Progress has continued at St Paul’s Cathedral since the Gazette was last published. The

Cathedral roof now shines brightly and proudly among the city roof tops.

The Finial cross has been reinstated and was blessed on 5 October 2016 by the Dean,

the Very Reverend Lindsay Howie, before the internal scaffolding was removed after the

rose window was reinstalled. The rose window now

shines radiantly within

the cathedral and will

surely impress all who

enter for worship. The

hardened glass

covering the rose

stained window allows

the clarity of colour to

permeate the

cathedral.

Work progressed onto

the side elevation of

the cathedral while

new timber was

replaced before new

iron was laid.

The roof

above the

Sanctuary

proved to

have severe

timber

damage

and this

has also

been

repaired

before the

new roofing

was secured. Some days the tarps went on and off several times during the day

depending on the weather conditions.

During the roof repairs the Stonemason and Site Project Manager, Kent Roxborough of

Classical Stone, had his team spend time grouting and repointing several sections of the

stonework as well as replacing stonework around several windows.

See more stories about the Cathedral repairs on page 9

Cathedral restorations continue

October to December 2016 Volume 126 No 4

The Gazette

Stop Press

Date claimer

Safe Ministry

Workshops

for 2017

Boyne River

Feb 11th 2017

Wandal

March 11th 2017

Blackall

April 1st 2017

Inside this issue:

Bishop’s Musings 2

Honour for Anglican

missions’ chief

3

Hospital prayer room 5

Mothers’ Union 3

AnglicareCQ 10

How to read the

Quran

12

For a child has been

born for us,

a son given to us;

authority rests upon his

shoulders;

and he is named

Wonderful Counsellor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

(Isaiah 9:6)

Dear Friends,

I wonder how many

people over the Christmas

period, will stop and

reflect on these words and

their significance for all

creation.

It is easy to get caught up

in the busyness of doing

Christmas - family

gatherings, gifts being

bought, given and

received, etc. - such

things, nice as they are,

often draw our attention

away from the birth of

Jesus, the birth of God’s

chosen king. One of the

most fundamental beliefs

of the Christian faith is

that in Jesus, God

entered into human

existence. This belief has

shaped and transformed

the lives of millions of

people for two millennia;

it has brought hope when

all seemed lost; healing

when the doctors had

given up and it has

restored relationships

thought broken beyond

repair. Such is the power

of faith in Jesus Christ

our Lord and Saviour.

Our world is in desperate

need of a King and

Saviour. A king who

challenges our ideas, a

king who will call us to

account both for the

things we do and the

things we don’t. Of course

such an idea is not very

popular in today’s world –

it wasn’t popular when

Jesus’ walked the streets

of Israel either – but

popularity is not the

point. The recent election

in the USA revealed the

ugliness of human nature

and a lack of respect for

others that left many

people shocked. Yet, such

ugliness is all around us -

on the large scale in Syria

and the terror of ISIS; in

our response to the plight

of refugees, and, closer to

home, in the acts of

violence against complete

strangers and against

family members; in the

rudeness often shown

towards others and a

selfishness that seeks

only to care for number

one. We need changed

hearts and minds and to

be challenged about our

attitudes to one another,

to learn to truly love not

only our friends but our

enemies too.

Jesus is Christ the King,

a King born in poverty, a

King born without any of

the usual trappings of

greatness, but a King

none the less. A King who

demands a response.

People may well say they

don’t want a king who will

judge and hold them to

account but the issue is

not what we want but

what we need. As I look

around, as I look at the

news each day, I become

ever more convinced of

our inability to save

ourselves, and of the need

for forgiveness and

salvation that comes

through Jesus Christ.

People need hope - hope

based on faith in Jesus

Christ, hope that comes

through a relationship

with Jesus and the Holy

Spirit living within. As we

celebrate the birth of

God’s King, may we be

filled with the Holy Spirit

of God and bold in our

proclamation of Jesus as

Lord and Saviour. May we

be bold in announcing

that the prophecy of

Isaiah has been fulfilled -

a child has been born, a

son given to us who is

named Wonderful

Counsellor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince

of Peace God.

May you, and all those for

whom you pray, be filled

with the hope and joy of

Jesus’ birth.

The Bishop’s Musings

Page 2

The Gazette

“We need changed

hearts and minds and

to be challenged about

our attitudes to one

another”

With every blessing

+

ABM is very proud to

announce that our

Executive Director, the

Revd John Deane has

been awarded the ACFID

Outstanding Contribution

to the Sector Award 2016

by the Board of the

Australian Council for

International

Development (ACFID).

The key criterion for the

award, presented in late

October, was whether the

whole Australian aid and

development NGO sector

has benefited from an

individual’s or

organisation’s

contribution over an

extended period of time.

ACFID President, Sam

Mostyn’s letter to Revd

Deane said:

“The award is in

recognition of your many

years of outstanding

service on the Committee

for Development

Cooperation (CDC) to the

benefit of the Australian

aid and development

sector. Your service on

the CDC for 18 of its 41

years makes you the

longest serving committee

member of the Australian

Aid Program’s longest

running stakeholder

committee with citizen

run development NGOs.

You have engaged with

the Australian

Government in mediating

relations with common

sense, good grace and

diligence.”

“It is the quality of this

service that we wish to

recognise; the

combination of

understanding the

challenges of

accreditation; experience

and sympathy for running

smaller and mid-sized

NGOs, appreciation of the

necessity of a reasonable

standard of regulation; . .

. your strong sense of the

independence of the

Australian NGO sector,

and stout commitment to

the separation of religious

activities from

development activities yet

a deep valuing of the

importance of faith in

development.

“Finally, you have at

times acted as a

repository of corporate

memory which both NGOs

and Government officials

alike relied upon when

the inevitable proposal to

reinvent the wheel arose.”

Revd Deane was

honoured to receive the

award and recalls the

time when he was elected

to the CDC in his second

year as ABM’s Programs

Director.

“I was fairly new to the

sector when I went to my

first ACFID council

meeting, representing

ABM as the Programs

Director. At that stage

they were encouraging

people to think about

what they could do to

contribute to the sector.

They put a strong case for

small agencies to ‘step up

to the plate’ and offer to

take on some of the roles

within ACFID, because it

was important that small

agencies were

represented,” he said.

“I didn’t think about

taking on a role much in

my first year at ABM, as I

thought I was too green.

But in my second year I

went to the council and

there was a vacancy on

the CDC and I was

elected.”

Revd Deane acknowledges

that over the years, the

CDC has benefited from

some really supportive

people in government

working to assist

cooperation between the

Australian Government

and NGOs. There is

increased recognition that

NGOs are making a

valuable and important

contribution to the Aid

Program, both here and

overseas. NGOs have a

greater ability to work at

the grass-roots level

within communities,

delivering tangible

benefits that people can

see.

He said, “From my

perspective, it’s been a

really good thing to be

able to try to support the

program that is run

between the government

and the NGOs, which

we’ve had to fight for on

occasions. I think it’s

really good that we have a

rigorous accreditation

system – that is a

desirable thing. It has

been a process that the

sector and government

has worked at to make

sure that it meets the

need of both those parts

of society.”

Revd Deane was

presented with his award

at the 2016 ACFID

Conference Gala Dinner

on Wednesday 26th

Honour for Anglican Missions’ chief

Page 3

Volume 126 No 4

ABM Executive Director,

the Revd John Deane has

been awarded the ACFID

Outstanding Contribution

to the Sector Award 2016

“The award is in

recognition of your

many years of

outstanding service on

the Committee for

Development

Cooperation …”

October. This is Revd

Deane’s final year in his

role as member of the

ACFID Committee for

Development

Cooperation.

The ABM Board and

staff congratulate him

on being awarded this

most significant

recognition of his

contribution to the

sector over many years.

November. It was a surprise for her

mum who was visiting from New

Zealand.

The parish family is very sad as the

Rev. Honorio Hincapie, our parish

priest, has resigned his position in

Emerald as of January. We are truly

blessed to have had him as priest for

more than three years and we know

he has brought many people,

including children, to worship at St

Luke’s. We hope and pray that he will

visit us from wherever he goes. Please

pray for all of us here in Emerald and

for Honorio. By Gwen

St Luke’s Emerald

Advent is here in 2016!

The Sunday School

children are presenting

the Christmas Pageant

on Sunday 27th

November. This is being

organised by Hannah

Eldridge. We are blessed

that she is doing this,

as it takes a lot of

preparation. Following

the service on this day,

a Christmas lunch will

be held in our air-

conditioned hall.

Lisa Darlow was baptised on Sunday 6th

St David's Moura

many hours each week at

the Moura St Vincent de

Paul shop, as well as

always providing beautiful

flowers for church services.

Each week these flowers

are distributed in the

community, sometimes to

the hospital, and at other

times to families who are

grieving, ill or celebrating a

special event. We are

always grateful for those

who spend time attending

to the church gardens in

these very dry times

Malcolm, Mary, Gail, Bob,

Daphne... all may be seen

at times - watering,

weeding or mowing. We

have been particularly

praying for former St

David’s worshippers Libby

and Eleanor who have

had significant health

issues. The extreme dry

weather has caused

significant problems for

local farmers and cattle

producers; they are in our

thoughts and prayers

Claudia Stephenson

This month our regular

parishioners are as busy

as ever with their

community volunteer

involvement. As she has

done for many years,

Claudia was accompanist

for the Christmas carols

at the local Senior

Citizens Christmas

dinner. After decades as

chief organiser of the

dinner, Ruth F took a

lesser role this year, due

to declining health. As

usual Ruth H spends

Page 4

The Gazette

Lisa Darlow was baptised on

Sunday 6th November

“The extreme dry

weather has caused

significant problems

for local farmers and

cattle producers”

Allegations of Abuse A protocol has been established to respond to any complaints of abuse

within parishes and agencies of the Anglican Diocese of Rockhampton. Anyone wishing to seek assistance should telephone

The Director of Professional Standards: Mr Greg Milles on 1800 242 544.

We usually begin our

visiting from the “Prayer

Room”. It felt like a very

empty space until we

approached Lillias

Jensen, the Anglican

Religious Instruction

Coordinator at the

Frenchville School.

Together we met with

Donna Earle-Morrison, a

Deputy Principal and it

wasn’t long before we had

172 beautiful illustrations

to link God with what is

happening within the

walls of the Base

Hospital. Catholic

students have since

contributed and we will

be hanging their works of

art this coming week. If

you happen to be up at

the hospital make sure

you take a look!

The hospital have gotten

on board and taken

photos as an invitation to

"come see” in their

fortnightly

gazette. No

longer will the

“Prayer Room”

be relatively

unknown. Many

thanks to all the

RI teachers from

the North

Rockhampton Parish and

to the Frenchville State

School.

Delfina Trail On behalf of the

Chaplaincy Team

Base Hospital Prayer Room

North Rockhampton Parish

money.” Later we enjoyed

a picnic lunch at a nearby

park. Revd Tom made the

suggestion we should

bring our own lunch and

to just add a little bit

extra to share with

others. We also enjoyed

the opportunity to take a

tour of the local museum,

located over the road from

where the picnic lunch

took place.

The following Sunday, the

Parish held a Cent Sale at

St Mary’s. There was an

abundance of prizes that

were neatly wrapped by

members of the Parish,

two or three days prior.

The Cent Sale was

proceeding very well

before a fire had broken

out. On the following

Thursday morning, the

bingo players, who were

in attendance, bombarded

me with the news.

Everyone provided me

with their own account of

what had happened.

There was an evacuation,

the police, fire services

and ambulances were

present. Fortunately

though there were no

injuries. The conclusion

of the Cent Sale was

conducted at St David’s

church.

The parish welcomed to

the ministry team, the

Revd Narelle Kidson. Her

welcome to the Parish

occurred at the

Marlborough Church

The Parish on the fifth

Sunday in October

ventured up to celebrate

the Eucharist at All

Saints church in

Marlborough. With

many thanks to the

Rothery’s Coaches, many

parishioners from St

David’s were able to

attend. The church was

full as folk from around

the district were also in

attendance. Revd Tom

did a fair bit of organising

to make the day very

memorable. The service

catered for both the

children and adults. One

child made the comment

to the effect, “You should

never say no to anyone

who wants to give you

Page 5

Volume 126 No 4

172 beautiful illustrations

and there are more to come

Want to advertise with us? Advertising space is available for you to tell our readers about your business,

with reasonable rates & payment terms. Black & White or Colour.

Text Only or With Image. For more details contact The Editor gazette@anglicanchurchcq.org.au

Gazette Deadlines

Please send you articles and photos

for inclusion in the Gazette to

gazette@anglicanchurchcq.org.au

The deadlines for the 2017 issues are:

February 14th; May 14th; August 14th; November 14th

service. Revd Narelle has

joined our team since

retiring from being Priest in

Charge at Gracemere. Her

contribution to the parish, I

am sure, will be very

valuable.

The GFS has enjoyed a very

good year as new children

have been made very

welcome. The children

have enjoyed doing craft.

At the moment they are

busy making Christmas

decorations. The older

ones are decorating plates,

meanwhile the younger

ones are busily making

Christmas bells and

baubles.

The Parish wishes everyone

in the Diocese a happy

Christmas and a happy

2017. 2017, WOW!!

Lawrie Fox

Messy

Church

continues on

a Tuesday

evening once

per month.

It’s great fun

for all

concerned.

The numbers

attending

vary, we’ve

had 16

people of various ages,

from infant to great

grandparent. The last

evening was about

Joshua and the battle of

Jericho. Lots of made-on-

the-spot musical

instruments (didgeridoos,

shakers, tap sticks, body

percussion etc.), and

some interesting (and

noisy) whistles, trumpets

and mouth organs

usually turning up in

party packets. But we

marched around and

around the walls of

Jericho and made

them fall down.

A ‘Festival of

Christmas Trees’ was

held, many trees from the

community appeared.

There were trees from

businesses, clubs, adults

and children. Trees made

from: hay bales, both

round and square; barbed

wire; old timber from

pallets and other sources;

tyres and slightly more

conventional sources.

Some were too big to go

inside, and still stand in

the church yard for

passers-by to see, until

they are taken to be

displayed at the places of

business of the builders.

Some are tiny, the

smallest only about 5cms

tall, and many in between

sizes. Only one (from

Nookie’s Nursery) was an

actual evergreen tree, but

there are many inventive

souls in Winton who came

up with clever designs,

both for the tree and the

decorations. Decorations

included: fruit and veg

from the greengrocer;

goggles from the

swimming pool; National

Parks and Wildlife logos;

totally recycled decos

from an inventive local.

About forty people

enjoyed a BBQ tea, then

heard the Nativity story,

and how evergreens

connect with the new life

brought by Jesus, then

enjoyed singing carols,

and listening to our guest

singer, Leon

Coromandel’s rendition of

‘O Holy Night’ and his

wife Kristy’s lovely piano

playing.

Thank you to the people

of Winton or your

support.

St Paul’s Winton

Page 6

The Gazette

THE SEE ENDOWMENT FUND When the Diocese of Rockhampton was excised from the Diocese of Brisbane and

established in 1892 it was hoped that a See Endowment Fund would be fully subscribed. Such a fund was put in place to make sure that the cost of having a Bishop

of Rockhampton Diocese would be assured and not require support from the Diocesan budget. Unfortunately the fund was never fully established and the Diocese has had to

live with that for the last 123 years. The fund however still exists, and income that is earned from capital invested becomes part of the annual budget for the Bishopric. The

Diocese would be greatly assisted if, over 123 years later, the fund received new gifts and bequests from benefactors. Gifts can be made to the Diocese of Rockhampton, PO

Box 710, Rockhampton QLD 4700 and bequests should be worded: “I bequeath to the Corporation of the Synod of the Diocese of Rockhampton for the purpose of the See

Endowment Fund.”

November is

unquestionably the

month when members of

Mothers’ Union focus on

the fifth object, helping

those whose family life

has met with adversity,

especially in relation to

Domestic Violence.

Revd Claire Dewar and

Alice Hare represented

Mothers’ Union at the

Breakfast with Dame

Quentin Bryce on 10th

November, following up

her Report “Not Now, not

Ever”.

All branches pack many

bags of toiletries for the

Women’s Shelter,

continuing the link with

the Shelter which was

started by the Mothers’

Union in the 70s.

We are now very much

involved with the

Worldwide Anglican 16

Days of Activism

campaign against Gender

Violence. On White

Ribbon Day, 25th

November, a free sausage

sizzle will again be held in

the Victoria Park

playgrounds off Huish

Drive in conjunction with

the QPS, Relationships

Australia and Anglicare,

raising awareness of the

issue and offering

literature and messages of

respect to whoever is

there on the afternoon

from 3 till 5 pm.

All parishes in the

Diocese have been invited

to join in a Global

Moment of Prayer. At

midday on 25th

November, prayer will be

offered at Mary Sumner

House, London, for all

who have been affected by

gender violence, and for

hope for a world free from

abuse and violence. It is

hoped that at some time

during the 16 Days every

parish will pause for a

Mothers’ Union

St Luke’s Wandal

the year.

Plans are now under

way for the Combined

Hall School and St

Luke’s Christmas Fair

to be held at the church on 2nd

December at 5.30pm. Last year the event

attracted nearly 400 people from the

School community. There will be lots of

fun for everyone

with a Sausage

Sizzle, Raffles,

School Concert,

Carol singing and

Supper.

moment of prayer, and

all MU branches will

do likewise in their

November meetings.

Finally, on 4th

December, at St

David’s Church North

Rockhampton, a

Community Vigil will

take place. Led by

Bishop David Robinson,

with Revd Narelle Kidson

offering a message, it

will involve members of

the community and

other parishes and

churches as well as

Mothers’ Union as

people gather to pray for

an end to gender

violence.

Together we must all

make a stand, help those

affected, and do what we

can to eliminate all forms

of violence and abuse.

Noelle Frazer,

Diocesan MU President

Hopefully, next year will

see more growth with

Messy Church and

further outreach to the

community.

The Melbourne Cup

Luncheon was again a

great success, both

socially and financially.

As well as a delicious

lunch, the guests enjoyed

Fashions in the Field,

Sweeps and raffles amid

chatter and laughter and

helped towards achieving

the fundraising goal for

Messy Church continues

to grow at St Luke’s on

the first Sunday of each

month. In October, the

Blessing of the Pets was

part of Messy Church and

the range of pets was

varied – ranging in size

from a horse down to a

fish. November saw the

first “Messy Baptism”

with mother and daughter

receiving the sacrament of

Baptism. It was a great

celebration and very well

attended.

Page 7

Volume 126 No 4

St Paul’s branch with their bags of

toiletries.

St Paul’s President Jenny Howie giving

a candle Christmas Gift to Glenis

Baynton highlighting the theme of

shining the light of God’s love in the

world.

Zacchaeus sat in the tree, waiting for this person

who was making a difference to come by. He’d heard

about him, the miracles he had performed and the

impact he was making in people’s lives grabbed his

attention, he just had to see this person for himself.

Jesus walked in to Zac’s life and he became a

changed man forever.

When someone important comes to town people turn

out in their droves to see them, these days no one

can make an impact like Jesus Christ did,

nevertheless they will turn out to see someone

important no matter who they are, whether a

politician, musician or actor.

On Sunday, the 30th October the Governor of

Queensland, His Excellency the Honourable Paul De

Jersey and Mrs Kay De Jersey, came to church and

worshipped at St Andrew’s Longreach. As a

committed Christian he was keen to worship, but he

was also keen to have others worship with him,

hence he asked that we use his name widely to invite

others to attend. The result was a congregation

of over fifty people, made up from a few visitors

of the Salvation Army and nominal Anglicans

from throughout the district.

A great morning tea followed with good fellowship

and many had the opportunity to chat with the

Governor personally. It was a pleasure to have the

Governor and his wife attend and take part in

worship, unfortunately the Governor could only offer

encouragement in life and little else. Jesus Christ on

the other hand offers abundant life in to eternity to

all who will commit their lives into his hands.

Zacchaeus took the plunge roughly 2000 years ago,

many have followed since and many will follow in the

future. How about you, have you taken the plunge,

have you done a Zacchaeus and committed your life

into his hands? I know I have and I pray that if you

haven’t that you will. A simple prayer saying: “Jesus

What a Difference a name makes!

Page 8

The Gazette

The Governor meets

Parishioners after the

service at St Andrew’s

Longreach.

here I am I want to know you, I commit my

life in to your hands”, is all you need.

Please turn out to see Jesus coming for he

is constantly in our presence!

Rev. Capt. Graeme Liersch Mission Facilitator &

Trainer Central West.

The Vergers Prayer

Table and Chair

The Vergers Prayer Desk

and Chair – (this stone

chair was in memory of

Sarah Riesen) has been

relocated from the West

end side of the cathedral

to the East end side of the

cathedral near the Vestry.

It was removed by the

Dean, The Very Reverend

Chris Whittall (1990 –

2009) to the Memorial

Garden in early 2000.

The present Dean, had

the desk restored and

cleaned by Stonemason,

Ken Roxborough of

Classical Stone Australia

in Brisbane in 2015. It

was re-positioned by

stonemasons Cliff

Lawrance (Englishman)

and Blake Roxborough,

son of Kent. Blake

Roxborough crafted the

plinth of the Prayer desk

(his signature symbol is

etched in the plinth)

The Prayer Desk and the

Chair were repositioned

on 9 November 2016

Bell Cote

Serious damage to the

stonework was identified

with the Bell Cote over

the vestry. The Bell cote

has now been fully

restored. The Bell was

sent to Olds Engineering

in Marlborough for

refurbishment and a new

brass clanger made as the

old one was made of cast

iron. The whole Bell

operation has also been

modified from a bell that

is swung to abell which is

rung by a clanger. This

will ensure that the

movement of the heavy

bell will not cause damage

to the end gable wall.

The Deanery

The roof has been completed. The inside of

the deanery has had some paintwork due to the

damage caused by either the cyclone or the work

that had to be done on the roof. Additional

damage was identified during

construction of the

new roof.

The clothesline damaged in the

cyclone has been

replaced. A happy wife calls for a

happy life?

The front aluminum

blinds still need to be reinstated once the

manufacturer has delivered them to site.

There is a real need for these blinds as the glare

from the new cathedral roof with the afternoon

sun glows into the house.

The Deanery family moved temporarily into

the house of the late Irene Keding - many thanks

from the Cathedral Parish to Irene’s daughter, Adele

Rodgers for her

hospitality.

Work continues through

to March 2016.

Works are currently

progressing with the Cathedral Porch roof. The

stonework at the base of the cross was in serious

need of repair and has

been restored.

The residence in Denison

Street will have its internal ceiling sheeting,

painting and re-pointing of the roof. The Hall will

have work to its roof. The Cathedral grounds will

have landscape work done due to the damage

caused by the scaffolding and

heavy equipment operating on site.

Cathedral Parish

Page 9

Volume 126 No 4

AnglicareCQ’s Staff

Outstanding Achievement

Recognition Awards celebrate

our team’s passion, hard work

and achievements, and their

contribution to the

communities we work in right

across Central Queensland

from the coast to the Northern

Territory border.

This year’s SOAR Award

winners include people working

with young people in rural and

regional communities,

supporting Indigenous

mothers, helping refugees

settle into their new

communities and build new

lives, and giving community

housing tenants more say in

the decisions that affect their

homes.

The winners were decided by

the AnglicareCQ

Board of Directors,

from nominations

from staff and

members of the

public who use the

agency’s services.

2016’s SOAR

Award winners:

Leadership: Hayley

Finger, Youth

Team Leader,

Emerald

Leadership:

Sharon Pabis,

Centre Manager,

Rockhampton

(highly commended)

Person First:

Margot Plant,

Counsellor, Biloela

Person First: Paula

Edwards,

Residential

Support Worker,

Gladstone (highly

commended)

Telstra award for Integration and

Teamwork: Youth Services Team,

various locations

Telstra award for Integration and

Teamwork: Biloela & Moura

team (highly commended)

Partnerships and Collaboration:

Ally Krueger, Wellbeing

Facilitator, Gladstone

Innovation, Initiative and

Creativity: Tenancy Management

Team, various locations

Participants Choice, as

nominated by AnglicareCQ

service users: Ellen Drane,

Wellbeing Facilitator,

Rockhampton

Chairman’s Award

Selected from all nominees

across all categories, this award

recognises an outstanding

achievement, contribution to the

organisation, and demonstration of

AnglicareCQ’s values of respect,

compassion, integrity, innovation, hope and

purpose.

Heidi, Coordinator Counselling and

Support, Rockhampton

Tannia Waite, Residential Support Worker,

Rockhampton (highly commended)

Renee Heron, Senior Placement Support

Worker, Rockhampton (highly commended)

AnglicareCQ staff SOAR at awards

Page 10

Volume 126 No 4

Rhylla Webb with the Chairman’s award winner

Heidi

The very next day Spero and

his support worker were there

happily watering the garden,

having already dumped a load

of rubbish and weeds into the

wheelie bins.

Thanks Spero for an awesome

job!

Meet Spero, who uses

AnglicareCQ’s disability services

in Biloela. The gardens at our

Biloela office are looking great,

after the work we’ve had done

on our outdoors areas this year.

Spero spotted a staff member

working in the garden, and

being the generous soul he is

volunteered to help out.

Helping out in the garden in Biloela

AnglicareCQ’s mental

health team were part of

Mental Health Week right

across the region this

year. From drumming in

the park in Gladstone to

documentary screenings

in Emerald and

Rockhampton, we were

present at all sorts of

events and activities.

In Longreach, our

Colouring @ The Park

activity had a great turn

out, with a dozen people

dropping in to explore the

wellbeing benefits of

colouring. Our guests

included representatives

from North West

Remote Health, RFDS

and Disability Services

as well as community

members.

That turn up, on a

weekday in 35 degree

heat, is a great result

and a great testament

to the work wellbeing

facilitator Grace has

been doing to engage with

the Longreach

community.

Getting colourful for mental health

Help us spread joy this Christmas

Central Queensland’s work

this Christmas:

In Rockhampton, our team

of present wrappers will be

on duty at City Centre

Plaza from November 28

right through til Christmas

Eve.

In Rockhampton,

Gladstone and Biloela

we’re proud to once

again be part of APN’s

Adopt-A-Family

Christmas Appeal.

Check your local

newspaper for details,

and find out how you can

provide a hamper for a

deserving family this

Christmas.

We’re also participating in

community appeals in

partnership with local

churches and community

organisations.

Christmas should be filled

with joy and celebration,

but for some people it can

be a painful time. From

families in the west

dealing with the ongoing

hardship of drought to

people living through

poverty, illness or social

isolation, there are people

for whom Christmas can

be a stressful and lonely

time.

You can help, by

supporting Anglicare

Page 11

The Gazette

“In Rockhampton,

Gladstone and Biloela

we’re proud to once

again be part of APN’s

Adopt-A-Family

Christmas Appeal”

The Editorial Panel is not responsible for the opinions expressed by

contributors – nor do their views necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial

Panel or the Diocese.

Submission Requirements:

Deadline:14th of the month prior to publication.

Length: 150-200 words. Longer with permission.

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Gazette

introduction to each chapter/sura.

You can also watch this movie about

the life of Muhammad:

youtube.com/user/

lifeofmuhammad.

The main characters in the Qur’an

are the people in Muhammad’s life,

and much of it is the interaction

between them. It may be the people

of Mecca rejecting Muhammad; a

question or challenge put to him; a

debate with Christians or Jews; a

prayer or a legal decision for the

Muslim community. It could be a

military or a family issue or some

justification of Muhammad’s

behaviour.

Often Muhammad uses biblical

characters and events as

illustrations and so knowing the

Bible helps to understand the

Qur’an.

Not only does the Qur’an revolve

around Muhammad but it also

evolves around him. When he was a

powerless preacher in Mecca he

preached against idolatry, warned

those who rejected him, and told his

followers to show restraint, but

when he moved to Medina he gained

an army and started the first Islamic

The third in a series on Islam to help

us think through this issue

Why read the Qur’an? There are

several reasons. Muslims claim that

the Qur’an is the true expression of

their religion; it is a world book and

you are a global citizen; it invites

Christians to read it; is a compass

for the Muslim community; it

instructs Muslims about what to do

with Christians; and it teaches a

different gospel about Jesus.

Therefore reading the Qur’an will

help a Christian better understand

Islam and how it contributes to

Islamic culture and actions.

Here are the basic principles you

need to get started:

The Qur’an is a collection of what

Muhammad recited/announced in

response to various situations in his

life; it revolves around him. You

must understand this context to

make sense of his announcements,

however, this context is not part of

the Qur’an.

It comes from other books called the

Hadith and Sira. These give us the

story of Muhammad and the context

for what he said. Therefore use a

translation that provides a historical

state. His preaching was now

legislation, warfare, and the

redefinition of the Arab religion.

Therefore to understand a topic in

the Qur’an you must consider how

this topic evolves throughout

Muhammad’s life.

To read and understand the Qur’an

requires effort. The key is to

remember that it revolves and

evolves around Muhammad. With

this in mind you can approach the

Qur’an and see what it says for

yourself.

If you want to explore this further do

session 3 of Engaging with Islam.

Samuel Green

For further reading - http://

www.tasmaniananglican.com.au/

ta201604-08/

How to read the Qur’an

THE ANGLICAN GAZETTE

the quarterly magazine of the

Anglican Diocese of Rockhampton

Postal Address:

PO Box 710, Rockhampton 4700

Phone: (07) 4927 3188

Fax: (07) 4922 4562

Email:

gazette@anglicanchurchcq.org.au

Website:

www.anglicanchurchcq.org.au