Ministry Team

Pastor

Matthew Brooks-Lloyd

Our pastor is Rev. Matthew Brooks-Lloyd (on right) who joined UCRC in 2023. He is married to Cathy and has 3 children.

Elders

Our elders (together named ‘Session’) are ultimately responsible for the spiritual oversight and governance of the church and caring for members. The pastor is ultimately accountable to this leadership team. Our elders are as follows:

  • Patrick Fabian


    Patrick and his wife Sarah have 2 children, James and Lucinda. He grew up in Ulverstone before moving away to study and start work. Since 2014, Patrick and Sarah have lived in Ulverstone and been a member of UCRC. He is currently a teacher and member of the leadership team at a local Christian school, having worked in several independent schools across Tasmania for ten years. He enjoys spending time playing with his children, taking them to sport, and volunteers as part of Bible Society Australia. Patrick is excited about growing the church to be able to serve others and reach out to the community and share the gospel with others.

  • Ben Vandenberg


    Ben and his wife Yolande have 2 children, Michael and Elizabeth, and one dog, Sasha. He has lived in Ulverstone and been a member of UCRC since 2014 when he moved from Melbourne. He is a qualified surveyor and carpenter and works at de Jong and Sons Construction as a carpenter/foreman. Ben spends his free time mountain bike riding, coaching and watching soccer and camping with family and friends. He is excited about the future growth of UCRC in welcoming new people and families into the church community and excited about God and the plan he has for UCRC and wider community.

  • Geoff Davis


    Geoff Davis is an elder at UCRC. He and his wife Katie have 4 boys - Geb, Roscoe, Cormac and Boaz. Geoff and Katie have been fellowshipping at UCRC since 2014. Geoff grew up in a Baptist church in Brisbane. In the 2000s, he was involved in a church plant in Latrobe and Ulverstone, affiliated with The Crowded House (UK). Geoff is currently a teacher and assistant principal at Penguin District School. He likes to keep active and can often be found working out at the local gym, playing basketball or soccer, and do a bit of coaching. Geoff believes that our Connect small groups are vitally important for us as we do life together learning more about knowing Jesus.

  • Hendrick Smit


    Hennie is an elder at UCRC and is married to Susan. They have 3 children. He has lived in the Ulverstone community for the last three years and UCRC has been his spiritual home during this time. Hennie is currently working at North West Regional Hospital as a Medical Physicist in Oncology. His pastimes include cycling, golf, tennis and woodworking. Hennie loves to see people connecting around the Word of God.

Deacons

Our deacons are chosen by the church to serve the community and empower the church to help congregations to serve. Our deacons are as follows:

  • Elly de Jong

    Elly is ….

  • Christine de Ruyter

    Christine is ….

  • Levina Hext


    Levina has been a member of the UCRC for 63 years and has always been actively involved in church life. She is married to Steve and they have four adult children and are proud grandparents of six grandchildren. Levina’s paid employment has always been in serving others as she believes strongly that through serving others, she is able to share God’s love and mercy. Enjoying retirement has made her busier than ever, but she still is involved in the local community as a volunteer with different organisations and active in church life.