By Brendan Rees
Reverend Ray McCluskey has been announced as the new minister for Cranbourne Regional Uniting Church.
Rev McCluskey, who prefers to go by the name Ray, was inducted during a ceremony held on Thursday 17 January. He takes over the reins from outgoing Reverend Ineke Giles.
Ray said he was honoured in his new role and spoke of his excitement to serve the Cranbourne community.
“My style of leadership and ministry I hope is one that is very relational but also consultative,” he said.
“The real growth of the church is going to happen through empowering people and resourcing other people to do ministry.
“They’ve got this incredible outward facing ministry with the Food Truck which engages not only church people but also the wider community.”
Ray was a chaplain at Monash Uniting Church where he says there were 23 different language groups.
“I’m hoping my experience with Monash will stand me in good stead,” he said.
He said he was impressed with the “incredible outward facing ministry” with the Food Truck which “engages not only church people but also the wider community.”
“It’s just wonderful to come into the community and see that happening.”
He completed his ministry training as a mature age adult at Pilgrim Theological College, which is a member college of the University of Divinity.
“I started training when I was 53. I was the administration and marketing manager at a company called Aussie Broadband,” Ray said.
“I saw the call in my life in God to go and serve so I went to my managing director and thought I was mad. I did two years doing lay ministry work. We sold our house and moved up here Pakenham.”
Ray’s vision as the new minister is to foster a relationship with the community – not only with other Christian churches but with other faiths.
“It’s not about trying to go in and do anything different with the Food Truck,” he said. “The Food Truck people have got that well and truly under control. It’s really more about working with the congregation to look at other possibilities and how we might be able to leverage what we’re already doing or what are some new opportunities to be the church in Cranbourne.
