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Anglican Church of Australia -
Diocese of Melbourne |
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From the Vicar… For many God is elusive. For others He is easily discernible and “Allison lives with God” assert some of our younger parishioners. Whether God is sometimes elusive, sometimes nearer than our breathing, sometimes mysterious and transcendent, or a living, experienced reality for us, is a part of the rich tapestry of our Faith. Our worship can gather us up in such a way that we are caught up in the divine; the Pentecost Choral Eucharist with the Arvo Pärt “Berliner Messe” setting brought that home to us; and then Trinity Sunday with St Patrick’s Breastplate sung in procession and on Corpus Christi when eight young people were admitted to Holy Communion. The enthusiasm and the dignity of our worship is a great encourager and a sign of hopefulness for the future, especially as we launch into our 150 Years of Worship, Ministry and Mission celebrations. These celebrations begin on August 14 with a historical display in the Old Vicarage Centre; followed by a Reception at Government House on August 22; the Grand 150th Ball in the Plaza Ballroom on September 10; culminating in the 150th Anniversary Eucharist and Lunch on November 20. The appeal for St Paul’s School in New Guinea has been generously supported by both parishioners and the Christ Church Grammar School community and will exceed its target of $20,000.00. Gifts are sought to assist with the restoration of our fine frontals and other Vestments and for the choral setting commissioned (tax deductible). To date $10,000.00 has been given out of a target of $20,000.00. In all that we do we need to offer our thanks and praise in worship of the Triune God and pray for his blessing on all of us as we live out the Gospel in faithfulness and hopefulness. Des Benfield WHO WILL BE OUR NEW ARCHBISHOP ?
“We need robust Episcopal leadership within our Church today”. This was a statement that I made during the debate about the appointment of a regional bishop, some years ago. By robust leadership, I meant decisive and strong leadership and I definitely was not referring to dictatorial leadership which is not of the spirit of the Gospel of Christ. This question of leadership and the style of leadership required within the Christian community has been put under the microscope in recent years. Abuse revelation has brought the issue before the wider community, as has the election of new bishops for Perth, Newcastle, Adelaide and Riverina this year, and later Gippsland and here in our own Diocese of Melbourne in 2006. Episcopal leadership is but one focus of leadership within the Church of God. Apart from the obvious and desirable traits which need to be identified within those who are to be called by God as a Father/Mother-in-God to the People of God – i.e. the spiritual gift of godliness, prayer, biblical learning, teaching and pastoring, a bishop’s leadership style should be Christ-like. It is based on that expanded by St Paul in Philippians chapter 2. It is a leadership based on service, not on hierarchy. Of course, one should expect this but sometimes to state the obvious is the first step of discernment. For me, the obvious not only means that Christ is the Lord of the Church, but also that any leader is a servant of the Lord of the Church. We are all called to follow and to be a living part of the community of the faithful: laity and clergy alike. As a living part of the living Church, visions and outcomes have to be clearly articulated, and consistently and constantly evaluated. Within an episcopal polity, a bishop, after consultation with clergy and lay leaders, should act decisively and with a sense of urgency for the Kingdom of God. In today’s culture, fence sitting and procrastination are no longer options for healthy Church leadership; rather consultation, delegation, team work, trust and hopefulness need to be the ‘strong’ hallmarks of Episcopal leadership. Such leadership needs to be lived out in loyalty to Christ and to the vision of the Kingdom. It will be exemplified in faithfulness in worship and prayer, together with faithfulness to the vision of the Kingdom and working with the whole laos. Of course, as in any ministry or living relationship enthusiasm for the Gospel, for the vision and task before us all becomes an essential trait. Such leadership will need to recognise the particular gifts and talents in ministry of the many, tapping into and using them in the ministry of the ‘whole people’. These are but some brief and generalised pointers for us all as we pray for a new Archbishop and for the members of the Nomination Committee in the months ahead. Each member of the Church can detail the criteria in conversation with others, but to pray intelligently and fervently is a call to all of us as we pray:
Eternal God, shepherd and guide, D.B.
Christ Church Sanctuary Lamp – Its history
The Sanctuary Lamp was given to Christ Church by Edward Barclay Pershouse. It was bought by him at a junk shop or from an antique dealer in Chapel Street some time in the 1930’s and installed in Mr Pershouse’s home at 21 The Righi for a short time before he presented it to Christ Church, South Yarra. Mr Pershouse came from a wealthy family in Yorkshire. His parents also owned a townhouse in London’s Tait Street, Chelsea. Ted Pershouse, as a young man in the 1920’s, was involved in an Army scandal and, through the influence of Winston Churchill, was sent to Australia on remittance. Some of his early time in Australia was spent in Queensland where, through his churchgoing, he got to know Gerald Sharp, then Archbishop of Brisbane and later, in Melbourne, Father F E Maynard. After World Word 11, Mr Pershouse returned to his home country. Information provided by Brian James
In association with the Christ Church Music Foundation RSCM (Aust.) Victoria Branch CHORAL FESTIVAL 2005 In Every Corner, Sing! --- Liturgical Music of the 20th and 21st Centuries ---
CHRIST CHURCH SOUTH YARRA(corner of Punt and Toorak Roads)
7.45 PM Saturday August 27
Choral Directors: Philip Nicholls & Roslyn Carolane Organists: Siegfried Franke & Roslyn Carolane
Donation to defray costs: $15.00 / $10.00 (RSCM
Members / Concession) The Music Includes:
From the Director of Music
Companion to Together in Song: Australian Hymn Book II nears completion
Earlier this year, I received a phone call from my friend and colleague David Cole (who preached at Christ Church South Yarra at our Ascension Day Eucharist). For many years, in addition to his ministry as a Chaplain (most recently at Trinity College, and now at Overnewton College) and amongst other liturgy-based entities, David has been involved with The Australian Hymn Book Company and its Editorial Committee. Following the untimely death of Lawrence Bartlett a few years ago, David was elected Chairman of this Committee, which is made up of representatives of many denominations who are appointed by their various governing bodies. Representatives undertake their duties as members of the Committee on an honorary basis, and in recent times the amount of work that is required of them is becoming unmanageable for such a small team. As a result, the Committee is seeking the help of church musicians from many backgrounds, and, honoured to be asked, I jumped at the opportunity to work with such a distinguished group of musicians and wordsmiths. The Committee (hailing from all over Australia) last met in Melbourne, at the Uniting Church’s Otira Retreat Centre in Kew, on Friday and Saturday, June 3 and 4. Many projects are currently underway, mostly technology-based resources in order to maintain the currency and usability of Together in Song: Australian Hymn Book II, but one project is of particular note. Songs of the People of God, Professor Wesley Milgate’s thorough companion to The Australian Hymn Book, provides in depth information on each hymn included in The Australian Hymn Book, including: ‘the original of each text and tune; the history and ecclesiastical use of each hymn; biographical notes on authors and composers; the sources of the hymns: usually scriptural; the changes made to the original forms of the text and melody; the sources of the harmonisations; suggestions for the possible use and performance of the hymn; and ways of using the resources of the hymnal to the fullest extent’. One can only imagine the amount of research and writing involved in producing such a volume, which received worldwide acclaim. Following publication (and one subsequent revision), Milgate annotated (by hand) his own copy as he discovered further and/or new information. This copy has been obtained by Revd Dr D’Arcy Wood, who has incorporated these addenda into a new publication; a companion to Together in Song: Australian Hymn Book II. Much new research was required which has been completed and compiled to produce this new work (as yet untitled), which will be published by The Australian Hymn Book Company later this year or early next. For those of us who have read and referenced Songs of the People of God, D’Arcy’s new work will be a very welcome addition to our bookshelves. Heartiest congratulations and heartfelt thanks to The Australian Hymn Book Company, but most of all to Revd Dr D’Arcy Wood, for their work towards this most important reference for all church musicians and liturgists. Philip Nicholls CCSY 150th Celebrations
Patronal Festival Luncheon
Appeals
FRONTAL & VESTMENTS
Work has commenced on the restoration of the white high altar frontal. This work is being supervised by Margaret Stefanovic. It is believed that the frontal was made by a Miss Drummond and dedicated on Christmas Eve 1907. Fabric has been purchased for a new set of white festal vestments, and these are being made up. $10,000 has been donated towards these works. Hopefully, we can raise another $10,000. This will then finance the restoration of the other historic altar frontals and the commission of the new congregational setting currently being composed by Christopher Willcock for the 150th Anniversary. Donations towards the latter may be made via the CCSY Music Foundation and are tax deductible.
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Christ Church South Yarra, Cnr Punt & Toorak Rds, South Yarra,
Melbourne, Australia. Phone +61-3-9866-4434 |
