RECTOR’S REPORT TO THE AGM 2005 

‘Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness’ 

Introduction 

It has been a delight for me and for my family to become members of this community of faith. I am honoured to serve you and God as Rector of this Parish. Your welcome to us has been unstintingly generous and we look forward to the time that we will spend journeying with you and contributing to the life of the Parish.  

I would like to pay tribute to the Parish Council, whose wisdom, good humour and commitment to the Parish have made my first months here smooth and enjoyable. The Parish Council Chair, Jill Stenhouse, has put her heart and soul into the projects we have launched and I thank her for her support and sheer hard work. The wardens, Margaret Brennan, John Cooper and Alice Murray have given sage advice, encouragement and huge amounts of time to ensure that the parish runs smoothly and the new Rector is well informed. Any mistakes are entirely my own! 

I am sorry that this Report has ended up the length it has. To help people find their way to the bits that truly interest them, I thought I would put in this index. There is no consistent logic – parish life seems to defy all efforts to categorise it neatly. The sections are in the following order:

Worship 

The worship life of the parish is its heartbeat. Above all else we are here to worship God. Everything else flows from this. Our expression of this through sacramental liturgy is of the greatest importance to our life together. The commitment of the parish to excellent liturgy (including excellent music) is of long standing and is wonderfully enabled by the many people who contribute. Peter Batho and his team of servers provide professional and reverent support in the sanctuary - my thanks to them for the wonderful job they do and for their patience with me as I have learned the ‘All Saints way’ and tweaked it a little. I owulod also like to thank Gordon Kennedy who is our regular Minister of the Word at the Sunday 8am service, and Lee Archinal who serves on Saturdays at 6pm.  

There have been some changes to the regular services. Services are now held daily in the church, except on Wednesday. I believe this rhythm of public worship to be an important expression of our commitment to worship as an integral part of our lives. Following consultation with the congregation, the 7.30 am Sunday service has been moved to 8 am. The Friday afternoon service at Goodwin Homes has moved to Wednesday morning, a time when it does not clash with other events at Goodwin.  

We have also instituted a number of innovations this year.

In planning the liturgical life of the parish I have worked closely with a Worship Team consisting of Peter Batho, Paul Williams and Les Davey. Their advice and support have been invaluable and I thank them for their input and commitment to excellence. 

Children’s  Church 

Jesus welcomed children around him and I believe that it is both an obligation and a joy for us to do the same. Ministry to children is of vital importance for the life of the congregation. 

When I arrived in the parish, Helen McClure was providing some children’s ministry during the 9.30 am Sunday service whenever she was able to be present. She and Ian felt, however, that God was calling them to another ministry and that she could not continue with the Sunday School.  

We have a number of pre-school and primary children in the congregation and the time seemed right to develop a regular Children’s Church. Paul Williams and Lee Archinal have picked up the responsibility for this ministry in the life of the Parish and are running a program fortnightly during school terms. The pilot program in Term 4 2004 was very successful and we are looking forward to a good 2005. A number of parishioners have offered to help with this program, particularly some of our teenagers. Lee and Paul’s leadership and commitment to the Children’s Church are gifts to us all. 

Music ministry

All Saints has a proud history of Anglican church music and it has been a joy for me to work with Les Davey and the choir. The choral evensongs have been a particular high point with members of the St John’s choir joining the All Saints choir. At a number of services this year we have been blessed with music from Igitur nos.  

Les has decided to stand down from the position of Director of Music. He will continue to be the Parish Organist and will mentor his successor as Director of Music, Matthew Stuckings. Matthew is both a parishioner and the Director of Igitur nos. Mention should also be made of Madeline Grannall who retired from the choir at Christmas time after 41 years of faithful service.  

Felicity Fullagar makes a wonderful contribution to our music, providing piano accompaniment for the 6 pm Saturday services. Over the last 10 months we have learnt a new setting of the eucharist and a number of new hymns from Together in Song.  

At the Parish planning day the central role of the music ministry of the parish was reaffirmed. We are actively recruiting for the choir and Parish Council is proposing that we set aside some funds in the 2005 budget to support the music ministry. 

Spiritual Nurture & Study Groups 

There is always more to learn about our faith and we have been encouraging people to take part in study groups and other opportunities to deepen their knowledge and their experience of faith. 

The regular Wednesday afternoon Bible study group led by Betty Hoad at Ted Bamford’s home has continued through 2004. This continuing group provides spiritual nurture and pastoral care to its members. 

We have also run a number of short courses in the last 10 months: a study on Galatians; a course on prayer and a study on the Gospel of Matthew. The Matthew study, which we began in Advent, is being continued through Lent. Two reading groups will also look at one of Archbishop Rowan Williams’ books through Lent.  

A Quiet Day was held in October 2004, led by the Rev’d Susanna Pain. It was very well received and another is scheduled for 26 February. These days provide a more reflective opportunity for people to explore their spirituality. 

Pastoral Care 

Under the able leadership of Margaret Brennan, the Pastoral Care team has operated very successfully. The team have maintained contact with those parishioners who have wanted to be involved with this ministry and have alerted me to particular needs as appropriate.  

Alan and Madeline Bellett, together with Ted Bamford, have also provided a pastoral visiting ministry at Goodwin. This ministry is greatly appreciated by the staff and residents at the Village. 

A new project has been the giving of a birthday present to each baby baptised in the Parish in the year after its baptism. It is hoped that this will encourage families to feel linked with the Parish and give us an opportunity to keep pastoral contact with them. A book of prayers for children was chosen as the gift and MU generously funded the purchase of multiple copies.  

During her absence overseas this year, Margaret is handing over leadership of this team to Sarah Bachelard.

As Rector, I find a considerable proportion of my time is spent on pastoral care. Hospital visiting and meeting with those in crisis or in particular need has occupied much of my time. The result has been that I have not been able to do as much non-urgent pastoral visiting as I would like. I hope that as time goes on and we appoint some more honorary clergy, more of my time will be freed up for this valuable ministry. 

Planning Day 

The Parish Planning Day held in late September 2004 produced a strategic plan for the short, medium and long term. Those present affirmed the parish’s commitment to nurturing spirituality through excellent liturgy in the Anglican sacramental tradition, study opportunities and prayer. Also central to our strategy over the next few years is outreach into the community as we seek both to minister to our community and to share with them the beauty of holiness. A number of visits to community groups were undertaken in November 2004 and it seems likely that, as a consequence of that outreach, we will be starting a breakfast programme in one of the local schools later in 2005. 

The need to put in place both a stewardship program and a staged maintenance program to ensure that the parish plant is maintained was also discussed.  

A program for 2005, based on the theme of the beauty of holiness, is being developed as a major part of implementing the strategic plan. 

Op Shop 

Joan Crowley’s very able management ensures that the Op Shop continues its valuable ministry of outreach and pastoral support. Towards the end of 2004 we were struggling to staff the shop. An active recruitment campaign has attracted some new helpers and 2005 has got off to a bumper start. Not only does the Op Shop contribute financially to the parish but, even more importantly, the work done by Joan and her team is one of the major planks of our outreach of care into the community.  

Buildings and Grounds  

A major focus of our work over the second half of 2004 has been the physical plant.  It is becoming increasingly clear that some intensive maintenance work needs to be done on our buildings.  

The church:
During a storm in winter lightning struck the belltower, dislodging a piece of sandstone which fell on the roof, cracked some tiles and landed on the path on the Cowper Street side of the church. In the investigations which have followed this event, it has become clear that some major work needs to be done to the fabric of the church in order to ensure its future. We have been most fortunate to be able to use the services of Mr Bill Jordan, a consultant engineer specialising in heritage buildings. Bill’s report, together with the earlier conservation management plan, will form the basis of our church maintenance planning over the next few years. 

The hall:
In late May we received an anonymous donation towards refurbishment of the hall toilets. This donation was used to kick off an appeal to which the members of the parish responded very generously. We have also received donations of time and skill from parishioners who wish to remain anonymous but without whom the project could not have been completed to such a high standard. The results are spectacular. Thank you to all who have given of their time, their money and/or their skill. 

The gardens:
The gardens are gradually being upgraded. The central garden bed has been refurbished with funds made available in memory of Pauline McNee. Unfortunately, we have had to remove the flagpole because of new Government safety regulations relating to freestanding flagpoles. The raised bed has also been replanted and a weeping cherry was donated to give some shade and spring blossom.   

Honorary Clergy 

We were all saddened to hear of Fr Colin’s stroke last year. His recovery has been slow but steady and we look forward to him being able to participate more actively in our Parish life again.  

Fr Peter has continued his very valuable ministry at Goodwin Homes and I would like to extend my thanks to him for this ministry and for his good humour and wise counsel. 

The Rev’d Ian Chaplin, while not officially one of our honorary priests, has nonetheless been pressed into service (literally). I am very grateful to Ian for his willingness to take over many of the weddings and to help out with the morning services from time to time.   

The Office 

All that we do in the parish requires a huge amount of administrative support. We are very fortunate to have Elaine Jones as our Parish Administrator. Her efficiency, unfailing good humour and commitment to the parish ensure that things run very smoothly and that people’s contact with the office is encouraging and helpful. She is proactive, thoughtful and very generous with her time, working longer hours than we are able to pay her for.  

Elaine is assisted for 2 afternoons a week by Madeline Grannall, who offers her time on a voluntary basis. Madeline’s presence takes some of the pressure off Elaine and enables Elaine and me to spend some planning time together. Her contribution is deeply appreciated. 

The All Saints Angels 

This parish is truly blessed by the quiet and effective ministries of so many of you. Anne Stuart Carpenter’s work as verger is a model of its kind, taking an enormous load off me. Visiting clergy are always deeply appreciative of her help. Gordon Kennedy faithfully opens up and locks up day in day out throughout the year, and he and Valerie set up morning tea for Sunday services. Valerie also contributes through stalls at the markets and garage sales. MU members give of their time and their skills to support the parish in many ways, including by assisting at the baptism preparation evenings and at the baptisms. The many cleaners, flower arrangers, intercessors, readers and sidespeople all make a great contribution to parish life. The list is seemingly endless and a tribute to your commitment, both to the Parish and to God whom we all serve.  

The Diocese 

Since I have been at All Saints the Diocese has adopted a Diocesan Mission Plan. Called ‘Confidence in Christ’, the Plan is intended to underpin and guide our priority setting throughout the diocese, at parish level and at diocesan level. The strategies we have set as a parish echo much of the thrust of the mission plan, albeit expressed in language which is more culturally suited to All Saints’ sacramental catholic expression of Anglicanism.  

We have welcomed a new Dean, the Very Rev’d Phillip Saunders, to the Diocese and were delighted to have him share a Sunday with the parish late last year. Also new to the Diocese is the Rev’d Greg Thompson, Rector of our neighbouring parish, St John’s, Reid.  Greg and I are hoping that the partnership between our two choirs will be just the beginning of a number of joint activities. The Rev’s Ian Wright has taken up the position of Rector in another of our neighbouring parishes, Holy Cross at Hackett. Ian has been ill but he is returning to health and we look forward to an even stronger relationship developing between the two parishes. 

 

The National Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion 

This year has been a turbulent year for Anglicans, both nationally and internationally.  

The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia was held in Fremantle in early October. It was a difficult time and the split between the conservative evangelical wing of the Church, led by the Diocese of Sydney, and the more middle-of-the-road, broad Anglicans, was very evident. Predictably resolution of the contentious issues such as women in the episcopate and the role of openly homosexual people in the life of the church was not achieved. Some headway was made on the question of a uniform set of professional standards for clergy and other licensed church workers. I did not leave Fremantle, however, feeling that the road ahead for the national Church will be smooth or united.  

Archbishop Peter Carnley has now left his position as Archbishop of Perth and will be retiring as Primate in the next few weeks. His successor will be elected in the middle of this year on a limited term while the Standing Committee of General Synod considers proposals for funding the position on a full time basis. Its recommendation will be discussed at the next session of General Synod in 2007. 

The worldwide Anglican Communion has been struggling with the issue of unity, triggered by the actions of a number of dioceses in relation to homosexuality. The Anglican Communion covers almost all the countries of the world. How does such a diverse group of churches maintain unity? What, indeed, does unity mean in such a context? The Windsor Report, published late last year, attempted to address some of these issues and recommended establishing a Council of Advice for the Archbishop of Canterbury and a covenant to be signed by all member churches of the communion.  The Primates of the communion (including Archbishop Carnley) are meeting to discuss the Report and its recommendations in late February. Responses to the Report around the world have ranged from cautiously welcoming to scathing.  

In many respects, the tensions we see within the worldwide church are the natural consequence of the historical development of Anglicanism. Daughter churches have grown and developed their own independence, embedding themselves within their local cultures. To seek to impose a uniformity of approach on them now is, in my view, akin to asking adult children to return to their families of origin and behave as they did when they were in primary school. It is both inappropriate and doomed to failure. 

It is important for us to continue to pray for those whose calling is to help us all navigate these difficult waters.  

Conclusion 

All Saints is a wonderful Parish community with a strong sense of identity and a passion for faith. I hope that together we can work to bring our hopes and dreams to fruition, always under the gentle and loving hand of Jesus Christ who is the centre of all that we are and all that we do. Thank you for inviting me to serve you here. 

Sarah Macneil

February 2005