The Report from the Boards of Education and Mission
presented to the Synod Meeting - Sunday September 25, 2011 in Newcastle
(Amelia)
With your papers you’ll have received our written reports,
Clearly labeled Boards of Education and Mission,
But we wanted to put some life to our words
So some verses we offer, and beg your permission.
(John)
Our vision for mission hopes of bread and honey
But getting to there takes up hard work and money
When you have an idea or a grand inspiration
Talk to Carolyn or Adele and then make application
Their help is tremendous when you need some dough
To seed fund a project to help it to grow.
These little blue people are helpers of soul
Who coach and who mentor to realise your goal.
For funding of mission upon local turf
Be sure to contact the ladies of SMRF.
(Carolyn Robbo)
Questions and answers are now planned and charted
So next year we should get some new things started
Research will tell us of many a trend
So we can predict for what's round the bend
Census and surveys may not seem like fun
But the facts and the figures help us to run.
Ruth Powell and her team work far and wide
So different traditions can come side by side
To discover how churches are living their life
And choose healthy living rather than strife.
(Emma)
Leaving home the first time, the apron strings to sever
Arriving at uni to say ... Huh -Whatever...
This is the Setting for for TAFE and for Uni
Damian Palmer knows these years of life can be looney...
Mission-workers and Chaplains keep very strange hours
They use language that speaks of principalities and powers.
Campus life can be lived at a riotous pace
So tertiary ministry tries to work on safe place
To develop a life and become Spirit's fool
Through caffeine and pizza and Discipleship School.
(Ruth)
It is perhaps a little known fact
That the largest Uniting Church mission contact
Comes through the people who week after week
In the school SRE classes stories do speak.
Through presence in classrooms the gospel is shared
So that everyone knows that for children God cared.
The training of teachers in schools near and far
Is taught and accredited by Emma Parr.
She helps with resources and classroom behaviour
As volunteers share of their love of the Saviour.
(Sally-ann)
"How many chairs?" and "What's on the menus?"
Education depends on Uniting Venues!
Camps and retreats, hospitality shown,
Cleaning our bathrooms, lawns that are mown...
Christ's love and shelter, the venues provide,
So remember God's blessing when you step inside
CFM, Elanora, Naamaroo, Bonny Hills
And experience the way the Divine Spirit fills
Your soul as you ponder boronia small
Or pray under banksia or gum tree so tall.
(Sue Willgoss)
Each event of the Church is dependent on them...
The fellowship ladies and brotherhood men
Who ensure that the social and fundraising winners
Are helped right along by fetes and potluck dinners.
Support groups each board had, who came into town
They brightened the office and lifted our frowns.
We look for the notelets, the T-towels and cards
And remember that some people still think in yards.
We are grateful for UCAF and the work that they do -
They are generous, courageous and inclusive too.
(Ross)
If it's training required for community ills
You could do worse than learn pastoral Counselling skills.
From difficult children to drug and drink bender
Advice can be got from Pete Powell and from Brenda.
PCI's caravan is a schoolhouse that travels
To whichever places society unravels.
For mental health training they can open the door
By bringing to you diploma or Cert IV.
Although cycles and seasons can be sometimes cruel
Nothing diminishes the hearts of the rural...
(Lindsay Cullen)
The staff who travelled the furthest about
Were those who served in the places of Drought
Julie and Kel were the Church's faces
As they joined with communities in the driest of places.
They coordinated, encouraged and networked others
Farmers, counsellors, teachers and mothers.
Their work spread quickly as needs were found
They turned the dust into holy ground.
They responded to Ross Neville's many ideas
Whose optimism combats the most likely of fears.
It was he who researched, cajoled and planned
And turned up when needed to lend a hand...
(Rob McFarlane)
Consciousness thrives when we turn to the sages
Whose writings are found in numerous pages
In multiple languages, website and book
And it's Moira Bryant who knows where to look...
Her library's staff are all helpful and nice
And researchers go to them for good advice
Collections are complex, the aisles are so varied
But ask them - they'll help you to find knowledge buried
Treasures are found there from top of shelf down
Rightly they're known as the jewel in the crown.
Recently enhanced by history's tome
The work has expanded now archives are home.
(Carolyn Thornley)
Once ordained and placed there is always the risk
that education continuing could be sorely missed.
When reality hits with complexities mental
We need to question: "what is fundamental?"
So the church has depended on Rob, Chris and Sue
To find the resources to help us pursue
The styles of ministry for each new transition
That help us effectively join God in mission.
SCE's help to college does credit to them
And we're grateful they brought us the course IIM.
(Jim Mein)
Support for students and candidates,
Building community of spiritual mates,
Integrating vocation with life that has been,
- such is the work of Gwen and Carolyn - the Dean.
Helping people take up ordination's bearing-
They do this through admin and pastoral caring.
They join in God's masterpiece work of creation
Nurturing people through ministry formation.
(Judyth Roberts)
Excellent teaching and learning are tools
Nurtured and nourished within the Church schools.
Connections are growing to strengthen the work
Of faith in community commenced by the Kirk.
Young people are grown to live well in the nation
Conscious of justice and of God's creation.
With thousands of families we have a real link
And teenagers weave how they do and they think...
Cheering on footy or hockey from bleachers
We thank God for the caring professional teachers
Who stand by the parent,the child and the teen
Supported so ably by our own Jim Mein.
(Howard Amery)
Retelling the stories of God every day-
This is the reason we sit down to do Godly Play...
No matter our age, no matter our size,
Judyth Roberts helped us to see with child's eyes
That in places like Playgroups and men's sheds and at home
We can retell the story - God's people did roam
Through desert so dangerous and to holy city
- not wimpy these prophets, but courageous and gritty.
From children and family we face God anew
Conscious that childlike we come to faith true.
From grandchild or teacher or great-auntie Bessie
We discover that life in the Spirit is messy.
(Hazel)
The rainbow reminds us to include all of those
Who find that the doors of some churches do close.
Confronting for some is the topic of love
and discerning relationships blessed from above,
Yet spiritual households we seek to resource
Not by dictating terms or using of force.
Network is there to provide church embrace
So that GLBT folk can live in God's grace.
(Charissa)
When school holidays hit and boredom's a bummer
We packed up the tents for camps winter and summer.
While some guys rose early to get in some jogging
Others would sometimes get caught out late - snogging!
The speakers were AWESOME and RULEY SICK!
Young adults responded to the legend'ry Nic.
Co-ordinator Rob, we owe you our thanks
- when we burn midnight oil, we all think of Hanks!
Together they brought us expressions so fresh
And managed to publish the newsletter "MESH".
uncomfortable blueprints and bringers of Truth
That's how we'll remember the Unit of Youth.
(Amelia)
Myong was concerned with the borders we cross
And Dealing with fear of identity's loss
Over a decade workshops were developed
That welcomed the stranger and communities enveloped.
Many second Gen youth from across synod's reaches
Danced, sang and praised out loud on the beaches
With food and with worship their God they did crave
As they met with Charissa at synod's Youth Wave.
workshops that gathered both parent and kid
Built trusting manners so conflict was rid
The challenge with words could lead us to mime
To understand difference in approaches to time
While structure and clarity are thought of with rice
The Coconut influence is relaxing and nice
As a church we give thanks that the MMRG
is a place to speak hope about what we might be...
(Pearl)
We give thanks for the people and teamwork of ELM
for lay preachers proclaiming God's holy realm,
For elders, leaders and office bearers,
For those who relate as pastoral carers...
We praise God for their dedication,
For small groups and discipleship education...
For returning our focus to resurrection from cross
When we minister in settings of grief and of loss.
(Doug)
We remember the expos and countless workshop,
The study of water, weed and grain crop,
The urban ideas and progressive theology,
Reconciling through forgiveness and accepted apology...
For support of lay employees, pastoral and clerical
For faith sharing training and things evangelical...
For songbird Amelia, for Jorge, Don and Jo,
For Lindsay and cars that were willing to go
Wherever was needed, whene'er we did ask,
They assessed our Competencies through practical tasks.
(Julie)
Exploring the nature and motives in Leading
Reflecting on story and context through Reading
Handling reptiles, scaly and long
With the help of the group we discover we're strong
Spirit Journeys to desert have been taken to nourish
People committed to grow and to flourish
Pete, Sue and gang have been "real beaut"
Building leader capacity through the Institute.
(Adele)
In the UAICC office is Howard, Hazel and Pearl
Their task: the covenanting message’s flag to unfurl
At Wellington after a spell things are getting restarted
And Tabulum said ’thanks Annabel for years of service whole hearted’.
Way out west with Uncle Nev Broken Hill’s garden is thrivin
And with all the youth activities there the place really jivin
With both Coraki’s women and Tingha’s computers in the mixture
We hope this gives a sense of God’s blessings in our part of the picture
This year with Howard’s help we’ve all been re – viewed
Congress’s yarned and discussed his recommendations shrewd.
To share congress’s dreams for the future, their heartaches and glorie
Get Pearl to come visit you and share with you our stories.
(Tina)
None of this runs without blood, sweat and tears
And the backbone behind us have served for some years.
Reception and admin and finance support
Have always been offered with generous thought.
They phoned and they emailed and prepped countless files,
Dealing with difference of management styles.
They pumped out the coffee and turned out the lights
And when we were stressing they prayed through the nights.
Most have moved on but remember them well
The women and men with true stories to tell
Of how the boards truly were run
Of the difficult times and hysterical fun.
(Rob H)
We recall the travel, the office, the meeting,
The coffee, the workshop, the sunrise so fleeting...
We valued the times when you called us to be
Beside you - from inland or mountain or sea.
It was love of our God that drove us along
That caused us to speak out and sing a new song.
We tried as we could to walk in your shoes.
We sat in your halls and shared in your news.
We shared of an era of uncertain change
Emotions we've dealt with, across the whole range.
But blessed we've been and blessed we go
We fanned the flames and seeds did sow...
(Moderator Niall)
Education and Mission we bid you goodbye
Now is the time for the old Boards to die.
We'll forge to the future, get on with the new
In the knowledge that you gave us foundations true.
Long it has taken for structures proposed
To come to this moment of Boards that have closed.
The story continues, but how? - we still guess
In the meantime we thank you and ask God to bless
Each of your pathways, each of your spouses-
But please leave the keys to the cars and the houses.
Stand tall and walk proud, hold your heads up high
Tell a joke, laugh out loud, take time to just cry.
In history's story, you join saintly club,
So go off to celebrate shortly at pub!
