1935 - 2010
Methodist Church

The NCCA thanks God for the life of the Reverend Peter John Holden.  Peter and his family served the Methodist and the Uniting Church in Australia, as well as fulfilling significant service in many parts of the Church overseas.

Peter was ordained in 1963 as a minister in the Methodist Church.

Among the many positions that Peter held he was from 1977-1982, the Executive Officer of the South Australian Council of Churches; from 1986-1993 he was the Director of the Australian Council of Churches' Commission on World Christian Action; and was the founding Executive Secretary of the Ecumenical Coalition on Third World Tourism (1993-1998).  Upon his retirement he took up the position of pastor of the Jakarta Community Church of the Protestant Church of Western Indonesia.

In Australia and overseas, Peter was devoted to working with a wide range of ecumenical and denominational committees.

Peter studied and worked in the USA between 1966 and 1970.  In later years he reflected that those formative years under the significant social changes and questions of the time taught him, "to reflect theologically and act responsibly in the face of uncertainty, and to seek the hope of the gospel when everything seemed up for grabs.  ...  More than any other single factor, these experiences shaped my personal development and my ministry."

We give thanks to God, and remember with gratitude the service the church has enjoyed.

May God continue to bless Peter's family and friends.