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  ]]> http://christchurchcathedral.org.au/2012/04/download-our-latest-newsletter-3/feed/ 0 http://christchurchcathedral.org.au/2012/03/easter-a-concert-with-the-darwin-chorale/ http://christchurchcathedral.org.au/2012/03/easter-a-concert-with-the-darwin-chorale/#comments Thu, 22 Mar 2012 01:06:46 +0000 Jeremy http://christchurchcathedral.org.au/?p=1284

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A bridge to where?

The Cathedral AGM will be held next Sunday (26 February 2012).

The AGM is the very dull but necessary meeting when we receive reports and elect people to positions of responsibility within the Cathedral Parish.

One of the metaphors for the church the Dean invites us to consider in his Annual Report is that of the Choluteca Bridge in Honduras one of few bridges to survive the devastation of Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

The Choluteca Bridge survived intact but suffered perhaps the greatest indignity, the river moved right out from under it leaving its builders wondering what to do next. This bridge was the only bridge left standing after the storm swept through. The Japanese company that built the bridge was so proud of it that this picture was put on their brochures to show the strength of their construction. There is only one problem. The storm had such force that it moved the river. A report in USA TODAY comments;

“The graceful arches of the New Choluteca Bridge stand abandoned, a white concrete sculpture far from shore, linking nothing to nowhere. The Choluteca Bridge itself is perfect… except that it now straddles dry land. Mitch changed the course of the Choluteca River, and there is water where the access roads used to be … Now, there is no solution… it is very difficult to change the current. [The river] is in a totally different place.”

 You can also download the Dean’s Report by clicking here.

On 19 February 1942 mainland Australia came under attack for the first time when Japanese forces mounted two air raids on Darwin. The two attacks, which were planned and led by the commander responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbour ten weeks earlier, involved 54 land-based bombers and approximately 188 attack aircraft which were launched from four Japanese aircraft-carriers in the Timor Sea. In the first attack, which began just before 10.00 am, heavy bombers pattern-bombed the harbour and town; dive bombers escorted by Zero fighters then attacked shipping in the harbour, the military and civil aerodromes, and the hospital at Berrimah. The attack ceased after about 40 minutes. The second attack, which began an hour later, involved high altitude bombing of the Royal Australian Air Force base at Parap which lasted for 20–25 minutes. The two raids killed at least 243 people and between 300 and 400 were wounded. Twenty military aircraft were destroyed, eight ships at anchor in the harbour were sunk, and most civil and military facilities in Darwin were destroyed.

During the attack the small stone Christ Church was hit by a bomb that landed at the back of the vestry, blasting out the windows and riddling the roof and walls with shrapnel. Neither did the church escape the looting that followed the devastation of the town. Pews were upended, the kneelers were split open and the brass missal-stand was used as a lever to break open the vestry cupboards. The Navy, which later used the rectory as a sick bay, repaired the damage to both buildings with help from the other services.

You can find more about the commemoration of the anniversary here.

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Hot Cross Buns are already in the shops but if you’re like us you’re still celebrating Christmas and New Year and in this part of the world if you buy Easter Eggs too early they just end up as a gooey, sticky mess.

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After many months of hard work, the Restoration and Renovation of the Cathedral is almost complete. The final work is being done on the large West-facing window before the scaffolding is removed and the final bit of roof can be replaced. Soon the electricians will finish their work inside and the painters can begin.

The work has been possible through the generosity of the Vincent Fairfax Family Foundation, the NT Government, John Halikos and many, many people from the Darwin community and around Australia.

The completion of the work will be marked by a grand celebration on 27 November. Watch for more details.

• Marriage shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women. (Gen 29:17-28; II Sam 3:2-5)
• Marriage shall not impede a man’s right to take concubines in addition to his wife or wives. (II Sam 5:13; I Kings 11:3; II Chron 11:21)
• A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed. (Deut 22:13-21)
• Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be forbidden. (Gen 24:3; Num 25:1-9; Ezra 9:12; Neh 10:30)
• Since marriage is for life, no state or federal law, shall be construed to permit divorce. (Deut 22:19; Mark 10:9)
• If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother’s widow or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen. 38:6-10; Deut 25:5-10)

Why not join the Revd Dr Steven Ogden and others as we explore love, the God of love, the history of marriage, the complexity of human relationships and how we can think about family in this new age.

Christ Church Cathedral Harbour Room,
9.30am-4.00pm, Saturday August 20, 2011 ($50.00 / $35.00)
Morning and afternoon tea provided.

All participants receive a copy of Steven Ogden’s new book, “Love Upside Down.”

Download a brochure here.

Val Webb

Dr Val Webb joins us at the Cathedral this weekend for a workshop on Saturday, and to preach at our Sunday morning service at 9.00am.

“God: who, what, where, why and if?” is the title of the workshop to be led by Val on Saturday, from 9.30am in the Cathedral Harbour Room.

Why not join us as together we explore questions about how and if we can talk about God, and as we wonder about what we might learn from and how we might speak with those from other traditions.

For more information, you can download a flier here.

Many of Val’s books will be for sale at discount prices, along with a wide selection of other books from the Cathedral Bookshop.

All Welcome.