Dear Friends, As I mentioned on Sunday, last week I was in Melbourne, at my annual pastor’s retreat, a gathering of the ‘Baptist city pastors’ from each city in Australia and – this year – from Wellington, New Zealand! It was an encouraging and stimulating week, and as well as Read more…
Dear Friends, On 14 July, NSW/ACT Baptist churches received a letter from Assembly Council to tell us, that having been charged by the May Assembly to develop a process to disaffiliate churches and disaccredit pastors who do not support the Association’s Position on Marriage, they are making progress. My mother Read more…
Two weeks ago, Cecelia and I were part of the Micah Women Leaders’ Delegation, meeting with politicians to raise Micah’s A Safer World for All Campaign that will be launched early next year – focusing attention on ways we can alleviate the crises, or polycrisis, that are/is derailing decades of Read more…
Dear Friends, I mentioned on Sunday that I recently re-read Tim Winton’s autobiographical short story Twice on Sundays. In addition to his wonderful references to “Jacob pulling a hamstring in his struggle with the angel” (last Sunday’s Bible reading) what also struck me was Winton’s observation that the intergenerational nature Read more…
Please note – the Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Rod Lavender will be held at the church on Monday, 7th August, 2:30pm, followed by afternoon tea in the hall. If you would like to help with the afternoon tea, please contact Meryl Jackson. Dear Friends, On Sunday I Read more…
Dear Friends, Tonight at 7:30pm the BIG Book Group is taking place in the church hall – several book groups and many individuals coming together to discuss The Voice to Parliament Handbook by Thomas Mayor & Kerry O’Brien. (It takes the same time to read as it takes to watch Read more…
Dear Friends, We are currently in NAIDOC Week and this year’s theme is ‘For the elders.’ On Sunday night, a group of young adults gathered in the Lounge (to finish off the chilli-con-carne from Sunday’s lunch!) and to watch a short film (38 minutes), Footprints on Our Land, about the Read more…
Last night my family went to see – as some of you have done – Come from Away at the Canberra Theatre, the remarkable true story of what happened in Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001, when 38 planes were forced to land in Canadian landscape and this town of Read more…
My great-grandfather, James Castle, came to Australia in the late 1800s looking for somewhere to use his skills as an art metal worker. One of the stories I have been told – that highlight how strange people in England thought Australia was – is about him sending a dead cicada Read more…
Following Sunday’s sermon, the following joke was shared with me. I’m told it is an original! “When God asked Abraham what sort of family he wanted to have. Abraham said, ‘I’ll have one with the Lot!’” (If you’re missing the punchline, go back and read Genesis 12:1-9!) But it reminded Read more…