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Around the Diocese
Bishop breaks ground at St Bart’s
St Bart’s Toowoomba has broken
ground on the start of its much-anticipated
expansion to provide space for more than
400 worshippers.
Bishop Cameron Venables (Bishop of the
Western Region) joined Rector of St Bart’s
Toowoomba, The Rev’d Adam Lowe and
members of the parish for a ‘turning-of-thesod’
ceremony to mark the beginning of the
second of the redevelopment.
In addition to more space to worship, the
project includes room for children’s ministry
in age-appropriate spaces, a mixture of office
space to accommodate a growing ministry
and administration team, and flexible rooms
that can be used for training and large events.
The ceremony included prayers for the
team leading the project, for the safety of
all involved and that this project would help
progress the mission of God.
Fr Adam said demanded on the parish
had increased as the community grew in its
appreciation of God.
“Our building is being used on an everincreasing
basis,” he said.
“Our Sunday services have grown from an
average weekly attendance of 218 to 360 in
just five years.
“In the past two years alone, our average
attendance has grown by over 100 and it is
clear that in order to keep on enabling our
mission, now is the time to complete our
building to provide much needed space for
growth.”
Bishop Cameron Venables (Bishop of the Western
Region) turns the sod for Phase 2 of the St Bart’s
redevelopment.
St Luke’s Toowoomba
installs memorial cross
History was both made and recognised
at the end of 2016 with the installation
of a memorial cross, together with
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags in
the Warriors Chapel of St Luke’s Anglican
Church in Toowoomba.
The cross, created by renowned Aboriginal
artist Uncle Colin Isaacs, commemorates the
Battle of One Tree Hill (now best known as
Table Top Mountain), the best known of a
series of conflicts between European settlers
and Aboriginal inhabitants of the Darling
Downs, led by the great warrior Multuggerah,
in the 1840s.
The installation is a highly symbolic step
The congregation during a farewell mass for Rector at St Stephen’s
Coorparoo, The Rev’d Josh Dinale
in recovering our shared national story
and walking forward towards a just
Reconciliation, following closely on the
launch of the diocesan Reconciliation
Action Plan.
The recent gathering at St Luke’s
involved a wide variety of people,
including local Aboriginal elders, QLD
State member for Toowoomba South
David Janetztki MP, Bishop of the Western
Region, Bishop Cameron Venables, Rector at
St Luke’s Toowoomba, The Rev’d Dr Jonathan
Inkpin, local councillors and members of local
churches.
An enlivening educational presentation
Dignitaries at the recent ceremony to mark the installation of the memorial cross at St Luke’s
Toowoomba. (left to right: David Janetzki MP(Member for Toowoomba South), Aboriginal
artist Kim Walmsley, Cllr Bill Cahill (Toowoomba Regional Councillor), Uncle Darby McCarthy,
Dr Mark Copland, The Rev’d Dr Jonathan Inkpin (Rector of St Luke’s Anglican Church,
Toowoomba) and Bishop Cameron Venables (Bishop of the Western Region)
about the Battle of One Tree Hill, and the
case for naming the new Toowoomba by-pass
after Multuggerah, was also made by Dr Mark
Copland (Toowoomba Catholic Social Justice)
and Mel Waters from the Multuggerah Way
campaign team.
St Stephen’s Coorparoo farewells Rector
St Stephen’s Coorparoo have farewelled their Rector,
The Rev’d Josh Dinale, after six years.
Fr Josh will be doing further graduate studies in education
and philosophy whilst continuing his ministry and speaking
engagements with “The 4th Musketeer Australia”.
His wife Kristy recently accepted a teaching position
at a Christian School on the south side of Brisbane. The
couple said they would continue to wait on God’s guidance
in their next steps.
Members of the congregation said they would pray for
Josh to have every success in his new endeavours, and
sent their love and prayers to his wife and children Maddi
and Lexi as they transition.
12 | FOCUS | February/March 2017