Volume 108, Number 7 August 2011 Published in Gippsland Diocese since 1904

The Gippsland Anglican is your award winning newspaper: Most Improved Newspaper (ARPA) 2001; Best Regional Publication (ARPA) 2003; Best Social Justice StoryHighly Commended (ARPA) 2004.

Refugees have avoice in Gippsland

pages 8 & 9

Mothers’ Union haslong history

Page 3

Literary and mediareviews

pages 14 & 15

Questions posedto follow upSynod resolution

AT this year’s GippslandDiocesan Synod, a resolution waspassed to study the President’sCharge and Primate’s sermon inparishes and to use these resourcesas a way to engage parishioners indiscussion and learning. The reso-lution included direction that theSynod Theology Working Group(previously known as Foundationsof Faith) forms questions to facili-tate these discussions.

Leader of the working group andCathedral Dean, Reverend Dr DonSaines, has indicated thePresident’s Charge to Synod canbe divided into thematic sections,enabling clergy to “invite partici-pants to ponder their group’s andtheir parish’s involvement orresponse to these ministries orissues”.

Explaining the two themes posedfor discussion, Dean Don (aboveright) has suggested discussionincludes:

1. Major developments withinthe diocese: (a) Aboriginal min-istry; (b) care for the environment;(c) issues arising from theDiocesan Strategic Plan (i) thejourney outward; and (ii) the jour-ney inward.

2. Issues in the wider AnglicanCommunion: (a) The AnglicanCovenant; (b) homosexual peopleas part of God’s church; (c) athe-ism and CRE in schools; (d)refugees and asylum seekers; (e)earthquakes and natural disasters– where is God in all this?

Dean Don has provided a break-down of discussion points andquestions related to these themes.This dissertation is availableonline, through the diocesan web-site, from Don directly and includ-ed here in this issue of TheGippsland Anglican.

Q: Considering one of the min-istries spoken about by BishopJohn McIntyre (and reported inextensive coverage of Synod inthe June issue of The Gippsland

Anglican), consider: What devel-opments have you seen in yourparish ministry in the past fiveyears? Consider large and small,even individual things parish-ioners are doing as part of parishministry.

Q: How are the developmentsBishop John speaks about reflect-ed in the ministry of your parish?Are there ways these ministrieshave caused some re-thinking, re-direction or deepening of parishchristian life and ministry? Whichof these ministries might be takenup further into your parish life andmission?

Q: Do you know your localAboriginal neighbors or commu-nity members? How might you goabout getting to know them orknow them better? Who couldhelp you get to know them?

Q: The environment and humanresponsibility for global warmingand pollution are key issues beingdebated in Australia at present.What is your response to theseenvironmental issues?

Q: The Abbey of St Barnabas:How might we gain an under-standing of environmental andspiritual issues? Has your parishparticipated or considered partici-pating in Abbey programs? Howcan this be facilitated?

Q: The Diocesan Strategic Planand the journey outward: Haveyou explored ways you mightwork in partnership withAnglicare? Where are the areas ofmanageable ministry to the needyin your parish? Have you askedSarah Gover to help you undertakea parish audit to help discoverareas of need you might be able tomeet in some way?

Q: The Diocesan Strategic Planand the journey inward: How isyour parish assisting people intheir inner journey of prayer, med-itation or personal reflection onscripture and the Christian story?What material have you foundhelpful? Are there some AnamCara Community days or otherquiet days that might be fitting fora group from your parish toexplore together?

Q: Ongoing discussion about theproposed Anglican Covenant andhomosexual people as part ofGod’s church: How do you goabout listening to others who aredifferent to you in terms of race,culture or creed? How might youand your parish go about listeningto the experience of people whose

sexual orientation is different?How might your church betterseek to be an inclusive but diversefellowship?

Q: Atheism: How do yourespond to Bishop John’s com-ments about atheists? Do you havefriends who speak of being athe-ists? What might you say to them?

Q: Christian ReligiousEducation (CRE) in schools: Whatdo you know about CRE in yourschools? How can you support theteaching of CRE in your localschools?

Q: Christian privilege inAustralian society: What is yourresponse to the comments madeby Bishop John? What placeought the Churches’ views have inour society?

Q: Refugees and asylum seekers:What would you do if you andyour family’s lives were threat-ened in your homeland, where youhad no recourse to legal meansbecause of discrimination andwhere you were at the mercy of anarmy or marauding bands ofarmed rebels, killing, pillagingand raping? What would you do if,when you arrived in Australia, you

and your children were incarcerat-ed in overcrowded conditions formany years? What would you doif the bureaucracy frustrated yourevery move, political expediencygoverned your circumstances and‘shock-jock’ media constantlycaricatured your situation?

Q: Earthquakes and natural dis-asters: Can we blame God forthis? How do you respond to oth-ers who, in the face of personal ornatural disaster, ask ‘where is Godin all this?’

Q: If the world were not the wayit is (created by God), would it bean appropriate context in which tosustain life as we know it? If weexpect God to ‘chip in’ every timesomething is about to happen thatwill not go well for us, wherewould be the human freedom weso cherish?

The Theology Working Groupwelcomes feedback from groupsthat use these discussion topics;contact Dean Dr Don Saines at StPaul’s Cathedral in Sale. TheGippsland Anglican also wel-comes feedback and written sub-missions; email to editor@gipp-sanglican.org.au

KORUMBURRA volunteer and member of the parish,Bill Rodda, was awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal(AFSM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List, announcedin June. Bill received the award for exemplary and dedicat-ed service to the Country Fire Authority. He joined theKorumburra Fire Brigade in 1974. His outstanding dedica-tion to both the community safety in Korumburra and to thewelfare of fellow volunteers through the VolunteerAssociation combined to earn him this honor.

Bill joined the Korumburra Fire Brigade when he, his wifeMaureen and their children Kerry, Chris and Scott, movedto Korumburra. In his 37 years of service, he has been fore-man for five years, secretary for five years and has recentlycompleted his 25th year as captain. He was awarded theNational Medal in 1999 and was made a Brigade LifeMember in 2009.

Bill was on the State Executive for Urban Volunteers forseven and a half years and is currently president of DistrictCouncil 9 of Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria (VFBV). Hewas awarded Life Membership of VFBV in 2009.

When asked about his success, Bill stated that the greatsupport he has received from his family and other CFAmembers has helped him achieve this honor.

Contributed by Maureen RoddaPhoto: Paul Rothier, Korumburra Photographics

Korumburra man honored

2 Our Diocese - Missions and Ministries August 2011

The Gippsland Anglican

The Gippsland

AnglicanPrice: 90 cents each

$25 annual postal subscriptionMember of Australasian Religious Press

AssociationMember of Community Newspapers

Association of VictoriaRegistered by Australia Post.

Print Post Number 34351/00018

The Gippsland Anglican is the official newspaper of and is published by

The Anglican Diocese of Gippsland, 453 Raymond St, Sale, Victoria, 3853,

www.gippsanglican.org.au

Editor: Mrs Jeanette Severs,PO Box 928, Sale, 3850

Tel: 03 5144 2044Fax: 03 5144 7183

Email: editor@gippsanglican.org.auEmail all parish reports, all articles,

photographs, letters and advertisements to the Editor.

Photographs should be jpeg files.Articles should be .doc or .txt files.Advertisements should be PDF files.

Printed by Latrobe Valley Express P/L21 George Street, Morwell, 3840

All contributions must be received bythe Editor by the 15th day of the monthprior to publication. Contact the Editor todiscuss variation to this date. The Editorreserves the right of final choice and for-mat of material included in each issue. TheGippsland Anglican and the Editor cannotnecessarily verify any material used in thispublication. Views contained in submittedmaterial are those of contributors.

Advertising Rates:$6.80/cm deep/column black & white.

Color is an extra $130.Contact the Editor in the first instance

for all advertising submissions, costings andenquiries, including about inserts in thenewspaper. All advertisements should bebooked with the Editor by the 10th of themonth prior to publication.

For Sale Classifieds:Parishes can advertise items for free, for

sale at prices up to and including $100.Send details, including contact name andtelephone number, to the Editor by 10thof the month prior to publication.

IndexQuestions posed 1

Korumburra man honored 1

Hazel honored 3

CWCI invitation 4

Gippslanders give aid 5

Dress to stress less 6

Vital research for aged 7

Recognising refugees 8-9

Jo makes history 10

St Mark’s anniversary 11

Lyn leaves to garden 12

Pentecost at Morwell 13

Diocesan Calendar 13

Literary & media reviews 14-15

Pictorial 16

The Right Reverend John McIntyreAnglican Bishop of Gippsland

THE biggest dilemma we face with the Car-bon Tax is that the only package the FederalGovernment was able to broker will not deliverthe change needed. With the mining industrycrying poor while raking in unprecedented enor-mous profits and the Federal Opposition engag-ing in disinformation to spook the electorate toits own ends, the government has includedmeasures that both placate the politically pow-erful mining industry and soothe an unneces-sarily fearful electorate. This means the intentto reduce our carbon footprint to any significantdegree is severely compromised.

The best thing that can be said for the CarbonTax is that it is an historic necessary beginningwhich paves the way for a Carbon TradingScheme. This gives some hope we will eventu-ally face our responsibilities as a nation by ad-dressing the adverse impact we continue to haveon the environment.

This generation at some point must face its ob-ligation to ensure we leave an inhabitable planetto our grandchildren and great-grandchildren.Anything less is inexcusable; a selfish derelic-tion of duty. It is an indictment on us that wehave refused to accept our responsibility until ithas threatened to hit us in the hip-pocket.

It is an even greater indictment on us that theonly scheme which government has been ableto introduce is one offering so little financialpain it is limited in its capacity to reduce our im-pact on the planet.

Some of the simple facts are these. The reduc-tion target of the current Australian program isfive per cent by 2020. That is only about halfthat required to stabilise carbon emissions to theextent necessary to avoid a temperature rise thatcould have disastrous implications for the earth.Australia generates more carbon pollution perhead than any other developed country, thanksto its heavy reliance on coal-fired power sta-tions.

With a population of 22 million, we are re-sponsible for 1.5 per cent of global greenhouseemissions. By comparison, Britain, with nearlythree times the population, produces 1.7 percent. Australia is one of the world’s top 20 car-bon polluters.

When it comes to Gippsland, some of the factsare these. Victoria will receive 97 per cent of thenational business compensation package forcarbon emissions, essentially because of its de-pendence on brown coal for power. Hazelwoodwas supposed to be closed under the formerSEC in 2007.

Gippsland Trades and Labor Council, recog-nising the closure or conversion to gas of Hazel-wood will result in significant job losses, isfocusing on attracting new industries into Gipp-

sland to compensate for those losses. The Federal Government recognises the im-

pact any change to power generation will havein Gippsland and has committed not to abandonus as we address the changes necessary to re-duce carbon emissions. This is the reason thePrime Minister visited the Latrobe Valley soearly in her campaign to respond to questionsabout the Carbon Tax.

At the same time, the Electrical Trades Unionhas opted not to support the Carbon Tax, not be-cause it does not think there should be a carbonprice, but because there is not enough detail inthe government’s plans to prepare for inevitablejob losses in the valley.

Christians cannot avoid responding to thismatter of national and local interest and well-being. In the first place, it is imperative we dealin the truth. The scare tactics and deceit em-ployed by those raging against the Carbon Taxneed to be resisted. Listen carefully to the factsand respond accordingly. Do not believe whatis not true. Do not live in denial of what needsto change to realise a sustainable future.

Be prepared to respond to the needs of thosemost impacted by the inevitable economicchanges that will take place with the introduc-tion of the Carbon Tax. Our communities inGippsland will face significant change and pain.

Efforts being made now by the GippslandTrades and Labor Council to prepare for thisneed to be supported and, as the ElectricalTrades Union action indicates, governmentsneed to be held accountable for the commit-ments they make to assist those most radicallyaffected by the changes being made.

Above all, be prepared to think creativelyabout how we can reduce our over-dependenceon consumption. Perhaps the biggest single fac-tor in the human impact on climate change isconsumerism. Growth in economic terms hasbecome an assumed right in our thinking, to thepoint that we fail to confront the negative im-pact on so many others of our demand for ‘moreand bigger and better’.

To focus our minds on these realities we mightcontemplate the current drought in Somalia,Ethiopia and Kenya. It is just one example inthe current generation of the impact of climatechange on those who can least afford it. In whatone 70 year old man in Kenya described as un-seen in his lifetime, there has been a three yearperiod without any rain at all.

All the livestock is long gone and crops cannotbe produced. Tens of thousands of people arestarving and many, mostly little children, aredying even after making it to relief centres forassistance, such is the extent of their malnutri-tion. While we unthinkingly consume more and

more, they die.This is just the edge of the potential impact of

the ‘take without paying, let alone giving back’mentality of wealthier societies like ours. It isthis mentality that prevents us right now fromseeing the price we must pay if we are to takeresponsibility for our lifestyle and the impact ithas on the world in which we live, not only inthis generation but in future generations.

A Christian response will surely stand in theface of this and say ‘enough is enough’. Whatbetter place to begin than to recognise the needto pay for and to redress the impact of ourlifestyle on the environment and the cost otherspay for our profligacy?

In the meantime, what better response than tosupport with generosity the appeal for assis-tance from those countries in the Horn of Africacurrently devastated by famine?

Tax compromises intent

RIDLEY MELBOURNE PASTORALSEMINAR

‘Where is my little miracle?’A seminar for those who struggle with infertility and those who pastor them

Saturday September 17 9am- 3pm

RSVP Essentialwww.ridley.edu.au/infertility

ABOVE: Jan Cropley in quiet contemplation on the shores of Lake King,at the Abbey of St Barnabas at A’Beckett Park on Raymond Island. Seethe diocesan calendar or the advertisement in this issue of The GippslandAnglican for the latest Abbey program information. Or check the website,www.theabbeyofstbarnabas.org

Photo: Heather Blackman

August 2011 Our Diocese - Missions and Ministries 3

The Gippsland Anglican

By Jenny Macrobb and Ethel Armstrong

THE Warragul branch of theMothers’ Union commenced inFebruary 1968, when Joyce Elliotcalled a meeting of the mothers ofteenage children. Hazel Carne wasthe first president and at 90 yearsof age this year she is still an en-thusiastic member who wears herMU badge with pride every day.

Hazel has always been a specialperson in St Paul's Warragul parish.As well as a founding member ofMU, she is a faithful Ladies Guildmember, working on catering forweddings, funerals, fundraisingluncheons and social occasions; onparish fetes; and sharing her loveof flowers by being the mainstay ofthe flower roster for many years.Even now, in these later years, shestill has a keen interest and eye fordetail in these areas.

Hazel continues to be an expertmarmalade maker, providing smalljars as Christmas gifts for parish-ioners. She is an outgoing, friendlyperson, continuing to make new-comers to the parish feel very wel-come and included.

Hazel acts out her love of Godand is still quite active in parish do-ings and a most faithful worshipper

at the weekly 8am communionservice. She is a shining examplefor everyone who knows her.

Links with WarragulIn 1976, Warragul’s first linked

branch was with St Thomas, Stour-bridge, England. This link contin-ued for at least 20 years and nowwe are linked to St Clementsbranch in Poole. We correspond

regularly with the members thereand members exchange visits whenpossible. This link serves to remindus of the worldwide fellowship weare privileged to be able to enjoy.

For the past 26 years, Warragul’sMU members have been faithfullyhelping with a midweek commun-ion, by picking up those withouttransport and helping with the af-ternoon tea. We now take our ‘Vil-lage Well’ to the local retirementhome once a month. We hope our‘Village Well’ is a way of lettingmany of our older folk continue totaste of the ‘living water’ whichJesus brings to our lives.

Several members help with ourparish mainly music program andhelp at the local toy library. Whata great way to build relationshipswith the young mothers of ourchurch and town and how lovely tobe greeted by their children whenwe meet in the supermarket. Welook forward to another year ofbuilding relationships with eachother and with other people in ourcommunity.

ABOVE: Hazel Carne (left) at her90th birthday celebration.

Photo: Ethel Armstrong

By Reverend Neil Thompson, Newborough parish

THE Anam Cara Community (ACC) is part of the AnglicanChurch, reporting annually to Gippsland’s Synod and reportingits activities in The Gippsland Anglican.

I was initially disconcerted when I read the ACC was “guided inmeditation” by a Buddhist monk. Somehow something did notring true.

I met a Buddhist nun about 10 years ago who was an excellentpianist and who, hearing we did not have a musician for a Christ-mas service, volunteered to play the traditional Christmas carolsfor the community. She played beautifully and sang with enthusi-asm about Jesus’ birth. After the service of worship I discoveredshe had been a Christian, but because she did not see Christiansliving out their faith and she had seen Buddhists living lovinglyand peacefully, she had added Buddhism to her Christianity.

I can see why Venerable Jampal was attracted by Buddhism.Love, peace, service are all Christian qualities but a caring athe-ist can agree to them and live by them.

In 2002, Dr Michael Green wrote But don’t all religions lead toGod? – Navigating the multi-faith maze.

Dr Green wrote: “Buddhism is religion without God and with-out even a final existence … In Buddhism, there is no forgiveness,only ruthless karma, and no supernatural aid”.

Christianity teaches that a personal God is interested in everypart of creation, that God has provided a way for forgiveness andis connected to us by the Holy Spirit. Karma is “cause and effect,paying off your guilt” and is “poles apart from grace (free for-giveness when we don’t deserve it)” as Dr Green writes.

“Buddhism’s goal is nirvana, extinction or the complete cessa-tion of both desire and personality, attained by the Buddha after noless than 547 births” Dr Green writes.

The goal of Christianity is to know God through the revelationof the Lord Jesus Christ and to enjoy being with him forever in thecompany of God’s redeemed people. Conversation with Bud-dhists, Moslems, Hindis and others, yes, yes. Meditation: Why?

Perspective ... why beguided by other religions?

BARRY AND ANNETTE LETTFuneral Directors

67 Macarthur St., Sale 3850(03) 5143 1232

Barry, Annette andBradley Lett offer

care, compassion andservice with

dignity for the peopleof Gippsland.

Caring and personal24-hour service.

Prepaid and prearranged funeral plans available.

ABOVE: Browsing through publications at the recent June Join In of Mothers’ Union in Gippsland were AnneRowe (Leongatha parish), Wizzy Wisdom (Leongatha), Lillian Heflingers (Bass Philip Island) and Gwen Pe-tersen (Bass Philip Island). Mothers’ Union Gippsland met at St Mary’s Morwell to hear from Beverley Ovensabout the overseas and northern outreach mission work of MU.

Photo: Jeanette Severs

Hazel honored by MU

New banneron display

RIGHT: At a recent Mothers’Union gathering, held at DelbridgeHall in Sale, women from Won-thaggi Inverloch parish broughttheir new banner for display.BELOW: Other banners on dis-play were brought from St Paul’sWarragul parish, East Gippslandrural deanery, St Peter’s Leongathaparish and St Mary’s Morwellparish, along with the new bannermade by Mothers’ Union membersof Wonthaggi Inverloch parish.

Photos: Jan Misiurka

4 Our Diocese - Missions and Ministries August 2011

The Gippsland Anglican

Your Local MPin Gippsland

Philip DavisMember for Eastern Victoria

Serving the communities ofGippsland in State Parliament

Advocating for Gippsland

Putting your concerns to the State Government

Authorised by Philip R. Davis MPShop 2, 424 Raymond Street

PO Box 9210 Sale Vic 3853 — (03) 5143 1038philip.davis@parliament.vic.gov.au

THE Sale committee of CWCI Australia invites women to an afternoonof ‘Flowers with Focus’ at the Baptist church hall, Princes Highway, Saleon Saturday September 10 at 1.30pm. Enjoy the floral artistry of HeatherHarrington who won the 2011 Bronze Award in Toronto, Canada FloralArt International section, and hear a special message from Ro Verspaan-donk. Great tips from both women, flute playing and afternoon tea willbe included in the program. Entry $6 and a warm welcome awaits you.

Contributed by Nancy Packett

ABOVE: Kathy Rozynski and Rosemary May of Bairnsdale attended theCWCI Safari around Gippsland this year.

Photo: Shirley Crutchfield

CWCI invites women to SaleManykeen tobuildfaithABOVE right: Reverend Jenny Ra-mage, Canon Amy Turner andCanon Ray Elliot participated inthe Foundations of Faith seminarheld in Delbridge Hall at Sale ear-lier this year. The working groupwill organise further seminars andat Gippsland Synod was given fur-ther responsibilities to encouragediscussion of faith issues and thediocesan strategic plan.RIGHT: Marion Dewar and PatHutchins, both of Leongatha parishand Ro Verspaandonk (Sale) par-ticipated in the Foundations ofFaith seminar. Reverend GregMagee was the initial convenor ofthe working group and recentlystood down for Dean of St Paul’sCathedral, Rev. Dr Don Saines totake on the leadership.

Photos: Jeanette Severs

TOP: Leonie Pryde, Mothers’Union Gippsland Publications,with Jean Fletcher of Leongathaparish at the MU Gippsland JuneJoin In, held at St Mary’s Morwell.ABOVE left: Jan Misiurka, MUAustralia Caritas leader and KarinMcKenzie, president of MU Gipp-sland, flank guest speaker, Bever-ley Ovens. Beverley spoke at theMU June Join In held at St Mary’sMorwell, about overseas andnorthern outreach programs Moth-ers’ Union is involved in. Beverleyspoke about the outreach into othercountries of Mothers’ Union, Car-itas and the Parenting Program,schools and education and issuesabout equity such as access tofood.ABOVE: Penny Clothier, of Moeparish and Linda Perkins, of War-ragul parish.

Photos: Jeanette Severs

August 2011 Our Diocese - Missions and Ministries 5

The Gippsland Anglican

By Elizabeth Baker,Anglican Board of Missions

THE regional committee of StGeorge’s College, Jerusalem, met in Wellington from July 17 to18. St George’s College is an An-glican center for continuing educa-tion and pilgrimage in Jerusalem.Since 1962, scores of Anglicansfrom Australia and New Zealandhave attended short courses at StGeorge’s as they seek to deepentheir understanding and faith in theland of Jesus’ birth.

Right Reverend Keith Slater,Bishop of Grafton, NSW, was inNew Zealand to chair the annualmeeting of the Australia and NewZealand Regional Committee forSt George’s College, Jerusalem.

The purpose of the Committee isto promote the College, maintain anetwork for alumni and administera small scholarship budget.

‘They recognised them as com-panions of Jesus’ (Acts 4:13) wasthe verse on which Bishop Keithpreached at Evensong. He placedthis verse in the context ofJerusalem today where an ever de-clining number of Christians iskeeping the faith alive in the Landof the Holy One.

“These mostly Palestinian Chris-tians are today’s companions ofJesus. We, too, are called to com-panionship with Christ on ourshared journey of faith,” saidBishop Keith.

“Today the College is in goodheart,” said Bishop Keith. “A rangeof courses will be offered in thecoming year focusing on the Bibleand its setting, the Palestine ofJesus, St Paul and the earlyChurch, Risen with Christ (atEaster-tide) to name just a few.Courses are heavily subscribed soit is advisable to book early.”

Bishop Keith said ongoing sup-port for the College was neededfrom Australian and New Zealand

alumni.“I encourage all alumni who have

experienced the gift of the ministryof St George’s to register their in-terest and join us as companions ofJesus as we support the work of theCollege and the church inJerusalem,” he said.

The meeting also expressed con-cern at the uncertain situation ofthe Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem,Rt Rev. Suheil Dawani, whose res-idency visa was revoked by the Is-raeli government. The Committeeresolved to draw this concern to theattention of Israel’s Ambassadorsin Wellington and Canberra.

“We call on the Israeli govern-ment to rectify this situation im-mediately by re-issuing the visa toallow the Bishop to continue hisvital ministry to Anglicans inJerusalem.”

Bishop Keith was joined at theWellington meeting by DeputyChair, Rt Rev. David Coles (Dio-cese of Dunedin), Dean Helen andStephen Jacobi (Waiapu),Archdeacon Lois Symes (Waikato)and Brad Chapman (AnglicanBoard of Mission Australia).

Alumni students from StGeorge’s can register their interestvia email. Australian alumnishould contact johnws462@gmail.com and New Zealand alumnioffice@angmissions.org.nz.

New appointments

A NEW Dean, Rev. Dr GrahamSmith, from the United States ofAmerica, has been appointed to re-place Rev. Dr Stephen Need, whois returning to the United Kingdomafter more than 20 years’ service atSt George’s College, including sixyears as Dean.

Another recent appointment isRev. Dr Kamal Farah as Director ofStudies, replacing Rev. Dr AndrewMayes.

August 2011 Program: midweek (MW) or weekend (WE) optionsTitle: Dates: Led by:

Interested in the environment and exploring yourspiritual journey? Want to listen for the rhythmsof life ... and to God? Spend time at the Abbey ofSt Barnabas at A’Beckett Park on Raymond Island- set in several acres of bushland and surroundedby the waters of the Gippsland Lakes.

Wind and the music of creationWind and the music of creationEnvironment day

Work week at the AbbeyWork week at the AbbeyLiving with loss and grief:

Finding hope and joy Living with loss and grief:

Finding hope and joy

9-12 August (MW) Digby Hannah12-14 August (WE) Digby Hannah17/18 August (MW) Anne Miller &

the Environmental Task Force22-25 August (MW) Brian Turner26 August (WE) Brian Turner30 Aug-2 Sept (MW) Rosemary

Pounder2-4 September (WE) Rosemary

Pounder

The Abbey of St Barnabas at A’Beckett ParkP: 03 5156 6580 E: theabbeyofstbarnabas@gmail.com

www.theabbeyofstbarnabas.orgfor details of the 2011 program and accommodation

Call to support Jerusalem College

WITH CARE & DIGNITY WE RESPECTFULLY SERVE THE DISTRICTS OF:

LEONGATHA/KORUMBURRA (03) 5662 2717 Paul and Margaret Beck

FOSTER (03) 5662 2717 Paul and Margaret Beck

WONTHAGGI/INVERLOCH (03) 5672 1074 Ray and Maree Anderson

PHILLIP ISLAND (03) 5952 5171 Ray and Maree Anderson

MEMBER OF AUSTRALIAN FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION

By Emma HalgrenAct for Peace

LONG after major conflicts leave the world’sheadlines, deadly remnants of war can threatenpeople’s lives. Eleven-year-old Iraqi Abdul-Ghafarwas killed and his two friends lost their legs in anexplosion five years after their village of BawaMahmod, northeast of Baghdad, was bombardedby cluster bombs.

This explosion also started a large fire, subse-quently detonating several other cluster bombs.When firefighters began tackling it, one of themwas injured by the explosion of another bomb. Theincidents took place on farmer Haji Barzan’s land,half of which had been covered by these deadlyweapons.

“The firefighters asked us to stay away from thefire,” Mr Barzan told Act for Peace.

“But watching that hero fighting the fire and get-ting injured because of the cluster bomb was likehell for us.”

The presence of cluster bombs means a lack ofaccess to safe land, limiting agricultural develop-ment, the reconstruction of vital infrastructure andthe work of relief and development agencies.

With support from Act for Peace, the internationalaid agency of the National Council of Churches inAustralia, and other agencies around the world,mine action teams are able to clear contaminatedland in villages like Bawa Mahmod, safely remov-ing and destroying deadly cluster bombs.

The teams also deliver mine risk education tolocal people to prevent them suffering the same fateas Abdul-Ghafar and his friends. These actiongroups are helping villages recover their freedomand earn a living from the land. In 2010, Act forPeace’s project partner released more than3,000,000 square metres of land in Iraq.

Mr Barzan and the two displaced families livingon his land are now able to plough the farmland andplan for future crops.

“The money the land will generate will improvemy life and the lives of the two families workingon my land and all that is because of this life-sav-ing work. Thanks for your support for this work,”said Mr Barzan.

Through their generosity and their prayers, in-cluding support for the annual Christmas Bowl pro-gram, churches across Australia provide muchneeded support for Act for Peace’s work in Iraq andother conflict affected regions. Anglicans in Gipp-sland contributed $5,000 to the 2010 ChristmasBowl. Thank you.

Act for Peace’s project partners are currently as-sisting more than one million people in many of theworld’s worst conflict-affected areas, includingSudan, Somalia, Zimbabwe, Burma and Sri Lanka.When disasters happen, including the recent earth-

quake and tsunami in Japan and violence and in-stability in Libya, Act for Peace works with part-ners to provide emergency assistance.

Inspired by the call in Psalm 34 to ‘turn from eviland do good; seek peace and pursue it’, Act forPeace seeks to empower communities in conflict-affected areas, working with project partners to re-duce poverty, protect refugees, and prevent furtherconflict. We aim to help communities build thefoundations for real and lasting peace.

For more information about the Christmas Bowlor Act for Peace, and how you can support thiswork, please phone 1800 025 101 or visitingwww.actforpeace.org.au

Gippsland Home Mission Fund

THE distribution from Gippsland Home MissionFund for 2010-11 was Koori Ministry $6,000;Monash Chaplaincy $5,000; and Youth Ministry$5,000. The Registrar, Mr Brian Norris, said thesefigures are reported in the Synod papers every year.

Donations to the Gippsland Home Mission Fundcan be made through your local parish or to thediocesan Registry office, telephone 03 5144 2044.

The Anglican Board of Missions reported Gipps-land parishes donated $14,096.50 in the financialyear ended June 30, 2011. This amount comparesfavorably with other dioceses, across geographicand demographic size.

Of the total amount of $14,096.50, the dioceseforwarded $5,004.23. Parishes forwarding fundsdirectly to ABM were Paynesville, Wonthaggi In-verloch, Sale, Korumburra, Traralgon, Newbor-ough Yallourn North, Moe, Bairnsdale, Drouin,Churchill, Heyfield, Bunyip, Morwell, Yarram andWesternport. The Registrar has forwarded specifictotals to all parishes.

ABOVE: A cluster bomb, containing hundreds ofsmaller bomblets, or submunitions is recovered.

Photo: Sean Sutton MAG

Gippslanders give to aid

MENTAL health is coming out ofthe shadows, both in a public pol-icy sense and in how Anglicaremanages work. This year’s budgetincludes new investment and aroad map for mental health. InJune, Anglicare CEOs enjoyed apresentation on significant re-search linking good health out-comes with meaningful work orengagement, rather than employ-ment in and of itself. The Angli-care Conference in September thisyear will include workshops onpractice linking mental health andill health with emergency relief,aged care, family and employmentservices. Many of the organisationsin the Anglicare network are look-ing at how to incorporate a com-mitment to wellbeing and mentalhealth across all their services.

Anglicare willfocus on mentalhealth linkages

6 Our Diocese - Children, Youth and Family Ministry August 2011

The Gippsland Anglican

Color in picture: feeding 5000

C r e a t i n g i n s p i r a t i o n a l f u n e r a l s

Sale 5143 2477 Maffra 5147 1590Heyfi eld 5148 2877 Foster 5682 2443

Yarram 5182 5780www.gippslandfuneralservices.com.au

Third Generation Funeral Director

In a time of need, we all turn to our family for comfort. Gippsland Funeral Services continues to provide care and attention just as it has for the Gippsland Community for nearly 70 years. “My grandfather’s attitude was that every funeral he looked after would be well conducted. That has been our philosophy for the three generations that my family has assisted your family, and continues to form the basis of our service.”

- Scott Rossetti

They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. Matthew 14:20 (NIV)

Choose the word that best matches the definition.

1. Pieces of bread shaped and baked in a single piece and sliced for eatingA. loaves B. food C. fish D. five

2. A basic food made from flour, water, and yeast mixed together and bakedA. fish B. two C. loaves D. bread

3. An animal without legs that lives in waterA. turtle B. fish C. hippopotamus D. dinosaur

4. To cure someone of illness or disease; to make someone well againA. xray B. feed C. loaves D. heal

5. To take food into your mouth, chew, and swallow itA. drink B. sip C. eat D. heal

6. What we eat to give us energy and to help us grow strong bodiesA. food B. water C. candy D. pizza

7. The number that comes after four and before sixA. three B. five C. two D. seven

8. The number equal to one plus oneA. eleven B. five C. three D. two

Copyright © Sermons4Kids, Inc. • All Rights Reserved • www.sermons4kids.com

DOWN1. To take food into your mouth,

chew, and swallow it2. What we eat to give us energy

and to help us grow strong bodies

3. To cure someone of illness or disease; to make someone well again

4. The number that comes after four and before six

ACROSS2. An animal without legs that lives

in water5. The number equal to one plus

one6. A basic food made from flour,

water, and yeast mixed together and baked

7. Pieces of bread shaped and baked in a single piece and sliced for eating

FIVE BREAD EAT TWO FISH LOAVES FOOD HEAL

1

2 3 4

5

6 7

Copyright: www.sermons4kids.com

Puzzles

Crossword:

They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. Matthew 14:20 (NIV)

Choose the word that best matches the definition.

Choose the best definition:

ON Friday, July 22, staff at the Diocesan Registry office wore pyjamasto work to promote Lifeline, to increase the awareness of stress in peo-ple’s lives and to raise much needed funds to keep the Lifeline phonelines open.

Registrar Brian Norris said he felt it was important for staff to have funin their workplace and he was particularly pleased for his team to partic-ipate in days like this where the catalyst was another charity.

Lifeline holds Stress Down Day to raise money for its service and en-courages people to ‘Dress to Stress Less’. Activities this year included agathering at Federation Square in Melbourne and sales of slippers.

Lifeline also reports on how the funds raised are used; a massive 80.52per cent of funds helps Lifeline answer calls and provide mental health,suicide prevention and crisis support services. Only 8.92 per cent of fundsis used in administration and 10.56 per cent spend on fundraising andpromotion. The Federal government provides funds to cover 22 per centof Lifeline’s costs, leaving the organisation needing to raise $24.4 millionto keep its services running. The cost of delivering Lifeline’s 24 hour cri-sis support service is currently $31 million.

To learn more about Lifeline and how you can help visit www.life-line.org.au You can donate to Lifeline Australia through the NationalAustralia Bank or post a cheque to PO Box 173, Deakin West, ACT,2600.

Registrystaff dress tostress lessto supportLifeline

ANNOUNCINGthe exciting arrival of

Beth Hannah Dubbeldborn 5 weeks early,

on Friday, June 17, 2011in the back of an ambulance

on her way to Orbost Hospital!Mum (Von) and bub

now doing well at home with 2 proud brothers (Rowan and Sean),

an enthralled sister (Rebecca) and delighted Dad (Mick).

Thanks for all your prayers!

Welcometo ... BethDubbeld

Editors note: Synod members will remember meeting Von.

August 2011 Our Diocese - Children, Youth and Family Ministry 7

The Gippsland Anglican

Vital research intosocial isolation ofolder AustraliansBy Michelle Low,Benetas

VITAL research to help reducesocial isolation among older peo-ple has been granted much-neededfunding, according to not-for-profitaged care provider, Benetas. TheAustralian Research Council hasapproved a Linkage Grant worth$348,151 to a team from AdelaideUniversity to undertake the Aus-tralian-first study.

Led by Professor Andrew Beer,the team will work in partnershipwith Benetas, Anglicare SA, Coun-cil on the Ageing Queensland,ECH, Illawarra Retirement Trustand Silver Chain Nursing Associa-tion.

“Social isolation is a serious issuefacing thousands of older Aus-tralians,” said Benetas CEO, San-dra Hills.

“Not only does it have a measur-able impact on the health of indi-viduals, but it has effects rightthrough our society, from greaterdemands on our health and agedcare services and an overall re-duced sense of community.

“Exploring how we can best re-duce social isolation in older peo-ple is therefore critical and Benetaswelcomes this vital funding fromthe Australian Research Council.”

According to Professor Beer, Di-rector of the Centre for Housing,Urban and Regional Planning atAdelaide University, numerousstudies have documented the healthimpact of social isolation but thereis very limited research on whatprograms work best, and forwhom, to tackle the problem.

“It is estimated 20 per cent ofolder Australians are socially iso-lated, which results in insomnia,depression, a greater likelihood ofdeveloping dementia and elevatedblood pressure, among other healthproblems,” Prof. Beer said.

This has a reverberating effect onsociety, placing extra strain on car-ers, additional demands on health

services, a reduced sense of com-munity and a greater need for acuteinterventions by local govern-ments, housing providers and otherwelfare services.

“We need to look at this in moredepth and examine the differencesbetween gender, location, housingoptions, age, the presence of a dis-ability and socioeconomic status,”he said.

The research study, Emergingfrom the Shadows: Evaluation ofInterventional Strategies to ReduceSocial Isolation, will measure theimpact and effectiveness of com-munity care programs on the well-being of socially isolated olderAustralians.

Research and Development Man-ager at Benetas, Alan Gurner said:“What’s exciting about this projectis that we’re breaking new ground.Rather than just measuring and de-scribing community interventionprograms in general, this researchproject will systematically exam-ine the programs in regards to theireffectiveness to reduce social iso-lation.”

The three-year research projectwill involve a study of 900 olderAustralians affected by social iso-lation and focus group discussions.The results are expected in mid2014.

TOP: At the family service at Poowong on Mothers Day, the congrega-tion celebrated mothers and gave God thanks for all the good things wehave been given. The children made flowers for their mothers, assisted byReverend Jenny Ramage and helpers.

Photo: Lyn GilbertABOVE centre: Sale parish hosted a fine wedding recently as part of itsdramatic outreach program during the 2011 concert. During the weddingof Summah and Winter, flower girls needed the toilet facilities, brides-maids held an actual ‘choo choo train’, an objector was bribed to be quietand all were kept in hand by Cecil Sillibrant. Following the cutting of thecake, five toasters and other typical presents were opened.

Photo: Peter MielkeABOVE: The congregation of St Nicholas’ Lakes Entrance recently helda pet blessing service, with Reverend Barb Logan welcoming a numberof animals, toys and puppets.

Photo: Sandra McMaster

8 Our Diocese - Missions and Ministries August 2011

The Gippsland Anglican

By Bruce Charles

A PARISH service was held inHoly Trinity Moe on June 19 to ac-knowledge Refugee Sunday. Asthis was also Trinity Sunday, it wasthe church’s Patronal festival. Bothevents added significance as wecelebrated Refugee Sunday withthose who have been refugees andthe Patronal festival being a re-minder to them of the heritage thatthey have received in having thechurch as a worship and commu-nity centre. Just as we are learningabout their culture, they are learn-ing about ours.

Bishop John McIntyre and hiswife Jan were at the service.Bishop John preached at what hadbeen hoped would be a diocesanservice but proved not to be. Thereadings were chosen as appropri-ate for Refugee Sunday and not thenormal Trinity Sunday readings.

The Gospel was St Luke’s ac-count of the good Samaritan, astory which Bishop John based hissermon on to powerfully remind usof our Christian responsibilities tocare for the marginalised and espe-cially refugees. This is a responsi-bility all western nations need totake seriously given there are 33million people seeking refuge andonly 100,000 places available eachyear. Reverend Abraham Maluk, asusual, ably translated the sermoninto Dinka.

The service, as usual, includedthe Old Testament, Leviticus19:30–36, read in English; the NewTestament, Galatians 3:30–39, readin English and the Gospels read inDinka and English. Father JohnGoodman, an associate priest in theparish, read the Gospel in English

and Rev. Abraham Maluk read theGospel in Dinka. Father Fred Mor-rey, also an associate priest in theparish, led the intercessions.

After the service the congregationgathered at St Luke’s Hall for lightlunch and to enjoy each other’scompany. As both congregationscontinue to share these times to-gether, we all become increasinglyaware of the blessings that bothcongregations gives to each other.

ABOVE: Women from the Su-danese community provided lunchfor the combined congregations onRefugee Sunday.RIGHT: Children and adults gatherin St Luke’s church hall Moe tocelebrate the new South Sudan.

Photos: Matthew Prosser

Sudanese actively part of Moe parish

Help Su

of gl Aneht

CtA

sione Misht torppHelp Su

sppn Gi ihcruhan Cicgl

tnuoccAmenco Illa C

sion

ndlas

CtAInteresminMio ANInvrm Te% 57.4 on fu%00.5 on fuInteres

tnuoccAmenco Illa C %57.3 erlyrtuaqd ipat Interes 100$t ios Depmum esargCh or eesFunt occtnuoccAntmetseInv s ndon fu 000,02$o up tsndon fu 000,02er $vot Interes erlyrtuaqd ipa

InteresminMio ANheT se e ar urrentcthe A an clign D entmevelopn caouY veSa ouor yffoe.me timasOpen withunt occAan

t Interes erlyrtuaqd ipa 100$t ios Depmum esargCh or eesFunt occ ratet resteniurrent s tisepofor dent F for d nu e escoithe D ofandelfsrou veSer the crhuCoday. tDF Aeh twith nephoelT

ist n hetof landsppGi . heh at tthcen us on

Open 0445144 2(03) , iwrr50, or d. 38ciV, aleS et,treSond aym453 RDnaancilgnAehtrehtieN:etoN

epusyllaitnedurps idnaslppiGcetorprotisopedfotiffienebeht

rv

oday. ephoBoxO Par at:trsieg RheTo te t iRegan esoci Dheto top in ret, rou yo open tle,aS iosDepfoesecoi DnacilgnAehtrondnaslppiGybdseivre AAPR ehtots noitubirtnoC.

91tcAgniknaBehtfos noisivorpnoitc

928Box ,t atryst i tnouccA .dnuunFtmenpoleveD

oddnuunF niatboton.95

By Ella WorboysGippsland Grammar

“COMPASSION … is essentialfor our own peace and mental sta-bility, it is essential for human sur-vival” (The Dalai Lama).

This essential component of hu-manity was certainly evident onThursday, June 24 this year, whenthe students of Gippsland Gram-mar came together to support arefugee project based in Moe. Al-though many refugees can speakEnglish, reading and writingproves to be a challenge on immi-grating to Australia. To overcomethis difficulty, Moe parish designeda project to assist refugees in de-veloping their reading and writingskills.

The project uses MP3 playerswith recorded tracks of certaindocuments that a person is requiredto listen to and understand, such asCentrelink documents, school as-signments and immigration forms.Having access to both the spokenand written forms of the documentis believed to maximise a person’slearning of the language, also in-creasing their chances of earlieremployment.

During Refugee Week 2011, boththe community of GippslandGrammar and the wider commu-nity were challenged to financiallysupport this project, with the aimof creating a library consisting of20 MP3 players and variousrecorded tracks. In response tobeing visited and spoken to byReverend Abraham Maluk, the stu-dents of Gippsland Grammarraised $326.15 for the project.

As the Chapel Captain of theGippsland Grammar GarnseyCampus, I found the effort madeby students in support of the proj-ect was reflective of the way theywere affected by the first-hand re-counts of a Sudanese refugee. Thiscompassion and care for others, ir-respective of ethnicity, or financialor social status, are the qualitiesand attitudes that I endeavour toencourage within the student body.

For although some may notrecognise it, compassion and carewere two fundamental ministriesof Jesus and through the support ofcharities such as that involving therefugees living in Moe, studentsare essentially behaving as Christdid. For as he said: ‘The foreignerresiding among you must betreated as your native-born. Lovethem as yourself, for you were for-eigners in Egypt’ (Leviticus 3:30-36). This is an encouragement tome.

With the aim of continuing ourmission of compassion, numerousstudents will be participating in the40 Hour Famine annual fundraiserduring this school term. I wouldencourage anybody interested insupporting East Timorese peoplewho are living in poverty to sup-port a student from GippslandGrammar, or any person takingpart in the 40 Hour Faminefundraiser, run by World Vision.

GippslandGrammarstudentshelp raisehope

ON Thursday, June 23, just be-fore the school term finished, dur-ing Refugee Week, ReverendAbraham Maluk and Rev. BruceCharles visited Gippsland Gram-mar School. They both spoke atthree Chapel services that encom-passed the whole school.

Rev. Abraham spoke of his expe-rience as a refugee and being oneof the lost boys. He also gave avery dramatic powerpoint presen-tation that showed something ofthe suffering that the people ofSouth Sudan had been through.Perhaps even more graphic thanthe pictures of people killed, peo-ple being buried in the refugeecamps and villages razed to theground was a picture of a personwhose hand was severed underShariah law.

Rev. Bruce spoke briefly of thechallenges refugees face in assim-ilating into our society and theMP3 player scheme to help themlearn English.

The morning was organised byRev. Jon Taylor, the school’s chap-

lain and some of the students.There was a retiring collection rais-ing $326.15 for the MP3 player ap-peal. We are very appreciative ofthis contribution by students.

This scheme, is ready to be fi-nalised and further donationswould be very appreciated. Thescheme has now changed in formatwith the money raised now beingneeded to help Sudanese familieshave access to a computer and therelevant text to speech software. Itis hoped cheap recycled computerscan be purchased.

This is slightly cheaper and cer-tainly more effective than usingMP3 players, although they arestill a last resort, as the Sudaneseperson will be able to have docu-ments read in audio on the com-puter and see the wordshighlighted as they read. This is amuch more effective way to learnEnglish and although similar to lis-tening to an audio file on an MP3player and reading the document,the highlighting is very significantin learning and understanding.

School boosts MP3 appeal

Dear Editor,The Bishop of Gippsland’s President’s address to Synod has empha-sised the unacceptability of discrimination within the church and byprofessing Christians in any aspect of life. The objective of inclusive-ness has made heartwarming progress in the life of the diocese. Never-theless, there are still gaping discriminatory divisions in some diocesanadministrative practices. For example, it would surely be an under-standable Christian witness if the Anglican schools were to indiscrimi-nately open their doors to any refugees or others in need.

Yours sincerely, Eric Kent, Westernport parish

August 2011 Our Diocese - Mission and Ministries 9

The Gippsland Anglican

ON World Refugee Day, Anglicare and thecongregation of Wonthaggi/Inverloch held a gettogether lunch, inviting the Karen communityfrom Burma who have settled in Wonthaggi.Surinter Demetrios from Anglicare, the teamleader of The Settlement Grant Program, wel-comed guests and the Karen community servedtheir delicious food, which was also accompa-nied by some Australian sausages and rissoles.

After they shared some of their experiencesbefore and after arriving in Australia, the Karencommunity performed some traditional music.Everyone then went outside to watch a demon-stration of cane ball and a lime tree was plantedin the church grounds as a symbol of puttingdown new roots in Australia.

Contributed by Jill Price

ABOVE right: At a gatheringat Wonthaggi’s church onWorld Refugee Day wereJane Peters, Lee Whelan andNyibol Nul.

Photo: Jill PriceRIGHT: Karen women pre-pare lunch at Wonthaggi.FAR right: Youth from theKaren community sang tradi-tional songs after lunch.

Photos: Jane Peters

Wonthaggi church hosts Karen people

ABOVE: Celebrating the announcement of a new country, South Sudan,very welcome news to the Dinka speaking Sudanese people, members ofthe congregation at St Luke’s Moe.

Photo: Matthew Prosser

World Vision supportsEast Timor familiesBy Marissa FlynnChristian Youth Ambassador,40 Hour Famine

EAST Timor is only an houraway from Australian soil yet it isindescribably distant in terms ofculture, history and living stan-dards. The scenery is breathtaking,but the poverty left me dismayed.

As World Vision’s Christian Am-bassador for the 40 Hour Famine,I travelled to East Timor to witnesstheir work. Despite the evidenthardships, there were visible initia-tives resulting in transformed lives,with improved health and incomegrowth. I met families that arecommitted to improving their liveswith the help and training WorldVision is providing.

Two experiences from this visitwere particularly heartbreakingand powerful. First I met a father,Mr John, who has six young chil-dren, living in a small hut. Thefamily could only grow a smallamount of cassava, a vegetable likesweet potato, and the two youngestchildren were malnourished.

The children do not go to schoolbut stay home to do chores includ-ing collecting water from a dirtyriver. Their future looked prettygrim. But World Vision has juststarted to provide this family withthe resources and training neededto better look after the children, in-cluding agricultural training sothey can grow a variety of vegeta-bles all year round.

The second family I met was in asimilar situation four years ago.World Vision began working withLourdes, Antonio and their fourchildren, teaching them how tobest plant seedlings and designtheir plots to ensure a stable har-vest.

From this, a whole communityfarmers’ co-operative has formedand has expanded to many types ofvegetables and herbs. The surplusis sold to supermarkets in the cap-ital city, Dili.

This family is now prosperingand have built a new concretehouse, the children are happy,healthy and doing well in school.What a transformation!

It was amazing to meet the twofamilies and see the stark contrastsbetween them. It clearly demon-

strates the value of World Vision’swork in helping families to changetheir lives.

As a World Vision youth ambas-sador I have the unique privilege toshare the stories of the differenceWorld Vision is making in people’slives. Global poverty is a compli-cated issue, but we can make a dif-ference.

Christians have a responsibility tofight injustice and help the needyand oppressed. Jesus was the per-fect example of demonstrating thelove of God and His grace amidst abroken world. Seeing the signifi-cant impact of these World Visionprojects has convinced me of thedifference we can and shouldmake.

The 40 Hour Famine is a fantasticway to encourage young people todo something to help the poor.They can experience what it’s liketo go without and feel empathy to-wards those around the world thatstruggle daily for food.

My trip to World Vision projectsin East Timor impacted me deeply;I was exposed to the need of ournearest neighbors. We can helpchange their lives for the betterthrough supporting the incrediblework that World Vision is doingwith local communities.

The World Vision annual 40 HourFamine is on August 19 to 21; 300,000 people in Australia are ex-pected to participate. ChristianYouth Ambassador for the 40 HourFamine, Marissa Flynn, travelledto East Timor in January this year.Marissa wrote a Christian reflec-tion of her experience of World Vi-sion’s projects. Marissa attends StMatthew’s Anglican church inWest Pennant Hills, NSW.

BOTH the Anglican Board of Mission (ABM) andAnglicord have responded to the drought in EastAfrica and the plight of starving people with aid pro-grams. In the region of East Africa, drought is quicklyturning into famine for starving people across severalcountries.

Recent rains have failed to bring much-needed reliefto the area and the people, livestock and agricultureare all suffering as a consequence. Around 11.6 mil-lion people are affected by this natural disaster in anarea becoming known as the ‘Triangle of Death’(Reuters news agency).

Starving people have no choice but to make them-selves displaced refugees, crossing any border in theregion in search of food. It is, unfortunately, a case ofthe most in need suffering.

Women and children tend to be the most vulnerable,with women often burdened with the responsibility ofproviding food and water for their families.

The Anglican Board of Mission (ABM) partnerswith Anglican churches in the region, particularly inKenya and South Sudan. Despite the many challengesahead of them, the churches continue to help those af-fected, by coordinating food relief efforts and helpinglocal farmers plan for the future.

Some communities have already taken steps todrought-proof themselves with the support of localAnglican churches in the region.

One of ABM’s contacts in Kenya, John KyaloMutua, Executive Director of Ukamba Christian Com-munity Services, recently reported: “Faced with thethreat of famine, households within the affected pop-ulation invariably utilise a wide range of responses topreserve themselves and their livelihoods.”

As much as the people can plan for the dry seasonsand periods, nothing can prepare them for the droughtand subsequent famine that is now ravishing theircountries. Your generous support of these families andtheir communities will bring much-needed relief intotheir lives.

Please pray for the victims of this disaster, for thosewho have lost loved ones, the governments who arecoordinating the response, aid agencies and ABM’spartner churches as they face tremendous challengesahead.

Donations can be made at www.abmission.org or bysending a cheque or money order made out to: Angli-can Board of Mission – Australia to Locked BagQ4005, Queen Victoria Building, NSW 1230. Alter-natively, you can telephone 1300 302 663 or emailinfo@abm.asn.au.

You can ease the suffering in East Africa todayChildren, pregnant women and the elderly are

amongst those hardest hit in the burgeoning humani-tarian crisis caused the worst drought in 60 years inthe Horn of Africa.

Anglicord has raised an appeal to assist its partners

in some of the worst affected areas, to help mitigatethe effects of this stealthy but deadly natural disaster.

“We are seeing fast-growing malnutrition and thedeath of animals,” said Valerie Browning, Australiannurse and well known to many in Gippsland.

In the Afar region, the immediate needs are funds tobuy food, especially for pregnant women and medi-cine for animals. In Mt Kenya, famine and lack ofwater are hitting the community hard. Money to buyfood and to drill for water is desperately needed.

You can also donate more generally to the droughtrelief effort for the whole Horn of Africa through An-glicord’s appeal in partnership with ACT Alliance.Your donation will help enormously.

You can donate securely online atwww.anglicord.org.au or by telephone on 1800 249880. Donating online reduces costs, so your supportgoes further, said Misha Coleman, Anglicord CEO.

TOP and above: Newly arrived famine refugees fromSomalia at Dagehaley camp, one of three camps thatmake up the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya.

Photos: Kate Holt Irin

Emergency appeal for East Africa people

10 Our Diocese - Clergy Ministry August 2011

The Gippsland Anglican

THE ordination of Joanne (Jo)Shirley White as priest by theBishop of Gippsland, Right Rev-erend John McIntyre, took place atSaint James’ Anglican ChurchTraralgon on Saturday, June 25,2011. Bishop McIntyre told the140 guests gathered they were wit-nesses to an historic occasion as itwas the first time an ordination hadoccurred at the parish.

As the Bishop, Archdeacons,Canons and Deacons gathered tolay hands on Jo, the sun pouredthrough the stained glass windows,reflecting the real sense of joy andoccasion felt throughout the serv-ice.

After the service Jo thanked allthose who helped her on her jour-ney of faith, especially her hus-band, Ken.

She thanked all those who trav-elled to attend to help her mark thisspecial occasion of her ordinationas priest.

“I am looking forward to servingGod in the parish of Traralgon andin the Diocese of Gippsland withmy colleagues in ministry,” Jo said.

Contributed by Shelley Cooper

TOP: Jo and Ken White are greetedwith acclamation by well wishersas they leave the church after herordination as priest.ABOVE: Jo White receives the in-struments of her role as priest andthe blessing of the Bishop of Gipp-sland during her ordination at StJames’ Traralgon.

Photos: Shelley Cooper

Jo as priest makes history in Traralgon

Col, Pal & Brad SemmensFUNERAL DIRECTORS

~Servicing Gippsland~Maffra 5147 1954Sale 5144 1954Heyfield 5148 3354

24 Hour Service

Our Family Caring For Your Family Since 1979Brad Pal Col

ABOVE: A Safe Ministry training workshop was offered at Rosedale for clergy and lay people in the diocesein late June. The workshop was titled Bullying and Boundaries and was focussed on clergy, stipendiary layworkers, lay readers, coordinators of ministries and opportunity shops and pastoral associates. The last of thesetraining days will be on September 10, at St George’s Wonthaggi, from 10am to 12noon. Contact the Registryoffice, telephone 03 5144 2044, to register for the workshop. Lay people are encouraged to participate in train-ing days with the recent appointment of Lay Readers Chaplains. The chaplains, Reverends Bruce Charles, TonyWicking and Jenny Ramage, are keen to get to know further the lay readers in the diocese, to get feedbackabout what they need and to provide training specific to lay reader’s needs. The first training days were in Moeat St Luke’s on July 2. Further days will be held at Bairnsdale at St John’s church on August 13 and St Paul’sKorumburra on September 3. Each day will begin at 10am and close at 3.30pm. Morning and afternoon teasand lunch is provided. For further information, contact Jenny Ramage, telephone 03 5655 1007, 0407 369486or email smudgej@vic.australis.com.au

Photo: Christine Morris

By Jane EllisonRidley College

RIDLEY Melbourne’s MA Goldprogram is off to a great start. MAGold is a Master program specifi-cally designed for busy pastors,and Christian leaders, who struggleto find the spare time, but long tofurther their study to enhance theirministry. Set in the tranquil sur-rounds of the Yarra Valley, the an-nual one week retreat givesparticipants the opportunity focuson the material through classeswhich are interactive, explorationaland participative.

Tim Foster, the Director of Edu-cation and Formation at Ridleysaid: “MA Gold is about providingan inspirational experience. It is asmuch about encouragement andreenergising for ministry as gain-ing new knowledge and skills. Par-ticipants really seem to havebenefited from the cohort, the greatvenue and the engaging material”.Participant, Reverend Ian Weaver,Vicar of St Matthew’s East Gee-long, is pleased with the class for-mat.

“Finally, a course structure Icould fit into a professional career.The pre-reading, followed by in-tensive assessment, followed by amajor project makes sense andworks,” he said.

Christian Leadership and Man-agement, also offered as an onsiteintensive, was taught by father and

son team Andrew and John Olsen.Andrew Olsen has led thousands ofparticipants in leadership trainingworkshops for more than 15 yearsand has been awarded three medalsby the Australian government forhis work in culture change and in-creased effectiveness in publicservice organisations.

John Olsen has extensive experi-ence in management in secular andecclesiastical contexts: he was ageneral manager for Mobil Aus-tralia and completed short term in-tensive management programsunder faculty from a number of in-ternational tertiary institutions, in-cluding Harvard University andWharton School.

MA Gold continues in 2012, withthe subject The Minister’s PersonalGrowth and Development, at the

Yarra Valley conference centre.The subject is designed to help par-ticipants develop a theology of re-sponsible self care as a basis forexploring the impact of these haz-ards on the mental and spiritualhealth of the minister. Applicationsfor 2012 enrolment are now beingaccepted.

Ridley Melbourne offers manymodes of teaching to suit differentlifestyles. Apart from intensive de-livery mode, subjects are taughtonline, in day or evening classesand through the new extensive for-mat. To find out more contact reg-istrar@ridley.edu.au.

ABOVE: Participants experiencegroup work at Ridley Melbourne’sMA Gold Leadership and Manage-ment class.

Learning is Gold at Ridley Melbourne

By Archbishop Peter Jensen

John RW Stott 1921-2011

THERE are a very few peoplewho deserve to be called a Princeamong the people of God. JohnStott was one such person.

We all see other people partially.I am not therefore going to try togive a rounded picture of the man.I am only going to mention brieflythe areas his impact was strongestin our part of the world. But thesource and nature of that impactwas at the very heart of his wholeministry. It had to do with his treat-ment of scripture.

The thing for which we willmainly remember him was as one

who expounded the Bible as God’sword.

All preaching worthy of the nameChristian starts from the Bible. TheBiblical preaching of my youthwould start characteristically froma verse, sometimes taken out ofcontext and used as a starting pointfor an extended Christian homilywith exhortation.

Our firsthand experience of JohnStott was different. He took pas-sages rather than texts and gaverigorous attention to context andmeaning of the passage taken as awhole. He spoke with such spiri-tual vibrancy you could immedi-ately tell the biblical text wasshaping and informing his faithand his walk with God.

Vale, John Stott

August 2011 Our Diocese - Clergy Ministry 11

The Gippsland Anglican

St Mark’s anniversary

Valley Funeral Latrobe

Services

! Qualified, experienced and caring staff

! Modern chapels! Refreshments and catering

facilities available! Secure, guaranteed, pre-paid

and pre-arranged funeral plans

! Over 70 years of service to the Latrobe Valley

MORWELL 5134 4937MOE 5126 1111

TRARALGON 5174 2258

Owned and operated byPaul and Katrina McInnes

Proud member of theAustralian Funeral Directors

Association and the Australian andBritish Institutes of Embalming

MARKRIDDLEConsultant

JOHNGALBRAITHConsultant

PAULMcINNESDirector

2002900

GRADUATES of St Mark’s Na-tional Theological Centre are re-minded this year marks acelebration of 40 years of theolog-ical education and vocational train-ing. St Mark’s NationalTheological Centre in Canberra isinviting all graduates to return for acelebratory warming winter lunchwith current students and theFriends of St Mark’s community.

If you are a graduate or knowsomeone who completed theirstudies at St Mark’s, please spreadthe word.

Since 1971, when the CanberraCollege of Ministry was estab-lished on the St Mark’s site at Bar-ton in the National Capital,thousands of people have com-pleted their education and trainingand subsequently exercised theirgifts and abilities within theChurch and across the community.

The date for your diary is Satur-day, August 27, 2011. To mark the

anniversary and to honor alumni,both graduates and currently en-rolled students will eat free. Thebuffet-style lunch ($30/head for allother Friends and supporters) willbe held at the Barton Cafeteria, di-rectly opposite the campus, from12.30pm to 2pm.

After lunch, attendees will havethe chance to enjoy the first StMark’s Open Day. There will betours of the entire site, an histori-cal exhibition featuring photo-graphs and memorabilia of paststaff and students, a special displayof the 1611 edition of the KingJames Bible, books, stalls, CSUwine and cheese, a sausage sizzle,devonshire teas and much more.

To register your interest in thisanniversary, or to be kept informedof future news and activities ofFriends and Alumni of St Mark’s,please send an email to stmarksad-min@csu.edu.au or telephone 026272 6252.

THE Diocese of Gippsland is offering a clergysupport and wellbeing day, a day of reflection onministry and its challenges, in August. Leader forthe day will be Tim Dyer (right) who ministers withJohn Mark Ministries, Tasmania.

Tim Dyer is a regular speaker at pastors’ andclergy conferences in areas of leadership, churchsystems, professional ethics, mentoring, conflictmanagement and the impact of clergy sexual abuse.He contributes to in-service training programs forclergy and leaders across several denominationsand states.

Tim has an interest in healthy congregational andparish life and consults with churches and denom-inations on processes to create and support parishhealth.

The workshop will be on Thursday, August 11from 10am to 5pm at Latrobe Convention Centre,5601 Princes Highway, Traralgon (next to the Trar-algon golf course).

Tim Dyer will lead discussions and reflectionswith a focus on the how personal relationships af-fect parish life; that is, how the power and author-ity of clergy interrelates with the lay leadership ina parish. Some of the discussion might includemodels of leadership, governance, gender and sys-temic health and dysfunction in parish and diocesan

life. These are so often the dynamics at work whenwe are faced with boundary issues, bullying or ourown issues with self care.

Registrations to kerries@gippsanglican.org.au ortelephone 03 5144 2044.

Accommodation is available the night before forthose travelling a long distance. Dinner and ac-commodation following the day with Tim Dyer arealso available. Please book in when registering.

For further information, please talk with Archdea-con Heather Marten, 0419 597 963.

Clergy offered support and wellbeing

CHRISTIAN Witness in a Multi-Reli-gious World: Recommendations for Con-duct, a five-page document on theconduct of mission ‘according to gospelprinciples’, was released during a publicpresentation on Tuesday, June 28, at theEcumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzer-land.

The recommendations regarding re-spectful behaviour on the part of mission-aries, evangelists and other witnesseswhen sharing the Christian faith were is-sued following a five-year series of con-sultations among the World Council ofChurches (WCC), the Pontifical Councilfor Inter-religious Dialogue (PCID) of theRoman Catholic Church and the WorldEvangelical Alliance (WEA).

The three bodies include Orthodox,Catholic, Anglican, Protestant, Evangeli-cal, Pentecostal and independent churcheswith a combined membership of two bil-lion people representing nearly 90 percent of the world’s Christians.

“We send this document to each of ourconstituencies with the hope they will seethese recommendations as an inspirationto design their own codes of conduct, rel-evant to their own particular contexts,”said Reverend Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, gen-eral secretary of the WCC.

“In the past five years we have beenbuilding a new bridge,” said Dr GeoffTunnicliffe, chief executive officer andsecretary general of the WEA.

“The document is a major achievement,in that it represents formal agreement onthe essence of Christian mission whilealso demonstrating diverse Christian bod-ies are able to work together and to speaktogether.”

In this sense, the release of the text “isan historic moment” in the quest forChristian unity, he said.

The document begins: ‘Mission belongsto the very being of the church’. The rec-ommendations that follow suggest practi-cal ways of engaging in mission whileshowing sincere respect for neighbors ofother faiths.

Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, presidentof the PCID, observed leaders in churchestoday: “Have a duty to proclaim the faith[and] to propose a greater vision of dia-logue.”

He cited a principle of Catholic teach-ing: “Reject nothing that is true and holyin each religion”, cautioning that Chris-tians must overcome religious conflicts ifthey are to “present the truth of God in acredible way”.

The joint document on Christian witness

calls for careful study of the issues of mis-sion and inter-religious dialogue, buildingof trust and cooperation among people ofall religions and promotion of religiousfreedom everywhere.

Christians are encouraged to pray for thewell-being of all, to strengthen their ownreligious identity and to avoid misrepre-senting the beliefs of others.

Where possible, the preparation of codesof conduct by churches and related or-ganisations “should be done ecumeni-cally, and in consultation withrepresentatives of other religions.”

Presenting Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World, Tveit alluded to Christ’sprayer for unity in the 17th chapter ofJohn’s gospel.

“We are called to be one so that theworld may believe,” said Tveit. “And sothis day is a day for thankfulness, a dayof celebration, but also a day of reflec-tion.”

Meetings involving the WCC, PCID andWEA that led to the formulation of Chris-tian Witness in a Multi-Religious Worldwere held at Lariano, Italy in May 2006,Toulouse, France in August 2007 andBangkok, Thailand in January 2011.

Mark BeachDirector of Communication,WCC

Christians agree on missionary conduct

RIGHT: Some of the many participants listening during the Safe Min-istry training workshop: Bullying and Boundaries, held at Rosedale. Thelast of these training days in 2011 will be at St George’s Wonthaggi onSeptember 10, from 10am to 12noon. Contact the Registry office, tele-phone 03 5144 2044, ro register for the workshop.

Photo: Christine Morris

12 Our Diocese - Parishes August 2011

The Gippsland Anglican

Lyn leaves to garden

The Anglican Diocese of Gippsland

takes complaints of abuse and harm

seriously.

If you may have been harmed by a Church worker, or know someone who has, please come forward. All complaints will be treated sensitively and confidentially. The Director of Professional Standards, Cheryl Russell, can be contacted on telephone 03 5633 1573, on mobile 0407 563313 or email cherylrussell1@bigpond.com The Anglican Diocese of Gippsland does not tolerate any harassment or abuse in its church community.

A RETIREMENT lunch was held at St James’ Anglican Church Trar-algon on Sunday, July 3, to farewell Lyn Bearlin after 23 years as theparish secretary. The 75 people gathered heard Lyn had worked with thelate Canon Dick Kainey, Archdeacon Clem Watts, Reverend Robert Hap-per and Canon Jeff Richardson. It was mentioned that behind every goodclergy there is a good secretary and both Archdeacon Clem who travelledfrom Kangaroo Island South Australia with his wife Val to attend andCanon Jeff endorsed this, adding many attributes they had found in Lyn.When asked what she will do in retirement she hoped “to get lost in thegarden” and so it was in the nicest possible way that the Parish presentedher with a plant and cheque and politely told her to “get lost!”

Contributed by Shelley Cooper

ABOVE: Canon Jeff Richardson with Lyn Bearlin.Photo: Shelley Cooper

ON the first Saturday of each month, a group of loyalworkers from Mirboo North parish band together torun a sausage sizzle. Audrey Greenwood, Jane Stone,and Neil and Julie Trease turn up each month withwarm smiles and welcoming conversation as well as asausage or two (above and right).

They set up outside the local supermarket, which do-nates sausages and bread; many thanks to them fortheir support.

The funds raised from the sausage sizzle are donatedto the local chaplaincy fund, which helps support thechaplain Norm DeSilva, who does a wonderful job atthe Mirboo North primary and secondary schools.Well done team.

Contributed by/Photo: Pam Pincini

Sausages sizzle for chaplaincy

THE journey through Easter at StPaul’s Korumburra began withmaking palm crosses (below).

Some drama was introduced intoEaster services this year with amonologue of Mary’s sorrow atJesus death in the Good Fridayservice (left) and a reading of thepassion of Christ by a group ofparishioners. A monologue from aroman soldier’s viewpoint was partof the Easter Day celebration(right).

Photos: Lyn Gilbert

Monologuesat Korumburra

August 2011 Our Diocese - Parishes 13

The Gippsland Anglican

Pentecost at Morwell

SUBSCRIPTIONto The Gippsland Anglican

Get The Gippsland Anglican posted direct to you

Name ......................................................................

Address ..................................................................

.................................................................................

Telephone ...............................................................

Yes, I would like a one year postal subscription to The Gipps-land Anglican, costing $27.50. I enclose a cheque/postalorder, made out to the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland. Send to TGA subscriptions, Anglican Diocese of Gippsland,PO Box 928, Sale, 3850. Enquiries, telephone 03 5144 2044.

2011

TBA Blessing of Ena Sheumack House; Abbey of St Barnabas at A’Beckett Park, Raymond Island

August4 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day7 Bishop John McIntyre at St Paul’s Cathedral, Sale9 – 12 The Abbey of St Barnabas; Wind and the music of creation A. Listening to the sounds of

creation, listening to the spirit of the creator, exploring the journey through music.11 Clergy support and wellbeing day with Tim Dyer; Latrobe Convention Centre, Traralgon;

RSVP to Heather Marten, 0419 597963, email kerries@gippsanglican.org.au or telephone 03 5144 2044

12 – 14 The Abbey of St Barnabas; Wind and the music of creation B. Listening to the sounds of creation, listening to the spirit of the creator, exploring the journey through music.

13 Anam Cara Quiet Day, Korumburra; 10am to 3pm; http://www.anamcara-gippsland.org13 Lay Readers Training Day; St John’s Bairnsdale; 10am to 3.30pm. With Reverends Bruce

Charles, Tony Wicking and Jenny Ramage, lay readers chaplains.17,18 The Abbey of St Barnabas; Environment Day. Exploring understanding of the interdependence

of all life and our role in its nurture and practical aspects of living a sustainable lifestyle. Led by Dr Ann Miller and the Environmental Task Force.

21 Diocesan Ultreya, 2pm to 4pm22 - 25 Work week at the Abbey of St Barnabas, Raymond Island, with Brian Turner23 Mothers’ Union Gippsland Executive meeting, Mirboo North, 9.30am23 – 28 Gympie Music Muster, 30th year, Amamoor Creek State Forest; www.muster.com.au25 – 26 Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training; Latrobe Valley; $275; contact Sarah Gover,

telephone 03 5144 1100 or 0458 45037026 Work day at the Abbey of St Barnabas, Raymond Island, with Brian Turner27 Celebrate 40 years of St Mark’s National Theological Centre; email

stmarksadmin@csu.edu.au or telephone 02 6272 625227 – 28 Growth in Ministry Intensive, Bishopscourt28 Bishop John McIntyre at St Paul’s Cathedral, Sale30 – September 2, Living with Grief and Loss: Hope for the journey A; The Abbey of St Barnabas; with

Rosemary Pounder. A chance to reflect together, to be nurtured by the environment. For those who feel as though they are in transition, those who have lost partners and are exploring life as single people.

September2 – 4 Living with Grief and Loss: Hope for the journey B; The Abbey of St Barnabas; with Rosemary

Pounder. A chance to reflect together, to be nurtured by the environment. For those who feel as though they are in transition, those who have lost partners and are exploring life as single people.

3 Lay Readers Training Day; St Paul’s Korumburra; 10am to 3.30pm. With Reverends Bruce Charles, Tony Wicking and Jenny Ramage, lay readers chaplains.

4 Bishop John McIntyre in Westernport parish6 E-conference, ‘Following Jesus – Matthew 6th National eConference; live webcast 10.30am to

2.50pm; telephone 07 9847 0726, fax 07 9847 0501, email econferences@bbi.catholic.edu.au6 – 8 The Abbey of St Barnabas, Raymond Island; Retreat into Silence; details TBA9 – 11 The Abbey of St Barnabas, Raymond Island; Water, Dance and Drama A. Spirituality,

movement and appreciation of water. Led by Susanna Pain.10 Safe Ministry Seminar: Bullying and Boundaries; for clergy, stipendiary lay church workers and

lay readers; 10am to 12noon; St George’s Wonthaggi; contact Diocesan Registry, telephone 03 5144 2044 or email kerries@gippsanglican.org.au

10 CWCI gathering, ‘Flowers with Focus’; Baptist church hall, Princes Highway, Sale; 1.30pm.11 Back to Church Sunday11 Bishop John McIntyre in Bruthen parish13 Mothers’ Union AGM; St Luke’s Moe; 10am; BYO lunch13 – 15 The Abbey of St Barnabas, Raymond Island; Water, Dance and Drama B. Spirituality,

movement and appreciation of water. Led by Susanna Pain.16 – 18 The Abbey of St Barnabas, Raymond Island; Spirituality of Spring. A Retreat led by the Anam

Cara Community, Joy Campbell, Marion White and Carolyn Raymond.17 Ridley Melbourne pastoral seminar ‘Where is my little miracle?’ 9am to 3pm; RSVP

www.ridley.edu.au/infertility18 Bishop John McIntyre in Rosedale parish18 Diocesan Ultreya, 2pm to 4pm20 – 23 The Abbey of St Barnabas, Raymond Island; Environment Week A. Exploring an understanding

of the interdependence of all life and our role in its nurture and practical aspects of living a sustainable lifestyle. Led by Dr Ann Miller and the Environmental Taskforce.

23 – 25 The Abbey of St Barnabas, Raymond Island; Environment Week B. Exploring an understanding of the interdependence of all life and our role in its nurture and practical aspects of living a sustainable lifestyle. Led by Dr Ann Miller and the Environmental Taskforce.

27 – 30 The Abbey of St Barnabas, Raymond Island; Earth and Art A. Led by Dr Pene Brook. Exploring questions about sustainability, the earth and God through the creation of visual images.

30 – October 2 The Abbey of St Barnabas, Raymond Island; Earth and Art B. Led by Dr Pene Brook. Exploring questions about sustainability, the earth and God through the creation of visual images.

October1 Bruthen Parish Country Craft and Art Fair3 – 6 Annual clergy retreat; Pallotti College8 Diocesan Missions Expo, St Paul’s Cathedral & Delbridge Hall, Sale; contact Mrs J Radford,

PO Box 194, Rosedale, 3847 or telephone 03 5199 275211 Anglican Women of Australia Gippsland Rally and AGM; 9.30am to 3pm; guest speaker Mike

Hansen, on the Camino pilgrim walk; enquiries, Pat Cameron, 03 5147 199011 – 14 The Abbey of St Barnabas, Raymond Island; Environment Week A. Exploring an understanding

of the interdependence of all life and our role in its nurture and practical aspects of living a sustainable lifestyle. Led by Dr Ann Miller and the Environmental Taskforce.

14 – 16 The Abbey of St Barnabas, Raymond Island; Environment Week B. Exploring an understanding of the interdependence of all life and our role in its nurture and practical aspects of living a sustainable lifestyle. Led by Dr Ann Miller and the Environmental Taskforce.

AT St Mary’s in Morwell we areso fortunate to have four priests.All four have many responsibilitiesto other areas of ministry as well asthe parish of St Mary’s. However,at Pentecost we were able to havethree priests to celebrate this greatfestival of the Christian year.

To celebrate the wonder and joyof Pentecost, we were led in wor-ship by Archdeacon HeatherMarten, Reverend Kathy Dalton,Indigenous priest for West Gipps-land and Rev. Steven Riek, the Su-danese priest from the Nuercongregation. The church was dec-orated with red balloons andstreamers.

There was a wonderful altar clothdesigned and painted by the chil-dren. Many of the congregationwore red to symbolise the tonguesof flame which appeared aroundthe disciples’ heads at Pentecost.

Different languages were used.This underlined the coming of theHoly Spirit to the disciples wheneveryone could hear the truth intheir own tongue. Rev. Kathy gavethe welcome to country in Koorilanguage The readings were inEnglish and Nuer. Each of thepriests, Rev. Kathy, Rev. Stevenand Rev. Heather, gave a homilybased on the reading from Actstelling of the coming of the HolySpirit.

The coming of the Holy Spirit en-ables us to hear the truth no matterwhich language we speak. Wewere invited to say the Lord’sPrayer in whichever language we

aremost familiar. The gifts of the HolySpirit were read out (1 Corinthianschapter 12 verses 1-11).

Members of the congregation se-lected the gift they sought at thisparticular time in their lives. Theywere then given a cardboard flamewith that gift written on it.

The children had kites they madewhich they ‘flew’ around thechurch, acting out the wind of theHoly Spirit. The Nuer communitysang and played their drums.

We all experienced a celebrationwhich reminded us of the comingof the Holy Spirit to all nations.Contributed by Carolyn Raymond

TOP: Members of the Sudanesecongregation at St Mary’s Mor-well, with Reverend Steven Riek,at the Pentecost service.ABOVE: Youth from Morwellparish lighting candles during thePentecost service.

Photos: Carolyn Raymond

NB: Calendar dates as supplied at time of going to print.

Diocesan Calendar

14 Literary and Media Reviews August 2011

The Gippsland Anglican

McCarthy B (2011) Hear-ing the Person with Demen-tia: Person-centredapproaches to communica-tion for families and care-givers; UK: Jessica KingsleyPublisher

A BOOK titled, Hearing the Per-son with Dementia: Person-centredapproaches to communication forfamilies and caregivers, by clinicalpsychologist, dementia consultantand educator, Bernie McCarthy,sold out worldwide in just sixweeks. The third reprint of thebook recently arrived in Australia.

Aimed at carers and loved onesthe book explains in plain languagewhy changes occur and helps in-terpret the world of the person liv-ing with dementia.

Losing the ability to communi-cate can be a frustrating and diffi-cult experience for all involved. Asthe illness progresses, the personwith dementia may find it increas-ingly difficult to express them-selves clearly and to understandwhat others say.

Intended, for family and profes-sional carers, this book clearly ex-plains what happens to the part ofthe brain controlling communica-tion as dementia progresses, howthis may affect an individual’smemory, language and senses andhow carers need to adapt their ap-proach as a result.

Advocating a person-centred ap-proach to dementia care, McCarthydescribes methods of verbal andnon-verbal communication, tech-niques for communicating withpeople who can no longer speak ormove and strategies for communi-cating more effectively in specificsituations, including at mealtimes,while helping the person with de-mentia to dress and caring for themwhile they are out and about.

Exercises at the end of each chap-ter encourage the carer to reflect ontheir learning and apply it to theirown circumstances and guidelinesfor creating a life story with theperson with dementia as a means ofpromoting good communicationare also included.

The book is based on McCarthy’s15 years experience ‘working tosupport carers of people living withdementia at home and in residen-tial care.’

McCarthy writes about ‘the pow-erful effect of good communicationin reaching a person previouslythought to be ‘unreachable’ be-cause of cognitive impairment.’

The book explains how to recog-nise signs of well-being and ill-being when a person has lost theskills to communicate. Real lifeexamples help the reader under-stand how the person with cogni-tive impairment interprets theworld around them.

In Australia, dementia affects thelives of nearly one million peoplewho are involved with caring for afamily member or friend with de-mentia.

According to Alzheimer’s Aus-tralia, in 2008 there were 227,300people living with dementia inAustralia. The number is expectedto be 731,000 by 2050 unless there

is a medical breakthrough. Family carers provide 80 per cent

of the value of informal care with-out compensation. At least $1 inevery $40 in the Australian healthsystem is spent on dementia.

There are more than 100 condi-tions that cause dementia. Demen-tia is a term used to describe thesymptoms of a large group of ill-nesses causing a progressive de-cline in a person’s mentalfunctioning.

It is a broad term describing a lossof memory, intellect, rationality,social skills and normal emotionalreactions.

Based on the United Kingdom’sTom Kitwood’s model of personcentred care, McCarthy empha-sises the importance of hearing andseeing the person with dementia asa feeling person even though thedisease may have taken many oftheir faculties.

The book provides support bybringing together knowledge andexperience of McCarthy’s studyand work in the field. Interventionsfor problems plus case studiesmake this book accessible and easyto read.

Published by Jessica KingsleyPublisher UK, this concise, practi-cal book is essential reading forfamily caregivers, professional carestaff and all those who strive formeaningful engagement with peo-ple living with dementia.

Price: $21.95 plus packing andhandling. To purchase, telephone03 9431 0311, web addresswww.mccarthypsychology.com.auor postal McCarthy Psychology,PO Box 791, Eltham, Victoria3095. Email scarlettc@mc-carthypsychology.com.au

Book to help carersand family members

By Jeanette Severs

Scalf Linamen, K (2002) I’m Not Suf-fering from Insanity … I’m EnjoyingEvery Minute of It! USA: Strand Publish-ing.

KAREN Scalf Linamen has written a number ofbooks about her life both as a woman and as aChristian, and authors a regular syndicated columnin the USA. She obviously appeals to a number ofreaders across America. This book, like many ofher books, is a compilation of her syndicatedcolumns and the emails and letters she receivesfrom her readers.

Her writing is often funny, sometimes tearful andmany times wretchedly raw, as she talks about bothher and her readers encounters with life, God, andfor a time, her loss of God and faith in her life.Linamen writes with embarrassment and with en-thusiasm.

She describes her daily life and how sometimeseverything goes right or wrong, how she deals withit, or not; and how her friends and family membersdeal with their lives. She describes encounters overfood and cooking, moving from one Americanstate to another, losing friends, finding new friends,helping her children.

Linamen also talks about the period she thoughther marriage was over, her obesity, how she turnedher back on a lot of people willing to help her; andhow after a snow-driven night-time lonely walk shefound God again and eventually found herself, herhusband and her marriage … and her friends, bothold and new.

Mostly, Linamen writes about being intentional,in our relationships with God, Jesus, our families,our friends and others in our lives. Her book is easy

to dip into and out of or to read from the first tolast page, it is up to the reader.

Distributed in Australia through Christian book-sellers and by Family Reading Publications, Bal-larat, www.familyreading.com.au

Raw truth in her faith

Film raises powerful questionsBy Karin McKenzie

Karslake D (DVD film) For the Bible tellsme so (rated M), Beyond Home Entertain-ment

WRITTEN, directed and produced by DanielKarslake and featuring the real family stories of peo-ple such as Bishop Gene Robinson, this multi-awardwinning film is an exploration of how insightful peo-ple of faith handle the realisation one of their childrenis homosexual. The voices of respected people suchas Bishop Desmond Tutu and Orthodox Rabbi SteveGreenburg are heard on the film, talking about respect,healing and understanding.

Set in America, abusive epithets such as ‘Death tofaggits (sic)’ ‘ I have a bullet for each of you’ and‘God hates fags’ are confronting reminders of thechasm separating gays and lesbians and Christian fun-damentalists.

Gene Robinson (now an Episcopalian Bishop), ToniaPoteat, Jake Reitan, Chrissy Gephart and Anna Wall-ner were all brought up in loving Christian homes.From various denominations, they were grounded inchurch and scripture. The ‘coming out’ of each had aprofound effect on their families, challenging deeplyheld beliefs.

Viewers may be taken out of their comfort zone asthey are confronted by the hatred and misunderstand-ing experienced by Gene, Chrissy, Jake, Tonia andAnna.

What is or would be your response to your son ordaughter declaring their homosexuality? Is homosex-uality the sin above all sins? Can this orientation reallybe changed? Is it a choice or natural? Does the churchembrace the outcast or create outcasts?

A range of theologians, ministers and pastors, amongthem Archbishop Desmond Tutu, answers questionslike these.

The Anglican Church is divided on the issue. ThisDVD offers a reasoned examination of many of the

difficulties raised by Christians. As a factual accountof the experiences of the five participants, For theBible tells me so is a powerful and useful resource asthe Church develops its understanding of homosexu-ality.

For the Bible tells me so is available from BeyondHome Entertainment, www.beyondhomeentertain-ment.com.au

ABOVE: This book advocates aperson-centred approach to de-mentia care.

Grant, James (2010), Epis-copically led and synodicallygoverned. This book, re-viewed in the July issue ofThe Gippsland Anglican, isavailable from the gift shop atSt Paul’s Cathedral, Mel-bourne. The book is pub-lished by AustralianScholarly Publishing.

August 2011 Literary and Media Reviews 15

The Gippsland Anglican

Journalengagesthought

By Robert Fordham

St Mark’s Review – A Journalof Christian Thought and Opin-ion (2011:216) ‘Fulfilling theLaw; Preaching Matthew andMoses. St Mark’s National Theo-logical Centre. Annual subscrip-tion: $50.

THE recent edition (number 216) of StMark’s Review is an excellent reminderwhy all thinking Christians should sub-scribe to this execellent journal.

The five major articles in this editionarise from a seminar held last Novem-ber ‘Preaching Matthew and Moses’ asan introduction to the current Year A inour Lectionary, designed to assist bothclergy and laity as the year unravels.Presenters included Scott Cowdell, TomFrame, Marilyn Clark and DavidNeville.

In addition to the articles in each edi-tion of St Mark’s Review, there are re-views of recent books coming into themarket place. For example, in the recentedition there are nine reviews includingDon Cupitt’s Theology’s Strange Re-turn, Kevin Giles’ Better Together:Equality in Christ and John Wilson onChristianity alongside Islam.

The journal has a history going backto 1955 and the redoubtable BishopBurgmann, reflecting his determinationto assist the reader in deepening theirknowledge and understanding of theo-logical issues. Dr Graeme Garrett hasbeen closely associated with St Mark’sReview for more than 20 years.

Commenting on the style of the jour-nal, Dr Garrett said: “On the one hand,St Mark’s Review has from the outsetendeavoured to publish writing that isscholarly, that is up to date, well in-formed and carefully argued. But, onthe other hand, it has not aspired to be aspecialist journal dedicated to a conver-sation between experts. The ‘idealreader’ for St Mark’s Review was and isthe intelligent and informed lay personwith an interest in things theological,and particularly as theology engageswith and informs daily life in our soci-ety.”

A subscription to this journal is a goodinvestment; email in the first instance tostmarksadmin@csu.edu.au

THE national The Book that Changedthe World exhibition is touring Aus-tralia on the occasion of the 400th an-niversary of the King James’ Bible. Theexhibition, presented by Bible SocietyAustralia, will be in Melbourne in Oc-tober at the Melbourne City Library,October 2nd to 28th.

Dates for the touring exhibition inother cities and towns, from August2011 to February 2012, are availableonline. Exhibition opening hours arethe normal advertised hours of thevenue indicated.

Online Exhibition TO accompany the national The Book

that Changed the World exhibition,Bible Society Australia presents an on-line exhibition of the history of the

Bible and showcases the best of the bestfrom rare Bible collections.

These videos are free to use for non-commercial purposes. To download anindividual video simply click on the‘Vimeo’ label and log in (you will needto create a free Vimeo account). Oncelogged in, a link under the About ThisVideo heading will allow you to down-load a full copy of each video.

The online video exhibitions are titledAustralian Indigenous Scriptures, Aus-tralian War Bibles, Lord Hopetoun’sBible, Governor Macquarie Bibles, TheKing James Bible, The Geneva Bible(Shakespeare’s Bible), Saxon Scrip-tures and the Tyndale Bible, GovernorHunter’s Bible and Historic ChineseBibles.

Look online athttp://www.kjv11.com.au/online-exhi-bition.html

Bible exhibition tours Australia

By June Treadwell

Vickers, Sally (2006) The Other Sideof You; Harper Collins

THE author of The Other Side of You, SallyVickers has been a practising psychoanalyst so itis no surprise the narrator of this story is a psy-chotherapist. He has undertaken to treat a pa-tient, an Elizabeth Cruickshank, who has madea serious attempt at suicide.

He is acquainted with grief himself as his smallbrother was killed by a lorry. Thus, he is wellable to empathise with his patient who has lostfaith in life with the loss of her soulmate andlover.

It takes some time before she is prepared totrust herself and her doctor in order to speakabout her experiences.

The painings of Carravaggio and in particular,The Supper at Emmaus, inspire the title of thisbook and the quotation from poet TS Elliot’s TheWasteland is also a reference to Christ joininghis two disciples on the road to Emmaus, as re-lated in Luke’s Gospel

‘Who is the third who walks always beside youWhen I count there are only you and I togetherBut when I look ahead up the roadThere is always another one walking beside

youAnd who is that on the other side of you?’It is only when Jesus breaks bread with his

friends that they recognise the risen Jesus. Asthe truth emerges for Jesus’ friends, so too doestruth emerge when Dr McBride and Elizabethengage with open hearts and minds in their con-versation as their stories unfold.

The Other side of You captures the imagination,shows the remedial power of storytelling and isa good mix of art and psychology for the Chris-tian who asks just who the person is who walksbeside us.

Authorexploresthe truthaboutJesus’comfortin lostlove

By Sue Fordham

Cannold, Leslie (2011) TheBook of Rachael; Text Publishing

THIS speculative work of fiction back-grounds and contextualises the Gospelsin ways that are both familiar and attimes bizarre. There is the sub-theme ofgoddess worship and women healers atodds with the dominant male Jewish re-ligious paradigm; there is the Jesus andMary Magdalene love story theory; andthere is the idea of Jesus as righter ofgender inequality and temple abuses.This list is far from exhaustive.

I was keen to read this novel, havinglong admired Leslie Cannold as an occa-sional journalist and columnist in TheAge and also being intrigued by what shemight make of Jesus in the context of animagined family. My response is am-bivalent.

On one hand, she tells a good story. TheRachael of the title is meant to be Jesus’feisty, brilliant, younger sister. It openswith the slaughter of a lamb for Passover,regresses to the lamb’s traumatic birthaided by Rachael (also the first personnarrator of the story), then moves for-ward to a more graphic telling of theslaughter and the eating of the lamb dur-ing the Seder meal. Grissly, I know, butwhat an opening!

On the other hand, the telling of thestory itself is marred by clumsy expres-sions like a rooster ‘clucking’ (really?),anachronistic use of words like ‘siren’ toexplain warning sounds and the indis-criminate mix of archaic word use de-tract from a sense of authenticity:compare ‘Let us make haste’ to ‘Oh my!’

Coming as we do from a tradition thatregards Mary as a simple good-heartedgirl chosen by God, I was shocked tofind the Mary (or Miriame) of the novelportrayed as a shrewish, sour and puni-tive mother, a repressed and rage-filledwoman who gnaws her lips until bloodyand parades her disobedient daughter,Rachael, before the villagers, invitingthem to pinch and strike her.

Joseph (or Yosef) is the intelligent,

compassionate paternal role model forJesus and the one who rescues his daugh-ter Rachael from the worst excesses ofher mother.

The family into which Jesus (orJoshua) is born is dysfunctional by anymeasure. The second-born child, Jacob,is a drunken, sly layabout, the twin boysare dull-witted but the older girl Shonais a model of virtue and obedience. (Fatlot of good it does her in this story’stelling, though.)

The plot as it unfolds is a case of fillingin the Gospel gaps to satisfy the writer’spreconceptions and at times it even ig-nores the Gospel itself. For example, ac-cording to the novel, it is Rachael, MaryMagdalene and Judas who sit at the footof the cross. Rachael is depicted calmlycomforting Mary Magdalene while shealmost stage-manages the soldier offer-ing wine to her thirsty, dying brother. Itdoesn’t really ring true emotionally.

As in the Gospel, Peter gets a bad press(betrayal, failure to understand, impetu-osity) but the novel puts this down toPeter being an opportunistic dimwit whoinvents the resurrection to claw backsome benefit from the failure of the cru-cifixion.

The role of Judas (or Judah) is an hon-orable rewrite of generally accepted or-thodoxy. I like it, though. I don’t wanthim to be an unredeemable bad guy andLeslie Cannold obviously did not wantthat either. Cannold’s version of Judas, ahunky, brave but impetuous man and ofhis betrayal as almost accidental, does atleast make more palatable the idea thatif the betrayal was foreseen by God asdistinct from preordained, Judas was notcreated cruelly to be the fall guy.

Jesus, a shadowy backdrop to the nar-rative, only comes alive at a couple ofpoints in the story. He is goodhearted,deeply spiritual but prone to grand ges-tures that seem almost foolish and unfairto his followers.

In any event I recommend that you readthis novel with the usual ‘suspension ofdisbelief’ that reading fiction requires.On balance it is a good rollicking yarnbut probably does not add much to find-ing the historical Jesus.

Rachael is agood yarn butnot satisfying

16 Our Diocese - Pictorial August 2011

The Gippsland Anglican

‘TREASURES in unexpectedplaces’ was the theme for thisyear’s op shop fashion paradehosted by Christian Women Com-municating Internationally(CWCI). The fashion parade washeld at St Mary’s Morwell on June30, with Deb Bye from Life FMthe compere and narrator for theoutfits.

A range of op shop fashions fromeveryday wear to formal and bridalwear, across the ages, was mod-elled. CWCI organisers included a‘bad taste’ category, which resultedin roars of laughter.

The evening was a great successand thoroughly enjoyed by themore than 140 people in atten-dance. The CWCI op shop fashionparade has become a very popularbi-annual event; this year five opshops provided clothing and acces-sories.

Special guest speaker was MrsLisa Watson, who was inspiring,linking earthly treasures to theBible story of the woman at thewell (John 4), where is found thegreatest treasure of all, discoveringJesus who offers the gift of lifeeternal.

Contributed by Helen Davis and Sue ThompsonPhotos: Irene Hood

Unexpected treasures found at fashion parade