Mothers of Promises, Mothers of Problems

January 25, 2026

Topic: Father Abraham and the Promises of God

Our news feeds are dominated this week by strife and division – much of which, incredibly, finds its origin in these chapters of Genesis, as the line of Abraham divides between Ishmael and Isaac. It’s a seismic division that splits the world even today. Rather than taking sides in our current disputes, Jesus Christ offers another way – the path of faith, and a new Spirit.

Join us on as we continue our Genesis series through a sermon titled “Mothers of Promises, Mothers of Problems” with readings from Genesis 16-18.

Leonie Tonkin

Leonie joined the Scots’ Church Choir in May 2003 while studying Reformation history and writing her honours thesis on the hymns of Martin Luther. She an accomplished recorder player and has sung with the Choir of Ormond College, the Australian Chamber Choir, the Melbourne Octet and Ensemble Gombert.

Leonie works for the public service in a policy role, and spends her limited spare time baking, running and helping her daughters with piano practice.

Vaughan McAlley

Vaughan joined the Scots’ Church Choir as a 17-year-old music student in 1988. After becoming Principal Tenor in 2001, he sang the part of the Evangelist in the Scots’ Choir’s first performance of JS Bach’s St John Passion in 2003, and was renowned for his enraged performance of Thou shalt break them from Handel’s Messiah. As a composer, he has written a number of pieces for the choir, including anthems for his wedding with Leonie Tonkin, and for the baptisms of their daughters Eleanor and Genevieve. He has also arranged hymns for choir with brass, timpani and organ. He is a long-time member of the chamber choir Ensemble Gombert, and enjoys working on the perfect espresso.

Jennifer Chou

Jennifer Chou began her role as the Associate Organist at Scots Church in 2023, after having been the Director of Music at Toorak Uniting Church for 11 years. She had taught the organ for the Australian Catholic University, since 2015 she teaches the organ for Melbourne High School.

As a recitalist, Jennifer has given organ concerts in major Australian town halls and Cathedrals. Overseas, she has appeared as soloist in places including the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and the Westminster Abbey in London, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Esplanade Concert Hall in Singapore, and many more.

After having obtained a Master of Music degree in organ performance and church music at Northwestern University USA where her teacher was Wolfgang Rübsam, Jennifer studied in Paris and Toulouse for 5 more years with world sought after teachers including Susan Landale, Michel Bouvard and Jan Willem Jansen. She concluded her studies in the Cycle de Perfectionnement with Premier Prix d’Orgue à l’unanimité in Toulouse.

Douglas Lawrence

Douglas Lawrence AM has been Director of Music at Scots’ Church since 1984. He teaches organ at the University of Melbourne and was Master of the Chapel Music at Ormond College from 1982 to 2006. He has been awarded an AM for services to music.

Douglas plays the organ most weeks for the Sunday 11am worship service, as well as training and conducting the choir.

Throughout the year Douglas is responsible for producing, directing and conducting many concerts and performances with the choir and with various instrumental ensembles, both in Scots’ Church and beyond.

The Rieger Organ that was installed in 1999 was built to Douglas’ specification and it has proven to be a wonderful continuation of the musical tradition and standard that has been the hallmark of Scots’ Church since its foundation.