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The Governance Bridge
Monthly news to strengthen governance, sense of community and participation in mission across Uniting Church in Australia associated schools.
September 8, 2026
Welcome
In UCA-associated schools, the role of a board often sits in a curious overlap: faith, trust, strategic oversight, and strengthening the sense of community.
This newsletter recognises all of that. It's designed to support, inform, and inspire your governance work through a distinctly Uniting Church lens.
Each month, you will receive information we hope sparks reflection and action. We want this to be thoughtful enough for your reflective moments and practical enough to inform decisions.
Governing with Uniting in mind Booklet
Governing with Uniting in Mind is an eight-part series grounded in the distinctive characteristics of the Uniting Church. A new resource is released each month, and this edition brings together the Complete Booklet — covering Editions 1–7 in full, along with additional new content.
Governing with Uniting in mind Complete Booklet
Governing with Uniting in Mind is an eight-part series exploring school governance through the seven distinctive characteristics of the Uniting Church, each offering fresh questions and short practices for board reflection. This edition releases the Complete Booklet — the full framework plus Editions 1–7 in one place, along with new additional content.
Monthly Board reflection
September Reflection
"Schools inevitably measure things, but boards can play an important role in asking what those measurements allow them to see and what they might obscure." In this month's reflection, Director of Chaplaincy and Connections Adrian Pyle, explores this concept further.
View previous reflections here
Upcoming meetings
Thursday, 29 October
This meeting will feature Dr. Michael Stepniak, who will present about "Asking hard questions of the past and facing the future honestly: curiosity, conscience, and mischief".
RSVP via Roshan's email.
Featured Articles
Seeing Possibility, Creating Connection
Director of Chaplaincy and Connections Adrian Pyle reflects on what becomes possible for church-school connections when they begin with belonging rather than obligation.
Exploring what ‘walking together’ might mean
Around 60 Year 6-8 students from four Melbourne schools spent a day at Wesley Place exploring First Peoples' truth-telling, treaty and allyship, then pitched their own ideas for change.
Resource: Exploring the UCA
The Synod’s Chaplaincy and Connections unit has developed two resources to help our communities navigate the unique character of the Uniting Church in Australia. Whether you are a board member setting a strategy or a parent choosing a school, these resources are great tools for sparking conversations around our shared values.
Resource for school communities
This resource explores what it truly means to be a Uniting Church in Australia - Associated school. It features a dedicated reflection section with tailored prompts for Board and Council members, school leadership, teachers, and students.
A guide for parents and caregivers
Designed for parents and caregivers to understand the Uniting Church in Australia identity and what it means when a school carries this association. Includes reflection prompts to guide the conversation around our shared values.
The Governance Bridge
Your next e-news will be delivered in October 2026.
This newsletter is brought to you by the eLM Chaplaincy and Connections team, with content written by Adrian Pyle, Director Chaplaincy and Connections.
If you have any questions or feedback, please reach out to Roshan via email.
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Following Christ, walking together as First and Second Peoples, seeking community, compassion and justice for all creation.
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and custodians of the land on which we live, work, gather and worship, and we pay our respects to their elders past and present. We acknowledge that the Church throughout this Synod meets on land for which First Peoples have ongoing spiritual sovereignty and custodianship, and we commit ourselves to respecting Country and to working for a more just future together.
The Synod’s Chaplaincy and Connections unit has developed two resources to help our communities navigate the unique character of the Uniting Church in Australia. Whether you are a board member setting a strategy or a parent choosing a school, these resources are great tools for sparking conversations around our shared values.