The
monthly Anglican Diocese of Bendigo
february 2015
issue 107
Priested: Brendan McDonald and Pam Lawry with Bishop Andrew outside St Augustine’s, Inglewood
Ordained as priests in the Church of God Bryn Jones
S
t Augustine’s Inglewood was bulging at its capacious seams on the afternoon of Sunday 1 February as more than 250 people of all ages gathered to celebrate the ordination to the priesthood of Brendan McDonald and Pam Lawry. Both Brendan and Pam spoke of the day as the culmination of long journeys of testing and discernment. The delight expressed by their families and friends suggested their journeys had led to the right destination.
Inside:
3 decades of foster care page 4
Canon Heather Marten preached on the difficulty of defining priesthood in measureable terms. She asked: “How do you measure the attentiveness and care it takes to conduct a funeral and support a family through that experience?” Clearly the work of clergy is important but difficult to quantify. Heather reminded Pam and Brendan that while there was no greater joy than sharing in the ministry of Jesus, there was also no deeper sorrow than sharing in his suffering for the world. This, Heather
Speaking truth - and Australia Day page 5
reasoned, is the challenging vocation of a priest in the Church of God. Following the service the congregation crossed the road to St Augustine’s hall to enjoy generous country hospitality and to listen to some encouraging words about each of the ordinands. Barry Rainsford concluded the proceedings by marvelling at Pam’s capacity to hold a smile. Perhaps that is what Christian ministry is about after all: receiving God’s smile and sharing it with others.
Gannawarra Cluster Christmas round up page 9
Media Matters - ‘Je suis Alan Jones’ ? page 11
The Bishop writes tragedies and the follies, the crimes and the myths and the hope. With 90% of our population now living within 100km of the coast, the bush continues to have a powerful influence on Australian identity and society.
Christianity: an ‘agricultural religion’?
friends, DearGreetings for 2015. I hope
the New Year has been a good beginning for you. The Bush
D
uring January I have been reading the latest book by Australian author Don Watson, entitled The Bush. Don was born on a dairy farm in South Gippsland and currently lives on the edge of the diocese in the Macedon Ranges. I haven’t found it an easy book to read, but as the cover leaf says: “No one who reads this book will look at this country in the same way again”. It is a large book of over 400 pages and the author speaks of his own personal journey, but at the same times draws on many authors and commentators ranging from Banjo Patterson and Henry Lawson to Judith Brett and Geoffrey Blainey. To quote again from the cover leaf:
Most Australians live in cities and cling to the coastal fringe, yet our sense of what is Australian is – or should be – drawn from the vast and varied inland called the bush. But what do we mean by ‘the bush’, and how has it shaped us? Starting with his forebears’ battle to drive back nature and eke a living from the land, Don Watson explores the bush as it was and as it now is: the triumphs, and the ruination, the commonplace and the bizarre, the stories we like to tell about ourselves and the national character, and those we don’t. Via mountain ash and mallee, the birds and the beasts, slaughter, fire, flood and drought, swagmen, sheep and their shepherds, the strange and the familiar, the 2
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nterestingly, the Christian faith also takes much of its context, symbols, stories, parables and incidents in the life of Jesus from a country and agricultural background. There are figs, wheat, barley, sheep, shepherds, lilies of the field, vines and grapes. I once heard Christianity described as an agricultural religion, and that it has always struggled with the development of urbanisation. I am not sure I agree with this, but it is true that the origins of our faith took place largely in an agricultural village society. However, just as most Australians don’t live in it, ‘the bush’ continues to have a profound impact on us as a nation; so also Christianity can speak to our modern contemporary society.
The Bush points out that while the bush has been an enormous contributor to the building of an Australian identity, it is overall a harsh and relentless environment that will never be entirely controlled by science or technology. Our climate more than anything will still reign supreme as the most important determinant of agriculture in this country.
Indigenous Australians and the bush
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on Watson points to the history of the first peoples of this land, who had an innate wisdom about the cycle of the seasons and the sustainability of our environment, whether desert or rain forest. He is convinced that very little of Australia can in the long term sustain intense agricultural production and management. At the same time he admires the resilience and stamina of generations of Australian rural people. Watson recognises that Christian faith played an integral part of this journey and our history. I found The Bush in many ways a disturbing book to read. It points out the harsh and fraught lives that
february 2015
many of the early settlers lived, their constant battle with fire, drought and the vagaries of the climate. Watson also tells in detail of the merciless treatment of the first peoples of this land, and how many - both black and white - lived miserable lives destroyed by alcohol, loneliness and deprivation.
Lent 2015: reflecting on Australian context
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s we approach the season of Lent this year, reflect on our history and the place of the bush and the early settlement of this land. What can we learn from it? What values do we see coming form it? How can it speak to our church and contemporary society at this time? These are big issues, but they deserve our time and attention. With blessings,
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Monthly newsmagazine of the Anglican Diocese of Bendigo
Address: The Spirit, PO Box 2, Bendigo 3552 Member, Australian Religious Press Association Telephone: 03 5443 4711 General: thespirit@bendigoanglican.org.au Editor: The Revd Dr Charles Sherlock charlesherlock@gmail.com Committee Chair: The Revd Canon Bryn Jones The Spirit is published in the first week of the month (excluding January). Advertising rates are available from the Editor. All advertisements are accepted at the Editor’s discretion; acceptance does not imply endorsement of the product or service. Contributions are welcome, and will be edited. Email contributions are preferred. Anonymous articles will not be considered for publication. Photographs should be sent in digital form to the general email address above. Full size, ‘raw’ files are necessary. Physical photos are normally not returned. The Anglican Diocese of Bendigo and the Editor are not responsible for opinions expressed by contributors, nor do these necessarily reflect the policy of the diocese. Contributions for the next issue must be submitted by Friday 20 February.
www.bendigoanglican.org.au
New: The logo for the newly formed Strathfieldsaye Community Church
A ‘community church’ model takes shape in Strathfieldsaye Steve Weickhardt
A
new Strathfieldsaye ‘Mission District’ of the Anglican Church is now working officially in partnership with Strathfieldsaye Uniting Church.
This development follows several years of co-operative ministry, and the decision of the Council of the Diocese late in 2014 to approve the new model of church.
Church and Sunday 9am Anglican/ Uniting Service). “Our Anglican/Uniting relationship has been slowly maturing over the
It communicates to the local community that we are present and part of their life, spiritually and in their service “The name ‘Strathfieldsaye Community Church’ is used for our local identity,” said the Revd Steve Weickhardt, who leads the congregation. “It communicates to the local community that we are present and part of their life, spiritually and in their service. Yet the congregation remains firmly within the broader Anglican and Uniting Churches.” Strathfieldsaye Community Church separates from South East Bendigo Parish as part of the new arrangement, but will remain in close relationship with both that parish and the Bendigo Uniting Church Network. With the sale of St Stephen’s Emu Creek, all services are being held at Strathfieldsaye Uniting Church (Saturday 5pm Family
last five to six years,” Steve said. “We have seen many providential moments in this time. It has been a long journey so far: we would caution any other congregations considering such a partnership to be ‘as wise as serpents and innocent as doves’ (Matthew 10:16). However, we have found, through slow and patient building up of relationships and services, that Christ is indeed the solid rock on which we stand – together. “Our new logo brings together some themes that we believe represent our partnership: the greens and blues of our local area – trees and fields, creeks and Lake Eppalock. The shapes represent our identity – the cross and dove, leaves and rivers, and the different areas of our district.”
Anne Hywood appointed new General Secretary for Anglican Church of Australia Charles Sherlock
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s Anne Hywood has been appointed as the next General Secretary of the General Synod. She commences her new role on 9 February 2015, succeeding Mr Martin Drevikovsky who served as General Secretary for almost seven years.
“Anne comes with a background of experience in both Anglican and corporate environments,” said Archbishop Philip Freier, Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia.
“Her time as Registrar of Adelaide, Registrar of Grafton and member of General Synod, together with other career experiences, will stand her in good stead in preparing to take up this role.” Dr Freier paid tribute to Martin Drevikovsky for his distinguished service in the role. “We have been fortunate to have had Martin’s leadership and management of General Synod and all its associated affairs. We wish him well for the future.” Ms Hywood currently works as the Manager for the Mission-shaped Diocesan Structures project of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne.
General Secretary: Anne Hywood
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Change a life. Donate now.
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Social inclusion is about breaking down barriers and giving people the opportunity to lead fulfilled lives.
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– Bishop Andrew Curnow AM
Donate to St Luke’s a division of Anglicare Victoria
Donate online www.stlukes.org.au Albury • Bendigo • Castlemaine Deniliquin • Echuca • Kyneton Maryborough • Swan Hill
Three decades of caring Sarah Crutch
P
am and Fred Hassell, from Colbinabbin in Elmore parish, recently retired from being foster parents after a remarkable 32 years of opening their home to children in need. It was through Fred’s brother and his wife, who were fostering children, that Pam and Fred became foster parents. In 1982, through St Luke’s Anglicare, they submitted an application along with a reference from Bishop Andrew, then the parish priest of Elmore. Pam and Fred were successful, and in 1983 they received their first foster child was placed with them.
Over their 32 years of caring, Pam and Fred have mainly had children under the age of four years ranging from infants who need around the clock care to pre-school aged children. Each child would stay until they could return home, or have a permanent home to go to, rather than being moved around. A child might stay for just a weekend, a few weeks, or have an extended stay: their most recent child has just left after being with them for two and a half years.
The love of caring
The children have often come from difficult backgrounds and Pam says what they need most is a family to nurture and love them.
Bencourt Care approves funding for projects within the Bendigo Diocese that provide for the relief of need, suffering, sickness, helplessness or poverty of people in the community. The types of projects funded are: a a diverse range of community care services eg aged, palliative and respite care, outreach programs, chaplaincy etc; b seeking out and serving children, young people and adults who are financially, emotionally or socially disadvantaged or marginalised; c establishing and developing charitable work If your parish or group has a project that meets the above criteria please contact Jackie Mullan - Manager at the Registry on 5443 4711 to discuss your proposal and obtain a Bencourt Application form. All applications need to be submitted by Friday, 20 February 2015 for review by the Bencourt Care Board on Monday, 2 March 2015.
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“It’s about loving a child unconditionally,” Pam said. “I love them in spite of their behaviour. You have to think about where they’ve come from and understand that.”
Foster parent: Pam Hassell Pam and Fred delight in receiving cards from their past foster children at Christmas time, and having them return to visit them. Recently one of their foster children visited them along with his fiancé, and he is now a father himself.
Not a job - a ministry!
Foster parents are reimbursed for the work they do, though Victorian rates are the lowest, especially compared with New South Wales. There has been a push to increase reimbursement, however Pam is concerned that this would make foster parenting become more like a job. “The payments cover the expenses, things like food and clothes, but any more than that and it would be seen to be a job. It’s not a job! Because of
Because of my faith, I see it like more of a ministry, something I can give to others”.
“I had one little boy ask me, ‘Pam, why do you love me?’. I said of course I love you, why wouldn’t I love you. I don’t like it when you hit me, but I still love you”.
Reflecting on their time, Pam feels that the most rewarding part of being a foster parent is the love that the children give back to you. “Our most recent child, when she was sick I would carry her around. When I was feeling unwell she would ask ‘Pam, how am I going to carry you? You’re too big!’”
my faith, I see it like more of a ministry, something I can give to others”. The difficult decision to retire from foster caring has come with Fred’s ill health and their age, but they would advise anyone thinking about being a foster parent to “go for it!” Pam and Fred are a truly extraordinary couple who are a wonderful example of how we, in the Anglican Diocese of Bendigo, can contribute to the wider ministry and mission of the Church of God.
And the hardest part about being a foster parent? “Giving them up”.
For more information about being a foster parent contact St Luke’s Anglicare on (03) 5440 1100.
february 2015
www.bendigoanglican.org.au
Speaking truth – and Australia Day Peta Sherlock
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osie Batty is Australian of the Year. I heard the news on the radio on Australia Day morning, as she once more told her sad story. It was a miserable way to wake up. We will have to listen to her all year telling the story of the murder of her son by his own father. We will have to listen to her speak about domestic violence that continues all over our country, and the continuing ways we blame the victim. But I am glad to listen.
Rosie Batty is an extraordinary, intelligent and dignified woman. First, she is a study in grief. Every time she speaks she says something about her son Luke, and how much she loved him. She may eventually convince us that grief never goes away. Our media tends to suggest that the pain will go away if enough grief counsellors are called in. It won’t. It doesn’t. Those who grieve can learn to live with it, but grief is love not wanting to let go. In a way grief is the proof of love. We don’t want to let go, and that is both good and bad. Rosie Batty is a person deep in grief: she will hold it in our faces for a whole year, while we watch her and perhaps learn more about ourselves. She is dignified in the same way that Adam Goodes was dignified in dealing with racial abuse. Neither have shrunk from speaking the truth. Both refused to crawl back in a hole prescribed by their detractors. Neither have given up on their own dignity as a human being. Batty often weeps as she speaks because the pain is so great. But, dignified beyond belief, she keeps speaking through her tears, because speaking the truth matters more than the mild embarrassment of tears. I have often said that speaking the truth is the basic task of ordained ministry. If I interview someone for a funeral, I must say the words ‘dead’, ‘death’ and ‘died’, or no one else will. They
will use odd euphemisms like “gone to a better place”, “passed away” or, the recent and very odd “passed”. If you don’t tell the truth you can’t move on, you can’t grow. Adam Goodes stopped and pointed to the young girl who abused him on that awful day in the AFL Indigenous Round. But then Goodes moved on to deal with the problem as a whole, while treating the young girl with kindness and giving her back her dignity. Of course speaking the truth is not just the task of ordained people but of us all. No church can move on from the past - I mean grow - until people tell the truth about games they have played for decades. But telling the truth cannot happen all at once, it is too dangerous. Indeed, when Truth walked on this earth we crucified him. But there is a cost to the speaker of truth. There will be more pain. It would be easier for Rosie Batty to bury the misery deep in her psyche, to smile and pretend life is OK and the grief is over after twelve months. But she is too intelligent for that - and that causes us to listen more deeply. Do not blame the victim for not knowing what was about to happen. Do not blame abused women who have had the life bashed out of them for years. Do not blame the mother of the perpetrator for poor toilet-training methods in his childhood! Everyone, says Batty, everyone must take responsibility for their own actions. As Rosie Batty grieves publicly and speaks the truth, may she at the very least embarrass us into action. And people of faith ought to pray for her, for she is doing a godly task.
Christmas at Emu Glenis Wharton
O
n Christmas Eve 2014 All Saints’ Emu was filled to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Canon Heather Blackman gathered the children out the front and told them all about the birth of our Lord Jesus, and why we celebrate Christmas. They were given colouring pencils and sheets and happily worked on these during the service, at Heather’s feet. After the service blue and white balloons were handed out to the children to mark the occasion. WORLD FAMOUS CONCERT ORGANIST & CARILLONNEUR
HANS HIELSCHER
By popular request, we welcome back to Echuca for the third time, Mr Hans Hielscher who will be performing again at the Anglican Church, 500 High Street, Echuca on Monday 16th March at 7.00 pm. Supper served at conclusion of recital and included in ticket price of $25.00. For queries phone Glenise: 0419585104
The Diocese of Bendigo expects the highest standards of professional service from its Clergy and Lay Ministers.
IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT Please call (free)
1800 135 246
A phone call to the above number will mean that your complaint will be handled by the Director of Professional Standards. The Diocese is a full participant in the Victorian Anglican Provincial Abuse and Harassment Protocol. This is an independent, objective procedure adopted by the Diocese of Bendigo.
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Around the Diocese Northern Mallee – Kids’ Church breakup The request from the troops was for some old fashioned fun at our Christmas break up – so out with the sack races, egg and spoon, including a bit of egg throw and catch with Fr Michael Hopkins. The result was lots of fun down by the Murray River. This group of about 10-12 children has been meeting each week for four years. They enjoy their Sunday time together with lots of laughs, activities many of which end up decorating the church - and a Bible story. - Kris Hopkins
Games: The eggs and spoon race and sack race
ABM Bendigo Auxiliary plans for 2015 The Auxiliary is a group of people from around the diocese who meet during the year to plan, share ideas and fellowship to support the work of the Anglican Board of Mission. They then promote, plan and coordinate fundraising events and awareness of ABM in their own deaneries and parishes. In 2015 our diocesan group is pleased to support the National Auxiliary Project ‘Paving the way for a brighter future in Myanmar’. This involves raising funds to train clergy and Sunday School teachers, support youth music bands and video editing, and provide evangelism and mission seminars throughout Myanmar.
Youth band: Children playing the keyboard
“I encourage you to watch out for events in your own parish,” said Kris Hopkins, Auxiliary chair. “Come along and support this vital work. The Auxiliary next meets on Tuesday 10 February from 11am in the diocesan Registry – you are welcome to come along and support ABM.” - Kris Hopkins
Messy Christmas at Sunraysia South The theme for the latest ‘Messy Church’ at Sunraysia South was ‘Expect the unexpected’, focusing on the Jesus and his birth. The well attended service, under the leadership of Brenda, was very diverse in the activities, videos and songs included, and in the message given. One highlight was the rector Dale Barclay and two others providing actions to a parody of the song ‘Born to be wild’. The song, found by our audio visual team leader Mark, was called ‘Born to be king’ and fitted in well with our theme. It was certainly unexpected during the service - there will probably never be a repeat performance. It was great service of diverse elements, all focusing on the Lord Jesus. - Dale Barclay 6
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Born to be wild: Ryan Woods, Mark Woods and Dale Barclay
february 2015
www.bendigoanglican.org.au
Around the Parishes
Birds join in worship on Gunbower creek On 21 August 2014 Gunbower Anglicans held their service on the banks of the Gunbower Creek. We were privileged to have Bishop Andrew Curnow and his wife Jan participate, along with the Revd Catherine Dawson, who helped with the service. Over 70 folk from Cohuna, Leitchville and our local community enjoyed the beautiful sunny morning service. The music for the hymns was provided by Dawn Keath and her girls on guitars, as well as the tweeting of the bird life flying around us. The service was followed with a bring and share lunch in the nearby complex which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Thank you to all who attended. God be with you all. - Betty McGillivray
Creekside: The congregation at the Gunbower Creek Service
Food, fun and film at All Saints’ Tatura The first weekend of December was a busy one for All Saints’ Tatura, beginning on Friday evening. We held our first BBQ tea and Christmas movie night for the families who attend our Wednesday ‘Mainly Music’ sessions: over 40 people of all ages from babies through to a great-grandmother came. “It was a wonderful chance to meet the older siblings and fathers of our ‘Mainly Music’ pre-schoolers,” said the Revd Jude Benton. The evening was such a success it is likely that we’ll do more such evenings in 2015, particularly as we have the ideal facility for similar events.
Play: Kids from the ‘Mainly Music’ program enjoy the Christmas night
Bishop Andrew Curnow came to officiate at the Sunday service. Part of the morning included the re-dedication of a stained glass window from St John’s Toolamba. Originally given by the Pogue family, it had been removed when St John’s was sold earlier this year. Local builder Wayne Rogers has done a wonderful job fitting it into All Saints’, providing a reminder of the historical link between the two churches. - Jude Benton
Diamond wedding anniversary Michael and Elizabeth Grounds (widely known as Elizabeth Sinclair) chose to celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary as a renewal of vows and eucharist at St Paul’s Cathedral on Saturday 20 December. Elizabeth and Michael gave each other diamonds - great big cubic zirconias actually - and played their instruments for the fifty people present to sing The Anniversary Waltz. Then everyone joined in eating wedding cake and drinking champagne. Elizabeth wore a ‘onesie’ in white satin, made for the occasion by Michael, who had also made his white jacket. - Michael Grounds
Renewed: Michael and Elizabeth Grounds with Dean John Roundhill 7
Praying in the New Year, with pleasure Jan Harper
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n New Year’s eve eleven Swan Hill parishioners met to pray for the year ahead. We brought clocks, candles and egg timers and all things to do with time, and ended up with a marvellous array on the altar as we contemplated the past year and looked forward to 2015. The liturgy included this prayer:.
Helper in our past and hope for our future, hold our good intentions, free us from that which keeps us from the good, and enable us to move into the coming year with your love behind, beside, and before us. Amen. Each of us chose a word that fitted in with our personal New Year resolution from Ecclesiastes 3.1-13 – ‘for everything there is a season’. I was thinking of choosing ‘dancing’, but it was already taken by someone else. So I chose ‘throwing away’ – my ‘being busy mindset’ would be very good to throw away, especially considering the final verses from Ecclesiastes 3, so often left off when used in a funeral service:
What gain have workers from their toil? God has made everything suitable for its time; moreover, he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. There is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. And so we did all go off to eat, drink and take pleasure in our toil after that off to Niko Niko for a lovely JapaneseKorean New Year’s Eve meal.
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Why being very old matters John Roundhill
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t Paul’s front fence holds a series of mildly provocative posters dealing with issues of concern for the cathedral’s congregations - asylum seekers, human sexuality, cultural misogyny. The posters have gathered some comment, on Facebook and elsewhere. One poster, however, has not garnered much comment. “A Young Earth?” it asks, with the reply “Get with the times: the Big Bang was about 14 billion years ago and the earth is about 4.5 billion years old.”
For much of my time as a priest the issue of evolution has been in the background. “I have to admit I have a problem with that” someone might say, but the conversation would flow on without any rancour. Yet in recent years the issue of belief in evolution has hardened.
Why should a church have a position on the age of the universe? For many Christians this is the kind of issue which receives the reply, “Can’t we leave this to the scientists? Does it matter how old the earth is? Isn’t that Jesus is Lord what matters?”
Along with the age of the world and evolution comes anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change another issue that divides Christians. Not too surprisingly, most of those who believe the earth is young and doubt evolution are also sceptical about human-caused climate change.
To be wilfully scientifically illiterate has as great a consequence as being literally illiterate. It matters to others what you believe about these issues. Does the age of the earth matter when we read the Bible? Some Christians do not agree with the scientific consensus that it is 4.5 billion years old. They believe it is much younger, about 6-10,000 years old. If those numbers don’t look that different, see them like this: 10,000 vs 4,500,000,000!
And here is the rub for me. You might joke about apes and humans sharing ancestry. It might be quaint to have an aunty who thinks the Grand Canyon is 4,000 years old. But where is the humour and quaintness in losing your house to a freak weather event, one exacerbated by climate change?
Young earth creationists read Genesis 1 with the view that the universe is not that old. You might say it is their reading of Genesis that leads them to think the world is just a babe in arms, so to speak. Either way, the age of the earth becomes totemic of how we read the Bible.
Christianity has for centuries been at the forefront of human thought and endeavour. It has spawned great science. Christians believe that the truth matters, that in fact the truth can set you free. To be wilfully scientifically illiterate has as great a consequence as being literally illiterate. It matters to others what you believe about these issues.
Scientific evidence holds that the earth is old, old enough for continents to rise and fall, old enough for dinosaurs to reign supreme and become extinct - and old enough for the evolution of life. It is perhaps little surprise that those advocating a young earth are often aligned with those advocating creation science, and those who deny the process of evolution.
february 2015
The posters outside St Paul’s will be around for a while longer. I hope those about science get as much attention as the social issue ones. The two are linked - but that is hardly a surprise in a God-ordained world.
Responses are invited to John’s article. Email thespirit@bendigoanglican.org.au
www.bendigoanglican.org.au
Style: Santa arriving at Cohuna in a Dodge hot-rod ute
Pudding: Judy Worrall with dessert
Gannawarra Cluster – glad tidings of comfort and joy! Simon Robinson
Cohuna: Santa sleighs them in style! Cranmer Church Cohuna is heavily involved in the local community carols. Integral to this is our role as Santa’s elves – stocking his sack with gifts of delicious lollies accompanied by a positive message about Jesus and the reason for Christmas.
In 2013 Santa arrived at the carols on the back of the rector’s Victory Judge motorbike. In 2014 the ante was upped: Santa had the honour of arriving in a Dodge hot-rod ute driven by our Uniting Church mate John Webb. (Apparently Santa is Anglican and maintains a Cohuna address, but I am sworn to secrecy.)
Kerang: earth-shattering Christmas Kaboom and feeding the 5000!
St John’s continues to find itself as the turning point for some of the greatest Christian mission work in Kerang. December 2014 saw the six churches of Kerang work together to deliver the largest community event of the year: the Kerang Community Carols. Our combined churches were assisted by five schools, the shire, police, CFA, SES, and six community groups. Over 400 people attended, enjoying jumping castles, face-painting, trainrides, a wonderful carols programme led by talented church musicians, headlined by a great gospel message by Presbyterian minister Pastor Miles and concluding with Kerang’s first fireworks display since New Year’s
1999. They were seen as far away as Lake Charm and Murrabit! This gift from the churches totally blew the community away, going by the continuous unsolicited feedback. What also blew them away was the ministers standing united with our Roman Catholic colleague, Fr Peter Ferwarda, to thank God for his ministry and lay hands on him in prayer as he departs the district for another appointment. Many nonChristian folk found this astonishing, given Kerang’s sorry history of division between denominations. They will know we are Jesus’ disciples if we have love, one for another. Apart from being in the thick of the fireworks, St John’s laid on a community lunch on Christmas Day that was supported by the other churches, along with community groups and individuals. Attendees not only sat down to lunch, every person received a gift, a Christmas cake and a basket of locally grown fruit to take home. The meal was attended by people from all walks of life, with locals being joined by folk from Swan Hill, Quambatook and Cohuna. I was overwhelmed by the gratitude and joy that people conveyed to me as they left. The Revd Gayle Teasdale listened to the Holy Spirit and kicked off this important ministry in 2012. The first year saw 20 gathering, the second over 40, and this year 85 there is clearly a need for it, and the
Holy Spirit has led the way. Community members donated the funds for the food, and a small committee coordinated the day. Throughout the year Lorraine Adams, with help from Katrina Robinson, made and sold 1500 bon-bons, along with many gingerbread houses, to pay for the presents given out. Lorraine had the brain-wave on Boxing Day 2013, and has been an unstoppable Christmas force ever since! For her tireless efforts, Lorraine was nominated as Kerang Citizen of the Year for the shire’s Australia Day awards. Despite being the oldest and smallest congregation in Kerang, we punch well above our weight. If we can do these things, what might you be doing for Jesus in your community?
Gannawarra Refugee Support Group
A balmy January afternoon saw the Gannawarra Refugee Support Group lay on a free family fun day by the creek at Cohuna. Forty asylum seekers bussed down from Swan Hill joined with the Group, the congregation of Cranmer the Martyr, along with our mayor and deputy mayor for a mountain of barbeque meat and salad. Conversation, cricket, soccer, bocce and swimming were enjoyed by an 80plus multicultural crowd! The Group continues to work at breaking down barriers and stereotypes through events such as this. A few attitudes were changed for the better that day. 9
Feeding Faith
A Womb with a View Angela Morrissey
The mystery and celebration of the unborn is mentioned in passages like these:
“Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I chose you for a special work. I chose you to be a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) And this ...
You formed the way I think and feel. You put me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because you made me in such a wonderful way. I know how amazing that was! You could see my bones grow as my body took shape, hidden in my mother’s womb. You could see my body grow each passing day. You listed all my parts, and not one of them was missing. (Psalm 139:13-16) According to these passages, even before we enter this world we are special and known to the Lord. His eyes see us even when we are a body still in formation, before the course of our destiny is mapped out and laid out before us. Sigmund Freud went so far as to say that our personalities are predetermined. In Genesis 25, Rebekah’s twin boys jostled in her womb. Already their personalities were in formation, and their futures mapped out with feuding between their descendants – read the following chapters to see how this worked out. Mary went to visit her relative Elizabeth, seemingly too old to be pregnant, whose baby leapt for joy when she heard Mary’s greeting. In some mysterious way the Holy Spirit produced this remarkable response in the unborn baby in the womb – who would grow to be John the Baptist.
Unborn: Even before we are born we are known to the Lord 10
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Beating around the bush
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Above and below
ave you ever needed on-going medical treatment, but living outside the regional or metropolitan area had to travel quite a distance to receive it? Or perhaps a family member or friend needs this treatment, and you are involved in providing the essential transport.
Bishop Ron Stone
In a compact State such as Victoria, in some areas local government subsidises transport, supported by volunteers. I m a g i n e , however, living in the outback and needing such assistance when specialist care is hundreds and hundreds of kilometres away. Here the ‘tyranny of distance’ and ‘isolation’ are really felt. Last year in The Spirit I wrote of the wonderful, often life-saving, service that the Royal Flying Doctor Service brings to our sister and brother Australians living and working in the outback. But what if on-going specialist care and treatment is needed, and it is only available hundreds and hundreds of kilometres away?
response to referral of the patient. This is an entirely different provision from that of the RFDS. At some stage in 2015 it is expected that this charity will have completed 18,000 flights. The ‘Earth Angels’ are volunteers on the ground who meet the aircraft at the end destination and provide transport of the needy person to and from the airport to the medical specialist or necessary treatment. ‘Angel Flight’ has a special place in my thoughts and prayers because I know of how important its work is in the outback – and even, on occasion, in this diocese. If you would like to find out more go to www.angelflight.org. au: there are various ways to assist, from offering flying skills and aircraft through to telling the story of the work. And the story of ‘Angel Flight’ helps one in finding a realistic and rational belief in angels (derived from the Greek for ‘messengers’). Christian
The story of ‘Angel Flight’ helps one in finding a realistic and rational belief in angels. Christian belief in angels is another way of saying that people and things can become messengers of God. Let me tell you about the ‘angels’ – ‘Angel Flight’ and ‘Earth Angels’ – and the wonderful volunteer service they provide for people living far outside regional centres. ‘Angel Flight’ is a charitable service established in 2003 by a Queenslander, a business man and pilot, named Bill Bristow. Bill has inspired other volunteer pilots to give their time and the costs of the flying of their aircraft, free of charge, for medically needy people “where other forms of transport are physically and emotionally taxing or unaffordable.”
belief in angels is another way of saying that people and things can become messengers of God. There are many places in the scriptures where angels were mistaken for ordinary people. An angel today can be a pilot or driver, sent by God, providing transport without charge for a person needing a medical specialist or treatment.
‘Angel Flight’ as an organisation provides the fuel, and coordinates the
God might have a need of you and me for the work of being angels. For Christian faith holds that God cares for individuals, provides for individuals and uses messengers - angels if you prefer - to do so.
february 2015
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Letter to the editor View Hill Fellowship and All Saints Old Cathedral In The Spirit of December it is stated that the All Saints’ Old Cathedral site “has been under-utilised since 1989”. This is far from the truth.
Peter Downes began View Hill Fellowship in about 1992, and I followed him as Rector in 1995 until my retirement in 2007. During this time a large and vital congregation existed: for some years numbers did not fall below 150 and were at times up to 300. Bishop Oliver Heyward set it up to be a vehicle of evangelism and encouragement for the gospel of Jesus Christ. The 1997 View Hill Fellowship ordinance enabled it to operate as an ‘outreach centre’ of the diocese, and not as a normal parish: its ‘boundaries’ were those of the diocese. Under Bishop David Bowden the Fellowship became known throughout the diocese for training in church growth, evangelism, stewardship and other topics. Camps were held for youth across the diocese, seeing many give their lives to Jesus. At least one priest in this diocese grew up at View Hill and was on the nonordained staff for a time. View Hill Fellowship also became the focal point of ‘Pray Bendigo’, which for over a decade gathered churches together and was called on by Bendigo City Council and police to deal with social issues in the city, through prayer and direct action. The old All Saints’ deanery was used as an office and meeting rooms for Scripture Union, Gospel Outreach Ministry of Australia and other agencies. In 2001 I invited Gregory Chiang to come from Singapore to start the Chinese ministry, The House of the True Light. It has relocated to Christ Church East Bendigo and is continuing its ministry as a new parish combining the old Christ Church and the House of the True Light. A full history of the unique ministry of View Hill Fellowship needs to be written. - John Steele
media matters W
‘Je suis Alan Jones’?
hen I first heard of the killing of the staff of satirical journal Charlie Hebdo, I was not sure what to think. Of course I did not agree with the violence, but there were memories of something aggressively secular about Paris when I visited some years ago. Peta Sherlock For years Charlie Hebdo regularly satirised the Christian Church and the Jewish faith as well as Islam. Perhaps it was coincidence, but the local Roman Catholic Cardinal has reported receiving death threat every month or so. While world leaders abhorred the recent violence, the French President said some things that jarred. He asked people to stand with France for democracy, freedom - and pluralism. But these ideals each have limits. France bans the wearing of the burqa, so other concerns obviously outweigh pluralism in the matter of religious dress. In the end the killing was done by citizens of France for whom pluralism did not work. When our Prime Minister chimed in with, “I hope journalists never have to self-censor” and cliches about “free speech”, I felt a media column coming on. As I have written before, I do not believe in free speech. I say it again: I believe in responsible speech. That’s why we also have laws about defamation. We should not be permitted to say whatever we like. All journalists should self-censor (or their editors should). I wish shockjock Alan Jones would do some self-censoring once in a while: I will never say “Je suis Alan Jones”! One radio talkback listener insisted that cartoonists were not journalists. I imagine he was assuming that journalists simply report the objective truth, not realising that no one can give an objective version of an event. We are all biased in some way. The caller probably thought that cartoonists just draw funny pictures. Cartoonists are journalists, trying to get at the truth by pushing us into
new ways of thinking. I still remember Petty’s 1980s cartoon where a group of bishops stand on a platform above a group of men standing on a platform above a group of women. One woman was trying to climb up to a higher level while a bishop leaned over and said, “Stop, you’ll upset the unity of the church!” How true! Michael Leunig is one of our most acclaimed local cartoonists. While his insights into daily news and life may unsettle us, he has developed an alternative way of life through the gentle and lovable Mr Curly. Cartoonists and journalists, like all of us, can choose between actions that make for peace or for war, negotiation or violence. Then came Charlie Hebdo’s first issue after the massacre, with the Prophet Mohammed holding a “Je suis Charlie” placard, a tear running down his cheek, and “All is forgiven” over his head. The cartoonist was very clever. No Muslim would put the Prophet in the place of God, able to forgive sins. So what was being forgiven? The murderers? The journalists? Islam? France? And the journal hereby continued to bait Muslims by drawing images of the Prophet. I have wondered if “Je suis ...” recalls the famous French philosopher Descartes, who famously said “I think therefore I am.” Descartes’ philosophy expressed the modernist worldview with its supreme confidence in mankind’s abilities. “Je suis ...” can be a backdoor way of being aggressively anti-religion and unashamedly individualistic. Then it is no better than the terrorists it opposes. “Je suis Charlie” is one response to terrorism. I prefer the Twitter campaign combating anti-Muslim sentiment after the Sydney coffee shop attack. Thousands of people told Muslim friends who feared a backlash as they travelled in their distinctive dress on public transport, “I’ll ride with you”. 11
Where in the world...
is this church ?
If you can name the church and the city it is located in, you could be our monthly winner! Send your entries in to thespirit@ bendigoanglican.org.au or post to The Spirit at PO Box 2, Bendigo, VIC , 3552. The December issue featured Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. Hugh Elphinstone from View Hill Fellowship was the winner.
From Maryborough to Kenya Andrew Eaton
A
trip to Kenya in January saw Fr Andrew Eaton, Monica Njoroge-Eaton and their family, from Maryborough-Avoca parish, visit two very special places: the Mother’s Mercy Home in Kiambu, and Wings of Compassion home in Nairobi. The Mother’s Mercy Home, a Mothers’ Union orphanage, is home to over 100 children, providing them with not only a home but education as well. It is well set up, and growing in size as the number of children needing a home increases. Monica Njoroge-Eaton presented the home with a sizeable donation raised by the Anglican Men’s Society of Maryborough-Avoca parish and general fundraising. This will help pay for clothes, food and schooling for a number of children in 2015. The Wings of Compassion home in Nairobi provides a home for teenage girls who had fallen pregnant and been kicked out of home. Sadly,
what’s on events calendar
Council of the Diocese Tuesday 10 February Inauguration of HOTL-CC 10.30 am Sunday 1 March Strathfieldsaye Community Church 7.00 pm, Sunday 1 March Installation of the Bishop of Gippsland 10.30 am, Saturday 21 March Safe Ministry Workshop Saturday 21 March Final Service at Fenton’s Creek 10.30 am, Sunday 22 March
Help: Monica Njoroge-Eaton presents a donation
Blessing of the Oils Service 11.00 am, Monday 30 March
almost half had fallen pregnant because of rape.
Got an event coming up? Send the details to thespirit@bendigoanglican.org.au
Wings of Compassion is run by a husband and wife team, passionate to give the girls and their children a second chance in life. A generous donation from the folk of St Michael’s and All Angels Talbot with the enthusiasm of Junita Hayes has meant that 15 year-old Anne will be able to go to school and have all her needs provided for all of 2015. Andrew and Monica thank those who raised funds and gave generously.
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Founded by the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne in 1948 2015-02BSP
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Spirit The
february 2015
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