May 8 @ 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Building Healthy Church Communities
A Residency with Rev Joan Wright Howie
4–8 May 2026 | Western Australia
Join the Uniting Centre for Education and Formation for a series of practical and reflective workshops with Rev. Joan Wright Howie, Uniting Church minister, spiritual director, supervisor, and PhD candidate. Joan’s research explores what spiritually informed care looks like in practice, and throughout this residency she brings these insights into conversation with the real experiences of church communities.
Beyond the Nice Chat and Cup of Tea: Spiritually Informed Pastoral Care
Friday 8 May at St Augustine Uniting Church, Bunbury
Cost $25
As members of a church congregation, we recognise the importance of pastoral care. Keeping people connected, showing care, and responding to need are ways a community supports one another and the wider local area.
This workshop offers an opportunity to develop pastoral care skills and learn how to create a safe, reflective space where people can share what weighs on their hearts.
Joan will support participants in strengthening their pastoral care practice through:
- Self-reflection
- Listening skill development
- Attunement to the presence of God
Registrations
Registrations are available soon.
Members and leaders of Uniting Church congregations across Western Australia are warmly invited to participate in these sessions. Each workshop offers space for learning, reflection, and practical tools to support healthy church communities, pastoral care, and faithful engagement with the challenges of ministry today.
For enquiries contact the Uniting Centre for Education and Formation – [email protected]
About Rev Joan Wright Howie
Joan is a Uniting Church minister with 30 years of experience in congregational leadership, project development and educational settings. She is currently a PhD candidate exploring the attributes of spiritually informed care and developing a model of it. Joan has a private practice and has trained both supervisors and spiritual directors for many years. She lives with her husband, David, in Melbourne and has three independent children. Joan loves swimming in the ocean, gardening and going for long walks with friends.
Joan is a Uniting Church minister living in Melbourne.