The Baru Beat
“Other than God’s call to serve in Goondiwindi, one other thing especially attracted me to this parish – the parishioners’ dedication to wider community life. Everyone counts in rural communities. People engage, make things happen, and see needs and action them. Community involvement is central to the local culture and often critical to its survival,” says The Rev’d Dr John Rolley
The Baru Beat
“A common question asked in churches these days is, ‘Where are the children and their families?’ The answer in the BMF-supported Parish of Brisbane Valley is, ‘In the local state schools.’ All schools need caring and faithful volunteers from the wider community to support their important work,” says The Rev’d Loretta Tyler-Moss
“Towards the end of the parishioner’s funeral, I said that, ‘We will see all of you at the pub after the service.’ It meant something to her family and friends that I was part of the group of loved ones grieving her loss. Her son subsequently shouted me a beer, later commenting how much he appreciated my care for his mum…Our parish can only afford a full-time priest because of the Bush Ministry Fund, which is overseen by Bishop Cam Venables,” says The Rev’d Matthew Skelton from The Parish of Allora Clifton
“GFS has been a strong foundation of faith for many women in our Diocese, some of whom have been ordained. These inspirational women include The Rev’d Kaye Pitman OAM, who is chaplain emeritus, and The Rev’d Canon Cheryl Selvage, who is our current chaplain,” says GFS – An Anglican Ministry Office Administrator, Margaret Humphries, as the 140th anniversary of the first Brisbane branch approaches
“In our Meals on Wheels group there is a dearth of four-wheel-drives, so my Meals on Wheels partner and I were allocated the difficult delivery in question. My first delivery was very challenging. The road access was narrow, rough, awkward and definitely unsuited to conventional vehicles,” says BMF deacon The Rev’d Loretta Tyler-Moss from The Parish of Brisbane Valley
“Our vision for our communities on the Downs is to truly show the great love of God as we go out into these communities in the faithfulness and grace of Christ – just as it has been since Benjamin Glennie first came by horse to this ‘small and uncivilised’ area of what was formerly part of the vast Newcastle Diocese,” says The Rev’d Rick Gummow
“An 18-metre high ‘flower tower’ has been hung from the St Mark’s, Warwick bell tower by the rural fire brigade, backed by nearly 100 supporters from Northampton Shire in England to Queensland’s Innisfail,” says Warwick community member Janelle Mangan
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