Greetings …

This week I won’t be with you for worship as I will be participating in the 2021 Synod meeting which, for the first time, will be an online meeting.  Held over from 2020 due to Covid-19, Synod will meet from 26 to 28 February.

So what is Synod?

The Uniting Church is unique in that it has a non-hierarchical form of government, instead being governed through a series of inter-related councils.  Synod is the council at regional level.  There are six Synods within the Uniting Church and we are part of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania.  Synod meets approximately every 18 months to hear reports, discern proposals, and discuss matters that concern the general oversight, direction and administration of the life of the church.

Who goes to a Synod meeting?

The Synod meeting is an opportunity to gather together the breadth of today’s Church, and is made up of both ordained and lay members.  In 2021 more than 220 appointed members will gather together.

What will happen at the Synod meeting?

The meeting will include the election of a Moderator Elect to replace Denise Liersch, the consideration of  proposals from the Justice and International Mission cluster around justice and faith issues, how as a church we are responding to covenanting between ourselves and our First Peoples, and the election of members to the Synod Standing Committee.  There will also be opportunity to hear reports from various church bodies.

As well as the business side of things, the Synod meeting allows members the opportunity to engage in worship, prayer and bible study together each day, as well as hearing from a theological reflector.  The theme for Synod 2021 is Like Leaven in the Loaf.

I invite you to remember in prayer those who are attending Synod and those working behind the scenes in this new environment.

Blessings – Heather.