Dungog Uniting Church: Choosing our future

Dungog Uniting Church has just spent the last two Sunday mornings in an extended “Choosing Our Future” workshop. Each Sunday, the congregation sat around tables in the sanctuary area, to explore a series of questions and develop a Growth Development Plan. 

The two-stage workshop was devised by Rev. Elizabeth Raine, who has led it with much success in the Presbyteries of the Mid North Coast, Western Australia, Canberra Region—and now The Hunter. In a number of those cases, this unique process has resulted in the release of new energies, the identification of new leadership, and the creation of task groups to work on developing specific projects which have then come to fruition for the congregation.

The first Sunday began by using picture cards to spark conversation and creativity, inviting people to explore “what is God calling this church to be based on its past and present?”. Then, time was spent addressing four different options for the future of the congregation, with an invitation to focus on two questions: “what are the issues facing our congregation? “what are the possible future scenarios?” There was much conversation and good optimism emerging from the process. By the end of the morning, two preferred options for the future had been discerned by the whole congregation together.

Each Sunday, Maz Smith led worship interspersed with workshop sessions led by Elizabeth. In a worshipful attitude we joined in joyful singing and offered prayers for people and places in need. Each Sunday we had morning tea in the church so that we were refreshed and ready for the second session that followed immediately.

The space was abuzz each week as members of the congregation entered into the process with enthusiasm and energy. Elizabeth kept the process moving, posing questions, injecting options, and stimulating the thinking of participants, so that the conversations that took place were very engaged. On the second Sunday, the two options that were identified as most preferred on the previous week were then explored in further planning sessions, with the focus on the question: “what can we do to begin to make this a reality?” 

The end result was a range of creatively possible actions for what the congregation could plan to undertake in the immediate term, in the medium term, and long-term. The final session concluded as Maz presided at Holy Communion and we went into the week singing “let us talents and tongues employ”! Now begins the work to shape the future that members of the congregation chose together … … 

Rev. Elizabeth Raine and Rev. Dr John Squires are retired ministers now participating in the Dungog Uniting Church.