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The Anglican Church in Tasmania Search |
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a healthy church...transformingLIFE |
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A healthychurch ...transforminglife Keynote address - Synod - Launceston - 14 May 2004 |
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You may recall that last year I encouraged us all to take some risks. So, how did it go for you, for your parish, schools, organisation? We need to tell the stories of 'risk taking'. This has been a year of risk taking for the Bishop of Tasmania, not to mention John Harrower! You may remember that I intended to join a gym last year. Well, I did sign up at the gym. The effects are not obvious, I know. But my commitment to health finally became very personal. I am stronger, if not lighter! Also the challenge to build the health of my relationship with Christ is one that has continued throughout this year. This is very personal. What risks am I willing to take in order to be a prayerful activist, enlivened by Biblical faith and the power of the Holy Spirit? 360 degree Feedback - Review of My Episcopal Ministry The supervisor at the gym assigned to my case has certainly given me the once over. This last year I was also given the once over by an independent review of my first three years of ministry as the Bishop of Tasmania. I am convinced that this Ministry Review was a risk that was not only worth taking, but it was also God planned. I was willing to let myself, my gifts, my ministry be reviewed by someone over whom I had no control. It was painful and exciting and a great growth experience. The Church and I, have both benefited. My challenge to all leaders and parishes is to be willing to take that risk of reviewing and changing as I have done. The outcomes of the Review have been powerful for me as a person and as Bishop of this Diocese. The independent reviewer reported back to me and I decided to share it with the Diocesan Council and the Clergy conference. My hope and prayer was for a work of God through this process. That work of God has been emerging throughout the year. It is reflected in something as simple as my emailed news update, 'From the Bishop's desk', and in my Vision Document 'ahealthychurch...transformingLIFE'. The Review report strongly emphasised that the Anglican community wanted the BISHOP'S VISION. This was a major challenge for me because I had been working towards developing a Diocesan vision process. But here was a clear and strong call for me to present my Vision, the Bishop's Vision, for our missionary Diocese. As a result of that, the booklet, 'transformingLIFE' was written. I launched the Vision throughout the Diocese. I was thrilled with the three launches, in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie, and the positive response received. A review of our ministry will inevitably challenge our plans and processes. My review has certainly done that! My commitment to church health is unabated and I believe that God is transforming us into a church in mission. Signs of God's transforming work There are signs of God's transforming work and there are also several challenges for us to face. Have no doubt that we are at a critical moment in the life of the church in Tasmania. I have spoken of the need for significant change in our lives - personal and corporate. I am reminded of the wisdom of Robert Warren when he said, Bringing about change is at one level simple. We need to decide to bring it about. It is that simple, yet the very simplicity makes starker the radical nature of what is needed. Like the rich young ruler, there is a danger that the sheer richness of the Anglican heritage might cause us to go away sorrowful. For the call to be a missionary church is nothing less than a call to conversion - to metanoia, a change of mind, heart and direction. Only in this situation, it is a matter of the conversion of the community rather than an individual. It involves turning around of a whole group to face the mission implications of being Christian. Such change is essentially both simple and costly. The Burnie Parish have carried out a review of their parish life. After a consultation over a number of months they have followed a recommendation to restructure around three working groups focussing on (1) worship, (2) ministry, and (3) outreach and mission. The Rev. Warwick Cuthbertson, the Rector of the Parish of Burnie, speaks highly of the review and its outcomes, 'while not always easy, the review process has proven to be extremely worthwhile. The new focus has allowed us to revitalise and renew much of what we do as the church in Burnie, as well as begin new things'. Parishes in interregnums are doing reviews and exploring options for their future. The Mersey Valley parishes have undertaken a consultation and are now considering ways of cooperating together in their mission. Mission conversations have been held in the six regions of the Diocese since the launch of 'transformingLIFE'. Ongoing mission conversations focused on specific themes have also been requested. A healthy church knows its community in its rich diversity and expresses our shared love in Christ through the ministry of welcome. A wonderful example of this was on the Saturday following Christmas Day last year when a large number of the Hobart Sudanese community and their friends gathered in the Cathedral to celebrate Jesus' birth through worship, lunch in the Cathedral Close with great African food and an afternoon concert. God's hospitality through His people is transforming life. What do you do on Easter Saturday? I confess to you that I am one of those Christians who is never quite sure as to what to do on Easter Saturday. Do I mourn Christ's death and be sad all day? Do I keep one eye open with an expectant glee, because I know Sunday is coming? Or, What? Well, at St Helens the town was packed out Easter Saturday with a Fun Night! What to do? Perhaps, call an all night prayer vigil calling down God's wrath? Or, get up a petition for silence out of respect for Christians? St Helens Anglicans went to the marketplace! They decided that the town is there and therefore the Christians would be there with them, contributing to the fun - Christian style. The parish set up a stall with balloons printed with the slogan: 'Reclaiming Easter'. They had clowns, granny smith apples and with the assistance of the Fusion Team they proclaimed the Good News of Jesus, in the context of their wider community. PTL! Why did the donkey cross the road? Why, to get to the BayWest Easter Fun Day, of course! Gayelene Harrower's donkeys crossed the road-and walked inside the hall where many visitors of all ages found Soul Café's fresh coffee irresistible. Hot cross buns disappeared at a rapid rate and the jumping castle inside the hall was well jumped on by the younger children, with a few wistful glances from some of the not so young. The Rev. David Rietveld illustrated his children's talk on the meaning of Easter with some very frustrating birthday cake candles that refused to be blown out! Face painting was popular and the much-anticipated Easter egg hunt was not hindered by the damp weather. All hidden eggs were accounted for! The Easter Sunday Fun Day replaced the other usual worship services. It was a radical departure from the usual Easter celebrations. Newspaper advertisements were placed and the donkey postcard invitations distributed at the local school. The large number of visitors who responded confirmed the attraction of this event. Many families and older people expressed an intention to return to Sunday worship. Longford parish has been conducting a weekly Holy Communion service at the aged care facility, Toosey, for approximately 20 years. A number of residents recently asked for a Bible Study. This weekly Home Group, with all its gamut of emotions and life experiences, has been journeying through Exodus these past eight months. The Rev. Helen Chick provides the weekly Bible passage as enlarged photocopies because the residents find it difficult to hold Bibles. They also receive a reflection on the Bible passage. The Group keep their studies in folders for later use. The format is comprised of prayer, studying and applying God's Word to their lives, playing of a Christian song/hymn/drama and sharing of their lives and growing in their relationship with Jesus. The Group has eight regulars; the oldest is 98 years of age. God's transforming work goes on and on. An invitation to attend church at St James' New Town led to three teenagers asking for baptism. At the same time a couple joined the congregation who are gifted youth leaders. From this exciting beginning a youth Alpha course was held for twelve keen participants and the result has been the formation of a regular youth group with a nucleus of twelve regular participants. This is a wonderful example of the Holy Spirit at work in the parish of St James and St Andrew. During a mission conversation the Reverend Shirley Van Norden jumped up and sang the 'I'm so excited' song about the emerging ministry with young adults at Smithton. The place was really rockin' with RocFish in the Parish of St Clements. It was a fantastic event. Every bit of space was packed with little children and their families as the wonderful Rocfish music and drama group told the Gospel story. God's calling: to run the race that is set before us Transformation as a work of the Holy Spirit is never without impact. Those in leadership carry so much of this burden. In particular, I wish to commend the clergy of the Diocese to this Synod. To journey the road of transformation requires genuine effort. Beyond risk comes the need for real sweat. These are difficult transitional times for many. To the risk takers, may I encourage you on this journey. To those who are struggling in transition, I acknowledge your pain. We must not back away from the transforming God among us. Pastoral Support and Assistance Scheme I have also seen God at work transforming the lives of some of our most hurt brothers and sisters. God in His mercy continued His work through the 'Out of the Depths' prayer and reflection service on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday in Launceston and Hobart. The Gospel calls us to support those who have suffered abuse. We responded last year in launching the Pastoral Support and Assistance Scheme for victims of abuse by clergy and church officers in this Diocese. We were most fortunate in securing the services of Mrs Anne Foot as Co-coordinator for the first eight months and I want to pay tribute to her contribution in the most difficult time of the operation of this program. Her skills, understanding and commitment were vital to the Scheme in those early months and showed us just what a difficult task we had set ourselves. Anne left her position with us in December. Since then the Registrar and a small group who meet very regularly with me have handled it. We have made much progress, but it has been a difficult, frustrating and extremely time consuming operation not only for myself, but also for the other four people who are closely involved. May I pause to pay special tribute to Bill Haas for his enormous contribution to this pastoral project. Following Anne Foot's departure we advertised for a Director of Professional Standards. This position is part of the requirements in the proposed General Synod legislation. Unfortunately, we have not been able to fill this position. Nineteen Pastoral Support and Assistance Scheme packages have been distributed. Six applications have been received This issue has greatly affected the Diocese, and we have invested much time, money and resources. However, as I have made clear, this is something we needed to do in order to move towards being a healthy church, able to help build up our community. To those individuals and parishes who have made donations to our Pastoral Support and Assistance Scheme I express my appreciation. Three parishes have designated a percentage of their annual income to assist in building this fund to financially help survivors of abuse. I ask you again to earnestly consider, as individuals and parish representatives, a donation to help finance some measure of closure to victims of clergy abuse. We have been criticised for going ahead with our Pastoral Support and Assistance Scheme. This criticism has come from both inside and outside Tasmania and both inside and outside the Anglican Church. But we have responded from our heads and hearts. It was right to do it. And we did it. Praise the Lord! We continue to develop a culture of safe ministry within our churches and organisations. Our accreditation program and educational program continues to spread through parishes. We must ensure that our churches provide a safe environment for all. I am convinced that we are providing that. Thank you I do want to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated and hard working Diocesan Office Team. Without their assistance our parishes, organisations and schools would not have been able to contribute so richly to Tasmanian life. Love your neighbours: Refugees, aged care and poverty As we talk about a vision for transforming life here in Tasmania we are conscious of the needs of those around us. Just as we spoke of a healthy church and then a healthy world we must not fail to take action to alleviate the distress of those who are our neighbours. This year I want to focus on three particular areas of need where we exercise a ministry - refugees, aged care and those living in poverty. Refugees With the continuing civil unrest, strife and war that afflict many countries the number of refugees worldwide increases. Refugee camps have become permanent homes and repatriation is not possible or desirable and host countries have such a small intake of refugees. I was pleased to see that in March the Australian Government agreed to increase the number of refugees granted humanitarian access who increased significantly in percentage terms. However, given our resources and space Australia could do more. In particular, the imprisonment of children in detention centres is a national disgrace. I find the Human Rights Commission's conclusion that the detention of some children in custody was 'cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment' deeply distressing. As a society we are treating people as a commodity, as a means to an end, rather than as human and worthy of dignity because we are all God's children. The Gospel calls us to welcome the stranger into our midst. St John's Launceston Refugee Resettlement Volunteers The parish of St. John's in Launceston is one of a number that has been very active in the refugee resettlement scheme. To date they have assisted with the settlement of 16 refugee families. Their responsibilities have included negotiating with Centrelink through to arranging white goods and warmer clothes. In fact, earlier this month while we had a Sunday afternoon workshop on refugees and asylum seekers, some members of St John's were not present. Do you know why? They were at Launceston airport welcoming a new refugee family. What joy to my heart! They had heard the message of Christ's transforming love and they were out there transforming life. Praise the Lord! When people who are refugees come seeking assistance the church is there responding to their needs. Aged care The Anglican Church knows about ministry with the elderly and is closely involved in this area through our aged care homes and also through many local church initiatives such as visiting and assisting elderly people in their homes. As we know, appropriate accommodation and care for the aged is a concern for many. I have heard some heart wrenching stories about the length of time that some people have to wait to access aged care beds or community care packages. The proposed sale of two Salvation Army facilities here in Tasmania is an indication of the problems in caring for our elderly. Let there be no mistake, there is a crisis in what is now being called the aged care industry. While I welcome the recent Commonwealth Government Budget funding increases to aged care, the elderly in our community deserve better. Funding is not keeping up with costs. More funding is needed. I call on all governments and local communities to continue to work towards providing better care for older Tasmanians. When we do this, this will be a sign of a healthier society. Aged care through Glenview In the Northern Suburbs of Hobart the church is responding to the needs of the elderly at Glenview. Glenview provides accommodation on site and in people's homes as well as operating a day support service. Nursing and other care is essential for the quality of life that people rightly desire as they become frail and in need of support. When people who are ageing come seeking assistance the church is there responding to their needs. Poverty Strong economic growth has provided significant opportunities for Tasmanians during the past two years. Many people have been able to gain employment and improve their standard of living. However, there continue to be thousands of Tasmanians who experience significant disadvantage. They live on very low incomes and struggle to make ends meet. Many of these people in times of financial crisis access Emergency Relief. Emergency Relief agencies tend to provide food parcels or vouchers. The funds come from the Australian Government and donations. Overwhelmingly, the people seeking assistance are low income Tasmanians reliant on Centrelink pensions or benefits. These low incomes, which are close to or below the Henderson Poverty Line, leave people constantly exposed to the risk of financial crisis. In Burnie the Parish through the Anglicare office provides one outlet for emergency relief. There is a team of volunteers who undertake the interviews and provide the assistance. They have a freezer and pantry for foodstuffs donated by parishioners and there is a weekly collection from a local bakery. When people who live in poverty come seeking assistance the church is there responding to their needs. We are called to be a healthy church transforming life in all its many dimensions. And, with God's help, we shall be. A 'HOW TO' GUIDE to transformingLIFE With respect to the transformingLIFE process the first round of mission conversations are complete. The 'How to' Guide to transformingLIFE has been distributed this week, it is up on our website and copies are available today to all members of Synod. Next month I will be visiting the regions for my Bishop's Mission Forums where I look forward to spending further time together. All clergy, wardens and parish councillors will join me at these events to focus on developing deeper levels of understanding and trust amongst us as leaders in the Diocese. I hope to initiate from these events a series of strategic conversations around the most significant transformational issues facing us in the years ahead. Topics may include: growing missionary disciples, emerging and experimental styles of worship services, ministering to the ageing population of Tasmania, the simplification of parish governance structures, focusing parish resources on mission not maintenance, the management of our heritage buildings, recruiting and training both lay and ordained future leaders, the role of clergy as leaders in the 21st century church, developing holistic mission programmes and engaging in dominant societal moral and ethical debates. Prayer is at the heart of all we do. Our response to refugees, the elderly, people in poverty, indeed to all our neighbours, is founded on and continued in prayer. Prayer is at the heart of all we do. The prayer groups and the individuals who are praying for God's work through our Diocese have greatly encouraged me. Prayer is the Christian's heart song to God. Prayer prompts, enables and follows our life and work for God. In writing the transformingLIFE vision I was conscious of both my need to pray and my heartfelt prayer, as we worked on the many ideas that went towards the final vision. The prayer I wrote for transformingLIFE is but one of the myriad prayers spoken forth to God. Please pray. Prayer both nurtures love and is love. Bishop's Prayer Pilgrimage The 'Bishop's Prayer Pilgrimage' over the month of November reflects my desire to spend time at prayer with the Diocese. It will enable me to be at prayer in each parish for an hour and a half. Jesus asked his disciples to be at prayer with him and I know that I want to be at prayer with you. In a pilgrimage such as this, the time programmed is far from ideal, but I will be at prayer in your parish. Please have your mission prayer requests written out and available in order that all who come to pray on that occasion will have plenty of 'prayer fuel'. We will intercede for God's work in your parish and spend time in adoration and thanksgiving. ahealthychurch...transformingLIFE In concluding this Synod Address I reiterate that my heart's desire is
To this end I remind you of my call for you to bring your plans and activities to our 2005 Synod. As part of that reporting to next year's Synod we plan to incorporate into the Synod a function similar to the very successful Diocesan Gatherings that we had in 2001 and 2002. The details of this GATHERING have yet to be finalised, but you will be kept informed by the Diocesan Mission Enabler as the year goes by. I look forward with great expectation to seeing the transforming life that God will have brought about. I finish with a challenge. At a personal level I have had to do the hard work of change resulting from my 360 degree Feedback Review. And, you know what? It was worth it! As you embark on risk-taking mission I will be there supporting you all the way. And, you know what? It will be worth it! And moreover, God is worthy of it. May God guide, guard and bless us as we go forth in his name. Amen. Prayer for transformingLIFE Transforming
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