In a boost for ministry to Indigenous peoples, Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has announced the landmark appointment of the Rev Michael Duckett as the first Director of Indigenous Ministry in the Sydney Diocese.
Synod last year voted overwhelmingly to create the position after a recommendation from the Sydney Anglican Indigenous Peoples Ministry Committee (SAIPMC) that it would greatly impact the growth and oversight of ministry by, among and for Indigenous people in Sydney and the Illawarra.
“We need to have a structured plan for Indigenous ministries, otherwise we will never have a genuine effect in the Diocese… my dream is that not only will we impact this Diocese, we will impact this nation,” Mr Duckett (above) told Synod in an impassioned speech.
In making the announcement, Archbishop Raffel said “The Sydney Anglican Indigenous Peoples' Ministry Committee nominated the Rev Michael Duckett to be appointed as our first Director of Indigenous Ministry and I am delighted that Michael has graciously accepted my invitation to serve in this way.”
"Michael is well known and highly respected not only among the Sydney Diocese Indigenous community but more widely, including as a member of Synod and as a cultural advisor frequently sought after to consult with local churches, agencies like Anglicare, and in many schools. This appointment recognises his leadership on this wider front, in addition to his ministry as pastor of Macarthur Indigenous Church over the last 18 years. I am grateful for Michael's gospel heart for his people, his gracious advocacy of the challenges and opportunities for ministry among Aboriginal people, and his love and pastoral concern for the churches, ministries and communities serving his people."
“The Director of Indigenous Ministry will also be a member of the Standing Committee, with the opportunity to contribute to the governance of the diocese and keep before us the needs and opportunities for gospel ministry in Aboriginal communities in the diocese,” the Archbishop said.
“I feel honored to serve God in this new role,” Mr Duckett said “acknowledging I stand upon the shoulders of those who have gone before serving within our diocese. Those who have shared blood, sweat, tears and much prayer over many years to see the gospel shared among our Indigenous people throughout Sydney and this great country.”
The appointment will be acknowledged as part of the service for the Ordination of Deacons this month and there will be a more extensive opportunity for prayer and thanksgiving later in the year.
