New links forged with church 'down under'
The rector of All Saints', Tullylish has recently returned from a trip 'down under'. Here's some interesting news about his trip:
'In May of this year, I took the opportunity to spend three weeks in Australia and meet up with two former parishioners of Tullylish.
Gayle and Philip Greer are now based in Campbelltown, south west of Sydney. With a population of around 150 000, Campbelltown has a mixture of residential, commercial and industrial areas.
Gayle and Philip are heavily involved in the life of St Peter's Anglican Church. The church built in 1823 and also known as 'The Church in the Park' because of its location, is not only the oldest building in Campbelltown but also the third oldest church in Australia.
St Peters is a continually growing Church and a vital part of the community. It is a Church which is alive and passionate and indeed knows the power and blessing of God's Holy Spirit in its ministry and outreach. It was a joy for me to observe at first hand the many and varied services, the numerous activities and the methods used to reach into the community to spread the Good News of Jesus.
The Ministry Team at St Peters consists of the main Leader and Rector, the Reverend Canon Peter Stavert, also the Reverend Leanne Burns, Captain John Harding, the Reverend Medon Loupis and the Reverend Tupuna Rongo.
St Peters has five Services each Sunday beginning with 8.00am Holy Communion followed by the 9.30am Family Service which includes a creche, Sunday School and a Teenage Group. The 5.00pm Cross Cultural Service reaches out to the Asian Community. The 6.00pm Sunday at 6 Service is youth orientated and aims to be contemporary with band and drama performances. Sunday Services end with 7.00pm Evensong which is a quiet traditional Anglican style of service.
Further Sunday Services are also held in St Andrews and St Stephens, two small churches in local housing developments. These two churches also carry out a vital Ministry in reaching out to many in the community who are finding life difficult.
On my final Sunday, I had the opportunity and privilege to preach in St Peters at both the 8.00am and 9.30am well attended services. For me, this was a memorable experience.
Another part of the Ministry of St Peters has been the re-establishment of two Parish schools - St Peter's Primary and Broughton Anglican College. These schools provide a dynamic supportive learning environment underpinned by the Christian faith. The Christian ethos of the schools can be summed up in the motto of Broughton College - Life Through Christ.
I had the opportunity to visit both of these schools and to meet the staff and children. I felt humbled and honoured to have been so warmly welcomed both at Church Services and in the school classrooms. They were experiences I will never forget.
I did find time though for some sightseeing. As I stood and looked over breathtaking views at the Blue Mountains, I praised God for His creative hand.
I also visited beautiful beaches and parks around Sydney and admired the amazing distinctive architecture of Sydney Opera House.
Back home again, refreshed in body, mind and spirit by the richness and diversity of the Church Services and the beauty of the Australian landscape, I am determined that this will not be the end of my Australia experience, but rather the beginning of another one.
St Peters and myself have expressed the desire to keep in touch and develop a strong link between us as churches and as brothers and sisters in Christ and that is what we will be establishing in the coming months.
The Reverend Leanne Burns who will be visiting Britain in October, hopes to pay us a visit.
In 2009, we may also have a visit from the Reverend Peter Stavert and his wife, Marie.
In the meantime we are setting up monthly updates, praying for each other on a weekly basis and exchanging email points for prayers. It is my fervent hope that St Peters passion and desire for prayer will spill over into All Saints, Tullylish and that we too will become known as a Praying Church.
In the longer term it is hoped that we will be able to arrange exchange visits between our young people.
But in all we hope to do, we bring it to the Lord in Prayer.'
ARTHUR YOUNG