Uniting Church in Australia
Presbytery of North Queensland
PRESBYTERY PROMPTS
29 Wentworth Ave Mundingburra 4812 Ph: 07 4779 5818 presbnq@bigpond.net.au
Website: www.presbyterynq.net
THIRTY -
On the Grapevine…
Hi everyone,
I am writing this from Mt Isa where there has been a fantastic view of the lunar eclipse. I have just taken my last of many photos. (Unfortunately I have not yet worked out how to get the best out of my camera to get a really good photo.)
It is so clear out here. I had forgotten how many stars there really are in the universe. In the large cities we do not see the full picture of the night sky do we. There are too many other lights. There are many sermon illustrations in that image aren’t there.
The news in the last few days has been full of the news and consequences of the horse flu outbreak. This has mostly focused on the horse racing industry and the millions of dollars that has been lost. We must not forget of course that this industry mostly relies on gambling for the large amounts of money in the industry and the lost income quoted includes what would have been wagered. There are of course many families that are affected by a member of their family who has a gambling addiction.
The other aspect of the ban on movement of horses that I am very aware of in the west is the effect on the cattle industry. Many properties muster by horses as well as motorbikes and helicopters and while there no ban on movement on one station there is between stations. The other group of people who are affected are the recreational horse owners, some of whom have been unable to return home with their horses. There is significant cost across the nation, even in Birdsville, where I think that I heard that the annual Birdsville races have been cancelled for the first time. Frontier Services continue to play a significant part in the races in providing valuable services on the weekend. Income has been lost there also.
Pastoral Notes and prayer points:
· Please keep the upcoming Emmaus Walks, team members and pilgrims in your prayers.
· ALL people affected by the horse flu outbreak.
· The congregations in Mt Isa and Cloncurry as they minister in the west and especially Gordon Burley as he continues to struggle with his mobility, and the Hardingham family.
· Pray for Greg Rankin from Mt Isa as he prepares after 7 years there to leave. He is a candidate for ministry and will attend Theological College in Brisbane next year.
· Pray for the conversations with the Department of Housing regarding the flats in Mt Isa that are used as Medical Emergency Flats for people in the outback regions in North West Queensland who have to come to Mt Isa.
SOUTHERN ZONE MEETING
If you haven’t replied re your attendance please do so asap for catering purposes to Jean Johnson on
4773 2361
2008 Mission and Service Fund Allocations: Church Council treasurers have been sent the allocations that the Presbytery Mission Resourcing Committee is asking congregations to commit to for 2008. Please note that we require the responses from congregations by 31st August. Thank you to those congregations who have already notified the Presbytery Office of their acceptance. There are nine (9) congregations who have not yet advised us of their response to the letter.
The Ministerial Support Funds Committee is the body in the Synod that has the responsibility for setting the Stipends and allowances each year. They have yet to make a firm decision on the stipend for next year but indicators are that there will be an increase of 4% to 6% so Church Councils will need to take that into account when setting their budgets for 2008. The stipend is set based on a number of factors including minimum weekly earnings, CPI increases as well as a recognition of the impact of increases on congregations capacity to absorb any increase. It is a delicate task that the committee, which is a representative committee, has as its task.
BP cards to be cancelled: Many ministers will have had the use of BP fuel cards through UCIS. This was because BP had the state government contract to provide fuel and the Uniting Church is able to tie in with that contract price. BP has lost that contract which has been won by Caltex. If you have been using BP then you should have received advice that as of 14th September the BP cards will be cancelled. We are invited to apply for a Caltex Star Card which will continue to give discount fuel. My experience of these massive changeovers is that they do not always go smoothly so it may be worthwhile to get the process going early.
I am not sure, but my hunch is that there are many more BP servos in the north than Caltex ones. An update on this is that there is a Caltex in Hughenden and in Mt Isa but I have yet to find one in Cloncurry.
Blessings to you all,
Bruce C.
Steve’s Stuff…
Steve is in Brisbane currently attending the National Inservice for youth workers working with children young people and families.
Greetings in the name of Christ!
Thank you for keeping Tracie, her family and myself in your prayers last week with
the death of her Nana late Monday night. It was a blessing that we were able to
fly to Brisbane Monday afternoon and spend some time with her before she passed-
It was great being able to worship and celebrate Holy Communion with the evening
congregation at Aitkenvale last Sunday night. After the service I shared about the
2008 tour to Israel with a small group of young adults. In addition I shared very
briefly in the service about the young adult retreat taking place over the second
weekend in October (12-
The guest speaker at this year’s young adult retreat (18-
Kids Camp Out – Southern Zone, 15-
If your congregation is planning on sending a group along to KCO can you please let me know, stevek@yacmu.com.au. At this stage I am wanting to get a rough idea of who will be attending. If you need another information pack please let me know.
Kids Camp Out – Northern Zone, 20-
Information packs will be sent to you soon. Please mark this weekend in your diary.
I am now in Brisbane until Saturday the 8th of September for a variety of ministry events and conferences. Please see the diary at the end of presbytery prompts for further information. However you can still reach me via email or on 0427 727 070.
Please pray for Jack, Graeme and Tracie as they attend the State Youth Ministry Conference in Brisbane this coming weekend.
Yours in Christ’s service, Steve.
YOUTH & CHILDREN'S MINISTRY EVENTS
September 15-
October 12-
October – 20th – 21st – Kids Camp Out Northern Zone
January 2008 -
What’s New…
TOWNSVILLE CENTRAL UNITING CHURCH FETE
Saturday, 15th September, 9 am to 1 pm
Church Grounds Wills cnr Stokes St Townsville
Craft ** Trash & Treasure **Plants**Kids Entertainment**Silent Art Auction**
**Sausage Sizzle**Cakes, Sweets and Preserves***
ALL WELCOME!!!
LENT APPEAL 2008
A decision of the Council of Synod last weekend determined that in 2008 the Synod
annual Lent Appeal will partner with the Uniting Church Lent Event program. More
than just a fundraising venture, Lent Event will invite people to participate in
a spiritual journey. It will provide educational and community building resources
for children, youth and adults; liturgies, sermon starters and worship suggestions;
comprehensive promotional resources including a DVD presentation for use in worship;
and detailed project fact sheets for each supported project. The supported projects
will be coordinated though Uniting Church Overseas Aid (UCOA), the aid and development
arm of Uniting International Mission (UIM). Under the Lent Event program donations
can be given by credit card and cheque as well as cash, and will be tax deductible.
Lent Event will support the poorest of the poor through projects that bring the greatest
possible benefits to very needy communities, are wanted and embraced by the communities,
and are sustainable in the long term. Projects supported by the Lent Event through
UCOA have included water tanks for Zimbabwe, education and meals for tribal children
in the Nilgiris (South India), safe drinking water supplies for rural villages in
PNG, education and nutritional support for orphaned children in Zambia, and micro-
Bruce Mullan, Manager, Communication Services Unit
LEADERSHIP RESOURCING
Most ministers and church councils would quickly agree that as congregations our greatest resources are our people. The Holy Spirit indwells each local expression of the Body of Christ. However, the challenge we face continually is how to best encourage, develop and release the gifts of God's people for mission and ministry. The Synod Mission Consultants offer a variety of resources and consultancy services to help your congregation make the most of the gifts and capacities of your people. Examples include:
· DiSC Behavioural Profile -
· Discovering & Using God's Gifts -
· Developing Small Groups and Teams -
· What Makes a Leader? -
· Systems Leadership -
In addition to these are other services, the Consultants are available to work with your congregation to develop resources that respond to your specific leadership development needs. For further information, please contact me as below:
Graham Beattie, Synod Mission Consultant
NOMINATIONS FOR FINANCE, INVESTMENT & PROPERTY BOARD (FIPBOARD)
Nominations and expressions of interest from members of the Uniting Church are sought for two positions on the Finance, Investment & Property Board (formerly Finance & Property Board). The Board supports and resources the strategic missional planning of the church by providing a framework for planning, monitoring, reporting and acting on the stewardship of assets of the Church. The Board exercises oversight in relation to Church investment strategies, audit risk management and effective property and asset management. Board members need to have a mix of skills including an understanding of the Church and governance. Expressions of interest are being sought from individuals with particular skills in banking, finance, investment, and audit and risk management. A full information pack is available via the website (http://www.ucaqld.au/employment.php) or contact Ana Mila on ph: (07) 3377 9705.
Jenny Tymms, General Secretary
ADMINISTRATION OFFICER -
Located at the Uniting Church Centre, Auchenflower, a vacancy exists for a full time Administration Officer within Synod Support Services. Reporting to and as directed by the Executive Administration Assistance, the successful applicant will be responsible for the provision of administration support to the Queensland Synod’s Executive Committees – Council of Synod, Synod Leadership Team and Placements Committee, the Office of the Moderator and General Secretary and Synod Support Services. The administration support provided should be done in a manner which is deemed timely and helpful and enhances the overall quality, effectiveness and efficiency of duties performed and responsibilities carried out by the Office of the Moderator, the General Secretary and Synod Support Services. If you are interested in working in a friendly supportive team environment where individuals are committed to ethos and mission of the Uniting Church in Australia, Qld Synod, then please contact Ana Mila for an application package on ph: (07) 3377 9709 or email: HERE. The closing date for the receipt of applications is close of business on Monday, 24 September 2007. Applications should be marked CONFIDENTIAL and addressed to Rev Jenny Tymms, General Secretary Qld Synod, GPO Box 674, Brisbane Q 4001.
Ann Warren, Synod HRA
UNITINGCARE HEALTH CHAPLAIN – EDUCATOR
Applications are invited to fill the position of UnitingCare Health Chaplain-
· Co-
· Contributing to the implementation of the Mission, Vision and values of the hospital and the Foundational Values of Uniting HealthCare.
· Providing pastoral care in the hospital community.
· Participating as a member of the Pastoral Care Team.
For additional Information contact the Acting Synod Chaplaincy Co-
Alan O’Hara
MICAH CHALLENGE AWARENESS
Micah Challenge has been seeking to raise awareness of world poverty and injustice over the last three years. They have asked the Christian Research Association to assist them in the evaluation of their activities. For that purpose, we have prepared a short questionnaire for leaders of local churches / congregations. Whether you know much about Micah Challenge or not, would you help us by going to www.cra.org.au/micah1 on the Internet and completing a short questionnaire? It will take just a few minutes to complete, but will greatly assist Micah Challenge in evaluating their activities and in planning future activities to inspire and equip Christians to speak out against poverty and injustice. We would be most grateful if you could complete the questionnaire prior to Friday, 14 September 2007. If you have any questions about this research, please contact Philip Hughes by email (p.hughes@cra.org.au) or by ph: (03) 9878 3477.
Philip Hughes, Christian Research Association
ALAN ROXBURGH ON CULTURE CHANGE IN THE CHURCH
Duncan Macleod has written a summary of the presentation by Alan Roxburgh at the seminar held recently in Brisbane. Roxburgh was talking about the ways in which congregations and their members are helped to engage with the world in which they live. Read it online at www.missionresources.unitingchurch.org.au and leave a comment.
Duncan Macleod, Vision for Mission Advocate
THANK YOU FROM TRINITY THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE
A couple of weeks ago, Trinity Library sent out a plea for help in acquiring multiple copies of J. Weingreen's A Practical Grammar for Classical Hebrew. The response was wonderful. Some of you loaned us your copies, so that they in turn could be loaned to students studying Biblical Hebrew I, and others of you donated your copies. We are most grateful to everyone who has helped us out. So, thank you very much.
Alethea Hubley, Librarian, Trinity Theological Library
SONGS OF THE NATIONS
A complete set of masters of Songs of the Nations as well as plastic transparencies of most of the songs is available to give away. An incomplete set of plastic transparencies of Songs of Praise and Songs of the Kingdom is also available to give away. Contact Beverley Bell on ph: (07) 3264 4317.
Yvonne Sutherland
NCLS RESULTS – WORSHIP NOT BORING NOT AWESOME
The following article appeared in Journey and www.journeyonline.com.au. Church Councils, worship teams, Elders and ministry teams are encouraged to read the article together with the statistical information and use the questions below as a basis for group conversation and discussion.
That those attending Uniting Church worship services in Queensland are not bored
is the good news story from the National Church Life Survey (NCLS) results from 2006.
Questions on the impact of worship on the lives of people show that fewer than 2%
of Uniting Church worshippers always experience boredom. None of those over 65-
Read the full article in September Journey or HERE.
Survey results relating to vital and nurturing worship (NCLS 2006 – UCA Queensland)
Note: up to two music options could be selected, so percentages may not add to 100%
Questions for discussion:
1. Were there any surprises for you in the story or the statistics?
2. Where do you find your sense of “awe or mystery” in your relationship with God?
3. What are the implications of the lack of boredom and the lack of awe and mystery for the worship life of your congregation?
4. What are the implications of the research regarding preferred styles of music for the worship life of your congregation?
5. What is your response to Rev Ian Lord’s comments on the strength of meaningful community? How could the worship life of your congregation help strengthen this sense of community?
Bruce Mullan, Manager, Communication Services Un
OCTOBER JOURNEY
The deadline for copy and advertising for the next issue of Journey is Friday, 14 September. Journey will be looking at the issue of “mental health” and providing some election 2007 information for voters. To change subscription numbers please contact Kristine Bromiley HERE or call: (07) 3377 9825.
Bruce Mullan, Manager, Communication Services Unit
SEPTEMBER JOURNEY
The September Journey will be delivered to congregations this week for immediate distribution. The theme for the month is “Evangelism” but Journey also features three articles /opinion pieces on John Shelby Spong.
1. An extended analysis of Spong’s new book Spong’s Jesus: not radical enough by Dr Benjamin Myers, a theologian and research fellow at University of Queensland. A strong critique of the content of the book delivered with generosity and grace.
2. Shelby Spong: wrong and welcome by Rev Dr David Rankin who affirms the role of heretics in helping the church maintain its orthodoxy.
3. Could Spong be Uniting? By Rev Dr Geoff Thompson looking at where Spong sits in relation to the Basis of Union.
Journey is also available as a PDF download HERE.
Bruce Mullan, Manager, Communications Services Unit
BOOKS FOR REVIEW
Journey is looking for reviewers for the following books. A reviewer’s brief will be provided. 300 words length, one month to review and you get to keep the book.
· A spectator’s guide to World Views: ten ways of understanding life Edited by Simon Smart Highlights society’s most influential voices including New Age, Secular Humanism, Relativism and Postmodernism.
· Spirited Practices: Spirituality and the Helping Professions Edited by Fran Gale,
Natalie Bolzan and Dorothy McRae-
· After the Heavy Rain Khmer Rouge killed his family. He tracked them down -
· On the Front Line A father and son, 30 years apart, debate what it means to live all out for Jesus. Clive and Gavin Calver We must no longer proclaim a gutless gospel in which Jesus is relegated to the exclusive status of "Saviour" . . . This Jesus has always demanded that he must be, now and forever, my Lord and King.
· Finding Our Way Home Turning Back to What Matters Most Mark R. McMinn In some quarters, Christians have a reputation for being deathly afraid of diversity, conflict, humour, sexuality, and most of the other things that help make life worth living. Here is a book to prove it need not be so.
· Destiny What's Life All About? Krish Kandiah Have you ever dared to stop and ask the big questions of life? This book invites you to look at six questions we all need to answer: 1. Who shall I be today? 2. What am I supposed to be doing? 3. Why am I so mixed up? 4. What on earth is going on? 5. Which way should I go? 6. Where is my life going?
· The Scrapbooking Journey A Hands-
· If Jesus were Mayor How your local church can transform your community Bob Moffitt with Karla Tesch How would your community change If Jesus Were Mayor? The local church is of pivotal importance to the welfare and development of its community. Jesus' agenda for community health and transformation is expressed and modeled through His church. How can local churches be equipped and mobilized?
Contact Bruce Mullan HERE to offer to review. First in first served. Reviews will be published in Journey or at www.journeyonline.com.au.
Bruce Mullan, Manager, Communication Services Unit
CEM WEEK: 4TH -
We regret to inform you that due to insufficient numbers, the CEM Week scheduled
for 4th -
Trinity Theological College
Please remember these…
NEW 'CHRISTIANS IN DIALOGUE’ KIT
The 2007 Christians in Dialogue kit is now available. Called 'Hope for a New Pentecost',
it is a set of five prayer-
Don Whebell, Secretary, Synod Ecumenical Relations Committee
CAR BOOT SALE
Where : Jensen Uniting Church, Veales Road Jensen
When : Saturday 8th September
Time : 8am to 1pm
$10.00 per site
Sausage sizzle, morning tea, soft drinks, clothing, books, plants, household items and more
For more information please phone 4779 7693 or 4723 2932
FREE TEA AND COFFEE
EXPRESS YOUR CHRISTIAN FAITH IN SYNOD WEBSITE
Here's an opportunity to help the Uniting Church express its Christian faith in a public arena.
The new Synod web site will have three sections on its front page (faith windows) relating to Christian faith, written by a range of people. These faith windows will rotate on a daily basis giving a different set of content and images every day of the year
Section 1 will have excerpts from core documents and answer questions like 'What is the Uniting Church for", and 'How did the Uniting Church start?'.
· Section 2 will be about short comments from a range of people writing about their faith.
· Section 3 will be people talking about how they live out their faith.
We particularly need contributions for the second and third sections – personal reflection on what faith is about for you, and what it means to live out that faith.
To see what the faith windows looks like read the samples below, or visit the Beta version of the new website at http://new.ucaqld.com.au/
For more information contact Duncan McLeod at duncan.mcleod@ucaqld.com.au or Bruce Mullan at bruce.mullan@ucaqld.com.au
Presbytery Calendar (including Bruce’s and Steve’s Diary)
August 27th – 31st – Bruce on Western Trip – Mt Isa, Hughenden, Cloncurry
27th – 31st – Steve to Sunshine Coast for National Youth Worker Inservice
September – 1st – Southern Zone Meeting – Wulguru UC
3rd – 6th – Steve to Brisbane for Triple P Training
6th – 9th – Emmaus Mens Walk
11th – Mission Resourcing Committee Meeting – presbytery office
13th – 16th – Emmaus Women’s Walk
18th – 20th – Steve to Brisbane YACMU
18th – 21st – Bruce meetings in Brisbane
30th – Bruce to Preach at Malanda
October – 3rd – 6th – Bruce to Frontier Services Board meeting -
8th -
9th – Presbytery Leadership Team teleconference
12th – 14th – Young Adults Camp
16th – 25th – Bruce to Brisbane for meetings – Placements etc, CoachNet training
20th – 21st – Kids Camp Out, Southern Zone
21st – Ministry Sunday
24th – 26th – Steve to Brisbane for Discernment Retreat
28th – Bruce to preach at Wulguru
November 2nd – 4th – Presbytery meeting – Townsville area Venue to be advised
11th – 50th church Anniversary Mossman
12th – MRC meeting – presbytery office
20th – 23rd – Steve to Brisbane YACMU
21st – 24th -
24th – Special Synod Brisbane
26th – PLT teleconference
December – 11th – 13th – Steve to Brisbane YACMU
13th – Bruce to Brisbane for Placements
25th – Christmas Day
January 2008 – 9th – 14th – Summer Madness Camp, Sunshine Coast
