JourneyOnline
Below is a summary of the Synod Standing Committee (SSC) meeting—held on Thursday, 1 September. This update is to inform you of the discussions, deliberations and decisions arising from that meeting. The SSC meets monthly on the first Thursday of the month.
Updates from the Moderator and General Secretary
The Synod Standing Committee has been meeting face to face; however, it continues to monitor and be aware of changing COVID factors in the community that may impact the ability to meet safely.
The Moderator attended the Presbytery of Central Queensland at Yeppoon & Bremer Brisbane Presbytery. Key themes of discussion included the need for strategic planning to meet ongoing mission resourcing requirements. Other key stakeholder meetings included the Queensland Churches Together, Heads of Church meeting, the UnitingCare Queensland (UCQ) Board Meeting and a Synod Chairs’ Luncheon.
The Moderator also attended the celebration of the 40th anniversary of John Paul College at Daisy Hill, which was a wonderful celebration of the past and the hopes for the future.
Presbytery Ministers, the Moderator, Moderator Elect, Principal of Trinity College Queensland and senior Synod staff (the PSI meeting) met for three days in late August. The key focus of this meeting was to collaboratively review and work to resolve issues across the life of the Synod and to continue to build a culture of trust through meaningful engagement.
Other updates
The Synod Standing Committee endorsed the Uniting Care Queensland’s (UCQ) Annual Statement of Missional Intent (ASMI). This will be distributed to the broader Church organisation for your information.
On the recommendation of the UCQ, the SSC endorsed the following appointments of Dr Melissa Naidoo and Dr John Wakefield as members of the UCQ Board.
In May 2022, the Synod in Session approved creating and implementing the Missional Collaboration and Coordination Committee (MC3) as a sub-committee of the SSC. Its purpose is to investigate and recommend resourcing Synod-wide, cross entity and collaborative missions across the church.
At this meeting, the SSC approved the following appointments to that committee:
- Rev Andrew Gunton (ex-officio & Chair)
- Rev Heather den Houting (ex-officio)
- Rev Paul Jones (Board for Christian Formation Representative)
- Rev Glen Schweitzer of Bremer Brisbane
- Rev Christy Allen of Carpentaria
- Rev Wayne McHugh of Central Queensland
- Mr Graham Huth of Mary Burnett
- Rev Mark Cornford of Moreton Rivers
- Rev David Busch of South Moreton
- Rev Marius Kruger of The Downs.
Rev Bruce Moore will retain an ex-officio position on the MC3.
Congratulations to those who received extensions or nominations to positions within several Synod boards, commissions, and committees. The ongoing service of these members to the mission of the church is gratefully acknowledged.
