Synod Address 2015

Synod 2015

Synod Charge The Right Reverend Andrew Curnow AM Bishop of Bendigo

First Session of the Thirty-Ninth Synod

Introduction The Lord be with you And also with you.

I want to commence this address by recognising the original peoples of this country, our indigenous peoples and their elders. This week is Reconciliation Week and I hope you may have an opportunity to visit Nara Dreaming at Lockwood.

It is hard to believe, but this is my 13th Synod address and I am delighted to deliver it to you.

As you are already well aware we are commencing on a Thursday instead of our traditional pattern, but this schedule was set in anticipation of Synod being followed by a Diocesan Convention. Unfortunately the speakers we approached all said no, and I decided to proceed on the dates allocated. I apologise for any inconvenience. I notice that there is a resolution coming to Synod to move to a pattern of Synods being held over a weekend which was a pattern previously tried in the diocese. Our Primate, the Most Rev’d Philip Freier, does not believe Synods should be held on Sundays as clergy should be in their parishes and I am inclined to agree with him.

At this Synod we are dealing with a lot of General Synod legislation the diocese has not dealt with in the past. So, it is a tidying up of legislation and I am most appreciative of the time and effort our Advocate John and my PA Sarah have put into making this possible. We are also dealing with the major piece of legislation from last year’s General Synod in Adelaide, a model act for Episcopal Standards. The current episcopal standards legislation passed by the diocese in 2007 is deemed as being no longer appropriate and if the new legislation is adopted the 2007 act will be rescinded.

We live at a time when the Church and wider community need to have confidence that the Church, as represented by our own diocese, has the best legislation and protocols in place to handle complaints.

Over the years of my episcopal leadership I have been very committed to the Five Marks of Mission adopted by the Anglican Communion which are:  To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom  To teach, baptise and nurture new believers  To respond to human need by loving service  To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation  To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth As you can see they deal with key areas of the Church’s life and mission: 1. Evangelism, mission, proclamation 2. Nurture, building the people of faith 3. Generosity, compassion 4. Social justice: peace, end of violence 5. The environment I would add two more which I believe in the context of Australia today are vital if our Church is to have any acceptance of its mission and credibility in the wider communion.

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6. To establish a safe church 7. To establish a welcoming church To be a safe Church is about us addressing the concern that the Church has not always been as diligent as it should be in protecting its members, especially the young and vulnerable. We are paying the price of that now and it will still take more time and effort before the community and government are assured that we have our house in order.

To be a welcoming Church I believe is at the heart of mission. We cannot proclaim, baptise, give, grow, teach or serve if we are not welcoming. Week after week as I go around the diocese I see gaps in our welcoming. As bishop, I am technically the Rector of all our parishes, but in reality as I go around I am a visitor, and the welcome varies considerably with what I observe and experience.

For example, I recently sat in on a conversation in one of our parishes where the morning tea roster has collapsed. I was on the one hand glad to hear that they were discussing the issue, but on the other hand, the discussion lacked any real understanding of what a welcoming church might look like. Some years ago we had a visit from Michael Harvey, an English layman who has promoted ‘The Welcoming Church’. In his book, “Unlocking the Growth,” he writes: I have never met anyone who admits to going to an unwelcoming church, yet we all know that there are some unwelcoming churches out there. In fact, I believe that Christian churches are institutionally unwelcoming. Now you might be reading this thinking, “Well, my church is welcoming, thank you very much.”…I have heard it said that visitors coming to church decide in the first thirty seconds whether they will ever return. So how should we manage those first thirty second? Let me show you how, all too often, we do manage it. We rota it! We ask for volunteers with a pulse. We call it a duty, when it is really a ministry. One person told me how a church member said to her, on finding out she was new and hearing her story of being poorly welcomed, “I would have welcomed you but I wasn’t on duty that Sunday!”

We need to have courage and innovate when it comes to welcome. It is a fantastic opportunity to offer hospitality. Remember how, after a long night fishing, the disciples came back to find Jesus cooking fish on the beach? They were overjoyed to see him. This demonstrates the power of hospitality and the powerful role good food can play in welcome.(p. 56-64) Michael Harvey’s words are absolutely right about being a ‘welcoming church’ and I now share with you some words from the former Bishop of Oxford and prolific writer John Pritchard from his book, “God: Lost and Found”.

The writer A. N. Wilson announced his return to faith in a news- paper article at Easter 2009. He lost his faith in his thirties and began to rail against Christianity, writing a book on Jesus which made him out to be merely a failed messianic prophet. On his return he wrote: “Like most educated people in Britain and Northern Europe I have grown up in a culture that is overwhelmingly secular and anti-religious.

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The universities, broadcasters and media generally are not merely non-religious, they are positively anti. To my shame I believe it was this that made me lose faith and heart in my youth. It felt so uncool to be religious. With the mentality of a child in the playground, I felt at some visceral level that being religious was unsexy, like having spots or wearing specs...For ten or fifteen of my middle years, I too was one of the mockers. But as time passed I found myself going back to church, although at first only as a fellow traveller with the believers, not as one who shared the faith that Jesus had truly risen from the grave. Some time over the last five or six years I found I had changed. When I took part in the Palm Sunday procession last week and heard the Gospel being chanted, I assented to it with complete simplicity. My own return to faith has surprised no one more than myself. Why did I return to it?

Partially, perhaps, It is no more than the confidence I have gained with age...But there is more to it than that. My belief has come about in large measure because of the lives and examples of people I have known - not the famous, not saints, but friends and relations who have lived, and faced death, in the light of the Resurrection story, or in the quiet acceptance that they have a future after they die.�

That's a fascinating story. It was the quiet lives of ordinary Christians and the experience of a worshipping community that brought Wilson back to faith. It might be like that for others. Few things are more persuasive than the compassionate embrace of a living community of Christ's disciples. Carl Jung once told one of his patients, after six months of unsuccessful therapy, that he thought he probably needed to find God. 'How do I find God, Dr Jung?' the man asked. 'I don't know,' said Jung, 'but I suspect that if you find a group of people who believe in God passionately and just spend time with them, then you will find God.' (pp. 122-123).

He would make the point that a welcoming Church is passionate about God. Amen! I would say, so please let us become welcoming churches passionate about God. Let me now proceed with other matters in regard to our national Church, diocese and community affairs.

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Recent Visit to England Anzac Service at Coventry Cathedral As many of you know, towards the end of April I made a two week visit to England.

There were a number of things that brought this trip together, but the planning started when I was asked by the Primate late last year if I would be willing to preach at a service for Anzac Day to be held in Coventry Cathedral, a Cathedral dedicated to World Peace. The original Coventry Cathedral was bombed by the Germans in World War Two and a new Cathedral of St Michael and All Angels was built in the 1950’s and 60’s. Interestingly, the bishop who represented the Church of England in Australia at celebrations to mark its opening was the Bishop of Bendigo, the Right Rev’d R.E Richards. He visited Coventry Cathedral on 8 May 1962 and to mark the opening of the new Cathedral, presented a Verger’s Wand made in Australia and donated by the Australian Branch of the Church of England Men’s Society.

So with a Cathedral dedicated to World Peace it was appropriate that one of the key Anzac Remembrance Services in the Church of England was held in Coventry Cathedral at 4.00pm on Anzac Day and this is what I preached at.

The Service Before the service and after, music was played by the Band of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Warwickshire.

Guests in attendance were: 

Mr Paul Sabapathy CBE, Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant West Midlands



Colonel Richard Cariss MBE, TD, DL, representing Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire



Councillor Hazel Noonan, Lord Mayor of the City of Coventry



Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Tsamis Australian Defence Staff Representative



Mr Fatih Ulusoy, Deputy Head of Mission at the Turkish Embassy, London.



Mr Jeremy Palmer, First Secretary, New Zealand High Commission, London.

At 4.00pm the Coventry Peace Bell was rung, the congregation stood and sang the National Anthem and then Army and Navy cadets processed into the Cathedral with the flags of Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

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The service proceeded with all guests having a role in the service. The highlight of the service was the playing of the Last Post, and the recitation of the Anthem: They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, We will remember them (Laurence Binyon 1869-1943) This was followed by the Reveille and prayers for world peace. I concluded the service with the blessing: God grant to the living, grace; to the departed, rest; to the Church, the Queen, the Commonwealth, and all the world, peace and concord; and to us all his servants, life everlasting; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.

Amen.

We processed down the cathedral to a rousing rendition of ‘Waltzing Matilda’ by the Fusiliers Band.

Ordained Local Ministry in the Church of England The other main reason I wanted to go to England was to see what the Church of England is doing in relation to Ordained Local Ministry (OLM).

I introduced our own version of OLM Ministry in 2006 in the diocese and it is time to review what we have done and try to benchmark it. The challenge is that we are about the only diocese in Australia trying to put in place a high quality training, formation and ministry development programme. Quite a number of other dioceses have tried OLM schemes, but few have been sustainable. The Diocese of Willochra and Newcastle have models, but they vary substantially from the model we have developed here. It would be helpful to update Synod on what we are currently doing and why. I will start with the latter question first.

Why and What: OLM in the Diocese of Bendigo Shortly after coming to the diocese in 2003 I began a series of visits to the Parish of Kerang, which had been vacant for some time. I immediately put all of my effort into trying to attract a stipendiary priest from outside the diocese to fill the vacancy as there were no live candidates from within.

What became apparent pretty quickly was that: 1. Finding stipendiary candidates from outside the diocese is a challenge 2. That there are some wonderful people in every parish undertaking significant ministerial leadership. Indeed on one of my drives home after visiting Kerang it struck me like a thunderbolt at Durham Ox, “I am looking in the wrong place!” Perhaps I

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needed to be looking locally for ministry candidates as well as globally, and so my interest in Ordained Local Ministry began to develop.

I shared my view and vision with Bishop Ron Stone at the time as he knew Kerang well having been the former rector of the parish and shared with him my discernment that there were some strong candidates for OLM Ministry in the parish. I discerned four - John Worrall, Gayle Teasdale, Peter Monsbourgh and Catherine Dawson - and with the help and assistance of Bishop Ron, the initial training of the four began in situ in Kerang. The first group of OLM candidates began training in the Diocese. More and more I began to realise that the long term staffing of ordained ministry in the diocese would need to be a combination and partnership of stipendiary and OLM clergy.

I was also at the time greatly influenced by a paper written by the then Bishops of Sheffield, Cyril Ashton and Jack Nicholls, who wrote a paper called “A Faith Worth Sharing? A Church Worth Joining?� They write: The model of training used by Jesus is the most effective known to humankind. It is copied by philosophers, educationalists, industrialists and craftsmen alike - it must therefore be worthy of serious consideration by the Church. The apprenticeship model of training is simple and effective, developing skills and relationships simultaneously.

Jesus called people to follow him and be his disciples. To be a disciple means, above all, to be a learner. How best do people learn? We undoubtedly learn most effectively by doing. Doing ministry under the careful eye and instruction of a good teacher who has allowed us to watch what he has done, gives us the best opportunity to learn ourselves. This is exactly what Jesus did. As part of the preparation for mission, Jesus sent out the twelve (Luke 9:1-11), and the way he did that gives a very clear insight into his method. First, he called the twelve into a relationship with himself (and of course with one another). He shared his life with them, allowing them to get close to him in order that they would be able to understand what he was about. Relationship building is a key part of discipleship because it provides the best incentive to learn. We all know from our school days that we learned the most from those who took the trouble to build the kind of relationship with us which gave us freedom to make mistakes without feeling condemned. In the context of this relationship Jesus let his disciples watch carefully what he did, why and how he did it. He then sent them out in twos to do the things they had seen him do. The disciples subsequently returned to him, reporting how they had fared. Sometimes they spoke with great excitement about the things they had accomplished, but on other occasions they reported failure.

As the incident in Luke's gospel reveals, Jesus would often then take the disciples with him to a quiet place, presumably to review progress, and to continue teaching, but also to develop further his friendship with them.

This training method is the best there is and can be used to great effect in the local church. (pp. 16-17) In conjunction with what was then a Board of Ministry in its infancy, and also under the leadership of Bishop Ron and in consultation with myself, the ground rules for the Diocese of Bendigo OLM Ministry Formation Programme were developed.

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They were: i)

The programme would be for four years. Two pre ordination and two post ordination

ii)

All candidates to be considered for ordination would have to successfully complete the Trinity College Certificate of Ministry

iii)

The Diocese would also add extra modules to the training in addition to the Trinity Certificate and these would stretch over the 3rd and 4th years of the OLM Ministry Formation Programme

iv)

Completion of the Trinity Certificate did not guarantee ordination. All candidates would have to go through: -

The diocesan selection process Police check Working with children check To this has now been added a Safe Ministry Check

Also as part of the selection process references are gathered from a variety of sources for each candidate. v)

OLM Ministry is, by definition, an auxiliary ordained ministry. Candidates are not being trained to be in charge of parishes, but to be part of a team with a stipendiary priest as Team Leader. OLM candidates can make application to the Board of Ministry to transfer to stipendiary status, but will have to fulfil further requirements for this to happen.

vi)

OLM clergy will ideally return to the parish of which they are a part, although within the diocese I am open to OLM clergy moving parishes.

vii)

OLM Ministry in the Diocese of Bendigo is seen primarily as an assisting ministry to the Stipendiary Clergy. However, those ordained as priest or deacon in this category are fully priest and fully deacon wherever they are licensed to minister. OLMs can operate in all parishes across the Diocese as assistant clergy. Some core values and assumptions behind this expression of ordained ministry are: Vocation: The call is primarily seen as coming from the Church rather than the candidate. The experience so far in this Diocese has been of the Bishop “tapping possible candidates on the shoulder”, or from a process of discernment where in local congregations candidates are nominated by the congregation. The call here is a recognition of the ministerial leadership and qualities that the candidate has already demonstrated.

Contextual: A rediscovery of the local or contextual dimensions of ministry. OLM ministry is arising in this diocese out of a situation that can best be described as “local church – locally grown”. While it might seem best suited in rural settings, experience in the UK shows it is adaptable to all parish situations. As stipendiary ministry has a greater element of oversight in it, OLM offers an ordained ministry that is deeply embedded in the local community.

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Collaborative Learning: One of the strengths of OLM is its emphasis on learning in a team situation. In many ways it emulates the apprenticeship model of learning: the learner is placed with an experienced practitioner who from day one imparts their experience, wisdom and learning to the OLM priest or deacon. The Diocese of Bendigo offers an OLM training programme, outlined in the Appendix of this booklet.

Flexibility: Those in OLM are not fully stipendiary, but most will be paid some stipend and allowances in recognition of the ministry they are undertaking. The Bishop sees the development of OLM ministry across the diocese as making a significant contribution to under-girding stipendiary ministry and at the same time allowing for a new and exciting expression of ministry in its own right.

Most people who become OLMs will stay in a particular area, but the Bishop holds the view that OLM describes a style of ministry rather than a geographically defined unit.

In other words, the term ‘local’ is seen as referring to the locally originating call, not the locus of deployment. Thus in this Diocese, OLMs may minister across deaneries or clusters.

Over 

the

past

nearly

ten

years

Peter Monsbourgh

I

have

ordained 

John Worrall



Gayle Teasdale



Catherine Dawson



Terry Templer D: 29 November 2009 P: 3 February 2011



Sandra Field Denis Gell Keith Nicholas Pam Lawry D: 29 June 2013, P: 2 February 2015

D: 4 March 2007 P: 11 November 2008



clergy:

D: 19 April 2010, P: 28 September 2011

D: 28 September 2006 P: 11 August 2007



OLM

D: 17 December 2011, P: 3 May 2015

D: 28 September 2006 P: 11 August 2007



following

D: 24 April 2012

D: 2 February 2005



the



Angela Lorrigan D: 1 March 2014

Geoff Chittenden D: 23 January 2011 P: 1 March 2014

At present the OLM Ministry Formation Programme has 13 participants at various levels and of the current groups in training, none have been presented for selection at this stage, but discernment is currently underway.

OLM in the Church of England My visit to England was to see where OLM Training at present is sitting in the Church of England.

A group of dioceses in the south of England, under what is called the South Central Regional Training Partnerships, are working together on OLM Training.

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They include the dioceses of: - Guildford - Canterbury - Oxford - Winchester - Salisbury - Portsmouth Each diocese does its own training, but they work together to share resources and meet national standards of training. The Church of England has appointed the University of Durham to set the academic standards for material and training and these are at a certificate and diploma standard.

Some dioceses have given up or withdrawn from the OLM model including Southwark and the former bishop listed the following reasons: a) You can’t move OLM clergy around. They are not necessarily placed where they need to be b) It creates a second strata of clergy when compared with stipendiary clergy. They are not as fully academically trained or nurtured etc. c) Why move often your best laity into ordained ministry?

I was very fortunate to spend time with two key people in relation to OLM Ministry in the Church of England. The Rev’d Dr Malcolm Torry was a lens to the past, as he wrote in 2006 a landmark work entitled: “Ordained Local Ministry - A New Shape for Ministry in the Church of England” (Canterbury Press 2006). It is a clear collection of essays about how OLM had been developed. He has since moved on, but remains passionately committed to the model.

As he writes in the book: In adopting the notion of an Ordained Local Ministry, the Church has redrawn part of the landscape of the historic priesthood. A criticism that some people make of Ordained Local Ministry is that it seems to defy a fundamental principle of the priesthood in a catholic tradition - namely, that priests are trained and ordained to go anywhere, live anywhere, and minister anywhere. Ordained Local Ministry challenges that hitherto unchallenged view. Our thoughts on the experience of the first ten years of the Scheme do not so much contradict this view of the priesthood as invite all of us to adjust our view of what the ordained ministry might be. What Ordained Local Ministry does is give an additional dimension to the concept of ordained ministry rather than detract from it or weaken it. Ordained Local Ministry, as we have experienced it and reflected upon it, retains a strong sense of commitment, but one in partnership with local community. That community knows that the priest called out from among them, trained in the midst of them, and returning to minister in a very particular way to them, is one who is here to stay.

We also sense that, as a concept, this invaluable innovation in our understanding of priesthood and local ministry is neither a fleeting whim to address a declining trend in vocations to ordination by making the route simpler, nor an attempt to provide clergy on the cheap. It is instead a concept that will allow the Church to step into the future. As a concept it too is here to stay.

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The second thing to emerge from our day together was a very buoyant sense of hope for a Church facing change. Explicitly this book charts changes in the landscape of the Church’s ordained ministry, but implicitly it is about people and their communities. Many of the people we encountered in this book might seem quite unremarkable and may seem to come from unremarkable places, and the same might be said of the authors of the book’s chapter: but as we consulted with one another, some of us knew that we were spending time with some remarkably gifted people who have given, and are giving, their lives to a remarkable and historic period of change in the life of the Church of England. It is that boldness to make change in the face of change that marks this particular initiative out as special.

The world is changing, and Ordained Local Ministry has emerged at a time of considerable change for the Church. In 1994, women were ordained priest for the first time in the Church of England (and quite a lot of those priests are OLMs, partly because lower age barriers prevented older women from considering other routes.) Although we cannot claim to live in a classless society, the coherent working class that the Stepney Scheme was all about no longer exists. We now experience socio-economic diversity, cultural diversity and ethnic diversity, resulting in a complex matrix of backgrounds. This is the society from which Ordained Local Ministry candidates are drawn, and they reflect that diversity.

Many inner-city Anglican congregations are now mainly black, and Ordained Local Ministry reflects this. (pp. 162-163) The second person I met with was the Rev’d Dr Steve Summers, Principal of the Local Ministry Programme, Guildford. He was a lens to the present and future, and provided much practical help and information about how the Diocese of Guildford trains and prepares OLM clergy.

I have provided for each member of Synod the Diocese of Guildford brochure “Training for Ordained Local Ministry”. It gives an overview of their approach and is, I believe, a good guide as to the development of our own practice in this diocese.

Particularly, I draw your attention to the introduction: Minister locally, think globally.

Ordained Local Ministers (OLMs) are deacons and priest in the Church of England, as are any other expression of the ordained ministry, such as, - Stipendiary parish priests - Self-supporting ministers - Chaplains - Ordained pioneer ministers The ministry of the OLM is distinctive in that it is rooted in a specific parish (or cluster) rather than being national deployable. As an OLM you will have been called out of your local congregation to train and will return to serve in that same congregation or parish. Your licence will be based on this condition with the expectation that the focus of your ministry will initially be within that locality. OLMs normally operate as assistant

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colleagues to their parish priest. The ministry of OLMS is an important part of the ministry of Christ’s Church in the Church of England.

What is an Ordained Local Minister? (from Information for prospective OLM’s, Diocese of Guildford) This is also foundational in understanding this expression of ordained ministry. It identifies six characteristics of an OLM: 1. A Deacon and then Priest An OLM is fully a deacon or priest in the historical and apostolic understanding of ministry in the Anglican Church 2. A Person of God A person, to train as an OLM, must have a deep and maturing faith, a relationship with God that is expressed through prayer and a personal spirituality. Your faith must be capable of further development to sustain you in ordained ministry.

3. A Theologically Resourced Person The training programme in Guildford is for three years and covers a wide range of academic and practical subjects.

4. A Pastoral Person OLM’s have a key role in the delivery of pastoral ministry where they will serve. As part of training in Guildford in year two, OLM candidates must do a three month placement in a chaplaincy and in year three will do a three month pastoral placement in another parish to gain wider experience.

5. A Preacher, Teacher and Leader of Worship As part of training over three years, preaching and teaching skills are developed.

Several of a candidate’s sermons are assessed. They are also expected to take part in acts of worship of various styles and traditions and experience leading worship in a variety of settings.

6. Committed to Sharing Ministry There is a commitment to building a team approach with other clergy, lay ministers and members of the congregation/parish in which they serve.

In the Diocese of Guildford there are currently 25 students across the three years of the primary training programme. The course has a core staff team of five members: -

The course principal: The Rev’d Dr Steve Summers (F/T)

-

A course administrator (F/T): Much of this role is taken up with administration for the course to be affiliated with the University of Durham.

-

Three Year Tutors (P/T): The teaching tutors are drawn from diocesan clergy.

The parish from which a student comes is charged $2000.00 p.a and the Church of England, provided the course meets the requirements of the University of Durham, makes a contribution of $10,000 towards each students. This enables the staff to be employed and fees for the university to be met. There are also at least two residential weekends a year

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which are met out of the budget. Following ordination all candidates will be under supervision.

While the English system is obviously very different to our situation because course standards, selection, training and financing of the programme all come centrally from the Church of England, there are things we can learn from their experience.

Learnings 1. Those dioceses that have established OLM training schemes are very committed to it as a significant strategy in the life and mission of the dioceses. Although the Church of England is a juggernaut compared with our diocese, it also faces the great challenge of how to sustain ordained ministry over the coming years. Hundreds of parishes cannot sustain full time stipendiary ministry and, like our own diocese, the Church of England has found combining parishes is not necessarily the answer.

OLM is a major strategy in many dioceses to provide ordained ministry for the long term future and I believe it will be and should be in this diocese as well. To encourage the Diocese of Bendigo to commit to OLM as part of the Diocesan Strategic Plan I intend to put before this Synod a resolution in seeking the support of Synod for the long term development of OLM in the diocese. Let me hasten to add that I am in no way wanting to undermine the fundamental role of stipendiary clergy in this diocese as they must be the key leaders and trainers in the diocese for the OLM model to be able to develop and strengthen.

2. Dioceses that want OLM ministry in the Church of England must accept responsibility for establishing a training programme, resourcing it and meeting the standards for ordination as laid down by the Church of England. We do not have such a centralised approach for establishing OLM ministry, but I believe the time has come for our own diocese to undergird our own Ministry Formation Programme with more resources and see how we can strengthen it to be an ongoing plank as part of our diocesan strategy for mission and ministry for many years to come.

Bishop Ron Stone did a great deal to establish the Ministry Formation Programme (MFP) and we are truly blessed that Canon Heather Marten has come to the diocese to lead it to the next stage. However, in addition to the part cost of Heather’s stipend as Ministry Development Officer, the budget for the MFP is currently $5,000.00 p.a.

This significant under sourcing requires an urgent review.

3. In the Church of England resources have also been put into the establishment of Ordained Pioneer Ministry (OPM) as well and we have had a small number of candidates ordained into this stream of ministry. The overwhelming evidence of the experience in the Church of England is that this expression of ministry requires a great deal of ongoing support and supervision with candidates post ordination. The support and supervision has to very well matched and suited to this expression of ministry for it to be sustained and developed. I think this poses some particular challenges for our own diocese in its OPM initiative and this is a matter I will take up with the Board of Ministry.

What I am totally convinced about as a result of my visit to England is that this diocese will be in a much stronger position for the provision of ordained ministry if we continue to develop and strengthen our current primary approach.

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-

Stipendiary clergy to be in charge of parishes

-

Stipendiary clergy to have the assistance of OLM clergy to build strong, viable and innovative clergy teams

-

For the culture of building strong models of ordained leadership to be integrated with building healthy models of ordained and lay leadership.

Resolution: With all this in mind, the resolution I propose for Synod is as follows: That this meeting of Synod i)

ii)

iii) iv)

Reaffirms its strong commitment to three expressions of ordained clergy in the Diocese of Bendigo: - Stipendiary Clergy - Ordained Local Ministry (OLM) - Ordained Pioneer Ministry (OPM) Asks the Bishop, in consultation with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and with the Board of Ministry, to appoint a Working Group to investigate ways by which the Ministry Formation Programme may be more adequately resourced and strengthened.

These should include: - Budget - Staffing - Programme/curriculum That a report be made to the Council of the Diocese by the end of 2015 That the Board of Ministry issue a revised policy statement on OLM in the Diocese of Bendigo and requests the Bishop to revise the booklet ‘Ordained Ministry in the Diocese of Bendigo’.

People Consulted in the UK -

The Rev’d Dr Malcolm Torry, formerly Team Rector of Greenwich and Director of OLM in the Diocese of Southwark. New Research Fellow at the London School of Economics on Church and Organisation

-

The Rev’d Dr Steve Summers, Director of the Diocese of Guildford OLM Programme

-

The Right Rev’d Christopher Chessum, Bishop of Southwark

-

The Right Rev’d Nigel Stock, Bishop at Lambeth, Bishop to the Forces, Bishop of the Falklands, Ecumenical Officer.

-

Lord Liddle of Carlisle, Chancellor, Lancaster University

-

Mr Francis Campbell, Vice Chancellor, St Mary’s University, Twickenham, London

-

Mr John Clark, formerly Director of Mission and Public Affairs, Church of England

-

Mr Andrew Horsler, Former Marketing Manager, British Coal Board, Energy Consultant

-

Fr Paul Richardson, Journalist, Political and Religious Writer for the Church of England newspaper

-

Ms Caroline Thompson, CEO British Ballet, Trustee National Gallery London 13

Stewardship For every parish at Synod this year I have prepared a ‘Do It Yourself Stewardship Kit’.

Stewardship should be as much a part of parish life as worship, prayer, study and pastoral care. Sadly, in our current context it is often not. As we know stewardship is often understood as our Christian approach to giving and traditionally includes: - Money - Time - Talents Over the years, there has been much confused teaching over ‘tithes’ as the fundamental Biblical approach. Some clergy/denominations have insisted it is 10% of all income, others say a 10% tithes in OT times is equivalent in our own time to 5% and then confusion sets in do you measure income before tax, or after tax, before a mortgage or after, before health insurance or after etc and so it goes on. Indeed today many people may have so many claims on their income not even 10% may be left in cash at the end of it. So, stewardship in 2015 requires a very careful and considerate examination of one’s circumstances as to what one is in a position to give.

What there is no argument about is that to be an active Christian, giving generously must be part of your commitment. Stewardship in churches today must be part of an annual programme in every parish where members are asked to review their giving. In some parishes I know this happens and in others it does not, so could I please encourage you to take your Stewardship Kit back to your parish and: 1. Have it tabled at the next Parish Council meeting 2. Form a small committee of 2-3 people to look at it 3. Report back to the Parish Council on how it will be acted on in your parish.

Mission Action Plans (MAPS) Eight years ago across the diocese I introduced the project to get all parishes to develop MAPS. The MAP process is based on four stages: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Review your situation Choose future priorities Make plans based on the four square template Act on the plans

The four square template was based on the four Gospel values of: TEACH, GROW, GIVE, SERVE Initially many parishes tended to, under each value, make statements of faith rather than goals or alternatively wrote down too many goals. After five years most parishes had developed a MAP that was achievable and measurable. At this Synod I am wanting to relaunch MAPS and encourage all parishes to develop a new MAP but with the following guidelines:

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1. The new MAP will be for three years, not one. A learning from the previous experience was that one year is not long enough for setting goals and achieving them.

2. As you will find in the Synod Parish Packs I am now offering a choice of four templates: - Teach, Grow, Give, Serve - Justice, Spirituality, Relationships, Beauty - The Five Marks of Mission - The Seven Marks of a Healthy Church  A MAP is only achievable with prayer running all the way through each phase  MAP work is a strategic exercise  It’s about the long term future of the parish  The MAP should be undertaken by the Parish Council  A MAP introduction sheet has also been included in your Parish Packs for your information Church of England missioligist Archdeacon Bob Jackson, writing in a forthcoming book, points out that there are essentially two types of parishes: 1. The Magic Roundabout A magic roundabout church is one that trundles thoughtlessly around the church’s year. If it is Christmas, the church will ‘do’ Christmas, by which is meant repeating exactly as possible what was done last year. The carol sheets will be located in the usual place, the same team will decorate the church interior using the same decorations as the year before, and the same carols will be sung. Every event in the church will be basically a repetition of the previous year.

“Without strategy, intentionality on debate, the magic roundabout church goes through the motions, its strength gradually waning and its relevance gradually disappearing.”

2. The gospel-train In this church the members take stock of where they are, assessing what the church is like and what it does. Then they catch a vision of where they want to be - of what God is calling them to be and do. This church will develop a travel plan!

In your parish packs as well as the templates I have included a document ‘Introducing the MAP process’. I would ask that this be copied and tabled at the next Parish Council meeting and you then, as a Council, make a decision on how to proceed. It would be done by the whole Council or a small sub-committee.

Remember, the plans and the goals developed under headings in which ever template you choose need to be SMART: -

Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Timed

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I would like every parish to have a MAP ready by the end of October and will be following parishes to see where you are at.

The Anglican Church in Victoria and Australia The Provincial Professional Standards Working Group You will have found in your Synod papers a report from the Working Group and I will pause while you find it.

The Working Group was formed by the Anglican Church in Victoria Provincial Council in September 2014 and I was appointed its Chair. Provincial Council, which meets twice a year, is a body which brings together representatives from the five Victorian dioceses to look at the Anglican Church in Victoria.

The motivation to form the Working Group came from three main areas: i. ii.

The Royal Commission on Institutional Child Abuse in Australia The Victorian State Enquiry into Child Abuse. Established by the Parliament of Victoria, it handed down its report at the end of 2013. The recommendations from the report are currently being implemented.

A review of our own diocesan professional standards practice. This report was handed to me last year and recommended that our own diocese needed to develop a more comprehensive strategy to deal with professional standards matters and that this strategy should be brought to Synod for adoption. All five Victorian dioceses have now decided to do this. The review also made very specific recommendations about the management of personal files, their format and storage. These recommendations have been acted on.

iii.

The Working Group has been meeting regularly since September and the report it made to the Provincial Council in March outlines the way the five Victorian dioceses will now proceed.

This includes: i.

The establishment of an incorporated body to run a professional standards service company or secretariat that will be common to the five dioceses. The Director of Professional Standards and those who may assist will be employed and accountable to the company. The members of the company will be the five dioceses.

All five dioceses will adopt a common professional standards model which will need to be adopted by each of the five Victorian Diocesan Synods to become operative.

ii.

The new model will cover:    

Clergy Diocesan staff and employees Lay staff in ministry Parish volunteers

It is expected the new model will come into operation sometime in the latter half of 2016.

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The Viability and Structures Task Force Report to General Synod 2014 I also had the responsibility for chairing this taskforce and in fact wrote the report which is a substantial document that was unanimously adopted by General Synod meeting in Adelaide in 2014. If you have not seen or read the report and would like one please ask my PA Sarah here at Synod and we will email it to you.

Let me give you a couple of quotes from the report to whet your appetite.

The Anglican Church of Australia is at a crossroad. For over 30 years it has been slowly declining and the time has come for a revolution if it is to be a strong and sustainable church for the future. As we approach the middle of the second decade of the 21st century, there are 23 dioceses in the Church and of that number, nearly all are experiencing significant challenges about their future. It may not be economic or resources issues, but it may be rapid urban growth and the inability of the parish system to keep pace.

The viability criteria developed by the taskforce are: 1. Capacity for mission 2. Demographic factors 3. Geography 4. Diocesan resources 5. Distribution, number and age of clergy 6. Governance 7. Leadership 8. Goals and strategy of a diocese 9. Capacity to resolve persistent problems 10. New models of being church The report found that out of the 23 Australian dioceses, over half, based on the viability criteria, face significant issues of long term sustainability. The Diocese of Bendigo sits at around twelfth in terms of sustainability.

The report concludes: The hope and prayers of the Task Force are that in some small way this Report will be a catalyst for reform in our Church. We do face major and what may seem overwhelming challenges, but if we are the creation of God we will see the way forward. Across Australia there are many faithful and committed Anglicans who through their faith in Christ build on the rock that is the Church. May this Report offer us encouragement as a Church in our dioceses, parishes and other ministries to respond faithfully.

The time has come for The Anglican Church of Australia to be purposeful about its mission and ministry to the whole nation and the thrust of this Report is to help and inspire us as a Church to make some challenging decisions and to move forward with a profound confidence in the God we trust.

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General Synod, in adopting the report, also adopted the following recommendations: That Synod: 1. Welcomes the Report of the Viability and Structures Task Force.

2. Resolves to: a. Refer the Report to the dioceses for their consideration and response to the Standing Committee of General Synod by 31 October 2014, b. Commend the Diocesan Financial Advisory Group (DFAG) for their work on the financial well-being of dioceses and request all dioceses to co-operate with DFAG as they continue with that task, c. Request the Provincial bodies within the Anglican Church of Australia to each institute an urgent review of the number and boundaries of dioceses in their respective Province including consideration of boundaries across current provincial borders, using as a guide the viability criteria outlined in this Report, d. Request the Australian Bishops’ Meeting to develop a protocol for the training of new bishops in the Anglican Church of Australia, e. Refers the Report to the Fresh Expressions Australia Task Force, Anglicare Australia, the Anglican School’s Network and other organisations within the Church with a request that they report to the Standing Committee of General Synod and to the Dioceses as to how they can best assist in responding to the issues raised, f. Requests the Ministry Commission of General Synod to examine the issues from the Report related to the provision and training for ordained ministry, and the various current models of non-stipendiary ministry in the Anglican Church of Australia and the development of appropriate standards of selection, training and professional development, and to report to the Standing Committee of General Synod and to the Dioceses. g. Requests the Fresh Expressions Australia Task Force to consider the questions of diocesan vitality and viability together.

3. Requests the Standing Committee of General Synod to: a. Establish a Steering Group of seven persons:  to plan and coordinate the dissemination of the Report and the responses of the dioceses  to develop and implement strategies to address the issues raised in the report. b. Establish DFAG as a Task Force of General Synod under the Strategic Issues, Commissions, Task Forces and Networks Canon 1998 and establish its Terms of Reference. c. Establish, through the Australian Registrar’s Network, a programme of ongoing training for Registrars and senior diocesan administration staff. d. Seek agreement from the dioceses on a comprehensive and holistic way

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The Diocese The Spirit During 2014 the diocesan news magazine ‘The Spirit’ underwent some changes with a new look masthead, layout and content. Overall the changes have been enthusiastically received and I want to thank The Spirit Committee for overseeing these changes.

I would now like to encourage The Spirit Committee to go further and to become the Diocesan Communications Committee with responsibility for:   

The Spirit The Diocesan website The possible development of a Facebook page

I believe the Committee has the ability to do this and I hope by Synod 2016 we will see progress on this wider brief of work.

Parishes and Congregations Across the Anglican Church of Australia a major challenge is the provision of rural ministry.

In many dioceses the number of stipendiary clergy has fallen significantly, mainly due to the decline in population. In Australia in 2015, 90% of our nation’s population live within 100kms of the coast. Bendigo and Toowoomba defy this trend but the hinterland beyond them is losing people.

Sadly this means that some parishes in our own diocese will probably have to consider their long term future. These include: 

The Parish of Lockington This parish was once made up of four centres: Mitiamo, which was the original base of the parish, but it moved to Lockington in 1964 when a new rectory was built there, Miloo, which was the original name of the parish, and Dingee. Now with population decline there is only Lockington left as a regular worship centre. The parish over many years, given that the total population of the whole parish area is less than 1500 people, has done a phenomenal job in sustaining ministry, but with only Lockington left the time has come to look at the parish and its future.



The Parish of Tongala For many years the parish has consisted of two centres, Tongala and Stanhope, but worshipping numbers in each centre have now dropped below 15. The parish has been paying over a half stipend for some years and this has been sustained by the good work of St Matthew’s Op Shop in Stanhope. The centre of Tongala also benefits from three units it rents out in the town. Efforts have been made to build worshipping numbers but overall they have remained static. Again population numbers do not have enough critical mass to sustain a full time position, and the future of the parish has to be considered as uncertain.

Both Lockington and Tongala parishes were products of the farming boom following WW1 where a mixture of soldier settlement blocks and the coming of irrigation

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opened up farming to many new farming families. Since the mid 1970’s farms have begun to get bigger and towns have remained static in population or declined. 

The Parish of Robinvale This parish was originally established by the Diocese of Ballarat after WW1 when soldier settler developments were established across the Mallee. Many of Robinvale’s streets are named after WW1 battles and the town’s ‘sister city’ is Villers Bretonneux in northern France where there is the main Australian War Cemetery in Europe.

The parish became part of the Diocese of St Arnaud upon its establishment in 1926 and transferred to Bendigo in 1977. Originally the parish was made up of the families of soldier settlers and some English migrants who came out to the Mallee as well.

The town has not declined, but in fact grown now to be a town and district of 6,000 people and is now regarded as one of the most multicultural communities in Victoria outside of Melbourne. The community is also home to a significant indigenous population. The town and district is home to substantial numbers of people from Tonga, Italy, Greece, India, Korea, China and Vietnam. Our worshipping numbers are only around 15 and some are descendants from the first settlers, but the numbers of Anglo Australian people now in the community is small. Our church is used weekly by a Tongan congregation as well.

There is a very small congregation at Manangatang in the centre of the Mallee and worship at Boundary Bend has been suspended due to small numbers. The parish has indicated a willingness to merge with the Parish of Northern Mallee from which it currently receives ministry.

It is very unsettling to see parishes come to this point and history shows that amalgamating parishes often has mixed outcomes. The great English missiologist, Leslie Newbigen, has written in ‘The Gospel in a Pluralist Society’ these challenging words: What kind of ministerial leadership will nourish the church in its faithfulness to the Gospel in a pluralistic society? In a situation of declining numbers the policy has been to abandon areas (such as the inner cities) where active Christians are few and to concentrate ministerial resources by merging congregations and deploying ministries in the places where there are enough Christians to support them. Needless to say, this simply accelerates declines. It is the opposite of a missionary strategy, which would proceed in the opposite direction - deploying ministers in the areas where the Christian presence is weakest.

The task of ministry is to lead the congregation as a whole in a mission to the community as a whole, to claim its whole public life, as well as the personal lives of all its people, for God’s rule. It means equipping all the members of the congregation to understand and fulfil their several roles in this mission through their faithfulness in their daily work. It means training and equipping them to be active followers of Jesus in his assault on the principalities and powers which he has disarmed on the cross.

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Jesus was calling for something much more radical, a conversion of the mind which leads to a totally new view of life…It involves both calling and promise, demand and gift, at the same time. And it concerns the whole of life - the public life of the world, the nation, the factory, the society, and the personal life of each believer.

So, what do we do? The challenge for us as a diocese is when closing parishes, not to withdraw, but redefine how as a Church we are going to not only maintain a Christian presence in many small communities but build it for the long term future. Let me also underline, I will not arbitrarily close parishes. They also have to be sure about what is the best way forward and the words from Leslie Newbigen are a very helpful reminder that we need to be very careful about what we are doing. The diocese does have policies in place about the closure and merger of parishes.

Parish Councils Recently our annual Clergy Conference was held in Mildura around the theme of conflict and tension management. The leader of the programme was Tim Dyer, an internationally recognised trainer and consultant on conflict in churches. Tim covered a lot of areas of parish and congregational life and also touched on a Code of Practice for Parish Councils which I have attached as an appendix to this address. His key areas for Parish Councils were:  Honesty  Loyalty  Accord  Commitment  Regularity  Prayer  Learning  Affirmation  Confidentiality  Encouragement I would encourage clergy and parish councillors attending Synod to make sure that a copy of this Code of Practice is copied and distributed at your next Parish Council meeting.

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The Wider World This year I am going to make just a few brief comments about a range of issues as I regularly use my column in ‘The Spirit’ to comment on public matters from a Christian perspective. In making these comments I do not set out to be political, but to make a contribution which I hope and pray will encourage us as Christians to think about major societal issues.

Asylum Seekers Our Dean was arrested in October last year along with a group of other Christian men and women for protesting at a local Senator’s office about children of asylum seekers being held in detention. In February the case against them was dismissed. The disappointing aspect of the whole experience is that the situation for many children in detention has remained unchanged.

Our federal government has been very successful in ‘stopping the boats’ but as we currently read, the problem has not gone away, but moved to Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. In the Mediterranean the situation of people arriving into European ports in Italy is worse with over 60,000 people arriving already this year. The issue of asylum seekers and refugees is not going to go away. It is a world-wide problem and while so much of our world continues to suffer, the problem will be with us.

To be very fair Australia, in comparison to the rest of the world, does take a reasonable number of refugees for resettlement. The problem rests with people who just turn up and at present are held on either Manus Island in PNG Nauru, are in detention centres in Australia or on temporary permits or no visas living in Australia. This is Australia’s problem to solve and holding people indefinitely or leaving their status in limbo is not the answer. Nor is offering foreign nations economic incentives to take them off Australia’s hands a moral answer to the problem.

Melbourne QC Julian Burnside, who has become a world authority on asylum seekers, has put forward a strategy for solving the problem which includes the majority of asylum seekers being allowed to settle in Australia providing: 1) They are given/obtain work in regional and rural Australia for a number of years 2) They are given educational and medical support 3) They are given temporary visas while they work towards become eligible for citizenship International Aid As we have read over the past two federal budgets this area of government assistance to developing nations particularly in Asia and the Pacific, has had its budget cut by billions of dollars. I was one of 15,000 Australians who signed a petition organised mainly by Christian agencies such as TEAR Australia, ABM and the Anglican Overseas Development Fund prior to the last budget calling for no further cuts, but our plea was ignored. While Australia has huge responsibilities for the welfare of our own citizens, we are in a global group called the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) which are the 22 wealthiest countries of the world. As Christians who contribute to the wealth of this nation it is our responsibility to see that we, as a nation, take our right and appropriate responsibility in the world and this means making a reasonable contribution to overseas aid.

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Our Indigenous Peoples As I said at the beginning of this address, it is important that we recognise at Synod that we are meeting in Reconciliation week.

Our Indigenous peoples have leadership, like Mick Dodson and Noel Pearson, who are more and more taking a major role in articulating and clarifying how we as white Australians can understand and respond to Indigenous issues. A recent poll conducted across Australia just over two weeks ago has found that 75% of Australian voters now support a referendum to put Aboriginal and Islander Australians into the Constitution. Here in Bendigo we have a growing Indigenous community and two schools, St Peter’s Primary School in North Bendigo and Eaglehawk Secondary College, have developed an excellent Koori education programme. All this is good.

At the same time formidable issues still confront us, particularly in rural and remote Australia.

- The initiative of the West Australian government to close many out centres and small communities has not been welcomed by elders - The over representation of indigenous people in the prison system - The lack of employment opportunities for indigenous youth I want to acknowledge the work of Robyn Davis and Ed King who, in this diocese, are tireless in their work for indigenous people and raising these issues amongst our parishes and communities. I have asked Robyn to move a motion at Synod requesting the diocese to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) which we will hear about later in Synod.

Rural and Regional Australia Youth Along with our indigenous people in rural and regional Australia, other Australians are equally afflicted by some major problems, particularly amongst youth.

1) The Ice Epidemic: This drug is a blight and causes misery and violence whenever it is in use. Some country areas in fact seem to be more afflicted than suburbia, although the government enquiry into the Ice Epidemic, headed by former Victorian Police Commissioner Ken Lay, has already applauded the Rural City of Mildura for its efforts to tackle the problem. It will be interesting to see what the enquiry recommends.

2) Youth suicide: This still remains at a much higher level in rural and regional areas, particularly among young males, and is a cause of real concern. Why is it so high?

There are many reasons and it is a complex issue, but high levels of youth unemployment seems to be consistently identified as a factor.

Budgets Out of the state and federal budgets there appear to be some gains for the area the diocese covers, but also some misses.

Wins:  

The standardisation of the Maryborough-Mildura rail line (Murray Darling Rail Standardisation project) The continuing funding of the new Bendigo Hospital

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  

Landscaping of the Calder Highway through Wedderburn Upgrade of the Bendigo Airport Upgrade of the Mildura Airport

Losses:   

No new bridge (yet) for Echuca Lack of funding for rural highways Cut backs in health and welfare funding

I am sure based on your local knowledge you can add more to my short list.

Stronger Regions Fund As you will see from the image controversy has arisen over the Federal Government’s Stronger Regions Fund after almost half of the grants have gone to suburban electorates.

In a way I think the suburban projects are justifiable, but the Stronger Regions Fund was largely to assist regional Australia. The projects that have been funded will assist many communities across our nation and reflect the tension between urban growth and the need for capital expenditure across rural and regional Australia.

The diocese applied for a grant towards the restoration of the Cathedral belltower, but as you can see were we not in the first round of funding.

From The Weekly Times

Same-Sex Marriage Bill As Synod gathers this year it has come as no surprise to me that our Federal Parliament is moving towards consideration of a same-sex marriage bill for Australia. This has been on the horizon for a long time and vigorously opposed by most churches and various Christian groups. However, following the recent Irish referendum and that nation’s strong vote in favour of a same-sex marriage, the Labor party has decided to bring the matter to a head in Federal parliament. The media is reporting that with senior Liberal and Labor MPs likely to support the changes to the Marriage Act is it likely to succeed.

I also noted with interest the following comments from the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin as quoted in the Roman Catholic daily interest news journal Eureka Street: Archbishop Martin said very clearly that he was voting ‘no’, and explained why in terms of faith-informed reasons that were accessible. Now, in response to the result, he acknowledges that the Church needs ‘a reality check across the board’, that it has to find a new language to get its message across, particularly to young people, and that if teaching isn’t expressed in terms of love then the Church has got it wrong.

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But one senses that it is more than a new language that is required. When the teaching on male/female complementarity is invoked as part of the argument to bar women from office; when the teaching on natural law forbids contraception and describes homosexual relations as intrinsically disordered in a way that jars with the ‘sense of the faithful’ of so many of the baptised, then the Church, despite the many wise things it has to say on sexuality and parenthood, loses credibility.

I would make the following comments: (i)

Australia, we need to understand, is no longer a Christian country. Although our foundation, laws and institutions since white settlement have evolved from the JudeoChristian tradition, in the last thirty years Australia, as a nation, has changed dramatically. We are a multi faith, culturally diverse nation and Christians are now seen as a minority, and one of many groups that make up the dynamic of this nation

(ii)

If the Marriage Act is changed all Christians can hope for is a ‘conscience clause’ in the new Act that does not make it mandatory for churches to be used for same-sex marriages or require clergy to officiate at same-sex marriage.

(iii)

No matter what your personal view, and in an open democracy we are all entitled to our views, we need to accept whether we like it or not, that Christians do not have the monopoly on the laws that govern the moral life of this country.

For centuries Christians have mostly held the view that marriage is between a man and a woman and claimed this is the view of the Scripture and the Church. In reality, the way we now understand marriage as between man and woman by law is a relatively recent development of the past 400 years.

(iv)

The Churches are undertaking sadly very few marriage ceremonies in Australia at the present time and I don’t believe that changes to the Marriage Act will make much difference. As a Church I think we need to accept that the Marriage Act will change to allow same-sex marriage and you will either in conscience reject it, accept the changes and even embrace them. I will accept the changes!

Ordinations and Appointments Ordinations  The Rev’d Pam Lawry was ordained a priest on 1 February 2015 and is working as an OLM in the Parish of Pyramid-Hill Boort  The Rev’d Brendan McDonald was ordained a priest on 1 February 2015 and is leading the Mission District of Common Ground Maiden Gully Appointments  The Rev’d Heather Marten was appointed Sub Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral and Ministry Development Officer for the Diocese on 1 October 2014.  The Rev’d Heather Marten was appointed to the Goe Canonry of St Paul’s Cathedral on 5 October 2014.  The Rev’d Ian Howarth was appointed as Team Leader of Central Highlands Cluster, incorporating the parishes of Kyneton and Woodend, on 1 November 2014, with the 25

   

    

Rev’d Heather Vander Reest appointed Associate Priest and the Rev’d Dr Charles Sherlock appointed as Honorary Associate Priest.

The Rev’d Christine Kimpton was appointed Acting Rector of the Parish of Maldon on 12 October 2014.

The Rev’d Terry Templer was appointed Priest in Charge of the Parish of Heathcote on 1 January 2015.

The Rev’d Andrew Gall from the Uniting Church of Australia was inducted into the Parish of Central Mallee on 29 January 2015.

The Rev’ds Alipate and Erin Tuineau were appointed Assistant Curates of the North Central Cluster, incorporating the parishes of Inglewood and Charlton-Donald on 8 February 2015.

The Rev’d Sharon Valentino was appointed Acting Rural Dean of the Campaspe Deanery on 19 February 2015.

The Rev’d Gregory Chiang was appointed Rector of the Parish of Bendigo East on 1 March 2015.

The Rev’d Glenda Templer was appointed Bishop’s Chaplain - Pastoral Support to the Clergy on 30 March 2015.

The Rev’d George Hemmings was appointed Priest in Charge of the Parish of Echuca on 17 April 2015.

The Rev’d Stuart Winn was inducted as Rector of the Parishes of Rochester and Lockington on 14 May 2015.

New parishes  The Central Highlands Cluster incorporating the parishes of Kyneton and Woodend was established on 1 November 2014.  The North Central Cluster, incorporating the parishes of Inglewood and CharltonDonald was established on 8 February 2015.  The new Parish of Bendigo East, combining the congregations of the House of the True Light and Christ Church East Bendigo, to be known as Christ’s True Light Church, was inaugurated on 1 March 2015.  The Strathfieldsaye Community Church was established, combining the Anglican and Uniting congregations, led by the Rev’d Steve Weickhardt.

Deconsecrations  St Stephen’s Emu Creek was deconsecrated on 19 October 2014 Thanks  The Diocese could not function without the Registry: Anne, General Manager and Registrar and the staff: Jackie, Sarah, Rhonda, Andrew, Heather and our volunteers Graham and Val.  To The Senior Leadership Team (SLT), Dean and Vicar General John, Archdeacon Greg and Registrar Anne.  To Bishop Ron for the Ministry Formation Programme which has now transitioned to be led by Canon Heather Marten.  To the clergy and laity of the diocese who faithfully day in day out are serving the Church.  To Mr Ian Dallas as Chancellor for his dedication and wisdom.

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     

 

To Mr John Henry as Advocate for all his expertise and assistance To the Diocesan Trustees To the Senior Staff Group: The Dean, Archdeacons, and Rural Deans.

The Diocesan Council and Diocesan Executive Committee for their leadership and service.

To the Churchwardens, Parish Secretaries, Treasurers and all who serve on Parish Councils.

To The Rev’d Dr Charles Sherlock for editing ‘The Spirit’ and the Editorial Committee, chaired by The Rev’d Bryn Jones, and to Barrie Hanson for assisting with production and distribution.

To Bishop Jeremy Ashton for his co-ordination of the Supply Team and for all those clergy who serve across the Diocese as part of the Team.

To all those who serve in a variety of capacities across the Diocese, in congregations, communities, parishes, organisations, op shops and a host of other capacities.

Conclusion It is time to bring this address to a conclusion.

Jesus said: “Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

(Matthew 11: 28-30) Could you feel these words of Jesus as I read them speaking to you about heart and soul?

They are wonderful reassuring words for all of us involved in the life of the Church, its mission and ministry. Our Lord knew we would have heavy loads, but as he says ‘learn from me’. Our Lord’s own ministry to us is to take heart from his gentleness and humility and learn we will begin to feel the burden lifted and refreshed for the future.

May these words of Jesus encourage and inspire us as individuals and as a diocese for the journey ahead. +AWC May 2015

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APPENDIX 1 Sample Parish Council Covenant Honesty

We will be truthful and honest in our communication with each other. We will be willing to share our reflections, concerns, observations and ideas with each other.

Loyalty

We will be loyal in our support of one another in discussions with other parish council members and with parishioners. We will avoid allowing ourselves and others to be triangled or divided.

Accord

We will not avoid disagreements and we will be willing to resolve conflict through agreed appropriate processes. We will seek assistance when needed.

Commitment

We will be diligent in providing each other with information and other resources that are needed to fulfil our role. We will be mindful of the expectations clergy and the parish have of us in our position. We will be committed to thoughtful and participatory decision making.

Regularity

We will be intentional in giving appropriate priority to parish council meetings.

Prayer

We will pray regularly for our ministry team, their families, for each other and for the growth and health of the parish.

Learning

We will be purposeful in encouraging and stimulating each other to learn, grow and explore new ideas together.

Affirmation

We will affirm the value of having different personalities, life experiences and faith journeys. We will respect and accept each other and learn to serve alongside each other.

Confidentiality

We will keep confidential things which are shared with us in the context of a trusted leadership environment. We are free to share the impact of these disclosures on us without revealing the source.

Encouragement

We will seek to encourage and affirm one another in the service of God and this parish.

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