Rev Kath Merrifield to provide Supply Ministry to support the Goulburn and Crookwell Congregations in their planning and transformation for future mission.

Rev Kath Merrifield has agreed to provide supply ministry to the Canberra Region Presbytery in order to continue the work Geoff Wellington began with Rev Julie Lawton-Gallard and Daniel Mossfield along with lay leadership to re-think and plan ways forward in relation to matters of missional purpose and form, property and finance to ensure that our ongoing witness in this region of the Presbytery is alive and vital. Kath commenced her work as a 50% placement in August and will complete her ministry with us at the end of November 2019. Kath Merrifield holds a Bachelor of Science (majoring in Statistics) from the Australian National University (ANU), a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) with the ANU and a Bachelor of theology with United Theological College. She completed a Masters in International & Community Development. Prior to being in ministry she was on the personal staff of Justice Brennan in the High Court of Australia and a legal advisor in the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department. She also worked for TEAR Australia in Thailand and Cambodia managing people and projects across Asia. She spent 9 years as congregational Minister with Brighton-Kogarah Uniting Church. From 2012 till last year Kath held the position with NSW/ACT Synod as Executive Director of Uniting Mission and Education. Kath, building on her academic background in statistics, has also had various roles with the National Church Life Survey (NCLS) including chair of the NCLS Board of Governors.

The task Kath has accepted with Presbytery will be as a consultant to work alongside the Ministers and lay leadership teams, to assist them in building processes and mechanism that engage congregations and communities to foster re-thinking and re-imagining ways that are transformative in terms of mission and witness and how to best use property and financial resource to deliver these purposes. Critical will be strategizing for the most appropriate pastoral processes to support the congregations and communities along the journey.

Presbytery is delighted to have Kath join us in these ministries.  We warmly welcome Kath to her new role in our Presbytery. We feel her commitment to us is an answer to our prayers as we move through our season of transition over the next 6 months or so.

Welcome Kath.

Sincerely Yours
John Williams and Delia Quigley
Co-Chairs, Canberra Region Presbytery
10 September, 2019