Chapter 27: Extraordinary Student Ministry Inthe Sydney Anglican Diocese

Recently many people have asked me about what it is like to be a female Anglican student minister discerning a vocation for the Anglican priesthood, and living and working in the Sydney Anglican Diocese in 2014. Apparently no one else is doing this right now - if there is some other brave soul out there, please contact me. Some think I am tempting fate, treading the radical Patricia-Brennan-cum-Muriel-Porter path. My path is actually much more conservative and cautious, though equally as committed to the cause of Anglican women's ordination, which I believe to be God's will and desire.

My situation is extraordinary for an Anglican student minister in Sydney. Leaving aside the fact that I am mature aged, have four adult children and one grandchild, and have completed a BA, DipEd, BTh, BPhil, STB, Musicology studies in Gregorian chant, and an Anglican Cantor's Certificate, the most unusual aspect of my situation is that because of my female gender and my declared priestly vocation, no Sydney Anglican Ministry College is properly equipped to supply me with appropriate or complete Anglican ministry discernment and training for Anglican priesthood. This being the case, I took action to address this deficit, namely enrolling as a distance education student (on the advice of a senior Anglican minister) in the Advanced Diploma of Ministry and Theology at St Marks National Theological College, Canberra ACT, applying for discernment of ordination vocation with a friendly diocese, and negotiating a local parish field placement. Hopefully, in 2014, under the direction of the Rev. Dr. Andrew Cameron, and with Bishop Stuart Robinson's oversight, St Marks NTC will continue to supply this Anglican Orders course at an equivalent standard and with equivalent curriculum content to Melbourne's Trinity College Anglican Orders course.

Apart from my ministry studies, there are many positive aspects to my female Anglican student ministry situation here in Sydney. For a start, Anglicans (even so-called "Low Church" Sydney Anglicans) are a lot more comfortable with, and accepting of, women ministers of all ranks, than my former denomination, the Catholic Church. Among Anglicans it is common practice to praise and encourage women ministers, while praise and encouragement is exclusively reserved to males in the Catholic Church. Being received into the Anglican Church by Bishop Robert Forsyth in 2013, after a sojourn in a Church where women are "protected" but also hugely oppressed, overworked, and often ridiculed and thoughtlessly insulted by male priests and their assistants, was a joyful liberation for me, and an exciting opportunity to follow God's call to fuller and happier Church ministry. My Anglican parish mentors, for whom I thank God, have provided me with many ministry opportunities that were deliberately denied to me in my former denomination.

Of course I knew about the current Sydney Anglican Synod ban on women's ordination to the priesthood well before I was received in 2013, but that does not negate the fact that God is calling me, and is slowly but surely equipping me, to be an Anglican priest. God has healed and strengthened me for my ministry journey, and has blessed me  in my family life, academic studies, spiritual formation, and music ministry. My vocation discernment and student ministry receives support from my family, my friends from several Church denominations, sympathetic parish colleagues, and extra-diocesan sources. So while I am conscious of local barriers to my ministry, I am also a global citizen with a global online ministry. It is clear to me that while the Anglican episcopal hierarchy maintains traditionally confining structures for ministry location and governance, it also allows fresh expressions of Church, and so God's broad vision for my priestly ministry will not necessarily be totally confined within a specific geographical boundary.

I was delighted to discover that in Sydney, female Anglican licensed lay ministers and deaconesses vastly outnumber male lay and diaconal ministers. Instead of exclusively male head servers, both male and female servers and lay assistants happily cooperate. Instead of authoritarian clerical managers and minions inspecting the troops and reporting doctrinal errors, I found Anglicans freely engaging in healthy debates and discussiions on current issues. Visitors to any Sydney Anglican Church will see both unvested and vested women buzzing around doing all sorts of work, not only "housekeeping" tasks. However, the push to fast-track an army of young Anglican men into priestly ministry (accompanied by Christian marriage to a trained female minister) is also creating team ministries and domestic church plants based on the complementarian model. For many Anglican women, the complementarian ministry model is sufficient, but for women called to priesthood, a co-ordination model of ministry is required.

I hope and pray that God will provide the Anglican women of Sydney who have heard God's call to priesthood ( and I am convinced that there are many) with a means to fulfil their call to ministerial service.

Chapter 26: Anglican Women Bishops approved by Church if England General Synod

After a lengthy debate chaired by Archbishop John Sentamu the Church of England General Synod has approved enabling legislation that opens the way to the nomination and election of women to the UK Anglican episcopate. Thank God for this landmark decision, which begins a new era of peaceful and cooperative relationships between diverse Anglican communities who are all members of the Body of Christ.

Chapter 25: St Marks National Theological College Ministry Intensive, Canberra, July 11-13 2014

Last week I attended the Advanced Diploma of Ministry and Theology Ministry Intensive at St Marks National Theological College, Canberra, conducted by Bishop-Elect Rev. David Robinson, who will be consecrated as Bishop of Rockhampton on September 2, 2014. Rev. David has been guiding my distance studies in Anglican ministry since January 2013. I spent an enjoyable and relaxing week before the Intensive at a family reunion in Adelaide, catching up with my Ridge, Speer, Wilson and Baitup relatives, and also fitted in visits to some of my former church communities, St Peter's Anglican Cathedral, St Ann's Anglican University College, and Clearview Uniting Church. 

Clearview Uniting Church, Central Ave, Clearview. This church was originally founded as a Presbyterian congregation by my father George Melville Simpson, who was Vestry Clerk of the founding Committee in 1954. Following the Union of the Presbyterian, Congregational and Methodist communions it became a Uniting Church, and is now led by Rev. K. Colliver and Committee Chair Doug Amey.

St Ann's Anglican College, North Adelaide, my home during my BA student years.

It was particularly good to share family history research and ministry experiences with my cousin Rev. Keith Ridge (4th from left below) and his wife Wendy, recently retired from ministry with the Church of Christ, but (as most retired ministers are) still very active in parish life.

I flew to Canberra from Adelaide on Thursday 10th July, and spent Friday 11th and Saturday 12th July at St Marks College, Blackall Street, Canberra. The well equipped College is set among pleasant native gardens overlooking Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Charles Sturt University Centre for Australian Culture and Christianity. We engaged in sessions on Evangelism, Leadership and Change, discussed and presented our term assignments, and were treated to delicious home-cooked meals while sharing our parish ministry experiences. My student colleagues come from diverse educational and occupational backgrounds, both urban and rural locations, both traditional and evangelical Anglican parishes, and all ages: I was pleasantly surprised to find many other mature age students attending. Some are just beginning theur studies, and others are well advanced, with a few attempting Masters level studies. We attended Morning and Evening Prayer (using APBA Daily Prayer with Psalm and Gospel readings) in the College Chapel each day.

On Sunday morning (July 13th) we attended a delightful Christmas in July Service presented by a St Marks student team at Grace Chapel, set in the grounds of the Meredith Burgmann Anglican School at Gunghalin. The style of the well attended family Service was informal and welcoming, with carols, a Kidspot session, and "show bag" children's gifts, which kept the children happy and occupied during the sermon. Several St Marks students are training for Defence Services Chaplaincy, and the sermon was preached by Craig, who provided insights on combining family life with army chaplaincy. After the Service we went to the school library, where the incoming St Marks Director, Rev. Andrew Cameron, was introduced to us. Rev. Andrew then listened to and commented on each student's account of their ministry studies, community, vocation and progress, and invited us to continue engaging with him for vocation support and feedback.

After Sunday luncheon at a local restaurant we drove to Goulburn for a hospitable winter evening prayer service at St Saviour's Cathedral, organised by another St Marks student team, and hosted by Bishop Stuart Robinson and the Rev. Archdeacon Caroline Campbell. The weather was freezing, but enthusiastic singing of Hillsong-style praise songs led by Ruth and Susan, a brilliant sermon on the parable of the sower preached by Tim Williams, warm knitted blankets and piping hot minestrone and pumpkin soup and rolls following the service broke the ice. It was great to meet the Canberra-Goulburn Anglican Diocese students and reconnect with the Bathurst Diocese students, who from now on will be attending Intensives at St Marks Canberra. Thanks to Michelle and Dan for helping me with transport, and for the warm welcome provided by St Marks staff.