Charge to Synod
Charge to Synod Presidential Address to the First Session of the Fiftieth First Synod of the Diocese of Newcastle Together with the Record of Visitors to the Diocese, and the Record of Appointments, Ordinations, Resignations and Retirements The Rt Rev’d Gregory Thompson Bishop of Newcastle Saturday 25th October 2014 Bishop Tyrrell Anglican College Wiyalita Yirri Yirri – from Awabakal meaning ‘we gather to speak in a sacred way’ I acknowledge with my words and my spirit the abiding custodianship of the Awabakal, Dakinjung, Wonnarua, Worimi, Geawegal and Biripi peoples on whose land our church exercises ministry in the name of Christ, and pray that we together may walk as one people. It is good to be here as the people of God in this Diocese. We gather to celebrate our relationship one with another, to give thanks for God’s faithfulness over the last year, and to listen well to each other and the voice of Christ who calls us to live holy lives. This is not my first presidential address to a Synod but it is my first presidential address to you and I would like it to be a little different. Rather than being the only voice that engages with the issues, I want you to spend some time engaging with each other. During the address, I will pause twice and pose questions which I would like you to explore with the people around you for a few minutes. In this way we will bring our many voices to the issues before us and during the course of Synod hopefully move towards speaking with one voice.
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