Local Church News

DR DENNIS Shanks is one of sixteen lay preachers commissioned in the Moreton Rivers presbytery in recent months. Dr Shanks, a retired U.S. military officer, represents the variety of people engaged in the lay preachers’ course. Presbytery Education Officer, Dr Aaron Ghiloni, said candidate numbers have surged. “At present we have approximately 50 women and men,” he said. “They came ...

HAPPINESS, JOY and new friendships abounded in the Glasshouse Country Uniting Church congregation on the Sunshine Coast during April. Congregation members hosted 21 visitors from Gabagaba United Church in Papua New Guinea, under the leadership of Rev Malaga Bou. The guests shared in the congregation’s activities and visited local nursing homes bringing the groups alive with harmonious singing and dancing. ...

THE LOCKYER Valley town of Laidley was one of many communities across Queensland hit by the January floods. But amidst the rebuilding and emotions that the town’s people are still experiencing, the local Uniting Church has resolved to help the community by opening a drop-in centre. The idea stemmed from a post-flood seminar in Gatton that looked at the stages ...

FOUR MEMBERS of Burleigh Heads Uniting Church on the Gold Coast (and in the Federal electorate of McPherson) received awards for their outstanding contribution to their local community in the inaugural McPherson Awards. Rev Colin Batt received an award for his services to the Robina Soccer Club where he is president to a club of over 300 members. Bobbie Matheson ...

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 ...

Nearly 70 young people from the Uniting Church congregations of Glebe Road, Oxley, Centenary, Karana Downs, Forest Lake and Indooroopilly were camped at Easterfest this year and all were caught up in the chaos of the Saturday night flooding. Indooroopilly youth minister, Rev Josie Nottle, was responsible for 40 young people when the plans for the weekend changed due to ...

THE CHAIRMAN of Moreton Bay College, Mr Geoff Diehm QC, has announced an amalgamation of the governance structures for Moreton Bay College (MBC) and Moreton Bay Boys’ College (MBBC) from 1 July, 2011. The first steps in the amalgamation will be to reorganise the current Board structure. While there will still be a separate Board for each school, they will ...

FOR FIVE days in late March a group of people involved in lay ministry in the Uniting Church, some new Pastors among them, gathered at Alexandra Park Conference Centre on the Sunshine Coast for Christian formation, training and education. Pilgrim Learning Community lecturer, Karyl Davison, said there was a lot of learning, forming new friendships and fun. “With keynote speaker, ...

DAYBORO UNITING Church community minister, Dr Paul Inglis, was presented with the Pine Rivers Combined Services Community Service Award at the annual gathering of the districts services clubs at Murrumba Downs, north of Brisbane, on 6 April. He accepted it “on behalf of the many people who pulled together after a fire and flood in Dayboro”. After studying theology, the ...

LONGREACH UNITING Church member Stan Emslie thinks his Aunt, Lil Keene, may be the oldest Uniting Church member in Queensland still driving herself to church. Mrs Keene celebrated her 97th birthday on 25 March and she attends worship nearly every week. Born Lily Stinson, she has lived in Central Queensland all her life. Together with her husband George Campbell, she ...