Ministry in Australia

voted, 38 for union, 10 against. Albion Park had 24 communicants, 16 voted for union, 8 against; and Oak Flats had also 24 communicants, 23 voted for union, 1 against. The total was 77 for union, 19 against.

My confusion became apparent, when our Congregation's return to Presbytery had a list attached of the eight members of Albion Park, who voted against union, as I thought this was required. Four years later, unfortunately, this mistake was used by the opponents of church union, to take away the property of Albion Park Presbyterian Church and hand it to the Continuing Presbyterian Church. I felt ever so guilty towards my people at that church to have failed them. They were the ultimate losers.

The events unfolded in the following way: The Illawarra Presbytery issued a Church Union Vote Analysis for its meeting on 27 September 1973, showing South Illawarra with the above total figures only, thus indicating that it was a Uniting Congregation. These figures were also passed on to the State Assembly body in Sydney, without the list of Albion Park members who had voted against Union. From then on it was understood by all that South Illawarra would be going into union with all three preaching places.

Almost three and a half years later, on 24 February 1977, our Presbytery Elder and I received a Notice of Motion for Presbytery on 3 March 1977 from the Presbytery Clerk C.R. Thomas, completely without any prior warning. It read:

That the Presbytery:
a) note that within the Parish (sic) of South Illawarra, the congregation of Albion Park voted to remain in membership of the Presbyterian Church of Australia continuing to function on the Basis of Union (1901) following the inauguration of "The Uniting Church of Australia".
b) note that the Kirk Session of South Illawarra submitted the form "Session Return to Presbytery 1973" showing separate returns for each congregation within the charge, together with a list of members of Albion Park who have voted to remain in the Presbyterian Church.
c) note that the voting figures for the Parish of South Illawarra as a whole were:
* Question a."Yes" 81;"No" 15. Question b."Yes" 19;"No" 77, whilst for the congregation of Albion Park, within the Parish (sic) of South Illawarra, the figures were
*Question a."Yes"17;"No" 7. Question b."Yes" 8; "No" 16. showing that one third of those who voted, voted to remain in membership of the Presbyterian Church.
d) declare under section 18 (c) in the schedule of the 1971 enabling acts of Parliament that the continuing congregation of Albion Park cannot be related to another continuing congregation.
e) request the Property Commission, through the state negotiators, to

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