Jodie McNeill lives in Jamberoo, NSW, Australia, and is the Senior Minister at Jamberoo Anglican.
Home: 20 Tate Place, Jamberoo NSW 2533 Australia. Email: jodie@jodiemcneill.com Phone: +61 425 222 338
Whether we like it or not, the Anglican Church is divided in Australia… and a significant reason for that is due to the divided views of human sexuality held amongst the leaders.
Here’s a review I wrote of Mark Durie’s recent book, ‘Double-Minded: How Sex is Dividing the Australian Church’ for the Southern Cross Newspaper of Sydney Diocese.
Read the review at sydneyanglicans.net
It’s a delight to be serving as the Chair of the Gafcon Australasia Conference 2024 Working Group, and recently I had the opportunity to share with Russell Powell from the Sydney Anglican ‘Southern Cross’ Magazine about the exciting intergenerational aspects of this conference.
You can read the article here.
To find out more about the conference visit www.gafconaustralasia.org
Tonight I successfully moved this amendment in Sydney Synod:
“Add the following words at the end of the motion–
and requests that before the book is published, the Archbishop’s Liturgical Panel further develop the four services of the Lord’s Supper to accommodate the contemporary practice of using multiple cups and common words of distribution by the minister.”
Here was my speech:
Mr President,
Jodie McNeill, Oak Flats Parish.
I rise for my maiden speech in the house, seconded by John Woodhouse.
I propose an amendment to the motion concerning the new ‘Common Prayer’ liturgical resource.
My amendment simply asks the Archbishop’s Liturgical Panel to develop the four services of the Lord’s Supper in our new prayer book to accommodate the contemporary practice of using more than just one ‘cup’ during the Lord’s Supper.
My amendment does not prescribe the exact details of those changes, but grants the Liturgical Panel the opportunity to simply include an explanatory comment in the introduction, or perhaps even better, to make changes in the rubrics, the red words of instruction to the minister.
For some parishes, this motion will simply mean that the new prayer book will reflect the fact that multiple chalices are currently used during the distribution, for the sake of efficiency.
For other churches, this proposed amendment will mean that our new prayer book accommodates the current, accepted practice of using multiple, personal cups during the service.
This practice currently occurs for several reasons.
Firstly, we provide multiple, personal cups for reasons of health and safety; many people choke at the idea of a hundred people drinking from the same cup.
Secondly, we provide multiple, personal cups for the care of those for whom alcohol is inappropriate or harmful, such as those with an addiction, or for children.
Thirdly, we provide multiple, personal cups to enable every participant to drink their cup at a common time, a powerful way for a congregation to express their unity in Christ, despite having separate, individual cups, or multiple chalices.
In relation to this third reason, I propose we ask the Liturgical Panel to have the new prayer book accommodate the preference of a minister to say one, common, word of distribution for the whole congregation.
Friends, the purpose of this new prayer book is to help keep our liturgy fresh by reflecting the appropriate development and the continuing reformation of our church practices.
I believe my amendment will update an anachronism in the service of the Lord’s Supper as it stands in the current version of this document, so that we might instead have a fresh, new prayer book that reflects the widespread practice in our churches of using more than one cup at the Lord’s Supper, and the preference of some ministers to lead the whole congregation to drink at the same time.
I commend this motion to the house.
Here’s an additional positive outcome from doing Year 13 that’s often overlooked. Read the full article here: http://www.sydneyanglicans.net/news/stories/year_13_growing_families_as_well/
A special welcome, too, to Andrew Nixon in his new role heading up this ministry. I’m praying it’s a great year of ministry with his awesome team.
If you, or someone you know, is thinking about Year 13 this year, then there’s still time to enrol. Don’t miss out on a year that changes lives forever.
Last week I addressed the new Mission Areas leaders of our Diocese to discuss the place of church camps as a tool for mission in our community.
In my presentation I made that point that our church houseparties (as we commonly refer to them) are often considered to be events that primarily develop community, rather than outreach.
Yet, thinking that defines an activity of the church as achieving only evangelism or discipleship is unnecessarily narrow.
Read my full thoughts in my latest article at www.sydneyanglicans.net
