Rev Steve Francis, BA DipTh
Moderator
The leader of the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Western Australia, Rev Steve Francis was installed for a second term as Moderator on Friday, 8 September 2017 for a three-year term. Steve previously served as Moderator from September 2014 to 2017.
Steve’s Moderatorial theme for the triennium is ‘Deep and Wide’ Ephesians 3: 17-18, “I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have the power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”
Steve is an engineer and worked in a chocolate factory and with a mining company. He has studied engineering, theology through Murdoch University and the Melbourne College of Divinity (now known as University of Divinity) and has a double major in Philosophy and History from the University of Western Australia. Steve is married to Rev Kim Francis, a deacon and has two adult children.
Steve was ordained in to ministry in 1980 and served in a range of roles including congregational ministry at Scarborough Parish and Nedlands Uniting Church, as well as Assembly, Synod and Presbytery roles.
He represents the Uniting Church as a member of the World Methodist Council.
“I love the Uniting Church and have energetically served the Uniting Church as an ordained minister for over 35 years. I have boundless hope and zeal for this church. I continue to believe that the best is yet to be,” said Steve.
Steve regularly blogs on the Uniting Church WA blog. To read Steve’s blog posts and his diary of events, click here.
Rev David de Kock, BCom MBA BTh GAICD
General Secretary
Rev David de Kock was appointed as General Secretary, for the Uniting Church Western Australia in March 2016. He has a passion to see the Church as a transforming agent in the life of the community.
David was ordained to ministry in 1993 in the Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa after many years in the business world, primarily as an economist but also as a Chief Executive Officer of a currency trading business.
His first congregation in South Africa was a new church plant. Later, he was called to a congregation in the Natal Midlands which became a significant church centre. He has served as the minister of a rural parish in the Eastern Wheatbelt and in one of our largest congregations at Lighthouse Church in Geraldton.
He and his wife, Margaret, emigrated to Australia in 2009 and were followed shortly thereafter by their three children and their families. David rides a Honda VTX1300 over the weekends with the Christian Motorcycle Association, paints, cross stitches and grows bonsai trees as hobbies.
He has a deep prayer life and posts prayers regularly on Facebook and Twitter.
Susy Thomas
Moderator-Elect
The Moderator of the Uniting Church WA is the pastoral head of the church. Their role is to be a spokesperson for the church, and to also guide the church throughout their three-year term.
Moderator-Elect, Susy Thomas will be installed as Moderator of the Uniting Church WA during the opening worship of the 44th Annual Meeting of the Synod of Western Australia on Friday, 11 September 2020.
Susy was born into a Christian family in Kerala, India, raised to act justly, with mercy and to walk humbly with God, never being ashamed of the gospel. She completed a Bachelor of Economics in India and met her husband Philip, before she relocated to London to be with him and begin a family. In 1982, Susy, Phillip and their two daughters migrated to Perth, Western Australia.
After working as a teacher in Perth, Susy took on the role of CEO of Drug Arm WA, now called Hope Community. In this challenging role, Susy supported disadvantaged people in the suburbs of Perth.
Susy has chosen Romans 15: 13 as her theme for her three-year term.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Susy felt this verse came to her from God, and was a great verse to support people through all the challenges of 2020 so far.
“I thought, ‘what a wonderful God to give this hope to God’s chosen people,” she said.
Susy will write a column in each edition of Revive, and will regularly blog on the Uniting Church WA website.
