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Campaigns, committees and consensus The October/November 2014 meeting of the Presbytery and Synod of the Uniting Church in South Australia opened with the induction of Rev Nigel Rogers as CEO/General Secretary on Wednesday 29 October (see page 6). Business opened on the morning of Thursday 28 October and concluded on Saturday 1 November. Below are some of the highlights from the meeting. For a full account, please refer to the meeting minutes, which are available at sa.uca.org.au/pres-synodmeetings
Elections and appointments Over the course of the meeting, nominations were received for a number of vacancies on various Uniting Church SA councils and committees. Nominations were also sought for people wishing to represent the Uniting Church SA at the 14th Triennial Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia, which will be held in Perth from 12-18 July 2015. The declaration of ballots was not presented until after the close of the meeting. A full list of those elected and appointed to vacant positions is available online at sa.uca.org.au/pres-synod-meetings Acknowledgement of Rev Dr Graham Humphris During the Thursday session, the gathered members of the Presbytery and Synod joined in a minute of appreciation for Rev Dr Graham Humphris, the ex-General Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, and past Moderator, of the Uniting Church SA. In response, Graham reflected on the highlights of his time as Gen Sec/CEO, as well as the trials he faced in the role. He spoke about his strengthened knowledge of God’s faithfulness and his hope for the future of the Uniting Church in SA. Reports Reports from the Standing Committee, the Beneficiary Fund, the Moderator, Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress, Assembly, Resources (the Finance, Resources Board, and Mission and Service Fund Budget reports), and Ministry Centres were presented at the meeting. To read the reports in full, please follow the links to the 30 October-1 November 2014 section at sa.uca.org.au/pres-synodmeetings In memoriam Attendees of the Presbytery and Synod stood in silence to acknowledge the ministry of the following ministers who have died since the 2013 meeting of the Presbytery and Synod – Graham Mackley Nicholls, Rod Noel Mann, Kevin Sidney Secomb, Don Andrew Purdey and Erwin Laurence Mickan. Ordinations The Presbytery and Synod resolved to ordain Adam Low as a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church in Australia. Adam has recently accepted a placement in Queensland. The Presbytery and Synod also resolved to ordain Esteban Lievano as a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church in Australia subject to placement. Recognition of Lay Preachers Max Howland led a celebration to recognise three accredited Lay Preachers who recently reached anniversaries - John Ferris (who has served as a Lay Preacher for 60 years), Don Sinnott (30 years) and Kathleen Whitby (50 years).
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Fundraising campaigns Rev Peter Riggs launched a fundraising campaign for the new Playford Uniting Church. Pete spoke about the need for a “community space” in the area, which will offer opportunities to engage with local families. Rev Amel Manyon introduced a fundraising campaign for the Northern Suburbs Dinka Speaking Faith Community. This large community will soon be moving to St Stephen’s Church, which is in need of repair for safety reasons. Amel spoke about the need for volunteers in areas including mentoring, building repairs and engaging contractors, in addition to a need for financial contributions. For more information about each of these fundraising campaigns, please click on the “Make a Donation” tab at sa.uca.org.au Beyond Our Walls resource Morialta Uniting Church has recently engaged in offering videos of worship services to congregations, organisations, groups and individuals who are unable to attend a full service or who may have difficulty finding a regular preacher. This project is titled “Beyond Our Walls,” and provides videos in DVD and online (YouTube) formats. For more information, please visit morialtauca.org.au Bible study with Rev Prof Andrew Dutney Uniting Church President Rev Prof Andrew Dutney conducted two Bible studies over the course of the three day meeting. The first of these was based on Romans 13:8-10 (“Love your neighbour as yourself”) and the second on Matthew 5:43-48 (“Love for enemies”). Through each of these inspirational, thought-provoking studies, Andrew focussed on one key question – what kind of church is God calling us to be? He concluded by saying: “That question is not essentially answered by structures or processes or employment of resources, but by the way we are called to love one another and love our enemies.” Recognition of Ministry Service A Recognition of Ministry Service was held on the Friday evening of the meeting to celebrate individuals moving into new stages in their ministry. Five retiring ministers – Greg Pearce, Algis Greb, Graham Pitman, Jwee Teo and Diane Grimm – were recognised with a candlelighting service, worship and sharing. Nine ministers moving from Phase 3 to Phase 4 were also recognised – Andrew Robertson, Sarah Agnew, David Hoffman, Benji Callen, Titus Ng, Vicky Balabanski, Christa Megaw, Matt Stuart and Coralie Evans. Finally, the Presbytery of South Australia commissioned Adrian Nippress into International Mission ministry and Kemeri Lievano into Multicultural and Crosscultural ministry, both within the Uniting Church SA Mission Resourcing department.
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