27th Synod

A service of lament was held on day four of the Queensland Synod meeting at Alexandra Park to recognise the pain caused by major budgets cuts within the Synod. Rev David MacGregor led members of the Synod to light a candle during the service of lament and confession. He said the service aimed to give expression to the pain of ...

On Tuesday 3 November members of the Queensland Synod meeting affirmed the proposal relating to homelessness from Mr Mark Dewar and Ms Anne Cross entitled A Place to Call Home. UnitingCare Chief Executive Officer Anne Cross said the proposal was a step towards congregations and Church agencies making a real difference in the lives of Queensland’s homeless community. “This proposal ...

A new book collating key documents relating to the theological position of the Uniting Church was launched during the Synod meeting on 2 November. The book, Theology for Pilgrims, was collated by the Director of the Pilgrim Learning Community Rob Bos and Trinity Theological College Director of Studies in Systematic Theology Rev Dr Geoff Thompson who wrote introductions to each ...

Launching the 2009 program, the Lent Event founder and coordinator Sarah White expressed her deep appreciation for the Queensland Synod’s $90,000 in donations to the 2008 appeal. “My heartfelt thanks go out to all the Ministers, Coordinators, church leaders and church members who embraced the Lent Event, it was a truly great effort and gives a great deal of hope ...

UnitingCare Board Chair Heather Watson assured the members of the 27th Queensland Synod that the board was “competently demonstrating skill and capacity” in her report on day two of the Synod meeting. “The board is wrestling with its duties, not just as a corporate institution, but as the Church,” she said. Ms Watson said the UnitingCare board had taken on ...

UnitingCare Chief Executive Officer Anne Cross announced the 10 awards (including one joint award) for the 2008 Moderator’s Medals on Sunday 2 November, day two of the Queensland Synod meeting. Ms Cross said it was exceedingly difficult to narrow down the field of recipients due to the high standard of volunteers nominated. Six of the 11 successful nominees were present ...

Gympie Uniting Church member Eddie Gresham was one of two Uniting Church members to participate in the big shave to raise money for school chaplaincy in Gympie. Only problem was that while the event was happening in Gympie, Mr Gresham was at the Synod meeting at Alexandra Headland. So, during lunch on Saturday his carefully grown beard came off on the floor of ...

In a moving celebration of ministries the Synod honoured the memory of ministers who had died since the last Synod, gave thanks for those who have retired or are retiring and recognised those commencing ministry. Former Moderator and retiring minister Rev Dr Ray Reddicliffe welcomed the time of transition which for him had highlighted the importance of personal relationships while ...

Calls to review and revive the CovenantBy Mardi Lumsden Members of the 27th Queensland Synod were called to renew the Covenant between the greater Uniting Church and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) on the first day of business. Rev Dr Chris Budden addressed the Synod in session speaking on the theological foundation of the relationship between Indigenous ...

The twenty-seventh Synod of the Uniting Church Queensland Synod opened with a celebration of worship and the induction of the new Moderator Rev Bruce Johnson. The six hundred-strong crowd filled the Alexandra Park auditorium with the songs of praise and the sounds of laughter as a cast of Wizard of Oz characters painted a picture of the church at mission ...