Mission: property
Russell Powell
For the past year, there has been a quiet revolution focusing on Sydney Anglican churches’ land and buildings – what we know as our “property”.
“Due to the nature of our Anglican system, we are not only present in virtually every community, we are also blessed to be on some of the best, most strategically located properties in those communities,” says Ross Jones, CEO of the newly created Sydney Anglican Property organisation.
“This is a wonderful inheritance we’ve received
from previous generations and the worst thing we could do is underutilise those amazing assets.
“We want to see our buildings and properties highly utilised by Christians, but we also want to see non-Christians on our properties, engaging with Christians with a hope for gospel opportunities.”
You can be forgiven if you are not familiar with Sydney Anglican Property. It was created in late 2023, an amalgamation of the Anglican Church Growth Corporation, St
August-September 2024 volume 30 number 5
SHARIN G STORIES OF FAIT H LOV E AN D HOPE
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image: Hope Anglican Church, Leppington.
Andrew’s House Corporation, New Churches for New Communities and the Sydney Diocese Property Trust, with responsibility for helping parishes make best use of their locations, whether it be in greenfields (new areas) or brownfields (established urban centres).
“We want to put our property on mission by delivering highquality projects that provide upgraded ministry facilities as well as much-needed community infrastructure – such as affordable housing, disability
Publisher: Anglican Media Sydney
services and childcare – while also generating a sustainable and ongoing income stream for the parish and the wider Diocese,” Mr Jones says. “It really is a win-win-win.”
The approach is the result of years of thinking about how to bring together property services, experts and funding opportunities in a way that has never been done before.
For Mr Jones, the need is urgent. “Buildings and property strategies are being developed for each of the five regions, which will include some difficult
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Bring people in: St Michael’s Cathedral in Wollongong utilises its outdoor space for a community event.
from page 2 and complex recommendations that require all of us to think about how best to use what we have inherited from previous generations. It’s our turn to consider how best to use our buildings and properties for the kingdom now, but also for our brothers and sisters in [the] future.
“If we continue to operate as we have in the past, in a city
that is rapidly changing, then we risk being poor stewards of the ‘talents’ we have.”
SAP is streamlining property processes to make life simpler for busy rectors and parish officers.
“We want to make it easier for parishes to do business with the Diocese by bringing all their property-related matters under the one umbrella and giving them a single point of contact,”
Mr Jones says. “We want to free up parishes to get on with the core business of ministry and evangelism.”
The statistics are already impressive. Eighteen agreements have been signed between parishes and SAP across the Diocese. Four development applications have been approved, with a further three awaiting approval.
The kinds of developments
MINISTRY BEFORE BUILDINGS - BOX HILL
The new areas of Sydney are not waiting for us to build churches before they grow so, while the work of identifying suitable land and building is under way, there are already ministry boots on the ground.
“Let’s not wait for the buildings to turn up, let’s just get on with the ministry!” is the approach of the director of Evangelism and New Churches (ENC), the Rev Phil Wheeler.
“We’ve got a great vision of planting churches – one for every 30,000 to 40,000 people down this greenfield corridor. We’ve purchased, or are purchasing, land. The single most important next question, once we’ve got the where, is the who. Who is going to lead this? Ministry will only go forward when there’s actually a planter.”
ENC meets regularly with Sydney Anglican Property staff to ensure a coordinated effort. “In partnership with parishes and the local bishop, we are working to ensure that we get a team in place as quickly as possible to actually build a congregation of people to reach
the area for the Lord Jesus Christ,” Mr Wheeler says.
“Box Hill is a great example. Several parishes got together with the bishop and ENC to talk about getting a ministry started. The property group went ahead and purchased the land and, within six months of that purchase, we had a planter appointed and a team starting to be built. Now, 18 months later, we’ve actually got a church begun on that site. We’d love to see that same model of co-operation for every one of the greenfield sites down that corridor.”
Ministry services began in June at Cornerstone Anglican Church in Box Hill. The Bishop of Western Sydney, Gary Koo, says, “It was an exciting day when we gathered and actually got to stand on the piece of property that we purchased. People got to meet the church planter Chris Mann, people got to meet the launch team, people got to hear about what the master plan is for the property and, most importantly, people had the opportunity to pray and ask God to bless our endeavours.”
underway include new ministry facilities and staff housing, early learning centres, new housing (including social and affordable housing), and retail and commercial office space.
Projects such as the Beacon Hill disability accommodation ( SC , May-June 2024) and Cobbitty’s early learning centre (photos next page) are already completed, while a preschool at Sadlier (page 6) is in the works.
For Mr Mann and his wife Helen, it was an unexpected move. “I was in ministry out in the Hawkesbury for about eight years, and [in] the last few years we’ve noticed that a lot of the farmland was slowly becoming a sea of houses,” he says.
“I’m sure you all know the passage in Matthew 9 [that] says when Jesus saw the crowds, he was filled with compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. I think for Helen and I, God was doing that in our hearts. But it wasn’t just us.
The Diocese and the local churches, too, were moved by the compassion of Jesus and thinking, ‘We need a new church here that is lifting up Jesus’. So, land was bought, they were praying for a planter and here we are.”
Launch team member Sally Taylor also sees the new area as a rapidly growing mission field. “There are so many people coming from so many different places and I just really felt a call to go on this mission,” she says.
“I don’t really know what to expect –and I think there’s going to be a bit of hard work that needs to be put in – but God has got this, and he will glorify himself through it, and so we just need to be relying on him.”
The Rev Chris Mann and his wife Helen. photo: Rhonda Mason
Co-operation: the Rev Phil Wheeler talks to Sydney Anglican Property chairman Peter Hicks.
and property, working for
at
THE FIELDS ARE GREEN
For many years the Mission Property Committee identified and bought land for new churches in high-growth suburbs, with churches already built in Oran Park, Leppington and Stanhope Gardens. Plans are underway for church facilities in Marsden Park, Riverstone, Catherine Field and Box Hill, and Sydney Anglican Property has 10 “priority land search areas” that are the focus of the Diocesan Greenfields Strategy.
“We have the opportunity to create thriving gospel communities that are already up and running before people move into their new homes in the rapidly expanding areas of our Diocese,” Mr Jones says.
“As we’ve seen in places like Oran Park and Leppington, often the church is the only significant piece of social infrastructure in the neighbourhood as people unpack their boxes. As a result, people are drawn to the warm sense of care and community they feel emanating from that gospel community as they look to put down new roots.”
RENEWING THE “BROWNFIELDS”
Greenfields represent only a part of SAP’s plans for the future. Significant – and expensive – land is already underutilised in established areas. Good development can enhance existing facilities and provide an income stream into the future.
One example is a development for Christ Church Inner West at its Five Dock property. The parish wants to redevelop the church site adjacent to the new Metro station at Five Dock, and plans include new housing (including affordable housing), retail and commercial facilities, a childcare centre and an outdoor piazza to be used for community events.
The income stream from the development will upgrade and maintain the heritage church and rectory. Plans have now gone to an independent panel for determination.
Another area for church partnership is the Federal Government’s $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund. SAP, in partnership with
Sustainable Development Group and Anglicare, has lodged bids for 11 projects with the potential to deliver about 1000 affordable
rental dwellings and 8500 square metres of ministry space. Successful bids will be notified this month.
SC
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People
Jesus: (clockwise from top left) Grace Anglican Church, Camden Valley rector the Rev Jono Squire (centre) with ministry workers
Catherine Field; Ross Jones; the opening of Cobbity Anglican’s preschool in June; the Exploring Tree Early Learning Centre at Cobbity.
Passionate about Meantal Health?
“Clear gospel partnership” to transform a community
When the rector of Sadleir, the Rev Dave Morgan, looked into building a preschool, he discovered his suburb ticked every box for support.
For starters, his parish, in Sydney’s southwest, had a history of hosting community organisations at the church.
“When I arrived here in 2018 we had a long partnership with Anglicare community services –they’d been operating out of the old rectory,” Mr Morgan says.
When Anglicare moved to a new site in Liverpool, “we tried it out as a ministry centre, and it was underutilised in that way. I was continually thinking, ‘How can we use this building in a way that benefits the community?’ We want a clear gospel partner in there.”
Suggestions came from Sydney Anglican Property (SAP) and the Sustainable Development Group, with one possibility being a preschool run by Integricare.
“When I looked at the Integricare website, I said, ‘Wow, this is a really clear gospel early education provider!’ They teach the gospel to the kids in the preschool, they have a strong commitment to the disadvantaged, they love the church to use the property on Sundays and they want their chaplain and manager to come to church staff meetings.
“I thought all of these sounded fantastic.”
The CEO of Sydney Anglican Property, Ross Jones, suggested a grant application as part of the
NSW Government’s Start Strong program.
Says Mr Morgan: “The NSW Government identified a number of key areas with an underresourcing of preschools, and Sadleir is bang in the middle of one of those areas. We met every single one of the Government criteria for building more preschools.”
The Government grant is covering 85 per cent of the cost of construction and redevelopment, which will begin next year. Integricare will provide the rest of the construction costs, to be repaid in the first 10 years of operation.
The income stream generated from the preschool when it opens will also enable the hiring
PRAY
of additional ministry staff, as well as providing annuity income to undertake muchneeded maintenance work and improvements to the church building.
Mr Jones says SAP’s Urban Renewal Program allows parishes to tap into exciting projects that just wouldn’t otherwise be possible.
“This is an excellent example of a church serving the local communities with its property and people working in unison for the gospel,” he says. “We like to think of it as putting our property assets on mission.
“By using new and existing buildings to love the community in really tangible ways, we not only show them the love of
• that the high-level planning comes together in a timely manner
• for the Sadleir community, that this development would lead to good social outcomes for kids and families and good gospel outcomes for those who are lost
• Thank God for Integricare and pray for a rich partnership in the gospel
Jesus but open up evangelism opportunities, too. The project will also provide upgraded ministry facilities and a sustainable income stream for the parish.”
COMMUNITY NEEDS
Adds Mr Morgan: “Being in a marginalised community, there are lots of kids in schools with high needs. Teachers know that if a child has preschool input they do better at school socially and educationally, so it’s an investment in the children’s education, which invests in the community.”
Already the church is thinking of creative ways to connect with the community through the preschool relationships, including quarterly outreach events and parenting courses.
“I’m thankful that a building God has entrusted to us will be used in a way that benefits the local community, and will be run by a group with a clear gospel heart in partnership,” Mr Morgan says. SC
Christian preschool plans: Sadleir rector the Rev Dave Morgan with children from the church.
photo: Tara Sing
One new church a year
Sydney Anglican Property’s fundraising arm, New Churches for New Communities (NCNC), has set itself an ambitious goal – but one that, according to executive director Ed Hercus, is needed to meet the challenge of modern Sydney.
“Our goal is to be building a church a year over the next 30 years on the land that Sydney Anglican Property ‘banks’ in the greenfield and urban infill areas,” Mr Hercus says. “The urgency around this is to be in these new communities from the outset, as people are moving in and establishing connections. We want to... be there to welcome people when they arrive.”
NCNC was established under Archbishop Glenn Davies to help fund the construction of new facilities in frontier suburbs where land purchases have already been made.
“We have a number of those banked properties... getting closer to a point where they have the population that demands a church – locations such as Marsden Park, Riverstone, Box Hill, Catherine Field, eventually Rossmore, Bringelly and so on,” Mr Hercus says.
“Using Box Hill as an example, only a few short years ago it looked like farms. We know that more than 15,000 people are moving in over the next four years. We want that church to have a prominent, accessible facility to welcome people to, just as we have seen at places like Oran Park and Leppington. This approach is bearing fruit... and we want more of it!
“If you drive down Heath Road at Leppington you will see kids in the church playground, people sitting on the terraces drinking coffee, enjoying each other’s company, and there’s nowhere
The difference well-planned
else like that in the area.
“Bishop Koo recently said people build their new homes with a dream of a better life. They naturally want community, they want connection. If we are there from the outset, then the church becomes the first place to offer the very thing they are looking for. But we hope to offer so much more than that!”
Mr Hercus says people are giving to the NCNC fund because they want to see this vision go forward, appreciative of the legacy all Anglicans share.
“Most of us meet in church buildings and we have no idea who paid for them and why we happen to have one of the best-located blocks of land in the neighbourhood. We just inherited it. I hear from a lot of people who want to leave that same kind of legacy.
“As well, there is excitement around reaching new people with the gospel and a sense that if we can reach the western parts of Sydney we will reach the nations because they’re coming there.
“It’s also affordable for a lot of younger people. In many of these brand-new churches, we see people getting saved on a regular basis. It’s just an exciting thing to be a part of. Donating to the NCNC fund is a way to actively partner with that kind of outreach.”
Mr Hercus is encouraging people who have the opportunity, to leave a bequest to the fund.
“Bequests are a way that you can create a genuine legacy. But for the most part, we see people giving through tax-deductible means, through one-off gifts. On top of that, we also see [existing] churches creating fellowship by helping to resource new churches. There are beautiful
connections between very wellestablished parts of Sydney and the new neighbourhoods.
“The Department of Planning’s population projections indicate that well over 1.5 million people will be landing in these parts of Sydney and we’ve got a great opportunity to reach them with the gospel.” SC To financially support the work of NCNC, go to ncnc.org.au/donate
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facilities make: the Hope Anglican community outside its church in Leppington.
Build, because they will come.
How you and your parish can help those with mental health challenges.
Mental health and church
Getting equipped: Training time at Lower Mountains Anglican.
Tara Sing
When the Rev Ken Noakes discovered that one in four people in his area were living with a physical or mental disability, he wanted to make sure his parish was ready to minister to them.
“Lots of our church members work in care industries, including mental health support,” says Mr Noakes, the senior minister of Lower Mountains Anglican Parish (LMAP). “They’ve been saying, ‘There are ways to do things differently to help those who are dealing with challenges’.
“We looked at our congregation and thought, how do we reach our neighbours and how do we make sure we’re ministering to those who live with mental health matters?”
WHAT DO THE STATS SAY?
Research from Anglicare Sydney, in partnership with the Mental Health and Pastoral Care Institute and the Sydney Diocese, has revealed that many parishes desire to do more to support those in church and the wider community experiencing mental health challenges.
“We know mental health is an increasingly prevalent issue in church and local communities,” says Mike Sheedy, Anglicare’s Head of Mental Health.
“Churches have a great need and opportunity to step into this challenge and provide
the personal, pastoral and community support required to help people as they face these challenges, alongside professional counselling, health and other supportive services.”
The survey, conducted with almost 1000 participants in 90 churches, showed that:
• 75% consider mental ill health to be common among church attendees
• Just over half of people believe their church to be supportive of people experiencing mental ill health
• 44% recognise pastoral team support as the main support offered, followed closely by topical sermon series
• Four in five respondents consider it a priority to equip church members to provide care and support
“[There is] a great need for communities offering people, place and purpose,” Mr Sheedy says. “Churches can provide loving communities to walk hand in hand toward eternity in a way that complements support provided by mental health professionals.”
WHAT CAN CHURCHES DO?
To empower Christians in this area, churches can: Respond with care: Use pastoral structures already in place and
encourage practical supports such as meals, transportation, childcare, financial relief where appropriate, cards and flowers, prayer support and visits.
Train church members: Equip church members in areas such as relationship and friendship building, listening and empathy as they support those who are struggling.
Provide clear Information: Communicate about support available. Signs in toilets, PowerPoint slides and information in the newsletter or on the church website help create an open and safe environment for people to be welcomed and accepted.
Plan teaching series and workshops: Help reduce stigma, offer hope and help sufferers to explore the fullness of life in Christ.
GOSPEL TRUTH MEETS GOOD SUPPORT
“What are we doing as a church? Hopefully keeping the gospel front and centre,” Mr Noakes says. “We need to do business with what the gospel does to redeem fallen people and the fallen world.”
Since participating in their
own research and Anglicare’s survey, LMAP ran training sessions to help equip people and has seen the confidence of congregation members grow. “We identified there are some areas in mental health that we should be looking at more closely, so our leaders can walk alongside those who might be struggling,” Mr Noakes says. “We want our leaders to know there is a gospel answer for those who say their lives aren’t worth living. I think there are now more voices speaking into the spaces where there is an issue.
“Does that mean the training has been so profound they can remember it all? No, but our leaders are better resourced and they know they can talk to others and get help to support people living with mental health matters. We’re not a perfect church, we’re just working hard [to help].”
Adds Mr Sheedy: “This is a gospel opportunity, to show the love of Jesus by walking side by side with those facing the challenges of life. I encourage all churches and all Christians to step into these challenges with love, care and openness to listen and learn.” SC
Anyone experiencing suicidal distress or needing urgent support can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or text 0477 13 11 14.
Serving together in Zambia
Plenty of people take shortterm ministry or mission trips overseas. What isn’t as common
are short-term trips that are part of a long-term partnership, but this is what has developed
between Sydney and a school in Zambia – a partnership that has now grown to include
Judy Adamson
See better: A Zambian lady in need of glasses tries out a range of options brought by the ministry team. photos: Justin McLean
three Sydney parishes and two Zambian churches.
“We’ve been in partnership for more than 10 years now and I am very thankful for the opportunities that have arisen since then,” says the Rev David Mears, rector of Christ Church, Gladesville. “It’s been a delight to team up with other Sydney churches and organisations as well, working together for the cause of the gospel.”
It began in 2012 when Mr Mears was rector of Minchinbury. One of his parishioners, Julius Mumbi, asked if there was any chance the parish could send a shortterm team to the Hope and Faith School his mother Rosemary had begun in a shanty community in Zambia’s capital, Lusaka.
The following year, Mr Mears led a team of 28 – including Mr Mumbi and his wife Malina – and during that trip began to develop additional connections at Lusaka’s Anglican cathedral. By trip three in 2019, the evangelical Foxdale Baptist Church was established close to the school, so it is now part of the ministry that includes members from the parishes of Gladesville, Minchinbury and
Turramurra. Teaching resources are used from Moore College and Youthworks, and the school is supported by Anglican Aid.
“I’ve been keen to make sure that it’s not just helping a bunch of people to go and work in a school or a church – it’s what strategic direction this is going in,” Mr Mears says. “We’re very conscious of being sensitive in how we do this, and part of that is asking the Zambian leaders to volunteer areas where we might be able to serve.
“We can’t underplay the real impact just being there has on them and us – it really does testify to our fellowship in the Lord Jesus. The more we go over, the more the trust builds and the possibilities of what we could do next are thought of, because they know us and we’ve shown that we have a real commitment to them.”
This year, nearly 30 people from the three Sydney parishes travelled to Zambia for ministry trip four. They ran kids’ and youth programs, taught the PTC Ephesians course, a Youthworks youth ministry course, and provided 300 MegaVoice bibles in Zambian languages. They worked with local women,
preached when asked and were even on hand to witness the birth of a new church in the south of the country.
It was the first trip to Zambia for the Rev Steve Calder, a member of Turramurra’s Bobbin Head congregation, who went with his wife, son and daughter-in-law. He helped teach the youth ministry course and was struck by participants’ enthusiasm and hunger to grow in their faith and skills.
“Every weekday for two weeks people would come, often straight from work – one guy rode his bike a long way each day to be there,” he says.
“The passion of these 10 to 12 people was really inspiring, and the way that they were keen to learn, keen to discuss and keen to apply what they were learning. We not only saw their passion but the trials they face with joy, which is encouraging as well as challenging.
“I think whenever you go into a space that isn’t where you normally work, live, play and minister, you’re out of your comfort zone and it forces you to be more reliant on God. To have an opportunity to grow and serve and use your gifts is a
great thing, and to just see what God is doing in other parts of the world is a huge blessing.”
SYDNEY’S GOOD TEACHING EQUIPS US Julius and Malina Mumbi, who still attend church at Minchinbury, organise logistical aspects of each trip such as accommodation and transport. They took their three children with them to Zambia, where Mr Mumbi was part of the Ephesians teaching team and Mrs Mumbi co-directed the children’s program.
Something Mr Mumbi realised from the first ministry trip was how much benefit he had received in Sydney from years of weekly, faithful Bible teaching – and that in Zambia this was much less common.
“There is a real lack of clear and good Bible teaching that is accessible to anyone in the pew,” he says. “There is a lot of the prosperity gospel, and many churches aren’t teaching the right thing, so with their limited resources there are not a lot of people who would be trained to that level and have the gospel taught well on a bigger scale.”
He challenged church
Diverse opportunities: (from left) A prefect at Hope and Faith School; Mandy Curley from Gladesville attempts to helps make nshima with the locals.
together: Senior
members in Sydney to realise how much they had to share with others, simply because they had sat under good teaching.
“It’s something that anyone in the pew could really get involved in and not feel like, ‘I need to be
a minister to do this’,” he says.
Mr Mears encourages other churches that have the opportunity to foster a similar long-term partnership to take it up.
“Apart from God using this partnership to lead many people to Christ, the way that the connections and networks have grown beyond just the school – and the insights and experiences that we’ve been able to both gain and share – have
been so valuable,” he says.
“I hope it has been as helpful and encouraging for the growth of our Zambian brothers and sisters as it has been for each of us who have the privilege to partner with them.” SC
Rev. Canon Dr. Antoine Rutayisire
Learning
school students read a psalm.
The crew takes a pew
Sea Sunday is an annual opportunity to pray for the work of the Mission to Seafarers, and this year crew members from the Philippines and Myanmar joined the congregation at St Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney. The visit lent a nautical, as well as multicultural, flavour to the service on the second Sunday in July. Bible readings were in
Mandarin and Tagalog. Mission to Seafarers’ principal chaplain, the Rev Un Tay, who is fluent in five languages, welcomed the crew members.
Mr Tay, a former pastor and church planter, told the Cathedral congregation he had undertaken the chaplaincy role because he wanted a “sea change… I have a floating congregation and
I’m the floating pastor!”
The mission operates in more than 50 countries to provide a haven for mentally and physically exhausted seafarers. Chaplains and volunteers welcome and provide a listening ear on land, in hospitals and on board ships for those who can’t leave their vessels.
More than 6000 seafarers
from upwards of 60 nations visit the Mission to Seafarers’ Centre in Sydney each year.
Asked to list three needs of the ministry, Mr Tay said, “First, the need for Mission to Seafarers is to pray, second is also to pray and the third is to pray for us! This is a spiritual ministry. Without the prayers of the saints, we would not survive.” SC
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Land ahoy: the Rev Un Tay (left), brings seamen from the Philippines and Myanmar to the Cathedral’s Sea Sunday service.
A prayer for global Anglicans
Starting with a children’s song and an Anglican confession in a large Baptist auditorium in Brisbane – before an audience of people from across Australia, guests from the Pacific and South-East Asia (including 60 under-18s) – demonstrated the comprehensiveness of GAFCON
Australasia’s second conference.
The inclusion of young people was deliberate for a conference titled Building the Future. To underline the point, hosts the Rev Kate Hamer and the Rev Jodie McNeill quipped, “If you can’t hear crying, the church is dying” as they asked for
tolerance of children’s chatter during the sessions.
The large contingent of children and families lent a joyful air to the sessions. Still, the hosts also acknowledged the sadness of some of the delegates, who have had difficult church backgrounds that brought them
under the umbrella of the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON).
Video greetings from the international GAFCON organisation came from Archbishop Foley Beach of the Anglican Church of North America, and the Primate of the
Russell Powell
Future leaders: Young people at the heart of July’s GAFCON Australasia conference lead the delegates in prayer.
Indian Ocean, Archbishop James Wong, while GAFCON secretary, Bishop Paul Donison ( USA ), visited in person.
“What is our foundation for the future? Our foundation is God’s grace,” declared keynote speaker the Rev Mike Dicker, principal of Youthworks College. “Grace humbles us to depend on the Lord.”
The Rev Dr Mark Earngey from Moore College, speaking on ministry from Ephesians 4, reminded delegates that the opening day, July 1, was also the anniversary of the Coming of the Light – the arrival of the gospel to the Torres Strait community.
“We remember that in July 1871, Samuel Macfarlane waded ashore and dropped to his knees before the local Erubians. He held out a Bible, the warrior clan elder Dabad put his spear away, and then he accepted the dynamite of God’s word,” Dr Earngey said. “And so, of course, this gospel dynamite for ministry and mission continues to help us Anglicans reach the men, women and children of Australia in the 21st century.”
Dr Earngey said Anglicans must not lose the centrality of the cross. “We must remain vigilant to have the branding of the cross seared upon our efforts, rather than being fixated upon the sorts of branding and marketing that we may be tempted into thinking will ensure cut-through and the right optics.
“As the baptismal service teaches us, we fight under the sign of the cross until our life’s end, and to rely upon anything else is to enter the spiritual battle with blunt instruments.”
Archbishop Stephen Than Myint Oo, Primate of the Province of Myanmar (above right), visited the conference for an address that included his testimony of several years in a Burmese prison as a young man. He was even put on death row.
“I was full of fear and trembling because I didn’t want to die young – I was only 24 years old then,” he recalled. “My head lost my faith in God but my heart still confirmed there is God. I couldn’t stand it any more. But just before I was about to commit suicide I heard the sound
of church bells ringing, coming from outside the jail. That sound stopped me from committing suicide and this sound reminded me to remember my church and my Christian life.”
The Archbishop testified that “I knelt down and started praying the Lord’s Prayer. There appeared a small purple cross before my face. The Scripture passage came to my ear and my heart: ‘Come unto me all who labour and are heavy laden’. Suddenly my head and my heart became one. My scepticism was suddenly gone and I jumped up and said, ‘Hallelujah, God is real!’”
Christians are a minority in Myanmar, making up only 7 per cent of the population. “[We] are suffering for our faith amidst all difficulties,” the archbishop said. “How do we remain faithful in such a difficult situation? How do we carry out our mission?
Brothers and sisters, the main task of the church of God is to proclaim this gospel of Jesus Christ.
“I thank God for creating the GAFCON movement, which emerged from the painful struggle of our orthodox brothers and sisters in the Anglican Communion. Without GAFCON , the Anglican communion will fade away gradually. The essence of Anglicanism will disappear; the essence of Christianity will disappear from the Anglican Church.”
As the Building the Future Conference had an emphasis on young people and families, it seemed appropriate to include a concert with popular singer Colin Buchanan.
“I am an Anglican,” said Colin as he raised his hand with the rest of the crowd from across Australia and New Zealand. For the adult session, he led the crowd in singing ‘Be Strong and Courageous’ and shared the inspiration for the song.
“I don’t want to write Christian songs for kids, that when they get to 10, 12, 20, however old,
Flushed with success: Colin Buchanan wraps up his GAFCON concert with some unusual streamers.
[they will say] ‘Ah… that’s all fluff, that’s just a lie’.
“I want to write things that I can put the weight of my own life and faith and mind and heart on. Then, when you type a twominute song, you’ve just got to drop that truth and state it, and then the repetition of that truth can take root in young lives. I’ve watched the comfort of God’s truth stated directly and clearly do its job there.”
On the final day, delegates were led in prayer by young people who were part of the Future Leaders program.
“It’s been really encouraging just working with the young people... from Kindergarten up to Year 12 here at GAFCON, meeting kids from all over Australia,” said Youthworks’ Andy Stevenson, who led the seminars on leadership development.
“I had a chat with a kid from remote South Australia who is the only senior high kid in his whole church, but he’s involved in leading children’s ministry and he’s been encouraged to
go back and disciple some other younger kids in his group. And then someone up here in Queensland, in a church that’s quite small as well – he’s already school captain, but he’s like, ‘How do I live for Jesus in my school?’”
Abby from Stockton Anglican Church added: “We’ve been doing a lot this week, especially with the younger kids. We’ve been doing little Bible study groups [with them] every day, and basketball and sport. I think my favourite part is the discussion groups of the kids.”
Rather than a communiqué, the conference decided to jointly compose a prayer. “We wanted the Brisbane prayer to go out and be used to equip your congregations to go forth and pray a meaningful prayer before God,” said prayer group chairman Bishop Glenn Davies of the Diocese of the Southern Cross. “The ideas from the conference have been split into three shorter collects on thanksgiving, unity and building the church.” SC
THE BRISBANE COLLECTS
Thanksgiving Almighty God, Creator of all things, we thank you for making us in your image and giving us life. Though we have sinned, you loved us and sent your Son, Jesus, who lived the life we could not live and died the death that we deserve. We come to you in humble dependence, thankful for the glorious gospel of the risen Lord Jesus, through whom we are forgiven, saved and called to serve you forever. To you be all glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen. Unity Gracious God, we thank you for all faithful Anglicans. Enable us to stand firm, for we are not ashamed of the gospel. Help us to encourage one another and support those facing opposition and exclusion for the sake of Christ. We grieve that there are false shepherds in your church who are teaching another gospel and pray that they would repent. We long for Jesus to be at the heart of every Anglican church, and for all to trust the authority of the Bible. Raise up godly shepherds to lead your people in truth and love. We thank you for GAFCON and the unity we have in Christ. Strengthen our gospel partnership. Protect us from Satan, sin, self-centredness and secularism. By your Spirit, help us maintain our unity in the bond of peace. Hear our prayer for the sake of your holy name, Amen.
Building the church Our heavenly Father, we thank you for the promise of your Son to build his church. Empower us by your Holy Spirit so we may boldly proclaim and live out the gospel with courage, clarity and compassion. Raise up future leaders in our churches to equip your people to be disciples of Christ in our families, workplaces and communities. In your mercy, use us to draw people of all ages to respond to the good news in faith and obedience, so that future generations will know and trust you. We pray this in the name of our Saviour Jesus, Amen.
Equip them for life
Now is the time when our young people are making decisions about life after high school. This period is filled with excitement, opportunities, and occasional uncertainties. Youthworks’ Year 13 offers a Christian gap year designed to make this transition smooth and impactful.
Join a vibrant community of like-minded peers who share a passion for Jesus. This year-long journey includes deep discipleship, overseas mission, and opportunities to strengthen their faith, without the pressure of studying.
Limited positions for the 2025 program are still available. To apply or learn more, visit year13.net today.
Come to our Open Day September 14, 10-12pm at Loftus Campus.
Fifteen
Front-door evangelism
Judy Adamson
The mere mention of doorknocking strikes fear into the heart of the average Christian.
It’s one thing to know from Matthew’s Gospel that we are meant to make disciples of all nations, but quite another for most of us to rock up to the front door of people we don’t know with the gospel message. However, not everyone finds this difficult. Bob Doran, from Padstow Anglican, began a weekly doorknocking ministry 15 years ago – in response to the Sydney Diocese’s Connect09 mission – and at 85 is still going, although age and health have reduced his pavement pounding to once a fortnight.
“Every time you’ve got time an opportunity to do it is a time and an opportunity which, if you don’t do it, is lost forever, because you can never take back yesterday,” Mr Doran says. “If we capitalise on every opportunity, we know we’ve done what we could do for the Lord in that particular time. And you get to like it after a while and feel rotten if you don’t go!”
Mr Doran knocked on doors solo in Padstow for many years,
occasionally asking local rectors for more copies of The Essential Jesus reprint of Luke’s Gospel. One of these calls put him in touch with the rector of Revesby, the Rev Andrew Lim, who not only had spare copies to give, but responded to the invitation to go, too – this time in Revesby.
“I don’t think I’m a natural doorknocking evangelist,” Mr Lim says. “I think, like most people, I struggle with it every single time, before I go. Yet every single time we had gospel conversations, we were mutually encouraged, and we were encouraged by God’s work in the lives of people, and then we say, ‘This is so great, we’ve got to do this again!’
“Bob also goes out in all weathers, unless it’s ridiculous bucketing rain. We had a
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heatwave in Sydney a few summers back, but he still went out. It just doesn’t faze him. It’s hugely encouraging to me, the fact that he just goes and does it.”
Mr Doran’s current doorknocking partner is Huy Nguyen, a university student from Mr Lim’s church, who says he has learnt a lot from watching his older partner in action and seeing how people react to him.
“The other thing I’m learning from Bob is that it’s more of a faithfulness thing,” Mr Nguyen says. “I do get anxious, and it does feel weird and unnatural to do it, but when Bob and I pray at the start there’s always a phrase in his prayers about it being a privilege... That’s been really helpful for me to understand – that this is a privilege, even though you’re nervous.”
One thing Mr Doran has learned over the years is to be prepared. He always brings a bag filled with tracts in 20 different languages, as well as a range of New Testaments. That way, if he meets someone who doesn’t speak good English, he can often produce a presentation of the gospel in their heart language.
He also has a considered response to whatever people might say at their front door, and spends time rereading these before he goes out, so he doesn’t
draw a blank if challenged.
“I say I’m from the local church and that we’re trying to connect with people who might like to hear the good news about Jesus, and most people are polite – even if they say, ‘I’m not interested’,” he says. “But even then, you can ask them a second question and that will often start them talking.
“Sometimes you strike a person in distress, and you can give them the right message to help them. It might not solve their physical or material problems but it might help them spiritually, and in some cases they can receive the Lord.”
Mr Doran admits that, when he began doorknocking, there were “a lot of barriers to break through” as he learned how best to speak to people, what to say and if it was appropriate to pay a return visit. But he says God has been with him all the way, giving him what he needs – and “in the end it’s God’s work, not your own”.
Adds Mr Nguyen: “You might be anxious [about doorknocking], but in the end you’re just pressing a doorbell, waiting for someone to come out and having a chat with them... It’s not anything that scary. The worst you’ll get is ‘No, thanks’ and that’s fine and you can move on.” SC
Doorknocking partners: Bob Doran and Huy Nguyen in Revesby.
Major Anglican groups oppose the latest English decision on human sexuality.
C of E “leading the Church away” from the Bible
The Archbishop of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel, has joined the major international Anglican fellowships in opposing decisions by the Church of England on human sexuality.
The C of E’s General Synod has approved plans for services to bless same-sex couples and a timetable for allowing clergy to enter into same-sex marriages.
The move was opposed by a broad coalition of English Anglicans known as The Alliance. It includes groups such as the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC), Church Society and the Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) network.
The Synod vote passed narrowly in a vote by houses. It was carried in the House of Laity by only four votes. It means services of blessing for samesex couples, similar to weddings,
could begin in England next year.
“The leaders of the Church of England seem intent on leading the Church away from the biblical teaching and doctrine passed down through the centuries and shared by millions of Christians in the Anglican Communion today,” the CEEC said in a statement after the vote.
Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, chairman of the GAFCON Primates Council, said: “The recent decision of the General Synod to approve the use of prayers of blessing for same-sex couples is to bless what God does not bless, and is nothing less than prayers which sanctify sin”.
The chairman of GAFCON Australia, the Rev Peter Smith, described the decision as not unexpected, but still “grievous in the extreme”, adding, “Those who overturn the plain
teaching of Scripture on such a foundational doctrine as lifelong marriage between a man and a woman have departed from the Lord’s teaching”.
In his statement, Archbishop Raffel said the C of E decision was “a grievous abrogation of [its] responsibility to uphold the primacy of Scripture in the life and ministry of the Church. To reject God’s plan for human sexuality is a failure to love people experiencing samesex attraction... who, like all humanity, are made in his image and designed for his purpose.
“I’m very grateful for the gracious and courageous way in which many English brothers and sisters in Christ have taken a stand in their General Synod for biblical authority and the trustworthiness of Jesus’ teaching on human identity
and sexuality. We express our support for the coalition known as The Alliance, which has, in love and integrity, been a clarion voice for truth.”
Archbishop Raffel added that The Alliance includes Anglicans who experience same-sex attraction, “who gladly and courageously affirm the teaching of Jesus concerning marriage and sexuality. We honour them all”.
“I’m grateful, too, for those whose conscience has not allowed them to remain in the Church of England but who remain committed to Anglican doctrine and mission as members of the Anglican Network in Europe under Bishop Andy Lines. [We] assure them of our friendship and fellowship in the mission of the gospel in which we are fellow workers.” SC
New pathway to raise Christian teachers
Tara Sing
It was Nicholas Wilson’s parents who first told him there was a supplementary way of studying to be a teacher. Already halfway through a Bachelor of Health and Physical Education, Mr Wilson hadn’t considered any other pathway to teaching.
But, when he heard about The Anglican Schools Corporation’s (TASC) internship program, he was intrigued and decided to apply in his final year of university.
“I was always told you learn more on the job than at university, and you learn from other teachers,” he
“I felt comfortable.”:
says. “I thought it was a good opportunity to be involved in Christian ministry, and serve as well as teach.”
The internship program, which commenced in 2022, invites Christians studying education
at a tertiary level to complete an internship two days a week at one of TASC’s schools while finishing their studies, with a view to ongoing employment with the corporation.
The Anglican Schools Corporation comprises 18 schools, employs about 3000 teachers and educates almost 18,000 students.
With headlines over the past few years trumpeting the national teacher shortage, Christian schools have not been exempt from the difficulty of finding quality educators to employ. The corporation’s internship program was developed in response to this, and more than 50 students have
enrolled in the past three years.
The corporation’s director of education and mission, Merryn Clarksmith, says, “Two of our objectives are to provide quality education and to grow, in order to expand our reach in sharing the gospel. The fulfilment of both these objectives relies on being able to employ Christian teachers.”
Mr Wilson is now in his first year of teaching PDHPE at Wollondilly Anglican College, and says having the opportunity to observe and be mentored has made a huge difference.
“I remember going into the first few days of professional development [last year] and being overwhelmed. But the
Nicholas Wilson’s internship has set him up to teach with confidence.
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intern program set me up well. I felt like I’ve added a year’s worth of experience, and I felt comfortable turning up on my first day of work.”
While an intern, Mr Wilson was mentored closely by fellow PDHPE staff and other experienced teachers.
“My mentor, Ella, took me under her wing, she set up a timetable for me, organised my classes and I shadowed her for the year,” he says. “I started teaching her classes and she would give me feedback and tips. We did marking together, reports, lesson plans. Everything to do with school, Ella taught me.”
Adds Miss Clarksmith: “Our hope and prayer is that the program will continue to grow, continue to attract quality Christians and will continue to produce outstanding graduates with a heart for education, a love of Christ and desire to share the gospel as part of their vocation”.
For Mr Wilson, the internship is a no-brainer for young Christians pursuing a career in education.
“It sets Christian teachers up to operate in a unique workplace,” he says. “It’s really cool that there’s a window for young Christians to gain employment. There’s a uniqueness to a Christian school, and it provides Christians with an opportunity to work in a unique Christian environment, and learn and gain knowledge from older Christians.” SC
PRAYER POINTS
• Give thanks for those who are enrolled in the intern program, and pray for their continued growth and development as Christian teachers
• Pray that many people studying education would feel called to apply for the intern program
• Pray that our Anglican schools would find many quality Christian teachers who can educate and support the Christian mission
A love beyond words
Russell Powell
“The empathy that the Anglican church has demonstrated to us is beyond my words,” says 27-year-old Jacinta Gloria, a widowed mother of four and victim of the ongoing persecution of Christians in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado area. “There were days we would go without eating. I even wished that God might take us so that I can rest. I was so depressed and angry with what was going on in my life. But the Anglican church has revealed the love of Christ in my heart.”
Mrs Gloria is a recipient of the aid flowing in response to an emergency appeal from the Archbishop of Sydney’s Anglican Aid (see SC , MarchApril 2024). Anglican Aid supporters have given more than $50,000 to the Diocese of Zambezia to distribute maize, cooking oil, sugar and beans to 300 displaced families, with priority going to the most vulnerable – including widows, orphans and people with disabilities.
As well as the physical provisions, the diocese is helping families build faith and recover from the trauma, training 60 community and Christian leaders in counselling, trauma recovery and discovery Bible study.
Mrs Gloria, whose husband died in the terror attacks in Cabo Delgado, was helped by the diocesan team.
“Through the trauma healing session we had, I now believe I can also help other people that are in my situation,” she said. “Without the church I believe I could have been a lost soul living and rebelling against God. I want to thank the church for
such a loyal work as they serve as servants of the Lord.”
Another widow, 71-yearold Fatima Saide (above), also thanked the church and supporters for their generosity.
“As a Christian woman from the Apostolic Church, I never thought that another Christian church would be capable of giving a helping hand,” she said.
“The Anglican church did not just come to distribute food, but they offered some encouraging words of faith – which I needed
“I now believe I can also help other people”: Jacinta Gloria.
to hear most. I was so desperate and in despair. The trauma healing and counselling has brought relief, not only to me, but to other people in my situation. If the Anglican church had not come, I believe most of us would be still living in despair, without any hope.” SC
Archbishop writes
The gospel and the saving power of God
Kanishka Raffel
Ispoke recently at the GAFCON Australasia gathering in Brisbane. GAFCON is the “mission arm” of the movement of orthodox global Anglicans. Hundreds had eagerly put aside time and paid to travel there from every Australian state and territory, as well as New Zealand, PNG and Myanmar.
We looked at Romans 1, full of Paul’s personality and emotion. This is a little surprising because Paul didn’t plant the church and hadn’t visited it yet. Yet it drips with authentic affection and concern.
In v15 the apostle says, “I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome”. And that’s what we hear in the whole passage – eagerness. Away from a conference atmosphere and going about our daily lives, I wonder if ‘eagerness’ is a word you would use to describe your spiritual temperature?
Sometimes I wonder if our times are not characterised more by reluctance, hesitancy, uncertainty and anxiety than eagerness. There are many reasons why it might be so – the personal circumstances in which you currently find yourself, perhaps challenges at work, in family relationships, or with health. Some of you may experience little encouragement in your ministry or Christian discipleship. Yet these verses from Romans offer a picture of apostolic eagerness that is surely intended to be a pattern and an encouragement to us, as it must have been for its first readers.
The Christians in Rome were utterly marginal. In a city of perhaps close to a million people, Paul mentions just a handful of house churches. The Christians had already been expelled under Claudius, and were only now regrouping under Nero. And little did they know, nor Paul, that when they finally did meet, Paul would be in chains. So, the letter must have been a great spiritual lift for them.
Paul is eager to preach the gospel because he is not ashamed
(v16). The imperative made explicit elsewhere in Paul’s writings is that shame silences gospel preaching. If you never hear the gospel, there’s a good chance the preacher is ashamed of Jesus.
As the influence of Christianity has declined in Western culture, one of the impacts has been the replacement of virtue culture – “right-wrong” culture – with “honour-shame” culture. When the majority had a cultural awareness and acceptance of Jesus’ teaching – say, in the Sermon on the Mount, the parable of the good Samaritan and his commandment to love your neighbour - it was generally understood that people should do the right thing even if it cost them. Now, it is less important to do what is right and more important to do what is accepted.
In honour-shame cultures, honour is more important than virtue or truth; avoiding shame is more important than doing the right thing. The opinion of the group or the mob is key. In the world of social media, shame is instantaneous, global and irreversible. So while we pride ourselves as a culture on individual freedom and autonomy, in fact only a few opinions are acceptable.
To be a follower of the crucified “King of the Jews”, and an associate of former Pharisee Paul, was hardly a pathway to influence. And this is no less true today than it was then. The gospel of the crucified Saviour and the teaching of his apostle are hardly consistent with many of today’s views considered worthy of honour.
But, if you are tempted to be ashamed of the gospel, it is not a recent phenomenon. We’ve been fighting this temptation from the beginning!
The God of the Bible is a God of immense power. From the Bible’s first page we learn that he is able to bring worlds into existence merely by speaking. The gospel is an announcement, a message concerning God’s Son, declared King by his life, death and resurrection.
The apostle tells us this gospel is the place where we can experience God’s power to save. No wonder Paul is eager to preach the gospel, and is not ashamed of the gospel – it is God’s power to bring salvation, and is available to everyone equally.
The gospel is not a weak thing, not an optional thing. It’s the “no-shame” gospel, liberating us from fear, guilt and shame, filling us with life, love and hope. The gospel remains as powerful today as it was 2000 years ago.
THE IMPACT OF JESUS
A friend of mine works for a major retailer. One day a colleague said to him, “I have a successful job I enjoy, I am happily married and my kids bring me joy; at 40 years of age I have everything I have wanted and worked for, but I feel like something is missing. I’ve watched you for as long as we have worked here and you have a way about you I can’t understand. I think it’s because you’re religious. Can you take me to your church?”
My friend agreed, and this lady started coming to church with her family. She joined a group reading the Bible, and she has now become a disciple of Jesus.
I visited a church in our western suburbs recently that had leafletted the area during lockdown. A man had gone to the local railway station intending to throw himself in the way of an oncoming train – the sun got into his eyes and, mercifully, he pulled back.
When he got home, he found a leaflet from the church in his mailbox. He went to the church, talked to the minister and has been back every week since. He is reading the Bible with the minister. He’s found a reason to live.
In virtually every church I visit the minister will introduce me to people saying, “We baptised him last month”, “She brought her friend to youth group and now her mum is coming to church”,
“Six, 10, 15 people have signed up for our Christianity Explored/Life course/Alpha”. On the surface it often doesn’t look like much but, from the perspective of eternity, it will be revealed that the gospel was the power of salvation for everyone who believes.
Every Christian has a story of coming to Jesus and coming to know how his gospel is God’s power to bring salvation and transform our lives. The gospel is personal but it is not a matter of merely private opinion. It is objective, historical reality. It is not a philosophy of life, it is a relationship with Jesus. It is not bland moralism or spiritual advice – it is good, good news. The power of God that brings salvation.
So – here’s my point – since we have a no-shame gospel that is God’s power for salvation for everyone who believes, let us seek God’s help by all means possible to be eager to preach the gospel.
Let’s ask the Lord to make us eager to preach the gospel to one another so we may be mutually encouraged in each other’s faith –to speak to the world and to one another all the more of Jesus. Not ashamed, but rejoicing in the power of his grace, the beauty of his truth, the tenderness of his love, the gentleness of his correction and the joy of his forgiveness.
If God answers this prayer then surely it will be ever more true of us that we will be people of prayer. Would it not be wonderful if the faith of Sydney, and Australian, Anglicans was like the faith of the Romans in chapter 1, verse 8: “reported all over the world”? If you think that’s unlikely, then we ought to repent of such prayerlessness!
I am praying that we may so experience the power of the gospel that we would know a fresh spiritual eagerness to declare the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light, and all of us might say – humbly, gladly, gratefully and boldly – “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes”.
Knowing Jesus when it hurts
Paul Grimmond
Imagine that God gave you a vision of heaven. One moment you sit praying, the next God’s Spirit has lifted you into the heavenlies. You gaze around at the heavenly reality. You see the glories of the Father and the wonders of the seraphim and angels.
Perhaps you catch a taste of what it means to be without sin, to live unencumbered by the desires of the flesh. In ways that you will never find words to express you feel something of the glory
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of life in the presence of the living God. And then, just as quickly as it began, it’s over.
I wonder, if you had such a vision, who would you tell about it? I wonder, how quickly would you tell them? Would you post it online, phone a friend, talk to your pastor?
I ask the question because something like this happened to one of the most famous Christians in all of history, the apostle Paul. And after it happened, as far as we can tell from the pages of the New Testament, it took him 14 years to share the story.
What’s even more remarkable is that when he finally did share it, it wasn’t so others would know the wonder of his vision, but to remind them of the goodness of knowing Christ in suffering. So, just for a few moments, come and reflect on what Paul had to say, and be encouraged by God’s grace to those who suffer in a fallen world.
AN UNUSUAL BOAST
Paul shares this experience because of an argument with the Christians in Corinth. Paul spent 18 months in Corinth preaching the gospel and many turned to Christ. He was the founder of the church and their first teacher of gospel truth. But after Paul moved on, other teachers came in. And they started to ask about the legitimacy of Paul’s ministry. They ask the Corinthians why Paul never asked to be paid – was his ministry not worth it, or was he trying to trick them? And they questioned Paul’s truthfulness. After all, he promised to visit them but never turned up.
Paul writes the letter of 2 Corinthians to answer their accusations and to plead with the Corinthians to stop chasing the teaching of the “super apostles” and stick with the gospel that he preached to them.
As part of that argument, Paul counters the boasting of the super apostles by doing a little boasting of his own. But he boasts in the weirdest way possible. He boasts about his weakness (2 Cor 11:30). In God’s kindness, as Paul boasts about his weakness, he teaches us something deep and precious about what it means to belong to Christ.
To see the depths of what he has to say, it’s worth reading 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 for yourself (it’s okay, I’ll wait until you come back).
Just in case you’ve been lazy, the heart of this section is Paul recounting the fact that he was raised up by the Holy Spirit to the seventh heaven and given a vision that words cannot capture. When you first read it, you don’t realise that Paul is speaking about himself, because he talks about this vision as if it happened to someone else.
How do we know that it happened to him? Well, in verse 7 Paul says that God gave him a thorn to keep him being conceited because of the greatness of the vision!
But here is where we need to slow down and observe what Paul says. Before telling us about his vision, Paul says, “I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord” (2 Cor 12:1).
That little phrase about visions and revelations is vital. Although Paul doesn’t say it explicitly, we can guess from the rest of what we know of the super-apostles’ boasting that they probably made grand claims about visions and revelations from the Lord leading to their powerful and prophetic ministry. Because they spoke about visions and revelations, Paul feels he needs to speak about them, too. But his point is the opposite of theirs.
Paul speaks about both a vision and a revelation in this passage
– but they are entirely disconnected from each other. In fact, everything Paul says about his vision explicitly rejects the idea that he received revelation through it. He doesn’t know whether the experience happened in his body or out of his body. Only God knows that (2 Cor 12:2-3). And what he saw in the vision was something that cannot be told, that a man cannot utter (2 Cor 12:4). In every way possible, Paul’s vision was devoid of revelation.
Do you notice when the revelation did come? The vision was followed by an act of God. Paul went from the heights of heaven to being pierced in his flesh. Paul is “given” (a euphemism for God’s activity) a thorn in his body, which he describes as a messenger of Satan given by God for his good. We don’t know what it was. We do know that Paul cried out for it to be taken away. We also know that it was given to keep him from becoming conceited.
But here’s the main point. This is the moment where Paul receives a revelation. It is in response to the thorn that God speaks. In response to Paul’s cry about the thorn, Jesus says to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).
God didn’t reveal himself in the heavenly vision; he revealed himself in response to the thorn. And it is the way that God made himself known in the face of the thorn that leads Paul to understand the Christian life more clearly.
“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10).
WHAT SUFFERING TEACHES US
So, what are we to make of all of this? I want to suggest three brief lessons.
First, I suspect this passage explains why Paul took 14 years to
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SUNDAY
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Why so many new Anglican denominations?
Malcolm Richards
from page 23
speak about his heavenly vision, and why it didn’t form the basis of most of his ministry. What God taught Paul most significantly through the vision and the thorn was his need to become like Christ and to depend on Christ.
Paul didn’t learn about following his crucified saviour through experiences of power and triumph and visions. He learned what it was to follow Jesus in the agony of suffering. This is why Paul spends so much time in his letters reminding his readers about what God did through Christ on the cross. Because that is where we learn about following Jesus.
Second, it follows that it is worth reflecting on what we learn through suffering. It is when we suffer that we learn how weak and dependent we truly are. In a world where I can buy food from the shop and avert the impacts of disaster by buying enough insurance, the real truth of human experience is that nothing can ultimately ward off death. We cannot stay the passage of time and decay.
And in the moments when we experience our weakness and the pain of living in a fallen world, we are granted by God an insight into the truth behind the veil. We are weak. We cannot save ourselves. We do not own our present and we cannot control the future. Our only hope is to place ourselves in the loving hands of our gracious Lord, who gave himself to the suffering of death so that we might know the security of life and hope in him.
Third, we should expect that serving others, and sharing Christ
There are multiple Anglican denominations all over the world and even here in Australia – that is nothing new. For instance, have you ever heard of the Free Church of England in Australia, or the Anglican Independent Communion Australia or The Traditional Anglican Church in Australia?
with them, is likely to be full of moments of giving ourselves with no immediate reward in this world. The experience of loving others and giving up our lives for them is likely to be fraught with the experience of weakness. Whether it is the often-thankless task of turning up at youth group on Friday night to wrestle with kids who listen one moment and lash out the next, or trying to share something of Jesus with our workmate who ends up gossiping about us behind our back, serving others will be about experiencing our own weakness and turning to Jesus for his grace.
If the Lord of all the universe learned obedience through what he suffered, and through that became the perfect source of salvation (Heb 5:8-9), should we expect that the Christian life will be anything less than being humbled by our weakness so that we might learn to depend on him?
In God’s economy, suffering always precedes glory. It is in weakness that we become strong. And so, it is right to be content with weakness. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Praise be to God!
If life is currently hurting, it’s okay. Cling to Jesus! He knows. And he will sustain you and bring you home. SC
The Rev Dr Paul Grimmond is Dean of Students at Moore College.
God’s family: Bishop Richards with PNG bishops at GAFCON in Brisbane.
Many of these “other Anglicans” are not recognised by the Anglican Communion and are not officially in any sort of partnership with the Sydney Diocese.
However, now through GAFCON (the Global Anglican Future Conference and its ensuing movement), Sydney Anglicans are connected with Anglican denominations all over the world –including Australia – some of which are new and not recognised by Canterbury. These relationships are important to us.
In March this year, I was in Rwanda for a meeting of the GAFCON primates’ council. In the room were church leaders, some recognised by both GAFCON and Canterbury, together with another group of leaders whose churches are only recognised by GAFCON.
This latter group included England (Anglican Mission in England), Europe (Anglican Convocation Europe); North America (Anglican Church in North America); Brazil (Igreja Anglicana no Brasil), Aotearoa/New Zealand (Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa/New Zealand); Australia (Southern Cross) and Southern Africa (Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of South Africa, or REACH-SA). In fact all of these churches, except REACH-SA, were started under the auspices of GAFCON.
GAFCON Global and local branches of GAFCON around the world, including our GAFCON Australia branch, have two major objectives. The first is to promote the biblical gospel of Jesus in the existing structures of the Anglican Communion. For us in Sydney, we are part of the Anglican Church of Australia and we do all we can to promote Christ and trust in his word in the wider Anglican Church. The Sydney Diocese is not planning to leave the Anglican Church!
However, around the world (including Australia) there are faithful Anglicans who feel they are unable to remain under the authority of church leaders who deny Christ’s clear teaching on a range of issues in the Bible. These faithful Anglicans need a home, or a “lifeboat”. That is why GAFCON, in fulfilling its second
objective, has started all these new Anglican churches and why the global Anglican primates (senior archbishops) have deemed each of them to be authentically Anglican.
It is not only new Anglican churches that have been deemed authentically Anglican by GAFCON. At the end of 2023, the GAFCON primates recognised and received REACH-SA (formerly known as CESA or the Church of England in South Africa) as a GAFCON Anglican province. This is the first formal recognition of this church by a global Anglican body since its beginnings in the 1870s!
The Sydney Diocese has long been a friend of REACH and has sent pastors and theologians over the years, including Bishop Dudley Foord and Broughton Knox to name just two. In February, I travelled to Johannesburg in South Africa for the consecration (making of a new bishop) of the new Presiding Bishop of REACH-SA, Dr Siegfried Ngubane – the first black African presiding bishop of that denomination. This was a great moment for this gospel-centred church as it seeks to position itself to preach Christ to southern Africa.
The GAFCON churches, whether old like us in the Sydney Diocese or one of the new ones, are determined to take gospel ministry seriously and preach Christ faithfully to the nations. We want to see our nations won for Christ.
Please join with me in praying that Christ would continue to grow faithful churches. Pray, too, for the work of GAFCON in promoting Christ and his word in all Anglican churches, old and new. SC
The second GAFCON Australasia Conference was recently held in Brisbane, from July 1-4.
The Rt Rev Malcolm Richards is Sydney’s Bishop for International Relations.
Let the fun begin!
How brilliant are our holiday kids clubs? Many hundreds of children gathered across the Diocese in the recent holidays for fun, friendship and to find out how great Jesus is. We thank God for all the church volunteers and staff who prepared, sang, taught, led games and craft, did crazy stuff and loved the kids with the love of Christ, so that they might know him.
Games time at Cabramatta Anglican’s Jungle Mania kids club.
HAWK at Waitara Anglican.
What happens at St John’s, Maroubra when kids get hold of wool and silly string.
Holiday kids clubs
Mittagong’s piracy on the high seas.
Games and craft in the winter sun at Moorebank-Hammondville’s holiday program.
In action at TRAKK (The Richmond Anglican Kids Klub).
Serious building time: a day of Lego at Wilton.
Helping others see the Lord
The Rev Nicole Tillotson walks confidently through the Intensive Care Unit at the Prince of Wales Hospital, seeing-eye dog Trixie by her side. Suddenly, she’s hailed by a member of staff, who exclaims that she hasn’t seen her for a long time.
“Yes, I’m back!” she says cheerily.
The two women stop and chat, Miss Tillotson removing Trixie’s harness so the dog knows she is off duty and can greet, lick and accept pats. It’s several years since Miss Tillotson worked at the POW but, when she left, she was a social worker. She returned in April as a full-time Anglicare chaplain.
“There are a lot of people who know me from before,” she says. “[It] surprised me that people are here not just from when I left in 2018 but when I started as a student in 2008! Even now, because there are so many staff and so many hospitals, I’m still meeting people. That’s a lot of fun and also a really cool opportunity to share my testimony: this is what I did and now I’m back.”
When she heard about the opening at the Prince of Wales and Randwick Hospitals campus, Miss Tillotson was torn between a job she loved – chaplain at Anglicare residential aged care home, Elizabeth Lodge – and a role she knew was a good fit for her now and into the future.
“I thought, ‘What do I do?
These are my two dream jobs!’” she says. After thought, prayer and seeking counsel from others, she decided to apply and leave the decision in God’s hands –knowing that if she got the job, it was where God wanted her to be.
It’s also a good change for Trixie, who now guides Miss Tillotson on the 15-minute walk to and from work each day, and unerringly leads her around the sprawling maze of corridors and buildings in four different hospitals.
“I joke that she’s a volunteer, doing pet therapy,” says Miss Tillotson with a laugh. “It’s just good to make sure that connecting with her is a means to connecting with me and connecting people with God –and glorifying him at the very
After nine years as assistant minister in the parish of Newtown with Erskineville, the Rev Matt Aroney became rector of South Head on June 19.
The Rev Stefan Bull became rector of Beverly Hills with Kingsgrove on July 29, moving from an assistant minister role in the parish of Menai,
On August 15, the Rev Paul O’Brien will become rector of Strathfield and Homebush, following six years as senior assistant minister in the parish of West Pymble with West Lindfield.
After close to a decade as the rector of Darling Street, the Rev Mark Leach will leave the parish on January 1, 2025 to lead Never Again is Now, a Christian organisation he cofounded to help combat antisemitism in Australia.
least, rather than it just being about the dog! If it’s a step towards people connecting with God, that’s awesome.”
Anglicare chaplains and Christian staff at the POW were instrumental in Miss Tillotson coming to faith when she was a social worker, and she is tremendously thankful to now be in a position where she can share God’s love with those who want to hear it. In addition, she loves working in her local community, experiencing the ongoing relationship and prayer links with people she meets, as well as members of her church at Clovelly.
She hopes that as she builds relationships with staff, they will see her more and more as someone they can call upon to provide spiritual and pastoral support to patients, or themselves.
“I was on call for the first time a couple of weeks ago,” she says. “I got my first callout, and it was a referral from a social worker for someone in the ICU who was going to be extubated – the family asked for it because
the patient had faith. And I thought, ‘Wow, I’ve gone from being the person making that referral to being the chaplain coming in and doing that work’. It was very surreal, but also this incredible moment of realising how far God has taken me, and the journey that I’ve been on to get to this point.
“I want people to know that if someone is in hospital, and the hospital has a chaplain, they should call on that chaplain. Don’t feel as though other people have it worse than you, so you don’t want to bother them. It’s what we’re here for!”
VACANT PARISHES
List of parishes and provisional parishes, vacant or becoming vacant, as at July 17, 2024:
• Asquith / Mt Colah / Mt
Kuring-gai
Bankstown
Baulkham Hills
Belmore with McCallums Hill and Clemton Park
Cremorne
Dapto
Darling Street
Eastwood
Epping
• Glebe*
• Helensburgh and Stanwell Park
Lawson
Liverpool South**
Lugarno
Newport Regents Park*
Rosemeadow*
Shoalhaven
Heads
• Turramurra
South
* denotes provisional parishes or Archbishop’s appointments ** right of nomination suspended/on hold
Masterful exploration of NT context
Glenn Davies
The Trials of Jesus: Evidence, Conclusions, and Aftermath
By Paul Barnett
For several decades, Dr Paul Barnett delivered lectures on the background to the New Testament to first-year students at Moore College. Generations of future ministers have thereby been exposed to his masterful examination of the geopolitical context in which the New Testament came into being. Now, with the publication of his latest book, The Trials of Jesus: Evidence, Conclusions, and Aftermath, the fruit of his study of the sociopolitical background to the trials and subsequent crucifixion of Jesus is available for all.
While this book will be a boon for many clergy as they seek to prepare a distinctive Easter message each year, it will also inform and enlighten laypeople in their reading of the gospels. The evidence presented by Dr Barnett’s careful explanation of the unjust nature of Jesus’ trials and the various players who participated in his conviction will also be a challenge to sceptics, who may doubt the veracity of the New Testament.
The book is divided into four parts. The first part covers the dynastic background. Here the reader is introduced to the historical setting of Israel from its time under Persian rule through to the successive occupations of the land of Israel by the Greeks and the Romans.
For those not familiar with the differences between Hasmoneans and Herodians, let alone Maccabeans and Idumeans, this is important history, which undergirds a true appreciation of the New Testament. For example, the impact of the changing leadership in Rome from the death of Julius Caesar to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, provides important information for our understanding of the New Testament, especially the circumstances that led to Jesus’ death.
The second part focuses on the significance of Herod the Great and his successor sons, along with Pontius Pilate and the high priestly family of Annas and Caiaphas. Dr Barnett’s judicious analysis of the source material, without compromising the integrity of the gospel writers, unravels the interplay of power and politics, both secular and religious, within first-century Israel.
Part three then considers in detail the trials of Jesus, both Jewish and Roman, using not only the gospel narratives, but also providing rare understanding of the interplay of Annas and Caiaphas with Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas. The political pressure that Pilate was under, given the death of his mentor in Rome, provides perceptive insights into the actions of the governor.
While emphasising the unjust nature of Jesus’ trials, Dr Barnett concludes that the passion narratives chiefly serve to highlight the innocence of Jesus, thus confirming the significance of his sacrifice as a righteous sufferer for the salvation of the world.
Finally, the fourth part outlines the aftermath of the death and resurrection of Jesus. giving rise to the birth of the church 50 days later on the day of Pentecost.
The book includes helpful summaries and timelines of events and people to aid the reader in the wealth of material provided, concluding with some valuable reflections for the reader to ponder.
An excellent tool for the preacher, an informative volume for every Christian, and an engaging read for the unbeliever unsure of the historicity of Jesus’ death or of its significance. SC
The Rt Rev Dr Glenn Davies is Bishop of the Diocese of the Southern Cross and a former Archbishop of Sydney.
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Timely discussion of politics and the Christian life
Karin Sowada
Subjects and Citizens: The Politics of the Gospel (Lessons from Roman 12-15)
by Michael P. Jensen (Matthias Media)
Two thousand years ago, the mighty Roman Empire bestrode the known world. In the 1st century AD, the early church was growing at the very centre of human power. The Christ movement challenged Roman order – not through rebellion, but with the gospel of the risen Lord Jesus, a new way of worship, thinking and living that finally prevailed across the Empire in the late 4th century AD.
The Rev Dr Michael Jensen unpacks these two worlds for our time through an examination of Romans 12-15. Deftly weaving Christian doctrine, history, philosophy and personal reflections, he has produced a readable framework for Christian life in a secularising world.
Fundamentally, the book is about discipleship in Christian community, living now as a citizen of heaven, and tangentially, about civic engagement.
The book’s eight chapters start with the model defined by the author as Politics 1.0 – rule of humans over their affairs – and Politics 2.0, the rule of Jesus Christ in the kingdom of God. As the author points out, the “two kingdoms” concept is not new, dating to the early church. Jesus himself summarised this approach with the words “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Matt 22: 21).
The reader is then challenged to frame the Christian life – Politics 2.0 – as a political act. We are urged to live distinctly through loving others by radical selflessness, hospitality, respect and peace. It is an alternative to self-actualisation, the lust for power and materialism in the kingdom of this world.
While I could see where Dr Jensen’s binary definition was heading, as a former practitioner, framing the Christian approach as “politics” felt like an uneasy fit. Governing authorities are established under God’s sovereignty for the purpose of “justice and punishing evil” (p.116), but agendas are advanced through the direct pursuit, exercise and control of human power and influence. It can be messy, sinful and, at its worst, dangerous.
from page 32
take care of him and enjoy our time with him.
Dad was interviewed by his pastor on the day we found out his illness was terminal. He was asked how he was feeling about the news. Dad said, “I’ve got to be honest, I’m a little bit excited. I think the girls will miss me, but I can be a bit of a b----r. They might be
The risk is that Christians may seek worldly power as an end in itself, or as a means to bring about the kingdom of God on earth. In the US, the emergence of churches and prominent Christian leaders as political actors has been deeply polarising – even spiritually corrupting. In Australia, Christians serve in parliaments and councils, business and civic leadership, but evidence for any groundswell of organised action is weak. If anything, the Australian polity is heading in the opposite direction.
Dr Jensen is aware of this danger and works hard to make the distinction between 1.0 and 2.0. Moreover, he reminds the reader that many organs of civil society were built on the ancient and modern Christian desire to serve others under the umbrella of Politics 2.0. Improving conditions of the poor and the sick through charitable work and systemic change is a positive exercise of power and influence for human flourishing. Today’s Australian Labor Party owes much to early Catholic and Methodist founders who were motivated by their faith to improve pay and conditions for workers and their families.
Dr Jensen’s reflections on the practice of politics is also a useful and perceptive contribution. While some of the book’s content on this reads like personal reflection, he is right that on many (but not all) policy issues, there is no single Christian approach to how human flourishing is achieved. In Australian parliaments, believers who are members of parliament are on all sides of the political spectrum. They often join for regular times of fellowship yet sit on opposite sides of the House in debate.
Subjects and Citizens is a timely book. It is suitable for group discussions and will help believers contribute to public discourse and the civic fabric of society, in addition to unpacking the message of Romans 12-15 as a guide to distinctive Christian living in our modern age. SC
Dr Karin Sowada is an academic at Macquarie University and a former senator for NSW in the Commonwealth Parliament.
jealous because they want to go where I’m going.”
Dad died on December 18, 2020, almost two years to the day from when he became a follower of Jesus.
We pray to a God who is all powerful and who hears our prayers. We prayed for Dad consistently for 35 years. Salvation was the priority. I look back and see God’s fingerprints over every detail,
Dad’s example
It would have been 1958-ish. John Chapman was preaching at my father’s church weekend away. My dad heard that he was saved by faith alone, in Jesus alone, and the penny dropped.
Dad got our family to church every Sunday. We’d pray before dinner and go to church. One day – I was about 19 – I’d been in hospital for a back operation after a severe surfing accident and I couldn’t sit. I could only either stand or lie down. I thought I wasn’t going to church for the first time in my life. Dad looked at me an hour beforehand and said, “You’d better get walking or you’ll miss church”. So I walked, stood up for the whole service, then walked home. According to Dad, the only reason for not going to church is that you’re dead.
As we grew up, my brother and I did a lot of sports. Dad would say, “Keep a boy happy and busy and he doesn’t have time to get into trouble”. He was at most of our sports things. He was the manager, and the guy who drove around and picked kids up. Both my brother and I became the dads loading cars up with other kids and managing teams. We followed his lead.
For the first year of my marriage, Dad helped me maintain the lawns because when you’re newly married, you’ve (apparently) got no idea. To this day, I mow the lawns and do the yards with my son in his house. All the little things Dad did for me, I now do for my sons.
When I started at Guildford as the senior minister, Dad had just retired. I took him out to Guildford to show him around. It was very run down. At the end of the tour, he said, “That building is rubbish – but I’m going to fix it”.
It took about 10 years. He caught a train from Heathcote to Guildford, 1½ hours door to door, and slowly renovated the whole building. People noticed straight away and it picked up morale.
While he was doing this, he was talking to everyone. He caught the train, had a coffee and chatted to everyone. He spent the day
from removing obstacles to providing the right people at the right time. We were praying for Dad to be saved and God said “Yes”! How good is God!
Dad was right: Gail and I are a little jealous of him. Dad’s journey has made us both hungrier for heaven. We’re not to waste our time on earth, because people need to hear the gospel, but we can
renovating the church, stopped for a milkshake on the way home and chatted to everyone. There’s a preschool on the corner of the church, and he chatted to everyone. When we’d go for lunch, he’d be introducing me to people in Guildford.
He showed people how to retire. Don’t go buying a caravan and driving around the country collecting shells. He spent the first 10 years of retired life rebuilding, renovating and growing a church. He was a great evangelist, and great at building God’s people up. If more people did that, the Diocese would be a different place.
He got to church one day and he was puffed. That was unusual. He thought he must just be feeling run down. He was back the next day, not better. Eventually, after saying, “She’ll be right” for a while, he went to the doctor. It took a while to diagnose but he had mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer. There were about two years from diagnosis to death.
My cousin died a few months before Dad. This cousin would disappear for years. Dad and Mum tracked him down to a little hospital in country Queensland, because Dad wanted to tell him about Jesus. Dad told him how Jesus could forgive all sins. Dad prayed the prayer with him, and my cousin died within a week.
Dad would have said, “This is just a simple, faithful life”. He had a God-given humility. He never wanted people to look at him. His funeral was fantastic: a wonderful testimony to his love for Jesus and what made him who he was.
He did the Christian life day after day after day – simple perseverance to the end. Now at my age, 55, that’s particularly powerful. He would have gone through the same stuff, retiring, thinking about the future, broader family. But Dad didn’t change. He kept smiling and loving people. You could see real perseverance and toughness. It takes toughness to persevere and not allow the storms to knock you off course. SC
The Rev Tim Booker is the senior minister at St Luke’s, Liverpool.
understand Paul’s quandary when he said, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain”.
We had the privilege of loving our Dad until his last breath. We were able to serve and honour him, to love and pray for him. It helped us both see that this life is not what it’s about. It’s the next life. That’s what Dad was looking forward to. SC
Tim Booker
We prayed for him for 35 years
Vikki Napier , Guildford Anglican, and her sister, Gail Dibley , Narellan Anglican, share the impact their father’s faith had on their lives.
Our dad, Colin Napier, was a typical Alpha male.
Retired policeman, a bloke’s bloke, healthy and fit.
We kept speaking to Dad about the gospel but we suspected God might need to bring him to his knees in order to save him. God did just that: Dad was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 80.
Our prayer when he was diagnosed was, “Please save him and please let us enjoy him as a brother in Christ as well as our dad before you take him”. Dad became a Christian on Christmas Day in 2018. He was only a Christian for two years before he passed, but it was a gift of two years!
Dad was such an evangelist. He wanted everyone to know Jesus, his buddy who had saved him. Sadly, his best friend of 60 years rejected him because of his faith and their friendship ended. Dad,
although devastated, stood firm in the faith. We could see that the gospel had fallen on good soil with him.
Dad was an avid Bible reader and he read the Bible cover to cover six times before he died. Our vivid memory of Dad is with his Bible. We saw the discipline of him in reading God’s word, in showing patience and humility in his love for his Lord and for his church.
He had an old workmate, Pete, who came regularly to visit, which was a real encouragement to him. Dad’s advice to Pete, and to anyone who would listen, was “You need to know Jesus, get a Bible, and find a church”. What an evangelist!
Eventually he deteriorated with his illness, and he came to live with me [Vikki]. It was a huge blessing to Gail and I as we could continued on page 30
Our dad came to Christ two years before he died: Gail Dibley (left) and Vikki Napier with their dad Colin Napier.
Fathers’ Day