Youth ministers and leaders across Sydney will be encouraged to be ‘mission minded’ in reaching out to young people across the city at Anglican Youthworks’ 2003 Youth Ministry Conference next month.

Putting lives on the right track

St Stephen’s, Lidcombe was built in 1875 and over the years it has gradually changed from a strong Anglo-Celtic ministry to become a largely ethnic Chinese ministry. There is a cultural diversity, ranging from second generation Australian Chinese to those who are newly arrived in Sydney. Today St Stephen’s consists of Australians, Chinese and Chinese Australians.

Clergy are often called on to take funerals for people they have not met. In such cases, especially where the family can tell me little about the person’s spiritual beliefs, I can only preach the gospel in general terms, without making definite statements about the deceased.

Bishop Ivan Lee introduces us to the ministry team at the Western Region’s Penrith Anglican College

I’m not sure if Synod is supposed to be edifying, but the recent session was a most encouraging occasion. Hearing the reports from several churches regarding their progress in mission, and hearing presentations on new strategic initiatives in ministry training and property development gave a real sense of progress and promise. Important statements reaffirming our biblical orthodoxy also served to clarify our own position on recent events and to encourage Anglicans in other parts of the Communion to faithfulness and perseverance. Apart from one moment, which could be described as most unfortunate, it was a place of robust debate, good humor and openness.

Sydney Anglicans have sent a clear message to Freemasons across the state: your beliefs are “contrary to biblical Christianity.”

Synod has taken a step towards approving lay and diaconal administration of Holy Communion by repealing a section of the obscure 1662 Act of Uniformity.

A revolutionary new model of ministry, including the creation of a new office of ‘Minister’ and an effort to raise up 2,500 new full-time paid gospel workers within the next ten years, has been presented to Synod and proposed for adoption in the Diocese of Sydney.

Lisle Jamieson spent 14 years in prison. The closer he was to release, the more he began to wonder why he had gone off the rails and if there was more to life than the emptiness he felt.

Imagine for a moment that a landmass the size of the Eastern Suburbs was dropped into the middle of the rural outskirts of Sydney. Then imagine the entire population went with it. According to a new report launched at the 2003 session of Synod last month, this is the picture of the population tidal wave that is set to sweep past ill-prepared churches unless urgent measures are taken to meet the anticipated population boom.

Ministry at St John’s, Darlinghurst is under threat of being drastically scaled back, with the Church’s proposed property development being opposed by the City of Sydney Council.

Introducing friends to God through telling Two Ways to Live ‘as a long, intimate story’ is the basis of a new evangelistic course launched in Sydney this month. Billed as ‘a new way of introducing the true and living God to a post-Christian society’, the 12-week Introducing God series aims to tell ‘the Bible’s big story’ by drawing on popular evangelistic tools. The theology of the Two Ways to Live tract is presented in ‘relational’ terms using the Alpha concept of a meal, video presentation and discussion. Sky News reporter Leigh Hatcher hosts the series, written and presented by Dominic Steele, pastor of Annandale Anglican Church and Christians in the Media. The video series is produced by Anglican Media.