About

My name is Elizabeth Vreugdenhil and I am an ordained Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church in Australia (now retired, sort of), with a Ph.D in Social Work.

On the personal side I am widowed with two daughters and two grandchildren. I married my tall Dutch husband in 1967 and acquired an unpronounceable surname.

I practised social work (my first vocation) for 30 years, in psychiatric and general hospitals and in the Department of Social Security (now Centrelink) followed by many years of teaching at the University of NSW and Flinders University of SA.

Later in life I was ordained as a Minister in the Uniting Church in Australia (my second vocation). I worked as an Aged Care Chaplain and as a Congregational Minister with a particular interest in both children’s ministry and cross-cultural ministry. Now retired, I have worked as an Associate Minister in a local church and am currently involved in the Stillpoint Spirituality Centre with a particular focus on spirituality of ageing, and leading worship services.

The two professions are part of me. Like every minister my previous experience and knowledge informs my practice of ministry. This process can be described as a confluence of fields of knowledge.

Power and Influence in Social Work Practice: the Organizational Context is the title of my Ph.D thesis. I was encouraged at theological college to reflect theologically on my thesis. I came to see that insights from both Ecclesiology and Organization Theory could develop my understanding of the church.

I hope to share some of these insights with you along with other ideas and writings.