UCA SA - Commending the Faith

Commending the Faith

Posted Aug 14, 2019 in Faith

Commending the Faith

Rev Sue Ellis

As I come to the last few months of my term as Moderator, I am aware of the difficulty people are experiencing in sharing their stories of faith. It is a particularly challenging time in our nation, surrounded by people who don’t have much time for Christianity, but are very interested in spirituality. Rev Dr Chris Walker has written extensively about sharing or commending the faith within the Australian context. His teachings help us in understanding how best to speak about faith in Jesus Christ to a nation. I was so impressed with his work that I invited him to present two seminars in South Australia to empower ordinary, faithful people from South Australian congregations in sharing faith and the good news of Jesus Christ.

Through my theme of Grow, Nurture, Flourish, I have encouraged members to grow relationships with different people, and create safe spaces for people to ask questions about what Christians believe and what difference Christianity makes to life. The Scriptures tell us, we need to be ready to witness the faith at all times.

Commending the Faith will prepare us for that witness and make it achievable. Rev Dr Chris Walker will present pastoral strategies that will bless and encourage steps of faith in one another. We will be inspired to share and explore Christian values that all people strive for so they can be used for God’s purposes. Chris is able to explain where we sit in the context of the Australian society today, and will share responses to the common challenges often raised when we seek to share our faith, through our ministries.

As we move into Presbyteries, our focus is again on Flourishing in our ministry life. Ministries flourish, not when there are huge numbers, but when people’s lives are transformed through an encounter with the Living Christ, as we commend the Christian faith to them. I encourage congregational teams to attend these seminars at Murray Bridge and the Uniting College on 22^nd and 23^rd August and be empowered and enlivened by an outstanding Uniting Church leader in Rev Dr Chris Walker.