Friday, December 08, 2006

An Open Letter to the Standing Committee of the Sydney Anglican Diocese

We have been sent an email containing an open letter addressed to the Standing Committee of the Sydney Anglican Diocese. The letter was written by Rev Dr Keith Mascord who will soon take up a role as the National Chaplain at Mission Australia.
We do not know Keith personally.

As the letter is an open letter, can I encourage you to read it! The letter is written in a good spirit addressing some specific and some more general concerns about the nature of the Sydney Anglican Diocese.

Keith has encouraged feedback to this letter, both affirming and also disagreeing with his thoughts, which are representative not only of himself but generally from a council of people he represents. Keith's cover email indicates that these responses will also be passed onto Standing Committee. Can I encourage you firstly to email your feedback to Keith (his email is in the letter), but also consider adding those thoughts to this blog so that other readers can see and perhaps interact with your response (do so anonymously if you would prefer).

Please also feel free to email others the link to the letter or to this blog, so that they can join the discussion.

I would like to affirm the spirit this letter was written in by encouraging you to pray as Keith has suggested in his covering email.
"Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the sentiments of
the letter, please pray that good will come out of this, and that
involved would act in loving, humble and non-defensive ways."


Read Keith's Open Letter to the Standing Committee


FYI - "The Standing Committee is made up of approximately 60 people (either ex-officio or elected) who meet monthly to exercise many of the powers of the Synod when it is not meeting." View Source

4 comments:

Andrew + Jessica said...

The SMH is onto the story ...

Anonymous said...

Hi Guys,

I have to say I find it sad that some of these things end up in the public domain...especially the SMH which has a somewhat less than perfect reputation...

That said, I agree with a lot of Keith's comments and it will be interessting to see if this gutsy move prompts any change.

Tam

Emma said...

ok, i'm behind... i haven't been reading blogs for aaaages but I loved the you tube clip and the photos of curling...

now i'll need to read all the rest but its too nice a day to stay at the computer and I have to go swimming!

love em

Louisa Claire said...

Hi, I've stumbled across your blog and am so glad that I have. As an ex-Sydney, now Melbourne dweller, and an employee of an Anglican Church this letter has made quite an impact on me. I don't want to make any partiuclar comment or response in haste, however while I reflect, I thought I would let you know that a revised letter was released in January and that a dialgoue group has been established in response. We should uphold these people in prayer as they grapple with these issues and consider a loving, Christ-like response which will bring honour and glory to God.