Category: Uncategorized (Page 1 of 4)

Synod

18/09/2024 / Ben

This week I’ve been staying in the city for synod meetings of the Sydney Anglican Diocese. Synod is like a giant AGM meeting for our whole network of Anglican Churches – a meeting of 700 or so people with strict rules – if you’ve ever accidentally stumbled across the broadcast of federal or state parliament on TV, then you have a bit of an idea of what synod is like.

Our Archbishop Kanishka Raffel used his presidential address to challenge us to mission. In the context of the booming populations of North-West and South-West Sydney he said, ”Will you help the crowds see Jesus?’

“The great need of Sydney is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ,” he said. “I do not mean that Sydney does not have many other pressing and important needs. Our churches and agencies are constantly engaged in responding to the real-life impact of cost-of-living pressure, the housing crisis and the wickedness of violence against women. Motions and reports in our business paper range across these issues as well as the scourge of online gambling.

“Our churches, schools and agencies engage with the felt and physical needs of Sydneysiders throughout the Diocese, and I am very thankful for all the ways in which so many respond to the needs of others with practical and financial assistance, the truth and comfort of God’s word, in prayer, compassion and personal support.

“But Jesus said to the paralysed man who was brought to him by his four excellent friends, ‘son, your sins are forgiven’. In doing so, he taught that beyond our visible and felt needs are our deepest needs – our need for reconciliation with God, forgiveness, freedom from the chains of the world, the flesh and the devil, rescue from God’s just judgement on sin, and hope in this world and the next.”

This is our urgent challenge and opportunity in Picton and Wilton – will we help people see Jesus and find life in his name? I pray you will join me in meeting this challenge by sharing with our friends and family about our hope in Christ and inviting them to Church.

Yours in Christ,

Ben

Grandparents

11/09/2024 / Ben

Grandparents come in all shapes and sizes, ages and stages, and proximity and distance from their grandchildren. The 2024 Grandparents Conference covered all this variety. Nine folk from across all three PWAC congregations gathered together recently to attend a ‘live-stream’ of the conference. Liz and Peter appreciated hearing ‘practical ways that grandparents can help and pray for their grandchildren.’

Robyn and Barry took away the encouragements ‘to have positive (not negative) conversations with our grandchildren, and be models of love and care.

All of us went away with a greater awareness of the detrimental impact of smartphones, social media and digital technology on our grandchildren and their mental health. With that awareness we were also given practical ways to spend time with our grandchildren, being both present and engaged.

Many of us also appreciated the acknowledgement of the pain and sadness that many grandparents experience, being separated or kept from spending time with their grandchildren in situations of family and relational breakdown.

Myrtle said ‘I hope to speak to my grandchildren about some of what I have learned.’ She has already put the 2025 conference in her calendar!

All of us hope to attend again next year, and would encourage all grandparents to join us!

Yours in Christ,

Sharon Hall (52 year old Granny and Picton 9am Congregation Member)

More info: https://ngmlegacy.com.au/

Positive Masculinity

29/08/2024 / Ben

Happy Fathers Day for this weekend. While Father’s day won’t be the focus of our Sunday Church services, I hope you can join us this Sunday. Let me encourage you to read this excellent article by Sandy Grant on Positive Masculinity. https://sydneycathedral.com/news-blog/positive-masculinity

SRE Update and Opportunity

06/06/2024 / Ben

Did you know that every week nearly a thousand children and youth in our local public schools are taught about God’s love for them in Christ and how to live as his disciples?
It’s an incredible joy to be part of this ministry myself, and also to see our volunteers faithfully and joyfully preparing and teaching in these classes.
This year at Picton High School the Year 7, 8 and 9 classes have had a steadily growing attendance as they have learned about the Big Picture of the Bible and also about the life and work of Christ through the gospel of Mark. The lunchtime group have been focussed on thinking about what real love is – understood through the sacrificial love of Christ! Jake Berry has been doing a great job with these classes, along with his trainee, Miriam. I hope that you have been praying for this work and will pray for Jake and Miriam.
I want to present you with a great opportunity to further support this work:
During June, any donation towards the Wollondilly Schools Ministry Board will not only be tax deductible (as it always is), the first $10,000 donated before 25th June will also be doubled by campaign backers! That means if you donate $100, it will be matched by a $100 donation from our campaign backers, and you get a tax deductible receipt for your donation!
All donations will support Jake’s ongoing teaching of Picton High School SRE, as well as paying for Primary School SRE resources.
To donate, simply go to this website: https://sre.org.au/wollondilly.
Yours in Christ,
Ben

Baptism Sunday

14/02/2024 / Ben

Would you like to be baptised or (if you were already baptised) make a declaration of faith? Let us know by the end of February (earlier the better) so we can prepare you for baptism on 10th March. We’re planning to gather down at the Bargo River (car park from Charlie’s Point Rd, near the intersection with Rockford Rd) at 2pm on Sunday 10th March for a baptism celebration.

Ministry Training Strategy

20/11/2023 / Ben

Today, let me introduce you to the next exciting phase of our Church life together!
I call him Jake (well, that’s actually his name).
Jake represents the next exciting phase of our Church life together because he’s undertaking a two year Ministry Training Apprenticeship starting in January. We are a Church that strives to help all people find life in Christ and we do that by equipping our members to serve and love one another with the good news of Jesus. Our greatest asset is our people and we need to be investing in training and developing leaders across all areas of our Church life.
The Ministry Training Apprenticeship is not about what we can get out of Jake, its about giving Jake experience and training across a broad range of Christian ministry to help him consider how he might serve the Lord with his life.
You’ll recall that Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” – Matt 9:37-38. Would you join me in praying that the MTS programme will allow us to raise up and send out workers into Christ harvest field from among us?
It will cost approximately $50,000 to employ Jake as a Ministry trainee next year. Half of this will be paid for from our Church budget, the other half will be fundraised by Jake himself. You can support Jake by signing up to pray for him or by contributing to our MTS Support Fund.
Blessings,
Ben

MTS-Flyer-Jake-Pearse

HSC+Voice+ConversionPracticeLegislation

11/10/2023 / Ben

This week I can’t decide what to write to you about, so you get all three…
1) Join me in praying for HSC students as they start their exams today (pray particularly for Skye, Adeline, Tim, James and Hunter – connected to our Church and youth group – NB: they might not all be participating in the HSC, but all will benefit from prayer).
2) Join me in carefully considering our vote and praying for the Voice Referendum this weekend, perhaps using our Archbishop’s prayer, listed below.
3) The NSW Government has committed to introducing legislation to ban ‘LGBTIQ+ conversion practices’ this November. While this in itself, is a good thing, a whole lot of healthy Christian practices might be caught up in the legislation – such as prayer, preaching and spiritual guidance based on deeply-held biblical beliefs about gender and sexuality. Therefore, we are being urged to speak up about this issue and call upon our parliamentarians to ensure this does not take place. For more information and for easy to follow guides in how to write, call or meet up with your local MP, go to this website: https://contactyourmp.org.au/.

Yours in Christ,
Ben

Here’s a prayer from our Archbishop on the upcoming Referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, along with some resources to Help you think Christianly about the topic (please note these resources represent both YES and NO arguments):

“Gracious Lord, The Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, we pray for our nation. We lament the damage done to the original inhabitants of this land, since European settlement, including the loss of life, land and language. We recognise sins committed and harm done. We praise you that you have built your church among the First Peoples of this land and we rejoice to be brothers and sisters in Christ with them. Hear our prayer as together we consider the referendum on recognition and the Voice to Parliament. Preserve us in love, respect and mutual service. Give us a spirit of wisdom and discernment as we cast our votes. Father, whatever is decided, we beg you for clear and lasting progress in addressing inequality and closing the gap for First Nations peoples. Bless Australia, we pray, as the gospel is proclaimed, that we may be reconciled to you and to each other through him who died for all, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, in whose name we pray, Amen.”

The Voice: A Christian Consideration, by Michael Jensen
No, Not This Way: One Christian Response to the Voice Referendum, by Sandy Grant

2022 Wilton Carols Photos

17/12/2022 / Ben

Perseverance

17/08/2022 / Ben

Sometimes I feel down about the lack of progress or impact we make as a Church. We believe the gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important news our world needs to hear – but so often people don’t want to listen. We believe our lives should be transformed in every aspect by the gospel, and yet sometimes we struggle to make reading our Bibles a priority.

Remember Ezekiel. He toiled for years and years preaching to a people who wouldn’t listen. He sacrificed much in service to his Lord and yet was warned before-hand that he wouldn’t see any fruit in his lifetime. But Ezekiel had truth and the power of the Lord on his side and so he persevered. He was vindicated (33:33). He brought hope and promise that the LORD would come and rescue (34:11). He promised a new heart and the Spirit of the LORD (36:26)!

So be encouraged. In a world of loneliness and uncertainty let us shine forth the gospel of the glory of Christ! In a world void of hope – let us live and speak the story of Jesus Christ, which brings us purpose and meaning and hope. Let us speak of resurrection power as God’s Spirit brings life to dry bones – fills our lives with purpose and meaning and unites us with himself into the true and living family of God for eternity!

Yours in Him,

Ben

PS: Have a read of Ezekiel 37 (this Sundays passage) and then listen to Lauren Daigle’s song, letting the life giving power of God fill you with hope: