Hear this year’s ACL Synod Podcast

Posted on September 1, 2026 
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Hear this year’s ACL Synod podcast — 30 minutes to encourage and equip Sydney Synod members.

There are also links to the Synod Survival Guide and other resources.

“A glimpse of what God is doing among us”

Posted on September 14, 2026 
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Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net reports on Archbishop Kanishka Raffel’s Presidential Address to Synod today –

“A Mandarin-speaking woman who first encountered church through AI translation and two young men who decided to read the Bible together before seeking baptism were among the stories highlighted by Archbishop Kanishka Raffel in his Presidential Address to Synod.

Weaving together statistics and personal testimonies, the Archbishop pointed Synod members to evidence of God’s work across the diocese.

Referring to Synod’s goal of 5 per cent growth through conversion, Archbishop Raffel said churches were increasingly reaching people from overseas backgrounds, who make up 31 per cent of the population. …”

– Read his report – or  watch the full video.

ACR’s Synod 2026 Journal

Posted on September 14, 2026 
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Sydney Synod begins today and, as always, all involved would be very glad of your prayers.

If you missed it, The Australian Church Record’s Synod 2026 Journal is available for download.

Good reading from our friends at the ACR, whether you are a Sydney Synod member or not!

John 11:55 – 12:11. Discipleship: Empty extravagance or Extravagant emptiness?

Posted on September 14, 2026 
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Moore College Principal Mark Thompson spoke at College Chapel on Friday morning. It was also the last day of Moore’s Open Week. His passage was John 11:55 – 12:11, The anointing at Bethany.

Watch here.

Plan a Sermon Series — on Luke

Posted on September 13, 2026 
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From Moore College:

“Prepare a sermon series! Join us for a day of expert teaching and planning on the book of Luke.

Dr Peter Orr is a lecturer at Moore Theological College and is currently finishing a commentary on the book of Luke. Peter will work closely with individuals and staff teams to help them prepare a future sermon series.

Peter will spend the morning exploring the theology and overall message of Luke as well as considering the issues that arise from the books. The afternoon will provide time, space and resources for collaborative work preparing your sermon series, with College Library resources being made available. Each day will finish with an opportunity to share your sermon series with other participants and ask our lecturers any follow-up questions.”

– 6th October 2026. Details here. :-)

Reflections on General Synod

Posted on September 12, 2026 
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From The Australian Church Record –

“The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia met on 9–14 August, 2026 in Melbourne. What did it reveal about the state of the Anglican Church of Australia, what can we give thanks for, and what should we be praying for in the years ahead?

Sandy Grant, Dean of St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney, and lay representatives Louise Cunningham and Henry Pascoe share their reflections on this year’s General Synod.”

– Read their reflections here. Food for prayer.

Photo of General Synod, August 2026, with thanks to John Sandeman.

Dr Manasseh Gahima Elected Archbishop of Rwanda

Posted on September 12, 2026 
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Dr Laurent Mbanda, Chairman of the Global Anglican Council, writes:

“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

On behalf of the Global Anglican Council, I am delighted to congratulate The Rt Revd Dr Manasseh Gahima, Bishop of Gahini, on his election as the next Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church of Rwanda.

It was my privilege to preside at his enthronement as Bishop of Gahini in 2019, and I know him to be a faithful servant of Jesus Christ, a man committed to the authority of God’s Word, with a heart for the mission of his Church.

Archbishop-elect Manasseh brings rich experience to this new responsibility. Before entering full-time church ministry, he served in education and local government, later taking up senior responsibilities within the Diocese of Gahini.

He was consecrated a bishop in 2017 and has served as Bishop of Gahini since 2019. Together with his wife, Rose, he has raised a family of eight children.

Many of you will already know Manasseh from his plenary addresses at G25 in Plano and G26 in Abuja, where he contributed to our thinking about the resources and structures needed to strengthen our shared life and mission.

As Archbishop and Primate, he will now represent Rwanda on the Global Anglican Council, sharing in the conciliar leadership of our Global Anglican Communion.

Rwanda has played an important role in Gafcon from its beginning, and I rejoice that this will continue under Manasseh’s leadership.

As I prepare to conclude my own service as Archbishop, I am deeply thankful to God that this responsibility will pass to a brother whom I know, love and trust.

I look forward to continuing to serve alongside Manasseh in our wider global family, as I continue as Chairman of the Global Anglican Council through to GAFCON V, our next Global Anglicans Assembly in Athens in April 2028.

Please join me and the members of the Global Anglican Council in congratulating Manasseh and in praying for him, for Rose and their family, and for the Anglican Church of Rwanda as we prepare for his installation as Archbishop and Primate on 25 October 2026.

When I enthroned Manasseh as Bishop of Gahini in 2019, I encouraged him with the Lord’s words to Joshua: “Be strong and courageous.” (Joshua 1:9) Today, I gladly say those words to my dear brother again.

Yours in Christ,

The Most Revd Dr Laurent Mbanda
Chairman of the Global Anglican Council
Friday 11th September 2026.”

– Source: Gafcon.

Southern Cross magazine for September — October 2026

Posted on September 12, 2026 
Filed under Encouragement, Resources, Sydney Diocese Comments Off on Southern Cross magazine for September — October 2026

The latest issue of the Diocese of Sydney’s Southern Cross magazine is now out for September – October 2026.

You can get a copy at your local church – or you can download / read it online.

Plenty of interesting and encouraging articles, including –
• The Big Church Song Survey
• Year 13 in Fiji
• Laughter
• Psalm 93

There’s also a story about Alice Cooper and the new book Evangelism in the Local Church by Paul Brennan and Dave Jensen. See it on page 7.

The Tron Church has this interview with the authors. There, Dave Jensen argues that you don’t need a celebrity to promote the gospel. (Of course, every celebrity needs the gospel!)

And The Wandering Bookseller currently has the book on special.

Photos: SydneyAnglicans.net.

Watch out, scammers about

Posted on September 11, 2026 
Filed under Resources Comments Off on Watch out, scammers about

Good to be aware of –

“Sydney Anglican Services has renewed warnings about a sophisticated email scam targeting church communities, with fraudsters impersonating church leaders to gain access to parish directories and contact members.

Nathan McQueen, the Head of IT for Sydney Anglican Services (SAS), says fake emails are sent by a scammer impersonating a member of the church leadership team. …”

– From Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net.

Image from The Melbourne Anglican, when similar scams were being tried in Melbourne three years ago.

9/11 Twenty-Five Years On

Posted on September 10, 2026 
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John Mason reiterates and expands his reflections on the horrible events of 11 September 2001 –

“Twenty-five years ago Judith and I were living three short blocks south of the Twin Towers in Downtown Manhattan. I had received an invitation from Timothy Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church New York City, to set up a gospel-focused Anglican Church to complement the ministry of Redeemer Church in the city.

On Tuesday morning, September 11, we had awakened to see from our apartment clear blue skies and the sparkling waters of New York Harbor. But it was not to last. …”

– Many ACL members know John well. He’s ministered in Sydney, Canberra and New York. He founded the Anglican Connection in the USA and also served as Commissary to the Archbishop of Sydney in the USA.

Read his reflections at Anglican Connection.

Or listen to them here:

 

Related:

The Day the World Stood Still – Phillip Jensen spoke at St. Andrew’s Cathedral on the tenth anniversary, 11 September 2011.

Seeing God at Ground Zero: an Aussie’s testimony from 9/11 – Anthony Philips, published by The Australian Church Record, 10 September 2019.

Raising New Indigenous Leaders — Armidale Diocese

Posted on September 10, 2026 
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From the Diocese of Armidale:

“Every year we hold an Indigenous Ministry Day and this year the topic was ‘Raising Up Leaders’.

Speakers Rev. Michael Duckett and Rev. Jum Naden each opened up the Bible and shared how through Christ, we can have intergenerational hope, and that Christ is the greatest need of Indigenous peoples too. They then shared about some of the ways that Indigenous people can be trained for ministry including internships and The Well Training (including a new Indigenous stream is starting in 2027).”

– See the post for links to an article in The Link and to recordings of the sessions at Narrabri.

The article is on page 11 of The Link, Spring 2026. You can read the full issue here (3.9MB PDF file).

How Scammers are Targeting Christian Authors

Posted on September 10, 2026 
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Tim Challies has something to be aware of –

“Authors are being targeted today. I expect this targeting includes all authors, but I can attest that it certainly includes Christian authors. As far as I can tell, these are not particularly dangerous scams, but they are annoying nonetheless and potentially costly.

Here’s how they work. …”

– Read it all (with some examples of scam e-mails) at challies.com.

Anglican Church’s first female Aboriginal priest and prolific Arnhem Land artist dies — “Her constant focus was on the work of the gospel”

Posted on September 9, 2026 
Filed under Australian dioceses, People, Thanksgiving Comments Off on Anglican Church’s first female Aboriginal priest and prolific Arnhem Land artist dies — “Her constant focus was on the work of the gospel”

From ABC News –

“A pioneer within the Anglican church has been remembered by her family as a ‘strong cultural woman’, after she passed away this week in the Northern Territory. …

Reverend Y. Nunggumajbarr was ordained as an Anglican priest in 2009 at a ceremony in her home community of Numbulwar, on the Gulf coast in south-east Arnhem Land. …

In an email sent to members of the Anglican Dioceses, Bishop Greg Anderson said Reverend Y. Nunggumajbarr had ministered services in nearby Angurugu and Numbulwar for more than a decade, prior to her retirement from the ministry in 2023.

‘Her constant focus was on the work of the gospel, and what needed to happen to make it spread,’ Bishop Anderson wrote. …”

– Story here.

Twice as Vulnerable: What Every Pastor Needs to Know

Posted on September 9, 2026 
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From The Pastor’s Heart this week –

“Consent, Bodies and Belonging: Ministering to Young People with Disability.

In every church’s orbit are young people with intellectual disability, whether in the pews, in youth group, or in a family that stopped coming because it got too hard.

The Australian Disability Royal Commission found people with disability are twice as likely to face abuse and exploitation.

Are our churches actually safe, welcoming places?

Accessibility Ministry Advisor at Sydney Anglican Youthworks Bec Baines speaks about consent, capacity, bodies and belonging, and how to disciple young people with intellectual disability.

Links:

• Bec is the author of a new resource for teens and young adults with intellectual disability called Made to Be Me and You.

• Living Hope Anglican Accessibility Guide.”

– Watch or listen here.

ALIVE rally at Penrith 19 September

Posted on September 9, 2026 
Filed under Evangelism, for your prayers, Good News Comments Off on ALIVE rally at Penrith 19 September

Dave Jensen has been speaking at ALIVE rallies across greater Sydney.

The last one is coming up at the Western Sydney Convention Centre in Penrith on Saturday 19th September. Could you take friends?

From the website:

“ALIVE is a movement led by Evangelism & New Churches (ENC) and fuelled by local churches across Australia.”

Here’s the promo video:

All Saints’ Cathedral Bathurst seeks its next Dean

Posted on September 8, 2026 
Filed under Bathurst Diocese, for your prayers Comments Off on All Saints’ Cathedral Bathurst seeks its next Dean

Via the Diocese of Bathurst Facebook account –

“All Saints’ Cathedral Bathurst is seeking its next Dean.

The Cathedral is both the principal church of the Diocese of Bathurst and a parish church serving the city and surrounding communities. We are looking for a prayerful and resilient leader who will bring clear Biblical preaching, a love for people, appreciation and affection for both traditional and contemporary Anglican worship, and a vision for growing and unifying the Cathedral’s ministry.

The Dean works collaboratively with the Bishop and diocesan leadership and leads a ministry team of clergy, staff and volunteers as together we seek to SHARE JESUS for LIFE.

God is at work in the diocese and cathedral, and it may be that the Lord is preparing you to join us. We’d love to hear from you.

Expressions of interest, including a CV and links to recent sermons, should be sent to Archdeacon Andrew Thornhill at rector@dubboanglicanchurch.org.”

– And the Parish Profile for the Cathedral can be seen here (PDF file).

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