​Transitions

Amidst much anticipation and excitement, my husband and myself left our Adelaide home for Sydney 8 ½ years ago. Having always lived in Adelaide and raising our children there, it was a big step saying ‘goodbye’ to our family, friends, home and our many roles there. People around us were saddened by our choice. We knew very few people in Sydney. It was such a risk! Yet we were ‘called’ here and the timing was right for us, so we went with hope. Both the two-day relocation drive, and the packing and unpacking process, helped ground the transition in reality. There was so much we enjoyed about our new life in Sydney – yet some transitioning aspects were hard. Transitions tend to be mixed blessings.

It is nearly time for us to move again. This time, we will drive south for 5 hours to the ‘Sapphire Coast’, where I will begin a Uniting Church placement as a Community Chaplain for disaster-affected people. Again, there are mixed emotions for us – excitement, challenge and loss, all rolled into one. We will embrace the changes as best we can, regarding life as a journey of change, where we are called to make a positive difference wherever we can. We feel secure, knowing our God travels with us.

We are so thankful for our time in Lane Cove! We have appreciated the people –and many organizations - that contribute to building a strong community here. We love the beautiful, natural environment and those who selflessly fight to protect it. We have found welcome and kindness – so we say ‘thank you’ to those who have embraced, included and helped us.

The opportunity to serve in Lane Cove as a Community Chaplain is unique. This is due to the extraordinary generosity of Lane Cove Uniting Church, who, in true Lane Cove style, experimented with a brand-new approach to being the Church, embedded outside of the building in many different ways. Other churches have observed the unfolding of this initiative, and some have been inspired to begin their own, in contextualised ways.

We will be here for another month or so. We would love to say ‘goodbye’ to our many friends here over that time – so please contact me via the links below. Lane Cove Uniting Church will continue to support the role and current groups while they identify my successor.

I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination - Jimmy Dean