JourneyOnline
ST LUCIA Uniting Church, Brisbane, was a congregation that was down and almost—but not quite—out.
Feeling injured and hurt after a turbulent period where half its members left, the congregation could have retreated.
But it was from this position that the congregation responded by gifting benefi cial use of three properties to the Synod office.
After strategic planning and an intentional stewardship campaign, the congregation has emerged with a renewed missional focus and confi dence that they can financially support their immediate future.
The congregation has even started to grow slowly; according to Interim Minister Rev Maxwell Vines, it’s because things are
changing.
“In hindsight, shedding the properties was not just releasing us, but committing us to a more serious sense of the Church’s mission,” said Mr Vines.
Treasurer Ms Robyn Cupit admitted the congregation was angry when they first learned of the Synod office’s financial
position.
“There was a great deal of mistrust of what was happening within Presbytery and Synod,” she said.
“But we got over our anger and started thinking about what it meant for the Church as a whole—we stopped thinking about ourselves as victims but rather people who had something they could give.
“We got some facts on the financial position and also confirmation that we were not up to scratch when it came to the concept of underutilised property.
“Maybe some of us didn’t feel a need to give very much because we had developed a reliance on the income from the properties and we didn’t need to think about it.”
As part of St Lucia’s strategic planning and stewardship campaign, the congregation considered what it meant to give up beneficial use and the rental income from the properties.
Ms Cupit developed projections of the giving needed to support various levels of ministry appointments to the congregation and when the congregation considered the time, energy and expenditure that went into maintaining the properties, they were even more compelled to ‘gift’ the properties.
“The bottom line is that the effective stewardship of property is a time consuming activity which had become beyond the
capacity of this congregation,” said Ms Cupit.
The congregation will receive a portion of the proceeds from the sale of three properties, while the Synod office will receive $1 million.
“We now have a great responsibility to use that money in the most wise and stewardship mindful way and can now look at
new ways to develop our mission in the community,” said Ms Cupit.
The Synod office will apply the proceeds to reducing its reliance on bank debt to fund activities of the Church.
Photo : St Lucia Uniting Church leadership team: Treasurer Robyn Cupit, Interim Minister Rev Maxwell Vines and Chairperson Dr Marilyn Healy look to the congregation’s future. Photo by Holly Jewell
