Tuggeranong Uniting Church plans for mission

Tuggeranong Uniting Church has participated in a number of missionary planning workshops in the past year.

Rev. Elizabeth Raine is Minister of the Word at Tugeranong. She told Insights that the congregation had found a recent mission planning day to be “ energising and inspiring.” Held at the church on Sunday, 3 November, the meeting was the latest in a series that has helped an already active Uniting Church decide what areas to focus on.

“People…came up with all sorts of ideas about what it meant to be mission oriented in their area of interest. They worked together very well,” she said.

Tuggeranong is a growing church of diverse ethnicity and age groups. It runs a variety of programs such as community lunch, Pre-loved (Pop up Op shop), emergency food parcels and the community garden. The congregation also runs a program at Karralika, a rehabilitation facility, and a group for people seeking social interaction.

The church has five separate mission groups, each of which has a different focus.

One group is looking at the unused outside grounds of Tuggeranong Uniting Church, with a view to installing a walkable labyrinth, garden, and place for quiet contemplation.

Another is a community connections group, looking at how they can be more of a visible presence in the community.

“Part of this group’s brief is the design and implementation of a large mural on our street facing wall,” Rev. Raine said.

Another group is working to support and promote a Rainbow Alliance group, which hosts a meal and monthly service for LGBTQI people.

The church’s pre-loved clothing group runs a monthly pop up op shop and are working on how to promote it.

The church’s sustainability group are working to reduce the church’s carbon footprint, connect with locals who use the community garden, run workshops and seminars on climate change and sustainability, and educate members about their own habits.

According to Rev. Raine, the most recent workshop helped these determine what they wanted to focus on, map their assets, and work out the gaps.

“We also did some collective work on our mission objectives and our vision (to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the community) before we broke into our interest groups,” she said.

“The result is a bunch of passionate people committed to carrying out their briefs, which involve church and community members. The workshop was run for us by Taryn Langdon of Interact Connections. She is helping each group to connect with the right community people, as well as assisting them in a feasible plan and timeframe.”

“Taryn’s leadership was greatly appreciated, as was the process she used. The meeting ended with everyone talking about what they could be contributing to the community and the future of the church, and the level of energy and enthusiasm was high.”

For more information on Tuggeranong Uniting Church, visit their Facebook page.

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Jonathan Foye is Insights’ Editor