WELCOME TO ST JOHN’S ANGLICAN CATHEDRAL, BRISBANE

Welcome to St John’s Cathedral. The news items below highlight topics of general interest.
For details of special events and concerts at the Cathedral please see the WHAT’S ON page.
You may find information about our regular worship times on the SERVICES page.

Our Cathedral has adopted the simple, convenient online payment channel of Tithe.ly — designed by and for churches — and currently used by more than 12,000 churches and ministries in over 50 countries.

Scan or click on the QR code above, to visit our GIVE page on this website: you may make an offering to our Cathedral and its work – either as a one-off or recurring gift –
using a credit card by clicking on the
green GIVE NOW button or the
GENERAL DONATIONS image block, which will open a simple, pop-up Tithe.ly form without you having to leave this site.

MORE INFO: please visit our GIVE page

The Archbishop’s November Appeal: 
The Coming of the Light – developing Mission and Ministry in North Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands

Each year in November, we devote our Outreach Project to The Province of Queensland Archbishop’s November Appeal. In 2020, this appeal supports the work of the Diocese of North Queensland in developing Mission and Ministry in North Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands. To achieve this goal, the Diocese will provide for developing the Church in the Torres Strait, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ministry Formation, and a Ministry Development Officer for the Cape York Peninsula.

The Diocese of North Queensland is a unique and sprawling diocese, comprising urban and rural parishes along the coast from Sarina to Cooktown, and sparsely-settled areas west of the Great Divide, together with substantial Aboriginal populations in the Cape York Peninsula, and the Torres Strait Islands. The vision of the Diocese is to encourage the development of indigenous leadership in the Cape York Peninsula and Torres Strait Islands, so that these areas may become autonomous parts of the Diocese.

It is timely that we support the ministry and mission of the Anglican Church in North Queensland, because next year marks the 150th celebration of the ‘Coming of the Light’, to the Torres Strait Islands. The ‘Coming of the Light’ marks the anniversary of the arrival of the London Missionary Society with Pacific Islander evangelists, who first brought the Bible to the people of Darnley Island. This event, The Coming of The Light, is now an integral part of cultural identity to Torres Strait Islander peoples, marked as a public holiday within the region. It is also an important anniversary for the national Anglican church, noted in our lectionary on 1 July.   

The anniversary of The Coming of The Light invites us to celebrate mission and ministry, particularly within the Torres Strait, and offers us the opportunity to recognise the spirit of hope held among the communities there, and contribute to the further development of local ministry among them. 

In order to develop ministry in the Torres Strait, this month, members of the Melanesian Brothers will begin a new household on Thursday Island. The Melanesian Brotherhood   is   the   largest   Anglican   religious   order   and   is   headquartered   in   the Solomon Islands. The Brothers will live and minister at the Cathedral on Thursday Island, nurturing community and supporting clergy and lay ministers across the islands of the Torres Strait. They will also conduct outreach visits to Yarrabah and the communities of the Cape York Peninsula.

The Anglican Church of Australia faces many challenges and in the words of the Rev’d Canon Victor Joseph, it is time for the church to be “missioned to” by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian leaders. The church in the Torres Strait has much to teach the church around Australia, much salt and light to bear. The Coming of the Light is not simply an historic event, it is an invitation for all of us to be changed by the work of God in First Nations peoples.

The Archbishop’s Appeal in 2020 will also support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ministry formation. For both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander church, currently there is a lack of leadership under the age of 50 years. Whilst there are suitable candidates coming forward, support is needed for them to study at Wontulp-Bi-Buya College, including a laptop for each student, financial support when undertaking residential courses, the provision of mentoring, and Anglican formation, in conjunction with the Ministry Development Officer.

The Diocese of North Queensland also needs to support a Ministry Development Officer for the Cape York Peninsula. The Aboriginal communities on the Cape York Peninsula by and large cannot support stipendiary ministry. Therefore, a half-time Ministry Development Officer has been appointed to the communities of Lockhart River, Palm Island and Aurukun, and another in the community of Yarabah. Their role is to mentor non-stipendiary and lay ministers in the Aboriginal Communities, and to train those seeking ordination or appointment as a lay minister. A key goal is to raise up Aboriginal leadership within the church communities on Cape York.

To achieve the goals of these projects in 2020, $50,000 is needed. Can we give $1,000 towards that goal, to help the Diocese of North Queensland support the development of indigenous ministry in the Cape York Peninsula and the Torres Strait Islands? Envelopes for November are available at the Outreach poster. Please place your donation in the special November envelope and place it in the donation boxes, in the collection, or give it to a warden. Using electronic banking, make a bank transfer to BSB 034 003 Account No: 385378; please narrate your deposit “Outreach 11” and also email wardens@stjohnscathedral.com.au to inform us of your deposit (include the amount). For other forms of payment, please phone the cathedral office [(07) 3835 2222] during normal business hours Monday-Friday. Thank you.