- Penguin and Ulverstone — Corrie ten Boom once asked, ‘Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre?’ No doubt, Bishop John needed both a steering wheel and a spare tyre on his epic Pilgrimage of Prayer around our state – for his car – but Prayer was both its source and its goal. It was great to have Bishop John and Chris with us in Penguin once, and Ulverstone twice, during the course of the Pilgrimage. Parishioners gathered in Penguin for a time of prayer and thanksgiving – and to bless their new church roof – in the afternoon of 26 June, and the Bishop then journeyed to Ulverstone to pray with another eager band of parishioners that evening.On Tuesday the 29th, he was back in Ulverstone to meet and pray with local church leaders and ‘Intercessors’, before heading further along the coast. Who knows what wonders the Lord has achieved through the prayers of his people? Certainly, those who gathered – as well as the Bishop – were blessed by our prayer time together.
- Furneaux Islands — The focus of Bishop John’s mission and prayer – ‘these islands’ – gives to us a great sense of being included. It also heightens our consciousness of and unity with those who love the Lord whether on King, Bruny, Tasmania, Cape Barren or Flinders – or any other of our many islands. It is good to be reminded of this, for sometimes our own little world becomes all absorbing. As Bishop John had a heart-felt desire to pray at Wybalenna while he was here, a couple of us were able to accompany him, and despite the keen, cold wind, we prayed for ongoing reconciliation with the indigenous community. We remembered with sorrow the past hurts, and we remembered too, a wonderful peace-maker – Auntie Ida West – and thanked God for her contribution to understanding and reconciliation.It was a privilege to be guided through the ‘ACTS’ of prayer, to share in bringing our spoken and silent prayers to our heavenly Father, to share Holy Communion in the context of our prayers of Thanksgiving, and to come away inspired afresh to be more committed in our corporate and individual prayer life. Our God loves us to talk with him; our God is an awesome God!
- Buckland — On Sunday afternoon, the 6th of June, the Bishop’s Prayer Pilgrimage came to the Buckland Parish. Bishop John and his ‘chauffeur’ Chris were welcomed to St Mary’s, Triabunna, by 20 parishioners who willingly joined in the time of prayer, praise and singing. Bishop John led those there in a time of reflection, getting them to name and own the improvements made in the Parish over the last couple of years and to give thanks for the position in which the Parish now finds itself. Many were amazed at what Christ had done through his willing band of workers over this time. It was also a time of prayer for the building of Christ’s Church in the Parish, Diocese and throughout the world. The time that Bishop John spent with us was a time of thanksgiving for the past and inspiration for the future.
- Risdon Prison — Sometimes we as Christians are sheltered from the difficulties and struggle that some have in life. When Bishop John visited the Mary Hutchin Women’s Prison he met with several female inmates, each from different backgrounds, each with a story, each seeking support through the Lord.It was humbling and a privilege to be part of their journey and praying with them for forgiveness and justice. There but for the grace of God, go I. There was a time of prayer and discussion with management with a common focus on rehabilitation and reintegration as the cornerstone of reconciliation, not only for inmates but for all of us in our relationship and faith.
- King Island — Our Mayor read about the Bishop’s visit and arranged for him to meet with the senior members of Council. A member of our church thought it would be good to have a meal before the service with the Bishop. With a look at Currie Harbour on the way back from the council we saw the Men’s Shed and Cultural Centre were open so we dropped in to both – a pleasant hour spent talking with people, sharing a cuppa and offering to pray that night for needs that had been shared. It turned out to be a full day, a full church, where we filled our bellies and had our spirits enriched.
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