That the Assembly:

23.1 affirm the essential Christian education functions of the Assembly as stated within the distinctive responsibilities and lead roles of the Assembly;
[ note: see proposal XX]

23.2 Towards a Christian education mind-set and encouraging inter-agency collaboration:

(a) request every presbytery to establish a working group for Christian education;

(b) request presbyteries to advise Uniting Education of their Education Working Group contact persons by 30April, 2001;

(c) request Uniting Education, in collaboration with synods' Christian education agencies, to develop model 'Terms of Reference' for a Presbytery Christian Education Working Group, that will encourage relevant, faithful and competent Christian education in congregations;

(d) distribute the model 'Terms of Reference' to every presbytery to assist presbyteries in the construction of suitable terms of reference relevant to each presbytery's setting and situation, as well as to assist in recruiting appropriate persons to the Working Group;

(e) request synods and presbyteries to send representatives to a national consultation on Christian education directions and strategies in the Uniting Church - 2002 to 2007.

23.3 Towards a strengthened and active Uniting Church Christian education ministry:

(a) recommend to all presbyteries that they assist their congregations to undertake an intentional Christian education program during the next triennium, addressing the theological understandings of the Uniting Church within the reformed and evangelical traditions of the Church;

(b) recommend to congregations the following resources as suitable programs for consideration in fulfilment of the (above) proposal:
· Disciple - available from MediaCom Education;
· The Belonging Kit - available from Uniting Education and Rainbow Books;
· Kerygma - The Bible in Depth - available from Rainbow Books;

(c) recommend to the congregations, presbyteries and synods of the Uniting Church the Seasons of the Spirit curriculum as suitable to the ethos and needs of the Uniting Church in Australia;
(Note: This curriculum is available to Uniting Churches for use from Advent 2002. Uniting Education, at the invitation of MediaCom Associates, has participated in the development of the framework for this curriculum, and has been granted Endorser Status by the Seasons of the Spirit publications group.)

23.4 with regard to publishing:
request the Finance Committee to:
(a) establish a three year budget to secure funding adequate to the publishing needs of the Uniting Church as a whole;

(b) raise from sources other than annual synod contributions funds to support worthy Christian education publications for which there is an established need, but insufficient "essential publication" funding available.

23.5 with regard to education:

(a) welcome the establishment of the Federal Education Policy Working Group within Uniting Education;

(ii) refer the question of funding for the work of the Federal Education Policy Working Group (approximately $10,000 per year) to the Management Advisory Group, the Finance Committee and the Standing Committee for consideration within the Assembly budget-setting processes.

Rationale:
See report C26.