WORLDWIDE PHOTOS LTD The Religious Media Agency

WEEKLY NEWS REVIEW

April 3, 2003

INDEX

AUSTRALIA: 1. PASSOVER IN SYDNEY (Jews for Jesus) 2. WAITING FOR THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD (Insights) 3. WESLEY MISSION’S EASTER WEEK (Wesley Mission) 4. CHURCH’S RECOMMENDATIONS – SEXUAL ABUSE (Angl Media Sydney) 5. SUCCESS OF EMPLOYMENT PLUS (Slvtn Army News-Aust) 6. DAILY PRAYER FOR PEACE – HOBART CATHEDRAL (Angl Dio Tasmania)

OVERSEAS: 7. CHRISTIAN PEACE TEAMS EXPELLED FROM IRAQ (CPT) 8. N.Z. CONSIDERS EUTHANASIA BILL (Koinonia House News) 9. ‘WE TRUST IN GOD’S STRENGTH’ (Christian Herald) 10. WE MUST CONTINUE TO FIGHT THE DEBT BATTLE (Mothers Union UK) 11. TROOPS QUEUE UP FOR BIBLES (Christian Herald) 12. GROUP DYNAMICS & COMMUNICATION COURSE (Global InterAction) 13. UK CHURCHES HELP PARISHES MOURN (Church Times) 14. AID AGENCIES WANT UN ROLE (C of E Newspaper) 15. PASSION PLAY – SOUTH WEST OF BRISBANE (Worldwide Photos)

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1. PASSOVER IN SYDNEY (Jews for Jesus) Jews for Jesus in Sydney has announced that the 5th Annual Passover Banquet will be held on Wednesday, April 23, at the Willoughby Town Hall and Civic Centre, Chatswood at 7.00pm. There will be messianic music and celebration, learning about the Jewish Passover and its significance in relation to Jesus Christ. This will provide people with a unique opportunity to celebrate an event which has been re-enacted for 3,500 years. For further information contact Jews for Jesus at PO Box 925, Sydney NSW 2001; phone: (02) 9328-3142.

2. WAITING FOR THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD (Insights) Imagine hundreds of youth and young adults coming together to share Easter. “Easter Gathering ’03” is a one-off Synod-wide camp (of the Uniting Church in NSW/ACT) for both High School-ers and Young Adults, from Thursday evening April 17 to Monday midday April 21 at All Saints College, Bathurst. With an interactive reflection on Easter, and the theme “Waiting for the Great Leap Forward”, this Easter event will be an opportunity to encourage people in their lives and faith, to reinvent the church, and to create and consolidate networks.

3. WESLEY MISSION’S EASTER WEEK (Wesley Mission) More than 50 Wesley Mission events and worship services are planned for the Easter Week by Wesley Mission in Sydney. The official countdown to Easter will begin with an open-air rally and procession from Wesley Mission, 220 Pitt Street, Sydney at 4.30pm on Palm Sunday, April 13. On Tuesday, April 15, at 12.30pm, the Wesley Mission Superintendent The Rev The Hon Dr Gordon Moyes AC MLC will speak at Wesley Mission’s Easter luncheon. On Wednesday, April 16, The Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, The Most Rev George Pell, will be the special guest at the Easter Breakfast, at the Wesley Centre. On Good Friday, students and staff from Wesley Institute will join with the Mission community in recreating Jesus’ tragic procession to his death on the cross. Now into its 11th year, the Good Friday procession will begin in Martin Place at 2.45pm. A Good Friday Rally will be held in Wesley Theatre at 7 pm. On Easter Sunday, a huge crowd is expected to gather at the Sydney Opera House for the Easter Sunrise service at 7am. This service will be broadcast live throughout Australia, on the Seven Network.

4. CHURCH’S RECOMMENDATIONS – SEXUAL ABUSE (Angl Media Sydney) The General Synod Standing Committee of the Anglican Church of Australia, meeting in Adelaide from 28-30 March 2003, made three major recommendations to all Dioceses in regards to sexual abuse by church workers. It has recommended that all Dioceses appoint: 1. A Professional Standards Committee to investigate and manage all complaints of and information concerning sexual abuse and harassment by clergy, paid church workers and volunteers; 2. A Professional Standards Director ensure full compliance with all standards and processes, and 3. A Professional Standards Board consider whether any conduct by clergy, paid church workers or volunteers warrants a finding that a person is unfit for office. These initiatives reflect the Church’s commitment to providing care for victims, justice for all involved and best practice in the future.

5. SUCCESS OF EMPLOYMENT PLUS (Slvtn Army News-Aust) The Salvation Army “Employment Plus” is pleased to be able to report an expansion in its services throughout Australia following the announcement of the Job Network Tender by the Minister for Employment Services, the Hon. Mal Brough. Employment Plus has been the largest provider of services under the Government Job Network umbrella for the past three years and the results of the tender underscores its remarkable success in placing people into jobs. The services will be expanding to operate out of 93 locations throughout Australia with a considerable increase in the number of job seekers who will be coming to the Salvos for help.

6. DAILY PRAYER FOR PEACE – HOBART CATHEDRAL (Angl Dio Tasmania) In response to the ongoing war in Iraq, St David’s Anglican Cathedral in Hobart is holding daily prayers as from Tuesday last week (Tuesday, March 25). At 1pm, Mondays to Thursdays, there is a “Prayer for Peace in a Time of War”. The people of Hobart are invited to join at the Cathedral in this short time of prayer. The prayers will be led by the Dean of St David’s Cathedral, The Very Reverend Dr Stuart Blackler. For further information contact: Dean Stuart Blackler on 0411 239 351; e-mail:

7. CHRISTIAN PEACE TEAMS EXPELLED FROM IRAQ (CPT) Staff member Gene Stoltzfus of the Christian Peace Team, in Chicago, reported Saturday, March 29, that seven members of Christian Peacemaker Teams, from America and Canada; two members of the Iraq Peace Team, a related group; and three other internationals were expelled by the Iraqi government last Saturday. One possible reason for the expulsion, according to team member, Cliff Kindy, was the intense level of anxiety throughout Baghdad. The government “minder” assigned to their group ordered the expulsion after team members walked from their hotel to a meeting in another hotel, documenting the destruction in the streets along the way. On Tuesday, April 1, 2003, another member, Scott Kerr, phoned from the Jordanian border to say that all of the team in Iraq had now left Baghdad and were at the border.

8. N.Z. CONSIDERS EUTHANASIA BILL (Koinonia House News) Last week, the New Zealand Parliament had its first reading of the “Death With Dignity” bill, which seeks to legalise doctor-assisted suicide in New Zealand. The bill’s purpose is “to allow persons who are terminally and/or incurably ill the opportunity of requesting assistance from a medically qualified person to end their lives in a humane and dignified way and to provide for that to occur after medical confirmation, a psychiatric assessment, counselling, and personal reflection.” Maurice Smith of Christchurch, hopes that the “Death With Dignity” bill does not pass. His wife Bettine, suffers from brain damage as the result of a fall five years ago, on top of having lived with multiple sclerosis for 35 years. “She kept asking me to put a pillow over her head,” said Mr Smith. However, Bettine has recovered remarkably during the past several weeks, and Maurice is very glad that he withstood the temptation. Her health and view on life have greatly improved, and she is grateful for her husband’s willingness to care for her at home over the years.

9. ‘WE TRUST IN GOD’S STRENGTH’ (Christian Herald) Christians in Iraq – facing the bombardment of coalition forces against Baghdad, Mosul, Kirkuk, Basra and other cities – believe that prayers from around the world “have made a difference and continue to lift our spirits.” With the attention of the authorities focused on the invasion, pressure has been taken off many underground churches in Iraq, but commentators fear a backlash against believers across the Islamic world.

10. WE MUST CONTINUE TO FIGHT THE DEBT BATTLE (Mothers Union UK) Members of the Mothers Union and the Jubilee Debt Campaign (JDC) in Britain, have called for greater ongoing commitment to the issue of debt relief, stating that the time has come to lift stricken countries ‘out of poverty and restore a sense of justice between the world’s poorest and richest countries’. The call was announced prior to the handing over of a Jubilee Debt Petition of over 120,000 signatures to Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace on March 27th by Trish Heywood, Worldwide President of the Mothers’ Union, and Stephen Rand, Chairman of JDC. Mr Rand said: “Tragically we find ourselves involved in a war today. But there has been a battle happening for the past five years, with casualties occurring every minute and this cannot be ignored. It is hoped that on receiving the petition, Her Majesty’s Government will recognise that 100% debt cancellation is fundamental to reaching its debt cancellation goals.

11. TROOPS QUEUE UP FOR BIBLES (Christian Herald) Pocket New Testaments and Psalms, produced for the Armed Forces by Scripture Gift Mission are in increasingly high demand in the Gulf. The camouflage-covered and ship-crested Bibles are proving an essential piece of their kit for frontline troops. Lieutenant-Commander Martin Hines – of the Mission’s Naval, Military and Air Force Bible Society – said: “The awful reality of war is concentrating these young minds on great spiritual questions.”

12. GROUP DYNAMICS & COMMUNICATION COURSE (Global InterAction) This week in Papua New Guinea, a week-long course is being held at Mt Hagen on the topic of Group Dynamics and Communication. Baptist Church leaders from around the country have gathered with leaders from the Hagen area to hear guest speakers, Ralph and Margaret Luton from NSW. As in all countries, there is a need for church leaders in PNG to be able to communicate clearly the message of the Gospel and the teachings of Scripture. In addition, in this land where disputes are at times settled in inappropriate ways, the church leaders have an important role in mediation and allowing conflicts to be settled peacefully. John Kaewa, General Secretary of the Baptist Union of PNG writes, “This is an important course for the leaders to communicate effectively and be able to share with groups”

13. UK CHURCHES HELP PARISHES MOURN (Church Times) A Cornish Priest spoke this week about how the town of Wadebridge was dealing with the death of Sergeant Steven Roberts, the first British soldier to be killed in combat during the war. Sgt Roberts, who grew up in Wadebridge, was serving with the Desert Rats, in the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment. The Revd Tim Cotton, Priest-in-Charge of St Breoke and Egloshayle, Wadebridge, said on Wednesday that for them the war had suddenly become personal. Prayers were said in churches across the country last weekend for families and friends of other British victims of the war in Iraq.

14. AID AGENCIES WANT UN ROLE (C of E Newspaper) Aid agencies have called on the British Government to push for the United Nations to have the leading role in overseeing humanitarian aid in the Gulf region. Christian Aid, CAFOD, Oxfam, Save the Children and Action Aid joined together to demand that the Government places greater priority on the potential crisis for the Iraqi people. Further pressure on the Government to ensure that the humanitarian crisis is addressed has come from the Church of England, with bishops urging that the Iraqi civilians affected by the war are not ignored. The Bishop of Exeter, the Rt Rev Michael Langrish, said: “Over the next few weeks, it will be important that we continue to press the Government to ensure that adequate resources are in place to meet the humanitarian needs as quickly as possible.”

15. PASSION PLAY – SOUTH WEST OF BRISBANE (Worldwide Photos) The Moogerah Passion Play, “He’s Alive”, will again be held at Boonah, 84 km South-West of Brisbane, along the Cunningham Highway. When the drought dried up most of Lake Moogerah, the “Sea of Galilee” became a small water-hole. At rehearsals in February, it was decided to go ahead in faith. Three days later it rained! The writer/director Mr Kosti Simons said that this year the ten-year-old project will celebrate the end of the drought; the promise that our sins are forgiven and the fact that Jesus is alive in our world today. Performances will take place at 5.00pm on Palm Sunday, April 13, Good Friday, April 18 and Easter Sunday, April 19. For further information contact Kosti Simons, (07) 5463-5691; e-mail:

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