anglican focus 10 March 2021 Homilies & Addresses • Friday 26 February 2021 • By Archbishop Phillip Aspinall

The Grace of Grice

"Most profound of all, of course, Peter’s graciousness eloquently manifests and expresses the very heart of the gospel. It resonates with the nuances of tonight’s passage from John" (Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, pictured here with the newly consecrated Bishop of Rockhampton Peter Grice and clergy from around Australia)

Consecration of Peter Grice as Bishop in the Church of God St Matthias’ Day 24 February 2021 St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane

Acts 1.14-17, 20-26 Psalm 84 Phil 3.13-21 John 15.9-17

Peter stood up among the believers who prayed, “Lord … show us which one you have chosen” (Acts 1. 15, 24).

Since 22 February 2020, just over twelve months ago, the people of Rockhampton have prayed that same prayer.

The idea of being chosen is strongly emphasised in tonight’s Gospel: “You did not choose me, but I chose you,” says Jesus.

© 2021 Anglican Church Southern Queensland Page 1 of 40

That emphasis echoes throughout this consecration rite. The provincial registrar will certify that Peter Grice has been duly elected according to the Constitution and Canons of the Diocese of Rockhampton, and that the Diocesan bishops of the Province of Queensland have confirmed Peter’s fitness for this office. All present will be invited to declare that the people of God accept Peter to minister as a bishop in the Church. These are all aspects of God choosing Peter through the Church.

Peter, in years to come if you ever question “Why me?”, if you ever get frustrated or disappointed or exasperated at the shenanigans within your own Diocese, or in the national Church, or in Australian society and bemoan the lot that has befallen you, and ask “Why me?”, the answer is on the lips of the Lord: “You did not choose me, but I chose you.”

That fact is made an objective historical reality in this episcopal ordination rite. A long journey of maturing in ministry, of discernment, of prayer, culminates tonight. Throughout your ministry you will be able to look back on tonight and say, “It happened. It happened on St Matthias’ day 2021 in St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane: I was chosen and appointed by Christ through Christ’s Church to this office and ministry of bishop in the Church of God.”

But here’s a conundrum:

There’s a thing in theology called ‘the scandal of particularity’. It’s expressed in the aphorism: “How odd of God to choose the Jews.”

It’s no less odd, it seems to me, than that God should choose Peter Grice to be Bishop of Rockhampton. Out of all the options open to God, why Peter? I doubt very much that Peter would say: because of his superior holiness or intellect or knowledge of the scriptures or pastoral acumen or organisational ability. Why then?

And adding complexity to the conundrum: why would God choose Peter to be Bishop of Rockhampton and me to be Archbishop of Brisbane at the same time?

This is sensitive, perhaps even dangerous, territory and I should be careful not to make unwarranted and unfounded assumptions. But external observers looking on the Province of Queensland might conclude that Peter and I are a bit of an odd partnership with different backgrounds and outlooks, different convictions and priorities. Observers might anticipate that we will disagree, even clash; that conflict, struggle and fireworks are in the wind. How odd of God to choose both Peter and me.

As I say, be careful. This is mere speculation and may prove to be groundless in reality. But I have no doubt that those perceptions are out there.

Such perceptions seem to me to jump the gun. Tonight is the first time Peter and I have met in person. At the time of his election I spoke with him on the telephone. But since then all the arrangements have been made by intermediaries liaising for us. So we are yet to get to know each other personally.

Despite that I have reason to hope.

It has long been my practice to invite a candidate for episcopal ordination to choose whom they want to lead their ordination retreat and to preach at their consecration. As usual I extended that invitation to Peter.

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I was somewhat taken aback by his response.

It says more about me than it does about Peter that I expected Peter to choose a firm evangelical, even a conservative evangelical, to preach on this unique occasion. But to my surprise the message relayed back to me from Peter was “I would like my Archbishop to take on that particular duty.”

As I say, I was surprised, if not shocked, by Peter’s response.

It’s not news to anyone that conflict looms large at present in the Anglican Church of Australia. Cultural, theological and exegetical wars are well advanced and unrelenting. Temperatures run high. Relationships are frayed to breaking point. Tempers are strained.

Various groups, firmly convinced of their own unassailable grasp of the truth, use every opportunity to press their own convictions through all available media and, it seems, refuse to acknowledge any truth whatsoever in the convictions of those they see as ‘opponents’. Political machinations are rough.

In this context, Peter’s response was profoundly gracious.

It has had, and may well continue to have, ramifications beyond what even Peter himself might have intended.

That’s what happens with grace!

At a purely personal level, Peter’s graciousness opened my eyes to the extent to which the current unholy context in the Anglican Church of Australia had eroded my own sense of faith and hope. Peter’s response pulled me up short. It was, for me, a moment of recognising how far I had fallen short, a moment of repentance, if you like, an experience of healing, redemption.

It won’t escape you that this instance of repentance was not evoked by judgementalism, brow-beating and finger-wagging. Repentance and redemption were evoked by the shock of graciousness.

That’s what grace does.

Beyond the purely personal level of human relationships, though, I was taken aback, too, by Peter’s respect for the office of Archbishop, for this office in the Church. To one of our intermediaries Peter described himself as a ‘protocol man’, but there is much more than protocol at stake in his decision. It may well have extensive ramifications institutionally and, more deeply, ecclesiologically.

In a recently published book, Melbourne Anglican priest and scholar, Alexander Ross, argues that we might well find a way through the current woes of the international Anglican Communion by reclaiming the ancient place of the autonomy of the ecclesiastical province and of Metropolitical authority, as long as both are properly understood.

Ross (2020, p.22) argues that as early as the Council of Nicaea in 325, and the Council of Antioch, some 15 years later, the ancient Church was well used to the role of the province and the relationships between diocesan bishops and their metropolitan. This is all set out quite explicitly in the Canons of those Councils.

They emphasise proper subsidiarity: a bishop makes decisions regarding his (and we would add or ‘her’) own diocese, but introduces nothing significantly novel without the assent of the metropolitan. Page 3 of 40

And the metropolitan’s authority is not at all absolute. It’s “balanced by… a consensual collegiality with the other bishops” (Ross, 2020, p.23).

When there’s disagreement among the bishops in a province the metropolitan is responsible to consult neighbouring provinces.

Alex Ross argues that the relational approach envisaged by this provincial polity and metropolitical authority is a much needed corrective to what he regards as the poverty of ‘national church’ polity. The idea of the national church was adopted in England at the time of the Reformation, for non- theological political purposes, and uncritically exported and adopted elsewhere as the British empire expanded. In his view it is a plague on the Anglican Communion, exacerbated by national churches personified in Primates illegitimately arrogating authority to themselves.

Much is to be gained by reclaiming the ancient customs of provincial polity and properly understood metropolitical authority.

I’m not suggesting Peter had all this in mind when he described himself as a ‘protocol man’ but, in the providence of God, Peter may have stumbled across a goldmine of ecclesial possibilities unmined for centuries.

That’s the kind of thing grace does! It transforms in unexpected ways – at the personal level, yes, certainly, but also at the institutional and ecclesial levels. We’ve been a bit short of grace in recent times, I think.

Most profound of all, of course, Peter’s graciousness eloquently manifests and expresses the very heart of the gospel. It resonates with the nuances of tonight’s passage from John.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends…You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last…I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”

It‘s been observed (Askew, 2015, p.176) that love in this passage is not an internal subjective feeling or a psychological state. It’s “an action- a really difficult action”. It’s a radical willingness to die – and not, notice, for someone incredibly close and dear to you – “your child or your spouse” – but for a fellow member of the Church! We struggle even to be civil and courteous to fellow Church members. How many of us ever contemplate dying for such a one?

Yet this goes to the heart of who Christ is and reveals the Father who sent him. It’s the kenotic heart of the gospel of the Christ who empties himself, humbles himself, exposes himself to exploitation and even ridicule and harm from others in manifesting graciousness.

This love is not sentimentality or warm feelings, but a profoundly costly action that “creates, redeems, bears fruit” as the one who loves lessens him/herself and lays down their life for others (Askew, 2015, p.178).

This love, God’s love is “generative…[it] creates something new, [it] restores what has been broken, completes what’s unfinished, heals what has been hurt” and the lover diminishes him/herself in order to bear this fruit (Askew, 2015, p.180).

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Peter’s gracious response to my invitation points to the heart of the gospel and to a way forward for the Anglican Church of Australia:

“As tensions rise within the community of faith it is Christ-mindedness rather than like-mindedness that will enable us to show compassion to our friends in the faith and to keep the peace from being shattered.” (Askew, 2015, p.179)

Christ-mindedness is a radical willingness to diminish oneself in graciousness to others: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. And that is to abide in Christ’s love, who abides in the Father’s love. It is to be one with the Father, in Christ.

So, Peter, your vocation as bishop is pretty straightforward. Let me sum it up for you:

• You “will give every priest the parish he [or she] wants, and every parish the priest it wants” without allowing long interregna. • You are to be “a pastorally sensitive, administrative genius,” turning around complex correspondence within two days while always having your door open to whoever might drop by. • Without fear or favour you are to “preach the Gospel prophetically in a non-threatening way” as you welcome and affirm everyone. • You are to reverse the decline in church attendance without appearing triumphalist or being overly concerned about numbers, engaging hordes of young people in an atmosphere that provides comfort to the elderly. • You are to be a strong, decisive, innovative leader who exploits opportunities in a timely way while always acting collegially, consulting extensively, keeping everyone happy and never departing from received orthodoxy. • You will always be out and about around the Diocese spending time with clergy and laity alike as you remain up to date with theological and biblical scholarship and international affairs. • You will fearlessly defend the rights of the poor, weak and vulnerable in the community while avoiding dabbling in politics. • You will be a holy person, immersed in prayer and meditation while keeping a weather eye on the real world of budgets and finance. • You “will provide extensive social services and educational programmes at low cost, with few bureaucrats.” • You will give clear strategic and policy direction in a non-directive way while being a good listener and not selling out theology to managerialism. • You will be unshakeably loyal to your Archbishop while being your own person and refusing to be pushed around by him. • You will do all this with a smile on your face which doesn’t undermine your natural gravitas, being out and about your vast Diocese seven days a week and while being an exemplary husband and father and being constantly attentive to your family.

(Adapted from source quoted by Donald Cameron, St John’s Cathedral Brisbane, 2 February 2003).

That much is perfectly clear and straightforward.

Never forget though, that your ultimate responsibility, which is a bit trickier, and set out in the gospel reading for this Feast of Matthias: that is to prevent, as far as within you lies, a failure of love among the people of God within and beyond the Diocese of Rockhampton.

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You have been chosen and appointed to bear this fruit, fruit that will last.

The truth is that despite our differences we are one in Christ and we are to love one another as Christ loves us. Your task is to manifest that truth.

How will the world believe that God has reconciled all things to himself in Christ if we give up on it?

Amen.

Askew, Emily. 2015. John 15.12-17. ‘Theological Perspective’, pp.176-180, in Jarvis, Cynthia A. and E. Elizabeth Johnson (Eds). Feasting on the Gospels – John, Volume 2, Chapters 10-21. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.

Ross, Alexander. 2020. A still more excellent way. Authority and polity in the Anglican Communion. London: SCM Press.

Reflections • Friday 5 March 2021 • By The Rev'd Karol Misso

Bridging the sacred and secular

The Rev'd Karol and Deanna (far left) with parishioners in the Anglican Church in Heidelberg, Germany, at the end of a Eucharist in July 2019. During retirement from full-time ordained ministry, The Rev'd Karol served in a number of locum appointments in Europe

My wife Deanna and I returned from Hong Kong where I worked as Director of St John’s Counselling Service from 1990 to 1994. In Hong Kong, I also had many opportunities to contribute to a rich Anglican liturgical life, including presiding and preaching to a regular Sunday congregation of over 200 parishioners.

After our return, I had an interview with the Archbishop. While exploring possibilities for future work, I indicated that I did not wish to return to ministry in a parish or other Diocesan appointment. The Archbishop was supportive of this decision and gave me his blessing to seek work in the secular field Page 6 of 40 where I could use and develop the skills and academic knowledge I had acquired in psychology and counselling, as there were not any opportunities for such work within our Diocese at the time.

He gave me a clergy licence, known as ‘Permission to Officiate’ (or ‘PTO’), and this encouraged me to step out with confidence to continue my ministry in the secular world. Although I still had 10 years before formal retirement, this was a significant transition in my life. I saw it as a great and exciting challenge, but not without its initial uncertainties and anxieties.

I discussed this ministry shift with Deanna, for it heralded a major change in her life, too. Hitherto, her own life had been very much immersed in the parish. As a consequence, our friendships and social life as a family were linked with the parish. Work in the secular field meant a significant disruption of this pattern, which had existed ever since my ordination in Sri Lanka in 1965. Our adult daughters, Deanna and I had to adjust to different lifestyles.

While disruptive, retiring from Diocesan ministry held the promise of new vistas, as we needed to develop separate identities apart from ‘priest’, ‘priest’s wife’ and ‘priest’s daughters’. I found this quite liberating. Others could now relate to me more easily as a friend and colleague, without the traditional reservations. This new environment offered a degree of freedom that contributed to the further development of my personality. I am sure it had a similar impact on other members of the family, with all of us having to adjust to cope with our new ‘identities’.

After securing suitable employment and adjusting to many new changes (and new) and unfamiliar demands, which were not without inherent anxieties, the next major hurdle was finding permanent accommodation. This was a new ball game. Since our marriage we had lived in three different countries and eight different houses chosen for us. We were now confronted with the difficult task of purchasing a house and equipping it with all the basic necessities. This being a totally new venture, it was good fun but somewhat scary at times. However, with time it became quite exciting – having our own home after 30 years of married life! One advantage was that it was just for the two of us, as our daughters were quite independent and at best occasional visitors!

Locating a suitable suburb, contributing to the design of the house and purchasing furniture, curtains and floor coverings were a real challenge. Long hours of shopping, many disagreements, doubts about choices and dealing with unpleasant salespersons were all part of the new suburban lifestyle we were entering into in the sixth decade of our lives. The variety of colour we had chosen throughout the house was a talking point among the tradies.

During these years we also had the freedom to travel extensively and widen our horizons. Having registered with the Diocese in Europe, I was invited to do locum placements in Anglican chaplaincies in Morocco, Spain, France, and Germany. Ministering to these small congregations and interacting with a varied cross section of Christians (not all Anglican) were rich experiences for Deanna and me. Conducting a funeral in Costa de Sol in the south of Spain was interesting – with a basic Church of England liturgy in a little chapel on a hillside, no eulogies or slide shows, just 20 mourners and a simple coffin (the British born wife of the deceased initially requested a silky oak coffin, but was told she would have to import it from England!).

My new field of ministry as a university lecturer and counselling therapist proved to be most rewarding. I developed many mutually enriching friendships, which contributed to my personal growth and identity in the latter stages of life. I received generous appreciation from mentors,

Page 7 of 40 colleagues and students, including a tourist resort voucher and a useful ‘screen pointer’, discreetly placed in my mailbox.

Now in ‘real retirement’, I look back with much gratitude that I was given the opportunity to help many not only with their academic achievements, but also in their personal development and journey towards wholeness, which I believe is what ministry is all about.

I have also had the time and privilege to develop more mature relationships with Deanna, our daughters and our grandchildren. The latter bringing new meaning and impetus to our lives. I recall many humorous anecdotes, such as my four-year-old grandson saying to Deanna, in the course of something his teacher had said, “Grandma you are old now and your brain cells are not as good as my teacher’s.” On another occasion we noticed Dominic trying to follow the dog out of the pet mesh door in the bathroom! It sure is a delight for us to spend quality time with the grandchildren.

Editor’s note 8 March 2021: A number of forthcoming online events, hosted by PMC, will be held for clergy related to retirement, finances and superannuation. Online event page links will continue to be added to the below dates. In the meantime, please save the September dates.

Wednesday 28 April 2 – 3.30 pm: Talking about clergy retirement (Register online) Tuesday 4 May 2 – 3.30 pm: Superannuation (Register online) Wednesday 12 May 2 – 3.30 pm: Thinking about your finances (Register online) Wednesday 1 September 10 – 11.30 am: Superannuation Wednesday 15 September 10 – 11.30 am: Thinking about your finances Wednesday 22 September 10 – 11:30 am: Talking about clergy retirement

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Reflections • Friday 26 February 2021 • By Bishop Jeremy Greaves, The Rev'd Sue Grimmett, The Rev'd Deborah Bird

HeartEdge: commerce, culture, congregation and compassion

Three of our clergy share insights and learnings from their participation in the HeartEdge movement, including on a series of seminars currently being held online to assist, encourage and inspire those in ministry. HeartEdge is about sharing, connecting, growing support and developing – finding new ways of being at the heart on the edge.

Bishop Jeremy Greaves – Bishop for the Northern Region

The great 20th century missiologist John V Taylor (1914-2001) once wrote that, “the gift we must pray for is not technique but imagination” and that “mission is an adventure of the imagination.” The four C’s of the HeartEdge approach to mission are a really helpful way for us to re-imagine mission for whatever context we are in. The four C’s are:

• Commerce: Generating finance via enterprise and creatively extending mission. • Culture: Art, music, performance and re-imagining the Christian narrative for the present. • Congregation: Inclusive liturgy, worship and common life. • Compassion: Empowering congregations to address social need.

HeartEdge offers plenty of resources to support churches in reimagining themselves and our communities and investing in two, three or all four of the C’s. It also gives clergy and congregations the chance to join a world-wide network of people who are all doing the work of mission in different ways.

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One of the great gifts so far has been to hear from The Rev’d Dr Sam Wells, Vicar of St Martin-in-the- Fields in London, and to have the opportunity to be in conversation with him and the nearly 160 clergy from around Australia who have signed up for this rich series of seminars. All around Australia, clergy and parishes are trying new things and reimaging in their approach to mission by thinking about Commerce, Culture, Congregation and Compassion as focus areas for their activities.

The conversations have been rich, and new relationships have been forged across Diocesan boundaries.

In a time of great polarisation in the Church, so it has been wonderful to see so many people invest time into a missional approach that embodies the Anglican comprehensiveness that the Anglican Church Southern Queensland sees as central to our Diocesan identity.

The Rev’d Sue Grimmett – Priest-in-Charge at St Andrew’s, Indooroopilly

How do we grow the Church? Where is the next great idea coming from that will ensure we are sharing the Good News widely and building our communities, both in faith and numbers? Such are the kinds of questions that can haunt us when we are tempted to look with anxiety for the future of the Church. When I first encountered the HeartEdge movement, with its idea of ‘renewal from the edge’, I was attracted by the emphasis placed on leaning in and listening to the local community and what is already happening around the parish. This listening meant not only hearing the strongest and most central voices in a community, but being attentive to those from the margins, which is ever the prophetic edge of the Church.

One of the most liberating principles of HeartEdge, particularly when anxieties about the future of the Church dominate the narrative, is that we have enough and that we are enough for the work we are called to do. We don’t need to be the author of the next big idea because creative possibilities are all around us, many of them needing just the kind of active support and loving encouragement parish communities are able to offer.

Considering our existing assets is a great place to start. I began by looking at the way our church grounds were already a community hub, with several different AA groups using our facilities, along with other organisations who gather groups for learning, connection or support. Around our local area Anglicare is actively providing care for those on the margins or needing support and advocacy to address the struggles and injustice they face and there are opportunities for parish involvement. Partnerships acknowledge that we don’t have to be all things to all people, and that the Spirit is already working and inviting us to join in. The HeartEdge movement has reminded me of the joy to be found in recognising that when we attend and collaborate, we really do have everything we need. All that is required is to allow the heart of our community to be found on the edges.

The Rev’d Deb Bird – Assistant Priest at St James’, Toowoomba and Parish Priest at St Anne’s, Highfields

During the COVID-19 ‘lockdown’ when much of our ministry necessarily transferred to the online space, I spent much time thinking about whether our church, on top of being ‘distinctly Anglican’, was conveying a sense of ‘being Highfields’. When I encountered HeartEdge, what immediately struck me was its attention to drawing life from the particularities of being church in a specific time and place.

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HeartEdge is described as a challenge to embrace the edge as a gift with much to teach us about who we are and what we are called to be in a place. I was reminded that parish boundaries fall not at the end of the church driveway, but extend across suburbs, diverse communities, natural lands and remembered history. How well we have integrated these stories into our faith life reflects on whether we remain simply a church in suburb, or have grown into a church that is of, for and with this place.

I have particular interest in the gift of liturgy as a familiar structure in which to unfold and stretch the practice of being together all the way to our social, physical, and theological edges. Invitational and pastoral liturgies open doors for those in edge spaces of faith and experience, and I wonder if liturgically engaging with the contextual might also help us grow our sense of being faithful to this place. As an example, on Ash Wednesday St Anne’s community members trekked to a nearby forest scorched by last summer’s fires to be confronted not only by our own mortality, but the mortality of ‘neighbours in creation’ whose ashes lay under our feet even as we marvelled at new leafy green clusters pushing out of blackened trunks.

For me, part of the challenge of HeartEdge is to broaden the stories we explore and retell as part of our local canon, to become a church more alive not only in tradition, but in connectivity.

The next HeartEdge seminars will be held on Wednesday 3 March, Wednesday 10 March, Wednesday 7 April and Wednesday 14 March. To find out more or to register for the HeartEdge seminars currently being held online via Zoom, please visit the faithful + effective website.

Features • Friday 5 March 2021 • By Dr Marie-Louise Craig

Can you spot the difference? God can!

Dr Marie-Louise, Hebrew fanatic, here. Let’s have fun with some Hebrew words. As I say to my students, “Don’t panic!” This will be easy. We are going to play ‘spot the difference’ with two pairs of Hebrew words found in Isaiah 5.7. See how you go with these two pairs of words:

You are correct if you found two differences in the first set of two words above and one difference in are on different sides and the last ש the second set of two words. In the first set, the dots on the letter and the other ט letter of each word – the letter on the left-hand side of the word – is different. One is In the second set the only difference is the second consonant – second from the right, that is. In .ח is This is fascinating when you know how these particular words are used .ע and the other it is ד one it is in the Hebrew text. Before I explain these words, let’s have a look at the story in Isaiah 5 in which they are found.

Isaiah 5 begins with a prophetic parable about a man who went to great lengths to plant a vineyard. Unfortunately, the long-awaited grapes were very disappointing, so disappointing, in fact, that the ba’ash) that) בָּאַש pronounced, be’ushim), used to describe them comes from the verb) בְּ אֻשים ,noun

Page 11 of 40 means ‘to stink’. This verb is used metaphorically to describe someone who has offended by their behaviour. Here are some examples:

“Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, ‘You have brought trouble on me by making me odious to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites; my numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household.’” (Genesis 34.30)

“They said to them, ‘The Lord look upon you and judge! You have brought us into bad odor with Pharaoh and his officials, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.’” (Exodus 5.21)

“Ahithophel said to Absalom, ‘Go in to your father’s concubines, the ones he has left to look after the house; and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.’” (2 Samuel 16.21)

Keep this metaphorical use in mind as you read ‘wild grapes’ below.

Because of these stinky grapes, the owner asks the people of Jerusalem and Judah to judge between him and his vineyard:

“He expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes?”

(Isaiah 5.2b-4 NRSV)

The owner then immediately says he will destroy his vineyard. And so the parable ends and the explanation begins.

“For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!”

(Isaiah 5.7 NRSV)

We have now reached the point in the story where our two pairs of words are used. He expected צְּעָּקָּ ה tzedakah) but heard) צְּדָּקָּ ה mispach), expected) מ שְּ פָּ ח pronounced, mishpat) but saw) מ שְּ פָּ ט (tse’akah). These two pairs of very similar-looking and similar-sounding words are being used as a play-on words to help make the prophetic point of the parable. Page 12 of 40

God expected justice among his people, but instead he saw bloodshed. He expected righteousness, but instead heard a cry. This last word, translated as ‘a cry’ in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, is always used of suffering people crying for divine help or crying out against evil. We can comprehend the difference when the words are translated into English, but when this passage is read in Hebrew, the similarity between the two words in each pair makes it easy to miss the difference, and this is the point Isaiah is making.

Unlike God, God’s people were unable to tell the difference between justice and bloodshed, or righteousness and a cry of suffering people, because they had convinced themselves they were doing what God wanted. The parable of the vineyard was told to pronounce God’s judgement against his people because of their inability to distinguish between justice and injustice. Because they couldn’t, they offended and were like stinky grapes. Remember that earlier word play with the verb ‘to stink’?

Humans have not changed much. Can we easily spot the difference between justice and injustice today? God can.

For more fun with Hebrew words, consider joining the ‘Biblical Hebrew 1’ class with Dr Marie- Louise Craig at St Francis College. For more information about this subject, visit the St Francis College website or email [email protected].

Features • Friday 5 March 2021 • By Sarah Gover

Auction gets ABM's stamp of approval

"As I entered the hall, I saw over two hundred sorted ‘lots’ and nearly 50 hopeful buyers eagerly looking through each bag, folder and box, searching for a unique, rare treasure" (Sarah Gover)

Every Sunday afternoon, my mum would set out her favourite pen and an assortment of fine note papers, and then sit down and reply to all the letters she had received that past week. As she finished each letter, she would carefully fold it, place it in the matching envelope and attach a stamp chosen

Page 13 of 40 for its relevance to the receiver. Sometimes she would put together a small parcel and add a higher value stamp, especially if she knew the receiver was collecting stamps and didn’t have “that one”.

As the replies came back during the week, she would take the letter out of the envelope, carefully cut off the stamp, and place it in a bag marked ‘church missions’. When the bag was full, she would take it to church to be collected by a mission society.

I am a member of the local Anglican Board of Mission (ABM) committee, and over the last four years, I have gathered many bags of stamps and boxes of stamp albums from around our Diocese and delivered them to our stamp coordinators. On a recent weekend, I witnessed the next step in the stamps’ journey – a stamp auction with the proceeds going to support ABM’s mission partners in Australia and overseas.

As I entered the hall, I saw over two hundred sorted ‘lots’ and nearly 50 hopeful buyers eagerly looking through each bag, folder and box, searching for a unique, rare treasure. After two hours of viewing, the bidding began. Bags of assorted Australian stamps still on paper sold for $18-24 per kilogram. The albums, books and assorted boxes attracted various amounts depending on the buyer’s wants and needs. Occasionally, someone must have spotted something highly desirable because two separate album pages fetched over two hundred dollars each. After nearly three hours of bidding, the new owners carefully collected their stamps, put them into the boot of their cars and drove off.

One buyer told me that the mixed bag of stamps he purchased were going to a special school where the young people would have fun looking at the stamps, talking about the pictures, learning the joy of collecting, all while developing their fine motor skills as they put them into album pages. I think my mum would have been happy if her everyday stamps had gone on to give others such joy.

This one stamp auction raised $2890.40 for ABM’s projects and partners. Future auctions are already scheduled for April in Brisbane and July in Roma.

The auctioneer told me some stories about the letters he had collected; letters often separated from their stamp. He said letters that gave an insight into our history were just as valuable as the stamps. He had recently purchased a letter from a father to his estranged daughter on the eve of his departure to fight in World War I. Another letter from a son working on a remote cattle station at the turn of the 20th century asked his mother not to send any more socks, as all the station workers already had two pairs each.

I still have a couple of boxes of Mum’s letters that she wrote to me in her Sunday afternoon writing sessions. I am not sure if I would ever want to sell them, but I know that the ABM stamp auctioneer will happily take them and sell them for mission if I did.

Seeing a stamp auction has renewed my motivation to gather up donated stamps, stamp albums, and now letters, from around our Diocese. Every stamp donated adds up.

These items can be dropped off at St John’s Anglican Church, Burleigh Heads; Good Shepherd Anglican Church Bundaberg West; St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane; St Luke’s, Toowoomba or the Parish of Goodna. If none of these drop-off options suits, please contact me (Sarah Gover) via [email protected] or 0430 082 865 and I’ll find a way to get them to our dedicated stamp coordinators Brough and Margaret Warren.

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Reflections • Monday 8 March 2021 • By The Rev'd Dan Berris, Amy Chalk, Rebecca King, Isaiah Berris, Trevor Ruthenberg, Lyn Brown, Lyn Baxter

Blessing and building the North Lakes community

Some of The Lakes Anglican Church community in February 2021 (L-R) Lyn Baxter (Warden, Treasurer and Ops Team Leader), Lyn Brown (Office Assistant and Pantry Coordinator, Haylie McManus (Intern), Dylan Katthagen (Intern), Isaiah Berris (Youth Coordinator), Rebecca King (Children's Ministry Coordinator), Dan Berris (Priest-in-Charge) and Trevor Ruthenberg (People's Warden)

Introduction – Fr Dan Berris, Priest-in-Charge

I was blessed in my training through youth ministry and formation, with those who trained me sharing the value of team ministry. Over the years, I have gradually learnt the difference between filling a church roster of volunteers doing a job and building a team of passionate people whom I invest in, and who also invest in me, so together we can build God’s Church and serve the wider community. The following people are a beautiful example of a team who collectively express our vision, mission and values in order to impact our local community for Jesus.

Music Box – Amy Chalk, Music Box Coordinator

Music box is a ministry where young children learn music and movement which build motor skills and coordination. Children learn to play and share alongside other children. It is also a support network for parents – a safe place to chat and not feel judged.

Music Box is held at the YMCA North Lakes on Friday mornings during term time, and starts with about 20 minutes of music and movement with a musical instrument. We have morning tea consisting of fruit and crackers and coffee/tea and cake or biscuits for the adults. We do either craft or sensory play and always have mats out with toys on them. We have about 15 children who come with either their parents or home daycare carers.

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The things we have found most important are keeping the singing to about 20 minutes, as any longer and the children start to get bored; making sure the songs are at the child’s level; having age appropriate toys; and, making sure the craft and sensory play are not too hard for the children.

Music Box has helped us build a connection with the YMCA, as their students can help learn child care skills and parents can use the YMCA café. We hope to get back to the local aged care facilities with the children soon so the residents can enjoy singing the songs they sang when they had kids. I love watching the children interact with the residents and the smiles they put on the residents’ faces.

Ignite Children’s Church – Rebecca King, Children’s Ministry Coordinator

The vision of our Ignite Children’s Church ministry is to provide a cornerstone for the growth of our church community by supporting our current and future families with a safe, consistent environment in which our children can dig into God’s Word to grow and learn together.

The Ignite Children’s Church ministry includes a lesson during Sunday morning services, commencing at 9.30 am. We have a rostered team of dedicated adult and youth volunteers and welcome a group of 10 to 20 children, from babies to preteens, each week. We are highly adaptable due to the varied age range and developmental capabilities of our children; therefore, some weeks we can separate into age groups and other weeks we learn together with older children paired to support little ones.

Lessons are consistently structured with a welcome song, our Ignite prayer (see below), a Bible study and related crafts and/or games. The Ignite ministry also plans quarterly community events, like our recent Family Water Play event held on the vacant block next to our church in January 2021.

One of the significant lessons I have learnt is the value in engaging with other experienced children’s ministry coordinators for their prayer and expert guidance. An ongoing learning has been effective financial stewardship through sourcing community support and grants to sustainably provide high- quality resources for our children.

A key highlight for me in the Ignite Children’s Church ministry has been developing our Ignite prayer, including elements of worship, gratitude, and positive psychology. We encourage our children in the power of prayer and incorporating prayer into their everyday lives.

Ignite prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for this blessed day. Thank you for the opportunity to share this safe place as we dig into your Word, to grow and learn together.

[Insert children’s own prayer requests]

Open our hearts and minds so that we may see your loving light in ourselves, each other and your beautiful creation all around us. Amen.

Youth Ministry – Isaiah Berris, Youth Coordinator

I have been a part-time Youth Coordinator for The Lakes Anglican Church since October 2020. As Youth Coordinator, my vision is for our youth ministry to create a community of believers and safe Page 16 of 40 place for disadvantaged youth who are empowered to serve the local community. We want disadvantaged youth to understand that they have agency and can be a positive force in their community, as active participants.

My faith is important to me. The Holy Spirit has called me to step out and follow in Jesus’ ministry. Looking at the scriptures, I must attach actions to my beliefs. By loving and helping my neighbour, I am given energy and direction.

Our youth group meets at the local YMCA between 6.30 pm and 8 pm on Fridays. A regular youth night will start off with half an hour of basketball and chatting with parents. Following this, we move into the indoor YMCA space and have something to eat. Then we have a testimonial talk tied to the night’s given theme, based on scripture and driven by narrative (as youth respond well to stories), followed by small groups. Then we have games, initially with the same small groups, and then all-in games. The games are also linked to the night’s theme and include both physical and mental activities.

Previously, we kept the ministry participants’ age to Years 7-9, but in response to prayer, we expanded to Years 6-10. By doing this, we immediately had one Year 6 student and one Year 10 student, who really needed youth ministry, come along.

Our model for youth also reflects our connection to the AYCF Ichthus Camps, in that we take the elements of an Ichthus Camp and split them between our Sunday Night Service and our Youth Group. In doing this we provide connection for youth locally and back to the surrounding Diocese.

The highlights of the ministry for me are seeing how much the kids get out of the ministry and seeing the leaders grow. Other highlights of my Youth Coordinator role include running the monthly games at the Mango Hill Progress Association’s community skate nights. Being present in community and connecting with community members are important to me.

Community Markets – Trevor Ruthenberg, People’s Warden

As we are about community development, rather than service delivery, we are always looking for opportunities to connect with and build community.

I came into the role of volunteer Markets Coordinator in August last year. Fr Dan and I did a whole lot of research first before launching the markets. Initially, we were planning on an starting an eat street initiative in the vacant space next to the church, but our research showed that we wouldn’t be able to justify the money spent.

We are in the early stages of a partnership with an alliance of church groups called Many Rivers, which provides micro funding to folk who are long-term unemployed, as well as mentoring and business coaching so they can start up small businesses. One of the things we are doing with the markets is providing a space for these people to sell their arts, crafts and wares. The markets also give the sellers the opportunity to engage with the community.

The markets operate on the first, third and fifth Saturdays of the month. At present we are averaging 15-30 stalls at a time, with a number of different items sold, including hemp oil, home décor items, produce, gifts and greeting cards. Our aim is to grow to a consistent 37 stalls per week, which is our maximum capacity. We started in December and found that it took eight or so markets to get some

Page 17 of 40 traction and stability. We rent toilets and waste management for the markets, which are covered by a small stall holder fee.

The response of community members has been fantastic – very enthusiastic. We create a welcoming atmosphere, for example by celebrating key birthdays of stall holders and holding fun contests. We don’t proselytise, as our focus is on building friendships. Over the forthcoming months and years, the stall holders and people who visit the markets will know that our church is a safe place to come if they need help or if they wish to enquire about faith.

Parish Pantry – Lyn Brown, Pantry Coordinator and Office Assistant

Our parish pantry offers emergency food relief to people on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9 am and 12.30 pm. We offer petrol, grocery and coffee vouchers, frozen meals and groceries.

These items are donated by parishioners, members of the wider community, neighborhood centres and community groups. For example, there is a local group of ex-service people who meet weekly in Kallangur called The Garrison. If we need anything, we let The Garrison know and they bless us with their generosity and donate what we need.

Local churches also donate to our pantry, as the churches around North Lakes and Mango Hill are very friendly with each other.

People find out about the pantry via our church’s social media and website and via agency referrals and the Ask Izzy website, which connects people in crisis with local services. At the moment we are seeing a lot of people who have lost work due to COVID-19, as well as single mums and quite a few rough sleepers.

The pantry is not just about feeding people. By taking time with people, some have returned with donations. Some have also helped work in our pantry and office. A woman who came two Christmases ago, returned last year to donate food. Many have come to our church and become parishioners. This shows how much people appreciate the pantry and the conversation.

We usually provide four to five days of food. The best non-perishable items to donate are cereals, long-life milk, pasta, rice and tinned soup, vegetables and fruit. Large shelving, a good ear and getting out to build community connections are very important for an effective pantry.

I have been a Lakes parishioner for three years and an Anglican all my life. I like being a member of The Lakes Anglican Church because we are outward focused and care about serving and building community. It’s always a delight to read through the AGM reports, which show how many people the pantry is helping and that our church is growing, especially with increasing numbers of young folk.

Welcoming and hospitality – Lyn Baxter, Treasurer and Ops Team Leader

Warmly welcoming people to services and other church events is an important part of being church.

We roster a team of three volunteers to welcome people as they arrive at services. We stand near the entrance of the church and give welcome packs for new people to fill in their name and contact information and so they can read a little about us and our ministries.

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In the COVID-19 environment, we, like all ACSQ churches, implemented new procedures to ensure we are compliant and that all people when arriving are personally ‘checked in’.

When children arrive, an Ignite Children’s Church team member shows the parents where the Children’s Church meets. Newcomers are accompanied into the church and introduced to, and seated next to, friendly parishioners. After the service during the fellowship time, the welcoming team members approach newcomers and offer them morning tea or supper.

Within a few days of the service, newcomers are followed up with a phone call, which is important for continuity. Isaiah, our Youth Coordinator, and Bec, our Ignite Children’s Church Coordinator, also make contact with new parents following the service.

Reflections • Thursday 4 March 2021 • By Bishop Daniel Abot

From 'Lost Boy of Sudan' to Bishop to counselling undergrad

"What I have taken away from this experience has also led me to start a degree in Humans Services with a Counselling Major. I trust that one day I may have the same skills to share to help others as I was helped in a very difficult time" (Bishop Daniel Abot)

In 2005 while working for Anglicare, I was given a return ticket to South Sudan (where I am originally from) and Kenya (where I was priested and served as a youth leader in a refugee camp). The trip was for four weeks. While there, I was a witness to the signing of the peace agreement between North and South Sudan.

During the trip, I went to Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, where I had lived for nine years, to see how peace was being received and to gain an understanding of people’s perception of their chance of repatriation back to South Sudan. I also visited my home village of Bor, where my family came from.

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When I returned home to Toowoomba, I found I was greatly troubled by the things I had seen, including starvation, orphans without care, and many people who had lost everything and had little hope for the future despite the historic peace agreement. All these things triggered in me the traumatic experiences I had been through as a ‘Lost Boy of Sudan’ in my youth.

During my month-long trip, people in the Kenyan refugee camp thought that as I was returning from the Western world that I had everything to solve their problems, but I could not overcome the massive difficulties my people now had. As a result, I felt a huge burden of guilt! I recognised that I needed some help. As I was sharing my report with my Anglicare supervisor, and relating the difficulties I was having, she suggested I see a counsellor to help me work through the stress and guilt.

So, what happened was this. I had never seen a counsellor before and wondered what he or she could do for me? I also had some doubts if counselling would help me. Culturally, it was difficult to admit that I was not a man in control of my own problems. So, this counselling process was completely at odds with what I had been brought up to expect. However, I also knew from what I had read and witnessed that if help isn’t sought with such trauma that violence or substance abuse can result.

I don’t really know how to describe the counselling sessions. Perhaps it might seem odd, but I had the feeling as we went along that I needed to vomit – to get rid of something. However, just what that was and how that might work I could not tell. What I started to realise as I talked in the many sessions was that I was emptying myself and I began to find some coping mechanisms that were starting to work for me as we talked through things. This took a long time, spread over weeks then months and even years. As time went on, we developed a relationship where I felt safe to share everything. This was something I had never done before. I learnt from the process that this was most beneficial for me – and something I had never imagined possible at the start of the counselling process. All this was a new and different way of doing things for me in my cultural setting. Seeking help through counselling is often seen as a sign of weakness in my culture and something to be hidden from others.

I am sure that as time goes by that sharing this experience may help others in need in my community. In addition to the benefit of counselling for me personally, is the realisation that I, too, can be an agent of change in my new position where I am called by God’s grace to work with culturally diverse congregations and those they interact with in parishes in our Diocese.

What I have taken away from this experience has also led me to start a degree in Humans Services with a Counselling Major. I trust that one day I may have the same skills to share to help others as I was helped in a very difficult time.

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News • Thursday 25 February 2021

Thread Together brings new mobile wardrobe service to Brisbane

(L-R) Anglicare's The Rev'd Canon Linda McWilliam and Karen Crouch; CEO of Thread Together Anthony Chesler; Priest-in-Charge of St Andrew's, Indooroopilly The Rev'd Sue Grimmett; and, Archbishop Phillip Aspinall at the launch of the Tread Together mobile wardrobe service on 23 February 2021

A dedicated mobile wardrobe van based in Brisbane will service the greater Brisbane community enabling new clothing, shoes and accessories to be distributed to those in need.

Thread Together is a global first, dedicated to taking excess new clothing from manufacturers and designers and redistributing it to vulnerable people within the community at no cost to the recipient.

Thread Together’s new specially outfitted mobile wardrobe van will provide access and choice to beautiful new clothing to the people of Brisbane providing them with much needed clothing in a dignified way.

The mobile wardrobe van, sponsored by Bendon Lingerie, will be facilitated and run by Anglicare Southern Queensland and St Andrew’s Anglican Church, Indooroopilly.

Anglicare Southern Queensland with Thread Together assessed the needs of the Brisbane community and decided that a mobile wardrobe van based in Brisbane would be an asset to the greater Brisbane region.

The Brisbane, Redlands and Logan communities have been impacted by the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, causing socioeconomic disruption and uncertainty for those already struggling

Page 21 of 40 within the community. With a sharp rise in unemployment and homelessness, Thread Together’s mobile wardrobe will play a vital role in providing ongoing support to the vulnerable in need.

Anglicare Southern Queensland Executive Director Karen Crouch said the organisation was excited by the new partnership.

“In a society as wealthy and fortunate as ours, there is no reason for anyone to be left behind,” Ms Crouch said.

“The brand-new clothing that our services will now have access to will help to support men, women and young people who are doing it tough across South East Queensland.

“The people who will benefit already face significant barriers in many aspects of their lives, including accessing life’s basic essentials – shelter, food and clothing. This makes it difficult for them to feel like part of the community, when all they want is to make a contribution, be able to earn a living and provide for their themselves and their families.

“We all know the feeling that goes with a new outfit that we feel good in, even when it’s just a summer dress or a casual t-shirt. Choosing new clothing that feels good, and reflects our personalities and tastes, builds our confidence and self-esteem. This partnership will help more people access clothing that suits their needs in a dignified and empowering way.”

Bendon Lingerie General Manager of Marketing Sonja Wilkinson said, “We are thankful to have partnered with Thread Together, providing a scalable solution for our excess stock, but it goes one more important step further. Empowering all women to feel confident and comfortable, and that is our whole reason for being.

“We know how important the right foundations are for women, as having the right fitting bra can make the difference in how a woman can feel about her day. New bras and underwear are often an overlooked category that vulnerable women do not have access to, and Thread Together takes our new excess product and delivers it directly to women in need.”

Through this new partnership with Thread Together, St Andrew’s and Anglicare Southern Queensland will drive the mobile wardrobe van to visit the community in and around Brisbane. All visits are established through local referral connections, such as community providers, local school principals, mental health providers and emergency relief services.

Anthony Chesler, CEO of Thread Together said, “The mobile wardrobe vans are an asset to our organisation and the metro and regional communities they visit, enabling us to facilitate outfitting anyone in need, anywhere they reside. We are thrilled to have a new mobile van, sponsored by Bendon Lingerie, to service the Brisbane community heavily impacted by the events of this year.”

About Thread Together

Thread Together was founded in 2012 by Andie Halas, whose family owned the successful swimwear manufacturer, Seafolly. Andie saw the potential for excess new clothing to support people in need. By collaborating with some of Australia’s largest clothing suppliers and connecting social service agencies, Thread Together has been able to change the future of people in crisis, as well as the future lifecycle of clothing and accessories. Through Thread Together, companies with too much can give to people who have too little. Page 22 of 40

Thread Together now clothes around 2,000 people each week and supports hundreds of charities – from Anglicare, St Vincent de Paul, The Salvation Army to Dress for Success. Thread Together employs and reengages long-term unemployed people, those on ‘work for the dole’ and general volunteers, as well as corporate volunteers as charity engagement activities.

“Our model is very simple. We collect end-of-line brand stock from clothing providers. With the support of volunteers, the clothes are sorted by age, gender and purpose, and then redistributed to people in need through charities and social service agencies across Australia. I think of it as redistributive justice,” Ms Halas said.

Currently 13.3 % of the population live below the poverty line in Australia, which equates to approximately 3.3 million people. There are numerous charities and organisations that cater to providing shelter and food – though Thread Together is the only major organisation that redistributes excess new clothing to those in need.

First published on the Anglicare Southern Queensland website on 23 February 2021.

Editor’s note: Find out more by watching this 10 News story video.

News • Monday 1 March 2021

Nature brings nurture to St Andrew’s

St Andrew's Anglican College students enjoying their new sensory garden in February 2021

From a little conversation, big things have grown at St Andrew’s Anglican College, who recently opened a sensory garden thanks to a Federal Government grant.

The idea for the sensory space, which focuses on environmental sustainability and First Nations cultures, grew from a conversation between a Year 6 teacher and a group of students two years ago.

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The now flourishing sensory garden is just one of 11 school projects across the electorate of Fairfax that was made possible through sharing in $200,000 of Federal Government Local Schools Community Fund grants.

Member for Fairfax The Hon. Ted O’Brien cut the ribbon earlier this month and declared the garden officially open, to the excitement of St Andrew’s students and teachers alike.

“I’d like to congratulate the students and teachers of St Andrew’s for nurturing this project to fruition,” Mr O’Brien said.

“It is absolutely delightful to see what they have created with the $19,000 of Federal Government funding.

“This garden will not only provide a calm, natural space for students to learn, but will also enable a hands-on approach when it comes to sustainable land care and food production education.”

The College’s Deputy of Primary Years 4 to 6 Ben Dean said that he and his students are excited about the next stage of the project.

“There is a famous song, ‘From little things big things grow’, which captures this project,” Mr Dean said.

“A conversation, a successful grant application, planning the layout with our fantastic facilities team, a lot of digging and hard work and here we are.

“It is a space that is designed to be a place of reflection and a sensory experience, and as the trees grow we will have a shaded outdoor learning space, and we also have our vegetable plots – an exciting venture and one that is gathering momentum this year.”

The recent opening was stage one of a larger project which has been planned to include an outdoor amphitheatre, a large covered area to be used as an outdoor reading space and a potting table with dedicated space for seed cultivation.

The garden was designed with a purpose to stimulate the senses. Sight, smell, sound, touch and taste were the basis of the garden’s design, aimed at providing a place for students to connect with nature and become more aware of their surrounding and tapping into the principles of mindfulness. It also provides a place for children to let their imaginations run wild or to sit and relax.

The garden centres around a flowing water feature, appealing to touch and sound. A range of textures, colours, smells and different types of edible plants were thoughtfully planned out to connect the senses.

Prep students Sean and Tallulah said that it is important for children to spend time in nature and to care for nature.

“We have to care for nature so we can see all different coloured creatures and so you can get fresh air and I like to look at new creatures,” Sean said.

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“We can take care of the plants because they have my favourite colours…I like that there is water because water can make us cool down. I also like the rocks around the water because it makes it beautiful, Tallulah said.

Irrigated raised garden beds, trellising, First Nations edible food, medicinal plantings, cottage garden plantings, compost bins, a worm farm and bench seating with a clear focus on sustainable land care and food production also feature in a separate section which will eventually all join together.

The school has plans to continue growing the garden to be included in a range of co-curricular activities benefiting sustainability and food technology classes, entrepreneurship classes and secondary cocurricular group the ‘Eco-Saints’ and Primary School co-curricular group the ‘Eco Warriors’.

Features • Thursday 4 March 2021 • By Amy Norman

Reading the Bible in 2021

What everyday rhythms of your life will help you grow as a disciple of Jesus in 2021?

Reading the Bible every day is a simple and powerful way we can grow in our understanding of God and in relationship with him.

Whether your Bible is well worn or you are unsure where to begin, here are five resources that are accessible to read (or listen to) for all ages to begin and continue reading the Bible this year.

1. Bible in One Year (App/Newsletter). This free app is a great way to be guided through reading the Bible, accompanied with concise and helpful commentary by Nicky and Pippa Gumbel. In 2021, a new edition was released which includes an Express edition (10 mins per day) and a Youth edition (ages 13-18). There is also an option to listen to the audio, which I find perfect for a commute to work.

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2. Best News Ever: Your 100-Day Guide to the Gospel of Mark by Chris Morphew. Get children or the whole family involved in daily Bible reading. This is a great option for primary-aged children, with each day including a short verse to read, commentary, questions and a prayer. The format also suits reading together as a family, maybe over breakfast or before bed. 3. New Testament for Everyone Series by Tom Wright. If tackling the whole Bible seems daunting, Wright’s guides are a perfect companion to read through a book of the New Testament. Helpful for those just beginning to read the Bible or who want to grow in their understanding, it is structured with a section of the Bible reading and matching commentary. You might like to read these alongside the books we are going to study this year (Luke and 1 Corinthians), or pick a New Testament book you are less familiar with. John Goldingay’s Old Testament for Everyone Series is also a good option to read through the Old Testament. 4. The Way of Wisdom: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs by Tim Keller. Explore the book of Proverbs this year, with daily devotions unpacking the wisdom found in the Proverbs. With one page per day, it is a very manageable way to begin a habit of reading, reflecting, and praying through the Bible every day. 5. Read Scripture (App). Developed by the Bible Project, this app is an attractive way to read through the Bible. At different intervals, it includes short videos (from the Bible Project) providing an overview of the book or introducing the genre of literature or a key theme. You can set a reminder each day, or read through at your own pace.

As with any endeavour, it is easier with company! This year you might like to pick the same Bible reading plan with a friend or family member, so that you can encourage one another with what you are learning and have someone to ask how you are progressing.

First published on the St Bart’s, Toowoomba website on 31 December 2020 (slightly updated).

Features • Monday 8 March 2021 • By Peter Branjerdporn

Embodying the Spirit of Christ through small acts of compassion

A man, released from indefinite detention earlier last week, celebrating with friends who have been advocating for his release (Photo by L. Adams) Page 26 of 40

When I was a teenager in the 90s someone gave me a book by Christian minister and sociologist Tony Campolo called You Can Make A Difference.

In his book, Tony challenges young people to “live lives of total commitment to Christ, to move beyond ‘warm fuzzies’ and good intentions, and to set a course for a lifetime of spiritual adventure.” At the time I actually thought that maybe he meant that one day God would make me a famous singer and use that fame to tell people about Jesus!

Well, I never became famous, but I have done a lot of singing. I have sung in pubs, markets, buses, schools and Cathedrals. I’ve even sung in a prison. But as far as my Christian faith is concerned, the rubber hits the road for me the most when I sing at prayer vigils for people seeking asylum as part of my Anglican Church Southern Queensland Justice Unit role and with Christian groups like Love Makes A Way.

One doesn’t have to be involved in prayer vigils for long to experience being yelled at for standing up for fairness and people’s right to live in peace and safety. These loudly expressed criticisms include “Get a job!”, “Go home, do-gooders!” and my favourite, “You won’t make any difference!”

However, my experience shows me that the collective efforts of individuals can make a difference. Every action, big or small, absolutely makes a difference! Last week, 50 men who spent nearly seven years trapped in Immigration detention on Manus and Nauru plus up to two years locked up in a Kangaroo Point hotel were released with a Bridging Visa into our community with no logical explanation from the department. This, along with the release of over 60 men in Melbourne earlier this year, is a result of years of mounting legal pressures from tireless lawyers (who challenged the Government’s cruel, unfair and arbitrary detention of refugees) and sustained advocacy from non- government and community-based organisations who rely heavily on the wider community for financial and other support.

In June last year Archbishop Phillip Aspinall showed his support by signing a joint statement by religious leaders regarding the men locked in the Kangaroo Point hotel, calling for the men at Kangaroo Point to be housed in the community where they can “live a life of human dignity while the processes around their future are followed through.” The statement shows that people of faith have a unique voice in refugee advocacy because we speak out of thankfulness to our “Loving God, merciful and gracious, abounding in love and justice, for the life we enjoy here in Australia, for our freedoms and prosperity”.

More recently other Anglicans from our community, including The Rev’d Canon Gary Harch from St Mary’s, Kangaroo Point; members of St Andrew’s, South Brisbane; and, The Rev’d Richard Browning from the Anglican Schools Commission have spoken up for the humane treatment for the men and their right to live in freedom and safety.

When we stand in solidarity with, and advocate for compassion for, people seeking safety we are embodying the Spirit of Christ. The Christ whose life, death and resurrection enable us to live the way God intended, where “the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community” (The Rev’d Dr Martin Luther King Jr).

This is the Christ whose family had to flee tyrannical authorities and seek safety in Egypt because of persecution. The same Christ who inspires us, “To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation” (Anglican Mark of Mission)

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The best news is that you don’t have to be an Archbishop to show support for refugees. You can make a difference, especially for fathers like Saif who hasn’t been allowed to even hug his young son and wife for three years, and for many others left behind at the Kangaroo Point hotel and at BITA.

Every phone call, email or letter to a Federal elected representative; every Facebook post shared; every conversation at home, in the workplace or at church; and, indeed, every prayer vigil attended can bring about a change of heart and influence the decisions of our elected leaders.

May we never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit speaking through Christian voices, along with those of others who are also willing to stand up for fairness, transparency and compassion. Love will win.

Here are three ways you can join the local movement of compassion for people seeking safety, support refugees in practical ways and work towards the release of all the men being detained in Kangaroo Point and at BITA.

1. Follow the Brisbane Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support (BRASS) Network on Facebook to share BRASS posts and keep informed (BRASS is co-convened by Doing Justice, an initiative of Anglican Church Southern Queensland’s Social Responsibilities Committee via the Justice Unit) 2. Help fund temporary accommodation for the men who are released by making a donation with the reference ‘Refugee Housing’ to St John’s Cathedral, BSB: 034-003, Account No: 385378. The funds will be distributed to local organisations. 3. Let your local Member of Parliament know that you would like to see the human dignity of all refugees and people seeking asylum restored by releasing them and housing them in the community.

Features • Monday 8 March 2021 • By Adrian Gibb

Oodgeroo Noonuccal: contributions to our Diocese

Along with two of her brothers, Kath Walker (later Oodgeroo Noonuccal) decided to serve in World War II, joining the Australian Women’s Army Service (Image courtesy of the Australian War Memorial)

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In the course of indexing the Brisbane Diocesan Newsletter, a photograph of a former Archbishop of Brisbane standing next to one of the most prominent First Nation poets of the 20th century sparked an investigation into the connections between Oodgeroo Noonuccal and St Mark’s Church, Dunwich on North Stradbroke Island.

This wasn’t the first time I had engaged in research concerning Oodgeroo Noonuccal. In 2015, when the Records and Archives Centre was still at Bowen Hills, we were contacted by a priest, The Rev’d Alan Shepherd, who had visited St Mark’s, Dunwich. He said that in the vestry he had found a framed poem, called ‘Minjerribah’*, that was hand-written and signed by Kath Walker. He was curious as to whether this was an original. After some considerable digging, I managed to find another hand- written copy of the same poem in the Fryer Library at the University of Queensland, where many of her papers are archived. The librarian I was in contact with noted that in a folder were many copies of the same poem, some typed and some hand-written. So the poem in the Dunwich vestry could be an ‘original’, that is written by Oodgeroo Noonuccal herself, but not a unique one. The poem was donated to the Church in 1997 by a Mr Spencer MacDonald of Point Lookout.

Minjerribah was a giant in the sun His green back coated with cyprus and gum. Belly brimming with waters so cool, He stretched for miles in the sun. And Pacific on the east Quandamooka on the west Bathed this giant in the sun.

But Minjerribah’s back is now broken: Men came and tore out his guts; Stole his rich grains of sand, Stripped his cloak of cyprus and gum Drained water from his ageless eyes And weakened this giant in the sun.

Oh man! With your machinery and science, Your greed and callous disregard. When your savage looting and lying is done, Will the Gods in the future If future there is Spare you your place in the sun?

I also knew that in the sanctuary of St Mark’s, Dunwich is a painting of Christ, painted by Oodgeroo Noonuccal and dated 1955. At this stage in her life she was still known as ‘Kath Walker’. This information, coupled with her being called a ‘parishioner’ in the photograph in the Brisbane Diocesan Newsletter, led me to believe that she must have had a long association of worshipping at the church. The reality was a little more complicated.

To say that Oodgeroo Noonuccal’s life was extraordinary is an understatement. She was born Kathleen Jean Mary Ruska in November 1920. Her childhood home was One Mile on North Stradbroke Island, or Minjerribah. The traditional custodians of Minjeeribah are the Noonuccal people, of which Kath and her family were proudly a part, through her father. Her father made sure she learned the reading, writing, and arithmetic that would allow her to gain employment and satisfy her creative

Page 29 of 40 cravings, while passing on the traditional ways of his people to his seven children, teaching them to hunt and about the local spiritual stories of the Noonuccal. She left school at 13 and moved to Brisbane to enter into domestic service, which was common of First Nations women at the time. This was short lived, however, as the Second World War reared its ugly head and, along with two of her brothers, Kath decided to serve, joining the Australian Women’s Army Service.

After the war, she joined the Communist Party of Australia (CPA). Her decision to do so stemmed largely, according to many sources including an obituary by John Collins, because it was the only political party to not have a white-Australia policy. As she became more active, however, the CPA’s desire to either edit or write her speeches for her led to a falling out, and her leaving the organisation. In the 1950s she joined the Realist Writers Group in Brisbane, forming a friendship with Judith Wright, who would champion Kath Walker’s poetry and literary output. It was from here that Kath Walker began to make a name for herself as a writer and an activist. In 1964 a volume of her poems was published for the first time, initially in Brisbane, and then in New York, making her the first Australian First Nations person to publish a book of poetry.

Kath served on the Federal Council for Aborigines and Torres Strait Islander Advancement and the Executive of the Queensland Aboriginal Advancement League. She was one of the prime movers in getting the 1967 Referendum held. At the end of that tumultuous decade she moved, once again, to Minjeeribah, creating a ‘sitting down place’ or Moongalba there. She lived there for the rest of her life.

In May, 1969 Kath was a delegate to a consultation of racism that the World Council of Churches had set up in London. From here she travelled widely, and over the next decade visited Asia, Africa the United States, and many Pacific Islands. She was even on an aeroplane that was hijacked in 1976. All the while, Kath Walker’s writing kept pace with her activism, and she received three honorary Doctorates, and produced poems, paintings and essays that are treasured to this day by many in Australian literary and artistic fields.

It was in 1988, after reflecting on the advancements, or rather lack of, of land rights legislation by successive Federal Governments that Kath Walker and her youngest son Vivian, changed their names to ‘Oodgeroo’ (which means ‘paperbark tree’) and ‘Kabul’ (meaning ‘carpet snake’) Noonuccal respectively. Vivian pre-deceased his mother and when Oodgeroo Noonuccal passed away in September of 1993, she was buried beside him at Moongalba. It is said that, when the barge was taking the hearse and the mourners over to Minjeeribah for the burial, the captain of the barge called people to the bridge and pointed out something he had never seen before. Two whales were swimming in front of the vessel, all the way to the Island, before which they peeled away, as if their escort was now finished.

So how did Oodgeroo Noonuccal become so connected to the Anglican church at Dunwich? I was unable to find her name in parish papers, or any parish rolls – in none of the usual records of parish life. However, as I was going through the papers relating to the North Stradbroke Island parish, I noticed that in 1973 a committee was established to try and save St Mark’s, which had been earmarked for demolition. We have the minutes for the first meeting of this committee, extremely faded, that shows that Bishop Wicks served as Chair and that a ‘K. Walker’ was present. Beside K. Walker was a ‘Mr and Mrs Dixon’ (Bonty and Vi) and a ‘Mrs. F. Coolwell’. These names are important, as I was also able to find a copy of the photograph I had seen in the Brisbane Diocesan Newsletter. This image appeared in a local Redland newspaper, and had the names of the people pictured. Next to Archbishop Arnott was Kath Walker (confirming this was indeed Oodgeroo Noonuccal), a Florence Coolwell and a Mrs Vi Dixon. It seems that the Archbishop was standing next to a large section of the

Page 30 of 40 committee that helped save the church. So perhaps that was it, I surmised, perhaps that was the sum total of her connection with St Mark’s. Perhaps she helped save a local landmark and then donated some items to it. There was, however, another twist.

As I was going through some more parish papers for North Stradbroke Island, I came across an article about the death of Florence Coolwell at the age of 84 in 1994. In the first paragraph were written the words, “…elder sister of poet Oodgeroo of the Noonuccal tribe…” This sister of Oodgeroo Noonuccal had been a stalwart of the Anglican Church on Minjeeribah and her funeral was presided over by The Rev’d John Steele at St Mark’s, Dunwich. It seems possible then that Oodgeroo’s connection to the church through her sister, a devout and devoted parishioner of St Mark’s, was the reason she donated her works to their tiny island church.

There was one final Anglican connection. According to the wishes of her family, it was an Anglican priest, The Rev’d Malcolm Bell, who presided over Oodgeroo’s own funeral. In the October 1993 edition of the Focus newspaper, The Rev’d Bell writes of his experience at this funeral. He talks of how perhaps it will be Oodgeroo’s nine great-grandchildren, the young ones, that will speak of her:

“The young ones will imagine again the people who made their way down from the crowd to tell their stories of their time with Oodgeroo. A Kookaburra laughs briefly – the smoke from the fire rises as the painted dancers sit cross-legged behind – gathering inner strength.”

In John Collins’ obituary of Oodgeroo Noonuccal, a section of a speech she made at the Australian National University in Canberra is reproduced. It seems fitting that this champion of the power of words and the rights of her people should have the last word. While she may not have been a ‘parishioner’ of St Mark’s, as was claimed in the Brisbane Diocesan Newsletter image caption, her commitment to helping her sister save St Mark’s, Dunwich, and her artistic contributions to the church, should be cherished, as a connection between our Diocese and this remarkable Australian:

“As I have travelled throughout the world, I have often thought that one could judge a society by the way it treats its racial minorities. Where a minority was forced to live in squalor, I have seen a squalid society. Where a minority was riddled with disease, I have seen a sick society. Where a minority was without hope, I saw a nation without hope.”

*Aunty Sandra King’s (Reconciliation Action Plan Coordinator) note: The traditional name for North Stradbroke Island is Terangeri/Terrangerri/Tjeranjerri/Minjerribah. The traditional name for Moreton Island is Mulgumpin/Moorgumpin. ‘Quandamooka’ has been the name of Stradbroke Island since Native Title was handed over.

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Features • Thursday 4 March 2021 • By The Rev'd Eleanor Mancini

Priest and bishop’s daughter translates liturgy into Tongan

Archbishop Phillip Aspinall on his visit to St Margaret’s Anglican Church at Sandgate in August 2018, chatting with members of the Tongan Anglican Worshipping Community, The Rev’d Eleanor Mancini (second from left) and the Lo’amanu family, who welcomed the Ministry of the Word in the hospitable Tongan tradition of song and dance

In 2012 my husband Angelo Mancini and I moved from Auckland in Aotearoa New Zealand to Brisbane. We attended the Parish of Sandgate-Northpoint and I was a retired Permission to Officiate priest. In 2017 I started the first liturgy for the Tongan Anglican Worshipping Community at St Michael and All Angels’ Anglican Church, New Farm. This is a monthly Tongan service.

I translated into Tongan pages 119 to 129 and 141 to 144 of A Prayer Book for Australia 1995’s ‘The Second Order of The Holy Communion, Gathering in God’s Name’ service. This is the order of service that the Parish of Sandgate-Northpoint always used. It is different from A New Zealand Prayer Book / He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa (page 404) ‘Thanksgiving of the People of God’ that the Diocese of Polynesia translated our Tongan Prayer Book from.

It is so important for people to worship in their vernacular because worship and life are the same. They are God’s gifts. We worship in the language that God has gifted us. Language is not only important for worship, but also in our wider communities. Our ancestors started the language from the beginning to the present and it will be forever. It is key to our identities and heritage. The text at the bottom of the Tonga National Coat of Arms is translated as ‘God and Tonga are my inheritance’. When the service is said in the vernacular, people understand the service better and better spiritually experience the presence of God in their midst.

When I was a priest with the Diocese of Polynesia in Auckland, I found some of the new versions of the Tongan words used in the Liturgy were complicated for the younger generation to understand. So, Page 32 of 40 my translation is based on the everyday language that Tongans use in their common conversation. The Tongan language includes three dialects: one for talking to the king, one for the nobles and one for the ‘commoners’. For example, the word ‘go’ for commoners is ‘alu, for nobles it is me’a and for the king it is ha’ele. I also used some of the Tongan Royal language for God. It is also important that Tongan theology is expressed in our community’s Liturgy.

I asked permission from the parish priest of St Michael and All Angels’ Anglican Church, New Farm to have the Tongan service. It took me one month to finish the translation, which I then took to the printer to print copies ready for the opening of the first Tongan Holy Communion service. I gave a copy to my brother, The Most Rev’d Dr Winston Halapua, who was the Archbishop and Primate of the Diocese of Polynesia, when I visited Fiji in November 2016. He was very pleased to have it.

The Tongan Anglican Worshipping Community in New Farm expressed their appreciation for the simple translation. They said they remembered the time their parents used to worship together with my father, The Right Rev’d Fine Halapua who was the first Suffragan Bishop of Tonga in 1967.

My father translated the first Tongan Prayer Book liturgy from the American Prayer Book 1662 and the new A New Zealand Prayer Book / He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa 1989 (page 404). I used to type and put together the Tongan Prayer Book as the church couldn’t afford an administrator. In 1966 I was the secretary for the first Tongan Government newspaper, The Chronicle / Kalonikali.

I was surprised when a Tongan Methodist church leader said, “All other Tongan church denominations already started in Brisbane, except Anglican. The circle is now completed with the opening of the Tongan Anglican Worshipping Community in New Farm.”

Download a copy of The Rev’d Eleanor Mancini’s Tongan translation of ‘The Second Order of The Holy Communion, Gathering in God’s Name’ service.

Books & Guides • Monday 8 March 2021 • By The Right Rev'd Dr Jonathan Holland

Who Is This Vernon Cornish?

Bishop Jonathan Holland from St Francis College with biography writer Christine Ledger in February 2021

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Anglicanism has a tendency to produce in its members a unique understated goodness. A good example is Vernon Cornish. He is described early on in this biography as a “solidly good person” (p.5). One is reminded of the description given to Barnabas in Acts: a “good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11.24).

This biography by Christine Ledger follows a chronological narrative of Cornish’s life. Born in 1931, he had a happy childhood as the eldest son in an Anglican clergy family, despite his mother having some debilitating sickness for some years. He took up journalism, although acting and drama were his passions, before offering for the priesthood. Ordained in 1957, he served first as a chaplain at The Southport School, then rector of St Matthew’s in Sherwood, rector of St Luke’s in Toowoomba, Dean of Perth Cathedral and Assistant Bishop of Perth. In 1981 he was elected Bishop of Tasmania, but never had the chance to take up the office, dying suddenly and unexpectedly of a brain haemorrhage in January 1982. He is one of a string of ordained Anglicans who seemed to have so much to offer the Church and the world, yet died prematurely. One thinks of Frank Coaldrake, John Gaden, Graham Delbridge and David Penman.

I met Vernon a few times in Perth when he was Dean, but did not appreciate his background in drama and theatre. Vernon was a natural entertainer – in the best sense of entertainment – with the capacity to generate a laugh, not at others’ expense or at the faith, but laughter at things as a sign of the redemptive presence of the risen Christ. Ledger’s biography explores this aspect well, along with two other strengths that any ordained person might aspire to: he was a sensitive and loving pastor and he was a gifted communicator, skills which served him well in every appointment given to him.

His ministry was a hinge between two very contrasting times in the Church’s life. He grew up and was ordained in the halcyon days of the 1950s and 60s, a time when congregations were growing, churches were being planted, hundreds of children were in Sunday Schools and churches in the suburbs were providing a range of social activities not otherwise available to the young families settling there. Then he participated as a more senior cleric in the days that marked the numerical decline and increasing marginalisation of the Church in the 1970s and 80s. Yet even in those times, Cornish was an effective clergyperson, dealing sensitively and with good humour the abrasions – some of them quite dismaying – of school, parish and cathedral life. Ledger chronicles these abrasions well.

There are some areas I would have liked to see explored a little more in the biography. Why was his father so resistant to him as an 18-year-old taking up a prestigious acting scholarship in London and how did Cornish integrate within himself this point-blank patriarchal refusal for him to develop what was both his natural talent and his passion? Did it not affect his relationship with his father, even a little?

As well, Cornish comes across as a little too virtuous. Perhaps he was. On the few occasions I met him he struck me as a balanced and warm man, good humoured and not easily flappable. Yet I imagine he was as flawed as any of us, although any flaws are not very evident. Is it the case that deep tragedy alone really reveals our most honest and true selves? There seems to have been little or no deep tragedy to explore in Cornish’s life, but lots of challenges and difficulties, which he rose to and resolved with pastoral sensitivity, personal equanimity and sociable goodwill.

This biography brings to life one who was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, whose untimely death at the age of 51 brought a great loss to his wife Dell and family, his friends and the Church. Yet

Page 34 of 40 his goodness shines through in that shorter life and that should encourage all of us who seek to tread the same path of discipleship of Jesus Christ.

Christine Ledger, 2020. Who Is This Vernon Cornish? G&C: Brisbane.

Jonathan Holland is Principal of St Francis College, Milton. He will be teaching ‘Early Church History’ and ‘Christian Worship’ this year between March and June. For more information, visit the St Francis College website or email [email protected]

Films & TV • Friday 26 February 2021 • By Jonathan Sargeant

High Ground

Just back from WWI, Simon Baker’s ex-sniper Travis recruits teen Gutjuk (Jacob Junior Nayinggul) in the mission to track down Aboriginal leader Baywara (Sean Mununggurr) who has been attacking local settlers. But this mission is complicated: not only is Gutjuk Baywara’s nephew, but 12 years ago Travis was part of a police troop that massacred Gutjuk’s mob, including women and children. Travis took no part in that massacre; in fact, he killed some of the troopers responsible, but the young teenager doesn’t know this. Tangled loyalties and the chaotic path of anger, revenge, and possibly forgiveness in the midst of systemic genocide will be inevitable as Gutjuk and Travis travel deep into the Outback in Stephen Johnson’s new film.

That sounds like scriptwriter Chris Anastassiades has provided an effective setup for High Ground, doesn’t it? Certainly, the first third of the film establishes potent undercurrents to every one of the film’s relationships. Jack Thompson’s Moran is a visiting official tasked with restoring justice to the district, but his racist attitudes are close to the surface. Claire (Caren Pistorius) toils in the local mission with the best of intentions but is hamstrung by the weak temperament of her brother, Pastor Braddock (Ryan Corr). Grandfather Dharrpa (Witiyana Marika) wants peace but competing motives

Page 35 of 40 poison that desire. There is much to mine here. It is disappointing then that the narrative thrusts of High Ground become muddled in the second half, losing focus.

Of course, that the Frontier Wars of Australia’s past extended well into the 20th century, with the existence of massacres such as the one depicted in High Ground well documented, is not up for debate. Other recent treatments of similar events such as Warwick Thornton’s magisterial Sweet Country inevitably come to mind when watching films like High Ground. This film cannot help but suffer a little in comparison, though these stories must be told. It’s a pleasure to see the prominent use of local language in the film, which goes some way to mitigate the white director / white scriptwriter issues of a film about First Nations’ history.

Labelled a “meat pie western”, Johnson’s film edges towards the gangster genre, with numerous bloody shootouts and ensuing recriminations. Most of these leave nuance behind to head down the revenge path. Possibly more emphasis on the internal journey of Gutjuk’s character might have served the story better. Nayinggul does the best he can with what the script allows him but there is no doubt Simon Baker’s Travis is the moral and narrative centre to the film. He has the most screen time and it is his actions that move the plot forward to a large extent. Unfortunately, this exposes High Ground to accusations of the “white saviour” trope, a narrative idea in storytelling where First Nations Peoples cannot liberate themselves but need white people to save them. There’s an uncomfortable amount of evidence to argue that here, right down to the last screen moments.

Frustratingly, there are hints of what could have been a better film. The relationship between Gutjuk and Travis has sparks of realism and there are important themes at large. I was intrigued by the pastor and his sister and there is definitely a film to be made about the influence for good or ill of early mission work. But too often, the tension of revenge is undone because supporting characters are dispatched before we are given any reason to care about them.

In the end, if the aim of High Ground is to communicate that dispossession of land inevitably leads to violent action in which no-one wins, then it is successful. The reality of history, though, is that ‘one side’ did ‘win’ and will continue to do so until Reconciliation and First Nations Peoples’ justice is achieved.

High Ground, rated MA15+ and directed by Stephen Johnson, is currently showing in cinemas.

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News • Monday 1 March 2021

Royal Commission shows aged care reform is urgent

Anglicare Australia is calling on the Government to commit to quality, affordable aged care for every Australian. The call is made in the wake of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

“The quality of the care we provide is a reflection of how we value older people. This Royal Commission offers us a historic opportunity to shape that care,” Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers said.

“Australia owes a debt of gratitude to the older Australians, carers, aged care workers, and Commissioners who shaped this report. Their experiences and stories must be heard – and they must be acted upon.

“They tell us our aged care system is broken. Aged care homes are struggling to provide quality care and keep their doors open. Older Australians are the ones paying the price.

“Australia spends half the OECD average on aged care. That’s not good enough. Older Australians deserve quality care, and this Royal Commission has shown that too many people aren’t getting it.”

Ms Chambers urged the Government to act on the Royal Commission’s recommendations instead of making short-term fixes.

“There have been more than twenty reviews of aged care in the last twenty years, but none of them have led to real change. Government after government has failed to act on them.

“Instead we’ve had piecemeal changes and band-aid solutions. We can’t afford to let the work of this Royal Commission suffer the same fate.

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“What we need now is real reform. We need to start from scratch and look at how the entire aged care system is designed. We need to make sure that everyone can get the quality care they need, when they need it, where they need it. Making that a reality should be our first priority.

“Everybody has the right to dignity and quality of life as they get older. After twenty years of lost opportunities, it’s time to listen to the stories of older Australians – and give them the care they deserve.”

News • Thursday 4 March 2021 • By Anglican Communion News Service

Science-faith partnership is vital for tackling climate change

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby (Image courtesy of Lambeth Palace)

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, told an international gathering of faith leaders that the fight against climate crisis would benefit from the relationship between science and faith.

He made his comments in the first of a series of online meetings being held in advance of the UN’s COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow later this year.

Archbishop Justin said that “the relationship between science and faith presents us with a very real and a powerful route to lasting, major change. Our global reach, our commitment to local communities and our hope combined with the knowledge and expertise of science can forge a powerful alliance.”

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He welcomed US President Joe Biden’s decision to resume America’s commitment to the Paris Accord, and said, “I speak as a Christian. Jesus teaches us that there are no greater commandments than to love God and love our neighbour. To abide by those commandments as a Christian today is to step up to the challenge of climate change and connected environmental crises.”

He said that he was “humbled by the action of the Anglican Communion around the world, from initiatives like Green Anglicans, the Anglican Communion Environmental Network (ACEN), the Eco- Bishops group, the Anglican Communion’s presence at the UN and the work of the Anglican Alliance.”

His prayer, he said, was that “as faith communities…we might stand together, emissaries of hope and love, calling for God’s justice and peace upon this precious world. Now is the time for action.”

The COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

• Click here to read the full transcript of Archbishop Justin’s comments.

First published on the Anglican Communion News Service website on 1 March 2021.

Sunday Devotions • Sunday 7 March 2021 • By Fay Nolan

Sunday Devotion: 14 March 2021, Fourth Sunday in Lent

God’s amazing gift

Main Readings: Numbers 21.4-9; Psalm 107.1-3,17-22; Ephesians 2.1-10; John 3.14-21

Supplementary Readings: Psalm 69.20-25; Galatians 2.11-21; Jeremiah 31.27-37; Psalm 119.73-80; Mark 15.1-20

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“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3.16)

The Christmas Eve family service at All Saints’, Chermside last year focused on a number of surprising things found in the Christmas story, including that God didn’t choose someone famous or special to be his parents; that Jesus was born in a place where animals were kept; and, that the gifts that were given to Jesus were unusual. However, what struck me the most during the service is that God came to earth in the person of Jesus simply because He loves us (John 3.16).

Although we have done nothing to deserve His love, and in fact have rejected Him and trampled on his laws, God came to earth to rescue us from the mess we have got ourselves into. He came to earth to invite us into relationship with Him. He came to be our Saviour.

God came to earth on that first Christmas day to offer us a very special gift – the gift of forgiveness of our sins and the opportunity to have a loving, personal relationship with Him. The choice is ours. Are we going to reject that gift and throw it away? Are we going to leave it unwrapped and perhaps look at it another day when the trappings of this world are no longer attractive to us?

Or are we going to choose to receive His gift gladly? This choice will be one of, if not the most important, decisions of our lives, and needs to be considered prayerfully.

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