From the moderator

Monday midday prayer

Please join us in prayer at midday on Mondays in February:

Lord, may our hope be in you, your faithfulness, that we may be agents of your purpose in all that we do. Amen

Share this prayer on Facebook / Twitter

Moderator's diary

This Friday Moderator Rev David Baker will attend the commissioning service for David Busch in the role of Presbytery Minister for the South Moreton Presbytery. The service will also mark the conclusion of David Busch's role as multicultural project officer and will be held 7–9 pm, 9 February at Beenleigh Uniting Church.

Moderator's musings

Writing exclusively for Journey Online—exploring the church, modern Australia and socio-political issues—Queensland Synod Moderator Rev David Baker brings light to the impact of the coal seam gas industry and the people whose lives have been disrupted.

Synod office news

Assistance with employment contracts

Congregations can contact People and Culture in relation to employment contracts, including fixed term contracts for lay staff in ministry locations, to ensure that proper industrial requirements are met without unexpected liabilities.

For example, the Fair Work Commission found that a series of fixed term contracts was for administrative convenience and an employee could claim unfair dismissal at the end of the contract. An employee may be eligible for severance pay or can apply for unfair dismissal if a contract ends prematurely.

For further information, please contact Grant Weaver, Manager People and Culture on 07 3377 9867 or email. 

Grant Weaver
People and Culture Manager, Queensland Synod

2017 Congregation Annual Financial Returns

The 2017 Annual Financial Return form is now available online.

The annual financial returns are due for completion by 31 March with a copy to be submitted to both your presbytery office and the Synod office.

We thank congregations for their support in ensuring that the deadline is met.

For further information, please contact Irene Hoving by email  or phone 07 3377 9765.

Irene Hoving
Accountant – Mission Support, Queensland Synod

Position vacant

Minister of the Word

Saint Andrew’s Uniting Church, Brisbane, is seeking a full-time Minister of the Word. Saint Andrew’s has a rich history of witness and practical ministry. They are seeking a minister who is willing to lead by example, to share responsibility and ministry with the lay leaders in the congregation and be open to develop the common vision for the ongoing mission of the church.

A full position description and congregation profile is available on request from Rev John Ruhle. Applications close 28 February.

Rev John Ruhle
Chair, Joint Nominating Committee (JNC)

Presbytery and congregation news

Cooks needed

Saint Andrew’s congregation in the CBD provides a nutritious home-cooked two-course lunch for  between 80 and 100 hundred people every Saturday at noon.

We are looking for more cooking teams. A team is made up of one person with the experience to plan and lead the food preparation and three or four others to assist.

Is your congregation willing to provide a team who could help us every five or six weeks? If so please ask them to contact Saint Andrew’s on 3221 2400 for further information.

Rev Bruce Johnson
Minister, St Andrew's Uniting Church

Learning news

Commencement evening 2018

Trinity College Queensland has invited Dr Justine Toh to speak at our commencement evening on “Why apologetics is a little (or maybe a lot) like falling in love.”

As well as celebrating the start of the academic year, the evening will be an opportunity to bring along people who are looking to develop a reasonable account of their faith.

Justine's talk may appeal to younger Christians trying to figure out why they believe, people who would like to develop their own approach to sharing their faith, and those people who contemplate whether it remains reasonable to believe. She will explore an "apologetics of attraction" and its potential to re-enchant our disenchanted age.

Tisa Lacey
Marketing and Event Coodinator, Trinity College Queensland

Elevation training 2018

Are you involved in ministry with children, youth or young adults? Interested in getting involved? ELEVATION training is for you!

The Uniting Church is partnering with the Anglican and Lutheran churches to deliver a day where you can learn  great tips, be inspired and have your thinking challenged by speakers including Rev Fa Matangi, Rev Monique Coughlin, Noah Kim and me!

Held at Good News Lutheran Church, 45 Horizon Drive, Middle Park on 17 March from 8:45 am. If you get in now, only $50! (subsidies available, discounts for students and pensioners).

Full program attached, and more info at www.elevation.org.au

Steve Molkentin
Digital Youth Discipleship Project Officer, Queensland Synod

Agency and service provider news

Volunteer prison chaplain

UnitingCare Queensland Prison Ministry team is seeking applications for the position of volunteer prison chaplains. Applicants should have:

• experience in pastoral care
• ability to work as part of an ecumenical team
• ability to work in a multi-disciplinary environment
• a demonstrated commitment to the ethos and values of the Uniting Church.

This is a volunteer position with a reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses of $45 per visit available. There are opportunities throughout the state. Successful applicants will be required to undergo a criminal and child protection check.

Steven Fincham
State Coordinator, UnitingCare Queensland Prison Ministry

Assembly news

Together in joyful song

Worship is universal, but songwriting isn’t—each gathered community needs songs that derive from, and speak to, its context. And we need to learn to sing hope amid the hard stuff of life.

With those words, Dr Tanya Riches—composer, justice advocate, cross-cultural missiologist, researcher and Hillsong scholar—urged Uniting Church songwriters to give an authentic voice to the laments and hopes of people and places across Australia. Read more.

Photo: Songwrite 2018. The National Assembly of Uniting Church in Australia.

Donation law changes bad for advocacy

Uniting Church in Australia President Stuart McMillan has voiced concerns that proposed new electoral funding laws could stifle advocacy by Australian religious organisations.

“These changes if implemented have the potential to damage the democratic process. Welfare and public interest advocacy should not be seen as political, and nor should funds received for this purpose be seen as ‘political donations’,” said Mr McMillan.

“Churches and other organisations advocating for the common good should not be impeded in exercising our prophetic voice.”

Read the full article.