Holy Covenant Anglican Church

25/03/2026

I like to binge watch my favourite shows. Maybe not a whole series in a night but I’ll watch a whole season over a few days. When I watch TV that way I notice most of the connections the show runner wants us to remember. When I view them a week apart or more not only is there much I forget but I can actually misunderstand the season.

When it comes to Jesus’ passion all four episodes are needed to grasp the season of God’s mission - the meal, the cross, the grave, the garden. Sadly, our traditions and patterns of life cause us to lose the connection between each part.

When Christians focus only on Good Friday they imagine that exchange is the heart of the gospel, that Christ died for me. If we only focus on Easter then we imagine that dominance constitutes victory. We get bits out of focus and the most important sections are completely neglected. God does everything while we do nothing or worse.

Episode 1 is the meal. The table. The covenant of forgiveness. The mandate to love one another. This is God’s answer to a troubled world, the source from which all things flow. The most important bit is not the end of the passion but the beginning.

Episode 2 is the cross. The powers that stop God’s answer dead in its tracks are the same forces that contain us. Force. Lies. Violence. We avoid conflict but sometimes it follows us.

Episode 3 is the grave. The darkness. The defeat. Death is not the end so much as it is the pathway through to new life that we resist, avoid and deny with everything in us.

Episode 4 is the garden. God’s new world springs to life in unexpected places. Far from the corridors of power, new life emerges in the garden, the locked upper room, the road out of town, by the seashore we discover our purpose in life.

God’s work through the season is so big that shrinking it to one part hoping that it will represent the whole is never enough. Why not come and binge the whole series with us?

24/02/2026

Start your Saturday Morning with conversation that matters.

Our church is excited to host Dr Paula R Gooder - Writer and Lecturer in New Testament Studies and Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, London UK for a relaxed breakfast conversation on faith and women in the New Testament.

This is a rare opportunity to engage in thoughtful dialogue in a personal setting with one of today’s leading theological voices.

Free - bookings essential:

Get tickets on Humanitix - Breakfast with Dr Paula Gooder - a conversation on faith, leadership and women in the earliest Christian communities. Holy Covenant Anglican Church Worship Centre, Holy Worship Centre, 89 Dexter St, Cook ACT 2614, Australia. Saturday 21st March 2026. Find event information...

24/02/2026

The Anglican Diocese is excited to welcome Dr Paula Gooder - Writer and Lecturer in New Testament Studies and Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, London UK for a public lecture in Canberra - hosted by the Women in Leadership Commission.

Whether you are studying, leading, working, questioning or just curious - this is a space for thoughtful conversation about the contribution of women in the earliest Christian communities.

Book here:

Live in Canberra. One of the Church's most respected contemporary voices, Dr Paula Gooder - Writer and NT Lecturer and Canon Chancellor of St Paul's, London.

21/01/2026

We’re having an open and reflective time on Thursday to remember those killed, injured and traumatised by the violence at Bondi.

20/09/2024

First trolley full of groceries for St John's Care

11/09/2024

The report concerning women's leadership in our Diocese was discussed at Synod a few days ago. It agreed to form a commission to develop a strategy that will:
1. address the cultural barriers that have caused the decline
2. provide safe and attractive workplaces for clergy
3. ensure fair, safe and transparent processes and procedures for appointments
4. establish and invest in supporting the leadership of ordained women.

A good step today towards a better diocese tomorrow

02/08/2024

We're looking to start a book group exploring a better gospel.

This vision is often restorative and participatory. It emphasizes solidarity and diversity, peacemaking and creation. It is centered by non-violence and love rather than obedience and fear.

If you're looking for something beyond two ways to live, why not share the journey rather than reading books or listening to podcasts in private?

17/03/2024

Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2024 is a wonderful event designed to recognise and celebrate the strengths of people who are neurodiverse, as well as challenge preconceptions of what they can or cannot achieve.

To be neurodivergent means to think differently, or to have different neurocognitive abilities. This might sound a little confusing as we all have minds that think differently, but the term typically refers to people with profound differences.

These differences might hold people back from doing certain things, but then allow them to shine through other talents. For example, someone may struggle with their reading and writing, but excel in creative tasks.

There are many conditions that fit under the ever-growing definition of the term ‘neurodivergent’, for example: ADHD; Autism; Dyslexia; Dyscalculia; Dysgraphia; Dyspraxia; Developmental Language Disorder, or Tourette’s Syndrome. Neurodivergent people usually have one or more of these conditions, but this list isn’t exhaustive and there may be people with other conditions who are still neurodivergent.

Being neurodivergent in church can be very challenging. The structure of services, behaviour expectations or even the texture of a communion wafer might be a challenge for someone who is neurodiverse. If we are to truly be a place for everyone, then we need to make sure that the neurodiverse members of our church family are welcome to join us as they are, without having to pretend to be someone else.

14/03/2024

Saturday morning is the working bee. Do you have some time to do a bit of gardening, or clean some windows, or other such maintenance tasks? There’s a great morning tea on offer!

14/03/2024

The Community Garden is being hugely productive at present, so if you’d like to drop by and pick yourself some fresh fruit and vegetables, you’re most welcome. If you’d like to learn more about gardening, or you have had to move away from your garden, or you’re looking for something to do on a Saturday morning, we’d love to have your company in the Community Garden between 10am & midday.