It was St Matthias Day, 24 February 1996, when a vision was finally realised for Jill, as this was the day she was ordained a deacon at St Saviour’s Cathedral by Bishop George Browning, the first vocational deacon to be ordained in the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn. After pursuing and waiting for many years Jill’s desire to be deaconed was finally fulfilled and the words from Psalm 37:4 came to life: ‘Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this.’

Along with Bishop George Browning, and his vision and understanding of the distinctive diaconate, two other people who inspired and understood Jill’s desire to be ordained were Deaconess Mary Andrews and Father Michael Cockayne.

How can the church engage its world? How can the ministry of the Church in the world be modelled to the laity? I believe the answer in part will come through the recovery of a diaconate marked by that servant character and engagement with the world with which the order began. Putting it simply, if the presbyterate has its place in leading the Church gathered, it is the diaconate which has its place in leading the Church scattered. The call of the deacon is to be the boundary rider of the Church, the opportunist for the gospel, the emissary, addressing the story of the world with the story of the gospel, having a place amongst the people of God, but living beyond the gathered community so as to point to the burning bushes in the wilderness.

~Bishop George Browning, 1994 Synod Presidential address on the establishment of a vocational diaconate in the Diocese

Jill was born in the Blue Mountains and prior to her training at Deaconess House she was a kindergarten teacher in the Blue Mountains. Deaconess House is now called MAC-Mary Andrews College. Mary Andrews was an inspiring woman who had been the principal of deaconess house in Sydney, but she had spent her childhood years in the parish of Cooma and always took an interest in the diocese of her birth.

Deaconess Mary encouraged and supported Jill in her time of study at Deaconess House and assured Jill of her prayers when she moved to work in the diocese of Newcastle, and later to work in England with the Bible Reading Fellowship. Deaconess Mary was a strong advocate for the recognition of the ministry of women and had a clear understanding of the servant ministry of the deacon.

Father Michael Cockayne, who is the leader of the Celebration Community in Queanbeyan, was a true mentor, teacher and friend, and along with Mary Andrews and Bishop George had an understanding of the diaconate as that of servanthood – ‘having a place amongst the people of God, but living beyond the gathered community so as to point to the burning bush in the community’ (Bishop George’s Synod address 1994).

Jill’s specific diaconal ministry has been in aged care, where she was involved in a number of facilities in the area of pastoral care and diversional therapy. Between 2012–2019 Jill was the chaplain at Bill McKenzie Gardens (formerly Ginninderra Gardens), and with the help of an enthusiastic and committed pastoral care team she saw God working amongst residents, family members, friends and staff.

Along with the weekly church services it was always thrilling to hear lots of energetic people make a joyful noise at the hymn sing-alongs. There were many touching moments when a person living with dementia who hadn’t spoken for a long time would join in singing a hymn. Other times a family member would be moved to tears as they would hear their loved one recite a familiar prayer or verse of scripture.

Sunday afternoon was always a very joyful time when residents and family members would meet with pastoral volunteers for afternoon tea. Heaps of delicious food was consumed and there was lots of fun and laughter, but it was also a time to share the message of the gospel and listen to those who were hurting and had deep needs. It was a time to give hope and peace, and the assurance of God’s love. Neither the pastoral care team nor Jill would tire in seeing someone who had previously shown no interest in God respond to the Christian message through these gatherings.

As an associate member of the Celebration community, Jill still has close contact with Father Michael Cockayne who continues to be an encourager and friend. Although now retired from full-time ministry, Jill still loves her servant ministry with the Celebration community in having a heart that notices the poor, the broken and the vulnerable. The joy of bringing the gospel of Jesus to people through word and action still brings enormous excitement.

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The Reverend Ian Marshall was Inducted as the new Rector of The Parish of Queanbeyan District Anglican Church on 23 September 2020. Ian has been Locum for the Parish for about the last two years.

Bishops Mark and Carol and Area Dean David McLennan presided.

Reverend Ian was welcomed to the Parish by Pastor Peter Junor from the Baptist Church, Queanbeyan, and Richard Broughton as a Warden for the Parish.

Reverend Ian was presented with the usual symbols of ministry during the service, and also a local symbol of ministry which consisted of six vials filled with different coloured sands representing the diversity of our Parish.

The sand colours represent:

• red – Christ Church, Queanbeyan – ‘the heart’
• ochre – St Paul’s, Burra – ‘of the land’
• green – St Matthew’s, Karabar – ‘vibrant in community outreach’
• blue – Waters’ Edge, Googong – ‘by the water of Googong’
• purple – St Thomas’, Michelago – ‘surrounded by mountains’

The sixth vial combines all the colours of the others to represent the unity of the one Parish.

Reverend Ian, and his wife Robyn, are warmly welcomed by the Parish, and we pray that the continued ministry of Ian and Robyn is strengthened and guided by God’s wisdom and grace.

Picture of the portrait of Mary Thorn by local Queanbeyan artist Julie Ballis.

On 25th March this year Reverend Mary Thorn marked the 20th anniversary of her ordination to the diaconate. How appropriate that she was ordained on ‘Lady Day’, the feast of the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary! Her ordination took place in her home church, Christ Church Queanbeyan; it was from this parish and congregation that Mary was raised up into service, and she has served in the parish for the whole period of her ministry.

Mary came from Queensland, being born in Yeppoon. She was raised by relatives in Rockhampton, after both her parents died when she was only eight years old.

Mary and Kevin married when she was 22; they had three children, and subsequently many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Kevin served in the RAAF, and it was a posting to Fairbairn that brought them to live in Queanbeyan, in 1968. After Kevin’s period of service in Vietnam, the family chose to remain in Queanbeyan, where they had settled-in. Kevin died in 1986.

It was at the Billy Graham crusade in Sydney in 1959 that Mary gave her life to Christ. She served in lay ministry in Christ Church for many years, before it was suggested that she might be ordained as a deacon. Mary is very well known and loved by the people of Queanbeyan, through her ministry lived out in teaching scripture in schools; chaplaincy at the local hospital; regular pastoral visiting to retirement and nursing homes; and an extensive ministry to families in times of both joy and of grief, through baptisms and funerals.

Local Queanbeyan artist Julie Ballis painted a portrait of Mary, which she entered into an exhibition titled, ‘Unsung Heroes’. She said of Mary, ‘I just thought she fitted that unsung heroes title because she has done a lot of good, and has done a lot of work behind the scenes’. The portrait is now located in the Christ Church hall.

Although Mary is now retired from active ministry, with a true deacon’s heart, she continues to care for other residents of George Forbes House, where she now resides.

by Reverend Marilyn Waind