From the Moderator

Monday morning prayer

Join us for the Monday morning prayer in October:

Lord, strengthen us to stick up for the truth of the gospel; may our speaking and living be done in faith, hope, and love. Amen

Moderator's diary

This Thursday, Moderator Rev David Baker will meet with Rev Dr Jimmy Dube, General Secretary of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe. 

On Saturday, David will be attending the Multicultural Development Australia (MDA) 20-year celebration and Mosaic Multicultural Festival opening ceremony.

Synod office

Access to free professional counselling services for ministry agents

The Queensland Synod’s Employee Assistance Program policy provides for individuals to access confidential professional counselling services of up to three-one-hour consultations free of charge. 

The Synod is extending this service to all ministry agents (Deacon, Minister of the Word and Ministry of Pastor). The provider can assist with short-term intervention strategies to help resolve a range of matters, such as coping with stress and anxiety.

The current provider is Change Futures (info@changefutures.org.au; 07 3857 0847) which is based in South East Queensland, but can provide counselling services by phone or telephone conferences (which they set up). You will need to advise Change Futures that you are a ministry agent and they will invoice the Queensland Synod directly. 

Alternatively, you can use the service “Find a Psychologist” to locate a provider nearby, however if the provider does not agree to invoice the Queensland Synod, you will need to pay for the consultation and seek reimbursement from the Synod. 

The Employee Assistance Program policy contains a list of additional resources and ministry agents can raise matters as part of your professional supervision available on the Queensland Synod website.

Please contact Grant Weaver, Manager People and Culture on 07 3377 9867 or via email for further information.

Grant Weaver
Manager, People and Culture, Queensland Synod

Inspired Disciples registrations are open

Inspired Disciples promises to inspire and invigorate you on your discipleship journey and registrations are now open!

With sessions led by amazing presenters from across Australia, this week-long festival of discipleship will have something for you!

Check out the program and register for the sessions you wish to attend. Some sessions have limited spaces, so register today to ensure a spot!

Emma Holmes
Project Officer, Queensland Synod

UnitingWomen 2018 wraps up

Held in Brisbane from 27–30 September, UnitingWomen 2018 was a time for over 300 women to gather, grow and be inspiried.

There are a number of stories on the keynotes and other events from the conference available on JourneyOnline. You can view photos and videos from the event on the UnitingWomen 2018 Facebook page.

The next conference will be hosted by the Northern Synod in July 2020.

Learning news

John Frederick explores Colossians 3

Sometimes two people can be viewing the exact same scene, or reading the exact same text, and end up coming away with completely different understandings.This can occur as a result of a confusing or difficult biblical text or it can happen when we are unaware of some of the central underlying theological and grammatical elements of a text.

In this sermon, Dr John Frederick, Lecturer in New Testament at Trinity College Queensland, shows how Colossians 3 is not aimed at the individual sanctification of believers as salvation solo projects.

Rather, the text invites us to reimagine our own path to holy living as one which is necessarily communal.

Subscribe to Trinity College Queensland's podcast. 

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

Reaching out and speaking out

Prison expansion and privatisation

The State Government has taken the unprecedented and disappointing decision to open a new private women’s prison in Queensland.

Join the petition to the Queensland Parliament calling for public operation of the facility, a moratorium on prison expansion and implementation of strategies to reduce the numbers of adults and children incarcerated in Queensland. The Uniting Church in Queensland has long been vocal in calling for justice in this space.

Real lives, real change

That’s the theme for Blue Knot Day on Monday 29 October. This national awareness day unites us in support of the five million Australian adult survivors of childhood trauma and abuse. The theme recognises the urgent need for support services.

The tangled knot in the Blue Knot Day logo symbolises the complexity of childhood trauma, with blue representing a clear blue sky providing the space for new possibilities.

There is a special call to faith communities to recognise this day. Resources are available on the Blue Knot website.

Young people in aged care homes

As the spotlight turns to conditions in aged-care facilities, attention is also being drawn to the problem of young people with disabilities being forced to live in residences with an end-of-life focus.

This article in the Saturday Paper (one free article per month) examines the situation of Melissa, a woman of 45, forced to live in an aged-care facility for the last 18 months, and others like her. Why is this still such a large issue and what is being done to address it?

Sue Hutchinson
Research and Policy officer, Queensland Synod