spend Christmas with a Christian family.”

After the flag was blessed and standing tall in the sanctuary, Katrina Power’s granddaughter Tiyana Kaye, flanked by her great –grandmother, grandmother, aunts, uncle and godparents, was presented for baptism. Her protest, “I’m wet!” brought laughter from the delighted congregation, thrilled to be witness to what we believe is the first Aboriginal baptism at St David’s.

After Communion, in which all baptised Christians were invited to share, our Otherway Centre visitors gathered in the sanctuary to sing both in English and Pitjantjatjara their special song, We are one big happy family, God’s family, led by Auntie Mabel Lochowiak on guitar.

At the end of the service, before food and fellowship and a special cake for our newly baptised Aboriginal child, everyone was invited to take one of the hands, created by St David’s parishioners, to plant in the lawn around the two Kaurna plaques outside the church. There they were to remain throughout Reconciliation Week, along with a full-size Aboriginal flag on the outer porch wall, as a witness to passers-by of St David’s commitment to reconciliation.

It was a service and a day to remember.

Once a year budding singers gather excitedly at St Peter’s Cathedral to see what all the fuss is about.

Chorister for a Day is the Cathedral’s main recruiting event for trebles and provides parents and their children, aged eight to 11, insight into life in the choir.

Six years ago Kate Kirby, 16, was one of those children eager to become a part of Adelaide’s prestigious St Peter’s Cathedral Choir. The Pembroke student has since gained a new network of friends and a refined knowledge of music.

“It’s been a very good musical education,” she says.

“You learn theory and practical things like pitch and tone and you learn to read music very fast.” Choristers receive excellent

“It was really fun,” she says.

“I like music a lot and I was with other people who like music a lot. I like history and that is why I like this music because it’s been sung for hundreds of years.”

For Chorister for a Day in August, visitors will be given a tour of the Cathedral and the children will be “buddied up” with a chorister. The tour starts in the Crypt – the room beneath the Cathedral where the choir assembles before the service – and moves into the Lady Chapel, the Quire, the Nave and finally up to the Gallery, the highest point within the Cathedral.

Following a short film tracing the life of a chorister, there is an afternoon tea and question and answer session.

musical training in small groups through the Voice for Life programme.

The children are then invited to join the trebles to rehearse the music for Evensong and fitted with robes before joining the Lay Clerks to sing at the 4.30-5pm service.

When Kate went along to Chorister for a Day she was delighted to find others with a passion for music.

St Peter’s Cathedral Director of Music Leonie Hempton says many friendships and great careers are created on this day.

“The choristers in the Cathedral Choir receive an extraordinarily high music education through singing some of the greatest music in the European and Australian repertoire,” she says.

“Many of those who have gone on to have distinguished careers in music attribute their success to their time in the choir.

The choir is also very social; they have a lot of fun, love music and form lasting friendships.”

Highgate Primary School student Lachlan Wise, 10, will try his hand at being a chorister this year.

“I like singing and I think being in a choir would be fun,” he says.

There are no fees associated with the choir.

All music and uniforms are provided and choristers are eligible for scholarships to several of Adelaide’s leading Anglican schools.

Chorister for a Day is on Saturday August 24, 2-5pm, at St Peter’s Cathedral.

To register call 8267 4551 or email kpalmrose@stpeters-cathedral.org.au

ChorIster for A Day

Lachlan and Kate sharing a song

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SCHOOLS

TRACING ST. COLUMBA’s FOOTSTEPS By the Reverend Paula Thorpe

The St Columba College community at Andrews Farm is inspired by the example of St Columba to love God, to love others who are on the journey with them and to love learning.

St Columba (521 -597) was an Irish priest of Royal descent. At the age of 42 he left Ireland and landed on the island of Iona off the coast of Scotland. This has been attributed to a family feud which resulted in many deaths for which he considered himself partly responsible.

Columba spent the remaining 32 years of his life preaching the good news about Jesus to the Picts, the inhabitants of Northern Scotland. Columba was renowned for writing letters, hymns and transcribing books.

He was a man of prayer described as humble and charitable to companions, strangers and all creatures of the earth.

With a strong commitment to following the example of St Columba, how amazing would

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it be to take some students to Iona; to allow a group of students to actually tread on the same ground that St Columba had? From July 7 to 21, twelve Year 10 and 11 students and four staff members are heading off to the United Kingdom to do exactly that.

Setting out is not covering miles of land or sea, or travelling faster than the speed of sound. It is first and foremost opening ourselves to other people, trying to get to know them, going out to meet them.1 As a group of pilgrims we are a diverse group; different ages, different sexes, different family backgrounds and at very different stages of our own personal faith journeys.

The first challenge for us will be to spend two weeks with each other harmoniously! On arrival in the UK the sheer number of people on the street and the variety of different cultures represented will be confronting.

What a wonderful opportunity to ponder what it means to be human with all its

responsibilities (Rom 12: 9-18); what it means to be created in the image of God (Gn1:27); what it means if each human person is known intimately by God (Ps 139).

Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were bornor you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. (Ps 8:3-4) As well as visiting Iona, our travels will take us to Westminster Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, York Minster, Durham Cathedral, and Edinburgh Castle and of course the associated towns and cities.

In such places one quickly becomes aware of being a small speck on a massive timeline and yet God tells us he knows every hair on our heads (Mt 10:30). In addition such places will give the students a sense of the impact of people like Columba and others who were so

excited about the good news of Jesus Christ they just had to tell others. At somewhere ancient like Canterbury Cathedral you realise that you are part of a great cloud of witnesses (Heb 12:1) who stretch back into the past, are very much part of the present and who will continue to be long after we have gone.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? (Ps 90: 1-2, 4) There will be many opportunities during our two weeks in the UK to marvel at the wonders of creation. The English countryside is so different to South Australia’s; green, rolling and terribly pretty. On our way to Iona we will journey through the Scottish Highlands, stopping at Loch Ness which is breathtakingly beautiful, wild and remote.

And then there is the Island of Iona itself; a tiny, insignificant speck in the archipelago known as the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. George Macleod, the

founder of the Iona Community, describes the island as a “‘thin place’- only a ‘tissue paper’ separating the material from the spiritual.” 2 In this ‘thin place’ a man called Columba experienced God in such a way that it changed his whole life and the lives of others; so much so that more than a thousand years later on the other side of the world a school is named after him.

During the trip we will be praying, worshipping, journaling, talking, reflecting and blogging. We hope that others will join us on our trip via the blog and be our partners in prayer along the way. My own prayer is that the students will encounter Jesus and this is reflected beautifully in the words of Pat Bennett:3

Encounter Lord, I ask only this: that you would meet me on the road; and that I, expectant, would recognise and know you in your coming and so find my life transformed.

Jane Bentley and Neil Paynter, Around a Thin Place; An Iona Pilgrimage Guide (Glasgow: Wild Goose Publications, 2011)

1,2 ,3

St Columba Iona Pilgrimage Blog: www.stcolumbaionapilgrims.com

The joy of learning

INVESTIGATOR COLLEGE 2 Glendale Grove, Goolwa.

Ph: 8555 5755

ST. PETER’S COLLEGE Hackney Road, St. Peter’s.

Ph: 8362 3451

PEDARE CHRISTIAN COLLEGE 2-30 Surrey Farm Drive, Golden Grove.

Ph: 8280 1700

ST. PETER’S COLLEGIATE GIRLS’ SCHOOL Stonyfell Road, Stonyfell.

Ph: 8334 2200

PULTENEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL 190 South Terrace, Adelaide.

Ph: 8216 5555 ST. ANDREW’S SCHOOL 22 Smith Street, Walkerville.

Ph: 8168 5555 ST. COLUMBA COLLEGE President Avenue, Andrew’s Farm.

Ph: 8254 0600

ANGLICAN SCHOOLS... the right choice Enquiries: Mr. Jim Raw, Anglican Schools Liaison Officer 18 King WIlliam Rd, North Adelaide 5006 Phone: 8305 9349

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ST. JOHN’S GRAMMAR SCHOOL 29 Gloucester Avenue, Belair.

Ph: 8278 2233

ST. PETER’S WOODLANDS GRAMMAR SCHOOL 39 Partridge Street, Glenelg.

Ph: 8295 4317 TRINITY COLLEGE Alexander Avenue, Evanston South.

Ph: 8522 0666 WALFORD ANGLICAN SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 316 Unley Road, Hyde Park.

Ph: 8272 6555 WOODCROFT COLLEGE Bains Road, Morphett Vale.

Ph: 8322 2333

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LOCAL, NATIONAL New website for Anglican New UN, faith-based NGO on welcoming Communion News Service guidelines displaced people

The news service of the Anglican Communion has today launched its first ever purpose-built news website AnglicanNews.org

The site comes almost 20 years after the electronic news service was first launched. Since then subscribers around the world have received thousands of news articles via email.

“This site brings the Anglican Communion’s ability to share its stories of life and mission to a whole new level,” said Jan Butter who is the Director for Communication at the Anglican Communion Office.

“Until now we’ve been restricted to sending news stories to people’s email inboxes. Anglicans and Episcopalians around the world can visit the new site for, not just news, but also comment, feature stories, podcasts, videos and photos. We hope that the diverse content helps to reflect the richness and variety found across our Anglican Communion.”

Mr Butter added, “Existing subscribers will still receive email alerts, but just one a day summarising the newest content on the site.”

In a comment piece written exclusively for the new website, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby highlighted the importance of effective, grace-filled communication between Anglicans, saying it was part of the gift of the Anglican Communion.

“If the Communion is a gift, then communication between us is part of that gift. This means sharing insights into what God is calling us to do, wherever we are. It means sharing our witness and our inspiration.”

He added, “There have been times [members of the Anglican Communion] have used communication as a tool to hurt each another. But we must remember that above all we are called to share the love of Christ with the world. That means nothing less than communicating in a way that reflects Christ – a way that is loving and generous, patient and forgiving.”

Secretary General of the Anglican Communion Kenneth Kearon said he was excited about what this site would mean for the Churches of the Anglican Communion.

“It has been suggested that the theology of Web 2.0 is Body of Christ theology,” he said. “If so, then good communications is the lifeblood that allows that body to work together to fulfil God’s mission.

“I am delighted that we are able to offer this resource to the people of the Anglican Communion and I invite them to contribute content that they think will be of interest to their brothers and sisters around the world.”

Visit the new website at http://www.anglicannews.org

By ACNS

The UN refugee agency and representatives of 25 faith-based NonGovernmental Organizations recently unveiled a landmark declaration aimed at strengthening protection for the world’s more than 40 million refugees, internally displaced, and stateless people.

The declaration, known as an Affirmation of Welcome, is the first to involve UNHCR and a spectrum of faith-based groups. It sets out principles to guide faith leaders in providing welcoming environments for refugees and displaced people, and those without citizenship, including through promoting community understanding and tolerance, and combatting xenophobia.

The idea for a joint declaration emerged from a meeting hosted by UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres in Geneva in December 2012 with religious leaders and faith-based NGOs. Taking place between February and April of this year, drafting of the Affirmation involved a coalition of leading faith-based organizations and academic institutions. The text draws upon principles and values of welcome shared by religions including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.

Among those presenting the Affirmation last month in Geneva were UNHCR’s Director of International Protection Volker Türk, President of the Lutheran World Federation Bishop Munib A. Younan, Rabbi Nava Hafetz of Rabbis for Human Rights – Israel, and Atallah Fitzgibbon of Islamic Relief Worldwide, as well as representatives of other faith-based organisations.

On 20 June, to mark World Refugee Day, the faith-based NGO HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) commenced a year-long campaign to promote the Affirmation within the Jewish community around the world. In November of this year, the declaration will be launched formally at the King Abdullah International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna, in a conference organized by Religions for Peace bringing together over 400 faith leaders from around the world.

Other organisations that have been involved include the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Jesuit Refugee Service, the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, the University of Vienna Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology, the World Council of Churches, the World Evangelical Alliance and World Vision International.

“Welcoming the Stranger: Affirmations for Faith Leaders” is available in Arabic, English, French, Hebrew, Russian and Spanish via www.unhcr. org/51b6de419.html More information on the “Faith and Protection” session of the UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOs is also available at www.unhcr.org/ pages/501a39ce6.html From UNHCR

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& INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Making a Difference in the South Pacific Islands Paringa Park Primary School and the Anglican Church of St Philip’s Somerton Park are making a difference for children attending Sigatoka District School by raising money to take 281 ‘basic school packs’ to the Fijian school in August this year.

“With the support of the School Parents and Community Committee, the school Governing Council and the Parish Council of St Philip’s Church it was decided that funds would be raised to support the generation of the ‘basic school packs’.”

While in Fiji for his daughter’s wedding last year Paringa Park Primary School teacher, Wayne Pratt, was overwhelmed by how desperately poor the children attending Sigatoka District School were. On his return he expressed to Principal Phil Reid his desire to undertake a project to help the children in the school who had so few resources.

So now the school and the parish are working together to put together 281 ‘basic school packs’ that Erica, Rev’d Barb and her husband Andrew will take in August 2013 to Fiji.

Wayne then shared his experience with Erica Staude the school’s Christian Pastoral Support Worker and the Rev’d Barbara Paull-Hunt.

Around the same time Rev’d Barbara was engaged in an Anglican Diocese course Mission Shaped Ministry and the idea of creating ‘basic individual school packs’ to take over to the Fijian school in order to make a connection and adopt it as a sister school was developed.

“We realised that there would need to be some funds raised by the school and the parish to establish and to sustain our connection with the Sigatoka District School,” Rev’d Barbara says.

“The school in Fiji has a great need and there are many things we can do each year for our brothers and sisters in Sigatoka District School,” Rev’d Barbara says.

“Those ‘basic school packs’ are just a beginning to help make a difference; however, there is a plan for ongoing help to the school to build up their library and to supply some art materials and stationary.

“The cost of 1 ‘basic school pack’ is $15 and there are 30 items in each pack so if you would like to help us make a difference for these beautiful children in the South Pacific Islands you can forward your contribution to either of the following addresses.”

St Philip’s Church Somerton Park 1 Warwick Ave, North Brighton SA 5048 Paringa Park Primary School 21 Bowker St, North Brighton SA 5048

Evira Staude, Wayne Pratt, Phil Reid, Andrew Hunt and Reverend Barbara Paull-Hunt

The Journey to Recognition: Local Action Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are currently excluded from the Constitution of Australia. General Council of SACC encourages people in church communities to be part of and contribute to the national conversation and action on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Constitutional Recognition. The proposed referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution is an important occasion for us all in attending to due recognition and leading to a healing of relationships. Your community is encouraged to Support the Journey to Recognition.

Visit Recognise at www.recognise. org.au/ for news and updates that will be occurring as the Journey travels to your community or through your region.

For more information contact: The South Australian Council of Churches Inc. (SACC) 65 Flinders Street, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia Phone: (08) 8215 0300 Fax: (08) 8215 0366 Email: sacc@picknowl.com.au

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GOD WORDS

Psalm 23

The Rev’d Dr Matthew Anstey, Principal, St Barnabas’ Theological College — www.sbtc.org.au

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

The shepherd in Ancient Israel offered care and protection to the entire flock. But note here how the language is personal. “The Lord is my shepherd.” It is true, God is our shepherd, but in praying this Psalm, God speaks too each individual heart.

The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures; The Lord leads me beside still waters; The Lord restores my soul. The Lord guides me in right paths for his name’s sake.

These are four acts of goodness that a shepherd undertakes that the sheep can’t do for themselves. This reveals our dependency on God - that in life the Lord will provide things for us that we can’t provide ourselves.

We call this grace.

Notice also that the Lord guides for his name’s sake. This is unexpected. We would tend to say, “I’m doing this for your sake”. But here, God acts for God’s name’s sake, meaning, God acts in accord with God’s nature. God is pure and total joy and love and goodness and hence God’s actions towards us are entirely acts of joy and love and goodness.

I find this deeply comforting. I can’t know how God is acting; at times it seems like God is inactive, or inattentive, but because I know God acts in accord with God’s name and nature, I can trust them to bring wholeness to my brokenness.

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Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff — they comfort me.

The centre of this fourth verse is in fact the centre of the whole psalm: You are with me.

It is not I can feel you with me, not I believe you are with me, not I wish you were with me.

This is deeply significant: You are with me.

Patrick Miller writes this: “The fourth verse of Psalm 23 is the gospel kernel of the Old Testament, that good news that turns tears of anguish and fear into shouts of joy. ...The psalmist has heard that word, probably in the midst of threat and danger, and life is now controlled by it.”

And where does this word of presence, of assurance, of good news come? In the heights of worship? In the raptures of Christian fellowship? After the satisfaction of a hard day’s work?

No, it comes in the depths of darkness – the darkness of depression, or disease, or dysfunctional families, or disappointments, or dire addiction, or disaster, or even death’s shadow. This is precisely where God is overwhelmingly with us.

For if God cannot meet us there, then the good news can’t actually be good at all. And it is precisely good in that God’s goodness is not overwhelmed by the darkness of human suffering and brokenness. “The light shines in the darkness” (John 1:5).

Hope is born in this dark place. Resurrection bursts out the grave.

And this good news is so magnificently good that the Psalm shifts gears from a shepherd to a sumptuous spread...

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Notice how “God with us” in the darkness continues even here, as “in the presence of my enemies”. The culture around us is often hostile to faith, toxic to the outrageous grace that God provides, antagonistic to the effervescence of forgiveness.

But no matter what form these enemies take in our lives, they can’t thwart the presence of God with us.

For no matter how dark the valley, how clamorous the enemies, how alone we might feel, God is with us without reserve. When all seems bleak, we discover to our endless surprise and wonder a presence of pure love, a gift, indeed, we discover God in Christ: our friend, our shepherd, our companion.

We discover that God is with us, no matter what.

BOOKS How should Anglicanism face the 21st Century?

On the evening of May 1st, at Tabor College, Adelaide, the Rev’d Dr. Sidney L. Green’s book, “Beating the Bounds: A symphonic approach to orthodoxy in the Anglican Communion” was launched by the Rt. Rev’d. Dr. Stephen Pickard, Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn and Associate Professor of Theology, Charles Sturt University.

Bishop Stephen was introduced to the audience, which included our own Archbishop and Assistant Bishop, by the Rev’d Dr. Graham Buxton, Director of the Graeme Clark Research Institute at Tabor College.

The book is available from: Revd. Dr. Sidney L. Green, 44/7 Sommer Place, Pasadena, South Australia, 5042 Tel:(08) 8277 7944 Mobile: 0439 895 117 Email: sidneygreen@adam.com.au Price: $31.50 plus p&p. $3

In his erudite and challenging address Bishop Stephen laid bare the challenges facing all mainline Churches including the Anglican Communion, in the 21st century in matters of orthodoxy and heresy, authority and ecclesiology.

Referring to Sidney Green’s book, he made clear reference to the symphonic structure

Rev’d Dr Graham Buxton, the Rev’d Dr Sidney Green and Rt Rev’d Dr Stephen Pickard

Green has used for his material seeing it as almost a prophetic statement of the need for a ‘symphonia anglicanum’ — an openness to hear respectfully the many voices, or polyphony, that make up the fullness of the many different facets of Anglican thought and understanding.

There is, as Green emphasises, a dynamism to Anglican orthodoxy that means it is constantly developing. Orthodoxy has never been, and never will be, a static body of propositional truth but rather an on-going journey led by the ever creative Holy Spirit as He interprets and re-interprets the foundational Holy Scriptures in and for each succeeding generation.

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PEOPLE AND PLACES St Peter’s Cathedral Art Show

St. Saviour’s moves to a Daily Eucharist

The Adelaide Cathedral Art Show will celebrate its 10th Anniversary when it opens in St Peter’s Cathedral on Friday 11 October. Once again the Cathedral will be transformed into a beautiful art gallery that will feature paintings by both established and emerging artists.

From Monday June 2nd, the Eucharist will be celebrated at St. Saviour’s, Glen Osmond on weekdays as follows: 7.30am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 10.30am on Wednesday.

We hope that the early morning Eucharists may be a spiritual resource for those on their way to work and for any who would like to start their day in this way. If you would like to do this, you would be most welcome, and if you know of anyone else who might be interested, please feel free to extend this invitation to them to join us.

Prayer School

Program

Explore the Mystical Path of Christian Prayer and Meditation at St David’s at Lockleys Prayer School from August 16-18.

Saturday 17 August 1.30 pm — 4.30 pm What is Australian Prayer?

Developed to take participants back to the core of faith, prayer, worship and in-depth interaction in the journey of faith, Prayer School is about reflection and mediation for people looking to connect with the spiritual aspect of the Christian faith.

Sunday 18 August 1.00 pm — 4.00 pm What is Eucharistic Praying?

Presenting at the Prayer School will be Archbishop Roger Herft and Br Bruce-Paul.

Currently the Archbishop of Perth, Roger Herft has a passion for Biblical study and its intrinsic place in prayer and meditation. While Br BrucePaul is a life professed member of the Society of St Francis who is interest in the integration of Christian theology, spirituality and the practice of spiritual direction.

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Friday 16 August 7.00 — 10.00 pm What is Prayer?

Saturday 17 August 9.00 am — 12.00 midday What is Christian Prayer?

Sunday 18 August 9:00 am — Holy Eucharist Archbishop Roger Herft will be Guest Preacher

Hospitality Refreshments will be provided during breaks and a light lunch on Saturday for people attending both sessions.

Cost All Sessions ($120) Early Bird by 15 June ($105) Individual sessions ($35) Registration & Full Payment is required before 1 August to Anglican Parish of Lockleys Corner of Henley Beach Road and May Terrace Brooklyn Park.

For further information and registration forms contact the Anglican Parish of Lockleys Telephone: 8351 8280 E-mail: strich@picknowl.com.au http://homepages.picknowl.com.au/strich

Entries are open to artists until 30 August.

A prize of $3,000, sponsored by Paradise Motors Mazda, will be awarded to the overall winner. Category prizes of $500 courtesy of local business sponsors will be given to a painting that is the best artistic interpretation of light, the best social comment or observation of human nature, the best abstract expression, the best painting celebrating nature and the human environment, the best painting by an artist under 25. Visitors to the show will have the opportunity to choose their favourite painting and the People’s Choice Award will be presented at the end of the show.

Opening Night is a significant event in the arts calendar of Adelaide and tickets are available from the Cathedral Office for $30 per person.

The Show will be open to the public, free of charge, from Saturday 12 October to Saturday 19 October and all the works will be for sale. Visitors will also be able to watch the artists in residence on the weekends and see how the paintings are created.

The first $6,000 raised from sales of art will be given to an Australian Board of Mission to support the Solar Ovens Project in South Sudan.

For further information contact Rosie Hamilton at St Peter’s Cathedral Office on 8267 4551 or rhamilton@stpeterscathedral.org.au

Empowering Women for a Brighter Future The Anglican Board of Mission is continuing to support gender empowerment initiatives with a new appeal to raise money for projects helping thousands of people through awareness of gender equality and gender-based violence.

In areas ABM works such as Eastern Zambia, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands, projects aim to strengthen the support of women and girls in chosen regions to make positive change in their lives.

ABM works with partners to strengthen women’s knowledge and skills, asserting their rights and protecting against gender based violence and gender imbalance.

Fundraising Manager, Mr Christopher Brooks says, “Unfortunately we see the number of victims of domestic violence increasing, so it is beneficial to provide support in our partner countries and also be able to provide continued funding in this area.”

Adelaide solicitor, Ms Emma Riggs, has seen first hand the difference local support makes to the lives of vulnerable women overseas.

“I have been involved in grass roots programs, mostly in Africa, working with women and children to provide access to resources and opportunity to achieve their goals for their family and community,” Emma says.

“I am lucky to have met Dr Catherine Hamlin, founder of the Fistula Hospitals in Ethiopia. Through her hard work and dedication, she and her husband have empowered women victims and educated women to run and assist with the hospital’s management and medical procedures.”

“On a local level, Lindy Driver inspires me to keep focused on what I am passionate about,” Emma says.

“She shares her passion for helping others and gives local Anglicans the opportunity to get involved and share their own skills to assist.

“Her limited free time is spent raising awareness about the Health Clinic we hope to set up in Bor, South Sudan, and educating parishioners in Adelaide about what is happening to the family members of the 5,000 South Sudanese people living in South Australia, who are a valuable part of our Christian community.”

Many of the gender empowerment projects that ABM currently support, along with the help from local church organisations, help teach women life skills that are needed to become independent once removed from harmful situations.

To help make a difference to the lives of these women go to www. abmission.org or call 1300 302 663.

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Restore your phonographic records or tapes to near original quality & preserve them on CD. Restore faded 35mm slides to original bright colour & preserve them on DVD. Ask us about VHS & 8mm film to DVD conversion.

SA MEDIAWORKS

Kent Town SA Ph: 8362 2251 samediaworks@soundtrack.net.au www.samediaworks.soundtrack.net.au

Postage Stamps Needed To aid ABM mission work.

Used or any OLD COLLECTIONS of stamps and postcards from yesteryear.

Stamps of all countries are sought, especially those from overseas.

Please leave at the Church Office, North Adelaide or at the Mothers Union rooms - 23 Leigh Street, Adelaide.

TO ADVERTISE HERE PLEASE CONTACT

Loan Leane — Phone: (08) 7007 9020 — Mobile: 0404 089 762 — loan@joiecreative.com.au

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