Moderator’s Message
As the PCQ experiences the challenges of the current times I am very conscious that we are being upheld in prayer by many of the Lord’s people across the PCQ, and beyond. Please continue to uphold our denomination, and local churches in your prayers at this time.

You will have heard that the PCQ Church Office has successfully moved from Milton to Spring Hill, into the same building as the Queensland Theological College. Our thanks to the Church Office staff, and all those who helped them. Their efforts went above and beyond, as there was a large amount of items to be moved and/or stored. Thanks to Stuart Hoadley and Lesleigh Hall, as they have led the PCQ Church Office in the move. Our thanks also to Gary Millar, Andrew Bain and the QTC staff, as they have been so helpful in the move to Spring Hill.

A special meeting of the State Assembly has been called for Thursday 10 December. This will be a one day Assembly that commissioners can either attend in person at the Living Church Creek Road Ministry Centre (cnr Creek and Fursden Roads, Carina) or online. The Assembly will consider a change to the QTC Constitution, updates from the PCQ Trustees and the Commission of Assembly, and Peter Barson becoming a Minister Emeritus. Please pray for the Assembly as it gathers, that our heavenly Father may give the Assembly His insight and wisdom.

As you bring our denomination before God in prayer, I ask you to keep in mind Jesus’ words from John Chapter 15, where he says,

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

I believe our heavenly Father is pruning our denomination at the moment, so that we will be more fruitful. At the September Assembly our Clerk, Stuart Hoadley, told us how he had just pruned the lemon tree in his garden. Pruned back, it looked ugly, having been pruned in the major way that citrus trees require, but this had been done so that new fruitful growth could come. As we continue in prayer, let us ask that our heavenly Father will use the current challenges we face for our good as a denomination, that we and our local congregations will be more fruitful.

The previous Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia (and previous SMBC Principal) Rev David Cook would often say that, “The enemy of the best is often not the bad, but the good”. It seems that our heavenly Father is pruning away some activities of our denomination that, at least theoretically, were good things to be doing. Has our heavenly Father pruned these away so we might focus as a denomination on our primary mission of gospel ministry through congregations? I pray that in years to come we will see vibrant gospel growth of, and through PCQ congregations as an outcome of our present difficulties.

As the writer to the Hebrews says,

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it”. (Hebrews 12:11)

Thank you for your faithfulness to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus, and for your prayers at this time.

Your brother in Christ,

Phil Strong
Moderator
Presbyterian Church of Queensland