The Worship Working Group seeks to enrich worship in the Uniting Church in Australia by developing resources, papers, educational tools and information to encourage and enliven worship life.
The Worship Working Group also provides the Uniting Church with various liturgical resources as referred to it by the Assembly. In addition to this we nominate Uniting Church representatives to the Australian Hymn Book Committee, the Australian Consultation on Liturgy and the National Ecumenical Music Consultation, and receive reports from these bodies.
Meet the Worship Working Group members
Rev Dr David Pitman
Convenor
David was ordained in 1970. He served in parish appointments at Renmark and Ingle Farm-Para Hills and in between spent four years with the Indian Division of the Methodist Church in Fiji. Read more
In 1983 he was appointed Principal of Alcorn College, the Lay Training Centre of the Uniting Church in Queensland. In 1986 Alcorn merged with Trinity Theological College and David became a member of the combined faculty with responsibility for Practical Theology. He taught courses in worship, preaching, pastoral care and mission of the church and was Director of Field Education. In 1996, David was inducted as the fulltime Moderator of the Queensland Synod, a position he filled for the ensuing three years. In January of 2000 he was appointed Superintendent of Wesley Mission Brisbane and the Albert Street Uniting Church. He was Chairperson of the Uniting Church National Assembly Strategic Planning Unit during the five years it undertook the work entrusted to it. In September of 2005, David was inducted for a second three-year term as Moderator of the Queensland Synod of the Uniting Church. He retired from active ministry at the end of January 2009. He is currently National President of the Australian Academy of Liturgy.
Rev Dr Christopher Walker
National Consultant: Theology & Discipleship
Rev Dr Christopher Walker is currently the National Consultant for theology and discipleship for the Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia. He has degrees from the University of Sydney, from Garrett Theological Seminary and Claremont University in the USA. Read more
He has ministered in congregations in New South Wales, has served as a consultant for the Synod of Queensland, was principal of Parkin-Wesley College in South Australia, and was mission consultant for the Parramatta-Nepean Presbytery in New South Wales. He has written five books, the last two being Living life to the Full: Spirituality for today’s baby boomers and Peace Like A Diamond: Facets of Peace. He is married to Dell and they have two adult children.
Rev Dr Paul Walton
Paul Walton was ordained a Minister of the Word in 1988, and is in placement at Centenary Uniting Church, Brisbane
Rev David Kim"I was born and brought up in South Korea. During my senior year in high school, I decided, actually God called me, to dedicate my life for church ministry. I went to Hanshin University and received a bachelor in Theology. Since then, I was involved in various children and youth ministries for about 7 years. Read more
And then decided to pursue further training and higher education on ministry. So I went to GTU in Berkeley, California and received a master degree in Divinity study. With the completion of the master program and PUCSA’s 4 year ordination process, I received an ordination service to become a Presbyterian Church USA minister of the Word and the Sacrament. For about 10 years in the USA, I was mainly involved in second generation ministries, or English ministry within Asian churches and communities.
In 2006, my wife and I decided to come to Australia to start ‘English ministry’ for the next generations within the migrant communities. Since my wife, Susan is an Australian, it was a smooth transition for me to settle down in Brisbane, Qld. Currently, I am involved in a multicultural church ministry and in an English ministry for Asian communities in Brisbane area. Between Susan and I, we have two lovely girls; Claire Yesel (6yo) and Danielle Yedalm (1yo)"
Rev David MacGregor
David is a minister of the Word serving at Oxley-Darra Uniting Church in Brisbane. He has previously worked in urban and provincial cities down the coast of Queensland as a commissioned youth worker. Most recently David served at Indooroopilly Uniting Church. Read more
David has a long-abiding passion for Christian education, inclusive & contemporary worship and music with children. An avid songwriter, his Together to Celebrate website offers contemporary song titles to accompany each Sunday’s lectionary readings. David is a new member of the 'Together in Song' Editorial Committee and responsible for the sung responses in Uniting in Worship 2: 'Service of the Lord’s Day 2'.
Rev Jenny Tymms
Rev Jenny Tymms is the Presbytery Minister and Chairperson of the Pilgrim Presbytery of Northern Australia and lives in Darwin. Jenny is also a member of the Assembly Standing Committee and a corresponding member of the Assembly’s Church Polity Reference Committee.
Rev Dr Stephen Burns
Convenor
Stephen Burns migrated to Australia in 2007, and now works and worships at United Theological College, North Parramatta, where he teaches pastoral theology as well as being Research Fellow for Charles Sturt University's Strategic Research Centre in Public and Contextual Theology. Read more
He is book reviews editor for the Australian Journal of Liturgy. His publications include Liturgy: SCM Studyguide; Worship in Context; Exchanges of Grace (editor with Natalie Watson); The Edge of God (editor with Nicola Slee and Michael Jagessar); Christian Worship in Australia (editor with Anita Monro); Christian Worship: Postcolonial Perspectives (author with Michael N. Jagessar) and Presiding Like a Woman (editor with Nicola Slee). He is a priest in the orders of the Church of England and was formerly tutor in liturgy at the Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, Birmingham and director of the Urban Mission Centre for St John's College, Durham, and as well as having served in parish ministry.
Mr John Tainton
John Tainton is a graduate in Teaching, Arts and Educational Studies and holds a masters degree in Educational Administration. His career has included the establishment, operation and management of child care services, preschool education, and schooling. Read more
He has held a wide range of corporate governance positions, including Director of the Queensland State Preschool System, Director of Planning and Special Programs for the Queensland education system and Assistant Director General of Education for Queensland. He has variously been a member of Griffith University Council, the Queensland Boards of Advanced Education, Teacher Education and Teacher Registration and the National Childcare Accreditation Council. From March 2000 until December 2005, John served as the Chairperson of the National Childcare Accreditation Council. In retirement, he has the freedom to serve worthwhile causes in a voluntary capacity.
Dr Gewa Au
Gewa comes to the Working Group with a wealth of experience in education and training in Papua New Guinea, China and Australia. He has held significant and senior positions in his work amongst indigenous Australians in North Queensland and as Training Manager for the Central Open Learning Institute in Port Moresby. Read more
He comes to the Working Group to offer insight and advice for our work in a church that is increasingly multicultural in its membership and worship. He is a member of the Logan Central Multicultural Uniting Church where he is Secretary of the Church Council.
Mr Craig Mitchell
Craig Mitchell is Director of Christian Education and Discipleship at Uniting College for Leadership & Theology, Adelaide. He is currently undertaking a two year secondment to the UCA National Assembly as Research Fellow in Christian Education, exploring the future of CE in the UCA. Read more
Craig has worked for the UCA for 30 years in youth & childrens ministry, Christian education, mission planning and leadership development at congregational, presbytery, synod and Assembly levels. This included rural church development in western Victoria and South Australia. A former economist, Craig has also studied youth work, Christian education (Duke University, USA), and communication. He is currently working towards a PhD through Flinders University. Craig is passionate about encouraging creativity in liturgy, learning from worship developments in new faith communities, and exploring the appropriate use of new technology in worship. He is a former member of the UCA Commission on Liturgy and the Queensland Synod's Doctrine and Liturgy Committee.
Corresponding Members
Rev Professor Robert Gribben
Rev Dr Garry Deverell
Rev Alison Whish
Rev Dr D'Arcy Wood
Consultant
Rev Dr Gerard Moore
