New Times - October 2006 - Uniting Church in Australia

12 M A G A Z I N E
New Times
Calendar for church members
THIS YEAR a calendar is being produced for
Uniting Church SA members, instead of the more
traditional booklet style annual report.
The 2007 Thanksgiving Calendar is being
provided as a gift to thank members for their
continued financial and practical support.
Public Relations officer Jill Freear said the
calendar will be a constant reminder of the many
areas of the church’s work which members help
fund through their offering.
“We decided to trial the calendar after getting
positive responses from church members in focus
group research earlier this year,” she said.
“The calendar will contain all the usual key
components of the annual report, including
information on the church’s income and
expenditure.
Practical and useful
“But we believe it will be a more practical and
useful publication to show members the sorts of
projects they are supporting through contributions
to the Mission and Service Fund.
“On top of that, the calendar will have a 12
month shelf life.”
Copies of the Uniting Church SA’s 2007
Thanksgiving Calendar will be distributed to
congregations at the Presbytery and Synod
meeting in November.
The calendar is being funded and produced by
the Communications and Public Relations Unit,
with some sponsorship support from UC Invest
and the Uniting Foundation.
Stewardship Sunday
THE 2007 Thanksgiving Calendar is also
an ideal gift to give to church members on
Stewardship Sunday, November 12.
A complimentary Stewardship Sunday
PowerPoint and other resources are being
developed for congregations for use on that
day or any other day in which Stewardship is
highlighted.
These resources will be available on the
Uniting Church SA website.
O C T O B E R 2 0 0 6
Thanksgiving Calendar
Uniting Church SA
The cover of the 2007 calendar. It will be distributed at the Presbytery and Synod meeting in November.
New church with community focus
A NEW Uniting Church congregation, with an
emphasis on connecting with and serving the
community, has been launched in Adelaide’s
northern suburbs.
The Journey Christian Church is a second
campus of the Pedare congregation. It has
been planted in the Gateway Uniting Church at
Elizabeth Downs
Pedare minister, Rev Roger Brook, said the
new congregation will be contemporary and easy
going.
“We’re aiming for an outward community
focus and that’s why our foundation members
are all very active in the community – in sports
teams, dance, and art and craft groups,” he said.
“We hope their community involvement will
help attract people to the new congregation.
“Members have also been offering free lawn
mowing and gardening in the area once a week,
to provide a service and connect with local
people.”
The new congregation has already launched a
kids club on Tuesday nights and intends to hold
its first service on Sunday, October 1, at 4pm.
Gateway Uniting Church will continue to
Journey members provided a free community
barbeque recently.
hold services on Sunday mornings and is happy to
share their premises. “We’ll be using the building at
different times, so it’s not a problem,” Roger said.
The new congregation’s pastor is former school
teacher Craig McGlone. He has been preaching at
Pedare Uniting Church for the past 10 years and is
studying ministry at Tabor College.
The Journey Christian Church at Elizabeth is being
supported by the Uniting Foundation. The church
plant will receive $60,000 a year for three years.