Saturday, March 15, 2014

Happy 5th birthday Uniting College

We celebrated Uniting College being five at Presbytery Synod last night. Some thought it was a milestone worth a cake.

As well as the cake, we also provided 400 individual cup cakes for supper, all with our logo.

Before the cake and candles, there was a bit of an introduction to the journey of this five year old. It was laced with prayer; a highlight of being one, of being two, of being three etc, followed by an audience response, including rifting off a Paul Kelly song.

Here’s the liturgical responses

synod feb 2014

And for those interested, here’s the full script …

Brief from Business committee
· we conclude business at 8 25 pm on Friday, March 14th 2014.
· The College present/lead a time of reflections/ prayers etc.
· Conclude this time by cutting a cake , singing happy birthday.
· People invited to supper at 8.45 pm with cake, tea/coffee available.

Introduction. Who likes a birthday party? Tonight you’re all invited to a 5 year old party. There’ll be candles. There’ll be cake. But first, like all parties, there’ll be the speech ☺

Five years ago, March 2009, this Presbytery and Synod gave birth. With some pain, with a lot of excitement, to a brand new College – Uniting College For Leadership and Theology. Here’s a part of the video used on the night of birth. (Video clip – 40 seconds Andrew Dutney introducing birth of Uniting College)

So? Why was it born so beautiful? What was it born at all? To quote from Andrew on the video clip? – “we need different kind of leadership; people that respond quickly to new situations; people that don’t come with a ready made tool kit of resources; people that know how to draw out the best of the local community”

Leader: So we’re thanking God
Everyone (say): For midwives and dreamers and all those who birth
Sung: Deeper water, deeper water, deeper water, calling us on

By the time College was 1 year old, in 2010, we had a new structure. We kept the Biblical stream because that’s so essential to our past and our future.

We changed the name of the theology stream to mission, to signal our desire to learn from the world-wide global church in mission.

We had added a Leadership stream and a Discipleship and Christian Education stream. We’re unique in Australia in this regard – our desire to be intentional about training different kinds of leaders, our commitment to discipleship as integral to our life, our desire to be great educators among the whole people of God.

Leader: So we’re thanking God
Everyone: For different types of leaders and different types of disciples and all those with courage
Sung: Deeper water, deeper water, deeper water, calling us on

By the time College was 2 year old, there was a new approach to candidate formation. Formation Panels an innovation unique to this State, although quickly copied by the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania. In Formation Panels, candidates are surrounded by effective missional practitioners, who meet with them 14 times over the first 6 years of Phase 2 and Phase 3. Each time, asking “What does this person need to do or experience or learn to be an effective missional leader?

Leader: So we’re thanking God
Everyone: For mentors and formers and all those who grow
Sung: Deeper water, deeper water, deeper water, calling us on

By the time College was 3 year old, we had a new Bachelor of Ministry. New topics that would help us take seriously the training of different kind of leadership; people who know how to draw out the best of the local community.

Last year at a national conference on Teaching and Learning in Theology, our new BMin was commended by the keynote speaker, as a wonderful model of taking student centred transformational learning seriously,

Leader: So we’re thanking God
Everyone: For teachers and topics and all those who learn
Sung: Deeper water, deeper water, deeper water, calling us on

By the time College was 4 year old, we had a strategic plan. We’d been given a mission at birth, a commission by you, the Synod – to develop life-long disciples and effective leaders for a healthy, missional church

We had a mission but we needed a plan. A map to focus us and signposts to guide and encourage us. We have five of them

To develop life-long learners in a multi-generational, multi-cultural world
To grow pioneers in innovation and invigoration
To promote scholarly and practical excellence
To tell our story in clear, compelling, relational and contemporary ways
To increase our organizational capacity

Leader: So we’re thanking God
Everyone: For focus and clarity and all those with maps
Sung: Deeper water, deeper water, deeper water, calling us on

By the time College was 5 year old, we had Walking on Country, a partnership with Congress, a time for candidates and their families to sit with indigenous people in indigenous places. To honour Covenant, to help develop learners for an inter-cultural world.

Leader: So we’re thanking God
Everyone: For partners and cultures and all those who’ve walked this rich, red land
Sung: Deeper water, deeper water, deeper water, calling us on

At any party, you look back. Whether your 50 or 5, you remember the milestones, you celebrate the gift of life. As well as looking back, you also look forward ….

So, again, with the sort of vision that Andrew spoke of at the video of our birth – different kind of leadership, that know how to draw out the best of the local community, let me dream about the next 5 years.

By the time we are 6 years old, I dream of the Uniting College for Leadership and Theology having 2 new partners joining with us in ACD, sharing the load, expanding us interstate.

By the time we are 7 years old, I dream that we will be fully Blended, that any topic we teach will be available both onsite or offsite, that we have discovered how to use digital technologies in ways that grow disciples and build community between lecturer and student; student and student.

It’s possible. This year we’ve had 15 brand new enrolments in our post-graduate Ministry degree programmes. They come from 3 countries and every State in Australia. All made possible by blended learning technologies.

By the time we are 8 years old, I dream we will have enough candidates from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds that we will need a new Formation Panel, a CALD formation panel. I dream of lay leader courses focused on English as Second Language students. And a Faculty that is even more CALD in makeup and experience.

By the time we are 9 years old, I dream that Big Year Out will still be running. Big Year Out is a discipleship and mission experience for young adults. It’s begun again this year with 7 students. I dream it is regular, annual feature of our life as a College

By the time we are 10 years old, 2019 , I dream that 30% of our candidates are pioneers. They will enter Phase 2 wanting to train for a ministry that is not yet apparent, for a placement that has not yet been established by the church.

Leader: So we’re thanking God
Everyone (say): For midwives and dreamers and all those who birth
Sung: Deeper water, deeper water, deeper water, calling us on (repeat 4 times)

Directions – Bringing in 1 large birthday cup/cake; Cut by one of candidates

And so on this 5th birthday, glad of the past, hopeful for the future, we sing …

Happy birthday

Thankyou for being part of our party. There are cupcakes in the foyer, each with a cute little UCLT logo. Enjoy them, enjoy the party, enjoy each other. UCLT is your College, for the next part of your journey.

Posted by steve at 08:07 AM

2 Comments

  1. loved the way the story was told, creatively, liturgically, communally, artistically – a witness to core values of the college. thanks :o)

    Comment by sarah — March 15, 2014 @ 4:16 pm

  2. Sounds like a great party

    Comment by Jenny — March 15, 2014 @ 10:06 pm

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