Humans of the Uniting Church

What’s your Uniting Church story?

Mine is a story of many parts. I grew up (in Adelaide) in a ‘very Methodist family’ and ‘church’ was a significant component of our daily life. Personally I saw the transition into the UCA as a natural step. However, by the time the UCA became a functioning reality, my wife Margaret and I were living in the small town of Cummins on Eyre Peninsula and, from memory, across the vast area of that peninsula there was only one Presbyterian Church and no Congregational ones. As a result, apart from the introduction of Elders and Parish Council, there was (initially) very little alteration to the activity of the local church.

Cummins was also the venue for a specific development in my Christian faith. As a local church leader, I was MC for an evening by a visiting young Christian Endeavour group. As MC, I had a front row seat and had a very clear view when one teenage lady held up a sign that said “Not to decide is to decide”. Being seriously challenged by that call, my response was to do my Lay Preacher training.

However, moving back to Adelaide in late 1979, I found a church that was even more dynamic than we had experienced 5 ½ years earlier. Coincidentally (and fortuitously), our return coincided with the launch of the South Australian UCA’s Summer Camp – at their Adare campsite in Victor Harbour. This allowed us and our two young children to spend a week of relaxation, study and shared ‘fun’ with over 200 people with shared and similar interests.

For me, one of the highlights was to be able to talk (in depth) with the two camp leaders – Reverends Ian Tanner (a future national President of the UCA) and Ken Anderson.

What enlivens your faith?

Personal interactions and discussions with people – be that at church or elsewhere. I particularly enjoy talking with people after preaching in that it, sometimes, offers an opportunity to share with them in a deep and meaningful way.

What’s one thing happening in your community that’s really exciting for you?

On the fourth Sunday of the month, I preach at Mortlake – a small town (around 1500 people) 50kms from where I live. My wife, Margaret, accompanies me. This provides us with a unique opportunity in which we are able to share in a similar activity simultaneously, albeit in different ways.

What’s one thing you love telling people about the UCA?

That, as a church, it is open, accessible and has a (generally) positive outlook.

What’s one thing you’d like to change, or something you hope for?

A significant simplification of the administrative processes (will Act2 assist in this?)

What’s one thing you would like the Uniting Church to pray for?

‘Older’ school children (those in the final year of Primary School and throughout secondary school) as they, progressively, experience more personal freedom and develop their beliefs and behaviour patterns – and those adults chosen by these young people to help them in that process of adaptation and acquiring maturity.