The Eagle and Lamb
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Lives of Faith at St Agnes: Celia Robeson Bill Worthington by Rosemary Wickett by Bev Hewlett COMMUNITY NEWS page 06 page 13 Winter Editionion July 2017 “Th e performance was very accomplished and profoundly moving. Among highlights for me were the vigour of the choral singing, with clear articulation and crisp ‘cut-off s’, and the glorious soprano arias — ‘I follow thee too, my Saviour’ sung with luminous intensity by Kristy Biber in the fi rst half, and the deeply moving ‘Dissolve then, heart, in fl oods of tears’ sung in the second half by Jordie Howell to an insistent gently throbbing accompaniment of continuo and fl ute obbligato. Michael Leighton Jones also impressed with his authoritative and deeply-felt baritone aria ‘My dearest Saviour’ through which the choral work was gently woven. Th e work of our own Director of Music, Tom Baldwin, on the chamber organ was outstanding, St John’s concert anchoring and supporting the whole performance. Th e concluding chorus n Sunday, March 19, the third Sunday of Lent, the choir (‘Lie in peace, sacred body’) and chorale of Christ Church South Yarra, augmented by our own (‘O Lord send thy cherubs’) were a O moving fi nale to the whole afternoon.” choral scholars and by some members of the choir Polyphonic Jennifer S. Voices, joined with the Melbourne Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Michael Fulcher, and distinguished soloists “Th e soloists were excellent, to present a performance of the St John Passion by J.S. Bach. particularly the tenors.” Th e combination of the moment, the venue and the eff orts J Sloane (visitor) of the musicians created a deeply impressive musical experience, formerly professional singer in Europe as evidenced in the following remarks of some who attended. “It was a wonderful, professional “Th e whole performance was fl awless. performance and I felt very proud that Th e soloists and choir were excellent as such talent and musical acumen are was the orchestra. Th e conductor was “ Absolutely alive and well in our city of Melbourne. very competent. Th e fi nal chorus “Lie Congratulations to all musicians who Still” was just beautiful. It was obvious made this possible for the privileged from the demeanour of the audience glorious.” audience. I was very grateful for the ready that they were enjoying every minute.” Caroline Travis assistance off ered to my elderly parents in Joan Collins (visitor) Christ Church, South Yarra being escorted into the church and for the cheerful and pleasant ushers who found “Th e youthful voices in the choir “Extremely moving and seats for people in a packed church. were a real highlight.” beautifully presented.” A memorable highlight for this season.” J. Barton Sandy Knott Jenny Roe (visitor) Th e Eagle and Lamb page 01 Contents Bach: St John Passion Comments from the community Bach: St John Passion (cont.) Jacob Profi le Beanies for the Homeless St John’s Family Picnic Th e Godly Play Workshop St John’s Christmas Dinner Celia Robeson A Now Upright Man Under Lucchese Clouds Th e Rood of St John’s St Agnes’ Patronal Festival Lives of Faith at St Agnes’ Another World Flying, Singing End of Life Choices Acknowledgements Mediation of Disputes Editor Th e Dog Collar Ben Draper Two short Bible Studies Contributors Julian Burnside: “What has Jim Morse, Jennifer Simpson, Ben Draper, Rosemary Wickett, happened to our values?” Brian Simpson, Sally Wallis, Jane Fyfi eld, John Sloss, Bill Worthington, Alex Wood, Douglas Eddy, Sebastian Harvey, Clem Taplin, Lori Peake, Th e Secret Chord: Book Review Rick Burford, Michael Good Recalling Harlin Photography Larapinta Dreaming James Grant, Griffi n Simm & parishioners A Birth Crossword EDITORIAL NOTE Correction Th e views and opinions expressed in this n the Summer Edition of Th e Eagle and Lamb, the authorship of an item publication are those of the authors and do not Icontributed by Douglas Eddy, viz. “A Word from the Rev. Adam Smallbone” necessarily refl ect the views and opinions of the was inadvertently attributed to Douglas when, in fact, it should have been Anglican Parish of St John’s and St Agnes’. acknowledged as being sourced from the fi ctional BBC TV series “REV”. To the best of our knowledge the contents of this In an attempt to make amends, the following has been provided by Douglas publication do not infringe on any copyright. as a non-fiction account of an outstanding Anglican Priest and man of God. This may be found on page 21 of this edition under the title: “Recalling Harlin”. page 02 “Overwhelming.” Paul Annable Continued from page 01: St John Passion “Th e account by St. John of Jesus’ passion is a very powerful story. When my primary school teacher read it to our class when I was 9 years old, “What a privilege it was to be a member I remember being deeply moved to the point of being tearful, and on numerous of the audience listening to Bach’s occasions since, I have also been similarly moved. It is such a powerful revelation incomparable St. John Passion! Th e choir, of the nature of Jesus and how he responded to his enemies and friends and dealt soloists and orchestra were superb despite with suff ering. Th e story has of course inspired many artists and musicians down the oppressive conditions due to the hot through the ages, and the composition by J.S. Bach is a truly great creative work. and humid weather. Michael Fulcher “Th e performance on March 19 at St. John’s was amazing in many respects. conducted the musicians with great fi nesse Th e music was meticulously and beautifully performed. I loved the counterpoint, and his careful use of pauses between the instrumental work, the solo singing passages, and the beautiful chorales. some of the movements added emphasis Th ere was artistry, delicacy, brilliant singing voices and superb instrumental work, to the more dramatic moments. Can we all coordinated under the direction of the conductor, Michael Fulcher. I am aware look forward to a performance of the of the dedication, devotion, hard work and discipline necessary to prepare and St. Matthew Passion next year?” rehearse for such an event. Practice is certainly done at rehearsal times, but also by Tim Clarke the performers, physically and mentally, outside of these times. For an event such as this to be the success it was, also required the initial concept of the performance, leadership, coordination and organisation, even down to the detail of a very “Th e performance left me totally drained professional program booklet. Special thanks go to Tom Baldwin, our music director — it was just so emotional.” for his initiation and support of the event, as well as his musical participation. Judith Jobling “Th ank you to all involved at St. John’s, and especially Father John, for making the church available and encouraging the event. It is a truly appropriate place for such a “Th e venue, in St John’s, was splendid work to be performed in, with its beauty, good acoustics, and a place dedicated to because of the acoustics, that gave the Christian teaching and worship.” performance a sense of intimacy. Th e David Brennan (fresh from the wonderful performance). choir was inspirational. It achieved a perfect blend of voices and harmony. “Extremely moving “Tom Baldwin All of the soloists have excellent voices. and beautifully presented.” was an amazing accompanist.” Th e orchestra provided a wonderful Sandy Knott Anonymous (visitor) support for the choir and balanced the organ beautifully. We loved the “It was a great performance, done “Very moving.” devotional setting and treatment. professionally. It was very helpful to D. Eddy Th e idea of people standing at the end, have the words and the translation in the rather than applauding, was an inspired programme. I particularly enjoyed the alto “Deeply moving. one. It was a magnifi cent experience.” aria “Est ist vollbracht” and the soprano Th e altos and sopranos were wonderful. Ian Williams, Marilyn Hope aria “Zerfi eße, mein herze”.” An amazing performance.” and friend, Pauline; visitors Satoshi Okita Sarah, visitor page 03 J ACOB “I was born in Manila but moved to Melbourne with my parents and sister at the age of six. Although raised a Roman Catholic, I attended Anglican churches and youth groups since my teens after exploring other Christian traditions. Having always felt called to ordained ministry, I pursed theological studies after high school. However, as one often does at uni, I developed a crisis of faith, moved away from Christianity and pursued a teaching qualification instead of ordination. To cut a very long story short, I eventually regained my Christian faith via a detour through Judaism, and I worked as a secondary I was delighted to accept the offer of a school teacher until I was encouraged by I feel extremely curacy at St John’s and St Agnes, which clergy at my parish to consider ordained blessed to live, also involves chaplaincy at Monash Uni ministry again. Caulfield. I feel extremely blessed to After completing the Year of worship and work live, worship and work in this parish, Discernment program, I decided to and to be part of such a welcoming, follow God’s call to ordination; and as in this parish, supportive and caring community. part of my training, I did placements My top-five favourite things are roast at St Peter’s Box Hill, St Mary’s North and to be part of dinners, Netflix, bookshops, weddings Melbourne, St James Old Cathedral, and IKEA. I hope to be one day travel St Michael’s Carlton North, and the such a welcoming, the globe more, to pick up Spanish, and Royal Melbourne Hospital.