ANGLICAN CHURCH OF AUSTRALIA

DIOCESE OF GIPPSLAND

36th SYNOD

SECOND SESSION
13 - 15 MAY 2011

SALE, VIC

President’s Address

Issued by the Registrar, Diocese of Gippsland, PO Box 928, Sale Vic 3853
Phone - (03) 5144 2044 Fax - (03) 5144 7183 Email – registrar@gippsanglican.org.au
Website - http://www.gippsanglican.org.au

13 May 2011
This is the sixth time I have stood before the synod of the Gippsland Diocese to address you on those matters
that I believe it is important for us as church to focus on in our ongoing concern to be God’s people in God’s
world. I think it is fitting after five years to reflect on the changes that have taken place in the diocese in that
time. These changes are due to the committed labour of a range of people, too many to name but to whom I
am immensely grateful.

The most exciting development to my mind has been the way in which we have been able to affirm ministry
by and to Aboriginal people across Gippsland, highlighted by the ordination as priest of Phyllis Andy and
Kathy Dalton earlier this year.

In my first address to synod in 2006 I signalled my intent for the diocese “to put first our obligation to the
original inhabitants of our land in this region of Australia”, and committed myself to “finding further sources
of funding to enable the employment of Aboriginal people by the Anglican Church in Gippsland, and
ultimately the ordination of Aboriginal Anglican Priests as a sign of our affirmation of their ministry among,
with and to us”.

I am pleased to say we are a significant way down the path to realising this intent and I acknowledge the
ministry of Phyllis and Kathy and those people and parishes who have supported them in ministry.

Before synod this year is a Bill for an “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Ministry Act”, which
puts into legislation structures to ensure longevity for the initiatives taken over the last five years to establish
Aboriginal ministry in the diocese.

The critical question which still faces us, however, is the sustainability of this ministry by the provision of the
resources necessary to ensure its future. The Bill for an Act includes the establishment of a ministry trust
fund which will take up the existing “Gippsland Aboriginal Ministry Fund”. That fund started off well but the
initial enthusiasm has died down and there is a need to build its resources to enable ongoing sustainability of
the ministry.

Aboriginal people recognise and are committed to contributing towards the ministry of which they are a part,
but it must be remembered they do not of themselves have the economic capacity to sustain that ministry,
being on the whole, significantly disadvantaged economically. For this reason, they continue to need our
support.

More importantly, however, I believe we have an ongoing obligation to provide financial and other resources
to enable ministry by and to Aboriginal people in our diocese. This is a matter of just reparation to peoples
who were unjustly dispossessed and disenfranchised within their own land. It is the actions of our forebears
and our actions that have caused their demise and their ongoing disadvantage in our communities. As
Christians, I contend we are obliged as a matter of faith and its demand for justice to contribute significantly
towards this vital ministry fundamental to the call to be church in Australian society.

Accordingly, I challenge each parish, as I continue to challenge Bishop-in-Council, to find ways of ensuring
the ongoing viability and sustainability of Anglican Aboriginal ministry in Gippsland as a regular feature of
parish and diocesan life and annual budgets.

A second major development of the last five years has been the vision for The Abbey of St. Barnabas at
A’Beckett Park as a Centre for Spirituality and the Environment. I believe this vision to be a gift of God and I
continue to encourage the diocese to explore and further develop it. I am pleased with the way in which it has
been taken up by people and parishes across the diocese, many of whom have contributed in various ways to
the development the Abbey. The winter program this year heralds the dawn of a new era in its ministry.

Recent news that “Anglican Earthcare Gippsland Incorporated” has received Deductible Gift Recipient status
enhances our opportunities for fund-raising for the Abbey. In the meantime, I acknowledge the way in which
Bishop-in-Council has been willing to take some calculated risks in resource allocation to enable the project
to develop to its present situation, where it sits on the cusp of an exciting new future.

To enhance our understanding of this vision for ministry, let me put the Abbey in perspective as part of the
greater vision of what it means for us to be God’s people in God’s world.

The fifth “Mark of Mission” of the Anglican Communion is “to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation
and to sustain and renew the life of the earth”. This mark is taken up in the Diocesan Strategic Plan under
“The Journey Outward” where one priority is “Caring for God’s Creation”.

One of the questions uppermost in the minds of a vast majority of Australians is the question of environmental
responsibility. Currently, there is no more pertinent point of connection with the people of our communities
than the environmental question. It fills our media outlets; it consumes our governments’ agendas, and it is
the topic of academic research and everyday conversation.

If we are not a part of conversations on the environment, we are missing out on a vital aspect of our mission in
the life of the world of which we are a part. As Christians, we have unique perspectives to bring to this
matter. Where better to do that than in a centre established specifically for that purpose? How better to show
our commitment to this issue in the life of God’s world than to commit significant time, energy and resources
to a ministry focused on spirituality and the environment?

In 2008 we launched the 5 year Diocesan Strategic Plan, “Jesus Christ, Here and Now, for Gippsland”. I
remind you of its vision. “We are a sign of the presence of Jesus Christ in our communities, through which
people are drawn by God’s Spirit to respond to Christ and to build God’s community together”.

I am encouraged by the willingness of parishes to explore under the plan new initiatives in ministry and
mission, and to take up the challenge to try something different as churches to engage with their communities.

This year marks the time when we need to begin to look forward to the five years beyond 2013 when the
current strategic plan comes to an end. I encourage parishes to be part of the conversations to help us discern
God’s direction for the longer term ministry and mission of the diocese.

One of the key priorities for “The Journey Outward” in the Diocesan Strategic Plan is a focus on children,
young people and their families. It is pleasing to see initiatives now being taken across the diocese in
response to this.

“Mainly Music” has taken off with fantastic success in six parishes, and is about to begin or is being
contemplated in five more parishes. It has put us in touch with dozens of young families with pre-school
children by responding to their need for support at this critical time of their lives.

Six parishes now have or are looking for paid workers who have a special focus on children, young people
and their families. Other parishes continue to rely on the tireless contribution of enthusiastic and committed
volunteers for their children’s ministry. I note with thanks those who in the past have worked under the
auspices of CEBS, now discontinued in the diocese, and those who continue to work under the auspices of
GFS and “Kids Plus”. I commend also the work of those volunteers who continue to offer Christian Religious
Education in government schools.

Currently we are developing a brief for a part-time diocesan-wide position for a children’s worker, which
ideally would be taken up by someone already engaged in this ministry in one of our parishes. The Cathedral
parish is looking to employ a specialist youth worker next year, who would have a diocesan-wide brief as
well. This will hopefully help fill the gap left by the diocesan-wide youth ministry “Cowwarr”, which is in
recess at the moment.
Another priority of “The Journey Outward” in our strategic plan is “Serving People in Need”. In response to
the needs of significant numbers of Southern Sudanese people moving into the Latrobe Valley, we have
established a Sudanese Anglican congregation under the pastoral care of their priest, Abraham Maluk, and
Holy Trinity Church building in Moe has been given to them for use as a centre for worship and a community
centre. This ministry is a very significant part of the total response of the local community to the needs of
Sudanese people in Gippsland. I acknowledge the people of the Moe parish in their support for and
generosity towards these newcomers in our midst. And we celebrate with and pray for the Southern Sudanese
as they look to the declaration of their independent national status on the 9th of July this year.

The Sudanese ministry is part of the flowering of the relationship between Anglicare and our diocese, through
the parish partnership program, their support of ministry in Moe, and our joint commitment to community
development as a vital component of the church’s ministry and mission within the life of the wider
community.

Within our partnership with Anglicare, I commend to you the work of Sarah Gover in assisting parishes better
to engage with their communities, and in helping to build positive relationships with Anglicare staff and
programmes across the diocese. She has worked tirelessly, and with passion and enthusiasm, to motivate
parishes to find ways of engaging or re-engaging with their communities and to see the benefits of
partnerships with Anglicare in the local context.

Another new initiative in the life of our diocese in the last five years has been the establishment of the Anam
Cara Community. This is a ministry consistent with “The Journey Inward” in our strategic plan. It
encourages growth in the spiritual life of its membership and all to whom it ministers through quiet days,
contemplative prayer services, retreats and individual spiritual direction. Gatherings are organised by cell
groups of Anam Cara members in each region, and the overall ministry is overseen by a regular meeting of its
team leadership group. In Sale, Anam Cara also runs a group called “Circle of Friends” for people living with
a range of disabilities. A regular newsletter, “Waterholes”, keeps the membership in touch with the life of the
movement and is a source of encouragement to all who read it.

Fundamentally the brainchild of Anne Turner, to whom we owe a great debt for its establishment, Anam Cara
has grown in leaps and bounds since its inception and has recently expanded into the Diocese of Canberra and
Goulburn with the blessing of its bishop.

The two Anglican schools in our diocese now share one Executive Principal. This development emerged out
of a situation of crisis at St. Paul’s Anglican Grammar School and is an outstanding case of the “silver lining”
that accompanies every dark cloud.

The turmoil of St. Paul’s school last year led to a complete spill of the board and the resignation of its
previous principal. Having sought counsel from the principal of Gippsland Grammar School, Mike Clapper,
he took up the role of interim principal of St. Paul’s while they searched for a new principal. This temporary
period of cooperation between the two schools led to the current experimental three-year arrangement of one
Executive Principal for both schools, working in partnership with a Head of School at Gippsland Grammar
and a Principal at St. Paul’s Grammar. This arrangement may well become permanent as together the two
schools explore and evaluate its success.

Alongside the new arrangement and coincidental to it, the two boards of the schools have been working with
the diocese to produce a statement on what it means to be an Anglican school. A document is soon to be
presented to Bishop-in-Council for final ratification and publication. I believe this marks a new beginning in
the understanding of both schools regarding their Anglican ethos. I pray it will lead to a greater appreciation
of the schools as part of the mission of the diocese by and to children, young people and their families, and of
the role of the school chaplains in the ministry of the diocese.
At a more mundane, but none the less essential level, there has been significant change in the administrative
structures of the diocese to ensure they work for us in our ministry and mission priorities.

The diocese continues to operate in three regions, each with an Archdeacon as before, but now also with a
Regional Dean. Together they form a “Regional Staff”, responsible in partnership with the bishop for
ministry and mission in their region. Regional Deans take the place of Rural Deans, their responsibility now
covering a whole region. Regional teams have the potential to be expanded to cover other areas of ministry.

The major part of the archdeacons’ time is now taken up with diocesan-wide portfolio ministries, sharing the
load with me as bishop in relation to various aspects of ministry. Together with the bishop, the dean and the
registrar, the archdeacons make up what is now known as the “Diocesan Staff”, a name that indicates their
brief is diocesan-wide. Four times a year, the regional deans come to the monthly diocesan staff meetings.

Another new structural development is the establishment of “panels” rather than “networks” to oversee
various aspects of diocesan ministry and mission. These panels operate by setting up working groups from
their number on an ad-hoc basis to address particular issues within their area of concern. Each working group
has a limited life span only until its particular task is accomplished. The three panels are “Parish Ministry
Development”, “Christian Education”, and “Social Justice”.

One working group set up by Bishop-in-Council has been the Diocesan Resources Working Group. Its brief
has been to make recommendations through the Finance Committee to Bishop-in-Council to ensure the
resources of the diocese are utilised in tune with the priorities of the strategic plan. Its work is now
completed. Its recommendations include the appointment of a part-time Diocesan Property Officer to assist
parishes to fulfil their responsibility for the maintenance and development of properties; regular parish
property reviews, and a new re-investment formula for trust funds.

This short review of various aspects of our life as church over the last five years reveals significant progress
and leaves us with significant challenges. Not least is the challenge to respond to the telling fact that many of
our congregations continue to age and decline in numbers. The key challenge of the Diocesan Strategic Plan
is so to present the Gospel in our communities that people come to faith in Jesus Christ. It is in and through
the growth of the people of God that the things of God are born more and more into the life of God’s world.
Our major focus must be to bear witness to Jesus Christ in a manner that commends our faith to others, by
which God will draw them to share with us in ministry and mission.

Moving now to the wider church, I commend to you the discussion we are to have on the covenant for the
international Anglican Communion. I am delighted that the Primate has accepted my invitation to come to
our synod this year to address issues currently confronting the Anglican Communion with special reference to
the covenant. I will leave to his better knowledge the task of introducing this discussion but I take this
opportunity to make some comments on the covenant.

I have to admit to being initially sceptical about the covenant for a couple of reasons. The first was the
difficulty of trying to define too closely the nature of the relationship that exists between those of us who
participate in the international family that is the Anglican Communion. As soon as you commit to a particular
form of words there is the danger those words will be treated as immutable law, rather than as a mutual
agreement developed by consent over the years of a relationship. In contrast to law, the latter tends to be
organic and flexible. My concern was that we not change the essential nature of our relationship from
mutuality to law.

The second reason for my unease with the covenant was the implicit understanding among some of those who
advocated for it that it be used as a means to exclude those with whom they did not agree. Arising as it has
within the context of a strained, if not broken relationship, my concern was the danger of some in the
communion wanting to use the covenant as a mechanism of control over others in the communion.

I think, however, that things have moved in a direction that allays my initial concerns. The intention of the
covenant should be understood, to quote the Study Guide on the covenant, “as a description of life in the
Anglican family, (which) contains an agreement about what the family’s values are, what its purpose is, and
how it lives together”. And to quote the covenant itself, it recognises “the importance of renewing in a
solemn way our commitment to one another, and to the common understanding of faith and order we have
received, so that the bonds of affection which hold us together may be re-affirmed and intensified”. In other
words, its intent is to be descriptive rather than prescriptive. It bears authority but not by imposition.

With the development of a covenant it seems to me we stand at an historical moment in the life of the
Anglican Communion. We do well to take the opportunity to contribute to the discussion about its acceptance
within the communion. Do not think we have nothing to offer to this process. The Australian Anglican
Church has already contributed significantly to the covenant process, and we will discuss at the next General
Synod whether or not we will be partakers in the covenant. What we as a diocese commit to is an important
part of the whole process. I encourage the synod to enter into the discussion with energy and enthusiasm, and
to encourage their parishes to come to know the contents and intent of the covenant.

Currently, the matter which continues most to divide the Anglican Communion is the place of homosexual
people in the life of the church. Resolution 1.10 of the 1998 Lambeth Conference encourages the welcome
and inclusion of homosexual people in the life of the church but “could not advise the legitimising or blessing
of same sex unions, nor the ordaining of those involved in same gender unions”. It further commits the
church to listening to the experiences of homosexual people. Lambeth 2008 affirms the continuation of the
listening process. Bishop-in-Council late last year commissioned a group to implement the listening process
in our diocese. I encourage you all to be a part of it.

It has been my experience that those who suffer most when matters of human sexuality are discussed in the
church are those whose lives are being discussed. This means it is not easy to be homosexual in the church,
even in a church that is attempting to be inclusive and welcoming of homosexual people. It is never easy to
be treated as a topic of discussion rather than simply as a person.

This is one reason that I have chosen to be relatively silent in public discussion about homosexual people in
the life of the church. The other reason for my silence is that the debate is so polarised it is difficult to engage
without being unfairly categorised. Nevertheless, I have been publicly outspoken when I have seen that
homosexual people will be further marginalised or harmed by pronouncements of the church, and I have
sought at a policy level and in everyday practice to be inclusive and welcoming of homosexual people in this
diocese. I believe my stance was understood by those who on your behalf elected me as bishop, and I
therefore believe this diocese is committed to that policy and practice.

In my first address to synod in 2006 I expressed clearly my commitment to an inclusive church. This means
all are welcome, simply because they are God’s children. I am pleased that homosexual people are part of the
life and ministry of the church in this diocese, and I pray they continue to know they are welcome as brothers
and sisters in Christ.

I place inclusivity as a primary call on the church because I see it to be at the heart of Jesus’ ministry. He
went out of his way specifically to include those whom others saw as sinners to be excluded. His approach to
those who were offended by his inclusivity was to welcome them as well, but not on the basis that they
determine who is not welcome. The only people excluded in Jesus’ scheme of things are those who exclude
themselves because they do not want to be a part of a community which includes those they think should be
excluded.

This irony is made clear in the parable of the Prodigal Son, better described as the parable of the two sons. At
the end of the story, the father pleads with the older son to join the party in which the younger son, of whom
the older son disapproves, is already taking part. A question is left hanging in the air. Will the older son
accept the gracious invitation, or will he reject it because he wants the younger son to be excluded? He may
exclude himself but the father will not exclude him, just as he has not excluded the younger son.

The clue to unravelling the parable is God’s grace. This is why the church must above all else be inclusive.
The desire to exclude marks a lack of grace. It is not true to the heart of the God of grace, and it leads
tragically to self-exclusion.

To be inclusive as church means of course that people with significant differences of opinion on a whole
range of matters are sitting alongside each other in all kinds of contexts in our diocese. And this is certainly
true when it comes to the matter of the place of homosexual people within the life of the church. All I can
hope for is that we will be willing to listen to each other across those differences.

For this to happen we must take seriously that each person of faith is open to the urging of God’s spirit in her
or his life, and is trying to live out what he or she understands it means to be a child of God. We will not
always agree on what this means, but we can agree to trust each other to be as open as we can to hearing what
God is asking of us, and we can be willing to discuss our differences with respect and openness. This side of
the fulfilment of the reign of God, we will continue to see “through a glass darkly” about all manner of things,
and to disagree on what it is that God is saying to us about a range of matters. This is simply a reality of our
life together. Surely it is not asking too much to include our differing views on homosexuality in this
understanding of life in the church. Let us not isolate this one matter of difference among us as a continuing
reason for irreconcilable division in our communion. And let us not exclude any child of God from among us
in our continuing quest to engage with God on any matter of faith and practice in the church.

I will continue to welcome homosexual people into the life of this diocese, confident that God is at work in
and through all those who are open to the call of God in their lives and wanting to offer ministry in the life of
our churches.

Turning now to matters in the wider community and the world at large, I note with interest the growing focus
in the media on the churches and their role in society. While not always positive about the church, “any
publicity is good publicity”.

The attacks of aggressive atheism; the challenge in Queensland to chaplains in government schools funded by
the Federal Government, and local challenges to Christian Religious Education in government schools have
all raised the profile of religion in society. They give us great opportunity to address matters of faith and the
church in the public arena.

How we do this is as important as what we say. When attacked by aggressive atheism, which seems to
understand its role as ridding the world of religion, we do ourselves no favours if we attack in return or
become defensive. This does nothing to commend the Gospel.

It seems to me the thoughtful atheist is a person who, like the Christian, is seeking the truth. They are simply
trying to make sense of life from within a framework of not believing in God. I certainly have friends who are
atheists. I can enter into dialogue with them around the common concerns of our humanity, and in doing so I
am given the opportunity to make a case for my faith within a relationship of trust. We in the church need to
take care that the way in which we respond to aggressive atheism, does not harm our capacity to stay in
dialogue with those atheists who genuinely seek the truth.

Far from attacking atheism, perhaps we might better ask why anyone would be concerned about Christians
promoting what lies at the heart of our faith, which is to live by grace in all we are, do and say; to show
compassion and mercy to all, and to seek what is right and just in life for the sake of the common good. We
commend faith in Jesus Christ by being like him, most especially in our response to those who attack us.
Here is an opportunity to present Jesus Christ to the world in which we live, not by clever argument or
remorseless counter-attack but by a demonstration of gracious Christlikeness.

This same is true for how we respond to those who want to remove Christian Religious Education and
federally-funded chaplains from government schools. The reality is an overwhelming majority of schools
appreciate the time, commitment and contribution volunteers CRE teachers make to the life of their local
school. The same can be said about the common experience of schools that have chaplains. Their ministry is
so appreciated that some of the best advocates for retaining them are the principals of the schools in which
they minister, many of whom do not themselves profess a Christian faith. As the Archbishop of Melbourne
has publicly stated, “Jesus’ parables and teachings … enshrine a profound wisdom, compassion and truth
which we forget at our peril”. Why would anyone object to such values being promoted in the lives of
children?

And as the Archbishop further points out, in Western societies “many of our finest institutions, including
hospitals, charities, welfare agencies, schools and universities have … been established on the rock of
(Christian) values”. These are undeniable historical truths to which we can point to demonstrate the
invaluable contribution the Christian faith has made to society as Australians know it.

This is not to deny or to denigrate the presence of other religious groups, or non-religious people and
institutions that have contributed to our common life. Nor is it to ignore the mistakes we in the churches have
made, and the things we have done of which we should be rightly ashamed. It is simply to point out the huge
debt Australian society owes to Christianity. We can rightly be proud of this heritage.

At the same time, I am convinced we should not use this heritage as a reason to demand a privileged place in
society. For me, this is the antithesis of what Jesus would have us do. What Christianity has offered truly in
the name of Jesus is offered as gift. When we use the gift to claim privilege, we fall into some of our worst
mistakes as church in society.

For this reason, I am happy to be on the public record arguing against religious exemption to equal
opportunity legislation, and against religious opposition to human rights legislation. Groups like the
Australian Christian Lobby do the faith great damage in their self-interested political lobbying on behalf of the
churches they claim to represent. They cast us in the guise of just another group seeking to use its electoral
power to gain advantage over others. And we ourselves, along with the Roman Catholic Church, have
sometimes shown we are not immune to this kind of ploy to gain advantage for ourselves. I cannot imagine
anything less Christlike than this self-serving approach to our engagement with society. By doing this, we
only provide ammunition to those who seem intent on trying to remove religion from society.

It is my prayer that in the growing marginalisation of mainstream religion in society we would recover
something of the humility that marks the life of Jesus. We should certainly continue to promote in the life of
our nation the beliefs and values at the heart of our faith. I do not believe, however, that we should expect
this will always lead to our views prevailing in the wider community, which in the past has tended to be the
case.

This I think will be the case in the current debate on homosexual marriage. The reality is that the society of
which we are a part is moving more and more towards the view that the only way in which homosexual
people can be given equal rights before the law is to include their relationships within the definition of
marriage in the Marriage Act. In the debate, the churches have exactly the same right as any other group to
promote a view of marriage consistent with what we believe. However, we do not have a right to expect that
this view will prevail in the common law of the land.

Recent news continues to reveal the inadequacy of this country’s response to the plight of asylum seekers. It
may be easy to join the chorus of condemnation against those who have reacted with violence in a number of
the facilities in which they are being held, and it is true they have done themselves no favours by doing this.
But those quick to condemn these acts of frustration, and to condemn those who in the first place risk life and
limb to get into leaky boats and attempt to make our shores, fail to understand the desperation of people
fleeing the horrors they have confronted in their own homelands only to languish, sometimes for years, in
incarceration.

We would do well to remember the wisdom which invites us to “walk a mile in their shoes”. What would you
do if your and your family’s lives were threatened in your homeland, where you had no recourse to legal
means because of discrimination, and where you were at the mercy of an army or marauding bands of armed
militias, killing, pillaging and raping? What would you do if when you got to a place of refuge you found
there was a waiting time of up to ten years to get “processed” regarding your refugee status, and even then
there was no guarantee of a new home because of the inadequately small numbers of refugees being accepted
in the immigration policies of countries like Australia? What would you do if when you finally arrived in
Australia you and your children were incarcerated in over-crowded conditions for years? What would you do
if the bureaucracy frustrated your every move, political expediency governed your circumstances, and shock-
jock media constantly caricatured your situation?

It is true there are untold complexities to immigration matters, but the fact remains that Christian compassion
and the simple truth can cut through anything, given the political will. As a nation, we simply don’t seem to
have that will, largely because of irrational fears of stranger danger fed by prejudice and misinformation. I
applaud those who continue tirelessly to address the plight of those who seek asylum in our country and
encourage you to join with them in this struggle for justice in our land.

The current turmoil in so many countries in the Middle East and North Africa reveals the indomitability of the
human spirit rising up against dictatorial power and corruption in government. We should be encouraged by
it. At the same time, we should be aware of the possibilities it brings for violence and hatred to be let loose in
situations where power vacuums are emerging. These are complex situations and create opportunity for
simplistic responses. Be in prayer for those involved in the various countries impacted by the violence, both
of irresponsible governments, and of opportunistic groups which use the opportunity to grasp at power and to
exercise power as irresponsibly as those whom they displace. And remember especially those minority
groups, including Christians in countries like Egypt, who are understandably nervous about new regimes and
their intent in seeking and exercising power.

The killing of Osama Bin Laden has elicited some deeply troubling responses of inappropriate celebration in
the Western world. I find it hard to see justice in the summary execution without trial of an unarmed man in
his own home, but there is real and symbolic significance in the demise of this international icon for violence
against innocent people. Certainly his killing reminds us “who lives by the sword, dies by the sword”, but it
also invites us to contemplate that same wisdom, if we believe the only resolution to the international problem
of violence against innocent people is counter-violence. Both Jesus and St. Paul reminds us that evil is
overcome by doing good, not by repaying evil for evil.

Climate change is rightly the issue that will not go away. There is no doubt weather patterns are changing,
and the vast majority of scientific opinion is convinced human activity is a major contributor to those changes,
with devastating impact on the lives and livelihoods of peoples the world over. Both scientists and
economists are looking for ways to redress our impact on the environment, and while political debate
continues on the best way in which to do this, the one thing that seems obvious is that procrastination is
making our situation more and more tenuous, both environmentally and economically.

I am neither a scientist nor an economist, but from a theological perspective I remind you of our God-given
role in creation, to exercise stewardship on behalf of God in the care of the world of which we are a part and
on which we depend for our existence. I have no doubt Scripture teaches us if we are wanton in the exercise
of our stewardship of God’s creation we will suffer the consequences, but if we are responsible in caring for
and nurturing God’s creation we will know the reward in fullness of life for all people.
I am convinced the scientists are telling us what we already know theologically; that we are now suffering the
consequences of our wanton misuse of God’s creation. I urge you to listen. I am also persuaded by
economists like Ross Garnaut there are economically viable ways of reducing the impact of our activities on
the environment. Furthermore, I am acutely aware we live in a region for which strategies that impact on
power generation will have an effect on employment. Nevertheless, I am encouraged that new responses to
power generation will continue to require a work force. While there may be disruption to people’s lives in the
changes that are necessary if we are to be concerned for the future of the planet and the lives of our children
and grandchildren, we must be willing to pay the cost of change. And where new need arises because of those
changes, we as church must be willing to respond to that need.

The impact of natural disasters on people has been brought home to us with unrelenting regularity of late.
Whether here in Australia, or in New Zealand, Japan or the United States, it seems natural disasters of
startling impact are striking across the world. While there is certainly the suggestion a rise in sea
temperatures has added to the ferocity of some weather patterns, and that this is a result of climate change
impacted by human activity, by and large natural disasters are simply natural. And they do raise inevitable
questions of faith for many. “Why does God allow this to happen?” Or “Why is it that some seem
miraculously to escape death and others are tragically killed?”

No answer to these questions is ever adequate, for when people suffer the best response is simply to wait with
them in their suffering. And of course this is the real answer to the questions. God is the one who in Christ
not only waits with people in their suffering but suffers with and for them.

Things like earthquakes, cyclones and tornados are what happen because the world is what it is. When
tectonic plates in the earth’s crust grind against each other, because that is what inevitably happens with
movements of the earth’s fractured crust, an earthquake results, and sometimes a tsunami. When weather
patterns develop at certain times of their cycle, cyclones and tornados result. There is a certain amount we
can do to prepare for this but the rest is down to the changes and chances of this fleeting world.

Can we blame God for this? Well, it’s true that in claiming God made the world we are claiming God is
responsible for the way the world is. But if the world were not the way it is, would it be an appropriate
context in which to sustain life as we know it? And if we expect God to “chip in” every time something is
about to happen that will not go well for us, where would be the human freedom we so cherish?

I have become convinced the real problem Christians have in responding to many of life’s tougher questions
begins when we say “God is in control”. As soon as we say that, we are left with the problem of explaining
why this controlling God lets bad things happen.

Are we ready to believe that God is not only not in control, but God does not want to be in control? God is
not by nature a controlling God. God is a God who in grace sets us free to be. The only control necessary in
God’s scheme of things is self-control, which as St. Paul points out, is one of the fruit of the Spirit.

Set free in the midst of a creation that makes our freedom possible, we live with the risks and dangers of that
creation as well as its joys and possibilities. In freedom, God entrusts creation into our hands, but God does
not abandon us to our own devices. God engages in creation in redemptive power, rejoicing with us in our
delight and joy, and suffering with and for us in our pain and despair. We would never want God to take away
our freedom when it brings delight and joy. Why then do we expect God to take away our freedom when it
brings pain and despair? This is the dilemma of the human experience lived in relationship with the God who
is revealed to us in Jesus Christ. It gives no neat answers to human suffering but it makes sense of the
complexities of reality as we know and experience it.
I turn now to people matters in our diocese. We welcomed a number of clergy into the diocese last year.
Graeme Peters, Rector of Wonthaggi Inverloch comes to us having served in ministry with CMS in Chile,
where he was ordained. John Batt was inducted into the Cooperating Parish of Neerim South, having
previously served in ordained ministry in the dioceses of Armidale, where he was ordained, and in Melbourne.
Bishop Michael Hough is currently offering ministry as Priest Evangelist and Teacher with the Bunyip
congregation. Malcolm Wilson, a priest ordained in the Diocese of Bunbury, has returned to active ordained
ministry among us with the congregation at Nar Nar Goon. Jo White from the Diocese of Melbourne is now
Deacon in the Traralgon Parish.

Those ordained deacon in the last 12 months were Heather Blackman, to honorary ministry in the Avon
Parish; Heather Cahill to honorary ministry in the Heyfield Parish, where she was ordained in St. James’
Church; Roger Jackman to honorary assistant ministry in the Croajingolong Parish, and Tom Killingbeck to
Deacon-in-Charge in the Bruthen Parish. Those ordained priest were Phyllis Andy, continuing in ministry at
Lake Tyers and in the Lakes Entrance Parish; Kathy Dalton, continuing in ministry in the Morwell Parish;
Daniel Lowe, continuing as Chaplain to St. Paul’s Anglican Grammar School in Warragul, and Anne
Perryman, continuing in honorary ministry in Wonthaggi Inverloch Parish. It is a delight to affirm in this way
their ministries among us and God’s call on their lives to these ministries.

A number of our clergy have moved within the diocese. Jeff Richardson has moved from his ministry as
Rector of Bunyip to be inducted as Rector of Traralgon; Marilyn Obersby retired from stipendiary ministry in
the Cathedral Parish. We thank God for her 15 years of ordained ministry within our diocese, in which she
has offered us much of herself and of her gifts. Caroline Nancarrow completes her ministry as Rector of
Avon this month. After some time spent with family in England, she will return to Gippsland early next year.
It is fitting at this point to thank God for her invaluable ministry among us so far, and we look forward to her
further ministry among us. Neil Thompson has announced his retirement in January 2012 from the
Newborough Parish, and Bob Brown will retire from the Churchill and Boolarra Yinnar Parishes in July this
year. I note this is their last synod.

Russell Macqueen has completed his ministry as Rector of Maffra and Archdeacon of the Eastern Region and
is now on Long Service Leave. We give thanks to God for his 25 years of faithful ministry in the diocese and
his ten years as Archdeacon of the Eastern Region.

I am delighted that Edie Ashley has recently been collated as Archdeacon of the Eastern Region, and Jeff
Richardson and Amy Turner were installed as Clerical Canons in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul last year.
We look forward to their ministry among us in these roles and thank God for their willingness to respond to
the call to new duties within the life of the diocese. Heather Marten has taken on extra diocesan duties in the
oversight of the professional development of clergy and church workers and of the safe ministry portfolio. I
am thankful to her for her willingness to take on these ministries in addition to her current diocesan duties as
Vicar-General and Archdeacon. I note with thanks also the ministry of Brenda Burney and Sue Jacka in the
area of safe ministry.

One important aspect of the Professional Standards regime of the diocese is the necessity of naming a priest
especially authorised to hear the confession of someone who has been involved in child sexual assault. Please
pray for Jeff Richardson who has been so authorised.

On the matter of Professional Standards I commend to you the work of our Professional Standards Director,
Cheryl Russell. We are fortunate to have such a competent and committed professional in this important role
in the diocese. She serves us well. Please continue to pray for her in what is a difficult but necessary role.

Our retired clergy continue to serve us well in locum ministries, in parishes awaiting a new rector and when
clergy are on leave. We would be all the poorer without them and I thank them for their faithful ministry to
us. I note especially the ministries of Laurie Baker, Jim Connelly, Gordon Cooper, Ted Gibson, Fred Morrey
and Ken Peters, all of whom have taken on extended periods of locum ministry in parishes looking for a new
rector in this last year.

We welcomed into the diocese Stipendiary Lay Workers in this last 12 months. They are Katie Peken, who
has recently begun pastoral ministry with a focus on younger families in the Warragul Parish, and Amanda
Ballantyne, who has been employed as the Children’s and Family Worker at the Bairnsdale Parish. Amanda
is also working in chaplaincy at the Bairnsdale junior campus of Gippsland Grammar School. Penne Brook is
working as Lay Chaplain at Gippsland Grammar School, with responsibility for the development of the
Religious and Values Education curriculum.

John Guy, a member of the Morwell Parish was awarded the Order of the Medal of Australia in the Australia
Day honours list, for his work in church and community. We congratulate him on this high distinction. We
thank Colin Price for his ministry as the Business Manager of Gippsland Grammar School as he leaves to take
up a new position in Echuca. This year we celebrated the ministries of Jim Beard and Garry Gray in the life
of Gippsland Grammar School by dedicating a building and library at the Bairnsdale campus in honour of
their contributions to the school.

No year passes by without its sadness and in this last year we note the deaths of three members of the clergy
who served in this diocese. The much-loved Canon Percy Moore had a distinguished ministry in a number of
parishes over many years in the diocese. We give thanks for his ministry among us, and also for the ministry
of John Gale and Kent Small, both of whom have also died in the last year.

Trevor Nankervis, husband to Amy Turner, Rector of the Drouin Parish died late last year after a struggle with
cancer. We mourn with Amy, even as we celebrate Trevor’s life, his faithful Christian witness among us, and
his support of Amy in her ministry.

Among the lay members of our diocese we note the death of Bernie Sather from the Parish of Avon; of Geoff
Davies and Cedric Johnston from the Drouin Parish; of Pat Pullin, aged 105 years, and Tony Carter from the
Korumburra Parish; of Dorothy Scott, Lucy Squires, John Winter and Colin Kleehamer from the Lakes
Entrance and Metung Parish; of George Kermode from the Maffra Parish, a former member of Bishop-in-
Council and Synod, and a Foundation Board member of Gippsland Grammar School; of Shirley Savige from
the Moe Parish, and of Douglas Tookey Hodgson from the Westernport Parish, a former member of Synod
who died a few days after his 90th birthday. Clearly time does not allow a full appreciation of the ministries
of these faithful parishioners, but each of them is remembered with thanks to God for their contribution to the
life and ministry of their parishes and this diocese.

In conclusion, I return to where I began in my address to review the ministry of the diocese over the last five
years. What I hope has been evident in my ministry in that time is a commitment to address the key matter of
what it means to be church in a changing world, and how best we express the heart of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ in who we are and the way in which we do things, as much as in what we do and say. Behind this
commitment lies a concern on my part to address what we might call the culture of the church; to ask
ourselves if who we are as church is consistent with what we proclaim as Gospel.

The over-riding mark of church culture should surely be grace. It is my intention to ensure we continue to
show God’s grace in all we are and do; in the way we express our life as church in every dimension of our
existence. In our leadership, in our membership, in our life together, in the way we touch the lives of others,
in the manner in which we are present in the community, and especially in the way in which we show concern
for those most marginalised in our communities, I would hope and pray that what shines through is grace; the
grace of God as revealed in Jesus Christ and as nurtured by the work of God’s Spirit.