INTERNATIONAL PRAYER FELLOWSHIP ( I P F ) - Christ Church

AUSTRALASIA
Betty Zerner
21 White Sands Drive
Seaton
S Australia 5023
Tel: 08-835-31113
Fax: 08-835-33504
FOUNDER: THE LATE REVEREND GEOFF GILLARD, M.A.
INTERNATIONAL PRAYER FELLOWSHIP
( I P F )
CANADA
Carrie Izumi
57 Darke Crescent
Regina, Saskatchewan
Canada S4S 3Y1
Tel: 306-586-4093
Fax: Unavailable
Em: izumihome@hotmail.com
HONG KONG
Simon Lee
4B Blk 2 Peridot Court
9 Yu Chui Street
Tuen Mun, N T
Tel: 852-2267-7441
Fax: 852-2408-6815
Em: simonphlee@lycos.com
UNITED KINGDOM
Peter Baxter
Cockspurs
Long Hedge
Corsley
Wilts, BA127QZ
Tel: 44 (0) 1373 832138
Fax: 44 (0) 1373 832138
Em: p.r.baxter@talk21.com
UNITED STATES
Moti K Mansukhani
612 East Workman Street
Covina, CA 91723
Tel: 1-626-331-6446
EFax: 1-626-608-2919
Em: Mkmansukhani@aol.com
January 2004
Dear Friends in Christ,
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The Rev. Samuel Marsden writes:
It has been wonderful to be invited to write for the IPF Newsletter, which we
read not just to keep abreast of what is happening in Hong Kong and in the lives
of individuals but to inform our prayer. We are blessed by being able to keep
personally in touch with many friends both in HK itself and those with whom
we shared nearly five years of life in Christ Church, but who now reside in other
countries.
Mary and I have now lived in New South Wales for 14 years. We came in
December, 1989, together with three of our children. Catherine was married a
few months before we left the UK and Richard was ensconced in a good job.
Elizabeth returned to the UK after about five years and with the exception of
almost another year has remained there. Edward and Emily (conceived in HK
and born in the UK!) have now spent the major part of their lives in this country.
Edward is a pilot cadet officer with the RAAF and Emily is developing her own
business. We go to the UK about every two years to see the family and
sometimes to visit former parishes and friends. I myself do this on the back of
pilgrimages, which I lead regularly to the Middle East from Australia.
Incidentally the Middle East is much safer than the media portrays: I spent 3½
months there last year.
We moved to Australia as the result of a spiritual experience, which I had in
Bathurst in 1988, while I was on a speaking tour of NSW, Victoria and New
Zealand. In this I became acutely aware that God wanted us to move to this
country. In many ways I wish that we had moved here, when the children were
smaller, as the quality of life in Australia is far better than in the UK. However,
the Lord knows his own mind on these matters! We took out Australian
citizenship at the earliest opportunity as a sign of our commitment to the country
and its people, and with the acquiescence of the local authority I re-wrote the
naturalisation ceremony to take on a Christian format, which we used in the
context of worship.
I said to Mary that she should give life in Australia eighteen months, and if she
really did not like it somehow or other we would go back to the UK. However,
she has loved it and thrived on the life. She has worked almost the whole time
we have been here, first as the secretary of the local Catholic primary school,

where as a consequence I knew more of what was going on in the school than the local Catholic priest!
When we moved to Bathurst she could not find a steady job and so took to party plan, which she has been
doing with increasing success ever since, first with Tupperware, then a couple of Australian companies
and finally with a third Aussie firm called Lorraine Lea Linen. In spite of protestations to the contrary,
she has accepted the post of manager and now has almost 20 women working under her across central
New South Wales. However, her work often takes her away from home for several days at a time, which
is necessary given the travelling times: as a rough guide, towns are around 100 km (one hour) apart.
We are now serving in our third parish within the Diocese of Bathurst, which itself covers a third of the
State. It is a rural Diocese, stretching from the Blue Mountains (Great Dividing Range) to the
Queensland border and almost to the South Australian border. Its first bishop was my great-grandfather,
also called Samuel Marsden! In addition to my parochial responsibilities I am Regional Ministry Coordinator
for a large third of the Diocese (what in other dioceses would be an Archdeacon). This is a
position, which is more proactive than reactive, in promoting development in the districts and parishes of
the Diocese and also requires regular meetings with the Bishop on Bishop-in-Council and Bishop-in-
Chapter. In recognition of this I am provided with stipendiary staff in the parish. The current assistant
comes from the Australian Defence Force, with which a training agreement has just been concluded. We
are one of two parishes in the country to pilot this scheme.
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church in Australia differs from the Church of England in a number of ways. Not only do
we have our own prayer book, but of course the ACA is not the established Church and, because of the
nature of the historical development of the states, dioceses are far more independent of each other.
Differences in churchmanship tend to be by diocese rather than parish, so that dioceses are much more
monochrome than in the UK. Bishops are elected by Diocesan Synod or an electoral college appointed
by Synod. Women clergy have been almost totally accepted throughout the Australian Church with the
exception (I think) of three dioceses; however, moves towards having women bishops have been put in
the `too hard’ basket for the moment, as there is no desire to cause a split or have what is regarded as the
ludicrous practice of `flying bishops’. The ordination of homosexuals has been a topic of discussion, but
has only really been an issue in the media. However, the fact that sexual abuse has been uncovered in
most of the denominations has brought about great changes in procedure in handling complaints and
making appointments both paid and voluntary.
There is something of a stand-off between church leaders and politicians on matters of social justice.
Churches continue to take a public stance on a variety of issues (Aboriginal needs, poverty, refugees and
the like) but governments resent what they regard as unwarranted interference. Since my own primary
concern is with things rural, I too have been involved in advocacy, but I have found it much more
productive to sit down with ministers and talk through issues. This has come about through my rôle in
the NSW Ecumenical Rural Consultation - an organisation, which I established ten years ago to bring
together the Churches of Rural NSW to support congregations in small communities and through them
the communities themselves. The rural sector’s economy is dependent on three main sources of income:
agriculture and grazing, mining and increasingly tourism. We are still experiencing the effects of a 3 year
drought and many people on the land and in ancillary industries are suffering. Smaller communities are
shrinking, while larger conurbations in rural Australia are growing at their expense, causing a number of
inter-related problems.
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Education
When I came on a speaking tour of Australia in 1988, I was invited to do so by the Rector of St. John’s
Pro-Cathedral, Parramatta, as the gt.-gt.-gt.-grandson of the Revd. Samuel Marsden, the second chaplain
of the convict settlement in NSW. I was expected to know a good deal about early colonial history and so
I had to do an immense amount of reading before I came. However, I soon discovered that I already
knew more about Australian history than did the Australians! Nevertheless, I have continued to try and
learn. Since I have served exclusively in rural areas and have had close dealings with Aboriginal people,
I have done a course in Aboriginality and developed an on-going interest in rural spirituality, which has
also involved eco-spirituality. From this I have been attempting to do something with developing a rural
theology, although because of the restraints of time this has been done very much on the run. I have
written a fairly long paper on rural spirituality, the theology that flows from this and the changing mission
of the Church. With the help of two academics this is gradually undergoing some radical revision. There
are two things that motivate me here. The first is a sense that western theology and practice really have
no rootedness in the Australian environment and the second is a realisation that the Aboriginal peoples
have a great deal to teach us in this. It has been interesting interacting with theologians from the eastern
tradition, who have a much better handle on this than those denominations, which have been spawned
from the western tradition. This both fascinates and excites me, since it seems to me that the Church is
potentially placed in a good position to help people in (Australian) western culture to find their sense of
identity and purpose in what has been called `Australasia del Espiritu Santo’ (the Great South Land of the
Holy Spirit).
One of the benefits, which I personally have experienced, is a sense of freedom. I am conscious that this
has been brought about by five factors: my sense of family history, the wide open spaces, the relaxed
attitudes of Australians, the willingness to risk trying new things in the Church and my own involvement
in decision-making processes. This has enabled me to be myself in a way, which I had never really
experienced before. In all of this we have been acutely aware of God’s providence, guidance and support,
which has brought us to this point and place in our lives.
May His peace and grace be with you all, separated by physical distance but bound together in His love.
News from Hong Kong
At the time of writing, our Christ Church vicar Ross Royden and Winnie Mok are getting married on
January 17, 2004. We are happy for them and send them our best wishes. It is our great joy to celebrate
this occasion. We hope that all IPF members will join us in our prayers for this special couple as we
commit them and their future to God.
Jonathan Lue, who was a Malaysian Chinese evangelist at Christ Church for about five to six years, was
ordained by our Diocese as a deacon on January 6, 2004. We send him our congratulations and thank
God for Jonathan's ministry.
Dr. Philip Mao passed away late last year. As this is the first IPF letter after his death, we pray for
Barbara and her family. May God comfort them in times of grief.
We continue to pray for Christine Fung who is suffering from cancer. Betty Fung recently has
rheumatoid arthritic pain. Please ask for God's healing for Christine and Betty.
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Teresa Schwartz's father will be going through a heart pacer operation. Please pray for her father's
operation and recovery.
Linda Lui of Christ Church and Chan Yuk Ying gave an Introductory Talk on Christian Listening at the
Cantonese Fellowship Meeting in Christ Church on January 9, 2004. We thank God for this opportunity
and pray for its taking off in Christ Church.
We also thank God for Linda Lui and many dedicated teachers in our Sunday school. There are many
new comers and children just love to come. We still need more teachers and your prayers for Sunday
school.
Lastly, Pauline Wu Harris of Christ Church writes: Mr. William John Fisher passed away on Christmas
Eve. I went to his funeral yesterday. It was sad. He did not have any family left. So it was a very small
service, hosted by a clergy in All Saints Church which he attended irregularly since he turned away from
Christ church, and Ross was busy otherwise. But the service took about 20 minutes at the most. There
was no eulogy or special songs or prayers, just reading from the prayer book, from page to page, and
nothing to show any emotion or respect. It really was sad.
The above prayers and news are prepared and edited by Simon Lee, Linda Lui, Thomas Chan, Mary
Cheah and Pauline Wu Harris from Christ Church Kowloon Tong in January, 2004.
News from Canada
Inner peace for busy people
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By Gilbert Wong
They say it is warmer in the North Pole than in some of the Atlantic Provinces in Canada. Toronto is in
a deep freeze as I write. Sitting by the fireplace looking out to the ravine by our backyard, it is
peaceful, tranquil and beautiful at the same time with all the trees all covered with new snow. This brings
to mind an article I read from somewhere. It reminds us that peace is already within you. There is a
Buddhist saying that peace is like the sun, always shining in your heart. It may be hidden behind clouds
of fear, doubt and worry that connect you to the past or the future. The sun only comes out when you live
in the present moment.
Living in the present moment is not something that we do well. We are always trying to make sense of
what has happened and planning for things to happen that we do not take the time to be just in this
moment. When we stop and are silent, letting our thoughts of past and future fade away, we can
appreciate the simple pleasures of life... a sunrise, a snowflake, and a warm smile that seems to penetrate
every cell. When we are able to let go and relax, the clouds part.
The words holy, healing and whole come from the same root word. In the holy moments of presence, you
can feel a kind of connection with life that is the essence of inner peace.
Back in the season of advent, we were waiting and preparing for the birth of Christ but when do we stop
and appreciate what is happening right now? We blame our weariness on all the things we had to do in
preparation for that event. The real weariness is from being anywhere, but in the present. We tend to

argain with ourselves: "when I finish the shopping" or "as soon as I have finished this project" then I
will be happy and peaceful. That time never comes if we don't make it happen.
Michelangelo was once asked how he could create such beautiful sculptures. His reply was that he just
chipped away the part of the stone that wasn't the sculpture. So it is with inner peace. We need to chip
away the pieces that prevent us from experiencing that inner peace.
Peace be with you all.
News from U K
5
By Peter Baxter
You may recall that in the last newsletter we announced the engagement of Claire Milnes to Mark
Simpson. I am happy to report that they were married on 1st November followed by a blessing in Claire’s
parish church in Mereworth on 1st November by Mark’s sister who is, most conveniently, a curate. Mark
is an old friend, and was colleague of Tim’s in the Hong Kong Police between 1978 and 1981. Claire and
Mark have just returned from a fabulous trip over Christmas and New Year to New Zealand where Claire
was able to see both her sons; what a splendid Christmas present! We wish Claire and Mark every
happiness.
Christ Church U K Reunion
The 2004 Christ Church reunion is being organised by Annette Kilworth and Laura Bray assisted by
Anita. The event is provisionally planned to be held at Sarum College in Salisbury on 6th 7th and 8th
August 2004. Some accommodation will be available in the college and local B&Bs are being
investigated. The organisers will be in touch with everyone near the time, so make a note in your diaries.
News from U S A
By Joanna Cory
This past Advent afforded us valuable time for reflection on our lives and God’s call to us to love our
brothers and sisters. As we looked around us, we became acutely aware of the blessings in our lives and
the scope of God’s great love for all of His children.
The devastating fires that raged throughout Southern California just before Christmas destroyed many
thousands of acres of land and hundreds of homes. Not only did a great number of people lose their
homes, but their family belongings and treasured memories were lost as well. Through all the chaos and
devastation, however, shone the light of God’s love as volunteers housed, clothed, fed, and ministered to

all those who were affected by the fires. Communities were brought together in the midst of tragedy and
hope abounded as neighbor helped neighbor.
On a more local note, parishioners from St. Thomas Church began Christmas Eve celebrations by serving
an early Christmas meal to homeless brothers and sisters at the Community Cold/Wet Weather Shelter.
This was a particularly meaningful way to begin our Christmas, by serving those who have so very little
and remembering that Christ came into this world in poor and humble surroundings.
We ask your prayers for all those who are in the process of rebuilding their lives from the losses of the
fires. We also ask your prayers for our homeless brothers and sisters who are hungry and in need not
only at the holidays, but each and every day.
Barbara Harris, a long-time parishioner, loyal volunteer, and friend passed away at the beginning of the
Advent season. Barbara was an active choir member and the vicar’s “right hand” in the parish office.
She had a ready smile and a compassionate heart, and will be sorely missed. We pray for Barbara’s
children, Stephen, Susan, and Peter that they will know God’s comfort.
Mother Shirley Rose of St Matthias Episcopal Church, a good friend of St. Thomas Church, recently
underwent cancer surgery and is doing well. She should know in the near future if further treatment will
be necessary. Please keep Mother Shirley and her husband Fr. Roger of St Gabriel Episcopal Church in
your prayers.
We give thanks to God for the healing He is bringing to Father Greg Boyle. Father Greg has worked for
many years in the East Los Angeles area with gang members and at-risk youth. He has been instrumental
in developing alternative education and job placement programs for these young people, and has a deep
and genuine love for all those he ministers to. Recently Father Greg was diagnosed with leukemia and
has undergone chemotherapy treatment. He still has a long way to go, but his prognosis looks good.
Please keep Father Greg in your prayers. He is a valuable asset to the East Los Angeles community and a
powerful witness to God’s love. For those who want to know more about Fr. Greg, there is a profile on
him at www.peaceangels.org/hero.htm.
We praise God for the many blessings in our lives. May we see His face in all of Creation and come
before Him with humble and grateful hearts.
News from Sydney, Australia
Let me begin by wishing everyone all the best for 2004 from DownUnder.
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By Vivian Emamooden
As I personally look back, there is so much to give thanks for. It was in August 1989 that I arrived in
Sydney and the first church service I attended was at St. Aidan’s Anglican Church, Longueville. 14 years
have passed and we are still worshipping at the same church.
It may be of interest to some to hear of how we stumbled onto St. Aidan’s (or should I say, how God led
us to this church!). My brother Michael looked up the phone directory for the name “Corbett-Jones”.
Some of you will remember Rev Michael Corbett-Jones who was at St. Andrews Church and his wife

Christine who taught at King George V. Their son Jonathan had been in the same class as Michael and he
was wondering if by any chance the family had settled in Sydney. Lo and behold yes, they were in the
phone book and yes, they lived near by. Michael went along with them to their church which was …. St.
Aidan’s.
During all these years at St. Aidan’s, I have seen a lot of changes. When I first arrived, it had 3 very
different Sunday services:- 8am traditional, attended mainly by retired people, 10am family service that
was mildly charismatic and open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the 7.15pm service which was more
charismatic. Anyone who knows about the Anglican Church in Sydney, will appreciate how
extraordinary it was for us to come across an Anglican church that was operating in the gifts in the Spirit.
After a few years, the congregation numbers began to drop and our rector took another position. In 1997
I was one of 5 nominators elected by the congregation to go and nominate a new minister. Being a
church that was so untypical (a mix of tradition and charismatic leanings with strong support for lay
participation and women being able to preach), the search for a new minister proved to be a challenge.
After 7 months of visiting churches and interviewing ministers, we were unanimous in our nomination
and felt sure we had found God’s choice for St. Aidan’s. And the minister too, felt he had been called to
us.
Under the new minister, I have now served as church warden for the past 6 years and I have grown and
learnt a lot in this role.
One area of constant challenge and one for which I would ask prayer for, is the area of growth.
Interestingly enough, in spite of the fact that our church has the most gifted music worship leaders and
that our minister is an excellent preacher, the congregation numbers have only increased slightly. The
area that has seen the greatest growth is the group of young families and children.
There has been no shortage of the different things tried to grow our church - the Alpha course, Parenting
courses, moving the whole 10 am service to the new time slot of 5 pm service and serving finger food
afterwards, having a evening service that was more inter-active and encouraged the use of the performing
arts, employing a full-time children/youth minister and more.
Again and again, we are reminded that it is God who will bring the people, it is God and God alone who
will change people’s hearts and cause them to seek after Him.
We live in a society which is affluent, where there are so many activities and options which “compete”
with God for our attention.
Please pray with us that people become hungry for the Truth and not be satisfied with the many
distractions of our world and that their eyes will be opened and not be deceived by all the alternative
religions.
Please also remember in prayer, our outreach ministry to children and the youth, as our new Children /
Youth Minister joins us fulltime in February.
God bless you all. As you draw close to Him in 2004, may you be aware of Him drawing close to you.
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