Rural Church Ambassadors Gather at St. Clements Monastery

Members of the Uniting Church in NSW and some visitors from Victoria gathered near Galong to learn, worship, pray, talk and just be. The gathering is a bi-annual event sponsored by the Rural Ministry Unit a rural interest group attached to the rural Presbyteries of NSW and ACT.
As you might imagine the issues discussed primarily are concerned with the life and witness of rural congregations. Our struggles and victories were shared in the confines of St. Clements a well established and wonderfully appointed old monastery.
For me personally, I really enjoyed the challenging teaching from Rev Dr Jione Havea lecturer in the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament at Uniting Theological College. Jione spoke about the the challenges and opportunities we might find in "dry places". As most of NSW and the ACT have been dry places in the last decade Jione lead us through parts of the Hebrew Bible in search for the opportunities God provided his people in the dry places they found themselves in. It was heartening to learn that there were many opportunities in dry places as God is with us.
Some of the church leaders across the state showcased their models of ministry with an aim to encouraging and enlightening others about how we might respond to God's call in our own communities.

Kel Hodge