Hundreds of Australians were honoured over the weekend, awarded the Order of Australia and recognised for their contribution and service to fellow citizens in our country, and around the world.
Among them were many Christians, and rightfully so, given our desire to walk in the serving footsteps of Jesus. But what always strikes Eternity is the range of service that those Christians are recognised for, and the wonderful example they are to their brothers and sisters in Christ who also seek to be salt and light in their small ways in their own communities.
And so, we’ve sought out just some of those Christians honoured this year in this two-part series, to demonstrate that variety, and inspire our readers onwards.
**PART TWO** Read Part One here.
Christine Clausen
Image: The Leader, Sutherland Shire
Narwee Baptist Creative Craft Centre, NSW
For service to the community through creative support for charitable and health organisations.
The humble craft group seems a surprising endeavour by which to receive such an honour as the Order of Australia, but it’s what Christine Clausen has done through the craft group, now in it’s 28th year, that has attracted attention.
The group, which today has nearly 200 students and 14 classes teaching knitting, decoupage, crochet, painting, patchwork (just to name a few crafty skills), has raised funds through their creative efforts to the tune of over $220,000. The funds have supported many different charities, from Cancer Council to the local children’s hospital, funding nursing scholarships or assisting an Autistic School. The group has also worked closely with chaplains at Westmead Children’s Hospital for the last 15 years, donating close to 4,000 knitted teddies and special garments for the neo-natal department.
“She not only has created a happy, safe place for people to develop their craft skills and build relationships, but they also reach the wider community through their fundraising,” said Narwee Baptist’s senior minister Angelo Gratsounas.
The craft classes at Narwee Baptist are now so popular you have to book in advance to secure a position. But Christine is humble, as evidenced by the reflections she made in a recent report about the group:
“There have been wonderful friendships formed over the years by coming to craft – and that is terrific. But the most important friendship, and the reason for all the time and effort that we give to craft, is the friendship of Jesus.”
— Written by Kaley Payne
Margaret Rodgers
Archbishop’s Media Officer, Diocese of Sydney, 2004-2007. Chief Executive Officer, Anglican Media, Sydney, 1994-2003. President, NSW Council of Churches, 2008-2010; Executive Committee, Anglican Representative, from 1996; Writer/Presenter of the Council’s weekly current affairs program on Radio 2CH, 1997-2009.
For significant service to the Anglican Church of Australia through governance and representational roles, and to ecumenical affairs.
Most Australian Christians will complain about how the mass media deals with their church, or Christianity itself. It’s rare to see someone set out to deal with this problem and even rarer to see someone succeed, not just once but many times. Margaret Rodgers, who ran media relations for the Sydney Anglicans for a decade and a half, fitted the third category exactly.
She was the reason the Sydney Diocese rose to punch above its weight in the media. In Australia’s most competitive media market, the Anglicans got a lot of coverage; a lot of surprisingly positive coverage.
Margaret was a master tactician at the media game: she knew the power of rarity, reserving Peter Jensen for the right sort of stories, sending out other spokespeople for day to day combat.
Journalists knew you would always get a quote from Anglican Media: precise, clear and before deadline. If you needed a photo shoot arranged, nothing was too much trouble.
The overall effect was a high profile for the Anglicans in Sydney—and I am sure that other denominations wondered why (except for people who knew Margaret was at the helm). I recall a senior official of the national church implying that it was almost unfair for Sydney to get so much profile while the primate was almost unknown. They needed a Margaret.
In her nine years in charge of the Anglican Media Sydney operation, she introduced Southern Cross as a free monthly magazine and nurtured a generation of Christian writers.
“For young Christian women, Margaret Rodgers is an exemplary role model of an older sister in Christ, having dedicated her life to serve God’s people” a former Southern Cross staffer Madeleine Koo recalls. “Her integrity, good humour and perseverence make her a worthy recipient of this honour.”
Margaret Rodgers by any measure was one of the most powerful people in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney, a body which only has male clergy. This puzzled everyone, except for those who worked with her and knew that talent had risen to the top.
— Written by John Sandeman, who saw Margaret Rodgers from both sides—as a member of the Anglican Media Council, and from the Sydney Morning Herald newsroom.
Mark Edwards
For service to the church, and to the community of Ipswich.
Mark Edwards is heavily involved in his community in Ipswich. But not in the typical ways a church minister might get involved. He was the first minister in Australia to hold a position in a local Chamber of Commerce—President of Ipswich Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry for two years. He’s been chairperson of the local private hospital, a family resource centre and an advisory board for University of Queensland, on the board of Christian Television Association and a committee member of the regional ethics committee. Having worked as a lawyer in private practice for almost a decade before entering into ministry, Mark’s community involvement leans towards the business side, but community service it is, nonetheless. And it’s opened up doors for his ministry work, and the work of the church, in more ways than he could imagine.
“When I was approached [by the Chamber of Commerce], the question was, ‘why would a minister do this?’ But I thought, well, I’m running a business of sorts, our church has employees, and a large volunteer base. The quality of leadership in the church gives you great expertise in any organisation, I think. So I felt I had something to contribute.
“If you’re involved in an organisation for the sake of helping that organisation, not going in with an agenda, saying ‘I’ll get in there, and then all these people will come to church’, but rather wanting to wash the feet of the community I’m living in, people see that you’re genuine.”
— Written by Kaley Payne
Phil Stenhouse
“For service to the community through youth support programs.”
Phil Stenhouse has a long association with Victoria’s young people, having been the Senior Youth Pastor at Careforce Church on the Mornington Peninsula, before co-founding Bridge Builders, a charity aimed at empowering youth, in 2000.
Phil has been recognised by for developing and implementing youth programs in high schools around Victoria for 30 years.
Bridge Builders is based in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and works to empower youth so that they can go onto employment and training. It aims “to create positive opportunities in our community where people can physically, emotionally and spiritually grow, enabling them to reach their God given potential”.
Phil has been described on the Bridge Builders Facebook page as “an extraordinary leader” with “an incredible legacy”.
— Written by Sophie Timothy
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