Golden anniversary in the ministry

by Nick Rowe
Uniting Church minister Robyn Schaefer of Neerim South has marked 50 years as an ordained minister and a significant milestone in the history of women's ordination in Australia.
A service at Morwell Uniting Church on November 23 marked the milestone, attended by congregation members, friends, family and colleagues.
Dr Schaefer was ordained in 1974 at age 20, making her one of the youngest ministers ordained in Australia. More significantly, she was the third woman to study theology in her denomination and the first minister to request maternity leave.
"There were two women ahead of me, and they sort of broke the ground," Dr Schaefer said. "But I was the first to request maternity leave - and there was no policy in the church regulations for that."
Her path to ordination required determination. At 19, she applied to theological college but was told to come back when she was older. At 20, she went to extraordinary lengths to remain in the memory of those selecting the intake.
Dr Schaefer made the trip to Narre Warren on a wet evening to present her case to the Dean of Theology in person. "I thought, I'm not going to just put a bit of paper in. I found out where the Dean lived and I thought I'm going to drive out to his farm and land on his doorstep."
With broken windscreen wipers and driving rain, Dr Schaefer's bedraggled appearance gained sympathy from the Dean's wife who helped her towel off her hair by the fire before they discussed the application. Dr Schaefer was accepted.
She completed her Bachelor of Theology at Churches of Christ Theological College, and later a Masters in Theology and a PhD in Social Science focusing on feminist theology.
Her first parish was North Perth. When she asked why they wanted her, their response was honest: "We're desperate and you're available."
The North Perth congregation proved supportive despite opposition from surrounding churches. "That congregation was terrific. Honestly, they were some of the best people I've ever met in my life."
She met her husband-to-be Johannes in Perth when she parked in his reserved bay at the Sheraton Hotel where he was catering manager. Weeks later she discovered he was one of her congregation.
After three years in Perth, Dr Schaefer returned to Melbourne to work at North Essendon Church of Christ for 10 years.
When the couple moved to Gippsland, Dr Schaefer planned to finish her masters thesis without parish work. However, the Neerim South minister had left, and the congregation asked her to fill in.
The church was a co-operating parish, half Uniting and half Anglican. The Anglican Church was debating women's ordination, while the Uniting Church had been ordaining women for years.
She came home from shopping one day to find Johannes having afternoon tea with the Bishop of Gippsland and the Presbyterian Minister. They asked her to fill in. What was meant to be three months became eight and a half years serving the Warragul Parish, which included Drouin and surrounding areas.
Dr Schaefer's service continued at Morwell for about eight years, followed by six years at Fitzroy Uniting Church. While at Morwell, she also lectured in social science at Monash Gippsland.
At Monash, Dr Schaefer helped introduce the DOTS program, which gave students who didn't meet the required entrance score conditional admission if they could prove potential. She also helped create a drop-in centre for disadvantaged young people.
For the past 10 years, Dr Schaefer has worked as a "floater" in the ministry, filling in at churches throughout Gippsland from Garfield to Inverloch. She returned to Morwell six years ago.
The Morwell congregation runs a food bank, op shop, drop-in centre and hosts a men's shed. The church is working on a project to provide emergency housing with 13 new buildings in the planning.
Dr Schaefer describes her role differently to traditional expectations. "My job has been not to Bible bash, but to help people find their own spiritual path," she said.
She prefers not to use the term "preach" because of its browbeating connotations.
Helping people through grief was the most difficult part of ministry, Dr Schaefer said. "It's been my privilege to be in people's lives at the most telling moments. But it doesn't ever get any easier."
She has conducted funerals for several family members, including her mother last year. Her mother was 97 and requested her daughter conduct the service.
Over 50 years, Dr Schaefer has witnessed significant changes in how church and society interact. She was involved in the Movement for the Ordination of Women, a cross-denominational effort to promote the ordination of women.
When same-sex marriage was legalised, Dr Schaefer was frustrated by media coverage that painted all churches as opposed. When the Uniting Church carried Motion 84, officially stating it would not discriminate against LGBTQ clergy, some conservative members left.
Dr Schaefer doesn't plan to retire any time soon.
Asked what advice she would give to someone considering ministry, Dr Schaefer emphasised authenticity. A colleague once told her about having a breakdown because he couldn't be himself. After recovering, he told his church he had to be authentic or he wouldn't return.
"That was a lesson to me. Otherwise you end up crashing like he did."
She titled her PhD thesis "Rock of Ages Cleft for Me" – referring to how solidified church traditions had sometimes caused a cleft within the self.
"It's one of those jobs where it's taken my whole self," she said. "You're a musician, you're a counsellor, you're a builder. I can be creative."