Prompts 6 March 2007

Presbytery of North Queensland

PRESBYTERY PROMPTS

29 Wentworth Ave Mundingburra 4812

Website: www.presbyterynq.net

ISSUE EIGHT 2007 MARCH 6TH 2007

On the Grapevine…

Greetings everyone,

We are now entering the third week of Lent, which means that Easter is just over a month away. Lent is of course a significant time of preparation. Some of you may well be doing the Lenten studies, “Called to Plant a Future” provided through the Journey. This week focuses on ‘Planting through Hospitality’. How truly hospitable are we as a church? That could be a good question to ponder for this week.

Pastoral Notes and prayer points:

• Please be aware that Alison, the wife of Gregor Henderson (UCA President) is suffering from an aggressive cancer and the medical prognosis is not very good at all. Please pray for Alison, Gregor and his family at this challenging time.

• Phillip Hulme – a former minister at Atherton who is seriously ill at present with a form of cancer and a heart condition.

• Bevan Favelle, minister at Glebe Rd UCA –Ipswich who is seriously ill with cancer.

• Ian Wilson, former minister at Aitkenvale, has been diagnosed with Prostate cancer. Please pray for him and Merlene.

• Continue to pray for Peter Harvey in Hughenden – his commissioning on Monday night was a great time of celebration.

Presbytery Meeting info:

Last week in Prompts I shared the basic information from the Presbytery Meeting that included who was appointed to positions, who was there and how things went. This week I want to provide an overview of a couple of things that were shared.

Bruce Mullan, the editor of Journey, was present for some of the Presbytery meeting and provided a short overview on the topic of Working with Your Local Media. As Bruce also receives Prompts I hope he will correct anything that might misrepresent what he said. (Fancy inviting an editor to correct something.)

The following is the basic information on “Working with your Local Media”.

1. Two types of Stories will feature in your local media ACTIVE and REACTIVE.

2. ACTIVE stories put the church on the front foot. These are positive stories of your people and their impact in the local community. They could include history and heritage (anniversaries, stories of pioneers in the church in the area, …) Achievements, Milestones, Positive influential leadership of people in the church and community. These should usually be accompanied with a photo or a photo opportunity. Bruce Mullan and the Journey staff are very happy to help “tidy up” the article so that it is more likely to be accepted as you put it in.

3. REACTIVE stories.- This usually involves managing incidents or events. This is often the one that causes us most concern in the church. In responding to contact from the media about such incidents or events it is always wise to give yourself a little thinking time. What I mean by this is if the media call you, get a number and call them back in a little while. Don’t leave it too long as they will soon get their story elsewhere. I usually give a time about 30 minutes later and make sure that I call. The words that Bruce used in this context were, Effectively, Truthfully, Transparently (with respect for individuals’ rights & privacy), and Apology. With respect to the last one there is a place to apology. As Christians we are an Easter people and among other things that means a forgiven people. Again, and perhaps especially in these cases, remember the Journey Team are there to help.

4. Finally Bruce challenged us with these 2 questions: Why should the media
want to engage with you? and What is the best story you could offer to your local paper this year?

Christian News and information: In my report to Presbytery I referred to an excellent monthly email I receive from Church Resources that is called Christian News on line. It is available from www.church-resources.com .Our own Journey website www.journeyonline.com.au also has, in addition to what is printed in Journey, a lot of news and information that is updated regularly.

Presbytery feedback

(This is a repeat of last week’s message)

One thing we forgot was to prepare a feedback sheet to help us plan the next Presbytery meeting. For those of you who receive this and were at the presbytery meeting if you could please send any comments to us (either Jane’s computer presbnq@bigpond.net.au or mine bcornish@bigpond.net.au ). The following are the questions that were in the feedback sheet you did not receive.

1. What for you were the highlights of this Presbytery Meeting?

2. What for you were the parts of or actions within, this Presbytery Meeting that you believe could have been improved? (Please add any suggestions for improvements)

3. Please give feedback as to the helpfulness and timeliness of information and material received prior to the Presbytery meeting.

4. Has the ordering of the Agenda been helpful for you or could you suggest changes to the agenda that would have made this Presbytery better for you?

5. Has there been anything that you have heard or experienced at this Presbytery meeting that has challenged you or you believe will add value to your ministry context?

(Please list one or more of those.)

6. Please list areas or agenda items that you would like included in a future Presbytery meeting.

7. Any other comments……

It was agreed that the Mission Resourcing Committee should be expanded and the current members were given power to seek people with appropriate gifts and skills, including pastoral gifts, to be included in that team. The presbytery was also encouraged to make this a matter of prayer and discernment. Please make it a matter of prayer and discernment. If there are people who believe they may see this as part of their ministry or you want to suggest someone, please contact either myself or out treasurer, Ian Jessup.

Cairns Korean: Some of you will be aware that we have been working with the minister in the Cairns Korean congregation, Young-Hun Weon to apply for a further 2 years religious workers visa. This was granted by the Department of Immigration on 27th February.

Birthday Cards: Many of you who are ministry agents in the Presbytery and your families will have received a hand made birthday card in the past 2 years. As you know, these have been made by Jane as a part of her ministry gift to you all. As you will also realise, each card takes quite some time to make and Jane has made them in her own time. With the pressure of time in other areas of Janes life increasing it will not be possible for her to continue to make these cards for you. On behalf of you all I have said thank you to Jane for those special cards that have so enriched our lives. We will still be sending you and your families greetings for your birthdays but the greeting will be on commercially produced cards. Thank you again Jane for your ministry to us.

“ICE” Campaign: I was sent this information as an email and it certainly sounds like a good idea to pass on so here it is.

Isn't it true that we all carry our mobile phones with hundreds of names/numbers stored in its memory but yet nobody, other than ourselves, know which of these numbers belong to our near and dear ones?

Let us for a moment create a scenario wherein (God forbid) we are involved in an accident or had a heart attack and the people attending to us get hold of our mobile phone but don't know which number to call to inform our family members. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency?

For this reason, we must have one or more telephone numbers stored under the name ICE (In Case of Emergency) in our mobile phones. Read below for more details.

Fwd: " ICE" Campaign: Recently, the concept of "ICE" is catching up quickly. It is simple, an important method of contact during emergency situations. As cell phones are carried by majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or person who should be contacted during emergency as "ICE" (meaning In Case of Emergency).

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when they went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. Following a disaster in London, the East Anglican Ambulance Service has launched a national "In case of Emergency (ICE)" campaign. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital staff would then be able to quickly contact your next of kin, by simply dialling the number stored as "ICE".

For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great idea that will make a difference!

Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our mobile phones today!

Blessings to you all,

Bruce C.

Steve’s Stuff…

Greetings in the name of Christ!

It is great to be home. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers while I was in Israel. It was an amazing experience to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, visit sites where He ministered and also having the opportunity to see other sites which are significant to the Christian tradition. In addition to experience another culture.

Next April I will be returning to the Holy Land and taking a group across with me for a ten day tour. I look forward to sharing my trip with you and the itinerary for next years trip. Next years trip will be unique in that we will visit traditional Holy Land and archeological sites. However we will also engage in modern day Israel culture. In addition we will also do some adventure type activities like kayaking down the Jordan river, sleeping in tents in the desert. More information to come!!

Please continue to let Jane know who will be attending the child safe church training from your congregation. This includes people in ministry placements and also congregation child safety officer/convenor.

Easter Camp is not far away. Please continue to encourage your young people to attend this weekend as we explore the hope that Easter offers each one of us. There will be meaningful worship, great input, small groups, games, various activities (including a rock climbing wall) and more. If you need help in promoting Easter Camp or motivating your young people, please let me know.

Child Safe Church Training

Towards the end of last week Ministry agents in congregation placements from across our Presbytery should have received two copies of the child safe church manual and a letter from me. Below are the details of the up and coming training events:

Southern Zone

Saturday 17th of March

9:30am – 12:30pm, Aitkenvale Uniting Church

Northern Zone

Saturday 17th of March

9:30am – 12:30pm, Edmonton Uniting Church

This training is predominantly for Ministers and congregations child safety officers. Can you please phone Jane in the presbytery office and let her know who will be attending from your congregation. In addition, please let Jane know who your congregations child safety officer is and a contact detail for that particular person.

Thank you.

Easter Camp

Please encourage your young people in high school up to the age of 21 to attend Easter camp 2007. Even if you have one or two young people, please encourage them to come along and meet other young people from across the north. In addition, if you would like to come as a leader and assist in some way, please let me know. Details of Easter camp can be found at www.yacmu.com.au. Under ministry you will find ‘Easter Camp NQ’. Click here and you will find all the information you need. You can also download registration forms. However if you would prefer me to post them to you, please contact me on 4036 4440 or at stevek@yacmu.com.au.

Yours in Christ’s service and Shalom, Steve.

What’s New…

SBS DATELINE SHOW

John Dansie, a candidate for minister of the word, and who is currently serving overseas in Afghanistan with the Australian army wishes to let us know that Dateline on SBS are running an episode regarding the Australian army in Afghanistan. Wednesday 7 March at 20:30 (8:30pm).

If you are interested tune in to SBS tonight!

John also says that if he is unlucky he may have made it on camera but he doesn’t think he did.

EASTER - A GOD GIVEN OPPORTUNITY TO RECONNECT

At a time when Aussies are becoming more and more interested in spirituality, the Church must make sure the central message of Easter does not go missing from the national consciousness. That is the message coming from Church leaders who are backing the Awakening movement as it continues to build on the foundation laid through the 1990's.

National Coordinator of the Awakening movement, Mal Garvin says "In particular it is vital that the importance of Easter Day is not lost. It is the celebration of Christ's resurrection that must be central at Easter. Most faiths recognise that Jesus was a remarkable man who died, but only Christianity says that he rose on the third day to bring into existence both forgiveness and eternal life."

Mal says "Throughout the year Christians try hard to get the central message of our faith into the marketplace but at Easter, the nation comes to us, and it is vital we don't lose this cornerstone of our culture as other forces vie for public attention."

The Easter Day (Sunday) marches will again take to the streets in the heart of our capital cities with the message that Easter is a God-given opportunity to reconnect.

In the lead-up to Easter Day, Christians from different denominations will join forces around the country to run Easter Festivals and Prayer Vigils on Good Friday.

The Awakening started as a partnership between most Christian Denominations and Christian Organisations in 1990 and since then has provided a framework for Christians across the nation to work for transformation in their local communities.

For more specific state Information on what may be happening in your area please contact the following State Coordinators:

NSW Perry Anderson 02 9789 4888

ACT Brenton Reimann 02 6162 3700

VIC Matt Garvin 03 5974 1442

TAS Craig Townsend 03 6397 8280

QLD Wells O"Neill 07 3208 2610

SA/NT Dean Polkinghorne 08 8351 9266

WA Andy Braun 08 9355 1159

Source: Awakening Movement

REQUEST FOR A MICROWAVE OVEN

If you have a microwave oven to give away, please ring Jan Brassington 4751 5396.

BLESSINGS, BONNETS AND BUTTERFLIES

Date: Saturday 31 March 2007

Time 2pmWulguru Uniting Church Cnr Culgoa & Georgina Streets Wulguru

• Family Afternoon for Mum, Dad and the Kids

• Guest Speaker

• Lucky Door Prize

• Join the Easter Bonnet Parade in your unique creation

• Prizes for the best Bonnets/Hats

• Devonshire Afternoon Tea

• Stall

Devonshire Afternoon Tea

Cost Adults: $10.00 Children: $ 2.50

RSVP by Sunday, 25 March 2007Jean Johnson 47732361ess would be appropriate.

ASSEMBLY OF CONFESSING CONGREGATIONS WITHIN THE UNITING CHURCH

Regional Meeting - Cairns Emmanuel UCA.

Sunday 25th March 2007, 5: 00 – 7: 00 p.m.

Speaker: Rev. Dr. Max Champion (National Chair of ACC).

Please come and hear first hand about the ACC and the good work the Lord is

doing through the confessing movement. All welcome.

For more information please contact Rev. Hedley Fihaki

hedley@cairns.unitingchurch.com phone (07) 40323966 or 0401698934

TRINITY NQ REGIONAL CAMPUS.

If there are specific subjects/topics/courses you wish Trinity NQ to run in your particular area, can you please let me know. At present we run two courses: one on ‘leadership’ and the other on ‘worship’. If you have other suggestions in relation to theological education and training for your area, can you please let me know as I will be attending a regional meeting at Trinity Theological College on the 16th of March to further discuss these issues for our area. Thanks.

Rev. Hedley Fihaki

SHARING AT PRESBYTERY.

One of the highlights of Presbytery is the two-minute sharing segments from congregations. At the recent Presbytery we heard stories from Edmonton, Townsville Central, Cairns Emmanuel, Burdekin, Cairns chaplaincy, Kirwan-Jensen, Atherton, Mareeba, Home Hill. These segments were recorded and are available on the Presbytery website, together with Russell Clark’s prison chaplaincy report and Gordon Burley’s statement on uranium mining. These can all be accessed from http://presbyterynq.net/sharing.htm . If you have a slow connection, it may be better to listen to the segments “streamed” as you go with Mozilla Firefox, rather than wait while MS Explorer downloads the whole file.

Please also check the information (and photos) on your congregation’s page on the website and notify Peter Blackburn if there need to be any alterations. Some extra “people” photos are always welcome.

SOUTHERN ZONE WOMEN’S RALLY

When Tuesday 17th April 2007-03-06

Where Mt Louisa House of Praise, Cnr Bayswater Rd and Mather St, Mt Louisa

Start 10am

Theme WOMEN – GOD’S SPECIAL GIFT

Bring a plate for desert.

For further enquiries or to reserve your seat please contact Anna Pullen on 07 4721 4291 or leave a message.

ASSEMBLY UPDATE

The March 2007 edition of Assembly Update is now available. To download a copy go to http://assembly.uca.org.au/update/2007/march2007.pdf

Some of the articles you will find there are

• A Church of Passionate Disciples : The Membership Debate from Rev Rob Bos, National Consultant, Theology & Discipleship

• Farewelling John Mavor Acting National Director United International Mission from meera Aitkinson, Assembly Communications

• New Bachelor Degree distance course on offer from Lee Levett-Olsen, national Director Coolamon College

• A message from United International Missions new Director Rev Kerry Enright

• Training Initiatives aim to overcome skills shortages in remote Australia from Rosemary Young, National Director of Frontier Services

• Called to be One Church from Rev Sandy Yule, Chair Christian Unity Working Group

• Being Church differently from Rev Rob Bos, National Consultant Theology & Discipleship

• New National Committee for Youth Activities from Mark Hillis, National Director Christian Education

• Kairos Prison Ministry Australia from Rev Gregor Henderson, Assembly President

• Thaks from the President from Rev Gregor Henderson, Assembly President

Please don’t forget these…

LEADERSHIP COURSE.

30th – 31st March 2007.

Aitkenvale Uniting Church

Cnr Ross River Road and Anne Street

Aitkenvale Qld 4814

Course Outline

This course is aimed at lay persons or groups who are exercising primary ministry

functions in congregations. We would like to offer this course as a way of sharing

advice, expertise and knowledge to help overcome the many challenges that we are

confronted with in ministry. The full participation of members in a congregation

does not happen without leadership. The business of leadership training is precisely

to enable, encourage, and sustain the activity of all the members, through the power

of the Holy Spirit.

Proposed program and schedule.

Friday 30th March

7: 00 p.m. – 10: 00 p.m. Pastoral Care (Rev. Bruce Cornish)

Saturday 31st March

9: 00: - 12: 00 p.m. Understanding your community/congregation (Rev. Bruce Cornish)

1: 00 – 4: 00 p.m. Visioning mission (Rev. Craig Mischewski)

5: 30 – 8: 30 p.m. Recruiting and resourcing leaders (Rev. Craig Mischewski).

Cost $32.50 per person: includes Friday Supper, Saturday morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea & dinner

Payments to be made on Friday.

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REGISTRATION: LEADERSHIP COURSE TOWNSVILLE.

Name: ………………………………………………………………………………………

Address: …………………………………………………………………………………….

Phone: …………………………………. Mobile: ………………………………………..

Email: …………………………………………………

Have you completed other units through Trinity NQ? YES / NO

Name of unit: Leadership or worship

Post or email registrations to:

Rev. Hedley Fihaki

Trinity NQ Coordinator

6 Harper Close

Manunda 4870

Phone: 40323966 or 0401698934 e-mail – hedley@cairns.unitingchurch.com

SYNOD ACCOMMODATION:

Glenn Louttit, the minister from Innisfail UC would like to make known that he has 1 spare bed (maybe 2) for anyone who might want to share accommodation at the Synod in May. Glenn has booked a cabin at the Alex Beach Top Tourist Park which is a very short walk from Alex Park Youth and conference Centre (the venue for synod).

Please contact Glenn if you are interested in sharing. Cost would be around $35.00 for one person or if there is room for two, the cost would come down to $25.00

Glenn Louttit Minister, Uniting Church P.O. Box 632 Innisfail. 4860 Ph 07 4061 1180 0418 747204

NOMINATIONS FOR THE MODERATOR’S MEDAL

Nominations for the Moderator’s Medal are once again being requested. Announcement of the Medal recipients will be made at the Queensland Uniting Church’s Synod in Session meeting being held on 18-22 May 2007. The award is presented to individuals who have contributed in an outstanding way to the Church’s mission in community services in Queensland. Nominees must: be a volunteer, past or present, have exhibited outstanding service over a number of years, be involved in community service work other than congregational work (e.g. Blue Care, Lifeline Community Care, Hospitals, or community service agencies outside the Uniting Church), were/are not in paid employment connected to their volunteer work. All nominations must be received electronically, a link to the form can be found on the UnitingCare Queensland website, http://www.ucareqld.com.au. Nomination forms must be submitted by Friday, 9 March 2007. Please note, due to the selection process and preparation of medals, this date cannot be extended. For more information contact Beverley Hollands, Executive Officer, UnitingCare Queensland on ph: (07) 3512 9416 or email: HERE.

Beverley Hollands

MINISTRY IN DISASTER SETTINGS: LESSONS FROM THE EDGE

Disasters not only affect the victims, but also those at the front line of help. A new book by Uniting Church minister the Rev. Dr Stephen Robinson provides priceless insight into the affect of disaster on clergy and points to the biblical hope that can be offered to hurting people and those who try to help them. Stephen Robinson, Uniting Church minister at Lugarno, Sydney, has been involved as a fire chaplain with the Rural Fire Service since 1996 and is the Uniting Church’s representative on the NSW State Disaster Recovery Committee. The book gleans lessons of what such ministry looks like, the price paid in it and how to prepare and survive as well as possible. $25 plus postage and handling ($5). More information from: Rev Dr Stephen Robinson on (02) 9153 8653 or email HERE.

Bruce Mullan, Manager, Communications Services Unit

IMPROVE YOUR WEBSITE

A new online self-assessment tool is available from the Internet Evangelism Day website which enables churches to develop and improve their websites. "Does your church's website communicate to outsiders as well as to the members?" asks this new web resource. A church site is the congregation's 'shop window' to its community. To fulfill this function well, it must be enticing, people-centered and easily understood by outsiders. Unfortunately, many churches are unsure how to achieve this vital mix. The Internet Evangelism Day team online self-assessment tool will lead a church through a series of key questions, to highlight areas of their website which may need development. Go to http://ied.gospelcom.net/church.php and use the “Self Assessment Questionnaire Tool”.

Bruce Mullan, Manager, Communication Services Unit

CONFERENCE FOR PRISON CHAPLAINS

Please pray for the upcoming Conference for Prison Chaplains being held in March. We will have almost a hundred chaplains from different denominations around the State involved in training from 25 – 28 March. Prison Ministry Uniting Church will hold an extra day’s training for our Chaplains and Volunteers. We expect around thirty people for this part of the conference and our Uniting Church Chaplains will hear from speakers in the areas of Pastoral Care, Mental Health, and Crime Prevention. Our speakers will be Rev Burt Johns, Dr Robert Padley, and John Guy. Our focus is to train and equip our Chaplains so that we can reach others with the love of God. Hold us in your prayers, particularly in the area of crime prevention and family support and after release programs. Prison Ministry believes strongly that God is calling us not just to walk alongside inmates but to reach out to their families as well. Whom shall we send …

Beatriz Skippen, Senior Chaplain, Prison Ministry

RURAL MUSTER 2007 - THE GREAT ADVENTURE

The next Rural Muster will be held on 27 April at the historical Jondaryan Woolshed on the Darling Downs, and will focus on lay ministry in congregations without fulltime Ministers. In many places, the church has taken up the challenge of working in a different way that seeks to support local lay people in enabling an ongoing vital presence of the church in rural communities. The main aim of the 2007 Rural Muster is to encourage, inspire, uplift, and equip congregational members of small rural churches in that ongoing presence. As we take a ‘SQUIZ’ at Lay Ministry in the rural church, our aim is to equip lay leaders and leadership teams for ministry. The Muster will provide participants with practical resources they can adapt for their own setting. Brochures/Registration forms now available. Contact: Julie Savage on ph: (07) 3870 2621 or email HERE.

Julie Savage

UNITING IN WORSHIP PLANNER

The release of Uniting in Worship 2 has been very well received yet one of the realities is that it uses a print medium in a time when more and more people are using electronic means of presentation and production for their worship resources. As a way of making Uniting in Worship 2 functional the Assembly and Mediacom have produced the Uniting Worship Planner. The Uniting Church’s Worship Planner is a custom-made program designed to meet the needs of those in the Uniting Church who plan and prepare for Sunday worship. Congregations or Parishes can purchase a copy for their Minister of several worship leaders if it is based on one computer. At only $12 a week it is a very cost effective way of saving many hours every week in service preparation that will free increasingly busy Ministers to get out and get on with their other pressing responsibilities. For Ministers who purchase a copy the cost is tax deductible, or a very appropriate use of the resources component of the stipend. All of the following resources are at your fingertips: • The Bible in the NRSV translation • Lectionary readings for each Sunday • All liturgies featured in Uniting in Worship 2• The first line of all entries in Together in Song • Click and Print ready-to-print bulletins • Easy import/export of information • Easy synchronization of calendar and worship information to your Outlook agenda • Choice of three word processors : LabOra, MS Word or Word Perfect • Thematic Clip Art• Words for Worship• Children’s Activity Sheets • Sermon tool • WORDsearch Bible Software

For more information or to order visit: http://mediacom.mediacomonline.org.au.

Terence Corkin, Assembly General Secretary

LENT APPEAL THANK YOU

The United Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress have reported in detail about the “Tomorrows Leaders Today” program at their National Assembly in June 2006 in the latest issue of The Message Stick. This program was a recipient of 2006 Lent appeal project funding. Development and Outreach Officer of Calvary Presbytery, Rev Shayne Blackman said, “I give thanks to the wider Uniting Church for their support and provision of these blessings that enabled such involvement and development of our lay people.” For copies of The Message Stick email HERE.

Bruce Mullan, Lent Appeal Coordinator

There are still numerous Churches that have not returned their CAL renewal forms, the due date was 30 January 2007. If you haven’t returned your renewal forms please do so now.

Jackqueline Hargreaves, Property Administrator