[quote author="Craig Schwarze"]Yes, thanks from me as well Mark - I enjoyed your comments.

Are formal minutes taken at Synod? Are they available online?

Thanks Craig. Minutes are taken at Synod but I’m not sure if they end up online.

Yours in Christ,
Mark

Mark I agree. You did a really great job. Great balance of analysis and opinion.. but it also had a engaging narrative as we followed you on your Synod journey. Well done :)

Friends,

Re. the minutes…

Every year after Synod, the Diocesan Decretary (Rob Wicks) writes to Parish Councils with a digest of all the motions and ordinances passed at Synod. In the case of more important ones, for example, ones possibly requiring action, there is also a brief explanatory paragraph or two.

This normally takes a few weeks to come through. I have always habitually distributed it to Parish Council. It’s probably the sort of thing that could be posted here.

I have been asked if I will write a post-Synod summary like the one I posted before Synod. To be honest, I just want to get back on with Parish ministry and planning for the Mission for 2007. So I think I will just rely on the Synod Summary and referring parishioners to Mark’s daily synod blog, which I also think has been very helpful. It can be read just as easily as a post-synod report now.

G’day,

Thanks for your kind words Jeremy and Sandy. I’ve been referring my lot to the blog to keep up with Synod. However, some of it was used against me in a very funny way at church last Sunday (one of our “refugee Baptists” [see my first entry] had fun talking about how I could help the refugees in our midst).

Yours in Christ,
Mark

The drought

Thanks to all who contributed to seeing the motion on the drought helpfully discussed and passed on the final night of this session of Synod.  The motion read as follows:

“Synod, in recognition of God’s sovereignty and power over all things, and in support of our Diocesan mission and goal, publicly calls the people of Sydney and the Illawarra/Shoalhaven to bring the drought to God in urgent and persevering prayer that, in His time and will, rains might fall across the State and nation to break the drought and to fill our dams and calls upon all Christian people to display generosity to those in need as a consequence of the drought, and to urge all to recognise that God is the Creator and Owner of the world and Saviour of all who turn to him in repentance and faith.”

As I mentioned in speaking to this motion, it is as much about calling non-church people to see God as the creator and owner of the world, worthly of investigation of the claims he has on us - the need to turn to Christ - as it is about God sending rain.  Maybe others have ideas about how we can practically put this into effect?

G’day,

Andrew I want to commend you for your speech at Synod. I was particularly heartened by your desire to see God glorified.

Yours in Christ,
Mark

New Year 2007—time to start talking about the next Synod?

:-)

As the rain continues to fall here in Sydney on New Year’s Day - and the forecasts on TV are for rain across many parts of Australia, and predictions of the drought being broken by April, I look back to Andrew’s post in October:

“Synod, in recognition of God’s sovereignty and power over all things, and in support of our Diocesan mission and goal, publicly calls the people of Sydney and the Illawarra/Shoalhaven to bring the drought to God in urgent and persevering prayer that, in His time and will, rains might fall across the State and nation to break the drought and to fill our dams and calls upon all Christian people to display generosity to those in need as a consequence of the drought, and to urge all to recognise that God is the Creator and Owner of the world and Saviour of all who turn to him in repentance and faith.”

and give thanks to God for His blessing of rain.

[quote author="Gordon Cheng"]New Year 2007—time to start talking about the next Synod?

:-)

G’day,

One of the downsides about my imminent change from being the Minister of St. John’s Minchinbury to being the Academic Registrar at SMBC is that I will no longer be attending Synod. This means that Mark Hadley will have to find someone else to do the 2007 Synod blog (unless he can talk the Archbishop into giving me one of those Part 7 passes)!!!

Yours in Christ,
Mark

With a name like that, the students will be pleased you aren’t one of their lecturers ... or will you be?

I hope you enjoy this new challenge, Mark.

[quote author="David McKay"]With a name like that, the students will be pleased you aren’t one of their lecturers ... or will you be?

I hope you enjoy this new challenge, Mark.

G’day David,

I won’t be lecturing. My focus will be totally on the Academic Registrar role. I’m sure that it will go well and I’m looking forward to playing my part in the process of training many people for the work of mission at what is an excellent college.

Yours in Christ,
Mark

What church are you going to now Mark?

[quote author="Craig Schwarze"]What church are you going to now Mark?

G’day Craig,

I’m still at St. John’s Minchinbury but I finish on the 14th of this month. After that I will be attending Church@School at Beverly Hills (a church plant of Beverly Hills Anglican - where I was before Minchinbury) and will be there for 2007 looking after the bulk of the preaching until Beverly Hills gets a new assistant minister in 2008 to look after that congregation. From 2008 onwards the plan is to attend somewhere close to wherever we end up living (we’re looking at somewhere around Blacktown so that we can be close to our children’s school) and where we can be of help.

Yours in Christ,
Mark

hi Mark

still off topic, but do you know what will be happening at St John’s - replacement? still looking?

We have a student couple starting at SMBC and joining us at St Peters, glad to know they’ll be in good hands.

regards

Shane

[quote author="Shane Rogerson"]hi Mark

still off topic, but do you know what will be happening at St John’s - replacement? still looking?

St. John’s is a Provisional Parish so it’s an Archbishop’s appointment. The focus in the last few weeks has been on securing a locum, which has happened (he’ll start mid-Feb). I have no idea where the process is at concerning a permanent replacement. I do know that the diocese will be consulting with the church about who should fill the role. My guess is that this process will kick off fairly soon with the Christmas/New Year period drawing to an end. Last time it took 9 months for the role to be filled.

Yours in Christ,
Mark