Rev Linda Driver

Rev Linda Driver was inducted at Brougham Place on August 6th 2023. The following is some information about what inspires Linda and a brief narration of Linda’s steps in faith and ministry:

Anyone who knows me, knows I love colour! I believe that one of the big callings on my life is to help people see colour in our world.  I have always been drawn to colour: the flash of green as rainbow lorikeets fly past, the deep ochre reds and violet blues of the outback, the vibrant yellows of sunflowers, rainbows… I look for colour wherever go, and take great delight in helping others see it too.  
When I think of colour, it isn’t just about the colours I see. It’s also a symbol for other things that make this world so wonderful to me: things like love, beauty, wonder and joy. So, I take great delight in helping people recognise the beauty all around us. 
My Christian faith informs the way I see the world.  I believe that I bring a positive perspective, seeing the world as potentially good.  I see potential in everyone and everything.
“God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.” (Gen 1:31 NRSV)
and I am so thankful that God gave us colour!
On the surface that might sound like I’m too positive and perhaps a bit shallow… but I am also someone who deeply feels compassion and empathy for those who experience the world as a dark or colourless place. 

Read on if you’d like to know more about me and my journey so far…

The daughter of migrants from Germany and Slovenia, I have always had a strong faith, having been formed in childhood through the Roman Catholic Church.

In my late teens I became involved in Uniting Technology (UT – who serve the Church community by supporting their activities technically.) This gave me the opportunity to volunteer at major events like National Christian Youth Convention (NCYC) and Kids Camp Out (KCO). I was also invited to join a local Uniting Church bible study group. Involvement with UT and the bible study group were key to my growth as a young disciple and leader. I remember as a young adult being on the tech crew for an Easter camp. I was listening in on an Easter Camp session. Suddenly I had a profound experience of grace where I sensed that God was speaking directly to me, and I had a strong sense of love, forgiveness and acceptance. Around this time I decided to transfer my membership to the Uniting Church, where I felt at home. Through Uniting Technology and that bible study group I got to know Paul. We married in 1988. Later when our children were young, I became actively involved in ministry in my local congregation (Tea Tree Gully Uniting Church), with pre-school children, worship ministry and then eldership.

Volunteering eventually led to a paid position in the Uniting Church SA Synod Office first as an Admin Assistant in the former Children’s Ministry Unit and then as Event Manager, coordinating major events including KCO, SAYCO and Presbytery & Synod meetings.

I then worked for 11 months as an Event Coordinator for Novita Children’s Services, a charity for children living with disabilities. In February 2009 I began a Period of Discernment (PoD) during which I worked with a mentor and began some study and preaching. This was a time to take seriously suggestions from a number of people that I consider ordained ministry.  While I was at Novita, I felt a growing sense of ‘being in exile’. Even though I was still involved in worship ministry at my local congregation, I experienced a profound sense of loss and grief, particularly from the gatherings of the wider church (Presbytery & Synod meetings, KCO and SAYCO). I realised that I had come to love God’s people so much that I didn’t want to be separated from them. I left Novita and joined the administration staff at Uniting College.  When looking back at this time, I journalled how much I love the people of the Uniting Church and how much I had missed them, and that I felt a strong sense of call to serve the wider church. Not long after this, Rev Rob Williams invited me to coordinate worship during his term as Moderator. When he asked me, I felt again an overwhelming sense that this is what I am called to do – serve the wider body of the Uniting Church. In December 2009, after I had preached at a service at Tea Tree Gully Uniting, I felt in my spirit that ‘this is what I am called to do’, as a vocation. That is, I felt called to ordained ministry. This sense of call has not left me since that time.

I completed my PoD and candidated at the end of 2010. As a candidate for the minister of the Word I began the Bachelor of Ministry with the ACD, studying part-time, while also working fulltime at Uniting College. This was a rich time, immersed in the life of the College.

I accepted a call to my first placement at Burnside City Uniting Church serving alongside Rev Matthew Bond in team ministry from May 2014. I continued studying, enjoying this combination of ministry practice and study. I was ordained in February 2017.

Later that year I accepted a call to serve as the Minister of Athelstone Uniting Church from September 2017. My husband, Paul, and I moved into the manse and enjoyed serving the congregation and connecting with the local community. During this time, I completed a Bachelor of Ministry followed by a Graduate Certificate in Ministry with a focus on leadership. In 2023, I was honoured to be named one of the Women of Campbelltown as part of the International Women’s Day celebrations. (Click here to read more.) 
In April 2023, I accepted a call to serve as the Minister here at Brougham Place Uniting Church and was inducted into the placement in August 2023. Paul and I have moved into the manse and are settling in to a new season of ministry here with the congregation at Brougham Place.

You can contact Linda by email – lindad@bpuc.org
or Mobile: 0458 500 656
Her regular day off is Friday.