This is the latest blurb that is published on the front of our weekly bulletin
Even as Australia grows in prosperity, we are often reminded of two things that easily rattle our cages: sickness and terror. This week, I’ve witnessed both. On the one hand, I’ve seen the reaction of the world to the recent terrorism in Paris, and the helplessness of a world power to defend herself against barbaric acts of violence … Read more
Two things have combined to bring us to the point where we can now offer broadcast-quality, live streaming of our church services. Firstly, the quality of the Internet (even in a regional location like Oak Flats) is good enough that we can squeeze a good-quality image down a standard Internet connection. Secondly, the dramatic leap in … Read more
The recent combined meeting of Anglican churches across Sydney and the Illawarra voted to send a strong message to the NSW government that it needs to “break its gambling addiction.” Sandy Grant, minister at Wollongong Cathedral, says Australians currently lose over $18 billion each year on gambling, an average of around $1300 per adult Australian, … Read more
In the second week of the Sydney Anglican Synod a new ‘Safe Ministry’ website was officially launched to provide protection and care for everyone in our church. An important part of that website is a video by Archbishop Glenn Davies in which he provides a formal apology to survivors of sexual abuse in the church. Here is an excerpt of … Read more
All of us will feel depressed at different times and ways. For most people, this feeling is a ‘depressed mood.’ This might come from feelings of guilt about a particular sin, such as adultery, gambling, lust, lying, or greed. That person needs to confess the underlying sin to God, believe they’re forgiven, and stop sinning. … Read more
Why on earth would our church want to put its energy into renovating the 50-year-old Oak Flats Swimming Pool? The simple answer is that we want to serve our local community so that we can share our lives and our precious message with the people in our neighbourhood. The event is called ‘CityServe’ and will be … Read more
In this pleasure-seeking, self-serving world in which we live, the true meaning of love has fallen victim to our own agenda. People appear to love others so that they might personally enjoy the feeling of love, rather than loving for the sake of the other person and their needs. Ironically, the selfless act of love has … Read more
Whether it’s Hawke-Keating, Rudd-Gillard or now Abbott-Turnbull, we’ve become accustomed to seeing change in Australia’s highest seat of politics. And like the other times, this latest Prime Minister arrived in office with an absence of physical violence and social upheaval, reminding us of how thankful we should be for the political stability of our nation. … Read more
The news this week that Australia will resettle 12,000 refugees from Syria is a welcome decision. In response, our Archbishop has called upon all parishes, not only to pray for these victims of persecution, but to step up and be prepared to do whatever is within their power to provide a warm and generous welcome, … Read more
Father’s Day is always a good opportunity to remember the place of dads in our families. For many of us it brings joy and happiness, especially when we recall the positive impact of our own father, or the dad of our own kids. But this special day can also bring sadness when our father is no longer with … Read more