TCMA Annual Conference, 2002

Australia, You're Ministering In It!

What's Happening

First Timers' Session . . .

Because people can find their first time at a TCMA conference somewhat confusing, we ran a session beginning at 4 pm on Saturday during which there was a brief introduction to what the TCMA is and a chance to meet the office bearers and some of the conference organising team. It was not be an introduction to tertiary chaplaincy (although there was a workshop on this during the conference), but participants went away from it at least knowing who the people are who are most likely to be able to answer questions and point you in the right direction. You will also know who else is new, and we hope that none of you will be totally confused once the session is finished.

The Conference Opening . . . After the official welcomes, including one by the local indigenous people, we will have pre-dinner drinks, share in a meal and then be involved in an informal introduction to each other and the conference theme facilitated by the Bellingen Playback Theatre Company, before the opportunity for an early night.

The Conference Dinner . . .

Was held in historic Booloominbah, the original University of New England building. Once a home belonging to the White family, it was donated so that the university could be established and for a while housed not just lecture rooms but also student accommodation and the head of the institution and his family. The upper story now houses the senior management of the university whilst downstairs there are various meeting rooms and more 'upmarket' food outlets. Many conference delegates choose to 'dress up' a bit for the conference dinner, so you might like to pack something a little more formal than the casual clothes which will be appropriate for the rest of the conference.

Workshops . . . An outline of the workshops offered is available on a separate page. This also includes information about the chaplains presenting the workshops

Prayer and Worship . . .

As the number of chaplains attending the conference who belong to faiths other than Christianity increases, it has become increasingly difficult for us to pray and worship as one group in ways which have meaning for anyone. We hoped that Aviva Kipen's keynote address would help next year's committee to plan appropriate rituals for the opening and closing ceremonies. In the meantime, our solution was that on Sunday morning, there was the opportunity to join with local congregations in town for Christian worship, to meet together on campus in faith groups, or to have a relaxed morning walking around the campus, drinking coffee in one of the coffee shops in the Armidale mall or sleeping in. During the week, rooms werr made available before breakfast for people to gather for prayer or worship, with a more 'secular' gathering happening at 9 am.

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