Bumper November Presbytery & Synod meeting expected

Posted Nov  7, 2018 in News

A significant number of proposals have been submitted for presentation at this year’s November Presbytery & Synod Meeting of the Uniting Church in South Australia. Attendance will reach record numbers and the meeting will be well represented by a diverse gathering of Uniting Church members who will engage with a variety of proposals.

Among the more contentious of the proposals are six that may have an influence on each other. These include the affirmation of the 15^th Assembly decision regarding two statements of belief about marriage; the matter of adequate consultation, including concurrence (Clause 39B regarding matters of vital importance to the church, as it applies to both the Presbytery and the Synod); the formation of a Missional Non-Geographic Presbytery; the process to enable a separation of the Presbytery and Synod; and an alternate structure for the Synod of South Australia.

There will be discussions and voting on the affirmation of the 15^th Assembly decision, as well as the two proposals regarding adequate consultation (Clause 39B) for the Synod and Presbytery respectively. Should the voting members decide to uphold the Clause 39B proposals, it could have far-reaching implications for the 15^th Assembly decision which may have to be suspended until further consultation with Synods, Presbyteries and Congregations country-wide.

*The decision regarding a Missional Non-Geographic Presbytery highlights the uniqueness in our existing Presbytery and Synod structure. There will be a proposal which addresses this issue and could lead to a change to the structure in the future. 

There are also a number of proposals regarding social justice matters, environmental responsibility and administrative tasks.

With more than 400 members having expressed their intention to attend the November 2018 Presbytery & Synod Meeting, the venue at Adelaide West Uniting Church will not allow for the usual table seatings. Instead, members will be seated in theatre-style rows and are encouraged to use handheld devices for documentation and note-taking where possible.

The Meeting runs from 9:00am on Thursday 15 November to 4:00pm on Saturday 17 November. Registration opens at 8:45am on Thursday. The venue is Adelaide West Uniting Church, 312 Sir Donald Bradman Drive, Brooklyn Park. All documentation is available on the Presbytery and Synod Meeting web page. Any queries can be directed to the Associate General Secretary, Planning and Management, Malcolm Wilson Turn on Javascript!.

New Times will be sending out electronic newsletter updates at the end of each day of the Presbytery and Synod meeting, documenting event decisions and highlights. Subscribe here if you do not already receive UC e-News and wish to stay informed with meeting news and decisions.

*This paragraph was altered slightly from the orginal wording released in UC e-News on 7/11/18

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