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Mary Lewis brings us the first of a series of short reflections on the AFC by some of those who attended

Mary Lewis is priest-in-charge at Roxby Downs Christian Community Church and Andamooka Community Church, Diocese of Willochra, South Australia.

I come from the Bush – often isolated, insulated and separated from the Anglican world at large in spite of technology and rapid transport. I came to Melbourne "to be part of developing a strong, faithful future for the Anglican Church of Australia", especially in my numerically small, geographically vast and theologically mixed Diocese of Willochra.

I was excited to meet people from right across the nation and saddened not to meet people from dioceses not represented. I was challenged and chastened by Kanishka's Bible Studies in 2 Peter and greatly encouraged to the task of "speeding the day" of Christ's return by being bold and true in sharing the gospel through the power of that same gospel at work in me and the church of God. I was delighted to renew my acquaintance with Cranmer through Ashley Null – his unpacking of Cranmer’s portrait was very engaging and enlightening - and be convinced of the "relevance and beauty of what our tradition has to offer for mission" in contemporary outback Australia. I live and work in a multicultural mission location; Simon Smart's session was an encouragement to keep seeing the cross-cultural mission challenge of my “home” base and to live as God's people dispersed into the places God has placed us and where he is already at work.

How do I share this vision for mission that is Anglican and culturally adaptive to the changing rural and remote context – a place of decreasing congregations, shifting populations and industries and widely dispersed clusters of unreached people? This conference has sharpened my commitment to the gospel truth having all that is needed to bring hope and transform lives and communities; it has challenged my search for the most winsome and engaging ways to help people meet Jesus; it has strengthened my resolve to keep before my Diocese our true Anglican heritage in the Scriptures and the Reformation; it has stirred me to pray for God's kingdom to come to the Bush “as it is in heaven”.

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