Anglicare CEO Peter Kell has announced a rescue plan for chaplaincy in the wake of fears voiced at Synod that the charity will no longer be able to afford to fund the ministry.

The success of the Diocese's drive to raise Mission dollars may depend on Sydney Anglicans learning fundraising lessons from mega churches like Hillsong and Willow Creek, the Synod has been told.

Sunday school teachers and all other voluntary lay church workers face the prospect of being stood down if they are found to be engaged in wrongful conduct, according to new draft measures unveiled to the Sydney Synod last night.

Kurt Vonnegut said that there is only one story "“ man falls in hole, man gets out of hole. At the beginning of Umberto Ecos new novel a man awakes in a fog, in hospital, not knowing his name, or even his own face, let alone his wife or children. This is a fascination hole to watch a man climb out of, and a daring scenario for a novelist to portray convincingly. Does Eco manage to pull it off?

Our political life is being driven by a rumour-hungry media says Margaret Rodgers.

With a gracious nod, Standing Committee member Warwick Olsen accepted the Rev Neil Flowers adjustment to a land-mark amendment that will put Anglican Media back in the business of evangelising Sydneys unchurched masses.

With all that has happened since 9/11, and especially the ongoing conflict in Iraq, it may seem that its a bit late in the day to be asking how Christians and the West should have responded. But if we can work out where we may have gone wrong, there should still be time to find more effective ways forward.

The Ignite Short Films are surprisingly different to what I anticipated. It's an eclectic mix of cartoon, music, drama and social comment, many of which are quite dark and grapple with significant issues. Others are just plain strange, but thats part of what makes it interesting...