Last month I attended a very moving and inspiring event in the Chapter House of St Andrew’s Cathedral. It was the occasion of the launch of Bishop John Reid’s biography of Archbishop Sir Marcus Loane – an interesting book about a great and distinguished churchman and Australian.
The NSW Premier, Bob Carr paid Sir Marcus and Bishop Reid the singular compliment of attending and launching the book.
Mr Carr, who is himself a distinguished historian, told his audience that he was pleased to be present and to honour Sir Marcus Loane, the first Australian born Archbishop of Sydney. He was also the first Australian born Archbishop within the Anglican Church of Australia.
The Premier said he also wanted to pay homage to the Anglican Church for its contribution to the State of NSW, and to ‘the Kokoda generation’ which Sir Marcus represented.
It seems, from what Mr Carr intimated, that he and Archbishop Loane had marked similarities in their workday experiences. Both, according to media reports at the relevant times, were reluctant starters in the high offices to which they were called. Both had to learn to work with diverse groups within their respective areas of authority – they had to deal with their own version of factions, right wing and left wing groups, fundamentalists and liberals. Clearly, from the Premier’s comments, there appears to be much in common between the Anglican Church in Sydney/NSW and the NSW Labor Party.
There was a very large, warm and friendly audience present that early evening. It seemed to me that they were pleased to have the opportunity to indicate their appreciation and admiration of Marcus Loane.
My predecessors as Archbishop of Sydney, Harry Goodhew and Donald Robinson were also present that evening. Each one of us I am sure would be glad to share our considerable debt to Sir Marcus in the development and progress of our own ministry. His episcopate was formative for the organisational, structural life of the diocese, for its commitment to evangelism and its gospel witness to this nation.
Our present regionalisation of the ministry of this diocese owes a considerable debt to the seminal thinking of his strategic planning for episcopal ministry in Wollongong and Parramatta.
The Archbishop had a genius in choosing men to work with him, and we all realise the brilliance of his appointments of Jack Dain, John Reid and Donald Cameron as episcopal colleagues, and later, Donald Robinson.
Bishop Reid’s biography takes us back to the earlier ministries of Marcus Loane, and particularly to his time as an army chaplain. He served in New Guinea and his interest in that nation is highlighted on the cover of the book, with the photo taken when he retuned many years later to walk the Kokoda trail. Friendships he formed during his service as chaplain lasted for many years.
Among many matters, there are three areas that stand out for me as I consider my own obligation to Sir Marcus Loane. First there is his time as Principal of Moore College, a time that shaped the direction of the College towards its later significant contribution to this Diocese and the church as a whole as a training college for ministry. The College came into its own as a contemporary, academic teaching institution from his time as Principal. He rightly understood the importance of sound, high quality theological training for men and later women entering into their ministry of the gospel.
Second, he modelled a preaching style of thorough, precise exposition of the Scriptures to his students, and helped to set firm the tradition of expounding the Scripture. This has become the mark of the preaching method of the clergy of the Diocese of Sydney.
Third, he saw the immense need in this city for the gospel evangelism of Billy Graham, and he was the prime initiator of the 1959 Graham Crusade that brought Billy Graham here and made an indelible impact on the Christian life and ministry of this great city. My own personal debt is well known. I came to Christ through the preaching of Billy Graham. For that contribution to my own spiritual life I am everlastingly in debt to Marcus Loane, Archbishop of Sydney from 1966 to 1982.  I pray that I will always model his commitment to sound theological training for men and women for ministry, and for his thoroughness and precision is gospel exposition.