‘When they go low, we go high.’ - That’s what Michelle Obama said. 

The former American first lady’s comments came to mind as I listened to Sydney Archbishop Kanishka Raffel give his first presidential address to the Sydney Synod since being elected during Covid. 

Archbishop Raffel’s ‘Do you see the crowds’ address at Oran Park was mission driven and gospel focused, particularly asking how to reach the new housing estates where 30 new churches are needed to reach the hundreds of thousands of people who are moving into the Greenfields areas to the west of Sydney. There was no mention of Brisbane. 

It was a stunning contrast to the address South East Queensland Archbishop Phillip Aspinall gave. It was a hand grenade presentation, attacking evangelicals and Sydney Anglicans, which has so far led to the resignations of two of his ministers and the splitting of two Brisbane congregations.

The second minister to resign in Brisbane is Peter Judge Mears.  

St Johns Wishart Rector Peter Judge Mears is our guest on The Pastor’s Heart. St John’s Wishart spent Sunday processing the news and the invitation to join the new Southside Anglican Church. This church is the second congregation of the new Diocese of the Southern Cross, created as a lifeboat to support orthodox Christians forced out by revisionist Bishops.