We are Valued
Dear Tasmania
Christmas Greetings! As we celebrate Christmas may we allow the embrace of God in the Baby of Bethlehem to be wonderfully received, and may we embrace one another with God’s heart.
There are 6 conversations I’d like to share with you. Please click here to see “We are Valued“, which is #1 in our series of 6.
God’s blessing upon us as we celebrate and embrace Christmas.
Shalom,
SPCKA becomes SparkLit
As President of SparkLit, formerly SPCKA, I want to share with you the news of the new name for this Christian literature mission. Please see below the correspondence from SparkLit’s National Director, Michael Collie.
In the port of London, 227 years ago, a small group of Christians stowed books aboard a ship bound for an unknown continent. These books competed for space with tools, provisions and livestock and were accompanied by soldiers, sailors and 700 convicts.
A gift from the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, Australia’s first library arrived at Port Jackson aboard the HMS Sirius, flagship of the First Fleet. This library contained 4000 Christian books and tracts (including 100 Bibles, 400 New Testaments, 500 Psalters, 400 children’s readers and 100 spelling books).
The vision that sent literature to the other side of the world as a foundation for the new colony is a vision I cherish.
Wherever the gospel is preached, literature will be needed. And today just as in 1786 this need is only met with the support of generous and imaginative people like you.
I’m excited to be writing to you for the first time under our new name: SparkLit.
I am especially pleased because it reflects what you’re doing when you support our work. Each time you help us put Christian literature into people’s hands, you are fanning the flames of faith.
I hope you agree that our new name reflects this vision: a name as bold as our mandate!
In Jesus’ name.
Michael Collie
National Director
SparkLit – See website: http://www.sparklit.org/
(Formerly SPCKA – Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge Australia)
Be encouraged: Together we can advance God’s kingdom by empowering Christian writers, publishers and distributors. As you read these words your gifts are making Christian books available to those who need them most. Through SparkLit, you can equip a publishing professional in Latin America, nurture an emerging publisher in Asia and provide vital theological references to a pastor in East Africa.
Bold vision. New name. SparkLit.
A sixth grade class at Launceston Church Grammar School compiled questions for my visit.
Among questions such as: What does a bishop do? Why do people suffer? What animals do you have? came the question, Is God real?
The answer . . . “God is real, look at the baby Jesus!”
While the appearance of a baby does bring joy and hope, it may be hard for some to jump to, “Here you see God!” Yet, in this particular baby, the surprise baby for Mary and Joseph, we do see God. We see that God is real.
The story is told of an ant eater approaching a colony of ants and an ant loving passer-by desperately wanting to alert the ants. Ants don’t text or Facebook or Skype or speak and hear like the man. What could he do? Well, perhaps if he could become an ant he could communicate in ‘ant fashion’ and warn them? But even if he had this capacity to become ‘antlike’, would he do so? Would his love for ants bring forth such sacrifice?
The story of Christmas is the story of God who loved His wayward people so much that not only could He become in human form to save us, but He actually did come in human form: the baby Jesus.
The baby Jesus at Bethlehem is God, the real God, who chose to sacrifice His authority and power as the Being who made us, our Creator, to come and be with us, to communicate with us. This is the amazing good news of Christmas.
How do we know that the baby is God?
The prophets told of a coming Anointed One, the miracle of His virgin conception, His authority over sickness and death, His teaching like no other, His authority over nature and evil spirits, His death and resurrection. Jesus’ claims about His divinity were either of a mad man, a bad man or a divine man who was both fully human – and God with us.
In the crib at Bethlehem we see the miracle of God humbling Himself and taking on the form of a human being.
How do I know God is real?
I see God in the person and work of Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem.
How do we respond?
Mary, the mother of Jesus is our sure example. When confronted with the astounding news that she was to conceive and give birth to a son who will be called the Son of the Most High, Mary asked the angel, ‘How will this be since I am a virgin?’ and hears the unique and history changing words, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’
Mary’s response was in total obedience to God’s call on her life, ‘I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.’ (see Luke 1:31-38)
This Christmas let us join with Mary in affirming, ‘Yes, I am the Lord’s servant.’
Let us say ‘Yes!’ to the God who is real.
By the Revd Joshua Skeat
In reality, getting into coffee roasting is a story in three parts:
To look at me now, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell, but the year before I came into ministry, I lost a stack of weight, using a very strict dieting method – one of the rules of this method was simple: only black coffee, only 3 cups a day. Many people have commented to me that three cups a day seems a lot, but as a teacher, I was drinking up to 7 cups of coffee a day at that point – 3 was a massive cut back. And going black… ugh, that took some getting used to.
When you drink coffee black, and you wish to savour the coffee that you are having, it becomes quickly apparent the difference between a good coffee and a bad coffee. And after having a “long black” at Maccas one day where the girl pulled the large mug of coffee through the group head (any body who makes coffee probably just shuddered inwardly) – I determined that I only wanted to drink good coffee. Living in Burnie, this can be difficult.
Then Jonathan Adamczewski happened. Or rather, I had coffee at his place, where his sister had sent him some specialty beans from Hawaii. These were remarkable for two reasons: firstly I was introduced to the idea of “single origin” coffee for the first time (a coffee that is not a blend of beans, rather stands alone as a single bean from a single location), and secondly I experienced flavours I had never found in coffee before. To me the overwhelming memory as I drank that coffee is that somehow it was clearly coffee, yet it tasted (in a good way, mind you) volcanic. My wife described it as “burnt pineapple”. My eyes were opened and my mind took the first steps down the pathway to wanting to experience single origin coffee: to enjoy the different varietal characteristics and flavour profiles that exist within coffee.
And then, I spent my first 12 months in ministry – and I decided I needed a hobby. Before that time, the ways that I relaxed were in front of a computer, or spending time with people. But after 12 months that seemed completely filled with computers and people I needed something different. So that Christmas, I asked of my family the various bits that I would need in order to be able to experiment and roast coffee at home.
There is a remarkable amount of information around about home roasting if you do a bit of google searching, but I quickly decided that I would skip the “popcorn maker roasting” and instead head down the path of what the Coffee Snobs community called a “Corretto” setup. The equipment that I started with, and indeed still use, is simple: A bread maker – with a decent dough setting, a heat gun – with variable heat settings, and a drill press – to hold the heat gun at different heights throughout the roast. And so the journey began…
Now roasting aficionados will probably tell you (and me) that I’m missing something there: a heat probe or temperature sensor, even a data logger, to precisely track the roasting profile of each bean, etc etc. But I don’t really do it that way. I like to roast, really unscientifically, by feel. I know approximately how long a bean should roast for, and so I keep an eye on the time. But more importantly, for me, is what the bean looks like (in terms of colour depth), smells like, and sounds like (it should have finished sounding like popcorn popping – “first crack”, and hopefully not quite be at the point of sounding like rice bubbles going into milk – “second crack”).
In a coffee roast the beans go through a number of changes and I’m sure I’ll miss some of them out here: but basically you start with a green bean and apply heat. Then it goes through a drying phase as the bean loses moisture and expands a bit – here the bean will go yellow-ish and light-brown, and often it smells quite bready. Then the bean begins to brown, lose it’s skin (chaff or silver), continuing to lose moisture until it reaches “first crack”. The sound that a bean makes at first crack will differ depending on the variety, but it mostly sounds like popcorn. I read somewhere that this is where the bean becomes exothermic and so gives off its own heat to the beans around it. Regardless, at this point you are doing things in the bean like caramelising the sugars and releasing the oils. It is the balance between these two, along with the original variety and growing region of the bean, that will ultimately determine the flavour of the coffee. The darker you roast, the less varietal characteristic you get and the more “roasting” characteristic you get. I like to preserve these varietal characteristics, so tend to “dump” the roast after first crack, but before second crack.
The roasting experience is fun, in a strange way. It is fascinating to watch and listen and smell as the different things happen. I love sharing my roasting time with friends and with my kids in particular. In the last 12 or so months I have begun to also experiment with my own roasting blends – coming up with names can be a whole lot of fun. There have been successes (like the “Blend of Doom/Awesomeness” created by my son and his best friend) and failures (like the recent one that tasted like someone had infected my coffee with a herbal supplement). But ultimately, each time I roast and each blend I make is unique.
Perhaps that is the fourth part of my journey into coffee roasting. As one who enjoys singing and even maybe the dramatic at times, I think that I probably need creative outlet in my life. And there is something very special about creating something that is unique and that you can share with anyone, almost at anytime. Home coffee roasting gives me that. And it’s delicious to boot. In fact, I think I might go and make myself one now.
What a joyful celebration yesterday as we joined with people from many parts of Australia the calling of God through the Holy Spirit of eight Anglicans to be ordained to proclaim in word and deed the love of God in Christ to our world.
Three people were ordained as Priests and five as Deacons at St David’s Cathedral, Hobart, at 10am Saturday 7th of December.
The Ordinands came from very different backgrounds, and will serve the Church and community in Tasmania in a variety of ways.
Reverends Chris Bowditch and Victor Shaw are young ministers who will be ordained Priest. They are working particularly with growing ministries to youth, young adults and families in Hobart.
Michael Chau, who is to be ordained Deacon, is the Chinese Minister at Wellspring Church in Sandy Bay, where he ministers to a bilingual congregation and also with the many international students at the University. He has come to Tasmania originally from Hong Kong, but with 10 years in Melbourne.
Dr Sam Gough, to be ordained Deacon, is a medical Doctor with a young family, who has had a career change and will be the Assistant Minister at Kingston.
David Blyth, Fraser Herbert, Celia Hooker, to be ordained Deacon, and Reverend Keith McCoy to be ordained Priest, have come to this ministry later in life. They come from around the state and have had careers as varied as Firefighter, IT worker, Nursing and Community Worker, as well as being parents and in some cases grandparents! They will work as a part of ministry teams in the north and south of the state.
The Missionary Diocese of Tasmania continues to see a steady stream of new leaders being ordained over recent years. We are blessed with men and women of wide experience and different gifts, younger and older, who are taking up the challenge of serving their church and local community in these new roles. They are a valuable part of the local leadership of the Anglican Church in Tasmania.
Excellent article by Philip Heyward in the Mercury today with photos, Anglican Church’s big catch of new clergy.
Launceston Church Grammar School (LCGS) – Bishop’s Visit Day
This was the last of my school visits for 2013 and I enjoyed speaking with the Junior School Principal and the Chaplain. Grade 6 questions ranged from “What does a bishop do?” to “Why do bad things happen?” and “What animals do you have?” Mutual respect with sincere and gracious question and conversation. Education at its very best. Thank you.
I arrived at the Senior School in time to address Chapel and pray with them for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in the Philippines. One of the LCGS Houses supports a Philippine school community and poignantly had received a banner from them just a fortnight before the typhoon struck. The Philippine students had put photos of themselves on the front of the banner and written their names on the back of the banner in appreciation for the support of Launceston Grammar Church School. The Philippine school was demolished by the typhoon. It was of great comfort to be together when receiving such tragic news. I am grateful to the House Master (centre of photo with Chaplain Paul Grayston on the right) for leading our sombre reflection so movingly.
Let us remember the suffering Philippine communities in our prayers.
SNAPSHOT from Anglicare Tasmania: Life free from abuse
Anyone in the North West who has experienced family violence can receive a helping hand from Anglicare as they set about re-building their lives.
For those who leave an abusive relationship, the weeks and months that follow can present challenges. “There can be a mixture of emotions – relief, guilt, fear, shame, confusion, sadness. It is a time when you may feel very vulnerable and often very isolated,” said Michael Voumard, Anglicare’s North West Area Manager. “Every situation is unique. It is a period when you are mapping out a new future for yourself and your children and need practical and emotional support”.
A confidential and free service from Anglicare offers assistance with housing, finances, medical and legal matters. “When you are feeling under pressure it can be helpful to have someone to connect you with the right service and even go along to appointments with you if needed,” said Michael.
A recent article by Elizabeth Broderick Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner and Graeme Innes Australia’s Disability Discrimination Commissioner on, Protecting Women and Girls with Disability. Also, A Christian Response to Domestic Violence.
Today the Members of the Legislative Council are debating the extreme abortion legislation. I wrote the following letter to each Member. Please join me in praying for the legislation’s rejection or significant modification.
18 November 2013
The Hon [Member], Parliament House, Salamanca Place, Hobart TAS 7000
Dear [Member]
Please be assured of my prayers for you and your fellow members of the Legislative Council as you consider the Reproductive Health Bill in these last few days of the parliamentary year.
As I wrote in my submission to the Committee, it is vitally important that in your deliberations you articulate the foundational principles that guide your decision making. The principled balance cannot be found in marginal amendments that may or may not appease one absolutist faction or another, but in the considered weighing up of the values of civilised society.
It remains my conviction that the Bill as it stands does not fairly consider these values. In particular, it does not give any recognition to the fact that an unborn child has at least some innate value. In its current form the Bill also denigrates and penalises those who exercise their profession in a way that does recognise the innate value of an unborn child.
Amendments may or may not be proposed that would seek to adjust thresholds and various criteria in the provision of terminations. Such adjustments rarely deal with the principles at stake and clear boundaries are required. A “balance of medical risk” criteria throughout pregnancy is necessary. It recognises that an unborn child has innate value, and termination should only be considered in the unfortunate but realistic event that the mother’s health or life is in danger.
Amendments may or may not be proposed as to the manner in which a physician or counsellor would be compelled to refer a mother to those who would provide a termination. Such adjustments do not deal with the fundamental concern: the recognition of the innate value of an unborn child does not compromise or diminish a physician’s duty of care, in fact it is an extension of care to the child itself. It is simply not conscionable to legislate for conscientious objection through some form of limited tolerance or exemption. Rather, those who guide their practice by offering care to all who come before them, should be affirmed and valued.
I am aware that the Bill deals with other issues; including encapsulating the notion of decriminalisation and the particularities of the Criminal Code. But these two points of principle are of particular importance to the maintenance of Tasmania as a life-affirming society. The two key points of principle:
Yours sincerely
John D Harrower OAM
Bishop of Tasmania
See also, Abortion Bill through House of Assembly and Abortion Update 24 May.
I encourage you to read the interesting articles about the life and ministry of the Anglican family in Tasmania and beyond, in the online edition of our magazine. Enjoy!
In this issue
Since early 2012 St David’s Cathedral has been blessed by the membership of some young men from Iran who have travelled to Australia as asylum seekers to escape religious persecution. These men have brought warmth and joy to our community and have embraced, and been embraced by, the Cathedral family.
It is a great joy to meet and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in a way that so clearly embodies the global scope of the gospel of Jesus. Please be praying for this ministry.
For the full article from the Tasmanian Anglican click here.