A school teacher turned minister is finding the challenges of working in Sydney's Hills district a test of his sense of humour as well as his evangelistic skills.
The Rev Dane Courtney, rector of Quakers Hill Anglican has had to deal with past-life royalty and Russian language problems, as well as the usual trials of a parish minister.
Journalist Joseph Smith conducted this interview"
How and why did you get into full time ministry?
I was involved in Christian leadership in the church where I grew up, St Stephen's, Lugarno, at EU at Sydney Uni and at Crusaders. I received encouragement from friends and from churches I was involved in. From that, I decided I wanted to spend all my time doing something that had eternal significance.
What is a quote that best describes your job?
2 Corinthians 4:7: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." It's something I find I identify well with. Our frailty and fallibility is not a reflection of the importance of what we do.
What were you doing before this (both before this church and before full-time ministry)?
After university I taught high school Mathematics in Shore for a year. Then I worked for Crusaders for a couple of years before going to Moore College. Working in a para-church organisation helped me clarify where I thought I would be better off in the long term, which was parish-based ministry.
I was assistant at St Ives for four years, and Rector of South Carlton for seven years.
How would you describe your church?
It's a young church, in terms of age profile, especially compared to other churches. It's enthusiastic and the people are willing to have a go. At the same time it's full of people who are at a fairly stressful stage in life. They have young families, so there's a tension there within people who are keen to try things but stretched to be able to do them.
In what ways is the gospel impacting people in your area?
In some cases, not at all. However, for some, there is a hearing and coming to faith for the first time. Others you see reorganising their life to have more Godly priorities. There's a real range. In terms of our own church's ministry, we have an enormous area here and we are barley scratching the surface.
What's the most rewarding thing about your job?
The most rewarding thing for me is when I see some evidence of people coming to faith or growing in their faith.
What is the most difficult thing about your job?
The reality of spiritual opposition. It is a reality often manifested in strained relationships or in some of the messy things going on in people's lives. I think the hardest thing has to do with people who we would like to see going in a better direction.
What would you like more of?
We have here a number of people who really have Jesus and his kingdom as a clear priority. They take initiatives in ministry and so on. Any minister would be glad to have more of them.
How do people in your church encourage you?
Whether through email or in personal conversations, there is plenty of encouragement. I find a lot of people really go out of their way to be encouraging and helpful which is great.
What is the strangest thing you have ever done?
A lady was making funeral arrangements for her mother, whom she was convinced was descended from the Ancient Queens of Egypt and wanted us to make this clear in the service. The funeral was to be held on a Tuesday in the week leading up to our church fete. On the Monday night, guys had dressed up the front of the church for the fete so it looked like a used car yard with flags flapping in the breeze. I felt terribly embarrassed and when the family arrived for the funeral, I was very apologetic. But the daughter was happy. She thought we had done it especially for her mother because she was royalty.
Alternate funny story
I was sharing a funeral with a Russian Orthodox priest, and he sang the funeral service in Russian. It was one of those funny funerals where I didn't really know the people " or what was being said.
