Rev. Gregor Sutherland Henderson AM is an ordained Christian minister of the Uniting Church in Australia. For 12 years he was the General Secretary of the UCA's National Assembly and was the President of the National Assembly for three years 2006-2009.[1][2]
Ordained service
editHenderson was ordained in 1971 and served in the parishes of Shepparton North (1971–1975), Wodonga (1975–1982) and Hobart City (1983–1988). He then served for 12 years as General Secretary of the UCA's National Assembly, from January 1989 to December 2000. During 2001–2003 he was executive director of the Clergy Exchange International Foundation. In February 2004, Henderson then became minister at Wesley Uniting Church, in Forrest, Australian Capital Territory, in inner suburban Canberra.
National Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia
editHenderson was the General Secretary of the Assembly for 12 years from 1989 to 2000.[3]
For the three years from July 2006 to July 2009 Henderson served as national President of the Uniting Church in Australia, while remaining also part-time at Wesley before returning to full-time ministry in July 2009. During his presidency, he traveled extensively, nationally and internationally.[3]
Ecumenical and organisational involvement
editHenderson was a member of the World Council of Churches Central Committee from 1998 until 2013, served on committees and assemblies of the Christian Conference of Asia, has been heavily involved in the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) since its establishment in 1994, and has visited many of the Uniting Church’s overseas partner churches in Asia and the Pacific.[3]
Henderson has ongoing involvement with Frontier Services, the Uniting Church’s outback ministry agency, of which he was chairperson for several years; and with Act for Peace, the international aid agency of the NCCA. He is currently[when?] chair of the Board of the John Flynn Foundation.
Personal life
editHenderson’s wife, Alison, died after a short illness in 2007. They have three daughters.
Political life
editHenderson is currently[when?] involved with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. His activities include approaching local businesses and requesting them to stop selling Israeli-made goods.[4]
Honours
editAt the 2015 Australia Day Honours, Henderson was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the community through executive and ministerial roles in the Uniting Church in Australia, and through interfaith initiatives.[5]
Publications
editHenderson has published various works,[6] including:
- Jesus, man at the centre (1976)
- Divine detection, discovering God's will (1988)
References
edit- ^ Wesley Uniting Church – ministers Archived 2010-05-21 at the Wayback Machine, accessed 15 May 2010
- ^ About the Uniting Church in Australia Archived 2011-11-20 at the Wayback Machine, UCA National Assembly website, accessed 15 May 2010
- ^ a b c "Rev. Gregor Henderson Closure of Ministry". Uniting Church in Australia Assembly. 29 November 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "Australian Christians call for boycott of goods made in Israeli settlements". Revive Magazine. Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Western Australia. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "Member (AM) of the Order of Australia in the General Division" (PDF). Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia. 26 January 2015. p. 42. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
- ^ Gregor Henderson, National Library of Australia catalogue, accessed 15 May 2010