Snippets from Synod
0 comments | Posted by Steven Layson on 22 Oct 2006 in From Steve's Study ::
You may not be able to think of anything worse than being in a room with 400 Ministers and Parish Representatives talking about church law and business, but the annual meeting of the Anglican Church here in Sydney every year is an important part of our life in the world. Here are some of the highlights from Synod so far:
- We have had some inspirational Bible Studies from Luke Chapters 9-19. The most striking one for me was based on Luke 9:51-62, where Jesus talks about what it means to follow him. In short, he calls for a total commitment – No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingsom of God (Luke 9:62). We were challenged not to fit God in around all the other things in our lives, but to make him central to all we do.
- On Monday, Archibishop Peter Jensen gave his “Presidential Address”, which was most inspirational. You can find the text of his message at www.sydneyanglicans.net, but, in short, he called for Spirit-filled leadership for change, as we as a church need to adapt to the changes in the society around us, without changing the message we have been given.
- We were impressed with the presentations by Moore College and Anglicare, which both celebrate 150 years of operation this year, and we were challenged to pray for both organisations as they seek to support us in our mission to take the gospel to the world.
- We wre also greatly encouraged to hear of the growth of a number of churches in the Diocese who were relatively recently almost dead and burried but now have growing, vibrant congregations.
- There have also already been some important discussions and decisions such as:
- The passing of a bill to ensure that indigenous Australians have a voice in our church – The passing of the very important “Discipline Ordinance” which seeks to protect the vulnerable people in our churches (especially the children), and to deal appropriately with victims and perpetrators when there is moral failure of one kind or another.
Synod may not seem like the most exciting thing in the world (and often is isn’t) but it is a very important part of the life of the Anglican Church. Please pray again for us as we meet on Monday and Tuesday nights this week to discuss more important matters.
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