Ministry in Australia

off my chest, the problems we'd had in Timor, how I thought aid was corrupting the church, about paternalism in mission generally, and about what I had learnt in Indonesia. I felt that here was a person who understood my concerns, someone who was himself looking for new ways for the Church to be in mission together in five continents. I had confidence in him and knew our church would be led well into the ever changing future.

Time went on and I still hadn't heard from any church who was looking for a minister. I began to wonder whether there was any congregation who wanted me? Or did I have to initiate something? Confused and bewildered I one day visited the Superintendent of the Home Mission office and said: "I'm still on the market!"

He obviously didn't like it and asked me to come back the next day. "Meet the Moderator of the Illawarra Presbytery," he said, "He will tell you something about a vacant Parish."

"Do you know anything about the Congregation of South Illawarra?" he asked me.

"Not a clue. I don't even know where that is." "It's south of Wollongong and includes Dapto, Albion Park and Oak Flats. Did you hear anything about it when you were in Indonesia?"

"We were very isolated there and mostly personal news and letters reached us, very little about the church. Why are you asking?"

"Well, that may even be an advantage. I won't tell you anything about it either. It's better you hear it first hand."

I looked blank, but left it at that. A meeting was arranged shortly afterwards with Douglas Parker, the minister of Thirroul, who looked after South Illawarra during the vacancy, together with David Banks, the Session Clerk. Then the church asked our family to come and meet the elders and members of the three preaching places in Dapto. After the meeting they showed us the manse on the Princes Highway in Albion Park Rail. It had actually been built as a manse with a separate door to the study, but the house itself was tiny for our family. An open plan lounge/dining room, three bedrooms, a bathroom and one toilet only. Alison and I looked at each other: "Well, we've put up with a lot of restrictions in Indonesia, what's stopping us here?"

We agreed, and a call was issued in no time. We moved into the manse on 19 April 1973 and the induction took place on 26 April. The call was signed by 87 confirmed members and one adherent. The wording of it sounded rather quaint to me:

We the undersigned Communicants of the Congregation of South Illawarra Presbyterian Church, being desirous of promoting the glory of God and the prosperity of His Church; being destitute of a fixed Pastor, and being satisfied by good information, or our own experience, of the soundness in the faith, piety, prudence, and other Ministerial

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