Category: Sydney Anglican Diocese


Platform 7 students playing 'Find your Twin'!

Platform 7 is a one-hour Christian meeting for year ten to twelve school students at schools within half-an-hour of the city. It includes Bible teaching, music, food, multimedia items and more!

My role each week is to plan and prepare the program, as well as lead some of the upfront segments.

It runs from 4pm to 5pm on Friday afternoons in the St Andrew’s Cathedral Chapter House during school terms (except the first and last Fridays of private school terms). Doors open 3.45.

The aim is to strengthen Christian ministry in schools by providing good Bible teaching with an evangelistic edge, in an age-appropriate, high-quality, mixed-school environment. In other words, it’s a good excuse to get together with other high school students to hear the Bible and enjoy each other’s company without the cringe factor!

We’ve started this meeting because we want to support the existing ministries in the many schools around the CBD and beyond. Because we’re all getting together in the one place we can get great speakers, enjoy good quality music, and experience the buzz of meeting with many like-minded people. Platform 7 will give Christians some encouragement from God’s word and from each other, and will provide non-Christians with a great place to get their questions answered and to see Christians in action.

Full details at http://www.platform7.info

Mandy and I have two pieces of news to share with you all.

The first is that I have accepted a job with Anglican Youthworks as a Regional Youth Adviser. My new role is to work with the Church Resource Unit in developing strategies to reach the Archbishop’s goal of 10% of all Australians in Bible-believing churches within 10 years. My job will take me to churches throughout Sydney Diocese as our team trains and resources churches and schools in this exciting mission. Youthworks is under the direction of Al Stewart (CEO), and my team leader will be Tony Willis (Director, Church Resources Unit).

We will leave St Philip’s South Turramurra and begin with Youthworks on the 25th of November. We are planning to live in the St George area (near Hurstville), as I am responsible for the Georges River and South Sydney Regions of Sydney Diocese. I will email you our new details later this year when they come to hand. (NB. My mobile and my email will remain the same).

The second piece of news is that we are expecting our third child. The due date is 6th January 2003.

Originally we thought the baby was due on the 31st January, but the ultrasound showed that we were four weeks out!

We would greatly appreciate your prayers during the coming months. Pray for Mandy as she deals with the stresses of pregnancy and the preparation for the move. Pray for Liana and Jemimah as they prepare to say goodbye to friends and move on to a new home (and school or preschool). Pray for me that I will finish strongly at St Philip’s and be well prepared for my new role. Pray for us all as enjoy a few weeks’ holiday between jobs.

On the 3rd February I will be Ordained as a Deacon in the Anglican Church. If you would like to join me on that day, then here are the details.

Date: Saturday 3rd February 2001

Time: 10:30am (doors open at 9:30, and I suggest you get there early as seats are in high demand)

Place: St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney

It would be great if you could join Mandy and me on this special day.

A Prayer Book For Australia is an important step forward in Anglican liturgical revision. It provides many helpful improvements in ease of use and simplicity. However, this revision has also made unhelpful changes in direction and emphasis from the original benchmark of the Book of Common Prayer. It is our intention to evaluate the Holy Baptism service in terms of methodology and theology. We will draw attention to both helpful changes and areas where amendments have been made that represent an unacceptable shift from the theology of BCP.

Read the full theological paper here