As the SARS epidemic raged in parts of Asia earlier this year, the Rev Irene Mok, currently a deacon in Parramatta, felt God calling her to work where the disease had one of its strongest footholds, Hong Kong.

There are at least three Churches of England that don't communicate with each other very effectively, and “they need to learn how to do this better if they are to fulfil their primary task of witnessing to God's transforming power,” the Archbishop of Canterbury told the C of E General Synod last month.

The Rev Professor James Haire, a leader figure among Christians in Australia, has been named the new President of the National Council of Churches (NCCA).

In a welcome move, and as a result of twelve years of consultations, the Dioceses of Bathurst, Canberra and Goulburn and Riverina have announced plans to develop a closer working relationship. The three bishops Richard Hurford (Bathurst), George Browning (Canberra and Goulburn) and Bruce Clark (Riverina), last month jointly issued a statement that outlined the ‘Tri-Diocesan Covenant' proposals.

Women bishops appear to have come just a little closer for the Anglican Church of Australia when the General Synod Working Party released its report last month. This will be a major topic for debate at the General Synod when it meets in Fremantle in October next year.

Ian Cox, 60, currently Senior Canon at St Michael's Cathedral, Wollongong, will take what some might see as a backward step in his career and return to parish ministry next month. He takes up the post of rector of the small parish of Brighton/Rockdale in the Georges River Region on September 12.

They've been alive in the imaginations of millions of people for years, but Aslan the lion, Mr Tumnus and the White Witch will take a step closer to reality this summer. An all-Australian production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will hit the stage in Sydney this December, introducing a new generation to CS Lewis's classic children's tale.

A major leap was taken by St Stephen's, Kellyville this month with the long-awaited opening of a new church building in one of Sydney's fastest growing suburbs.