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Congratulations to our new Ordinands |
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Seven candidates were ordained as new Ministers at Maughan Uniting Church
on Saturday August 14(from left to right, Rev Rod Dyson (Moderator), Ms Sharonne Price (EO Pastoral Relations),
and Ordinands Rev Naomi Rosenberg (MoD), Rev Juleen Villis (MoD), Rev Matthew Carratt (MoW),
Rev John Hughes (MoW), Rev Jennifer Price Hughes (MoW), Rev Beatrice Panne (MoW),
Rev Dr Peter Trudinger (MoW).) 
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 Rev Matthew Carratt
By the time I commenced theological study in 2003, I had experienced life in seven Uniting Church congregations across SA and the NT. My call to ministry began on a youth camp in Year 9, although I wouldn’t have described it as this at the time. Here God gave me a passion to make a difference in the world for His glory, seeing a significant shift in my attitude towards others, to my time at school, and to my use of spare time. This soon led to my involvement in Christian radio, leading worship and youth groups, and to wider leadership of youth camps. As I immersed myself in these various forms of ministry, it wasn’t long before I couldn’t see myself doing anything else. I entered a Period of Discernment, where it became clear that God was calling me to become a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church. This call was confirmed in 2007 with my acceptance as a Candidate for Minister of the Word. |
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Rev John Hughes God has been ever-present in my life since my earliest memories. I grew up in the church, and as a small child I loved to play preacher, standing behind my grandmother's piano bench. In my early teens, we lived close to the church and I went to the church office everyday after school. It was then that I began having serious times of prayer, often knelling in the empty sanctuary. By the time I left home and went to university, I was seriously contemplating whether God was calling me into ordained ministry. I spoke with the chaplain at my university and talked about what courses I should take in preparation. As I was living in the US and ministry degrees are at the Masters level, I began studying both Psychology and Spanish. After finishing my University courses, I decided to work for a few years before attending seminary. Working as a youth minister was a first step towards fulfilling my sense of call. I found working in the church to be the most rewarding experience I had ever had and along the way I continually felt affirmed by both God and the Church in my sense of call.
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Rev Jennifer Price Hughes I grew up in a Christian family and was immersed in the life of the Uniting Church. Church music and youth group featured heavily in my life. As a 17 year old I was surprised to be approached about working in the church. The following year I began as the Creative Arts and Music Ministry Coordinator at Rosefield Uniting Church. I had intended this to be a job while I studied but discovered that I loved working in the church, planning worship and had a desire to understand and learn more. After graduating from my Bachelor of Science in Genetics and Psychology in 2001, I began exploring a call to ministry with my mentors. This time included an internship at Fairview United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee, attending the International Christian Youth Convention (ICYC) in Belfast, Ireland and completing honours in psychology. These experiences encouraged me to consider theological study. After being awarded an international student scholarship I undertook a Masters of Church Ministry in Urban Ministry at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, which included an internship with the Centre for Survivors of Torture. |
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 Rev Beatrice Panne
I became aware of a call to ordination when I was a teenager, growing up in Germany, attending a thriving youth group, led by the first female minister in the district. I studied theology in Barmen and Heidelberg. A personal crisis toward the end of my studies caused me to delay entering the ministry. I trained as a psychotherapist and began to work in private practice. During these years, my personal spiritual quest took on a deeper urgency. I was fed up with reading about other people’s take on the truth, I wanted to experience some for myself. So, I threw myself into the study and practice Zen meditation for about 7 years and yoga meditation for another 8 years, in search of liberation and enlightenment. Between 1983 and 1985 I also spent time with a medicine man of the Lakota Sioux Nation, learning some of the prayer and healing ceremonies of his tradition. In 1988 my family and I came to Australia to join an alternative life style community and prepare for the apocalypse, which eventually arrived in the disintegration of our community and my marriage. During a time of reflection and discernment God graciously reached out to me and I experienced Christ as my personal Lord and Saviour. |
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 Rev Dr Peter Trudinger
My favourite image for my process towards ordination is that of a river flowing to the sea. The course of the river is not straight - it has many turns – yet always the river is flowing to the sea and along its length, it is guided and maintained by its banks. So my course to ordination has been far from a direct line, yet along the way I can see the continual presence of God, guiding me on my journey and turning me to different areas of ministry. Here are some landmarks along my way:
My first significant experience of Christian community was in my teens, when I was welcomed into an accepting, caring community and as a result, my heart was “strangely warmed.” For a long time I maintained theology and ministry alongside secular activities: Working for a university church in the USA under an inspired NT scholar, at the same time as I studied mathematics, “by chance” being employed by Sydney University, where I could complete a B.D., and preaching and teaching biblical studies while I worked in Ballarat and then Adelaide. Eventually I felt led to a doctorate in Old Testament and Biblical Interpretation in the USA, and after this I taught overseas before returning to a position at Parkin-Wesley College in lay ministry. At every step of the way I was seeking what the call of God might be.
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Weekly Student Newsletter 2.9.10 (398.38 kB)