PARISH PRIEST
Fr JOHN MATHES is the current Incumbent of the Parish. Fr John came to the Anglican Parish of Christ Church Essendon in January 2010 from the Diocese of Ballarat. He was made a deacon in 1991 and ordained a priest in 1992 in Ballarat.
He has ministered as a Youth Worker in Geelong and Bendigo, School Chaplain in Colac, Horsham and Ballarat and in Parish ministry in Horsham, Creswick, Ararat and now Essendon.
In the Ballarat Diocese he was a Rural Dean and a Canon of the Cathedral for a number of years before moving to the Diocese of Melbourne.
Fr John has been a Police Chaplain for over eighteen years in Ballarat, Ararat/Stawell and Footscray Police Stations.
Fr John is married to Carolyn and they have two adult daughters in Jillian and Trudy.
Fr John enjoys reading theology and medieval murder mysteries. He loves listening to music especially rock n roll. He enjoys walking and a chat over a good coffee. Yes he does barrack for the Essendon Bombers in the AFL.
In 2015 Fr John was Area Dean of Essendon and due to boundary changes in the Diocese is in 2016 Area Dean of Coburg.
CHILDREN & FAMILY MINISTER & CURATE
Reverend Tanya Cummings has joined the staff team at Christ Church Essendon as Children’s and Families Minister and Curate. She was Ordained as a Deacon in February 2017 and hopes to be priested later this year. Previously, she has served as a Stipendiary Lay Minister at St. Marks, Reservoir, and trained as a student at St. Mary’s Sunbury. She undertook Clinical Pastoral Education at Austin Health and worked as Duty Chaplain there for a year while finishing her double Bachelor Degree in Ministry and Theology at Ridley College. Prior to this, Tanya was Children’s and Families Minister at St. Johns in Diamond Creek. From there she joined a church plant team to launch a new Anglican Church in Doreen/Mernda called Plentylife. Tanya worked on staff at Plentylife as Missional Community Development Minister and worship co-ordinator. She has spoken at conferences about missional communities in Australia and New Zealand.
Tanya has a passion for seeing all people living out their identity as God’s children, and encourages every believer to actively participate in the body of Christ. She is a gifted evangelist and teacher, and has a pastoral heart. Tanya has a heart for the poor and needy, both local and those in Africa where she’s spent time on mission with hands at Work in Africa. Tanya is passionate about justice, freedom from abuse, and rebuilding lives.
Tanya has three wonderful young adult children who she loves to spend time with. She also enjoys time with her extended family and friends. She enjoys nice restaurants, café’s, movies, painting, drawing, competitive games, and keeping fit by going for walks and going to the gym. She also likes to visit the zoo, the river, and the beach whenever she can to relax, reflect, and appreciate the beauty of God’s creation.
ASSOCIATE DEACON
Rev’d Sue Hurren
My name is Suzanne but I have answered to the name of Sue since I married Geoff in 1969. I live in Westmeadows with only one daughter near us and one in Darwin and the other in Christchurch, with their families.
I have been an Anglican all my life and was a Sunday School teacher and in the choir at St Matthew’s Glenroy before I was married.
When we moved to Westmeadows I was involved in Sunday school, Christian education in schools and Nursing Home visits with different priests at the helm over time at St Paul’s. One suggested I give up the Sunday school and I became a Lay Reader. (I had always wanted to be a preacher in my teens!) When I had finished my Social Work degree I was asked to set up the Bridge Op Shop, this still supports the Parish. Bishop Curnow suggested that I go to Broadmeadows and was there during the closure of St Michael of All Angels and continued on at St Mary Magdalene’s. I was ordained a Distinctive Deacon in 2000. CE, Nursing Home services and a service Sunday Evening were my responsibilities
I worked at St Vincent’s as a Pastoral Carer, in the year I received my Social Work degree, which prompted me to undertake three units of Clinical Pastoral Education the year following. The next year I was employed as Chaplain to Cancer Services, it was a part time position enabling me to be Anglican Chaplain at North West, and later Families Deacon at Holy Trinity Kew, after leaving Broad-meadows. My BTH(eology) was completed in 1997
I decided to leave the Austin and take up a position at Bacchus Marsh in Palliative Care as Social Worker, Bereavement Counsellor and Volunteer Coordinator nine years ago. I also started in the Parish of Footscray to set up a Sunday School with the 30 – 50 very active Sudanese children who used to be there on a Sunday, I also visited an Aged Care facility each month.
In 2013 I came to Christ Church Essendon and assist in the Sunday worship, home communions and nursing home services.