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Presbyterian Moderator Dr Trevor Morrow has returned after a month long tour representing the church in Australia. Accompanied by his wife Carys, Dr Morrow met with partner churches, missionaries and theologians across the country.
The visit enabled Dr Morrow to re-aquaint ties with Professor James Haire, a former missionary of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and now the newly installed President of the Uniting Church of Australia. Dr Morrow was a guest of the Uniting Church Assembly and witnessed Professor Haire's installation.
Other partner church leaders were present at the Uniting Church Assembly, giving Dr Morrow a chance to hear first hand concerns about persecuted Christians in the Moluccan Islands. The Moderator was able to personally assure Moluccan church leader Rev Augustina Aesh of the Presbyterian Church's concern and support for Christians as they suffer from Islamic 'jihad' in the eastern Indonesian islands.
He also had opportunity to observe the challenges that faced the church in Australia, particularly in debates over sexuality. Dr Morrow noted the interesting contributions from Aborigines who had converted to the Christian faith and drew from their strong family traditions to argue for an orthodox perspective on the gender issue .
Dr Morrow also had discussions with another partner denomination, the Presbyterian Church in Australia. Leading representatives of the PCA were pleased to welcome the Moderator and expressed a desire to strengthen ties with the Presbyterian Church in Ireland.
The Moderator rounded off his Australian visit on an ecumenical note by visiting the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. Meeting renowned Bishop Paul Barnett and scholar Dr Peter Jensen, Dr Morrow observed the radical methods of church outreach engaged by the Sydney Anglican churches. Dr Jensen is Principal of Moore Theological College, regarded as the largest evangelical training college for church ministers in the world. Dr Jensen has himself recently returned from a lecture visit to Union Theological College in Belfast.
Issued by Martin McNeely, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org
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