Synod 2024 - The Bishop's Charge

24 May 2024 | Sarah Crutch

Bishop Matt has encouraged three timely actions in his annual Synod Charge arising from the opportunities and challenges currently facing the diocese and the Church more broadly.

The first is to join with our sisters and brothers across Australia to reach a world which has lost hope with the Hope of Christ with the national Hope25 campaign.

“At the annual Bishop’s Meeting we decided to embrace an intentional season of sharing hope in Jesus from Easter to Pentecost 2025 across the nation.”

“We live in communities labouring under clouds of disappointment and hopelessness. To have the opportunity to be part of a national invitation seems to be a gift of God,” he said.

The second is to recognise that the land we use is not ours to cling to but seek to share with those who first held it.

Bishop Matt spoke of the recent appearance of the Anglican Church at the Yoorook Commission, which has been examining the way in which land was taken without consideration from the first people of the country.

“We, the churches which are now the Diocese of Bendigo, have inherited much property and have profited from dispossession. It falls to us to make right this injustice and engage with Aboriginal people here to redress this wrong,” he said.

“We must recognise the harm that was done in practical, financial, and relational ways,” he added.

“As I have said before, I cannot imagine being part of a church which knows what is right, has the means to do something about it, and fails to act.”

The third is to empower safe, engaged, and fruitful people so that there is a congregation worshipping God is every community.

“My dream is that there is a congregation of people worshipping God in every community. It is empowered congregations who will be agents of God’s transforming mission in our part of God’s world as they are prepared to serve because they wholeheartedly place themselves within God’s transforming power,” he said.

“We must continue to prepare those who make up our congregations to never tire of the good works which God has prepared for us to do (Eph 2:10), investing in the teaching training and opportunities to serve which build each other up.”

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