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The Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod

UNITING NEWS

6 November 2018

Hello 


It is our hope Uniting News continues to help you grow, transition and innovate as the people of God.

Rev Heather den Houting
General Secretary, Queensland Synod

From the General Secretary

Queensland Synod By-law amendments

The Synod Standing Committee has approved amendments to the Queensland Synod By-laws.

The By-laws have been updated to include clauses with respect to insurance and access to documents by governing body members. These changes apply to all our entities and respective committees, commissions or boards.

The updated By-laws can be found on the Synod website, and the main changes are with By-law Q2.7.13.

For further enquiries, please contact Governance Secretary Belinda Bones.

Rev Heather den Houting
General Secretary, Queensland Synod

From the Moderator

Monday morning prayer

Join us for the Monday morning prayer in November:

We thank you, Lord for the people who revealed the living presence of your son to us; may your spirit enable us to bear witness to him also. Amen

Faith, values and education; how they all connect

The interplay of faith, education, and values has re-emerged as a critical issue in the formation of a healthy and civil society, and our state schools play an important role in forming the attitudes and values of young people.

The Religious Instruction providers in Queensland invite you to a public lecture by Prof. Zehavit Gross on the theme "Faith, values and education; how they all connect".

The Lecture will be held at the Brisbane Hebrew Congregation , 98 Margaret St Brisbane on 21 November at 10 am. Prof Gross is the UNESCO chair holder for Values, Education, Tolerance, and Peace at the School of Education, Bar Ilan University, Israel. RSVP by 19 November to event@ucaqld.com.au

Rev David Baker
Moderator, Queensland Synod

Position vacant news

Art from the Margins Board Vacancy

Art From The Margins (AFTM) is a creative initiative of Wesley Mission Queensland. The mission of AFTM is to enrich the lives of people living with adversity, through art. AFTM supports those living with physical and intellectual disability, mental illness, homelessness and social isolation, including the Indigenous and refugee communities.

AFTM is seeking new members of its board. The successful applicant will:

  • have a keen sense of social justice
  • understand the governance of organisations
  • be willing to contribute to, and promote AFTM
  • have an interest in the arts and
  • be a member of the Uniting Church in Australia.

Applications close Friday 23 November.

Ian Airey
Chair, Art From The Margins Board

Kennedy Patrol

The Presbytery of North Queensland, in partnership with Frontier Services, is seeking a person to minister to remote rural and isolated communities in the Kennedy Patrol comprising Cape York Peninsula and the Gulf Savannah regions.

If you have a passion for ministry with people in remote and Indigenous communities, you will have many opportunities to serve people in the small communities and large properties that are a part of this remote area including Coen, Georgetown, Bamaga, Pormpuraaw and Cooktown.

Information about the Kennedy Patrol can be found on the North Queensland Presbytery website.

Address applications to:

Kennedy Patrol JNC
C/- Secretary of Synod Placements Committee
Uniting Church in Australia (QLD Synod)
GPO Box 674
BRISBANE  QLD  4001

Or email: placements@ucaqld.com.au

Applications close Monday 19 November.

Rev Garry Hardingham
Presbytery Minister, North Queensland Presbytery

Assembly news

Free the power of great giving this Christmas

UnitingWorld's new ethical gift catalogue for 2018 is out now!

When you give an Everything in Common gift, you’re giving twice: once to friends and family to let them know you’re on board with their passion for a better world; once to people in Asia, Africa and the Pacific who are working hard to make it happen. Shop now online. How about hosting a gift stall in your church/community?

Mardi Lumsden
Australian Partnerships Coordinator, UnitingWorld

Learning news

Principal's Hour: Week 12 Semester 2

Everyone has felt the sting of failure at some point. In this week’s Principal’s Hour, John Frederick explores how God draws us out of our collusion with failure into a faith-filled and faithful life in Christ.

Subscribe to Trinity College Queensland's podcast.

Belinda Hoadley
EA to the Principal and Office Manager, Trinity College Queensland

Trinity Unplugged wrap-up

On the evening of 1 November, our final Trinity Unplugged event for the year saw record numbers at the college, with 140 people in attendance onsite and another 62 attendees via regional live streaming.

Under the heading, "Things I Wish I Knew When Telling My Friends About Jesus", Sam Chan gave a theological, insightful yet highly practical talk on evangelism, picking up where he left off in 2017. 

Peppered with anecdotes from family life and experiences in (numerous!) planes and Ubers, Sam shared how to turn conversations "God-ward" without putting people to sleep, turning them off Christianity, or lowering your Uber rating! 

The talk was hilarious and informative, accessible to people of all ages, and authentic. Sam's rich life experiences as a practitioner in both medicine and theology gave significant depth to his presentation, and I’m sure this won’t be the last we hear from him.

Dr Leigh Trevaskis
Principal, Trinity College Queensland

Reaching out and speaking out

The value of a shared meal

The Welcome Dinner Project connects newly arrived people with established Australians over dinner conversation in the comfort of a home. It is a powerful way to build trust, belonging and connection between people and break through cultural, social and other barriers as we share food and stories. Are you new to Australia, established here, willing to host a dinner or be trained as a facilitator? Visit the website to join up, or find out more.

It’s time to cash in your containers

Queenslanders use close to three billion drink containers every year. The new scheme known as Containers for Change aims to reduce the number of drink containers that are littered and increase Queensland’s recycling rate. It is now time to save up your eligible containers and get your refunds. Or, you can direct the refunds to a registered group. Look here to find collection points.

Did you know that there is funding for small scale infrastructure projects to help your community group or church set up a donation point to collect containers?

Human Rights Day

On 10 December, we stand up for equality, justice and human dignity!

This year the Universal Declaration of Human Rights turns 70. It remains a milestone document proclaiming the inalienable rights everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being—regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.


The United Nations has an online book, illustrating each of the 30 Articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The illustrations are simple, colourful and help us understand each article. The articles and illustrations make effective posters to display between now and 10 December.

Sue Hutchinson
Research and Policy Officer, Queensland Synod

Other news

Discoveries camp

Held on 13–18 January 2019 at Bornhoffen PCYC Leadership Development Centre, Natural Bridge, Queensland.

Discoveries Camp is a week packed with fantastic activities especially designed for children who will have just completed grades 3–7 in 2018.

Trained and experienced leaders will facilitate a program that will keep campers engaged and able to enjoy six days of discovery and fun, through learning, making friends, trying new things and worshiping together. Find out more information on our website.

Rev Beth Nicholls
Project Officer – Mission. South Moreton Presbytery