Rev David Jackson Installed as Moderator

At a special gathering of the Synod of Western Australia on Saturday 25 October 2025, Rev David Jackson was Installed as Moderator of the Uniting Church in Western Australia, to serve in this role for the next three years.
The theme for his term as Moderator is ‘We are a Pilgrim People’.

Uniting Church community gathered Mount Pleasant Uniting Church, and others watched online, to witness and celebrate this important moment in the life of the church.

The service began with Rev Mitchell Garlett offering a Welcome to Country in language, welcoming the gathered people to Wadjuk Nyungar land. In his Welcome Mitchell said, “As we journey may we continue to listen to one another, not only with our ears, but with our hearts, for a better journey not only for today, but for tomorrow too, for generations to come.”

The service of Installation was led by the outgoing Moderator Rev Dr Ian Tozer.

Following the laying of hands and prayer, David was presented with the Moderator’s symbols of office. These included the Scarf, as a sign of the office, the Staff which has been passed from Moderator to Moderator since 1993 as a reminder of the pastoral dimension of the role, and the Pendant, a silver stylised UCA emblem worn as a symbol of the role. Finally the Synod Bible was signed, as previous Moderators have done.

Ian was then thanked for his service and pastoral leadership as Moderator and presented with his own scarf by the General Secretary of the Synod Rev Dr Andrew Williams. This moment was met with warm applause in thanks and appreciation of his time serving the church. He was then led to his seat with his Chaplain, Rev Lorraine Stokes by his side.

We heard from scripture with readings from Exodus 3:1-5, Psalm 39:12-13 and New Testament readings from Romans 12:9-21 and the gospel reading from Matthew 16:21-28.

The Fijian Choir which comprised of members of Crossways Uniting Church and the Hedland Fijian Uniting Church gave a joyous performance of an anthem on the theme of Pilgrim People.

In his first sermon as Moderator, David reflected on his theme ‘We are a Pilgrim People’. He began by reminding us that life is a pilgrimage shared with others—each person placed in our path for a reason.

“We travel with others family, friends, co-workers, strangers and we must ask God why he placed each of these people into our life, into our pilgrimage. For God does nothing by chance.”

He went on to tell the story shared by Rev Peter Balabanski, of Jeremiah’s buried loincloth, a story he said, not found in the lectionary.

“Jeremiah, the obedient prophet, was instructed by God to buy a loincloth and preach in it for a long time without washing it. Then God told him to go and bury it in a cleft in the rock by the Euphrates River. Much later, God sent him back to the river to dig it up and resume preaching in it.
First impressions make or break a person’s image. God wanted to show Israel and Judah how their way of living gave everybody a shocking first impression of God.”

The story illustrates how our lives reflect God to the world, often forming the first impression of Christ.

He went on to say, “Peter Balabanski’s metaphor is using our identity as being the body of Christ – we are like Christ’s clothing […] like the intimate clothing Christ wears; the first impression people get of what Jesus might be like.”

We are called to be Christ’s clothing—intimate, visible, and symbolic. Our identity is shaped by nature, nurture, and choice, and it’s through deliberate, often vulnerable choices that God is revealed.

David shared the example given in The Right Reverend Marion Budd, Episcopalian Bishop of the Diocese of Washington who made headlines earlier this year after she angered a well known world leader by urging him to have mercy on the vulnerable and marginalised in our communities during the Inaugural Prayer Service in Washington, USA.

Bishop Mariann Budde’s bold advocacy for mercy and inclusion exemplifies this path of being Christ.

“God’s people can choose to show what God is truly like. Mostly it means choosing the way of giving things up, choosing the more vulnerable way as Mariann Budde did.”

The Christian journey is rarely easy. Like Moses and Peter, we may resist the call, but choosing the way of the cross reveals God’s presence.

“Like Moses’ response when God tells him what his mission is – a man in his 70’s on a most wanted list in Egypt, to go back to Egypt to free the Hebrew slaves. Is it the way of madness or is it trust? Whichever it is it doesn’t come naturally: It’s always a deliberate choice, but when we choose to accept this way – this pilgrimage – God is revealed.”

David went on to speak of the three key challenges he believes the Uniting Church is facing today – to love the world as Christ does, to take responsibility for its past, and to be lifelong learners committed to justice and compassion.

“As a church we are invited to love the world the way Christ loves the world – connected and engaged; loving and forgiving. As a church we are invited to take responsibility for our past supporting those who have been hurt and harmed by the church by being a responsible corporate citizen. […] As a church we are invited to be life-long learners, open to new lessons learnt but never shying away from challenging those things in our society that diminish our humanity, compassion or hope.
The Uniting Church has an amazing agenda for social change in Australia through its Statement to the Nation. Many of the values expressed in the statement in 1977 need progressing: Combating poverty, racism, inclusion, participation, giving voice to those that need a voice and wellbeing to mention a few key ones.”

Ultimately, we are a pilgrim people, called to reflect Christ through love, forgiveness, courage, and welcome. As Paul wrote to the Romans, we are to overcome evil with good—revealing Christ to fellow travellers through every step of the journey.
“When we decide on a new mission there is a clear shared vision for helping us find our way, and for welcoming fellow travellers to come with us.”

He concluded with a paraphrase of the Basis of Union:
“We are a pilgrim people,
always on the way towards the promised goal;
on the way, Christ feeds us with word and sacrament,
and we have the gift of the Spirit
in order that we may not lose the way.”
(Adapted from the Basis of Union of the Uniting Church in Australia. Posted on David Beswick’s Worship and Preaching website. https://www.beswick.info/)

Following the sermon, Pastor Lindsay Ginn, Frontier Services Bush Chaplain in the Goldfields, performed a song written as a theme for the Moderator’s term, ‘Pilgrim People’. The congregation were invited to join in with the words shared on the screen.
For his final words of mission David shared the bible passage from Micah 6:8 which is a verse chosen to accompany his theme while he is Moderator.

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.”

As the service concluded the Fijian Choir broke into joyful song as the congregants left the worship space.

Afternoon refreshments and a special traditional ceremony led by the Fijian congregations followed the service to mark the beginning of his ministry to the church as Moderator. The ceremony was reflective of his most recent ministry as Bush Chaplain in the Pilbara where he played a significant role supporting the Hedland Fijian Uniting Church as they officially became a faith community of the Uniting Church WA.

Thanks to all who took part in this special service, and for the hospitality of the Mount Pleasant Uniting Church for hosting.
You can watch the service in full at the Uniting Church WA Youtube channel here.

Article by Wendy Hendry.