Author: Contributor
-
How Clergy Thrive: Insights from Living Ministry
By The Rev’d Dr Imelda O’Loughlin: The notion that clergy need to look after themselves alone is at risk of becoming the dominant narrative if we don’t pause and reflect on the systemic nature of a problem that is the responsibility of all in our Church. A healthy Church requires healthy clergy and calls us…
-
From ‘Lost Boy of Sudan’ to Bishop to counselling undergrad
By Bishop Daniel Abot: In 2005 while working for Anglicare, I was given a return ticket to South Sudan (where I am originally from) and Kenya (where I was priested and served as a youth leader in a refugee camp). The trip was for four weeks. While there, I was a witness to the signing…
-
Blessings from a nine-month long conversation
By The Ven. Michael Faragher: In 2019, I was approached to take part in a clergy professional supervision pilot program, organised by the Parishes and other Mission Agencies Commission. Initially, I was reluctant – the 60-hour week of caring for my parish, Archdeacon duties and somehow fitting in time for my family all weighed against…
-
A New Lease of Life? Anglican Clergy Reflect on Retirement
By Bishop Bill Ray: “One of these [long retired] priests had already been serving his Tractarian parish for over fifty years. He smiled that he was already over seventy when the retirement legislation came into force, so clearly that was irrelevant for him” (p.1). This was the reaction of one priest when the Church of…
-
Flourish: one way we care for our people
By Stephen Harrison: The Anglican Church Southern Queensland (ACSQ) offers clergy, staff, chaplains and pastoral carers and formation students, along with eligible members of their households*, free access to Flourish, a wellbeing programme provided by external consultant, LifeWorks. Flourish offers a range of services, including up to six one-hour confidential counselling services per year, with…
-
Softening the ground for peace to break through
By The Rev’d Deb Bird: While searching for Advent material, I came across Keep Watch With Me: An Advent Reader for Peacemakers, a devotional highlighting the work of dedicated peacemakers around the world. The daily stories reflect the human need to find a place of peace wherever we are – in our homes, communities, and…
-
Running a Christmas service in-person and online
By The Rev’d Michael Calder: A simple carols service is one of the most effective ways to share the Good News of Christmas with a range of people from both inside and outside the church. Incredibly, almost everyone (even secretly) loves coming along to sing carols! Despite living in an era in which fewer people…
-
Advent and clergy wellbeing
By The Rev’d Dr Daniel Rouhead: “KEVIN!!!” A family arrives in Paris for their Christmas holiday only for the parents to discover one of their children has been left behind in New York. Their stress levels are immediately off the scale. This is the plot of Home Alone, but a familiar feeling for many parents…
-
Reaching for the rescue ring
By The Rev’d Canon Dr Marian Free: In the distant past when I was at theological college, I remember being told that most clergy are introverts – one of God’s little jokes. This means that our feelings can be buried deep and difficult for us to articulate, let alone understand or untangle. When we experience…
-
Chewing the cud of scripture: lectio divina
By The Rev’d Penny Jones: Don’t let the Latin put you off! Lectio divina just means ‘divine reading’ – it means above all a slow, reflective reading of scripture and can be compared to allowing the words of scripture to gently dissolve in our hearts and minds. It is the spiritual version of ‘slow food’.…