Anglican Churches to close with immediate effect
18 March – Number 4 Dear colleagues, Anglican Churches to close with immediate effect Earlier today the GPs of the Hunter region joined with other medical practitoners urged citizens to take unprecedented action for their self-care and the care of the community. They echo the voices of many medical leaders in saying, “Protect yourself, family…
Churches available for private prayer
18 March – Number 3 Dear colleagues, Making churches available for private prayer Where we can, we should enable churches to be open for private prayer. In order to do this, we need to rope off the majority of the church and remove or limit all furniture in that space. We should anticipate that people…
Parish Annual Meetings not to be held
18 March – Number 2 Dear colleagues, Parish Annual Meetings not to be held Current officeholders retain their roles Churchwardens form a Parish Council Executive The requirement to hold parish annual meetings is suspended until further notice. Parishes are requested not to proceed with annual meetings if church services are held this weekend. All recently…
Non-exclusive facility hire should cease
18 March – Number 1 Dear colleagues, Non-exclusive facility hire should cease Our risk assessment is that parishes are unlikely to be able to keep up with the cleaning expectation between different users of parish facilities. We have a WHS responsibility to ensure that facilities are safe for use. Accordingly, unless your hall (or other…
Taking the Gospel Outside and Worshiping Outdoors: Some Reflections
Written by Katrina Baldacchino, Newcastle Anglican EcoCare Body Prayer When I visited the Rahamim Ecology Centre in Bathurst, run by the Sister of Mercy, I woke up in the early morning to take part in the Body Prayer (https://institute.mercy.org.au/an-evolution-of-prayer/). It is a physical prayer, honouring the earth and the elements, moving in the directions of…
Buladelah Church Runs ‘Ageing with Grace’ Seminar During Seniors Week
Written by Rev’d Peter Adkins Tea Gardens is one of the oldest demographics in Australia. We wanted to serve our ageing community in seniors week by providing practical advice in ageing from experts in various fields. So on February 15th the parish of Bulahdelah, Tea Gardens with Karuah held its second Ageing with Grace seminar…
Samaritans Parish Links
Samaritans works closely with the Diocese in many ways, from assistance with our Disaster Recovery and supporting the Emergency Relief centres, to providing a safe space for many of our services. Samaritans is grateful for the dedication of many members of our parishes who volunteer their time to support our services. A key way in…
Journeying together in complex times
Clergy to meet and reflect following the National Bishops’ Meeting and General Synod Bishop Peter has invited all licensed clergy from the Diocese to gather for conversation and deep listening in the light of the 2019 Diocesan Synod. The clergy will meet for prayer and engagement using a structure based on “open space technology”. The…
A Service of Prayer for Recovery in Time of Drought and Bushfire
Last Monday evening 100 or so people from across the Diocese of Newcastle and our partner churches gathered in our Cathedral for “A Service of Prayer for Recovery in this Time of Drought and Bushfire”. We have been very aware of people across the country, including in our Diocese, whose lives have been impacted by…
Who will turn up this Christmas?
A Christmas Message from the Anglican Bishop of Newcastle – Dr Peter Stuart There is expectation in the air. Christmas is near and people have begun their travels. Children are excitedly anticipating gifts from Father Christmas. Parents are wondering who might join them in church or around the dinner table. The good news which Christians…