Articles and Opinions
Easter 2021 Message from Bishop Mark
Download a pdf here.
Surprising hope in aged care
Easter is a time of renewal, of new beginnings and resurrection. During Holy Week we will share stories from around the Diocese of how the surprising hope of Easter has impacted people’s lives. Our first story comes from one of our deacons that works as a chaplain...
Pastoral Care at the Good Shepherd
Good Shepherd Anglican in Curtin recently launched a new pastoral care team. ‘The impetus for starting the pastoral care team wasn’t so much driven by COVID, growth or a lack of staff but by God’s word’ says Reverend Tim Purser. ‘We dream of a church that truly...
Opinion: Does faith matter in 2021?
As the trauma of 2020 overshadows the dawning of 2021, increasingly I am convinced that the Old Testament book of Genesis can assist us with transitioning into the New Year. It gifts us with secrets about resilience, as found in relationships. This is because...
Good things can be even better
Good things can be even better when we do them together. Next year, our Diocese will be participating together in three seasons of focussed engagement to help us better understand our shared call to mission. The first season, of study, will take place during Lent –...
Bishop Mark’s Christmas Message – Grace and Truth
Sometimes we struggle to know how to pursue two good goals simultaneously. Take, for example, the yearning for freedom and the desire to be safe. Both are important to us, but throw in a pandemic, the internet and a dose of scepticism towards authority and there’ll be...
The Nearness of God
I remember a conference on the nature of God in Christian and Islamic traditions I attended in Edinburgh some years ago (in the days when travel to the far side of the earth was both normal and affordable). At one stage in the proceedings Professor Mona Siddiqui, who...
Bishop Mark Writes … Responding to Tragedy
One of the gifts of the Christian faith is that we are able to recognize tragedy for what it is and what it isn’t. As I look back on my formative experiences as a young Christian what I remember most are not the examples of believers who handled success well, but...
Sometimes an empty space is not enough
Sometimes an empty space is not enough. In Matthew 12:43-45 Jesus tells the story of an unclean spirit which goes out of a person, but when it returns welcomes in seven other evil spirits so that their victim is left in a worse state. While the original context of the...
Solitude and Society: faith beyond COVID-19
A pandemic can shake us up and disturb our equilibrium. The recent challenges of the COVID-19 global pandemic have raised acute existential questions for individuals and institutions. A question arises for disciples of Christ, whether in the churches, politics,...