Association, Christchurch – photo Mark Tronson
Sophia Sinclair is a very familiar figure amongst New Zealand Christian media, not least having been for some years the New Zealand ARPA President (NZ Australasian Religious Press Association).
Not 7 weeks ago Sophia Sinclair at the ARPA’s annual conference in Christchurch Sophia was elected unopposed as the Australasian Religious Press Association President, the first woman to hold this prestigious position.
Who is Sophia Sinclair apart from holding such positions, a spouse of Levin Baptist Minister Reverend Andrew Sinclair and mum of two young boys.
Credits
Sophia Sinclair has credits that go way back to her days as a journalist for New Zealand National Radio.
Then as the New Zealand CMS Editor. Sophia Sinclair attended the 2012 ARPA conference in Wellington where she met the Kiwi young writer program in conjunction with Christian Today New Zealand.
Having joined the Kiwi young writer program, Sophia Sinclair moved with her husband Andrew to Sydney where he undertook seminary for ministry and became the Chief Editor of the Australian and New Zealand young writers.
Sophia spoke at the 2013 Christchurch young writer conference, again in 2014 in Wellington, and then at the annual young writer conference on the Gold Coast (Tweed Heads) later that same year.
Sophia Sinclair was runner up in the 2013 and 2014 NZ Basil Sellers Award, then won the 2015 NZ Basil Sellers Award and in 2017 the ARPA Ramon Williams Youth Scholarship.
Added to this – Sophia Sinclair coordinated and ran the 2015 and 2016 young writers annual conferences in Sydney.
Andrew Sinclair, having graduated seminary the Sinclair’s in 2017 relocated back to New Zealand where he became the Associate Minister at Levin Baptist Church (80 minutes north of Wellington) and Sophia took up the editor’s role of Rongopai, a magazine for the New Zealand Christian Community Churches network.
Sophia, as the New Zealand ARPA President and thereby the ARPA Vice President, was the person most likely to take on the position.
Former ARPA President Peter Bentley of Sydney and Editor of ACCatalyst stepped aside after 2012-19 with acknowledged leadership and duty,
Indeed the one immediate previous ARPA President was another New Zealander Errol Pike 2011-12 who served after Melbourne’s Major Peter McGuigan.
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Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children. Dr Tronson writes a daily article for Christian Today Australia (since 2008) and in November 2016 established Christian Today New Zealand.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html
Dr Mark Tronson - a 4 min video
Chairman – Well-Being Australia
Baptist Minister 45 years
- 1984 - Australian cricket team chaplain 17 years (Ret)
- 2001 - Life After Cricket (18 years Ret)
- 2009 - Olympic Ministry Medal – presented by Carl Lewis
- 2019 - The Gutenberg - (ARPA Christian Media premier award)
Gutenberg video - 2min 14sec
Married to Delma for 45 years with 4 children and 6 grand children