4 Days in “The Wilderness” by Stewart Perry
This week Mary-Anne and I spent 4 days in Noosa… for work of course… Each year the clergy gather for a ‘Clergy Conference’. Every 3 years it’s all the clergy of the Diocese but on the other 2 years each region meets with just the clergy of the Western, Northern or in our case Southern Regions.
I have to admit, I was more cautious about this year’s conference than I usually am. The keynote speakers originally booked for the conference were to come from England but had been cancelled amidst some controversy. There has been further controversy in the Anglican Church in Australia with the formation of a new diocese and a priest from Beenleigh just north of us, leaving the diocese to be the foundation member of this new diocese. This was to be the first time since the revelation that a group of clergy had gathered together; would there be more controversy?
Well it seems there was… the very beginning of the conferenced was marked with the announcement of the Archbishop’s resignation effective the 2nd of February 2023. An announcement that took most of us by surprise.
Was there tension and awkwardness during the week… I thought so.
Did we talk about the Elephants in the room… just enough so it seemed like we weren’t avoiding the issue.
Were there less people than usual with some notable absences… that’s what it looked like to me
Did I get a game of golf during the free time… I most certainly did.
Was it a worthwhile time… surprisingly I thought it was better than I expected.
With the cancellation of the original speakers, the schedule was filled with a range of people from within our own Diocese including the new principal of St Francis College, the Executive Director of the Parishes and Missions Commission and a parish priest who just so happens to have a PhD in John’s Gospel. The general theme for the week was ‘Wilderness’.
I do have to admit that I was originally sceptical as to whether I would get much out of the content especially as we seemed to be scrambling together the speakers at the last minute… but my scepticism was unfounded. The sessions were all rich, informative, challenging and inspiring. As we were driving home I said to Mary-Anne how much I loved the fact that we had so much talent within our own diocese.
Of course it is good to get input from those outside of our context from time to time, and you can’t expect to have every insight and all the information in just one group of people… but… God seems to have a way of putting people together to work for the collective goal of building the Kingdom of God.
As we were talking on the way home I wondered what our clergy would have to offer if we were each asked what we could speak about or present on if we were asked. I expect we’d find an amazing array of specialties, talents, insights and most importantly evidence that God is powerfully at work.
You see, both the bible and human history clearly evidences that despite the controversy, turmoil and disfunction of the time… God is still God and God is still powerfully active… in fact, I wonder if we can become more aware of God’s activity during those times.
As I thought about the week on the drive home, my thoughts turned to our little part of God’s Kingdom here in Robina/Mermaid Beach.
Yes we are not in the same shape we were at the beginning of 2020, much has changed and we’ve got our fair share of notable absences… BUT… God seems to have a way of putting people together to work for the collective goal of building the Kingdom of God. God is still God and God is still powerfully active… right here in our community.
It made me wonder if we were able to ask each individual in our church what they could do or are already doing, large or small, seemingly significant or insignificant, to show and share God’s love to those within and those outside our church community… I expect we’d find an amazing array of specialties, talents, insights and most importantly evidence that God is powerfully at work.
Yes it may seem like a “Wilderness” season for many at the moment but it’s in the Wilderness that God is revealed and we are called. I for one, have so much hope for the future of our church, the Anglican Church and the World Wide Church… God is not finished… and we are called to be part of this amazing future of possibilities.
Have a great week.