NAIDOC Week 7th – 14th July

NAIDOC Week Service – St John’s, Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust – Sunday 7 July 2pm

All are invited and warmly welcome to join with Aunty Phyllis Andy at the recently rededicated church of St John at Lake Tyres Aboriginal Trust on Sunday week, 7 July, for a NAIDOC Week service at 2pm.

NAIDOC Week celebrates and recognises the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This year’s theme chosen by the National NAIDOC Committee, is Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud.

The theme honours the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations culture – with fire a symbol of connection to Country, to each other, and to the rich tapes

Mothers Union June Join In

Unite Together

held at St Aidan’s Newborough on Wednesday 12 June

Women, and men, from across the Diocese gathered to take a stand against Family Violence.

Guest Speaker: Marizel Gatica-Charles

Introduced by Lindy Driver – President Diocese of Gippsland Mothers Union. Lindy introduced herself and shared something of her professional background as well her long experience in the Anglican Church, not least through being the wife of Jeffrey Driver, 10th Anglican Bishop of Gippsland and then Archbishop of Adelaide.

Marizel is a Family Violence Counsellor with Anglicare TRAK Forward program having worked previously as an Advanced Case Manager with Community Correctional Services and as Team Leader of Disability Client Services Case Management with the Department of Health and Human Services.

Marizel’s talk

Tenth Anniversary of the death of Bishop John McIntyre 6th June

This week Bishop Richard Treloar paid tribute to Bishop John McIntyre on the tenth anniversary of his death.

Bishop Richard wrote:

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

I write in this Reconciliation Week to acknowledge that (the) 6 June, marked ten years since Bishop John McIntyre died in office.

I was at the John McIntyre building at St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School on Wednesday, showing the Archbishop and Mrs Freier around with the Principal Cameron Herbert, and of the three “Johnny Mac” quotes emblazoned on the walls there, this one really struck me given the pending anniversary of his death:

If there is no God and I just cease to exist when I die, the worst thing that will happen is that I treated people with love, grace and dignity while I was here.  And I don’t see how that could be a bad thing.’

I learned of Bishop John’s untimely death on the Eve of Pentecost 2014, and my homily the following morning, Sunday 8 June, at Christ Church South Yarra included the following:

Today the Anglican Church of Australia mourns the passing of the Bishop of Gippsland, John McIntyre, who died on Friday, far too young; and we unite with the clergy and people of that Diocese, and around the Communion, in prayer for them and for +John and his family. 

The edited volume Pieces of Ease and Grace: Biblical Essays on Sexuality and Welcome (ATF Press: Adelaide; 2013) is dedicated by the editor, Alan Cadwallader: ‘To a bishop who has displayed exemplary courage in inviting the Church to live into the gospel of justice, love, and grace, Bishop John McIntyre of Gippsland.’ 

Alan here alludes to +John’s Synod Charge of in 2012.  In this address, he steps into that priestly ‘breach’ where the cause of the separation lies, with all of its pain, and hurt, and participates in the Spirit’s reconciling, unifying work.  Bishop John said:

It has taken the Church, and me, a long time to acknowledge . . . that it is simply a reality of some people’s lives to be same-sex attracted, and not a [ ] choice made by them . . . . I have become convinced that we will never come to a place of understanding on this matter unless we walk the path to understanding together.  For too long we have asked same-sex attracted people to wait outside the church, or at most in its wings, while ‘we’ decide the basis on which ‘they’ can be a part of [its] life . . . . Accordingly I will appoint to office in our diocese those whom I believe God is calling to minister among us . . . . Furthermore I will do this within the context of the greater call of God on the whole church, which is to live by grace; to seek justice and to show compassion, in all we do and say.  That is my commitment to God and to you, and I am willing to live with any consequences that may arise from remaining true to that commitment.

We have lost a priestly bishop; one who truly understood the vocation, and the cost, of the Church’s ministry of reconciliation, and who embodied its Spirit. 

As we reflect on his life and legacy, do we have the courage to stand in that breach: to bear the pain of estrangement and brokenness in such a way as also to bear witness to the possibility and the force of new life; whether it be with respect to our Indigenous brothers and sisters, our same-sex attracted brothers and sisters, or our brothers and sisters from within and beyond our own church from whom we are separated by matters of doctrine or church order?”

Bishop Richard continued by asking the Parishes of the Diocese to include

“some recognition of Bishop John’s service to Gippsland Anglicans and the wider church and community on Sunday, and to remember him, and Jan and their family, in the intercessions”.

In conclusion, Bishop Richard said:

“It is a privilege to serve where he has gone before. 

Together, may we honour +John’s commitment to an ever-deeper participation in God’s mission to the world in Christ, including by calling ourselves to account where we have fallen short of living by grace, seeking justice, and showing compassion in all we do and say.

Thanks be to God for the life and witness of John Charles McIntyre”.

You might also be interested in the following

Biggest Morning Tea

Wednesday 5th June

Our Australia’s biggest morning tea fundraiser for the Cancer Council yesterday morning was a huge success!

A beautiful time of fellowship

Thank you to all that came and to those who contributed, and those who made something yummy to share & participated in the raffle!

We have raised $750 so far for the Cancer Council Victoria!

Well done everyone!

A huge thanks to Julie Bruce for organising the event & to all the helpers. An amazing job as always. Thank you!

Thank you to all of those who kindly donated goods for the raffle, very much appreciated.

If you couldn’t make it and would like to help contribute, you can do so by the link below. 🙂

Donation Link:

https://www.biggestmorningtea.com.au/fundraisers/JulieBruce/biggest-morning-tea-vic

Thanks everyone 🙂

It might not be the Biggest Morning Tea but this Sunday we will have a Big Morning Tea with food not eaten on Wednesday

(From our Op Shop Face Book Page)

Bible Reading Challenge 2024

June is Bible Reading Challenge Month – an invitation from the Diocese of Ballarat to join in shared daily Bible Reading during the month of June

Bishop Richard writes

“I am very grateful for Dean Spalding and Tim Gaden who, ….have contributed reading notes for Weeks 3 & 4 respectively of this four-week Bible Reading Challenge, which is now a regular feature of the calendar in the Diocese of Ballarat”.

(The material contributed by Dean and Tim can be found on the YouTube Page or read on the Study Material page on this site)

This year the hand of fellowship has stretched from west to east and we have been invited not only to contribute to the study materials, courtesy of Tim and Dean, but to participate in this time of daily, intentional, shared Scripture reading, focused on 1 & 2 Peter.

For detailed information see the Programs Page

Synod

The Diocesan Synod was held on May 25th-27th and Gwyneth, Beryl and Jan attended as Parish representatives. A report is in the Gippsland Anglican. You can find the link on this page under Gippsland Anglican.

Bishop’s Presidential Address to Synod