2015 the grapevine - mount eliza anglican...

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Vicar leaving 1

Locum period 2

150th 3

150th 4

150th 5

150th

6

Quarterly News of the Anglican Parish of Mount Eliza

DECEMBER 2015

The Grapevine

I t was announced at

all services on

Sunday 1 November

that our Vicar, the

Reverend Shane

Hübner, has accepted

the Archbishop’s offer to

be the Vicar of the

Anglican Parish of Box

Hill. Shane and Janet

have been a part of our

community since

Shane’s induction as

Vicar in August 2010.

While it is sad to have to

say good-bye to them

both, the Parish wishes

them all the best for this

next step in the

adventure of faith. There

will be a combined fare-

well service for Shane

and Janet on Sunday 20

December at 10am at the

Main Church to which

all are invited. If you

would like to contribute

to a gift for the Hübner’s

there are envelopes

available at all our

services. Shane’s last

service in the parish will

be Christmas Day at the

10am Main Church

service. After that he is

on holidays. His

induction service in Box

Hill will be on Tuesday

night, 19 January 2016

at 7.30pm.

T he wardens are

pleased to advise

that the

Archbishop has

appointed the Reverend

Roger Featherston as

our locum Vicar. Roger

will be with us on a part-

time basis from 27

January following

completion of a short-

term appointment in

charge of St David’s

Moorabbin.

OUR VICAR IS LEAVING!!

VICAR Rev. Shane Hübner

ASSOC. PRIEST Rev. Mike Simpson

CHILDREN, YOUTH

& FAMILIES

MINISTER Mrs Sam White

Christmas 7

5 Gardens 8

Easter Fair 9

Light Matter 10

Book Review 11

Vale 12

Christmas Bowl 13

Advent Creed

Dates for the

Diary

14

15

P rior to his retirement from

full-time ministry, Roger was

the Vicar of a number of

Melbourne parishes, the most

recent of which was St Silas’ and

St Anselm’s Albert Park. In the

1980’s he was the Secretary of

Australian Board of Missions and

from 2003 to 2005 was the Rector

of St James, Florence, Italy.

T he announcement of Shane’s

departure in no way effects

the already announced

retirement of our Associate Priest,

the Reverend Mike Simpson. As

advised Mike retires on Sunday 29

May 2016

I t is obvious that our parish is in

a period of transition and this

gives rise to anxiety for many

about what the future holds.

Certainly in the interim period

while Roger is Locum Vicar there

will not be the usual two full-time

clergy leading the parish. A

greater burden will rest on the

shoulders of the Wardens and

Parish Council members, and in

fact all parishioners, to ensure,

under God’s guidance, the on-

going life and witness of the

Anglican Parish of Mount Eliza.

PAGE 2 THE GRAPEVINE

T here is a small group

working on future

directions for the parish

and notice will be given to parish

-wide consultations to begin

early in 2016. Pray for this group

and the process of discerning the

direction for the parish in 2016

and beyond. Also pray for John

Welsh, Richard Brooks, Bek

Pryor, and Lyn Whelan as they

represent the parish in its search

for a new Vicar. The following

prayers may be used:

Heavenly Father, pour down your Spirit upon this parish. Grant us a new vision of your glory, a new experience of your power, a new faithfulness to your word, a new consecration to your service, that through our renewed witness your holy name may be glorified and your kingdom advanced, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Bountiful God, give to this parish a

faithful pastor who will faithfully

speak your word and minister your

sacraments; an encourager who will

equip your people for ministry and

enable us to fulfil our calling. Give to

those who will choose, wisdom,

discernment and patience, and to us

give warm and generous hearts, for

Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

DECEMBER 2015

F rom the 9th to the 18th of October this year our parish

marked the 150th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone for the Historic Church on 16th October 1865.

U nder the wonderful leadership of Di Horscroft a

small team planned a series of events that honoured and gave thanks to God for the past, celebrated the present, and looked forward with hope to the future.

D i outlined the results of the celebrations in the pew

bulletin in early November. Her comments are worth repeating here:

10 Days of celebration

428 invitations sent out

Over 80 different fabrics in

the bunting

249 double triangles in the

bunting = 498 triangles cut

by hand by 4 people

450 entries in the History Timeline

46 people entered the Art &

Craft exhibition

86 attended the Caritas talk and Tea

$271 was collected for Joy Freier’s project

A WONDERFUL SERIES OF

EVENTS TO CELEBRATE 150 YEARS

Men’s Breakfast consisted of:

2 sausages, 2 Hash Browns, 3 rashers of bacon, half a tomato, scrambled egg and toast all on one plate, (and not a lot came back to the kitchen!!) as well as juice, croissants, mini muffins, more toast, jam and marmalade, tea & coffee!

90 eggs for scrambled eggs! 115 paid to come to the

Elegant Afternoon Tea 13 three-tier cake stands borrowed from Beleura. Thank you Beleura, they looked terrific. 6 litres of cream for the scones!

Only 12 jam tarts on film night, as the Knave of Hearts had stolen the rest!

44 at the Inaugural St James the Less Lecture on Tuesday night

240 attended the main Service of Celebration on 18 October

….and a 1000 thanks to all who helped in any way before,

during and after the various events. Without you it would not have happened!

T hanks also to those who took photos during the

celebration. What follows are a selection of these: Elegant Afternoon tea Faithful band of workers in the kitchen.


CELEBRATING 150 YEARS

DECEMBER 2015

Some art work of parishioners in Lamppost

Gallery

Some art work of parishioners in Lamppost Gallery

Craft work of parishioners on display in Hall

Mrs Joy Freier and our own Rev Sue Brooks at Caritas function

Holly Sweeney as Alice at film night

Vicar leading Evensong in Historic Church

CELEBRATING 150 YEARS CONT

Reverend Mike Simpson leading Wednesday morning special service Mad Hatter’s tea party at film night

Cake and model historic church after 150th Sunday service.

The Archbishop and Primate of Australia, the Most Reverend Dr Philip Freier, celebrant at 150th service Order of Service for 150th service

Young Master Bird and Miss Pryor cutting the cake.


CELEBRATING 150 YEARS CONT

DECEMBER 2015

Sunday 13 December 9am: Main Church: Children's Christmas Pageant

Sunday 20 December 7pm: Main Church: Nine Lessons and Carol Service

Christmas Eve

7pm: Main Church: Christmas Family Service

(non-Communion) 11.30pm: Chapel of Resurrection: Midnight Eucharist

Christmas Day 8am: Historic Church: Holy Communion 10am: Main Church: Choral Eucharist

CHRISTMAS SERVICES 2015

M ay we gather as

God’s people to celebrate the birth of our Lord and

Saviour as we continue in our prayers for peace for the world.

THE GRAPEVINE

Vicar, John Horscroft, Sheila Radcliffe & garden owner Carole Coburn (Wooralla Drive)

Plant Stall (Wooralla Drive) Margery Manchester (Harpist) (Seaview Court) Jeannette Morris - garden owner (Bellbrook Court)

T he Five Gardeners’ Gardens event over the weekend of

7/8 November 2015 was a wonderful success once again, raising just over $15,500 for the ministry life of the parish! Thanks must go to the owners of the five gardens on display, whose love and passion for their gardens was evident for all to see. Thanks also to Lyn Whelan and her team for staging such an event. Over half-a-year’s effort went into preparing for the open weekend and thanks to all who put in so much work. Heather Moran - garden owner (Old Mornington Rd.) Susan Cooper & Rosemary Bywater (Gate "Keepers" )

FIVE GARDENERS’ GARDENS NOVEMBER 2015

DECEMBER 2015

E very year our parish has run a FETE in early March. For

2016 we have decided to change things up a bit! Bye - bye FETE - Welcome EASTER FAIR. Given that Easter is early next year (March 27) we have decided to give this event an Easter feel. All the usual stalls and activities will be of course present but there will be a few extra surprises this year. Mark this date in your diary

Saturday 5 March 2016. For more information please contact Easter Fair coordinator - Mr Phillip England on:

0408 628 583

EASTER FAIR!!!

I n the last edition of the ‘Grapevine’ we introduced the

parish to the Carr family. The great news to announce is that Paul has been selected to be ordained Deacon on 6 February 2016 in St Paul’s Cathedral. We congratulate Paul and assure him and his family of our continuing prayers and support as he makes the transition from lay to clerical life.

W hile the finer details are yet to be worked out, it

looks like Paul’s first appointment will be as Honorary Assistant Curate in our parish! Paul will be continuing some studies, continuing some secular employment and starting as a very part-time deacon in our parish as from February 2016 under the guidance first of Reverend Mike Simpson and then the Locum Priest, Reverend Roger Featherson.

PAUL CARR

THE GRAPEVINE

LAMPPOST EXHIBITION

T he last exhibition for the year in our narthex art

gallery - Lamppost Gallery, will be an exhibition entitled, “LIGHT MATTER.”

T his is an exhibition about light and what it means to

shine, running from 4-24 December 2015.

M arking the end of the International Year of

Light and leading into Christmas, Light Matter brings together local and Melbourne artists to explore light in its many scientific, cultural and spiritual applications. Through a range of media, from paint to textiles and plastic, Light Matter invites us to look beyond what we see and consider the conditions and implications of what it means to shine. EXHIBITION DATES: 4 - 24

December 2015

OPENING CELEBRATION:

Friday 4 December 7-9pm

VENUE: Lamppost Gallery St

James the Less Church, 105

Koetong Pde, Mt Eliza

GALLERY HOURS: Wed - Sun

12-4pm (closed Mon, Tues)

God in the Gallery: a good

look at Light Matter Want to engage with art and think with others about the issues of Christian life and God? Then join us for this brief but inspiring and useful tour around the current exhibition. DATES and TIMES: Sunday 13 December: 10.30am and 11.45am Wednesday 16 December: 11.15am Sunday 20 December: 9am - a special session for the kids!

DECEMBER 2015

BOOK REVIEW - SPIRITUAL DEFIANCE

L ooking for something to read over the Christmas break?

Looking for something to stir your soul and body to action as a committed follower of Jesus in these difficult and challenging times? May I be so bold as to suggest that you will not find anything better to read than Robin Meyers book: Spiritual Defiance: Building a Beloved community of resistance.

D uring his thirty-year career as a parish minister and

professor, Robin Meyers has focused on renewing the church as an instrument of social change and personal transformation. In this provocative and passionate book, he explores the decline of the church as a community of believers and calls readers back to the church’s roots as a community of resistance. Shifting the conversation about church renewal away from theological purity and marketing strategies that embrace cultural norms, and toward “embodied noncompliance” with the dominant culture, Meyers urges a return to the revolutionary spirit that marked Jesus’s ministry.

F raming his discussion around three poems by twentieth-

century Polish poet Anna Kamienska, Meyers casts the nature of faith as a force that stands against anything and everything that engenders

death and indignity. He calls for

active—sometimes even subversive—defiance of the ego’s temptations, of what he terms “the heresy of orthodoxy itself,” and of an uncritical acceptance of militarism and capitalism. Each of the three chapters is a poignant and urgent invitation to recover the Jesus Movement as a Beloved Community of Resistance.

THE GRAPEVINE

ANNUAL PARISH

MEETING

O n Sunday 22 November the Anglican Parish of Mt Eliza

held its Annual meeting: a time to reflect upon what has happened in the last year and to look forward with hope to 2016 and beyond. Of course this year the meeting was a little sadder knowing that it would be the last such meeting chaired by our Vicar, Shane.

T hat said, the meeting ran smoothly and the Wardens

for 2015/16 are Kel Taylor and John Paterson, and the Parish Council members for 2015/16 are Ross Hunt (Treasurer), Linda Melen, Debby Hardman, Richard Brooks, Louise Brown, Christine Creaser, and John Welsh. The Incumbency committee is Lyn Whelan, Bek Pryor, and Richard Brooks. Please continue to pray for our leadership team and for our parish in this time of transition.

W e know that death will come to each and

everyone of us but that doesn’t mean it isn’t sad when it occurs. In the last month we have had the death and funerals of two beloved parishioners, Neville Maple and Richard Congreve.

N eville was a long-standing member of the Chapel

congregation and Cantor of the

choir for many years. A gentle and godly man who will be sorely missed by his family and friends but who has left a lasting legacy. Neville lived a full and rich life and died peacefully at the age of 93.

R ichard had been a member of the 9am congregation for

many years and at various stages a Parish Council member and Warden. He was instrumental in the formation of the young adults ministry Jimmy’s and in the

redevelopment of the Pioneer Hall. He lost his battle with cancer just after his 65th birthday. Both Richard and Neville will be missed and may they Rest in Peace

VALE - RICHARD

AND NEVILLE

DECEMBER 2015

CHRISTMAS BOWL 2015

country is powerful and has been adopted by Australian churches since the Christmas Bowl began. Today, with the financial crisis, global food shortages and climate change threatening to throw millions more people into extreme poverty, Frank’s message of sharing and equity has never rung more truly. The Christmas Bowl is an important symbol for churches, schools and individuals all around Australia who work together to promote peace, justice and partnership. The funds raised now support the courageous and life-saving work of ecumenical project partners who empower war-torn communities to protect refugees, prevent further conflict and reduce extreme poverty. Giving envelopes will be available soon and let us all be encouraged to be generous to those in need this year.

T here are more and more demands being placed upon

individual, family and church budgets every year. However, the celebration of Christmas is the celebration of our generous God who, for our sake, became one of us. This season is a season to be thankful, not only for this tremendous gift from God, but for all of God’s blessings to us and for those we love and care for. I am proud that our church supports the Christmas Bowl appeal. Over sixty years ago, the Reverend Frank Byatt of Victoria had a peaceful vision. On Christmas day 1949, he placed an empty bowl on the dinner table and asked all present to give what they considered to be the cost of their Christmas meal. Frank urged his guests to reflect on their good fortunes and encouraged them to do something selfless for the people around the world who were less fortunate. The very first Christmas Bowl raised funds for refugees separated from their loved ones and driven from their homes in Eastern Europe. The simple message of giving the cost of your Christmas meal to someone who may not have food, shelter or security in their own

THE GRAPEVINE

ADVENT CREED

A dvent is a time of preparation for Christmas but also a time of

waiting and hoping and anticipating

the second coming of Christ. The following is a creed to have in this important season:

It is not true that creation and the human family are doomed to destruction and loss—

This is true: For God so loved the

world that he gave his only begotten

Son, that whoever believes in him

shall not perish but have everlasting

life;

It is not true that we must accept

inhumanity and discrimination, hunger and poverty, death and destruction—

This is true: I have come that they

may have life, and that abundantly.

It is not true that violence and hatred should have the last word, and that war and destruction rule forever—

This is true: Unto us a child is born,

unto us a Son is given, and the

government shall be upon his

shoulder, his name shall be called

wonderful councillor, mighty God,

the Everlasting, the Prince of peace.

It is not true that we are simply victims of the powers of evil who seek to rule the world—

This is true: To me is given authority

in heaven and on earth, and lo I am

with you, even until the end of the

world.

It is not true that we have to wait for

those who are specially gifted, who are the prophets of the Church before we can be peacemakers—

This is true: I will pour out my spirit

on all flesh and your sons and

daughters shall prophesy, your

young men shall see visions and your

old men shall have dreams.

It is not true that our hopes for liberation of humankind, of justice, of

human dignity of peace are not meant for this earth and for this history— This is true: The hour comes, and it

is now, that the true worshipers

shall worship God in spirit and in

truth.

So let us enter Advent in hope, even

hope against hope. Let us see visions of love and peace and justice. Let us affirm with humility, with joy, with faith, with courage: Jesus Christ—the

life of the world.

Please check the weekly pew bulletin and updates on the web site for more details closer to when events are to happen. DATE EVENT LOCATION TIME 4 December to 24 December Light Matter Art Exhibition Lamppost Gallery

10 December Carols in the Village Village Green 7pm 13 December Children’s Nativity Play Main Church 9am 16 December Parish Council Hall 7.30pm 18-19 December Christmas Bowl Collection in the Mt Eliza Village 20 December Farewell Service to Vicar Main Church 10am 20 December Christmas Carol Service Main Church 7pm 24 December Family Christmas Service Main Church 7pm 24 December Midnight Christmas Service Chapel of the Resurrection 11.30pm 25 December Christmas Day Service Historic Church 8am 25 December Christmas Day Service Main Church 10am 27 December Evensong Historic Church 5pm

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

DECEMBER 2015 PAGE 15

REGISTRAR NOTES

FUNERALS: Neville Maple; Richard Congreve

105 Koetong Parade

Mount Eliza VIC 3930

Phone: 9775 3301

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: mteliza.melbourneanglican.org.au

We are a community of Christians who are knowing Christ and making Christ known, in our church, in our families, in our communities and in the world. We worship in the wide variety of styles offered by the Anglican tradition, from choral Eucharist to Sunday school, from traditional service to contemporary praise, for seniors and children, for youth and adults. There is something for everyone ~ whoever you are, wherever you come from, you are welcome to join us as we meet God here.

The Anglican Parish of Mount Eliza

knowing Christ and making Christ known

Sunday

7.45 am Holy Communion (from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer)

St James the Less historic church 9 am Holy Communion with Children’s Programs every week in term time.

St James the Less main church 10 am Holy Communion

Chapel of the Resurrection, The Peninsula School. 10.30 am Choral Eucharist

St James the Less main church 6.00pm Choral Evensong ~ 4th Sunday

St James the Less historic church

Wednesday

10.30am Holy Communion

St James the Less historic church

SERVICES AT MT ELIZA

2015 the grapevine - mount eliza anglican...

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