Rev Bev writes...

Our warmest greetings come to you with this mid-year edition of Logos 2005. In the following pages you will find many stories and articles that tell the happenings of this Parish over the last few months, and also news of what’s planned over the next several months.

Since the last edition of Logos, Easter celebrations have happened, and the Services were all truly beautiful and deeply moving. The Catechumenate Rites on Easter Eve were a wonderful experience for the 9 candidates and all who were present to support them. During the Pentecost Services they brought reflections and symbols of their journey to us, and I never fail to be surprised and moved at the creativity and thoughtfulness of expression in what the candidates present.

Other highlights from the past months that really stand out for me include the lovely weekend we had when the Little Brothers of Francis from Tabulam in Northern NSW came to visit, and led us in some very special quiet times and spiritual reflections. The whole place felt blessed by their presence. We had some great creative liturgy for CMS Beautiful Feet Sunday involving apples, seeds and “birds” and Rachel’s walking boots. The congregation of Good Shepherd Brookfield has celebrated in style this year, with Good Shepherd Sunday in April, and the visit of Bishop Ron and Katie in July.

The terrific 25^th Anniversary celebrations at Holy Spirit Kenmore are still leaving their impact. It was such a wonderful day, with so many old friends taking advantage of the “Back to Holy Spirit” Day. History booklets and a photo and memorabilia display caused much interest. A wonderful service of celebration began the day, and it was very special for Canon Jeff Roper to be able to be present. A new painting for the church by parishioner and well-known artist Jennifer Andrews was dedicated in memory of original benefactor Gerry Johnson. The opening of the new kitchen and disabled access toilet facilities took place after the service, and anniversary wine, new hymn books, and the missionary recipe books were for sale. A great chicken and champagne lunch followed in the hall, which was filled to overflowing. We finally pulled up around 4.30pm. A great day all round.

During the past couple of months, four groups of people have been busily engaged in the Strategic Planning work following the Parish consultation undertaken late last year with Rev Rod MacDonald. Some great proposals in the four areas of Ministry, Mission, People and Place are evolving, which will ultimately form a Strategic Plan that will guide the future directions of the Parish.

We have been delighted that Kenmore Meals on Wheels have been able to take up operations in the Lower Hall at Holy Spirit Kenmore, and it is good to see increased activity and people around the place each day of the week.

We are very pleased to have Ordination Student Jane Mitchell doing her field training in the Parish over the next 12-18 months, and Jane has written a little about herself in Logos. We are also now in the process of advertising for a Children and Families Co-ordinator to pick up the wonderful work undertaken by Pamela Davey who left us a couple of years ago.

We’ve had a range of different visiting speakers over the past few months; Rev Graeme Hodgkinson from BCA, Jean Phillips speaking on her work with the Indigenous communities, Joelle Kabamba, our High School chaplain, and most recently Rev Kathy Hammer from the new Parish of Leichhardt, incorporating our previous twin Parish of Taroom and Wandoan, and now including Miles, Condamine, and Dulacca/Jackson.

New initiatives that have just begun are the new Evening Services at Kenmore on the 1^st & 3^rd Sundays of each month at 5.30 pm, and on the 4^th Sunday of each month (beginning in September) there will be an extra 11.00 am Service at Good Shepherd Brookfield with a family focus.

In between all of these things happening, Parish life goes on, and we engage with and minister to people in the milestones of their lives as they come for baptising, marrying and for funerals, and often just to talk issues through.

On the wider Church scene, we have had the exciting news of Archbishop Philip’s election as Primate of Australia. This will mean some changes to Diocesan administration to accommodate his new role and obvious extra workload.

The world is a rapidly changing place – daily we hear of terrorist attacks happening in different places – we see devastating scenes of people, especially little children, dying of starvation in African countries, and we hear sad stories of people trying to seek refuge in new homelands, from dangerous and oppressive situations, and being forced to live in fearful circumstances still. Our country areas continue in the grip of drought, and we are faced with a growing water problem close to home, and a weather pattern that keeps us all guessing, with potential repercussions that are unknown.

These are just some of the issues that confront us day by day. I have a great little book called Running into God – Reflections for Ordinary Days – by Dave Tomlinson. I wonder if there are any ordinary days any more – or maybe it’s that our ordinary days are lived in extraordinary times.

Where is God in all of this? People are seeking and searching for some sense of stability, and that they are not alone. I believe that God shares our journeys and does walk with us. Because God came to live amongst us in his son Jesus Christ, God is with us – God is incarnational, God is present – in the world, and in us. It is our responsibility as the community of Anglican faith in Kenmore and Brookfield, to be a welcoming place, and to help those who come through our doors to find both a place of Sanctuary, and the light of Christ to guide the steps of their ordinary and extraordinary days, in the Church and in the World.

In that little book Running into God – there is a lovely meditation from The Clown in the Belfry by Frederick Buechner. It speaks of the Kingdom of God, but these words give me hope for living my days in the hope and promise of God, and I pray they may be of encouragement to you too.

“If only we had eyes to see and ears to hear and wits to understand, we would know that the kingdom of God in the sense of holiness, goodness, and beauty is as close as breathing and is crying out to be born within ourselves and within the world; we would know that the kingdom of God is what we all of us long for above all things even when we don’t know its name or realize that it’s what we’re starving to death for.

The kingdom of God is where our best dreams come from, our truest prayers. We glimpse it at those moments when we find ourselves being better than we are, and wiser than we know. We catch sight of it when at some moment of crisis a strength seems to come to us that is greater than our strength.”

The kingdom of God is within us, because God is within us, and in the words of a favourite hymn, brings us “strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow”.

God bless you all in your ordinary and extraordinary days. With love, Rev Bev.