The Year That Changed His Life
For the Moyes family 1977 began much the same as usual. After the frantic activity of Yuletide with its choirs and concerts and children’s programmes, came a little respite while they vacationed in Sydney—at the request of the Rev Alan Walker.
“I was so impressed by your innovative Summer Schools for Successful Ministry,” he wrote, “that I decided to conduct a similar programme in January. Would you be free to assist?”
Beverley and the children enjoyed the splendid recreational facilities of Vision Valley while Gordon lectured the Methodist ministers of New South Wales.
On their return home Gordon began planning church activities for the next twelve months. Cheltenham celebrated its 120th year in 1977 and he was keen to make a big thing of the event.
“We must make sure that the anniversary celebration has all the fanfare of trumpets that such occasions demand,” he said to his fellow ministers. “Special meetings, special speakers, special music—everything so special that it will leave a warm afterglow in everyone’s heart.”
They succeeded beyond wildest expectations. More than two thousand people attended the week-end of services and thanksgiving and talked about it for months afterwards.
Next Gordon catapulted into the public eye when he was asked to speak at a drug debate. The “Hamilton Spectator” featured a report and a photograph of him. Thick black headlines an inch high, screamed to the readers: MARIJUANA AMONG STUDENTS.
“Mr Moyes urged Hamilton District parents not to wait until it was too late to talk to children about illegal drugs…`If you have a fifteen-year old daughter and you haven’t talked with her about sex- education, moral lifestyle and drug use, you’ve wasted five years,’ he said.”
Never afraid to speak out, he hit the headlines again over the hasty conviction of a Church of Christ member whom the police accused of being a homosexual and “loitering with intent” at a nearby beach frequented by homosexuals looking for partners.
The Church of Christ man had recently been released from hospital after undergoing agonizing surgery on both legs. He was sitting in the shallows obeying medical instructions to bathe his legs in sea-water when the police encountered him. Gordon’s aggressive attack upon them for jumping to conclusions, gained the attention of the national news.
The remainder of Gordon’s year passed in the usual flurry of ideas and responsibilities: work, worry and writing, plans and meetings, sermons, lectures and classes. No day was long enough.
Then in November the public press announced that “Mr Gordon Moyes, minister of the Cheltenham Church of Christ in Melbourne, has been called to be the Wesley Mission’s eleventh Superintendent in succession to Dr Alan Walker. The Moyes family will move to Sydney in December, 1978 to undertake this new work.”
This news release caught many people by surprise. For the Moyes family it was the day that changed their world.
Of course Gordon knew about the appointment before the press did. He knew that the Parish Council in Sydney had made a long list of specific criteria and an even longer list of desirable candidates. Then they undertook a worldwide search in their endeavour to match the two. It was not easy.
The Mission had considered 45 leading Methodists who had been nominated from Australia, U K, South Africa and America. Some men had refused the important responsibility. Others were too old, too inexperienced, or on closer scrutiny, had been declared unsuitable. Weeks lengthened into months as the debate raged.
“We must have an Australian,” some of the Council members were adamant. “Someone who understands Australians ways.”
The Synod went even further, “He must be a Methodist, preferably from New South Wales.”
Of the two finalists Rev Moyes was the Australian. He fitted the Parish-prepared job description in all but two particulars—Rev Gordon Moyes came from Melbourne and he was not a Methodist.
Yet that was the ultimate decision. Gordon Moyes, 46th considered candidate, the youngest ever to be appointed, was invited to become Superintendent of the Central Methodist Mission in Sydney, and head of the 176 year old Methodist Church.
“Leading such a large Mission is my kind of challenge,” Gordon admitted to Beverley, “but a lot of details need to be smoothed out yet. Not the least of which is `denominational allegiance’ as they term it.”
Beverley smiled. “They wouldn’t have called you if they didn’t have some way of getting around that.”
The Superintendent of the Wesley Mission had always been the leading Methodist of his day but Gordon’s loyalties belonged to the Churches of Christ. His appointment was sure to be controversial.
However, the Methodist Church had recently joined with the Presbyterian and Congregational Churches to form the Uniting Church in Australia. The Synod of the new Uniting Church would have to approve the appointment and that was most unlikely now that they had a larger membership to draw from.
Was it co-incidence that in 1977 the Central Methodist Mission in Sydney became part of the Uniting Church of Australia, changed its name to “Wesley Central Mission,” and started a new chapter of its life with a new Superintendent?
The importance of this position can be judged from the coverage given it by Sydney’s premier newspaper, `The Sydney Morning Herald’ dated 11th January, 1978, announced:
“NEW HEAD OF WESLEY CENTRAL MISSION NAMED”“A worldwide search for a new superintendent for Sydney’s Wesley Central Mission has come to an end with the appointment of a minister from Victoria.
“After a worldwide search a committee of 8 appointed by the Wesley Central Mission Council had recommended two names for the superintendent’s post,” Mr Walker said yesterday.
“The council selected Mr Moyes and this was approved by the Sydney Presbytery of the Uniting Church in Australia. Mr Moyes, 39, is a married man with a talented wife and four children. For nearly two decades he has worked for the Churches of Christ in Victoria and proved himself to be a capable minister who is not afraid of innovative ideas.
“He will stay with the Cheltenham Church this year and will then apply to become a minister of the Uniting Church of Australia.
“Mr Walker has been superintendent of Wesley Central Mission for 20 years. Now he has been appointed Director of World Evangelism for the World Methodist Council. Mr Walker will remain superintendent of the mission, formerly the Central Methodist Mission, until next January. He takes up his new post at the start of 1979.
“Wesley Central Mission in Sydney was born on March 6, 1812. This Princes Street Chapel was the first Methodist Church in Australia. By 1840 a new church was opened in York Street. From 1840 the York Street church flourished. Then a decline set in. By 1884 the membership had fallen to 18 persons and the Methodist Conference debated whether to close it down.
“Rev W. G. Taylor offered to conduct an evangelical ministry at the church. He took as his motto, `A Living Christ for a Dying World.’ His effort was extremely successful and the new policy was reflected in a new name—Central Methodist Mission. In 1906 the benefaction of the Lyceum Theatre in Pitt Street, provided new headquarters for the mission.
“In 1958 another new era began with the appointment of Rev Alan Walker as superintendent. He developed many new agencies in the life of the mission bringing it to the strongest point in its history.
“In 1964 the Lyceum Theatre burned to the ground. Under Dr Walker’s leadership a new Lyceum Theatre and Wesley Centre for the mission was built.
“The mission has become the largest and most viable city church ministry in the world, incorporating as it does many different aspects of church life. A rural property known as Vision Valley became a convention centre and recreation ground for Christian families and youth.“Dr Walker is the tenth superintendent, taking over from Rev Frank Rayward, who served the church for a lifetime. Dr Walker was the first Australian minister to see the potential in TV and use it. He travelled widely. He authored thirty books, but first and foremost Alan Walker is an evangelist. Every Sunday, at one or another of his services he makes an altar call, inviting those who want a better life to find it in Jesus.
“In January 1979 Dr Walker will become Director of World Evangelism—giving leadership to 50 million Methodists in 62 countries.
“The mission holds two convictions in balance—evangelism and social concern. A pastoral staff of 8 ministers assist the superintendent of the Wesley Centre, together with 3 full-time, trained deaconesses and a pastoral assistant. More than one thousand Pacific Islanders with their own national ministers, meet at the mission.
“There are a total of 520 full time employees at the Wesley Centre as well as an army of volunteer workers. It is the only Australian church with a full time media division. It has a printing press, and has television and weekly radio programs broadcast over nine stations. It was also the originator of Lifeline programme which is broadcast weekly over a dozen stations. A major fund- raising event is the annual Spring Fair, which in 1977 raised an amount of $55,000. The mission income from all sources is approximately $5 million per annum, roughly $100,000 per week.”
When news of the appointment reached Cheltenham via the above article, a local reporter, Jane Cafarella, interviewed Rev Moyes. In a five column half-page feature she gave readers her impressions of the young minister:
“With his beguilingly youthful face—as round as a rising moon, and his deep almost theatrical voice, the microphone hidden in his top lefthand pocket, his sermon runs as smoothly as a well-rehearsed act…. One almost feels like clapping. But it works. There are four services every Sunday at the Cheltenham Church of Christ, held to packed congregations. Four ministers are needed to conduct the special church and community outreach programmes….
“When many other churches are finding it difficult to hold a small congregation together in the face of cynics, change, and growing scepticism among youth for organized religion, what makes Cheltenham a church that has grown from strength to strength?
“`The answer,’ says Mr Moyes, `is leadership.’ While not patting himself on the back, because it was undoubtedly his leader- ship that has led the church to its current strength, Mr Moyes says leadership is the reason why one church grows and another doesn’t.
“But after 13 years as minister at Cheltenham Church of Christ, Gordon Moyes has handed in his resignation. In December 1978 he and his family will move to Sydney to carry on the work of the Rev Alan Walker at the Wesley Central Mission.”
As if all this was not excitement enough, Gordon received the `Nicest Listener Award’ from Station 3UZ on his appointment to Sydney’s Wesley Central Mission.
He had scarcely adjusted to this honour when he received another. On the 7th of March 1978 the Rotary Club of Moorabbin asked him to accept the award of `Citizen of the Year’ at their annual Business Dinner.
Although he still devoted his time to present duties Gordon found more and more of his time and thoughts taken up with his appointment to Sydney. No one realized better than he what a challenge lay ahead. Not that it daunted him. He had the utmost confidence that God and he could accomplish great things together. All the same, to use modern parlance, Rev Alan Walker was a “hard act to follow.”
In October a letter arrived from the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International 1600 Ridge Avenue, Evanston Ill. U S A. Gordon had been an active member of Rotary for many years and had spoken at club dinners and functions in most states of Australia. Thinking that this was probably another invitation to speak somewhere he was about to put the letter aside—then he noticed the return address and tore open the envelope.
“Dear Rev. Moyes” he read: “It is my pleasure to inform you that you have been designated a PAUL HARRIS FELLOW….” The letter was signed, “Harry A Stewart, Secretary.”
This was Rotary International’s highest award. His nomination had been sent by the local club which he served as president, and the accompanying U S $1,000 compulsory donation was paid for by the widow of a former Rotarian friend.
At the same time as he was rounding off his part in Cheltenham’s growing ministry Gordon was carrying out directives from the Uniting Church Synod of NSW, who insisted that he complete further studies at the United Faculty of Theology at Melbourne University. He willingly enrolled in Reformation History, Theology and the polity of the Uniting Church, though it amused the lecturers and students to have one of Melbourne’s best known ministers attending their classes.
The Uniting Church Synod, evidently somewhat dubious about a minister from another denomination, also insisted that he write a sustained theological thesis on his theology of city ministry and his plans for Wesley Central Mission. His supervisor was the principal of NSW United Theological College of the UCA.
Gordon surprised everyone concerned by producing a 150,000 word thesis headed “Transforming the City Church.” The thesis was of doctorate standard and in later years he used it in the United States as the basis of his lectures to students doing `Doctor of Ministry Studies in Urban Mission.’
September, October, November. Each month seemed to be fuller than the last. Striving to appear calm, Gordon rushed from one appointment to the next. He hated to turn down any request that came to him personally, but sometimes he wished that there were two of him to handle all the work.
“Oh dear no,” Beverley protested when he voiced his wish. “One of you is all that I can manage.” An affectionate smile belied her words.
On the 13th of November Gordon took time to observe in his diary: “It is now just a year since we were invited, and accepted, the call to Wesley Central Mission….
“My feelings are still of amazement that the Mission should break with all tradition and invite us…and constant admiration at the vastness of the work that Alan Walker has built up…. `Greater works than these will you do.’ (John 14:12) This text came to my mind in the early morning hours, with a feeling that everything I have ever done in my life has been a preparation for these years.
“I turn forty this week, I have the most wonderful wife in the world; four children I can be proud of, and the most exciting city church ministry in the world! Thank You, Lord.”
A week later Gordon observed: “Farewells are now reaching a peak—five dinners out last week. We are both very tired from the emotional strain and the physical problem of packing up.
“However, the constant stream of letters, gifts, and messages of appreciation lifts us up. My latest book, `The Secret of Confident Living’ has just been launched. Jenny is completing her exams with great calmness. The conclusion of our thirteen years at Cheltenham is quickly coming—only three more Sundays after today. Many people are expressing sympathy and concern at our parting, but others are giving us packing cases!”
At Gordon’s 143rd, and final, Church Officers’ Meeting he felt pleased to note that Cheltenham membership was the highest of any of the Churches of Christ in Australia, as was their income, staffing, number of baptisms, average of attendance and value of church property.
“The time is probably right for us to leave,” he confided to Beverley. “No doubt we could have stayed on harmoniously but we would only have been doing more of the same thing. The challenge of Cheltenham has been conquered, only repetition remains.”
Beverley nodded and squeezed his hand.
