ANGLICAN MEN’S SOCIETY

The National Council in Australia

NEWSLETTER No. 98 Thirty Forth Year of publication October, 2012 ISSN 1836-7364

“Fragile Masculinity” At the recent AMS National Conference in Tasmania I shared the decision of the CEBS/BMA National Executive to commission a review and restructure of that organisation. Bishop Michael Challen, known to many of you, who is up-to-date with his interest in Sociology and Social Trends Analysis of Australian culture; has teamed with Dr Ian Lillico the Executive Director of Boys Forward Institute to undertake the review and restructuring of CEBS – Boys Ministry Australia. Because I currently hold positions in the National Executives of CEBS and AMS I have taken a keen interest in the mission of the Anglican Church to Men and Boys. The National Church Life Survey results across this nation tell us that the ratio of females to males in our congregations is 2:1. This objective take on the Mission and Outreach of our church tells us we are twice as effective at outreach to females as males.

This was confirmed anecdotally when a rural representative in the Diocese of Perth told me that “religion” and going to church was seen as “sissy” or a “sign of weakness” by a whole generation of men; and yet “deep down they are still hungry for God”! “Yes Bishop, farmers in particular have a lot of time to “think” when they are sitting in a harvester header or rounding up stock on a motorbike! After all they are in the wide open spaces “the wilderness”, with no distractions . . . they think about life alright . . . and a lot of them pray too!”

My rural friend is not only a famer but has sat on the Executive of Wesfarmers and is a corporate high flyer too so I put a lot of credence in his observations. I think we have got two or three generations of Men and Boys who are hard-wired for God but don’t know where to look and if they do are afraid of how it will look to their mates if they are seen “getting all religious”. My friend isn’t just talking about farmers; he is actually identifying a problem in our culture for all males past puberty.

As Steve Biddulph told us in his ground breaking book “Manhood” becoming and being a man in our culture is a really difficult thing. [“Most men don’t have a life . . . we have just learned to pretend.”] 1

The preliminary findings of Bishop Michael Challen and Dr Ian Lillico have found that, if anything, becoming a man and masculinity is even more difficult now than when Steve Biddulph presented us with his findings in 1994. [When boys leave the maternal influence of their mother around the ages of 10-13 years they need men and peers to guide them through adolescence – the most influential time to develop their personalities, beliefs and views on life . . . if a father isn’t present to continue the boys development, delinquency, disengagement, being drawn towards gangs (family substitutes!) and risk taking behaviours (rites of passage substitutes!) are likely] 2

1 Manhood Steve Biddulph: A book about setting men free. Finch Publishing Sydney 1994. Quote from page 1 Chapter I The Problem. 2 CEBS – A Preliminary Statement Dr Ian Lillico 2012 November, 2012 AMS National Newsletter Page

I think much of the social dysfunction we see in Australian culture today is a result of far too many under fathered boys. Furthermore, I think that the church has a huge potential mission field in its ministry and outreach to all males in the Australian cultural context. You will be pleased to learn that AMS like CEBS has commissioned a review and if necessary a restructuring of the way we carry out our core vision and mission of making Christ known to a whole new generation of Men and Boys which isn’t seen as “sissy” or “wussy” or a weakness but a legitimate masculine adventure: to follow Christ because it is simply the best way to live! What do you think?

With my prayers and best wishes.

+Tom Wilmot ______

AMS NATIONAL COUNCIL MEETING 2012

The National Council of the Anglican Men’s Society met at Holy Trinity in Launceston between September 14 and 17 Bishop Tom Wilmot, an Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Perth and National Vice Chairman of AMS led the Council through weekend discussions, prayers and worship and preached at the Eucharist on Sunday morning.

Key-note speaker at the Council on Saturday was the Reverend Dr.Steven Ogden, formerly Dean of St.Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide and currently Principal of St. Francis’ Theological College in Brisbane. AMS members were deeply challenged by Dr.Ogden’s talks and this was reflected during a later debate on a Motion to support the current wording of the Marriage Act. (This motion subsequently passed though by a narrow margin)

The Anglican Men’s Society agreed to offer support to young academic theologians who may be looking to publish their work in Australia. Interested persons should contact the National Secretary of AMS. Steven Ogden is to explore the idea of an essay completion for these theologians. The Anglican Men’s Society also agreed to negotiate with the Newcastle School of Theology and Ministry towards using AMS as a platform for a national extension of the existing Bishop’s Certificate and Diploma Course (on a correspondence basis) for lay persons who may be wanting more knowledge in order to give greater service to the Church in Australia. The Anglican Men’s Society has also agreed to seek a link into a current inquiry into the future for CEBS in Australia. Should AMS be accepted into this inquiry National Council will make a financial contribution.

The Conference Dinner on the Saturday evening was held at the Launceston ‘Lion’s Den’, the headquarters of the Launceston Lion’s club. An excellent meal was complemented with a talk from the Mayor of Launceston, Mr A. Van Zetten, about his faith and the challenges he has faced in his five year term as Mayor of Launceston. Ivan and Val Peters followed with an audio-visual on their involvement in Tanzania and a collection resulted in $560 being donated for the Mission Project. The National Council had earlier agreed to continue “Hearts for Africa” as the National Mission Project for 2013. Note: More information can be found on the Web Site – www.amsnational.org.au

On the Sunday following the Communion Service at Holy Trinity the delegates and wives travelled by bus down the Tamar estuary and visit Cataract Gorge, St, Matthia’s Church, Windermere (built 1842) where a picnic lunch was provided and then to George Town. On the return journey we crossed the Batman bridge and stopped at the Rosevears pub for refreshments. The delight and astonishment on the publican’s face as fifty people enter his quiet rural pub late on a Sunday stands out.

Our collective thanks go to Trevor Cowell, Colin Hingston, Graeme Foster and all members of the Launceston branch for an inspiring weekend backed with excellent catering.

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November, 2012 AMS National Newsletter Page

In 2013 the National Council will meet in Perth, Western Australia and the National Conference in 2014 will be in the Diocese of Newcastle.

STEVEN OGDEN

As a group we were extremely fortunate to have Steven Ogden talk to us about his new book “Love Upside Down : Life, Love and the Subversive Jesus”. A very capable presenter with a lively manner he held everybody’s attention for the morning sessions of the Council meeting. All members present received a copy of his book for further reading. Our thanks go to Neil McMullen for arranging for Steven to attend the weekend in Launceston. Details about his book can be found under Book Reviews.

One section which sums up love and the Anglican Church is found in the following passage – p108

While the Anglican Church does not own love, there is wonderful feisty and creative tradition of love within Anglicanism that has its roots in Celtic Christianity and the medieval mystics. Indeed, the best of Anglicanism is a quirky comprehensiveness that holds together in tension, in love, a rainbow-like array of opinions, people and cultures. From the outside, we have probable looked a very muddled institution at times, but historically that messiness has expressed a passionate commitment to the subversive Jesus, who holds all things together in love. I am not for a moment thinking there is an easy answer, but I am convinced love is our only hope. Love, the love of people, the upside down love of the disruptive kingdom, changes us, our conversations and their outcomes. It is never too late for love. Even if we must go our separate ways (i.e. a breakup of the worldwide Anglican Communion), and that would be regrettable, let’s do it in love.

Our thanks go to Steven for taking the time to come to Launceston and fitting AMS into his busy schedule.

______

37th Year Anglican Men’s Society Weekend for Men Diocese of Newcastle

A Weekend for Men-sponsored by the Anglican Men’s Society in Newcastle Diocese was held in early September at the Camp Elim, south of Forster. What a great weekend it was: a rewarding social gathering but with a wonderful spiritual foundation. Whilst the numbers were modest the enthusiasm from all who came along to the camp-site was boundless and there’s already strong interest in a repeat at the same site in 2013. Leading the weekend’s study into the Epistle to the Ephesians was the Rev’d David Mansfield: “inspirational” “challenging” “enthusiastic” were just some of the responses from the men as they listened to David’s exposition and they also greatly appreciated the opportunities David provided for ‘conversations’ with him. Assisting with the leadership of the weekend the National Lay Vice-Chairman of the Anglican Men’s Society, Trevor Cowell from Perth in Tasmania took on the role of ‘musician’ and led the hymn singing for worship and at the Eucharist on Sunday morning celebrated by David Mansfield: a most moving experience for everyone present The times set aside for ‘Quiet’ were of immense value and the calm environment of Camp Elim was the perfect atmosphere: that and the gregarious meal-times added greatly to a valuable weekend for men of the Anglican Church Pencil in September 13-15th 2013 to repeat the experience as Convener, Neil McMullen, gathers a leadership team for the next Men’s Retreat. Following the leadership of Rev David Mansfield our own Cannon David Battrick Rector of East Maitland has agreed in principle to lead next year’s Weekend for Men. For information Neil can be contacted on Mob:0411105118; ph:0243925328 email: [email protected]

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November, 2012 AMS National Newsletter Page

TWICE SAVED AND BLOWN AWAY

When planning the Newman Men’s camp earlier in the year, I thought it would be good to also offer an invitation to Philip Knight and the men at Port Hedland as we would be camping just up the road(in Pilbara terms) from them. Philip suggested we open it to all the parishes of the Pilbara, which we did and Les Gaulton was also able to join us. Martin Morgan, the National Director of the Church Army, was our speaker and introduced us to T4T, a tried and proven evangelistic method with strong emphasis on the discipleship of new Christians.

So onto the amazing stoy of our camp, the sovereignty of God and a man named Stuart, who God went to enormous lengths to show His love to... At the age of 19, a young man cried out to God to help him as he ran toward the train station. He was on his way to throw himself under a train. On arriving at the station he did just that. Some months later and physically whole, he walked out of hospital. Decades later, on a Friday afternoon, he arrives at the rangers residence at Cape Keraudren, and meets Neil who is waiting for a lift to the campsite where the men of the “Pilbara Men, Men’s Camp” are camping. He offers to give Neil a lift and they arrive much earlier than everybody else. As they wait, he asks Neil if he can join the camp. Neil says yes. That evening everyone gets to meet Stuart who realises that he is among a group of Christian men he has never met before, of whom at least five are evangelists, on a camp where the theme is evangelism! The next afternoon as he speaks with three of the men, Alan Mower, Gary South and Frank Nicol, it becomes obvious to Alan that Stuart is not a Christian. So the three men lead him to faith in Christ. On hearing about his miraculous escpe from death under the train, Gary says to Stuart, “You are twice saved.” During the Communion service next morning, Stuart claims the promises made at his Baptism as his own. We pray giving thanks to God for having saved Stuart physically and eternally, that the Holy Spirit would open his mind to the Scriptures, that they may dwell richly in him and produce fruit thirty, sixty, a hundredfold. At the end of the service, Frank presents Stuart with the bible he was given at his ordination, and my lasting memory will be that of seeing Stuart completely engrossed in reading it. He’d opened it at Genesis 1:1. I don’t think that anyone who joined us on the Men’s Camp ever considered how god could/would use it to answer the decade’s lod cry of a young man, for whom to live was to suffer. But as I would find out a day later, a faithful and seasoned saint had e-mailed my wife Amanda a few days before, “I was praying this morning that there would be an outpouring of the holy Spirit on the Men’s Weekend resulting in a lot of men giving their lives to Jesus.” She had been praying all weekend for exactly that. Blown away? You had better believe it. Not so much because of answered prayer or the faithfulness and goodness of God. I think it was that we were all taken completely by surprise, and perhaps we were found wanting in our understanding of god’s sovereignty. Without any word or insight concerning what He was about to do, God placed a complete stranger among us that he might be saved. With five evangelists, and a weekend of teaching and study about evangelism, you could say Stuart was divinely set-up! Yet, there was no coincidence attached to any of this. It was just too well scripted for it to be anything other than the work of the Holy Spirit, witnessing to and revealing Jesus to Stuart through willing and obedient men who love God. Stuart is making his way back home to NSW and as you can imagine, planning for the camp next year has already commenced Derek McArtney, Newman, W\A - writing in BCA magazine, The Real Australian ______

AMS MISSION PROJECT

AMS nationally have supported the Amani Centre in Tanzania starting in 2006. We do this by sending donations to ‘Hearts of Africa’ in Brisbane who arrange money transfers to Tanzania. Father John Naumann started this centre as his retirement project in 2005. With the assistance of former parishes in Brisbane and Billings, Montana, USA the Amani Centre has become a model for NGOs working in Tanzania and recognise as such by the Tanzanian Government. John was raised on a farm near Toowoomba, Qld and this has helped him greatly in setting up the Amani Centre. It has developed along these lines. Water – reviving old bores and building new bores, irrigation, food crops, education and health programs. In the irrigation and food crop production Ivan and Val Peters from Laidley, Qld have travelled each year to lend their expertise and knowledge to the locals. It was good to have them

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November, 2012 AMS National Newsletter Page present an audio-visual at the conference dinner in Launceston recently. Look for the photos of the Amani schools on the Web Site. – www.amsnational.org.au In John’s last letter he closed with these thoughts:

“Currently there are three young men here from the Sokoine University of Agriculture at Morogoro for their final year Field Work Assignment. These are three FINE young men – a joy to have with us. They have so very much to share which is a great help to our key workers. Presently they are concentrating on the Pig Project. This is a relationship we want to encourage. I know these men will return to the University singing the praises of Amani.

spent some time in conversation with one of the young men, Petro or Peter, tonight. His degree course is in Community Planning and Development. He is so keen to see the rural communities develop. He made this I comment which I must share. He said, “ Makang’wa village is different from other villages. The people are hopeful. As I walk in the village people speak about their plans and hopes. They are thankful for all Amani does but they also see it as an encouragement for their lives. This village is different.”

May God’s blessings ever rest upon you.

John Naumann Managing Director, Amani Development Organization More information: www.heartsforafrica.org and www.amanidevelopment.org ______Paul Duncan writes from Perth.

Clergy House on Rottnest Island. The Rev’d Peter Harrison phoned me a few weeks ago when he was serving as a locum chaplain on the Island. He said he was doing painting and repairs to the Clergy house which AMS had built many years ago. He removed the plaque near the front door. This commemorated A/B Carnley’s dedication of the house when opened. The reverse side of this plaque was also engraved ( organised by the late Harold Boddy) and stated that the house had been built by members of AMS Perth (Harold was also at the dedication). Father Peter said he would replace the plaque with the AMS inscription showing.

Delhi Brotherhood Society (DBS) The DBS was commenced in Delhi by the Cambridge Missionary Society about 100 years ago and AMS have assisted this mission work twice in recent years. In 1988, the Perth Diocesan Council made its mission project the raising of funds to assist the purchase of fans by DBS for its school at Shahidnagar outside East Delhi, in a poor area. In 2007 one of two national mission projects was raising funds to assist with the purchase of a home to house street boys in the same area.

In mid April this year I revisited India, staying five days at the DBS House, founded in 1926, in its new (2003) guest wing for a semi retreat and to see more of the work of DBS. Not only did I attend a two hour English/Tamil confirmation service at the New Delhi Cathedral of the Redemption (built 1931) where the current head of DBS, Fr Ian Weatherall (ages 90) is an associate priest, but also the work done in the Shahidnagar area, guided by the DBS secretary, Fr Monodeep Daniel.

I was shown through the Deenbandhu High School where the fans were operating on a warm day, then the Brotherhood boy’s Home which is adjacent to the school and can accommodate 10 to 12 boys. I was also taken to the St. John’s Vocational Technical Training Centre (Built 1995) where youths are given one year training in a trade to help them find employment. The Boy’s home inmates are given education at the school and the training centre if they have aptitude, otherwise they are given work at DBS and other projects.

The DBS is a registered not for profit organisation which operates a night shelter, Childline and women empowerment centre, a gender resource centre, a recreation centre for the elderly and an old age home, HIV/AIDS targeted intervention, general relief and work for leprosy patients, a centre for speech and hearing impaired children, an agricultural project, a music school, and the Deenbanhu Development Centre.

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In the beginning, the Cambridge Missionary Society also founded St. Stephen’s College (a university) and St. Stephen’s Hospital in Delhi. The DBS should be remembered in our prayers as well as in our practical support.

Yours in WFS - Paul Duncan, Diocesan member, Perth ______.

BOOK REVIEWS

LOVE UPSIDE DOWN – Life, Love and the Subversive Jesus. By Steven Ogden. Published by O- Books in 2011 see www.o-books.net 112 pages. David Boulton review says “You’ll be disappointed in this book if you expect to find something you missed in the Karma Sutra! Steven Ogden’s starting point is a late Iron Age activist named Jesus, a subversive “caused great scandal in the name of love”. Engaging, reflective and challenging

JACK OF ALL TRADES – Mistress of One – An autobiography by Grahame Bond of Aunty Jack fame - 1970’s Television. Published in 2011, by NewSouth Publishing, Sydney, NSW, 2052. Grahame Bond is a great Australian comedian and this is a very funny book of how a Marrickville lad ended up producing TV shows with Peter Weir, Norman Gunston and others.

FIELD GUIDE TO AUSTRALIAN BIRDS by Michael Morcombe –published by Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd, PO Box 1058, Archerfield, Qld in 2000. A most comprehensive and detailed handbook with 3,400 illustrations covering 850 species of Australian birds. ______

DIRECTORY OF NATIONAL COUNCIL OFFICE BEARERS.

Chairman: Vacant

Clerical Vice Chairman: The Right Rev’d Tom Wilmot, GPO Box W2067, Perth, WA, 6846 Tel: 08 9325 7455 - Fax: 08 9325 6741 - e-mail: [email protected] Lay Vice Chairman: Trevor Cowell, PO Box 22, PERTH, Tasmania, 7300 Tel/Fax: 03 6398 2507 - e-mail: [email protected] Secretary: Ivan Holt, 3 Scarborough Road, Vermont South, Vic, 3133. Tel: 03 9886 8516 - e-mail: [email protected] Treasurer: Neil McMullen, PO Box 603, Toukley, NSW, 2263. Tel: 02 4392 5328 - e-mail: [email protected]

AMS WEB PAGE: www.amsnational.org.au

GREETINGS FOR ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS

Bishop Tom Wilmot and members of the Executive send their Greetings and best wishes to all AMS members and families for this year’s Advent and Christmas Seasons ______

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