Bruce Dean drove us to the Sydney Airport for a 11:45 AM flight to the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast is not on Daylight Savings time, so they appear an hour behind. I love how automated the airports in Australia are. No need for ID, taking shoes off. You check in and print boarding passes AND the luggage tags. Security seems to be "too easy" but I assume that they all know what they are doing.  

Our one hour flight to the Gold Coast is on time and without incident 

We are met by the Ruth Matthews and Ruth Ruth and John Vaughan from the office . So glad to see both Ruths. Ruth Root is the UCG Office Manager and one with whom occasion to communicate with regularly. I also worked with Ruth Root in Church Administration back in Pasadena from 1990-1995. She is a very competent and friendly person who does a fantastic job here in the Gold Coast for the Church.

Also, I was met by Ruth Matthews. Ruth's brother married my sister and we have been in contact over the years tracking with their careers and lives. Ruth was a teenager in our Minneapolis congregation when I first starting attending there in 1965. That was 50 years ago! The four of us went to a restaurant and had a few hours to reminisce about our lives and families. Both Beverly and I enjoyed this very much. Then we drove down the street in Burleigh Heads where the Lukers used to live when they were regional directors in Australia from about 1972 to 1977. They were well-loved and the brethren speak about them to this very day. From here drove to the National Office . All these distances are no more than 15 minutes apart.  

The Church owns the office building since almost the inception of UCG. Ruth Root is the manager as mentioned and she showed me around the offices and facilities. There was a very warm welcoming sign for us along with special goodies including a home-made cheesecake.  

Here are the people we met.


Ruth Root, of course,
Derek Lewis - treasurer and council member
Mihalia Mills - administrative assistant 
Reg and Joan Wright - Editorial review team and letter answering,   
Grant Chick - pastor of Gold Coast
Leah Vaughan - Operation Center Mail 
Geoff Robertson - United News, Beyond Today and graphics (his wife Roxanne was also present)
Mandy Jennings - wife of deacon Scott

We spent a few hours talking and discussing matters of the office that I found most interesting . Ruth showed me how the Beyond Today responses are automatically managed. We discussed finance and outreach and Australian outlooks regarding religion and public service.  

Then Grant Chick drove us about 35 minutes to his home were we had dinner with his wife Kim (Demont) and sons Lawrence, Jonathan and Graemme (who made the cheesecake). The Chick's were at our home during the last General Council of Elders meeting in Cincinnati last May. An evening of enjoyable conversation was had. The Chick's are moving to Perth where Grant will pastor that church and a smaller one and also travel to Singapore and adjacent places to care for our church membership there.  

Then Grant drove us about 20 minutes to Brisbane to the home of Bill and Jenny Bradford. W had a full day, but talked some more before going to bed.  

Tomorrow, we plan to take it easier in this tropical and hot climate. The temperature today topped 94 degrees, but we are told it will cool down a bit for the weekend.