The annual church service for The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem was celebrated this Sunday. The service was conducted by Bishop Greg Anderson whose pew sheet reflection is as follows; "The apostle Paul in his letters to the Christians in Rome and Galatia makes it clear that God accepts us not because of our good works but because of the saving work of Jesus Christ. On our own, we simply cannot earn our way into God's 'good books'. But Paul also writes about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as a consequence of Christ's rescue. The Spirit empowers us to want to do good, as well as to be able to do good. In Romans, Paul writes about doing good to all people, and about living in peace with others. In Galatians, Paul writes about the fruit of the Spirit in our lives - love, joy, kindness, goodness, gentleness and more. The medieval hospitaller Orders, which are the ancestors of the Order of St John (and similar Orders), understood the importance of demonstrating Christian love. In the context of the tensions around the Crusader period in the Levant, when the name of Christ was stained with the bloody action of European militia, the Orders provided care for Muslims and Christians alike. The ongoing work of St John in the Northern Territory in the same way points to the Spirit-empowered life that embodies and expresses God's love for the whole world."

Pentecost is the festival when Christians celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and is regarded as the birthday of the Christian church. It is a popular tradition for the priest and congregation to wear red at Pentecost. Celebrations at Christ Church Cathedral included an ecumenical service in the Darwin Mall, and two services. The children's ministry team provided meaningful activities for the children and the beautiful music by the Arafura Wind Ensemble added to this special service.

The 35th Synod of the Diocese of the NT convened at Christ Church Cathedral on Friday 31 May with an opening service, followed by dinner in the Cathedral grounds. The Bishop, the Right Reverend Dr. Greg Anderson,  then delivered his Presidential Charge noting that Synod is taking place in National Reconciliation Week. Bishop Greg Anderson said, " In the Diocese of the NT, we have great joy and privilege of belonging to churches that have genuine opportunities to reflect God's desire that humans should be reconciled to one another. Reconciliation is based on recognising that wrong has happened, and wanting to fix that wrong. It means coming together in a restored relationship. Working out how to fix the linguistic differences is not easy ... but I believe that the church continues to be a good place for expressing reconciliation, through listening to one another, working together, and seeking for all our communities to grow stronger, safer and more peaceful. Our current strategic plan has as one of its objectives that Aboriginal members of our diocese will be heard and valued. No 'fixing' is possible without proper conversation, including careful listening." Synod continues over the weekend at Nungalinya College.  

 

Julie Toomey, Chaplain of Mission to Seafarers (MTS), recently shared with the congregation an insight into this valuable mission supported by Christ Church Cathedral. Just about everything we use; our cars, furniture and clothing - comes into Australia by ship. Likewise, the wealth of the country depends on the exports of ores and food. But who is the human face behind all this? Our community depends on the seafarers that leave home and family to go to sea and face danger, perils and loneliness for months on end. Life on the ocean is not just lonely but can also be dangerous due to piracy, weather and illness. There is also very little financial gain. But who looks after the seafarers who look after us? MTS provides a place for seafarers to come and feel safe, welcome and relaxed. Their needs include contacting family, leaving the port and renewing supplies. They are provided spiritual support, counselling, transport, clothing, books, magazines and games to take on board to stave off boredom and loneliness. MTS aims to care for seafarers around the world. Volunteers can assist in a myriad of ways, and Julie can be contacted at missiontsdarwin@gmail.com. Financial donations are always gratefully received to support this valuable work. Information about volunteers and financial donations here.

 

Darwin church and political leaders attended a service at St Mary's Cathedral to pray for those involved in the recent tragic events in Sri Lanka and other tragedies in our world. Prayers for those affected in Sri Lanka were shared in Tamil, Sinhalese and English. Bishop Charles in his address highlighted the choice that we have as Christians to live the lives of love that we see in Jesus even in the times when the natural response is one of anger and revenge. Communion was offered and shared with all present. Christ Church Cathedral was represented by Reverend Ian McDonald and members of the congregation.