You Are Seen

About 18 months ago, I was invited to preach at my “home” congregation — the place where I grew up. As I stood to preach, I was struck by the faces looking back at me: the very people who had stood together at my baptism, and at countless other baptisms, proclaiming their shared faith. They were the people who had promised to sustain a life of worship, witness, and service so that I, and all those baptised among them, might grow into lives of faith. Here they were, some 50 years later, still faithfully living into those promises. Perhaps it struck me so deeply because, in the previous week at UTC, we had been reflecting with candidates on the meaning and practice of presiding at baptisms. 

Of course, not all those baptised within this congregation have remained part of the church. I expect not all would now claim a Christian faith. Yet as I looked at those faces on the morning I preached — some I had known all my life, others new to me — I was moved by the way this community had continued to keep its promises together, often without knowing what impact those promises may have had. 

I found myself humbled by the faithfulness of the people who taught me how to be a disciple; thankful for those who gave their time and energy to lead kids’ clubs and youth groups, and to organise church concerts and musicals (I was very much a church child of the 1970s and 80s). I was, and remain, sincerely grateful for the witness of that quietly faithful community who cared enough to teach me what it means to follow Christ through their embodiment of the love, grace, and hopeful justice of God. 

I was also mindful that I was looking at people still deeply engaged in being the community of Christ within their local area. During worship, there was evidence of faithful living not only in their prayers, but also in the announcements and activities that shaped their shared life. Some of these activities were social gatherings through which they cared for one another and nurtured community. Many others were ministries within the wider community, where members of the congregation were engaged in the work of the gospel — the work of witness and service. 

I have carried this experience with me into my work as Dean of Candidates at UTC. 

Since that day, I have become more aware of the presence of lay people in the formation of candidates for ordination. I imagine that, for many of them, offering their time and energy to this work is itself part of living out the vows they have made at baptisms within their own congregations. 

Lay people are essential to the formation of candidates for ordination. Most obviously, candidates engage with lay people through their field education placements. The gift offered by congregations is the generous welcome extended to candidates into the life and leadership of the church community. At UTC, we are deeply grateful to those congregations that allow candidates to learn and grow in their midst. 

I am also thankful for those who support candidate formation and training through presbytery Ministry Committees, Formation Panels and the Synod Selection Panel. These panels carry a significant responsibility on behalf of the church. In these spaces, the discernment of the church is entrusted to people called to listen deeply — to the candidate, to one another, and to the voice of God. Participation in this work often requires substantial commitments of time, energy, and sometimes travel. 

Many ordained ministers and pastors contribute faithfully to these panels, and we are grateful for their service. But here I especially want to give thanks for the lay people who serve the church in this way. As I write, I find myself recalling the faces of so many lay people who have served on these panels over the years — too many to name, and with too great a risk of unintentionally overlooking someone. I hope those who read this piece know how deeply thankful I am for all they offer. 

I am also grateful for the faithful generosity of the Uniting Church Adult Fellowship Committee within our Synod. Late in 2025, I received an email from the committee advising that they had established an annual encouragement award for a candidate who would benefit from both encouragement and financial support. They invited me to nominate a candidate for the award — no questions asked, simply whoever I believed would benefit most. 

Subsequently, I was invited to lead their annual commissioning service at the beginning of this year. Once again, I found myself looking into the faces of faithful people serving the church so that, together, they might share the good news of Christ. 

The commitment to faith expressed through our baptismal promises should never be underestimated. As I stood in my home congregation that morning, looking into the faces of those who had once stood around the font and promised to nurture the faith of those baptised among them, I realised I was seeing the quiet persistence of discipleship lived over decades. I see that same persistence in those lay people who contribute to candidate formation, and through the faithful serving of those on other committees across the Synod.  

Many of those people may never know the full impact of their faithfulness — the ways their teaching, encouragement, welcome, and witness have shaped lives and ministries beyond what they could have imagined. Yet their steady commitment to the worship, witness, and service of the church has borne fruit in countless ways, including in my own life. 

For that witness, and for all those who continue to live out those baptismal promises with quiet faithfulness, thank you. You are seen.