Church Structures

The Parish Council :

Has a membership of 12 members including elders plus the minister ex officio.  It is the main administrative body of the church, making decisions on the vision, ministry and general organisation of physical services and facilities.

There are eight Action Groups that have oversight over the various ministry areas:

There are four Pastoral Assistants who visit members of the congregation on behalf of the minister.  This is apart from the visitation carried out by the Elders.  At present the Pastoral Assistants meet fortnightly for mutual support and debriefing.

The Church Council meets bi-monthly with the Executive (Chairperson, Treasurer, Minister, Elder rep & Church Coordinator) meeting alternate month.

Congregational meetings are held on a regular basis to keep the members informed of developments within the life of the church.

 

Action Group - Property :

With the wonderful facilities available to us to use for the church and the outreach into the community, of course it takes a team of people to care for it.  With the century old church which is listed on the National Heritage register, the new additions, as well as the two manse properties, it certainly is an important area of ministry.  The committee meets regularly and has the oversight of maintaining all of these facilities. 

The church makes its facilities available to outside groups for their use such as:  Red Cross, Cooma Male Voice Choir, CWA Conventions and craft exhibitions, Echuca Doll Club, St. Lukes, Chaplaincy, Probus, CRE Accreditation courses, Kanyana, Berrimba Child Care Centre, plus for private functions.

 

Action Group - Wider Mission

The church is very active in supporting the work of the wider Body of Christ.

The church supports such ministries as:

                     just to name a few.

 

Action Group - Elders :

There are currently 23 Elders who have the responsibility of assisting the minister in the conduct of worship, in pastoral care and visitation, and in the nurturing of spiritual growth among the congregation.  There are a number of baptisms each year and the Elders play an active role in supporting these families.  The Elders meet bi-monthly for prayer, support and information sharing.  A number of important issues raised by the National Assembly of UCA & Synod have been discussed and the outcomes of these discussions forwarded onto the National Assembly and Synod.  The Elders oversee the Prayer Vine and organise three prayer days during the year.

There are two bible study groups and a home group that meet.

 

Action Group - Local Mission & Outreach :

This is a very large and active committee and covers a variety of ministries:

Breakfast & Lunch Programs.  This is funded through a SHARE grant and provides a free breakfast three times a week and a lunch once a week

There are two women’s groups - UCAF Guild that meets once a month during the day and the UCAF which meets once a month in the evening.  These groups are for fellowship and also a considerable amount of fundraising occurs to help various charities etc.

Other areas of ministry are: 

There are a number of members who assist with CRE in primary schools and also at the STEPS (Hands on Health) program held in the downstairs meeting room.

 

Action Group - Management :

This group is basically the Executive (Chairperson, Treasurer, Minister, Elders Rep. & Church Coordinator) of the Church Council who meet monthly and make recommendations to the Church Council on various matters of Church business.  In this way the Church Council meetings are able to look at the bigger issues of church life and not get bogged down in the day to day ministry of the church.

The Church Coordinator carries out many administrative tasks during the week as well as being the minute secretary for both the Executive and the Church Council.

 

Action Group - Uniting Families :

This is a vital area of ministry covering areas such as:

Trail Blazers (Sunday School)  Trail Blazers has an average attendance of 10 children and operates during school term.  The children go to the “dungeon” (downstairs) after the Children’s Talk and have a fun time of learning.

Youth  - Although at the moment the Youth group is not active the Church Council are looking at strategies to enable the initiation of a Youth Group to once again be commenced.

Family Camp is held in October/November each year and is a great time of fellowship.

Rotating Dinner—is held once a year to raise funds for the Trail Blazers .

KUCA—is held during 2nd & 3rd terms after school on Wednesday afternoons.

 

Action Group - Worship :

The Worship Action Group meet regularly with an open invitation to all members of the congregation to attend.  It plans the worship services including:

Easter, Christmas, Advent, Pentecost, Harvest Thanksgiving & special services.  An annual service is held each year to dedicate the Elders & Church Council members and the Trail Blazers teachers.

The choir contributes each week to the worship by leading the hymn singing and performing an anthem.  They also perform an annual Christian cantata.  The church is blessed with a number of organists.   There is also a music group that helps with special services too. 

A highlight of the past few years has been the Ecumenical “Walk of Witness” held each Good Friday  commencing at the UCA, walking the streets of Echuca and returning to the UCA for a short service.

An ecumenical Prayer group meets once a month on a rotating basis with the Anglican and Catholics.

The Church Council are looking at strategies to incorporate a more active participation of the  youth in the worship services.

 

Action Group - Finance :

The Treasurer is a very busy person with oversight of the following:

Finances - the day to day functioning of accounts and bookkeeping. (assistance is given from the Church Coordinator)

Stewardship - an internal program is conducted to seek commitment from the membership in their giving to the church and is reviewed regularly.

Fundraising - an active committee is busy at looking at creative ways in which to raise much needed funds to enable the life of the church to continue. E.g. fetes, auctions, trivia nights, special morning teas, etc.

 

Weddings, Funerals, Baptisms :

Weddings:

2000   -  23

2001   -  21

2002   -  24

2003   - 19

Baptisms:

2000   -  19

2001   -  12

2002   -  14

2003   -  14

Funerals:

2000   -  unknown

2001   -  6

2002   -  14

2003   -  7