Rev Philip Burns, Assistant to the Clerks
The Commission of the PCV General Assembly met on Tuesday May 5th, within Assembly Hall, 156 Collins Street, Melbourne, with the Moderator, Rev Rod Waterhouse presiding. The meeting began with prayer and the singing of the hymn ‘To God be the glory’, the reading of Colossians 4:2-18 and a brief devotion on that portion of Scripture led by the Moderator.
Election of Moderator-Designate…
One of the highlights of the Commission is the election of the Moderator-Designate of the next General Assembly. There was only the one nomination received from the Presbyteries for this position, that of the Rev Dr John Wilson (retired), who was duly elected to be Moderator for the second time, having previously served in 2002. The Moderator congratulated John on his appointment and led in prayer for John, his wife, Paula and family.
Finances…
One of the main responsibilities of Commission each year is the setting of the GMP ($297,000 for 26/27), ministerial remuneration (stipend, NCB and superannuation), supply, long service leave and travel rates, as well as approving the proposed budgets for all the PCV Assembly Committees for the 26/27 financial year. Financial papers (especially the draft budgets) took up at least 75% of the reports presented to the meeting and came to the meeting through the reports of the Board of Investment and Finance (Chairman: Elder John Walter) and the Maintenance of the Ministry Committee (Convener: Elder Colin Morrow). The supervision of day-to-day management of the PCV’s finances is a large task that falls to the (new) PCV General Manager, Will Neil, and the conscientious and busy PCV Office staff who serve along with him.
Petitions…
The Commission received and acted upon nine petitions from lower courts (ie. presbyteries, sessions and congregations) within the denomination.
This included petitions from the
- Presbytery of North East Victoria, who were granted permission to give the Rev Jesse Walz a seat on the Presbytery.
- Presbytery of North Western Victoria, who were granted permission to sell the manse at Kerang for the purpose of ministry within the Kerang and Swan Hill region.
- Presbytery of Flinders, who were granted permission to adjust the purpose of funds held under the name of the now-deceased Cardinia congregation in Sites Reserve for the development of the properties held at Cranbourne.
- Congregation of St Kilda, who were granted permission to adjust the purpose of funds held in Sites Reserve for the support of ministry in that region.
- Presbytery of North East Victoria, who were granted permission to adjust the purpose of funds held under the name of the now-deceased Numurkah congregation in Sites Reserve for the purchase or construction of a manse in Shepparton.
- Presbytery of North East Victoria, who were granted permission to adjust the purpose of funds held in the Common Fund from the sales of properties once held at Numurkah, Thoona and Tallygaroopna so that the Wodonga congregation may build or purchase a church building.
- Presbytery of North East Victoria, who were granted permission to sell the church building at Rushworth for ministry purposes in the Tatura region.
- Congregation of Donnybrook, who were granted permission to assign the purpose to funds held in Sites Reserve for ministry in that region.
- Congregation of Ballarat North, who were granted permission to adjust the purpose of funds held in Sites Reserve for ministry within that region.
Other items of business…
The Commission also
- Divided up the agreed GMP figure for 26/27 into allocations to Presbyteries based on the respective numbers of communicant members in each.
- Agreed to the request of the Trust Corporation to rescind decisions made in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2025 regarding the sale of St George’s in the Geelong CBD, authorizing the Presbytery of Geelong to refurbish the property (through a very generous benefactor) and plant a new congregation within it.
- Noted the need for an increase in the financial support of candidates at the PTC through gifts toward the already-established bursary system.
- Noted the status of ongoing discussions between the appointed representatives of the General Assembly and Scots’ Church, Melbourne regarding the ownership of the Assembly Hall.
- Met in private to hear an appeal from the Rev Bruce Riding against some decisions of the Presbytery of Melbourne West.
- Appointed the Clerk (Rev Cam Garrett) as the Privacy Officer until the next General Assembly in October 2026.
After the final business item was completed at 5pm, it had been a long day, but one that again was marked by the encouragement of a strong shared sense of all the courts of the church working together to achieve gospel growth under God’s mighty hand.
‘To God be the glory great things He has done’… and, we might add, ‘great things’ are what we are praying that He will do!