DEANERY COUNCIL NEWS

August 9, 2021

Deanery Council News

We gathered via Zoom on the 31st July and we would like to update you on some of our discussion.

  1. Not surprisingly, we decided to postpone our September Gathering of Talents. Having said that, we were buoyed by the interest we received via the surveys returned after the concept was launched in late June.  From STA we received 30 replies and people were interested in all the proposed workshops with 13 keen to explore initiatives for Outreach/Pastoral Care. Other areas averaged 8/9 apart from Ecumenism with 5.  Significantly, 6 parishioners nominated themselves to facilitate workshops on the day. You can all be assured we will try to transform your interest into action when some normality returns to our church and community.
  2. Specifically, from our meeting we are heralding two initiatives and are asking if parishioners from EACH parish might take some responsibility for:

2.1     The Epiphany pilgrimage held each January, whereby pilgrims walk from Emu Plains to Bell. We know individuals already volunteer to provide hospitality at STA but the organisers are inviting like-minded people to join them in promoting, refining and discerning the future of this powerful experience.

2.2     The Australian Bishops’ Social Justice statement “Cry of the Poor, Cry of the Earth” was launched on the 5th August.  This document contains profound challenges and invites real responsibility from each of us. The deanery vision is for a network of animators across the deanery to bring this document to life in the Mountains.  Given that our Diocese now has a “Peace, Justice and Ecology” team and that 17 of our parishioners self-nominated for either the Social Justice or Laudate Si workshops it seems that the Spirit is calling us to put the theory into practice.

If you feel called to take an active role in either of these initiatives please email the parish office.

Thanks Kim Crawford & Vic O’Callaghan (STA reps)