A M AG A Z I N E F O R W E S T E R N AU S T R A L I A N S | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 4
The Magazine of the ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF PERTH
Archbishop – The burning bush3
The Revd Alison Gilchrist – Planets and world views4
Welcome, Bishop Jeremy!5
Bishop Philip Huggins –
Archbishop Roger in Melbourne6
Bishop Tom Wilmot – God is in the ‘life’ business7
Anglicare – The best way to recycle8
Mark Brolly – Our new Primate’s inauguration9
Laurie Lee – Helping Aboriginal children to read9
The Revd Dr David Wood – Christ is our peace10
The Revd Dr Elizabeth Smith – Beyond recycling11
The Revd Peter Laurence – Mining the soul12
Green stars for the Cloisters redevelopment13
The Revd Dr Anna Killigrew –
Listening in the landscape
14
Jeremy F Hultin – 2 Peter and the promise
of a new earth15
Cathedral16
Fresh Look for St Peter’s18
Bishop Allan Ewing – From the edge to the heart19
Purple Patch
19
Scout’s honour20
News20
Jeff Savage – Young Adult Forum21
The Revd William Thomas –
Going green at Lime Street22
Claire Barrett-Lennard –
Anglicans with energy for change23
Oceans of justice24
Compassion and community in the Swan Valley25
Jocelyn Ross OAM – Nor’West postcard26
Mark Glasson – Noongar Boodja and
cultural competency27
Book reviews
28-29
Mark A Hadley – Movies - ‘Freedom’ 30
Anthony Howes – Theatre 31
Bishop Peter Brain – Our rich liturgical heritage 22 32
Hamish Milne – Taking counsel together 33
Perth College and the Solomon Islands34
Paula on Paul35
Where to worship
36
Classifieds37
Crossword38
The Revd Pamela Turner –
Mt Pleasant’s ‘beautiful vision’39
COMMITTEE
Acting Editor
Bishop Kay Goldsworthy E: [email protected]
The Revd Dr David Wood E: [email protected]
The Revd Dr Elizabeth Smith E: [email protected]
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The burning bush
Editor’s note
The Most Revd Roger Herft AM, Archbishop of Perth
The fifth Mark of Mission of the worldwide Anglican
Communion is about mission that strives to safeguard
the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life
of the earth, and the September Messenger has the
environment as its theme.
In this edition you will find Jeremy Hultin making sense
of our care for this earth alongside 2 Peter’s vision of this
creation giving way to a new earth. Bishop Tom Wilmot,
a member of the Anglican Communion’s Environment
working group, reflects on the theological imperatives for
good care of creation, and Anna Killigrew muses on how
the wilderness landscape and its powerful life can help
us listen to God. The Anglican Alliance invites us to join a
campaign to put ‘oceans of justice’ firmly on the political
agenda, as Pacific nations face the catastrophe of rising
sea levels.
Many of our regular contributors have put an ecological
spin on their contributions this month, with Anglicare’s
take on recycling through op shops, and Alison Gilchrist
putting sci-fi movies and the environmental movement
together with the evangelistic art of Christian apologetics.
Episcopal news includes Perth’s new Bishop Jeremy
James tssf, consecrated with great rejoicing on the feast
of the Transfiguration, Archbishop Roger’s contribution to
the Melbourne ministry conference, and a report on the
first visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, to
Australia for the inauguration of the Primate, Archbishop
Philip Freier.
In less purple passages, you will see schools reaching
out in their own community and in pilgrimages to
other Anglican communities, and diocesan property
developments with green credentials that will help make
mission literally as well as ecologically sustainable at
grassroots levels.
September across most of the Diocese of Perth falls in
the Noongar season of Djilba, with flourishing growth
in bushland, farmland and suburban gardens. May the
spirit of our churches, chaplaincies, schools, agencies and
people also grow in wisdom and holiness as we care for
the earth and share its resources with justice.
Grace and peace be with you
A BLAZING bush – a vision in the stark
desert world – takes Moses away from
his daily chore. Disturbed by creation’s
mystery he hears a voice call him by name, “Moses,
Moses”. He responds with attentiveness, “Here I am”.
A personal encounter is mediated as the creation invites
Moses to enter into communion with the Creator to
behold ‘the face of God’.
The Orthodox tradition reminds us that the vision gifted
to Moses was of Christ, the eternal logos, the preincarnate Word. The command to “Remove your sandals”
has symbolic meaning. Footwear was made of the
hide of dead animals. It represented the weariness and
mortality of humanity’s fallen state.
To strip oneself of footwear was to put aside the inert,
worn-out, familiar pursuits of life with their mechanical
repetitiveness and to open one’s eyes to wonder at God’s
creation. Bare feet touch the earth; Moses discovers
his creatureliness. The feel of the dust tells him he is an
intrinsic part of creation.
God continues the conversation, “The place on which
you are standing is holy ground”. To remove sandals is a
call to repentance, to a new way of seeing and being.
Nature is sacred. The world is a sacrament of the
divine presence, a means of communion with God.
The environment consists not in dead matter but
in living relationship. The entire cosmos is one vast
burning bush permeated by the fire of divine power
and glory:
Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia, ‘Through Creation to the
Creator’, Eds John Chryssavgis and Bruce V Foltz, Towards an Ecology of
Transfiguration, Fordham University Press, New York, 2013, p90; poem
from Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh (1856, book 7).
To encounter the living God in the blazing bush of
creation is to acknowledge the unique role given to
human beings to be grateful recipients of the complex
mystery of the universe and to offer it back to God with
the marks of reverent praise. We become the human
voice of the universe as it expresses itself in the riot of
the colour of the wildflowers and the fierce winds that
blow the winter chill away.
The environmental crisis that envelopes us needs to be
seen as a spiritual crisis:
We are treating our planet in an inhuman, godless
manner precisely because we fail to see it as a gift
inherited from above. Before we can effectively deal
with problems of our environment, we must change
the way we perceive the world. Otherwise, we
are simply dealing with symptoms, not with their
causes. We require a new worldview if we are to
desire “a new earth” (Rev 21:1).
His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Encountering the
Mystery, Doubleday, New York, 2008, pp117-18
To see creation as a gift from heaven is to hear the
challenge that accompanies the discovery of sacred
ground: “I have heard the cry of my people suffering in
slavery”. The creation burns for God’s reign of justice and
righteousness to be accomplished.
Earth’s crammed with heaven,
and every common bush afire with God;
but only he who sees, takes off his shoes,
the rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.
Certainly there is nothing in itself wrong about
plucking blackberries. But as we enjoy the fruits of
the earth, let us also look beyond our own immediate
pleasure and discern the deeper mystery that
surrounds us on every side.
The Most Revd Roger Herft, AM
Archbishop of Perth
Elizabeth J Smith
Acting Editor
Five Marks of Mission
• Witness to Christ’s saving, forgiving, reconciling love for all
people (Tell)
• Build welcoming, transforming communities of faith (Teach)
• Stand in solidarity with the poor and needy (Tend)
• Challenge injustice and oppression (Transform)
• Protect, care for and renew life on our planet (Treasure)
SEPTEMBER 2014
3
Planets and world views
The Revd Alison Gilchrist | Parish Priest Bassendean | Diocesan Evangelism Enabler
ARE we living on this planet as
if we had another one to go to?
At least two sets of thoughts hit
me as I read this quote on my
Facebook page last week. One was how grateful
I am that those who journey with me on my
Facebook page are such a diverse bunch and that,
on the whole, they are people of conscience and
principle, and, that they so often proffer me all
sorts of useful and stimulating input for sermons
and other writing. The other was much more
random, as I was transported back to the years
when I spent hours watching sci-fi movies, many
of which included scenes of humankind leaving
to find another planet to live on, in the face of a
world in ruin for one reason or another.
As those who check in on my Messenger page
regularly will have gleaned, I am gifted, or cursed
depending the viewpoint from which you look,
with a somewhat madly meandering mind,
whose next port of call was WALL-E. For the
uninitiated, WALL-E is the title of a Disney/Pixar
movie. The story follows a robot named WALL-E
(Waste Allocation Load Lifter – Earth-Class), who
is designed to clean up an abandoned, wastecovered Earth far in the future. He falls in love
with another robot named EVE, who also has
a programmed task, and follows her into outer
space on an adventure that changes the destiny
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of both his
kind and
humanity. Both
robots exhibit
an appearance
of free will
and emotions
similar to
humans,
which develop
further as
the film
progresses.
I made a connection with my role in evangelism,
or more especially one area of that work:
apologetics. The term comes from a Greek word
which basically means “to give a defence.”
Christian apologetics, then, is the science of
giving a defence of the
Christian faith.
Doing the apologetic work I knew to be
necessary, I scanned back over the years of
viewing Hollywood’s major science fiction output
and delved into the bits of psychology training
I’d received, lining it all up with my theological
education and then a question struck me: “Does
this generation live like we had another planet to
go to because of the years of input, albeit from
screen fiction, inciting a mindset of escapist
apathy, in this regard? Have people’s world-views
been infiltrated detrimentally by Vulcans and
Chewbaccas to the extent I suspect?”
What I do know is world-view, essential to
understand in an apologetic interaction, is also
an issue of vital importance used in film. You only
have to look at the title of numerous courses
offered at theological seminaries across the globe
to confirm just how influential ‘pop culture’ is.
What we as Christians need to understand is that
everything is filtered through our world-views.
Movies, along with myriad other diverse forms
of input, inform our thinking, as well as that of all
we those we meet.
Understanding how our neighbours thinks,
whether it be about ecological issues or any
other, is a task that should be on the agenda, as
we seek to share the Good News in our lives day
by day.
4
Messenger
Welcome, Bishop Jeremy!
ON THE feast of the
Transfiguration, 6
August, a capacity
crowd filled St
George’s Cathedral
and overflowed into
the Burt Hall for
the Consecration of
Jeremy James tssf
as a Bishop in the
Church of God. Until
recently Jeremy
was Rector of the
parish of Dianella,
and has also served
in Northam, Quairading, Yanchep and Quinns-Butler
during his time in the Diocese of Perth, and many
people from all these areas of his past ministry were
present to pray for him as he solemnly committed
himself to his new responsibilities.
The preacher for the
service was the Revd
Canon Kate Wilmot,
who had guided the
bishop-to-be through
his ordination retreat.
Kate offered an
inspiring message not
only for Jeremy but
for the whole church,
pointing out through
the Transfiguration
story that nobody
leaves unchanged
after an encounter
with Jesus. She had
a few words, too, “from a non-bishop” to Jeremy and by
extension to the other bishops present. She said: “Let’s
be honest about what non-bishops expect of bishops –
naturally we want them to be always engaged, always
interested, having every fact on recall, able to make
any decision without offending anyone and having an
excellent line of jokes into the bargain. Underneath, we
know this is unfair - we’re probably prepared to swap all
of this for someone who encourages us to do more than
anything what God expects.”
Tim Russell and Lousie Gibbs, God-children of Jeremy
and of his wife, Lynne, read the Old and New Testament
readings for the service. The Deacons of the diocese
were present in force as well, as history teaches that
there is a special relationship between bishops and their
deacons. The music for the evening was drawn from a
very wide spectrum, from Mozart to modern hymnody
and with a multi-cultural flavour added by the Sudanese
Anglican singers. Ecumenical and interfaith guests
of honour were also present, sharing the joy of the
Anglicans on this solemn occasion.
At least seventeen bishops, both local and interstate
and including the new Primate of the Anglican Church
of Australia, Archbishop Philip Freier, were part of the
celebration. They laid hands on Jeremy as Archbishop
Roger Herft prayed: “Send down the Holy Spirit upon
your servant Jeremy”. The prayer continued: “Fill this
your servant, merciful God, that he may always be ready
to proclaim the good news of salvation. Fill his heart
with love of you and your people.” And in the welcome
extended to Jeremy in short speeches after the service,
and in Jeremy’s words of thanks to the many people who
have helped him along the way towards this momentous
event, there was a strong sense of God’s love warmly
growing among God’s people.
Over the coming months, Bishop Jeremy will take up his
pastoral role among the people in the rural and remote
parts of the diocese as well as in several of the deaneries
around the Perth area. All of us will continue to pray for
him as he grows into his new ministry and encourages us
to grow into ours.
Photo credit: Nina Biggs. The full text of the sermon is available http://
www.perth.anglican.org/news?id=370
SEPTEMBER 2014
5
Archbishop Roger at Melbourne ministry conference
God is in the ‘life’ business
Bishop Philip Huggins
Bishop Tom Wilmot
ONE of many comments that I received about
Archbishop Roger’s illuminating and poignant
paper was that “Archbishop Herft’s address at
the start of our Conference set the scene for the
substantial conversations that followed.”
From his depths as a gospel-bearer, Archbishop Roger
shared many things, starting with his anguish about
the unreconciled condition of his native Sri Lanka. He
shared the terrible memory, as a young boy, of seeing
a man killed by a crazy mob. Still affected by that
memory, he reminded us to “tread softly” with our
newcomers because many are scarred by the atrocities
they have seen.
Linking Sri Lanka to places like Israel and Palestine,
+ Roger reminded us what “deeply ingrained
divisions” do to what is then possible. Linking this to
the unfinished business of reconciliation here with
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, he reminded
us of our common humanity. Our breath is from the
same source!
In his gracious, discreet but clear way, Archbishop
Roger then reminded us of the covet and overt
racism he and others experience, the vestiges of
patronising colonialism that can still cling to Church
attitudes. Bringing all this home, he reminded us that
“the journey towards multicultural Australia will lack
authenticity if we ignore the inherent culture that
permeates this land”.
Authenticity, as ever, comes at a cost. It has always
been so when we break out of cultural captivity and
allow ourselves to be transformed by the Gospel,
In our engagement as the body of Christ with people
from other cultural and ethnic backgrounds it is easy
to see the ‘others’ as the ‘great diaspora’, as the exilic
community. We do well to remember that we, the
Church, are always called to be, in heart and mind,
God’s diaspora, the community in exile. For Christians
there are no home game advantages. For in following
Christ (John 1:1-14) we are always engaged in
witnessing in an “away game” environment.
Archbishop Roger Herft, “Ministry and Mission in
the Asian Century: Chutney and Chow Mein – making
disciples in a multicultural Australia” address to the
Ministry Conference, Diocese of Melbourne, 16th July
2014. For the full text of the Archbishop’s address,
please see http://www.archbishopofperth.org/index/
media/sermons/2014/
6
Messenger
travelling light, attentive to the other, respectful
of difference, open to learning. In this paper, the
Archbishop evidenced both his biblical knowledge as
well as his wider reading. Quoting Salman Rushdie
he noted the migrant’s plight, “we have floated
from history, from memory and from time.” Drawing
on David Tacey and Robert Dessaix, he critiqued
those banal forms of multiculturalism favoured by
secular elites which so strip religious pluralism
of its interest, via their risk managing strategies,
that we are left with an ideology which implicitly
seems to speak of “an ultimate arbitrariness and
meaninglessness of everything.”
Accordingly, in this context, Archbishop Roger
celebrated the role of the church “speaking the truth
in love” trusting afresh that nothing can separate us
form the love of God visible in Jesus. I have known
+Roger since the late 1980’s. I already held him in
the highest respect and affection. His prophetic and
illuminating address to our clergy conference will guide
our way forward in Melbourne and would also provoke
substantial conversations in Perth.
JESUS taught us to pray: “Our Father
. . . your Kingdom come, your will
be done on Earth as it is in Heaven”
because as John Dominic Crossan
says: “Heaven is in great shape but
the Earth is a mess”. It is a mess because we persist in
the deadly habit of living our lives without reference
to God. The primary attributes of God identified in the
genius of Jewish faith are righteousness and justice,
so that God is unimaginably good and fair. This is
why St John the Baptist tells his audience the way
into heaven is through the distribution of food and
clothing to the poor and through honesty and fairness
in all our dealings with each other, especially those
of us with authority and power. In John the Baptist’s
teaching those people are in business and the military
(Luke 3:8-140. The fruit of justice, restorative and
distributive justice and righteousness is peace.
Our failure to heed this primary Biblical ethic based on
the nature and character of God has in our time resulted
in 85 individuals accumulating the equivalent wealth
of the world’s 3.5 billion poorest people! This sinful
imbalance is the end of an historic trajectory which began
with the invention of the corporation as a defence of the
wealth of the “Haves” against the invention of democracy
by the “Have Nots”. Some powerful corporations, as it
turns out, find it hard to be “good” or “fair” as evidenced
by this growing disparity between the rich and the poor
which is demonstrably a bad thing for everyone!
Elected governments are now compromised by
corporate and business elites. In the USA these elites
actually write most of the new legislation.
In Britain and Australia, business elites determine the
outcome of elections via the media and determine
public policy without the authority of being elected.
“Government for the people by the people”, in too many
cases of policy on the run, has become government
by the Corporations for the Corporations. In Australia,
“balancing the books” by “sharing the burden” in practice
has actually put the budget burden on the poorest in our
society.
This sweeping preamble is by way of saying that the
world is sleepwalking into a growing disparity between
rich and poor, and into climate catastrophe because our
political-economic systems are broken and in need of
urgent reform.
The economy is a subset of ecology, so unlimited growth
on a finite planet isn’t possible without doing serious
damage to the planet. If all the world’s seven billion
people had our standard of living we would need another
five planets to provide the necessary resources of fish,
fresh water, forest products, cereals, rare minerals and so
on necessary for that standard of living.
Sustainable living, living within our means, is not an
option for the few but an imperative for everyone. This
ethic is entirely consistent with the character of God’s
goodness and fairness which calls us all to sustainable
living if we would be God’s children and not the children
of that persistently popular lesser god, consumerism.
Within our own Judeo-Christian tradition we have a
maker’s handbook for living in harmony with God, each
other and the natural world. Environmental concerns
are not peripheral to our understanding of God or our
practice of the Christian faith. God has come to us in
Jesus of Nazareth, the Word incarnate, as a sign that God
is incarnate in all of creation which is the object of God’s
love and salvific purposes.
Our little blue planet is unique in its capacity to sustain
life. We haven’t found another one like it despite an
intensive search. It’s the only home we have got, which
is why Jesus told us to “build our house upon the
rock” or suffer the consequences of our own actions:
expulsion from paradise, again, not because God will
expel us next time around but because for the first time
in the history of the world our species has the power to
render this special blue planet uninhabitable. Choosing
the wrong god won’t just cost us our souls; it could cost
us the Earth.
Tree of Life Programme in
Christian Spirituality, Spiritual Formation,
Spiritual Direction
A residential course for lay people and clergy
held at St John of God Retreat Centre
Gloucester Crescent, Shoalwater.
The Programme consists of four residential weekends
per year for four years. Each weekend consists of lecture/
presentations, reflection, discussions, case studies,
sharing groups, practicum as well as prayer and regular
worship in the Anglican Tradition.
Applications are invited for the 10 positions available for
first year participants in 2015.
• A brochure, providing details of the programme together with an application form, is available on
request from the Programme Director.
• Dates for 2015: 27 February-1 March; 22 -24 May; 21-23
August; 13-15 November
• Enquiries may be directed to the Programme Director,
Archdeacon Michael Pennington – Phone 9332 7221 or
0409 372 029; e-mail [email protected]
CENTRE FOR CHRISTIAN BELIEF, SPIRITUALITY
AND AUSTRALIAN CULTURE
Encouraging vital encounters with the living God
and deepening awareness of the transforming work of
the Spirit in Australian life
SEPTEMBER 2014
7
Our new Primate’s inauguration
The best way to recycle
Mark Brolly – Anglican Media
RECYCLING is an important contributor to
conservation efforts. Human waste of all kinds has
a profoundly harmful effect on the environment and
takes up space in landfill. Recycling prolongs the use
of goods and items meaning other natural resources
do not need to be harvested to make new ones. It
means less energy is expended in the manufacture
of new goods. Recycling is quite literally good for the
planet.
Perhaps one of the least thought-of ways to recycle is
donating to Op Shops. However, delivering goods to Op
Shops is perhaps one of the most effective and efficient
ways you can recycle.
environment
and
community.
For example,
by using
items from
Op Shops you
are lowering
the demand
for the
manufacture
of new items.
Most importantly, the proceeds assist us in running our
many community service programs.
Anglicare WA operates high quality Op Shops around the
Perth metropolitan area. You can bring your goods into
one of our stores or leave them in one of our many Drop
Boxes. By donating your quality goods such as clothes
in good condition, books, furniture and bric a brac to Op
Shops, they can find a new home that will treasure them.
Anglicare WA works with over 30,000 Western
Australians every year offering support to those in need.
Our work includes strengthening relationships, resolving
family conflict, supporting those in need of housing,
assisting people in financial crisis, connecting young
people with helpful services, and offering training to
the rest of our sector. Remember, every shirt, scarf or
bracelet you buy from one of our Op Shops assists us in
delivering our many programs.
Anglicare WA Op Shop trucks collect donated items and
transport them to our warehouse where they are sorted
by our volunteers. The goods are then distributed to our
Op Shop stores.
Buying from Op Shops is also a great contributor to our
Centre for Christian Belief, Spirituality
and Australian Culture
Encouraging vital encounters with the living God and
deepening awareness of the transforming work of the
Spirit in Australian life
There are many ways to contribute to this cycle. You can
donate, volunteer, or buy at an Anglicare WA Op Shop and
be part of a greater cause.
Anglican Church
Professional Standards Committee
Providing a Healing Process for
Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Misconduct
IGNATIAN RETREAT 2014
From 5pm Friday 24th October to
Thursday 30th October after breakfast
at St John of God Retreat Centre,
Gloucester Road, Shoalwater.
This is a directed silent retreat in which you will have the
opportunity to pursue a time of prayerful discernment and
grow closer to God.
The directors, one of whom will meet with you daily, are
trained in the many forms of prayer suggested by St.
Ignatius in The Spiritual Exercises, designed to strengthen
the individual in the Christian life of ‘action in contemplation’,
and to help you ‘find God in all things’.
Participants may come for the full retreat or for either the
first three or last three days, but priority will be given to
those making the full retreat.
The cost: For the full Retreat $695 For three days $350
Enquiries may be directed to:
The Rev’d Tess Milne: 9299 7976 or [email protected]
or The Rev’d Canon Dr John Dunnill: 9335 4276 or
[email protected]
Registration: The Ven Michael Pennington 9332 7221 or
[email protected]
8
Messenger
The Church acknowledges with regret that sexual
abuse and misconduct has occurred in our Worshipping
Communities. The Church also recognises the
impact it has had on children and adults and accepts
responsibility for the past occurrences.
The Professional Standards Committee operates
independently and investigates all complaints of sexual
abuse and misconduct that have taken place within the
Church or its associated organisations.
The Committee offers professional support that aims
to bring healing, peace and closure for victims of sexual
abuse and misconduct.
Your enquiry will be treated with confidentiality,
sensitivity and respect.
Address your enquiry to the Professional Standards Director
GPO Box W2067, Perth WA 6846
Phone: (08) 9425 7203 (Direct) or 0419 935 889
Email: [email protected]
THE Archbishop of Canterbury said at the
inauguration of Melbourne’s Archbishop Philip Freier
as Australia’s 15th Anglican Primate that there was no
greater hope for a war-torn, bitter and troubled world
than a church abounding
in holiness and wisdom.
Archbishop Justin Welby,
on his first visit to Australia
as part of his plan to
meet all 37 primates in
the worldwide Anglican
Communion in his first 18
months in office, joined about 1500 bishops, clergy and
laypeople from across Australia and overseas at St Paul’s
Cathedral on 13 August for Dr Freier’s formal assumption
of the primacy, to which he was elected in June in
succession to Brisbane’s Archbishop Phillip Aspinall.
The service began with the Welcome to Country by
Wurundjeri elder Aunty Di Kerr and a welcome in nine
languages -- Arabic, Chinese, Dinka, English, Farsi,
Hindi, Sinhalese, Spanish and Tamil -- by members of the
Cathedral’s multicultural congregation and staff.
The two Lessons
were read by former
Governor-General
Dame Quentin Bryce
and the new Primate’s
young grandson,
Nathan Freier.
Archbishop Roger Herft of Perth,
the senior bishop of the Anglican
Church of Australia, led the
inauguration rite, while Archbishop
Glenn Davies of Sydney, Bishop
Alison Taylor of Brisbane’s Southern
Region, Archbishop Jeffrey Driver
of Adelaide, Bishop John Harrower
of Tasmania, Bishop Andrew
Curnow of Bendigo, Bishop Allan
Ewing of Bunbury and the Dean of
Melbourne, the Very Revd Andreas
Loewe, offered prayers for Dr Freier in his new role.
The Archbishop of Perth, the Revd Canon Dr Colleen
O’Reilly of St George’s Malvern, General Synod’s Lay
Secretary Mrs Ann Skamp of Grafton diocese, Torres
Strait Elder Dr Rose Elu and Coptic Orthodox Bishop Anba
Suriel welcomed Dr Freier as Primate on behalf of the
bishops, clergy, laypeople, Indigenous people and other
Christian churches respectively.
Archbishop Herft presented Dr Freier with the Primatial
Cross and Archbishop Welby blessed Dr Freier before
both men presented the new Primate to the congregation
to resounding applause.
For the full report, please see
www.melbournanglican.org/newsandviews
Photo credit: Kit Haselden.
Photo caption: Archbishop Justin Welby preaches . The Archbishop of
Canterbury prays for Australia’s new Primate. Archbishop Philip Freier,
Primate, and Mrs Joy Freier.
Helping Aboriginal children to read
Laurie Lee – Aboriginal Literacy Foundation
THE Aboriginal Literacy Foundation (ALF) is a
small charity with big ideas. Founded in 2003 by
Dr Tony Cree OAM, we are committed to helping
transform the lives of Aboriginal children by focusing
on literacy and numeracy education. Working in
collaboration with local communities and partners,
we provide support for young Indigenous Australians
through a number of literacy programs and services
that not only educate, but also empower young
Indigenous Australians to be proud of their culture
and themselves. We are based in Victoria, but we
distribute books and educational resources, and assist
students, schools, families and communities right
across Australia.
One of the largest projects we support in WA is
the Discovery Book Club (DBC), based in Perth and
Fremantle. The purpose of this project is to establish
a sustainable community partnership and resource
model to support the development of positive reading
relationships and literacy skills of children coming into
care. The project provides book and literacy parcels to
children every six months for the first two years since
coming in to care, as well as readings sessions with a
teacher and foster carer support sessions. Since the
beginning of our partnership in July 2013, the ALF have
sent more than 2560 books to the DBC, helping more
than 500 children. With the expansion of this project to
other towns in Western Australia, the project will see
hundreds more children and families receive assistance.
The ALF is a completely privately funded organisation.
We rely on the donations of our generous supporters
in order to continue to provide programs such as this
which are essential in improving
opportunities and education for
so many young Indigenous boys
and girls. If you wish to make
a donation, please fill out and
return the leaflet included in this
publication.
Photo caption: Olivia puts DBC book
parcels in the mail.
SEPTEMBER 2014
9
Christ is our peace
Beyond recycling
The Revd Dr David Wood
The Revd Dr Elizabeth Smith | Mission Development Coordinator
WHILE most of us can hardly imagine celebrating
Eucharist without the Greeting of Peace, this
action might justifiably be considered to be deeply
un-Anglican because it disturbs our sedentary
nature. It is certainly a very recent liturgical
innovation in terms of our common prayer
tradition. It is there in the first prayer book of
1549, but has disappeared by the second in 1552,
returning as an option in 1928, only to finally resurface as a fully-fledged happening within the
last fifty years. In the space of these few years,
however, it has become so firmly established
that we simply assume it has always paved the
way to communion. The Greeting of Peace is
unquestioned, and for the most part happens
enthusiastically, with all and sundry being caught
up in the holy huddle. The kiss of ancient times
is replaced with hugs and handshakes and slaps
on the back, which split the Eucharistic liturgy in
two so decisively that baptism parties unfamiliar
with the scrum start heading for the door under
the misapprehension that worship is over for
the day! Enthusiasm is one thing, of course,
but understanding is another, which means
that in most parishes you might be forgiven for
wondering what on earth the participants think
they are doing. Is this just a chummy interlude, or
is something more significant going on?
Actions and words do tend to give the game away
here. The tendency to run around the worship space
making sure that absolutely everyone is greeted,
is commonplace. Phrases like ‘nice to see you’ or
‘welcome home’ or even ‘we must do lunch this
week’ are much more likely to be heard that words
of peace, let alone something as explicit as ‘the
peace of Christ.’ Those venturing into the Christian
community for the first time ever, or after a long
period of absence, can easily get lost in the crowd.
It is not that no one bothers to greet them, many
go out of their way to do so, but then we gravitate
to those we already know, making it easy for the
new-comer to feel deeply alone, and deeply out of
it. Experiencing this unintended exclusion, suddenly
aware of being on the fringes, is not something you
want to repeat. This genuinely bewilders us. After
all, we’re so friendly! Why on earth didn’t they come
again the following week?
The Greeting of Peace, which is both text and
gesture, so easily trivialised and so readily misused,
can surely be a living out of the gospel for our
time when it is done with understanding and with
undiscriminating warmth. When you are offering your
gift at the altar, if you remember that your sister or
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brother has something against you, leave your gift
there before the altar and go; first be reconciled
to your sister or brother, then come and offer your
gift. The prince of peace born at Bethlehem and the
raised Lord with the prints of the nails in his hands
reconciles us to God in one body by the cross. Christ
in himself is our peace, the great peace-maker who
invites us all to be peace-makers. It is not clear
whether ‘Peace to you’, the regular greeting of the
Easter Jesus, means ‘peace is already with you’ or
‘may peace be with you.’ Given, however, that the
Lord’s presence creates a new both/and world out
of our either/or world, it probably means that peace
is already ours without a doubt, yet still we need to
live it out, experiencing it, feeling it in our bones,
while spreading it around so that all may be drawn
into its harmony.
But what of the word ‘peace’ itself, even in the
intentional greeting: the peace of Christ? Are we
wishing the people around us – business associates,
fractious family members, difficult neighbours,
best friends, fellow believers, those of other faiths
and none – tranquillity and calm in the midst of the
storm? Is this what we are about, or is this all we are
about? Shalom means a whole lot more than calm,
a whole lot more than the absence of enmity and
hostility. Shalom or salaam or even the Latin pax is
far stronger than the weakened and watered-down
use of the word peace in contemporary English.
‘Shalom’ on the lips of Christ and his fellow Jews
to this day, like ‘salaam’ as our Muslim cousins use
it, or ‘pax’ in the mouths of our medieval ancestors,
means something positive rather than negative,
presence rather than absence, offering a gift of
wholeness in place of partiality. It is an active prayer
for the other’s well-being, the wish that they and we
may be all we can be in the divine imagination, that
we may all be complete.
IT’S Saturday lunchtime in the pub
at Southern Cross towards the end
of July, after a cheerful celebration of
the eucharist at Christ Church. Over
fish and chips, one of the parishioners
who farms wheat and sheep an hour
south of town is talking about bulk grain handling.
There are problems with the way the rail contractor
has let the network decay, problems with the cost of
road transport and the damage the wheat trucks do
to the roads that the Shire has to maintain, problems
on his farm with wind erosion around the edges of
his paddocks, and problems with shifting rainfall
patterns. People in the district have their farms on the
market, but nobody is buying.
Mission and the environment means more than just
composting my kitchen waste in the suburbs. It also
means listening to people whose relationship with the
land is very different to my own, avoiding romanticism
about the bush. A conversation with a farmer is a very
quick antidote to sentimental environmentalism.
It’s mid-afternoon on my run back to Perth from
Kalgoorlie, and time for a power nap before the last leg
of the long drive. I look around the roadside rest area and
despair of the travellers who have been there ahead of
me, leaving a dispiriting carpet of discarded plastic, paper
and glass, souring my pleasure in the glory of the salmon
gums. I wish I had a pair of sturdy rubber gloves, a giant
garbage bag, a couple of friends to help me, and an hour
to spare.
Mission and the environment means more than just
remembering the canvas shopping bags when I head
for the supermarket. It means helping to clean up other
people’s mess as well as my own.
I’m walking softly across the drying mud on the surface
of a salt lake, somewhere south of Koora Retreat. My
legs are tired after plodding across a saltbush flat, where
each step sank a little into the crust of soil. My boots and
socks are off now, and my bare footprints meander across
the tracks of a running emu and foraging waterbirds.
Mission and the environment means more than just
choosing a smaller, fuel-efficient car in which to scoot
around town or across the countryside. It also means
rugging up warmly to look at the stars on a moonless
night, sitting still in the bush until I notice just how many
plants and ants and birds are thriving there, tasting the
salt of a sea breeze on my face, feeling the sand between
my toes beside the ocean. I am a speck of humanity in a
wide landscape, and I remember that I am dust, and to
dust I shall return.
So to do your bit for mission and the environment. Keep
on recycling, by all means. But take the next step, too.
Get a farmer to talk about the land. Join or start a local
clean-up gang. Go on a wilderness retreat. And expect to
meet God at every turning.
In ‘sustainable September’ we human creatures are
also perhaps more aware than usual of the peace
of God’s other creatures, and indeed for the whole
creation. Part of looking for a new heaven and a new
earth has to do with responding to what God is doing
in Christ’s birth and life and death and resurrection.
Responding in love to the Love which first and last
loves us must of necessity be seamless, so that
we walk gently on the earth just as we walk gently
together, so that our imprint is kindly, so that our
touch is peaceable.
In every sense, it is surely time to stop playing
around with the Greeting of Peace, and get real
about it.
SEPTEMBER 2014
11
Mining the soul
Green stars for the Cloisters redevelopment
The Revd Peter Laurence | CEO Anglican Schools Commission
WE ALL need ‘soul-time’. By that, I
mean time out of our busy lives to
reflect on ‘things that matter’ at the
heart of our spiritual being. Sometimes we need to
do this in relative isolation and quiet, by way of a
retreat. Other times, we need to do it by dialogue
‘in community’.
This year’s Anglican Schools Australia Conference,
hosted in Perth, provided such an occasion to discuss
matters of the soul ‘in community’. Over 200 Anglican
school Principals, Chaplains and Board Governors from
across the country as well as the Diocese of Perth’s
partner Diocese of Eldoret in Kenya came together for
three days under the theme ‘Mining the Soul’.
The Biblical context was set by Dr Paula Gooder, one
of the Anglican Communion’s greatest ‘human assets’
and a self-proclaimed lover of the Bible, with a passion
to inspire such love of the scriptures in others.
Anglican schools should be places where any and
every member of their community can have their soul
nourished. In a forum where students from across
our WA Anglican schools spoke honestly of their life
journey, some said outright that their school helped
them connect with the spiritual side of themselves and
helped them develop a ‘sense of self’. They also shared
their experiences of when others’ actions had helped
create soul in them, or when they had opportunities to
nourish soul in others. Some spoke of the deep impact
that school pilgrimages such as Reachout Manila had
on their spiritual life and journey. “In the Philippines,
the moment I smelt, felt and heard for the first time, I
realised that my safe, privileged world would never be
the same again.”
and nurturing environment that allows them to safely
explore matters of life, values and faith. The voice of
former Australian cricket legend Justin Langer spoke
of his success on the cricket pitch, yet his heart was
longing for more… “I was living the dream but there
was something missing… God gives me the strength
to achieve anything.” Justin boldly shared his journey
of faith.
Anglican schools face the same challenge as the
broader church: how to present the Christian message
in a new and living way that connects with people.
Coming together to share the challenges and be
inspired by youth and adult alike rejuvenates the body,
mind and spirit to keep going with this vital ministry
in schools. One of the
conference speakers
summed up the role
that each of us has as
we share our faith daily:
“Our task is to hand
back Jesus to the world
in all his captivating
beauty and brilliance”
(Jarrod McKenna). That
says it all.
For those who want to
save their life will lose
it, and those who want
to lose their life for my
sake will find it.
(Matthew 16:25)
THE Anglican Church is proud to be involved
in an example of bringing sustainable building
practices to the redevelopment of a late 1960s
building in the Perth CBD.
The redevelopment of
Cloisters Arcade, which runs
from Hay Street through to
St Georges Terrace, includes
a realignment of the arcade
to provide a north-south
thoroughfare for pedestrians
walking up Mill Street, through
Cloisters Arcade to Shafto Lane
and Murray Street.
Brian Dixon
More than 2000m² of retail
space has been upgraded. The new retail
Photo caption: Justin Langer at the ASA conference 2014
The student voices also spoke of times when it is hard
to live the Christian life at school, even an Anglican
school. Whilst our schools aim to be places where faith
is nurtured, they are ‘real communities’. Our schools
are reflections of wider society, with many young
people there attempting to live out their beliefs as they
work out their beliefs. The 2013 Young Australian of the
Year Akram Azimi spoke of the racism to which he had
been subjected at school, and how such bullying works
against the soul. There is no place for racism, or any
other form of bullying, in schools or wider society.
Anglican schools talk regularly of seeking to keep in
balance the issues of body, mind and spirit. As one
Principal said to me, “we are here because we are
genuinely attempting to nurture the body, mind and
spirit of the young people in our care”. I have no doubt
that every Anglican school has this as their mission,
whether stated or implicit.
Young people are well served by experiencing some
of the realities of life beyond school, yet within a safe
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refurbishment. The
redevelopment also
includes a nine-storey
commercial tower built
on top of the existing
Cloisters Arcade, a 42
year old structure and
Perth’s busiest retail
arcade. Subtly rising
above the Cloisters
Arcade, the tower
presents a contemporary
office façade with a
sustainable core.
The building incorporates
motion
sensor controlled
Hay Street façade
lighting to reduce energy
consumption, blinds to control glare, generous
end of trip bike and shower facilities, and high
level of Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) delivered
through reduced Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOC’s), low internal noise levels, controlled
thermal comfort and external views for 60% of the
office space.
Built in 1858, the historical Cloisters building
positioned in front of Cloisters Arcade on St
Georges Terrace has remained untouched
throughout the redevelopment. This challenging
project also navigated heritage constraints and
community concerns, preserving the historic
Cloisters building and protecting the heritagelisted Port Jackson Fig Tree.
Artist’s impression of the Cloisters courtyard
tenancies include a restaurant fronting St Georges
Terrace. Existing tenants have been relocated
to other areas within the arcade throughout the
Having already achieved a Green Star Design v3
rating from the Green Building Council Australia,
the project team is now aiming for a 5 Star Green
Star Office Interiors rating as well.
SEPTEMBER 2014
13
Listening in the landscape
2 Peter and the promise of a new earth
The Revd Dr Anna Killigrew – Koora Retreat Centre
Dr Jeremy F Hultin
WHAT do Rabbi Yohanan ben
Zakkai and Martin Luther have in
common? Perhaps an appreciation
for horticulture in the face of
eschatological frenzy.
I ONCE took my four children, aged four to
eight years, for a bush walk, one that I billed as
‘a mountain-top experience’. We laboured on
foot up three kilometres of winding forest track
accompanied by the mantra: ‘Are we there yet?’
Just as the sun dipped to the ocean’s horizon, we
reached the mountaintop and gratefully sank into
the wind-sculpted vegetation, to rest and watch. As
food and drink spread a glow through our innards,
and the setting sun shed its glory over the water,
my eight-year-old sighed, ‘So this is a mountain
top experience!’
Landscapes will do that to you. A landscape, especially
one ‘that is not sown’ (Jeremiah 2:2), will draw us into
a world far greater than the confined and manageable
world that we construct for ourselves. It feels like being
released from slavery, to be immersed in such immensity
that is telling out the glory and handiwork and speech
and knowledge of God (Ps 19:1-4). It is as though the
voice of the heavens goes out through all the earth and
their words to the end of the world. In a landscape we
can see, hear, feel, taste, smell the creative, enlivening,
redemptive Word of God, personally expressed in Christ.
Carlo Caretto (In Search of the Beyond) reminds us that
we have scripture stories treasured by those who dwelt
in un-sown landscapes—the wilderness—for a lifetime.
These stories brought them into conversation with God.
As we too immerse ourselves in the landscape, the land
and these stories can be our ‘receivers’. We pick up the
wavelength of God from beyond the big horizon, beyond
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all that is created. ‘So faith comes from what is heard,
and what is heard comes through the Word of Christ’
(Romans 10:17).
I peered down the microscope at the translucent
growing tip of a wheat seedling. This seedling was
dissected, dead. But I was struck by the truth that every
cell of its being wanted to become a head of wheat, ripe,
ready to die to become a new wheat plant. As we gaze
at this year’s crop waving in the paddock, can we see in
this landscape the determined word of God bringing forth
created potential? Isaiah 55:10-11 reminds us that God’s
Word accomplishes the purpose for which God sends it.
In landscapes we see this word in action. From this
vantage point, we can believe God’s Word is alive in our
own life and the life of our community. If a wheat plant
can grow through asphalt to fulfil its created potential,
can’t we too push through the human-manufactured
constraints in our world, to become the well-pleasing,
beloved offspring that God’s Word declares us to be?
This is what landscapes can show us. These are the
seeds of the faith that grows to produce its fruit in us.
Let’s all get out into landscapes more often, and allow
the Word alive there to speak tenderly to our hearts and
rekindle our faith in Christ.
Photo credits: Bush scenes, salt lake, water on the rock, exploring the
landscape at Koora Retreat.
Photos courtesy of Anna Killigrew and EJ Smith.
for such stability as it possesses comes from the
sustaining word of God—the same word that originally
spoke it into existence (2 Pet 3:5, 7; cf. Genesis 1). If
God’s word is holding the world together, God’s word can
let it fall apart.
In the first century, Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai gave a
provocative teaching to temper the temptation to get
caught up in messianic movements: “If you have a
sapling in your hand and someone tells you the Messiah
has arrived, first plant the sapling and then go greet the
Messiah” (Abot de Rabbi Natan). A similar saying has
often been attributed to Luther: “Even if I knew that
tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still
plant an apple tree today.” Apparently in Luther’s case,
the saying is apocryphal, but in any event, the spirit is the
same: Don’t let eagerness for the “Age to Come” deter
you from responsible behavior in the here-and-now.
Then Peter recasts the biblical prophets’ language
of a fiery and cataclysmic “Day of the Lord” in the
more philosophically palatable language of the Stoics,
the ancient philosophers who taught that there were
periodic cosmic “conflagrations” in which the four
elements resolved into fire (2 Pet 3:10-12). Other
Christian apologists of the second and third centuries also
appealed to Stoic teaching in an effort to minimize the
novelty—and scandal—of Christian language about a fiery
judgment. Their point was, essentially: “This isn’t as crazy
as it sounds; some of the best minds of the day hold to a
similar idea.”
I suspect most of us today applaud this sentiment. But
of course, someone could argue with Rabbi Yohanan or
Martin Luther: “Hold on a minute. Why should I plant
a sapling in this earth, when God is going to create
a new earth?” After all, God repeatedly promises a
“new heavens and new earth” (Isa 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13;
Revelation 21:1), so what’s the point in caring for the
present creation?”
So much for Peter’s defense of the idea that the world
would burn up. This brings us back to the central problem.
If, as Peter says, “the heavens will be set ablaze and
dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire,” why
should we be worried about carbon emissions and rising
ocean temperatures?
A biblical passage often singled out as especially
problematic in this way is 2 Peter 3:5-13, which describes
a fiery cataclysm in which the heaven and earth are
dissolved in fire. It even describes the “whirring” sound
the elements will make as they burn! Indeed, this
passage is regarded as so “eco-unfriendly” that some
environmentally-minded Christians have suggested it
would be best simply to ignore it.
Since 2 Peter already does a pretty good job of being
ignored, I want to explore briefly why it describes the end
as it does, and to ask if it really undermines the broader
biblical ethic of human responsibility for creation.
2 Peter 3:4 states that Christians were being taunted
with a derisive question: “Where is the promise of his
coming?” (3:4). At first this sounds like it’s directed
at the so-called “delay of the parousia”—the fact that
Christ did not return as quickly as expected. But the
subsequent words of the scoffers—“All things continue
as they were from the beginning of creation!”—suggest
that their real point was that there never would be a
drastic eschatological upheaval because the universe was
inherently stable, incapable of destruction. Thus, if we can
be permitted an anachronism, 2 Peter was responding to
the “climate-change skeptics” of his day--the people who
said, “Be serious, there’s no coming catastrophe.”
Most philosophers agreed that the cosmos could not be
destroyed. In fact, to suggest it could be destroyed was
regarded not only as bad physics, but as blasphemous,
for it was tantamount to saying the Creator had built an
unstable universe.
To this critique 2 Peter replies with several interesting
arguments. First, he notes that the world is not
indestructible, for it was once destroyed in the flood (3:6);
and, he adds, the world is not inherently indestructible,
There is not space here to address the problem fully,
but we can note a few details that make this passage
less problematic than it might first appear. Here I draw
on the work of Edward Adams, who has written a great
deal on apocalyptic texts and their implications for
environmental responsibility.
First, it is easy to overlook an obvious but terribly
important point: 2 Peter assumes that physical existence
is a good thing. If a material universe weren’t good, God
wouldn’t be planning to make a new one! This outlook
was not taken for granted in the ancient world, as many
people considered physicality itself to be the problem. For
2 Peter, the present cosmos might be broken, but it’s not
a mistake; it is a realm of corruption because of human
covetousness (2 Pet 1:4), not because it is material.
Second, and relatedly, God is going to create the “new
heavens and new earth” out of the same “stuff” of
the current cosmos. Indeed, consider Peter’s imagery:
everything is going to be melted down and then recreated. That sounds very much like God recycling! In
much the same vein, it’s useful to recall that in Revelation
21:5 God does not say “I am making all new things”;
God says “Behold, I am making all things new.” In some
mysterious way, the “things” of this world will be taken
up into the new world.
Finally, 2 Peter urges believers to “hasten” the coming of
the Day of God (2 Pet 3:12). At first glance, that sounds
like eagerness for the end of the world. But in the same
breath, he also says to “hasten to be found in peace”
(3:14). Now, if for “peace” we supply the robust biblical
notion of shalom—justice, harmony, flourishing among
humans and creation—we could almost paraphrase 2
Peter 3:12 and 14 like this: “The way to hasten God’s
coming is by striving for shalom, with all that that entails.”
Care for this creation would thus be part of ushering in
the next.
SEPTEMBER 2014
15
Commissioning Parish Councillors
L’Arche golden jubilee
EACH parish in our Diocese has at least four parish
councillors, three-quarters of whom, normally, are
elected by the annual meeting of the worshipping
community with the remainder appointed by the
rector. They serve a year’s term of office, and the
council is required to meet at least four times a
year. The council “is responsible for the general
control, maintenance and management of all
churches and buildings of which the Worshipping
Community is the beneficial owner.” (The Ordering
of Worshipping Communities Statute: 60.1).
This responsibility includes the management of
incoming funds, such as parishioners’ giving,
and their use in the upkeep of buildings and the
payment of stipends and other wages.
All this is very business-like, as it should be: good
stewardship of resources requires structures that assist
in management, transparency, and accountability. But a
parish council is not the board of a business. The duty of
parish council listed first in our Statute is to “support the
Rector in the promotion of the mission of the Church”.
That is a spiritual matter. Councillors, as well as satisfying
secular legal requirements, such as being sixteen or over,
must also be baptised Anglicans who receive communion
regularly. How the support of the Rector in the mission
IT WAS in 1964 that Raphael Simi, Philippe Seux,
and Jean Vanier began to share their lives with one
another in a house in Trosly-Breuil in France. They
called it ‘L’Arche’, the Ark. Raphael and Philippe had
been living in institutions for people with intellectual
disabilities. Jean felt a calling to live in a way in
which those whom the world saw as ‘able’ could be
made humbly and prayerfully aware of their own
disabilities, and thus came about a community of
people loving and respecting each other in a mutual
sharing of the tasks of life. From that beginning
L’Arche has grown into an international faith-based
organisation offering people all over the world a way
of life rooted simply and profoundly in seeing Christ
in one another.
There are residential L’Arche communities in Australia,
and in Western Australia we have Friends of L’Arche, a
group of people not living together permanently, but
meeting together regularly in prayer and fellowship and
mutual support.
of the Church is expressed
differs, of course, from
parish to parish, but cannot
be accomplished without
prayerful discernment and
the gifts of the Spirit.
To help emphasise
and articulate the spiritual nature of their role, parish
councillors newly elected this year, and those reelected to their parish councils, have been invited to
be commissioned formally and liturgically at a special
service for this purpose at St George’s Cathedral at
5pm on Sunday 14 September. While each councillor’s
responsibility is to her or his parish, collectively these
parishes constitute a large part of the diocese, for,
together with the chaplaincies in schools, industry, aged
care, youth-work, prisons, and other areas, and the
agencies such as Anglicare, Amana Living, St Bart’s, GFS,
and others, they are the sociological, visible, presence of
the Anglican Diocese of Perth in the communities within
its geographical embrace. This commissioning service
also allows councillors from many different parishes to
meet one another and to build up a sense of corporate
identity and fellowship: the ‘mission of the Church’ is a
shared responsibility and a shared joy.
It was in response to a notice in a Perth newspaper
that a number of people dissatisfied with the range of
living options available to people with disabilities in Perth
met together to discuss the possibility of better ways of
being for themselves and their families.
One member of this nascent group
then visited the L’Arche communities of
Tasmania, Brisbane, and Sydney and
was impressed by the Christian ethos
which knit the communities together
and in which all individuals were clearly equally valued
and loved. ‘L’Arche Dreaming’ began and like-minded
people began meeting regularly in the Warehouse Café
in Subiaco. As the dreaming and desiring grew stronger
a retreat was organized, led by members of L’Arche
Brisbane. By 2008 the group in Perth was officially
registered as ‘Friends of L’Arche, Perth’ – a fully included
member of the international family that is L’Arche.
At 5pm on Sunday 28 September members of Friends of
L’Arche, Perth, and others come together to celebrate fifty
years of L’Arche International in St George’s Cathedral.
Friends of L’Arche invite those interested in the life of
L’Arche to share this celebration, both the liturgy and the
reception, to meet friends of L’Arche, and to get to know
more about L’Arche life in Perth. On the eve of the Feast
of St Michael and All Angels, it is good to celebrate all
the ways in which the will of God is made known to us,
through messengers earthly and heavenly, of all shapes
and sizes, and of the great mix of the different abilities we
find among the people of God.
Fathers and father-figures
DR BRUCE Robinson AM is a father
of three and a medical doctor whose
career in research into lung disease
has won him many accolades.
Therefore, like many such professional
men, he has had to balance the
demands of family and career. As a
doctor treating men with lung disease
he would from time to time be treating terminally ill
patients. He recalls that the two commonest regrets
that all such men confessed to him were, first, that
they wished they had spent more time with their
children when the children were young, and, second,
that they wished they had not thought of work as so
important (over and above family life).
This is what prompted him to write a book on the subject
of ‘fathering’. Fathering from the Fast Lane (Finch, 2003)
is among his many works on the subject, which include
Daughters and their Dads, and The Blue Book of Tips
for Fathers & Father-Figures. Bruce has been lecturing
internationally on the subject of fathering for nearly
twenty years, and has also produced a practical and nonacademic DVD What Kids really Need from their Dads. He
leads The Fathering Project team at The University of
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Messenger
Western Australia, and this is part of what earned him
the title of Western Australian of the Year in 2013.
In his acceptance speech during the Western Australia
Day celebrations last year Bruce claimed that those who
grew up with neither father nor father-figure were, on
average, twice as likely to encounter problems such as
inappropriate behavior at school, substance abuse, and
even crime. As such behaviour is exhibited as early as
the teenage years, when young people are, generally,
living at home with other family members, it affects the
sustainability of the family as a whole.
Dr Robinson gives a pubic talk on his work at 3.30pm on
Sunday 7 September in the Burt Memorial Hall adjacent
to St George’s Cathedral. This is a free event made
possible by the Multi-Cultural Ministries Commission
of our Diocese. At this session Bruce will present on
his experience in this area, speak to the short DVD
(mentioned above), and also take questions from the
floor. The session will be particularly helpful to fathers
with young children, and to grandfathers with young
grandchildren, since grandparents are now, once more,
important role-models in the development of the child.
After Bruce’s session family life is celebrated in a multicultural worship service, led by a youth choir, at 5pm
in the Cathedral, and this is in turn followed by a drinks
reception to which all are welcome.
Church of the Way
Part Time Assistant or Associate Priest/Deacon.
Anglican Parish of Coodanup (Mandurah), Diocese of
Bunbury, is seeking a suitably ordained person who is
able to work in a Team environment.
Qualifications
Essential - A minimum of 5 years within a parish or
comparable ministry.
- Capacity to work in a ministry team.
Desirable - Open to a contemporary evangelical/
charismatic expression of worship
- Ability to relate to people who are of all
ages and cultures but particularly towards
those who are from a low socio-economic
back ground.
The position is for 3 days per week and includes part
support for accommodation and part support towards
a vehicle.
Please contact Rev Linley Matthews-Want on
0428359055 or [email protected] for all
Expressions of interest and/or Job Description by
Friday 29th August 2014.
SEPTEMBER 2014
17
Fresh look for St Peter’s
From the edge to the heart
Alan Gray & The Revd Georgie Hawley
The Right Revd Allan Ewing | Bishop of Bunbury
ALAN GREY, Strategic Property Manager, writes
about the exciting changes that are in store for
the St Peter’s Church parish site in Victoria Park.
Located on Leonard Street, the heritage-listed
building is currently in need of restoration and
maintenance, works that are both time-consuming
and costly. To generate the refurbishment funds
the landowners, The Perth Diocesan Trustees,
together with Development Manager Mesh
Property, are set to build an architecturally
designed residential development on the two sites
adjacent to the church.
EACH Spring the Diocese of Bunbury
celebrates the season of new growth
with a program of worship, study
and reflection entitled ‘Growing
Together’. Behind this program is a simple premise:
that as a part of the Body of Christ we are enriched
and challenged by the wisdom of others. Having a
common focus enables us to share conversations
across boundaries of parish and ministry, across ages
and theological position.
This year the program explores the Book of Ruth as
a way of understanding Christ’s call to live in loving
relationship with God, our neighbour and the whole
of creation. Entitled ‘From the Edge to the Heart’, the
weekly studies, children’s addresses, sermons and
worship resources celebrate the nature of God’s love and
offer an invitation to each participant to enter into deeper
relationships.
The 34-apartment development offers nine apartment
designs across four different configurations. While
the majority have two bedrooms and two bathrooms,
there are also one-bedroom, one-bathroom; twobedroom, one-bathroom apartments, and a couple
of three-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouses. The
secure boutique complex will be set around a central
private residents’ piazza and some apartments on the
upper levels boast panoramic views of the Perth CBD.
A lift will provide excellent access throughout the
building and every unit will have at least one basement
car bay.
According to Mesh Property Managing Director,
Phillip Zoiti, close attention has been paid to the
development’s overall aesthetic and its ability to
integrate back into the existing landscape. “The project
has been sympathetically designed to reflect the
area’s heritage look and feel,” he said. “We wanted to
create a quality residential development that resonated
well with the community. The utmost emphasis has
been placed on value, quality and design.”
Located in the heart of the vibrant Victoria Park
lifestyle precinct, five minutes from the CBD, the
development is within walking distance from the
area’s popular boutique bars, a diversity of restaurants,
shopping precincts and lush parkland.
The church’s restoration project will extend beyond its
façade. The jacaranda tree at the front of the building
will be retained and made a highlight of the site. A
grassed gathering space, perfect for ceremonies and
functions, will be created on the ground level and the
car park will be upgraded.
Residential units will be priced from $399,000. For
more information, including pre-sale queries, contact
the exclusive selling agent, Helen Rewell from Celsius
Property Group on 08 6144 0700.
The Revd Georgie Hawley, Priest-in-Charge at
St Peter’s, writes about the ministry that the
redevelopment will support: St Peter’s Church is
situated just off Albany Highway in a busy multicultural
area. The shops and cafes have signs in different
18
Messenger
In the context of the geo-political climate of the world
today, the book of Ruth offers some important insights.
The family of Naomi set out as economic refugees or
settlers; to some extent the description depends on
the perspective of the observer. They were strangers
in a strange land, seeking a new life to be built by their
own strength. Successful settlement leads to marriage
and local women, Orpah and Ruth, become part of
the extended family. Naomi’s family is multi-cultural,
productive and accepted until tragedy strikes and the
men die.
St Peter’s Victoria Park.
languages, telling people of what they can buy or
eat: Korean, Chinese, Indian, African, Malay, and
Taiwanese.
Our ministry at St Peter’s reflects that multicultural
feel, with signs in the different languages welcoming
people to come and have a look at the inside of the
church. The people of St Peter’s offer hospitality
and friendship. New people come, who have seen
the welcoming signs out the front of the church or
found us via the internet. Many have never been to
a church service before. As the majority speak very
little English, we offer service booklets in different
languages alongside English so that they can follow
what is happening.
We want to tell people about Jesus Christ, but
also for them to remember their own culture. So
we encourage people to use the Bible in their own
language. In a service, the Bible readings may be
spoken in Mandarin, or Korean etc. For cultural events
such as Chinese or Korean New Year, we decorate
the pews with large red bows and have liturgy that
reflects the occasion. We have fun together, sharing
stories, laughing and thanking God for the wonderful
things that we have. As one parishioner said, ‘’our
time together is energising and joyous’’. Please pray
for our small but vibrant community, as physical
redevelopment happens on our site.
For the two young widows there should be just one
option: to return to their birth families and to hope for
re-marriage. One takes that option, but Ruth chooses
an uncertain future and binds herself to Naomi with an
extraordinary declaration of love.
“Do not press me to leave you or turn back from
following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge,
I will die; your people shall be my people, and your God
my God. Where you die, I will die - there will I be buried.
May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if
even death parts me from you.” (Ruth 1.1-17, NRSV)
In their journey to new life they enter the life of the
outcast and refugee. Socially and economically they are
abandoned by the people of Ruth’s land and the people
of Naomi’s land. Unable to earn a living, for there is no
work that they are allowed to undertake, they subsist by
gathering the scattered gleanings from the edge of the
fields. Following the reapers, they seek the crumbs that
other will not stoop for.
As the genealogy at the beginning of St Matthew’s
gospel reminds us, Ruth is no accidental character, a fable
of women inserted between the stories of power and
might in Judges and I Samuel. Ruth is an essential part of
God’s purpose and an antecedent of Jesus (Matthew 1.5).
In this short book of five chapters the story of Ruth offers
profound insight into the love of God made manifest in
word writ large, with the provision within the books of
law that the edges of the fields be left unharvested for
the benefit of the dispossessed, and in the word made
alive by Ruth’s dedication to Naomi.
It seems timely to reflect on the limits of our own
loving relationships as we consider the plight of the
dispossessed within our nation and the yearning for new
life which brings widows and orphans, together with
others towards the edges of our shores. The book of
Ruth challenges all God’s people to accept the lost and
struggling people of the world with love, as an expression
of their commitment to God. Hearing the daily news
broadcasts reminds us that this is call to love is never an
abstract exercise. It is an ever-present challenge for today
and for tomorrow.
September 2014 Purple Patch
07
Archbishop
Mosman Park
Evensong – Fathers’ Day, Cathedral
Bishop Tom
Evensong – Fathers’ Day, Cathedral
Bishop Kay
Balcatta – Hamersley
Women’s 65 Cursillo
Bishop Jeremy Serpentine – Jarrahdale
21
Archbishop
13
Archbishop
28
Archbishop
14
Archbishop
Anglican Futures Conference
Eucharist, Southwark
Cathedral – preacher
High Mass, All Saints’ Margaret
Street, London – preacher
Bishop Tom
Melville
Darlington-Bellevue
Bishop Kay
Floreat Park
ReachOut Manila Reunion
Bishop Jeremy Roleystone
International Commission for the
Anglican – Orthodox Theological
Dialogue, Jerusalem
Bishop Tom
Shenton Park
Bishop Kay
Hale School
Bishop Jeremy Guildford
Evensong – L’Arche,
50th Anniversary, Cathedral
Bishop Tom
Ellenbrook
Bishop Kay
Canning
Bishop Jeremy Casuarina Prison
SEPTEMBER 2014
19
Fresh
look
for St Peter’s
Scout’s
honour
Alan Gray & The Revd Georgie Hawley
BISHOP Bernard Buckland, for over 40 years involved
with Bush Church Aid as a Field Chaplain, Field Staffer
and Regional Officer, has been honoured with a Life
Membership for his even longer association with the
Scouting movement.
Bernard says, “I believe that the
Scout Movement is the greatest
youth movement there is as it takes
both sexes from an early age until
this life ends,” Bernard says. “I
am 82 and still look on myself by
the Fourth Scout Law, which used
to say - I never learned the new
wording – ‘a Scout is a friend to all
and a brother to every other Scout,
no matter to what country, class or
creed the other may belong’.”
Apart from jamborees and camping, Bernard’s best
Young Adult Forum
Jeff Savage, Coordinator, ACYM
memories are the times he has shared his faith with his
fellow Scouts. While he was in Ceduna, a man named
John was the Scout Master. Bernard and John spent a lot
of time together planning group activities and fishing. “A
year or two after I left Ceduna,” Bernard remembers, “I
received a letter from John saying that he had accepted
Christ as Saviour ‘not from anything you said, but just
being with you’. Those are the most humbling words I
have ever heard.”
“WE WANT the voice of young
adults to be heard and taken
seriously.” Young adults from
across the Perth Diocese were invited to tell the
story of what makes their heart beat, what they
are passionate about, and what support they
need to continue maturing as the person God
has created them to be.
Over the years in Western Australia,
Bernard has been District Commissioner
for the Kimberley twice, Assistant
District Commissioner for Hammersley
Ranges and was made an Honorary
Headquarters Commissioner in
retirement to Rockingham.
As with many
Parishes, Anglican
Children and Youth
Ministries (ACYM),
had no specific
connection in any
tangible way with
young adults aged 18
to 25 years. Sure, as
Coordinator, I could
sit at my desk and
dream up events and
activities to try and
gather young adults,
but instinct and
experience told me
otherwise. Generic
events do not gather
many, nor do they
enlighten either
Open Space in progress.
party about what
the future could hold and if an ongoing relationship
could be established.
Photo caption: A young Bernard Buckland at the 1952-32 Landsdowne
Jamboree. Bishop Bernard, BCA veteran, in 2013.
September 2014 News
APPOINTMENTS
The Reverend Thom Bull
Chaplain, Swan Valley Anglican Community
School and Priest-in-Charge, Ellenbrook
25.08.14
The Reverend Clive McCallum
Priest-in-Charge, Lynwood-Langford-Ferndale
and Associate Priest, Riverton
08.09.14
Commissioning at 5.00pm
St Augustine’s, Lynwood
06.09.14
The Venerable Braden Short
Priest-in-Charge, Riverton and Associate Priest, Lynwood-Langford-Ferndale
08.09.14
Commissioning at 7.00pm
St Andrew’s, Shelley
02.09.14
The Venerable Jack Thomson
Wembley
10.06.14 – 31.01.15
The Reverend Stephen Conway
Mt Lawley
27.07.14 – 28.02.15
The Reverend Dr Georgie Hawley
Victoria Park
01.08.14 – 31.07.15
The Reverend Peter Dunk
Floreat Park
01.08.14 – 21.08.14
Locum Tenens
Retirements
The Very Reverend Dr John Shepherd
Open Space Technology ticked all the right boxes in
offering a way forward that would be empowering
of young adults, while giving them a voice and
opportunity to hear each other. Hence the Young
Adult Forum was planned for the afternoon of
20 July at St Luke’s Mosman Park, with the
springboard question for participants: “What can
we do together to grow and form the faith lives of
young adults across the Anglican Diocese of Perth,
and what are you prepared to invest into your faith
life and/or that of others”?
While only eleven people participated in the Open
Space forum, nine of whom were in the 18-25 age
group, it was a very rewarding experience for all.
Attendees engaged fully in the process and discussed
matters from deep theology, faith practices, personal
experiences of faith communities which they have
belonged to, and what they would like to see the
church take more seriously.
Some very profound and telling statements were
made which the church would do well to receive.
From one person, the only 18-25 year old in their
parish, the statement was made that this was
the first thing that the church had invited them
to that wasn’t wanting them to lead, run or help
with something – it was actually for them. Another
expressed frustration that youth and young adults
are seen, understood and spoken of as an entity as a collective of people who have the same likes,
needs, desires and forms of self expression with
little variance. I observed a great depth of maturity
and appreciation of the faith amongst those
present. This was coupled with a desire to engage
with other Anglican young adults for both faith and
social engagement. Quite a number of the cocontributors to the afternoon came from parishes
where they are the only person in the 18-25
age group.
I look forward to further involvement with even
more young adults of the Diocese as responsibility
for making some of their desired actions from the
afternoon become a reality. If you are a young adult
and would like to connect with what is developing
please contact Jeff Savage at ACYM or join the
facebook group ACYM Anglican Young Adults
Perth Diocese.
Open Space participants.
31.07.14
Other Appointments
The Reverend Pamela Turner
Archbishop’s Examining Chaplain
Mr Nic Templeman
Archbishop’s Examining Chaplain
The Reverend Dr Steven Daly
Area Dean, Perth Deanery
Resignation
The Reverend Trevor Goodman-Jones
20
Messenger
Area Dean, Perth Deanery
SEPTEMBER 2014
21
Going green at Lime Street
Anglicans with energy for change
The Revd William Thomas | St Bart’s Chaplain
Claire Barrett-Lennard
WHEN we were planning our
Lime Street building we made
the decision that it should be
an environmentally sustainable
building. This was a big call for a building which
consists of two tower blocks, each six stories
in height. The building was to include mixed
usage of office space for 70 employees and
accommodation for 148 clients.
To achieve our aim we went with 12 Kw Windpod
turbines and a 27kw solar PV system. The wind
turbines and the solar power reduce our need for
mains electricity by about 10% which reduces the
amount of electricity supplied by conventional fossil
fuel methods. In addition the lighting in the building
is either low voltage fluorescent or LED Lighting
which further reduces our energy needs. Many of
the areas in the building have the lighting on timed
motion sensors which means lights can never be
left on when the area is unattended.
To conserve water
we use storm water
harvesting and have
a capacity of 5000
litres. The water
we harvest is used
to reticulate all the
gardens and garden boxes in the building. As we
also have water efficient fire sprinklers, the building
manager likes to say that in the terrible event that
we had a fire at Lime Street we will be able to fight
it using as little water as possible! Not only do we
have efficient fire fighting capability but we also
have five-star-rating tapware and plumbing fixtures
which reduce our water consumption throughout
the building.
In addition to the above energy and water
conservation measures we have many other
features incorporated into the building design and
fitting which reduce our environmental impact.
We have UV treated double glazed windows which
reduce the heating cost in winter, as well as
reducing outside noise which gives our residents
a more comfortable environment in which to
live. Many of the residents’ windows have shade
screens to further reduce the effect of the sun
on the building and better manage the internal
temperatures. The building is also aligned to take
advantage of natural air flows to improve the cooling
of residents’ apartments during summer. We also
have a living area where plants grow down the side
of the building. Once fully established, these plants
will add to shade to common areas, increase oxygen
production and add to the beauty of the building.
As you can tell, a building like ours using
conventional building methods would have had
a significant environmental impact. Instead, our
environmental measures have multiple advantages
including reducing the running costs for our
building, which flows on to reducing the cost to our
clients. Lime Street is also able to do its share of
reducing environmental pressure on our planet. The
reduction in costs also means we can direct more
money to programs and support to improve the lives
of our residents, which of course is what St Bart’s is
all about!
Photo caption: Greenery around the carol singers in the aged-care area of
DIVESTMENT is one tool that
organisations can use to oppose
support for either socially or
environmentally unsustainable
industries. In 1970, divestment efforts of
the Episcopal Church contributed to ending
apartheid, when one of the first-ever shareholder
resolutions asking GM to leave South Africa was
filed. In 2006, the Church of England divested
from Caterpillar, deeming it inconsistent with
the Church’s ethical investment policy, which
prohibits investment in arms companies or
companies making “weapons platforms” such as
naval vessels or tanks.
Organisations such as 350.org have argued that
there is an urgent moral, scientific and financial
imperative to withdraw investments from
companies involved in extraction of fossil fuels. It
is estimated that only one fifth of existing reserves
of oil, gas and coal owned by fossil fuel companies
can safely be burned, if the rise in average global
temperature is to remain below 2°C from preindustrial levels.
companies who profit from the extraction of fossil
fuels, and actively exploring options for alternative
investment in clean, renewable energy and other
low-carbon technologies.
As Christians we are called to be prophetic, to
show leadership, and to inspire hope that this
transformation is possible. We want to inspire the
Anglican community in the Diocese of Perth to lead
the public debate on the ethics of investment in
fossil fuels.
Organisations associcated with the Anglican Church
are encouraged to consider their investment in
all companies which fail to align with our mission
statement, specifically the Anglican Communion’s
Fifth Mark of Mission, striving to safeguard the
integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life
of the earth.
A full report on the scope of investment
in renewable and non-renewable energy by
the Anglican Church and Anglican affiliated
organisations will be tabled at Perth’s Synod.
The top three consumers of energy, China, the
United States and the European Union, all have
renewable energy mandates or targets. In 2012 half
of the new energy generation was renewable. This
means that most carbon reserves will be ‘stranded’,
meaning they will lose economic value ahead of
their useful life. The Church’s investment in nonrenewable energy will have significant economic
ramifications.
The Anglican EcoCare Commission (AEC) believes
that organisations associated with the Anglican
Church need to consider their investments in
renewable and non-renewable energy if they are to
retain their integrity in the face of climate change.
Given the impacts on humanity and the ecosystems
of the planet caused by burning fossil fuels, we
believe it is reasonable to consider investment
in the fossil fuel industry to be contrary to the
Diocese’s missional goals of the care of creation
and social justice.
AEC encourages organisations associated with
the Anglican Church to demonstrate vision
and leadership on this issue and through their
investments to contribute to the necessary
transition to a low carbon future. This would
mean an explicit commitment to divesting from
St Bart’s Lime Street.
22
Messenger
SEPTEMBER 2014
23
Oceans of justice
“DO YOU know what we want? We want justice—
oceans of it. We want fairness—rivers of it. That’s
what we want. That’s all we want.” Amos 5:24,
The Message
Oceans of Justice is a campaign launched by the
Anglican Alliance to support the churches and agencies
across the Pacific who are speaking up with the most
vulnerable and taking action on climate change. With
Anglican Board of Mission, Anglican Overseas Aid,
and ch urches across the region, the Alliance is asking
Anglicans around the world to sign a petition and stand
in solidarity with Pacific Islanders who encounter the
devastating effects of climate change on their homes,
their land and their well-being every
single day.
Tagolyn Kabekabe, Anglican Alliance
Regional Facilitator for the Pacific,
said, “Churches are already dealing
Tagolyn Kabekabe
with
the resettlement of climate
(Photo: ABM)
change refugees in the Pacific due to
ever-rising sea levels. World leaders need to do more
to stop climate change and to assist adaptation and
mitigation work in small island countries, and other
communities across the world.”
At a time when warmth,
gentleness and understanding
mean so much...
MIDLAND 9274 3143
24
Messenger
Compassion and community in the Swan Valley
When the leaders of the top 20 richest nations meet at
the G20 Summit in Brisbane, Australia this year, they will
look to ensure a “more robust and resilient economy for
everyone”. And yet, even when their neighbours in the
Pacific are seeing their land poisoned and their homes
washed away, the Australian government has failed to put
climate change on the agenda.
At the Civil Society groups meeting, the C20, in
Melbourne in June, called on the G20 to take urgent
action on climate change. The C20 said, “There can be
no sustained economic growth without governments
attending to the urgent ramifications of climate change.”
And when the General Synod of the Anglican Church of
Australia met in July, it unanimously
passed a motion calling on the
Australian government “to respect
and act upon relevant independent
evidence-based scientific advice as
a core basis for making decisions” in
Repi Island (Photo:
regard to climate change.
Anglican Alliance)
We need governments to bring
urgent commitment to delivering an effective and
ambitious global climate change agreement, looking
ahead to the 2015 Climate Summit in Paris. This includes
financing to enable countries to reduce emissions,
implement mitigation strategies and respond to the
impact, including help for climate change refugees.
We need governments to recognise the challenge of
food security, particularly in developing nations, and to
ensure investment to support sustainable small-scale
farming to support employment and food for the poorest
communities. The Anglican Alliance invites you to sign
the petition at http://anglicanalliance.org/Advocacy/
oceans-of-justice. You can help us to recognise and
tackle climate change for the future of our world and for
the flourishing of all.
SWAN Valley Anglican Community School is a
co-educational school located in the picturesque
suburb of Aveley with views overlooking two lakes
and the scenic Swan Valley. Since opening its doors
in 2006, we have come a long way, experiencing
many modifications and growing substantially in
size, catering for students from kindergarten to Year
12. The focus however has always been the need to
provide a holistic education to all the students that
make this their school of choice.
The School’s Core
Values of Faith,
Service, Compassion,
Integrity and
Commitment are
promoted through
all experiences and
encourage a balanced
and well-rounded
development of each
student’s intellectual,
Swan Valley ACS students
emotional, physical,
cultural and spiritual potential. With families from diverse
backgrounds, our students vary in ethnicity bringing with
them a colourful palette of cultures that further defines
our School’s uniqueness.
The Service Learning Programme at Swan Valley Anglican
Community School has a three-fold focus. Local, National
and International organisations are annually supported
in order to enhance the educational and pastoral
outcomes for all children attending our School. Our
school community participates in regular service learning
programs throughout the year, assisting much needed
causes and charitable institutions.
A most recent example is the raising of funds in aid of
the Leukaemia Foundation during Term 1. The School
raised $9883.00 and as such was recognised in the
Leukaemia Foundation’s State Awards as being the
school that raised the highest funds for any Junior School
in the State. We were also recognised as having been
the third highest fundraising Senior School in the State.
While there were many outstanding individual efforts
across the School,
the collective
response was
outstanding.
Throughout
Term 2 our school
community focussed
its fundraising
efforts on raising
funds for the Heart
Keely Wallace and Taya Clark with Jess Macri Foundation. Swan
from the Leukemia Foundation
Valley Anglican
Community School
raised over $10,000.00 for the Heart Foundation. The
response from our community was very positive indeed
and fostered an opportunity for all of our students to
reflect on giving to others.
The School will further the opportunities for children
to learn the value of empathy and compassion with its
focus on raising $10,000.00 for the Next Generation
Cambodia (NGC) orphanages. This organisation is
directly linked to The Anglican Parish of Ellenbrook and
therefore has a direct link with our immediate local
community. The School community has already raised
$2800 towards our $10,000 target. We look forward to
the activities organised through our Student Councillors
focussing on the raising of funds for NGC during the
remainder of 2014.
The Parents and Friends Association of the Swan
Valley Anglican Community School is very active, and
regularly contributes to projects and events in support
of the School. Events such as Mother’s and Father’s Day
breakfast, the school disco, summer concerts and the
Family Fun Day are organised throughout the year to give
all parents, both new and existing, the opportunity to get
together with a common purpose of either socialising or
fundraising. There are a great variety of activities that will
appeal to all in the community, these events are a lot of
fun to organize and are a great opportunity to meet new
people and make life-long friends. The P&FA are a very
important aspect of our School community. The positive
relationship between the parents and school is fostered
through the P&FA. We value their commitment and work.
Supporting people to …
say it as it is
An initiative of the Anglican Church in Perth
to support people to make contact with
the Royal Commission into Institutional
Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
The Anglican Church has established a
Pastoral Support Group to assist you to
contact the Royal Commission.
Brochures are available from parishes and at
www.archbishopofperth.org/index/brochure.html
Confidential enquiries can be made to the
members of the Pastoral Support Group:
Mrs Sarah Brown
Mobile: 0417 986 361
Email: [email protected]
The Revd Robin Tapper
Mobile: 0455 299 984
Email:[email protected]
The Revd Dr Stephen Truscott SM
Tel: (08) 9485 8980
Email: [email protected]
SEPTEMBER 2014
25
Nor’West Postcard
Noongar Boodja and cultural competency
Compiled by Jocelyn Ross OAM
Mark Glasson – Anglicare – Executive General Manager Service Operations
BISHOP Gary and Christine are visiting churches in
the more northern region of the diocese, expecting
to travel about 7000 kilometres over a six week
period. They write: ‘We arrived in Karratha in time
for the annual FeNaClng (iron, salt, natural gas)
festival celebrating life and community in the North
West. The Anglican Church runs a burger stall,
selling Angli-burgers bursting with flavour! The stall
provides a space to sit and talk, with a baby change
tent for parents to use. It’s a lot of effort, so it was
encouraging to see church members enthusiastically
involved in this community event.’
The Revd Les
Gaulton asked if I
could speak at the
Karratha churches
service since the
person asked couldn’t
come at the last
minute. What a joy
to be part of a great
festival speaking on
the theme of hope.
1Peter 1.3f sums up
our hope so well. The hope in and through Christ, the
hope securing our forgiveness before God and eternal life,
is the only hope worth relying on, the only hope to keep
us going in the midst of life’s joys and difficulties. Friends
I trust you have this hope and are daily rejoicing in it.
From Rev’d Richard Goscombe who wrote from the
neighbouring parish of Wickham : “Many amazing things
are happening at the moment - people with addictions
(alcohol, drugs, sex/pornography, gambling) are seeking
help and rescue through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Please pray for the increasing number who are feeling
able to come and talk about suffering serious abuse - may
the Lord break these prison bars.” The parish is getting
ready to open 31 Herbert Way, the house next door to
the Rectory. It will be a Ministry and Resource Centre,
with an op-shop located there as well. A working bee
is planned for a workshop to be set up in the Rectory
carport, where boys can come to fix their bikes.
Rev’d David and Traci Mitchell announced their move
in October to Geraldton to undertake a church plant in
Wandina, a development area on the south of the city,
where the population has reached 10,000. They will be
supported by the Bush Church Aid Society in this venture.
Many of the Geraldton Royce families drove or flew
to Kununurra early in July to celebrate the wedding of
Jocelyn Royce to Will Reynolds from NSW. Father of the
bride, Rev’d Eldred Royce, not only ‘gave his daughter
away’ but actually conducted the ceremony. Jocelyn’s
grandparents, Graham and Lennie Royce, pulled their
caravan and made a holiday of the trip taking a week
each way.
Until next month, enjoy the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
AUSTRALIA is a vast and ancient continent with a
proud national identity. The history and traditions
of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
are an integral part of that. Respecting Australia
as a country is synonymous with respecting
Australia’s first peoples.
Aboriginal communities and cultures are infinitely
diverse; however, many share a strong connection to
the land.
The Noongar people are the original inhabitants of
the South West of Western Australia. There are 14
different language groups amongst the Noongar
people, which correlate to different geographic
areas. Noongar Boodja – the land – runs from north
of Jurien Bay to north of Moora, down to a point
between Bremer Bay and Esperance. The land to the
north – the Murchison, Gascoyne and Pilbara regions
– are occupied by the great Yamatji nation. Inland to
the East across the Goldfields and Nullarbor regions
is the great Wankai nation.
Archaeological evidence points to the Noongar
people having inhabited the South West for
more than 45,000 years. Over that history, the
Noongar people lived in harmony with the natural
environment. The Noongar people were good to the
land and so it was good to them. Food and shelter
came from the sea and the lakes and the forests, it
was important to maintain the environment so that
it could provide for Noongar families. The land was
also intrinsically connected to the peoples’ stories.
Noongar lore is characterised by a strong spiritual
connection to country. Boodja, land, has a strong
presence in Noongar art, song and dance. Places of
significance are central to many Noongar ceremonies
and tales.
Anglicare WA prides itself on respecting Noongar
culture and the powerful connection between their
people and their land.
Anglicare WA’s Reconciliation Action Plan states
that in order to advance Reconciliation individuals
and agencies must “acknowledge and respect
Aboriginal people as the original custodians of
Australia” and “recognise and value the importance
of Aboriginal Lore, and cultural beliefs, traditions,
and ‘ways of doing’.”
Anglicare WA has worked to ensure it walks
alongside Aboriginal people in a safe, sensitive and
respectful way. By establishing training programs,
Anglicare WA helps ensure that its staff are informed
and culturally sensitive. These programs have been
developed by an Aboriginal consultant of Noongar
descent who is employed full-time and assists with
oversight across all services. The organisation has
also established an Elder Council to provide a direct
link to communities.
Reconciliation is one of the most important social
issues of our time. Respecting Aboriginal culture and
their lands ensures that we continue to move toward
a brighter future for all Australians.
Around two-thirds of the place names of the
landscape of the south-west are based on Noongar
words and expressions. The tract of land now known
as the Albany Highway used to be a trade route used
by Noongar families to travel between Perth and
Albany.
Colonisation and consequent policies have
unfortunately made it difficult to maintain the
connection between the Noongar people and
boodja. However, the Noongar people have survived,
endured and begun to thrive again. This is driven
largely by the pride, strength and dynamism of
Noongar family groups, many of whom can trace
their heritage back hundreds of years.
As a community service organisation Anglicare
WA walks alongside many Aboriginal individuals,
families and communities. With a head office in East
Perth and multiple services throughout the SouthWest, this is especially true for the Noongar people.
26
Messenger
SEPTEMBER 2014
27
BOOKS REVIEWS | SHIRLEY CLAUGHTON
THE GOSPEL FOR LITTLE
CHILDREN
by Maïte Roche $9.95
This is possibly the best book
available for a baby or child’s
Baptism. It has a hard cover, is
beautifully illustrated, uses childfriendly language, and has a most
appropriate title. In just thirty pages,
the Jesus Story is told in a way that
captures the main themes, is comprehensive and told in
a gentle way, and yet leaves open the possibility of the
reader exploring each theme in more depth.
the Lectionary can be a useful resource for individuals,
a guide for Sunday reflection and for Daily Worship. It is
available now, quite early this year, at St Johns Books
who distribute this resource on behalf of the Diocese.
The cost is $12.95 for individual copies (postage $2), and
parish copies are supplied at the discount price of $11.00.
The Lectionary will be available at Synod, but as supplies
are here early, it might be convenient to arrange earlier
delivery.
MY BAPTISM BOOK
A Child’s Guide to Baptism, Diana
Murrie $8.95
Each double page spreads the illustrations over three
quarters with the text accompanying the picture in
a column format – an enticing and attractive way for
reading.
The water-colour illustrations are works of art - immersed
in detail. Each one brings alive the theme and, in the
way of the best children’s book illustrators, presents a
tableaux which invites exploration. An accompanying
title, The Bible for Little Children ($9.95) is presented in
the same delightful artistic and meaningful format, and
an equally attractive Christmas book, The Most Beautiful
Christmas Story, has been a best-seller at $14.95.
AN AUSTRALIAN LECTIONARY 2015
Year B (Mark) $12.95
The essential resource to
accompany A Prayer Book for
Australia. The Publishers, Broughton
Books for the General Synod of
the Anglican Church of Australia,
have done all the work for us,
and presented the readings in
Calendar form. It is an encouraging
reminder that the Anglican Church in Australia is part of
the international and ecumenical Christian church using
the same readings – those from the Revised Common
Lectionary. It is encouraging to be aware that we in
Australia are following the same readings as the rest
of the world, and it is useful for those searching for
resources and homiletic material as well!
The Revised Common Lectionary provides a three-year
scheme based on the Gospels – Matthew for Year A,
Mark for Year B and Luke for Year C (with the Gospel of
John being read during Lent and Easter). Currently we are
in Year A, and on Sunday 30th November, First Sunday of
Advent, we enter Year B.
Whilst most parishes, clergy, and worship leaders will
tend to use this Lectionary for “housekeeping”, as a
resource for preparation, for placing the markers in the
Bible, for preparing the readings for the next Sunday,
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Messenger
babies and parents.
This small, inexpensive and
attractive book is designed as a
keepsake for the child and as a
teaching resource in preparation. The
significance of this new book is that
it is specifically designed for children
undertaking baptism, rather than
This edition is an Australian adaptation of an earlier
book, and covers concepts such as Belonging, Light,
Water, Church and the Sign of the Cross. Following an
inductive educational approach, there are opportunities
for questioning and further exploration of issues raised.
While it is designed to be read and discussed by the child
being baptised, it could also form a useful keepsake gift
for a baby.
The other excellent resource for Baptism, Your Child’s
Baptism $9.95, (Redemptorist) is also available at St
Johns Books. This is the A4 booklet, well known to
many. It is also in a relatively new Australian edition and
is currently the best resource for working through with
parents. The two books can be complementary, but the
advantage of My Baptism Book is that this is a personal
presentation book and is likely to be well received by
parishes.
CONFIRMATION BOOK FOR
ADULTS
Sharon Swain SPCK $22.95
There has been a need for a
book like this – a comprehensive
educational approach to Confirmation
for adults or simply as an entry
point into the Anglican Church, or
an exploration of faith. Much of
the material would selectively be
suitable for teenagers, but primarily it is designed for
adults who are looking for this sometimes elusive “entry
point”- a good grounding. An overview of early church
history, a quick exploration of the Creeds and beliefs and
concepts such as suffering are accompanied by exercises,
research, prayer, reflection and meditation.
The person, life and ministry of Jesus, the Holy Spirit,
Prayer and Worship are covered in depth but, importantly,
start from where many inquirers are, assuming little
knowledge of the subject. As a “guide book”, it is
carefully structured, primarily as a useful framework for a
Confirmation course, but contains a wealth of resources
for anyone contemplating a further step in the Christian
journey. A selection of Bible studies, meditation and
contemplation exercises and practical applications make
this book a valuable resource to use as a basis for a
Course or for individual reading.
ST JOHNS BOOKS is in Highgate Court Fremantle,
across from St Johns Church, and stocks Christian books
and many specifically Anglican resources such as APBA
prayer books and Lectionaries. As there are now very
few Christian Bookshops in Perth, it is good to be able to
encourage this vital ministry. Please note opening hours
are currently restricted to the mornings: 10am-1pm MonFri and 10am-12noon Saturdays.
Book Review: Jeffrey W, Driver, A Polity of Persuasion:
Gift and grief of Anglicanism, Cascade Books 2014
(paperback 184 pages)
Ted Witham
I WAS born an Anglican. My first memories are of
Saint Mary’s in Tambellup, now sadly de-consecrated,
with its emphasis on Percy Dearmer – necessarily
stripped down to suit the bush environment. I
thought, of course, that this simple Anglo-Catholicism
was the norm. That’s what all Anglicans were like.
At boarding school, I soon realised that the robed
choir and six-altar-servers-on-Sunday at Christ Church,
Claremont was the norm. Only on the very eve of leaving
Perth to study theology in Melbourne did I discover that
there were different types of Anglicans, and they were
called ‘evangelicals’. In outlining the differences for me
the late Canon Brian Albany expressed great sorrow
because he knew he was ending my innocence!
Four decades on, my understanding of the Anglican
Communion is a little more nuanced than in 1972. I know
that there are shades of grey, and I also know that there
are grave differences between Anglicans. It is no longer
a matter of simply accepting that we have cousins in
Sydney or wherever who, though a bit different to us, are
still family. The divergent opinions thrown up first by the
ordination of women and then by homosexuality in the
short term are irreconcilable.
Jeffrey Driver, Archbishop of Adelaide, sets out in A
Polity of Persuasion to ask whether the attempts of
the Anglican Communion to heal these rifts have been
appropriate and whether they are likely to bring success.
He gives helpful summaries highlighting the principles
and theology of each of the reports commissioned by the
Communion and leading up to the Anglican Covenant.
He uses the 18-year (or longer) process towards the
ordination of women in the Australian Church as a case
study illustrating how big changes need a great deal of
time; a preparedness to let go of our agendas and expect
new outcomes; effort to be made both through the legal
processes and also, and much more importantly, through
informal ongoing contacts where trusting relationships
can be built and partners can be persuaded of the
rightness of a change.
Driver calls this cluster of elements
‘a polity of persuasion’, and his term has been taken up
more broadly than in our national Church.
He insists that differences must be addressed. He notes
that the Vatican did not accept the first report from the
Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission
(ARCIC) because ARCIC’s aim of finding common ground
meant that Rome couldn’t see where Anglican belief was
clearly articulated.
Archbishop Jeffrey has been a bishop since 2001 and
is involved in the work on the Anglican Covenant. He
proposed enabling legislation in 2004 for the ordination
of women to the episcopate. I was not surprised to
learn of his background in journalism from the way
he demystifies complex debates and principles. His
snapshot story of the ordination of Seabury to be the
first bishop in the American church illustrates not only
the flexibility of Anglicanism, but also Driver’s gift for
narrative and humour.
A Polity of Persuasion clearly draws on Driver’s
doctoral. thesis, but it is not dry academia. He outlines
the history of our differences over the past generation
with clarity, always keeping an eye on the principles
and personalities involved. He gives good reasons for
the church to be patient and to wait on the Holy Spirit.
He calls on Anglicans to treat one another non-violently
and respectfully.
This book will encourage those who are directly
engaged in the work of the Anglican Covenant and in
General Synod, and will inform those who stand on
the sidelines of this institutional work but still love the
Anglican Church and want it to continue to prosper.
Reading it burrows out of you any idea that your
Anglicanism is the norm and allows time for the Holy
Spirit to lead all of us to the new place.
All books available from St Johns Books Highgate Court,
Fremantle (08) 9335 1982
SEPTEMBER 2014
29
Movies: Freedom
Theatre
Mark E Hadley
Anthony Howes
RATING: PG
DISTRIBUTOR:
Heritage Films
RELEASE DATE:
August 21
MY FIRST hint that the launch of the film Freedom
was going to be something outside of the ordinary
came from the invitation I received – or lack of it.
The directions came to me rather randomly, via a
Christian friend. I remember thinking, ‘Do they want
the media to know about this?’ The second hint
was the screening itself. Walking in, I realised The
Sydney Morning Herald was missing, as was Empire
Magazine, and Margaret and David were nowhere
to be seen. Instead the seats were filled with people
who looked more like churchgoers than film critics
– which is exactly what they were. Freedom is a
distinctly Christian story, and its makers are starting
their campaign with those who should be the first to
recognise its merits.
Freedom builds its tale around four slaves who escape
from a Virginian plantation and their journey to the free
North. Cuba Gooding Jnr. stars as Samuel, a father and
husband determined to fight his way to liberty. However
his mother Adira (Phyliss Bash) is a woman of faith who
believes Samuel has to escape from a greater slavery
than his chains. As their journey progresses it becomes
clear her son is caught up in a very Christian tale. His
grandfather came to America on the ship that saw John
Newton converted, and the songs they sing, including
Amazing Grace, are Samuel’s link to that heritage. Even
the white men who risk their lives for him do so because
of they believe in a higher judge than any the South has
to offer. Hollywood has produced many films about this
dark period of history – The Colour Purple, Amistad, 12
Years A Slave – but by its end Freedom has restored its
faith-shaped context.
Freedom certainly has some shortcomings. It often
surrenders its drama to poorly placed musical numbers.
It’s also hard to deliver the thrill of a life-threatening storm
at sea without million dollar effects to draw on. There’s
even an occasional sense of unreality created by the need
to spare family audiences the real degradations of the
slave trade. But the film does achieve what should be
considered its primary goal: it makes us feel differently
about a life built on God.
The most impressive characters are not the film’s stars
but its everyday Christians, like the Quaker who chooses
to hide Negroes beneath his floorboards:
Tracker: You’ve broken a federal law!
Quaker: I but follow the dictates of my conscience. We’re
just God-fearing folk Mr Plympton.
Tracker: God-fearing folk are my biggest problem!
Freedom corrects the idea that a general love of
humanity was enough to bring about the end of the slave
trade. It makes you respect the bravery of little men
who put God first, even in the face of guns. Believers
are no longer baffled do-gooders but bulldogs. And that,
especially, is why Christians should be prepared to back
Christian cinema.
The library is where go to find facts; the Bible, the
ultimate source of our knowledge of God. Cinemas,
though, are where we learn how to feel about a subject.
We might cringe as actors strive to convey deeply
personal convictions. But we forget that the unbelieving,
postmodern world is still amazed that convictions exist
at all. This is the question that should be levelled at every
faith-based story: does it lead us to feel about God the
way we should? Then that’s enough to be getting on with.
One good conversation will fill in the rest.
I HOPE that no-one was dissuaded from seeing ‘The
Last Confession’ by the negative critique in The West
Australian last month. The production, making its
Australian premiere on its tour which includes Canada
and the USA, played at His Majesty’s Theatre for two
weeks last month, and starred David Suchet. The
production told the story of the mystery and power
struggle surrounding the short pontificate of John
Paul 1st , and my own review detailed an exciting
production which provided positive entertainment
and genuine food for thought. I also said in my
critique on Capital Radio’s arts’ programme (heard
every Thursday from 6 to 8pm) that in David Suchet’s
performance we were shown the actors’ craft at
its best. If you were put off by the negative review,
just hop on a plane and you might catch The Last
Confession in the eastern states – it is worth it!
Queensland’s Noosa Arts Play Festival recently
announced the winners of its annual play competition,
which gives generous financial prizes and stages
productions of the three winning plays. The competition
attracts entries from Australia, New Zealand, the USA and
the UK. Among this year’s winners, chosen by a panel of
judges, are Michelle McCormick (Western Australia) for
The Invitation (Best Play) and Michiko Parnell (Western
Australia) for Instructions for Two or More Payers (Third
Best Play and Audience Choice). Michiko Parnell’s play
also picked up awards for Best Director, Best Actor, and
Best Actress. Congratulations to our two WA playwrights
for a significant achievement. Entries for plays to be
considered for the 2015 Noosa Arts play competition
close on October 1. Details from
www.noosaartstheatre.org.au
Black Swan State Theatre Company heralds spring with
Neil Simon’s madcap comedy Laughter on the 23rd Floor.
The play is set in the 50s when Senator McCarthy was
raising mayhem with his ‘Reds in Showbiz’ campaign.
30
Messenger
It plays on the State Theatre Centre main stage from
September 6 to 21. Director Kate Cherry says: “I get to go
into the rehearsal room with some of the funniest people
I know and laugh at their outrageous portrayals of the
funniest characters in the history of American comedy”.
This is a large cast show, with some 18 performers and
stars Peter Rowlinson of Kath & Kim fame.
The Cabaret Soiree season is in full swing Downstairs
at the Maj. This month’s line-up includes Speak Easy, a
jazz age evening with Jessie Gordon and The Eight-Piece
Perth Cabaret Collective (Thu 4 to Sat 6 Sept); Beer
Drinking Woman, ‘blues’ from Christa Hughes & Leonie
Wilson (Thu 11 to Sat 13 Sep); and Like Blown Smoke,
with the Mint Jazz Band and Rhoda Lopez (Thu 18 to Sat
20 Sep). This is a story of love’s shadows, a tale of fragile
embers and smoke blown to passionate fire. The Last of
the Red Hot Mommas features Marika Aubrey & Her Red
Hot 3-Piece Jazz Band. (Thu 25 to Sat 27 Sep). Born dirt
poor in 1884 Ukraine, Sophie Tucker overcame humble
beginnings to become an outrageous star of vaudeville.
Details from www.ticketek.com.au.
ICW Productions return to the Regal Theatre in October
(2 to 11) with the Andrew Lloyd Webber hit Phantom
of the Opera. Musical director and producer is Ian
Westrip and director is Mark Barford. This WA production
of Phantom stars the WA tenor with an international
reputation, Aldo Di Toro, in the title role. Stephanie
Gooch is Christine, Nick Maclaine plays Raoul, Emma
Pettemerides is Carlotta, Jay Weston plays Piangi, and
music theatre veterans Ian Toyne and Igor Sas will play
Andre and Firman the theatre managers, while Alinta
Carrol is Madame Giry. The production will aid the
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia. Details:
www.ticketek.com.au.
Finally: a reminder: Le Noir’s season at the Crown
Theatre concludes on September 7. Don’t miss it.
SEPTEMBER 2014
31
Our rich liturgical heritage 22
Taking counsel together
Bishop Peter Brain
Hamish Milne – Diocesan Registrar
SYNOD is an opportunity for the clergy and laity
together with their Bishop to review the mission of
the Church in our part of the Anglican Communion.
The annual gathering of elected and appointed
representatives from throughout the Diocese of Perth,
Synod is an important time to take counsel together –
listening to the Holy Spirit, being awake to the signs of
the times, attentive to God’s call for apostolic action.
IN THE presence of God, I take you, to be ( spouse):
to have and to hold from this day forward, for better
or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in
health, to love and to cherish, so long as we both shall
live. All this I vow and promise.
These culturally defying words, exchanged by so many
men and women down through the centuries have left
in their wake untold blessings to countless families
and communities alike. The blessing of wholehearted
commitment with the willing giving of ourselves to
another has provided the bedrock on which marriage,
families and civility depends.
Children benefit when they are born into and are
nurtured in a family where husbands and wives cherish
each other and are committed to the growth of their
marriage. The benefits flow for here they see that
happiness is not dependent on everything going happily.
Even the challenges of poverty and sickness can be a
garden bed out of which nourishing fruits emerge. The
security that flows from the loving stability of committed
couples brings its own myriad of joys in their growing
years whilst setting a well proven model of how their own
lives can be built and sexuality expressed. Communities
are in turn enriched where this example prevails.
Geoffrey Chaucer said “love is blind”, but thankfully
G.K.Chesterton was much wiser when he said that
“love is not blind; that is the last thing it is. Love is
bound; and the more it is bound the less it is blind.”
The ‘love is blind’ view of the world overlooks the cross
of Christ where ‘love to the loveless’ is demonstrated
in the most down to earth and costliest manner
imaginable. Far from being blind and therefore left to
our emotions, feelings, lust, chances or circumstances,
love is derived from God’s love to us through Christ.
The observable example of those working this out in
the many relationships and opportunities, including that
most intimate and challenging crucible of marriage,
become indispensable gifts to many. Not only is love
spelt time but also sacrifice.
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Messenger
The rich heritage of these marriage vows is that they
articulate and then challenge all married couples to reflect
the New Testament teaching that love is commanded
of us in every possible circumstance whether easy or
difficult, chosen or unexpected, or whether we feel like
it or not. This self -giving and self- effacing love is clearly
more important than erotic or brotherly love. Indeed this
sacrificial love will enable these other kinds of love to be
shaped, exercised and enjoyed as God intends.
One of the tragic killers of marriage, personal respect
and happiness is sex before and outside of a committed
marriage relationship. A fulfilling sexual relationship
depends on a commitment-based love with a focus
outside and above ourselves to flourish. A long time
Rector of one of our parishes told me that he regularly
asked couples he was preparing for marriage the
question: “what are you going to do when you fall in love
with someone else?” It is a wise and good question. Of
course the answer that has sustained countless couples,
protected children and grown many marriages is nothing.
Psychologist Larry Crabb’s dictum “I’d rather be a
hypocrite to my feelings than to my purposes” is pure
wisdom. Attractions are bound to come, and feelings so
easily confuse and then conspire to derail us, but God’s
purposes are always for our and others good. We are
always wise to flee the folly of our feelings when they
tempt us away from God’s sure ways.
James Dobson exhorts us not to “sacrifice the
permanent on the altar of the immediate” and warns us
that “the grass always seems greener on the other side
of the fence until it has to be mown!” He helps us see
the strength of our liturgical heritage with these marital
vows. The words “in the presence of God” remind us that
the God who so kindly has given us the most concrete
and mundane expression of other-person-self-sacrificing
love in the person of his Son can be counted upon to
forgive and strengthen us to live in this culturally defying
manner, and we can rejoice in the immense riches set
before us in the wedding service. When embraced by us
in the wide range of life’s ups and downs, we become a
gift of the greatest possible value to any community.
There are no delegates; all are representatives. In
other words, no one in Synod does the bidding of those
outside, responding like puppets to a string-pulling
electorate. All representatives are trusted to open
themselves to the voice of the Spirit, making up their
own minds, voting according to conscience.
In Perth, the first synod was held on 21 August 1872,
when a constitution for the Diocese was passed and
adopted. Since those early days the people of God in
this diocese have brought their common wisdom to the
opportunities and challenges before them.
Coming from the parishes, agencies, schools and
chaplaincies in the Diocese, the members together
become an organic part of the decision-making process
of the Church.
For all those who are preparing for Synod this year, may
it be an opportunity for deepening our community and
our growth in knowledge. We look forward to Synod 2014
as a time of community, conversation and communion, a
fruitful time of praying and working together.
A prayer for synod
Almighty and everliving God.
give wisdom and understanding
to the members of the Synod of this Diocese
Teach us in all things
to seek first your honour and glory.
May we perceive what is right
have courage to pursue it
and grace to accomplish it,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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SEPTEMBER 2014
33
Perth College and the Solomon Islands
TWELVE students are preparing to travel to the
Solomon Islands as Perth College strengthens its
connection to the developing nation. Their journey
at the end of September will be the seventh time the
School has visited as part of an immersion experience
offering Year 10 girls an insight into a culture vastly
different to their own.
The girls are looking
forward to attending
classes at St Nicholas, an
Anglican school on the
island of Guadalcanal for
children from Kindergarten
to Year 13, as well as
taking on a teaching role.
Perth College Chaplain,
Ebony White and Yvette Ogilvie with
Father Barry Moss, will
Solomons students
accompany the girls
and said he was sure they would receive a welcome
as overwhelming as last year’s. “The students were so
happy to see the girls – they performed provincial dances
and songs in our honour during a special assembly.”
During the two-week tour, the girls will visit Savo Island
and experience village life, see World War II memorials
and spend time with the Melanesian Brothers, learning
about their role in the civil conflict of 2000. They will
also spend two days helping at a women’s refuge, the
Christian Care Centre, run by the Community of the
Sisters of the Church.
“As a School established by the Sisters, Perth College
places a strong emphasis on students making a
difference in the lives of others, and the time spent with
the Sisters will be very precious,” Father Barry said.
“We are privileged to visit their base in Honiara, see the
work they perform in the
Solomons, and attend
their chapter meeting and
the Profession of two
Sisters.”
The immersion tour was
postponed after severe
flash flooding and an
Rachael Mondello with Solomons
earthquake in April caused
sisters
widespread destruction of
crops, homes and businesses. Students have fundraised
extensively for the tour to provide educational material
and resources for St Nicholas and the Sisters of the
Church.
“The Solomon Islands are a complex environment
and the girls will have many opportunities to immerse
themselves fully in the culture,” Father Barry said. “We
hope they more deeply consider their values and faith as
well as important issues such as equity and social justice,
and return home realising how blessed they are.”
Paula on Paul
Dr Paula Gooder
SOME visitors just keep coming
back to Western Australia, and we
love to see them. Dr Paula Gooder
is one such visitor, a freelance biblical scholar
and teacher who came to Perth in August to
give keynote addresses at the national Anglican
Schools’ conference. She stayed on to teach for
two more days with many other local Anglicans.
As an active Christian lay woman, Paula is often
quizzed about her reasons for not being ordained.
With this in mind, she led a group of thirty, some
ordained, most lay, in a day’s discussion sponsored
by the Perth chapter of the Society of Catholic
Priests (SCP). SCP is an inclusive association of
more catholic-minded Anglican clergy. ‘Vocation’
does not mean only ‘ordained vocation,’ and our
discussion with Paula had us all minding our
language to make sure that people’s faith-inspired
work in the world as well as in the church is properly
counted as ‘ministry’.
In an evening session, Paula introduced the
programme she has co-written with three bishops
of the Church of England, the Pilgrim discipleship
course. It is designed as a teaching tool, a kind of
21st century catechism, to help new believers know
and practise their faith. It comes in the form of
six-session study and discussion booklets, backed
up by downloadable resources, and some Perth
parishes are already finding it very useful with
established church members as well as those just
coming to faith.
The idea of a ‘Preachers’ Day Out’ as a form of
professional development is catching on in the
Diocese of Perth. A Biblical scholar is invited to
present on an area of their particular research
and expertise, and a clergy and lay people with
appropriate theological background gather at
Wollaston Education Centre to learn together and
to begin to apply the knowledge to their preaching.
It is good for input, collegiality and reflection on
the art and science of preaching. Paula Gooder
presented her current work on embodied spirituality
in Paul’s epistles. She urged us to preach carefully
into a modern world that over-emphasises the ‘body
beautiful’ or which assumes that body and spirit are
unreconcilable opposites.
We learnt how St Paul uses Hebrew concepts and
which Greek words he favours to express them. We
wrestled with the differences between ‘spirit’, ‘soul,’
‘body,’ ‘flesh’, ‘mind’, and the crossover between an
individual’s being and the collective, communal body,
spirit and ‘mind’ of the church. Western thinking
likes to separate concepts and categories, but Paula
reminded us that Biblical authors prefer integration
and accumulation of ideas and metaphors.
Those who listen to sermons across the Diocese
of Perth will be glad to hear that many preachers
attended this Day Out with Paula Gooder, and all
were inspired to take what we learned and work on
offering it to those who hear our sermons. There
is a temptation to wait until Paula’s next book is
published, but perhaps some brave preachers will
take the plunge with more from Paula as the Sunday
lectionary offers us more from Paul.
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WHERE TO WORSHIP
Where To Worship
ALBANY
Accommodation
St John’s, York Street
NEW NORCIA MONASTERY
GUESTHOUSE
Sundays 8.00am Eucharist (with hymns)
9.30am Family Eucharist and Sunday
ST GEORGE’S
CATHEDRAL
38 St George’s Terrace, Perth
School. Visitors made welcome
BUSSELTON
St Mary’s Anglican Church
Cnr of Queen St & Peel Tce Busselton
Daily: 7.30am Morning Prayer and
8am Eucharist.
For details of all other daily Eucharists
and Evening Prayer, see our website:
Fri: 9.30 am Sat: 6.15 -7pm
Sun: 7.30am, 8am, 9.30am & 5pm
0897543775
SUNDAY SERVICES
8am: Holy Eucharist (BCP) with hymns
10am: Choral Eucharist and Sunday
School
5pm: Choral Evensong
SPECIAL SERVICES
IN SEPTEMBER 2014
SUNDAY 7 SEPTEMBER – FATHERS’ DAY
3.30pm: ‘Fathering’ Lecture by Dr Bruce
Robinson followed by 5pm Choral
Evensong and Procession, of the Birth of
the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Siege of
Malta. Reception.
SUNDAY 14 SEPTEMBER
5pm: Evensong with Commissioning of
Parish Councillors. Reception.
SUNDAY 21 SEPTEMBER
5pm: CEBS Centenary Evensong.
Reception.
SUNDAY 28 SEPTEMBER
10am: Plainsong Eucharist for
Michaelmas.
5pm: L’Arche 50th Anniversary
Evensong. Reception.
FRIDAY 3 OCTOBER
CANNINGTON
St Michael and All Angels’ Church
46 George Way, Cannington
Sunday Eucharist 8.00am and 9.30am
Midweek Eucharist Weds 10.00am and
Thurs 8.00am
Sacrament of Reconciliation and Spiritual
5pm: Evensong with the Order of St
Lazarus. Reception.
36
Messenger
St Paul’s Chapel Choir
Director: Jamil Osman
Organist: Jonathan Bradley
CHORAL EVENSONG
TUESDAYS at 5.00 pm
during school term
John Septimus Roe
Anglican Community School
Corner Mirrabooka and Boyare Avenues,
Mirrabooka
(Parking is available
on the School grounds)
DIOCESE OF PERTH –
PARISH VISITS 2014
Guildford Grammar School Chapel
Direction by appointment.
5.00 pm Sunday 26 October
Parish Priest: The Revd Evan Pederick
Eucharist St John’s Anglican
Church Northam
mob 0433 174 112
www.canningtonanglicans.org.au
FREMANTLE
St John’s ‘The Church in the Square’
Cnr Queen and Adelaide Streets
Sundays 8.00am and 10.30am Eucharist
5.00pm Evening Prayer,
T: 9335 2213
www.anglicanparishoffremantle.com
10.00 am Sunday 28 November
Evensong Holy Trinity
Anglican Church York
5.00 pm Sunday 28 November
OTHER
9 Lessons & Carols
6.00 pm Sunday 1 December 2014
St Paul’s Chapel, Mirrabooka
For information regarding the Chapel
Choir please refer to the School website
www.jsracs.wa.edu.au
Experience the peace, quiet and prayer of
the Benedictine monastic community of
New Norcia. 132km north of Perth.
Twin rooms with en-suites and single
rooms. Join the monks for daily prayer.
Directed retreats by arrangement.
Recommended donation of $80/person/
day full board.
Inquiries: Bernadette at
[email protected]
T: 9654 8002 www.newnorcia.com
ALBANY HOLIDAY
ACCOMMODATION
Granny flat. Central. Walk to town.
Lovely, peaceful view.
One bdm plus sofabed. $90 per
night/$400 per wk. 0407 500 126
DUNSBOROUGH
Fully furnished house, close to shops and
beach. Sleeps 6-8. $100 per night.
Sorry no pets.
T: 0419 654 258
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160 Hay Street
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Highgate Court, Fremantle (across the road from
St Johns Church and next door to 26 Queen St)
• email us [email protected]
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• phone (08) 9335 1982
Christ Church, Sholl Street
Sunday 7, 8.15, 10 am
(The bells are rung 9.25 - 9.55 am)
PALMYRA
St Peter’s, 2 Hammad Street
Sundays 9.15am Eucharist 9335 2213
GRANNY FLAT
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Looking to downsize without losing
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We can build your new custom
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Building Maintenance, Repairs &
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ALCOHOLISM
KINLAR VESTMENTS
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Hope for families and friends of
alcoholics.
Quality handmade and decorated
vestments, albs, chasubles, stoles, altar
cloths, banners.
If you are troubled by someone else’s
drinking you will find help in Al-Anon.
T: 9325 7528 (24hrs)
Contact: Vickii Smith Veness
T: 9402 1318 M: 0409 114 093
MANDURAH
7pm: Synod Choral Eucharist.
SUNDAY 5 OCTOBER
John Septimus Roe Anglican
Community School
St Paul’s Chapel
www.perthcathedral.org
P: 9325 5766
CLASSIFIEDS
Opening Space for Spirit
Hosting meeting spaces for mission,
innovation and community partnerships
Ministry Professional Supervision
Leadership Coaching
Michael Wood
www.michaeljohnwood.com
Ph. 0435 065326
12 Favenc Way, Padbury 6025.
By appointment only.
[email protected]
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RICH HARVEST CHRISTIAN SHOP
Bibles, CDs, cards, apparel, gifts
statues, religious vestments
39 Hulme Ct Myaree, 9329 9889
After 10am Mon - Sat
SEPTEMBER 2014
37
1
2
3
4
5
6
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8
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Mt Pleasant’s ‘beautiful vision’
10
The Revd Pamela Turner
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27
29
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24
26
30
IN 2004 on a perfect Boxing Day morning as
holiday-makers relaxed, children played and
locals began their work, no-one could have
suspected that in a twinkling of an eye life would
change forever. The tsunami that devastated so
much of the region hit the southern coastline of
Sri Lanka with fury, taking tens of thousands of
lives and livelihoods.
15
21
25
28
31
32
The people of St Michael’s Mt Pleasant galvanised
into action immediately, with parishioner Lalani
Weddikkara on site in Galle helping with her family
to clear, comfort, provide and rebuild. In the shortterm our community raised funds for folk to rebuild
their outrigger boats, re-establishing their fishing
livelihoods.
Then the logterm project to
build a preschool began.
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34
35
39
36
40
41
37
42
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43
44
45
Clues
ACROSS
1., & 8 across. Melody,
therefore, for little
New Guinea. (4)
2. Can he claim to confuse
the chief of the
angels? (7)
8. See 1 across.
10. It is hard to come
across a sliver of an
ancient pot. (5)
11. In short, age not
important in Armenian
city. (3)
13. A messenger to glean
messily. (5)
16. Identity card for Iesous
Christos? (2)
18. Craft in drawing charts.
(3)
19. Eucharistic robe folded
in science room. (3)
20. See you in little Syria?
(2)
22. Crane circling for
mother-of-pearl. (5)
DOWN
26. Wild rats go for whole
grains! (6)
28. So stir Yiddish sorrows.
(6)
29. Alien left off the set. (2)
30. The apostle met what
disturbing end? (7)
Messenger
5. Suspend in archangel. (4)
6. Silly to rile a heavenly
messenger called the
Lion of God. (5)
3. Iesous Soter. Let it be!
(2)
In July 2014
and after
several parish
visits, a group
of us made a
pilgrimage to Sudarshana Pre-School in Galle where
now a secure building and grounds, fine staff, nearly
sixty children, library and resources witness to
Christ’s call to reach out in loving service. Fr Patrick,
Sudarshana Pre-School students waiting to go on stage.
32. Italian river with mail
service? (2)
33. Sure as no exclusion in
Koranic verses. (5)
34. Grown-up males among
the catechumens. (3)
C
L
41. See 39 across.
42, & 44 across. Fifty-one
Chinese above the big
cat. (4)
44. See 42 across.
U
D
N
E T
F
W H I R
M I M O
A S
M
N
39, & 41 across. Crumpled
pound right away
above the surface. (4)
T
I
C
N
L
Photos of our trip show lush vegetation, smiling
faces and exciting adventures like elephant-riding and
climbing mountainous temple sites. But a pilgrimage
it was: a purposeful journey of heart and mind to
discover much about things visible and invisible, in
territories outward and inward.
August solution
August solution 36. Rugged peaks talked
long ago. (5)
45. Great bishop of Rome
unsteady to reform
24. I have designs to get off
gory ego. (7,2,4)
the plains. (5)
38
Teachers from Sudarshana Pre-School.
4. Sing Bach antiphon
across the choir. (5)
1., & 9 down. Wise man
Herb from, initially,
Society of the
Atonement has green
end. (4)
of Sudarshana,
‘Beautiful
Vision’,
has been
supported
joyfully and
consistently by
St Michael’s.
We have learnt
that in many
The Revd Pamela Turner with Fr Neil van
ways we are
Doort, rector of St Paul’s Kandy and Mr Ranjith
the little children Weddikkara. Pamela preached at St Paul’s Kandy.
in this project,
growing step by step and being transformed as we
have prayerfully reflected on it in our diverse ways.
A
O
R
O M I N I
M E S A S
R L H
S I E U R
A T
M U
L
D
S A
R E
A G D A L
S E A M Y
C Y A
A L O H A
W
F
S
E O F A S
C
R
T
U
B
A
M
N A
O R
Y
F
S
I
E
F
S
U
M
N
E
R
I
O C
S I
Pre-School students
staff and students welcomed us with great joy,
treating us to classroom visits, a wonderful concert
by all the little ones and morning tea. Central to
our visit was the dedication of the school and the
gathering of everyone involved in a true sense of
God’s presence in an inter-faith context. The evolution
Students at Sudarshana Pre-School.
SEPTEMBER 2014
39