Reflections
“Whatever way we see this period of time, it is first and foremost a pressing pastoral issue for the Beenleigh and Wishart communities – parishioners, lay leaders and remaining clergy. They are grieving,” says Bishop John Roundhill
Features
“Birds often give me solace, including a wedge-tailed eagle after the violent death of a cousin; encouragement from black cockatoos at the closing of a Kairos Outside prison ministry weekend; affirmation from bulbuls outside my house in Dodoma after my arrival and upon my departure,” says Marilyn Wright from St Bartholomew’s, Mt Gravatt, as the Season of Creation continues
“When we, deliberately or inadvertently, behave in a way that is inimical to our spiritual improvement it grieves the Holy Spirit; in the same way that a loving parent is grieved when his or her child behaves in a self-destructive manner,” says The Rev’d Charlie Lacey
“This sense of freedom that emerged from being encouraged and resourced to give something a go helped change the narrative in our church. It shifted the conversation from ‘struggle’ and ‘decline’ to ‘opportunity’ and ‘possibility’. This narrative shift is the most valuable outcome of our Adapting Ministry in Complex Times pilot participation,” says The Rev’d Rosemary Gardiner
“By intentionally growing in faith, taking time to reflect and discern before making decisions and sometimes choosing the less popular path are ways that we can be more open to the Holy Spirit guiding us,” says Lucy Dougherty from Gold Coast North Anglican Church and St Hilda’s School
“God loved all the world so much that we were given God’s son, who saved all of us and then gave us his Spirit. The Spirit of Christ is with us – he gave us his Spirit at Pentecost. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, people will see your face, hear you talk and witness how you act and know the word of God through you,” says The Rev’d Hanna Dally, the Director of the Holy Family Episcopal Church in Reineh, Galilee
“Every person who is baptised promises, or in the case of young children godparents promise on their behalf, to turn to Christ. They are signed with the sign of the cross to show that they are marked as Christ’s own forever. And they are called to Christian ministry, to serve Christ in the world,” says Archbishop Phillip Aspinall
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