St Michael’s Moggill/Mount Crosby AGM – 2026 - Priest Report
The Reverend Rob Sutherland, CSC (Priest-In-Charge, part-time)
It is nice to be able to present this report this year as Priest-In-Charge. Having been ‘parttime locum priest’ here for two years, the formal licensing by Archbishop Jeremy and Commissioning Service here last March may not have changed much did remind our leaders that we are here.
After three years, I’m still learning about who we are individually, as families and as God’s church. I continue to look forward to learning more andl value the parish and individual stories that you share with me.
For the past couple of years, I told Regional Bishop John Roundhill of our situation – we were still an active and participative congregation but, growing a little smaller each year.
This year things have changed just a little. In this past year we have been growing, just a little, by an average of 1 person per service. We remain a ‘Very Small Church’ but we have grown. In 2025 our Christmas attendance (125) and Easter numbers (104) – these don’t contribute to the overall average – were strongly up. The largest service of the year was our Christmas Eve Nativity play and Holy Communion with 70 people somehow under the roof.
Wednesday Morning Prayer and Bible Discussion continues to grow with an average of 8 in 2025. Some of the discussion; some of the questions are fearless – thank you all.
It’s been wonderful to have new worshippers come along to join us. Two things could improve our numbers: more people joining us and people coming more often.
We as a ‘Very Small Church’ are part of the growing category in our Diocese as, once large churches, become – Very Small. Many Very Small Churches are led by part-time clergy (either locum or Priest-in-Charge); numerous are advertised as vacancies and have been for several years. Common themes amongst these churches include, declining numbers and difficulties dealing with maintenance, administration and finance.
My second point to our bishop, is the beautiful Anglican simplicity of our worship. Our worship, faithfully Bible, prayer book and hymn book centred, is confirmation of the ongoing value of these. God is faithfully worshipped and truly proclaimed in what we do.
My final point to Bishop John is what is changing. This has always been an active parish. Thank you to all who, as volunteers, do so much around here. I have to tell the diocese how many volunteers we have – I think it is about 35 – this is about the same as our regular Sunday attendance. This is remarkable and reflects the character of our parish – we are contributors. Many of the 35 do more than one thing: Thank you! We need to acknowledge that we are no longer able to do the things that we used to be able to do. We used to be able to do our grounds maintenance – we now have to pay for this.
I now do extend my great thanks, and the thanks of our whole parish, to all involved in making our church work. Deliberately avoid naming anyone, I need to thank the clergy team, the music team, the wardens and treasurer and parish council, all who have helped maintain our church and grounds inside and out (regardless of how hot it was for fence painting), all who welcome and serve and bake, our administrative team, all who lead children’s ministry and in church worship and those who have contributed to our market stall and fundraising. I also want to thank all who come to worship and are part of St Michael’s and to those who bring others. I am grateful to God for each and every part of this his church.
To highlight some achievements.
Thanks to the outstanding efforts of our fundraisers, in 2025 we were able to donate to causes outside our parish – this is important; we are a missional church. We are called to spread God’s light and love and hope to those around us. We have contributed financially to:
• Anglican church-based welfare work through donations to support Anglicare and two parishes around us who run food programs for those in need.
• Ministry Training by supporting St Francis College students support fund –sufficient to pay for a student to complete Clinical Pastoral Education.
• Other mission and charitable work.
• Some of the maintenance costs of our church hall (as this is used by the community).
We have worshipped the Lord in a full range of services; we have solemn worship, particularly on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday; celebrations for Christmas and Easter but also some more relaxed and welcoming worship like the Christmas Eve Service with Nativity and Communion. The balance is always hard; I hope we are open and welcoming and sincere and worshipful.
Our children’s ministry continues to be both a wonderful blessing and a frustration. We have received great joy and blessings from children’s insights into God’s working. The children’s program in conjunction with the Saturday Moggill Markets, which we no longer have, was also a blessing. I would love to have more children.
Fellowship and looking after each other remains a strong point; ladies’ and men’s breakfasts, coffee after church plus much informal sharing is important.
Challenges
We have challenges and a challenge
Administration, maintenance and finances are challenges.
I don’t want maintenance and administration to consume too much of our time or budget, but they are necessary. We increasingly have to pay for the maintenance of our beautiful buildings and our extensive grounds; God has allowed each of us to get older.
I don’t want finance to get in the way of us being who God wants us to be. We should not expect much if anything from the community; heritage grants and community fundraising are nice but if we are to be a church we must pay for ourselves. God has brought us here to serve our community. If we want our building and our grounds and our clergy then we will have to use what God has given to us as the primary source of funding. I am very grateful for the amounts small and large that have been contributed to our work.
Administration is a problem requiring urgent attention. We are currently in discussion about the possibility of sharing administrative support with neighbouring parishes. Our hope is that we might pay part of the salary of one administrator who would cover the needs of several parishes.
The challenge that I put before us is in addition to our parish – doing business as usual – budget. We have to be a mission focussed church. The first challenge I have is for us to be supporters of ministry training and development. We can not just expect our future clergy, our ministers, to somehow just come to us from overseas or interstate and we can not expect ‘others’ to inspire, fund and train them. If we are to continue as a church, we should actively contribute to ministry training. I will speak more on this through the year.
Looking Forward
So, to the future. Our Archbishop has recently extended my tenure here for another year and I believe I have one more year to give.
I don’t have plans for us; this is deliberate for God has the plans. I can share a some of my vision. My aim, hope, challenge and encouragement to all of us is to listen to God and to faithfully and lovingly follow. It may have been a good thing that the disciples didn’t know or understand God’s plans for them when Jesus called them to follow but, despite neither knowing nor understanding, when they followed, God used them powerfully for God’s glory. Our task is to do the same, to faithfully, listen, trust and follow God’s call.
When I responded to Archbishop Jeremy’s Letter, I shared my belief in Jesus’s words that he read to people in the synagogue; I believe we too have been anointed to bring good news to those around us who, in their spirits, are poor or held captive or blind. I pray that the Holy Spirit will be upon us and that the power of the Most High will overshadow us.
Jesus bids us shine God’s light by living our lives as a witness of eternal hope into the darkness of pain, depression and emptiness of those around us. Grace and peace and hope and life and, yes, even joy and love,
The Rev’d Rob Sutherland, CSC
Priest-in-Chrage (part-time)
Moggill/Mt Crosby Parish
Rob.Sutherland@anglicanchurchsq.org.au
0406 767 757
22 February 2026
At St Michael and All Angels we celebrate God in a variety of ways. Where possible special pages will be listed here as we highlight recent events.
Some photos of the recent events can be seen under the Photo Gallery Section