Month: November 2014

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Social Impact

Uniting Church Minister explains why he protests

Anti-coal activists at the controversial open-cut coal mine at Maules Creek, near Narrabri, are at times surprised to find themselves accompanied by a Uniting Church Minister. Rev John Brentnall joined a blockade for the third time on 26 November, together with three Buddhists and another Christian, this time at the gate of a coal processing plant in Gunnedah. On a previous occasion he was arrested.

Why would a Christian Minister work in such unlikely ways? John explains: “Like many other Christians, I interpret the word ‘neighbour’ to include not just the people who live next door but all of humanity. Not just the ones who are alive now, but the ones in the generations to follow. I also include all living creatures.”

John cites the various objectionable impacts of the coal mine. He is concerned about the health impacts of toxic dust; the mine’s heavy use of water in a drought-prone agricultural area; the destruction of the last remaining intact Box Gum grassy woodland, habitat for dozens of endangered species; and the destruction of various sacred sites of Gomeroi Traditional Custodians.

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News & Announcements

Church women say “Love Makes a Way!”

Eleven female church leaders were arrested at the electoral office of WA Senator Michaelia Cash, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Women and Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection on Monday 24 November.

The women refused to leave the office until Senator Cash committed to a date when all 726 children in Immigration Detention Centres will be released. The women did not disrupt the business of the office, engaging in quiet prayer.  This sit-in was part of the Love Makes a Way movement which has seen more than 100 Christian leaders arrested this year.

Churches and their agencies in WA have offered to accommodate and support children and families in the community while their claims are being processed. This offer was rejected by the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection.

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Stories & Feature Articles

Seeking God’s shalom for the world

For followers of Jesus, when it comes to speaking up for the rights of the marginalised, our voice should be as bankable as the presence of dreadlocks and bongo drums at a G8 rally. Proverbs 31:8-10, Psalm  82:3, Isaiah, 1:17 and Luke 4:18-19 are just some of the Bible verses that make our responsibility clear. However, in my opinion, it is not the verses that are compelling, so much as the vision for life that lies  behind them.

Old Testament theologian Walter Brueggemann suggests that in the pages of the Hebrew scriptures we see God’s chosen people, the Israelites, constantly faced with ‘either or’ decisions. In other words, they  can live according to the standards and values of the world around them or they can live according to God’s alternative reality – life with God at the centre where justice, humility and mercy are valued. This alternative vision for life finds its full expression in the person of Jesus. He demonstrates what life to the full looks like; life with God at the centre which he invites us to join in. This is the crux of the  Gospel. American theologian, Ron Sider says, “The vast majority of New Testament scholars today, whether evangelical or liberal, agree that the central aspect of Jesus’ teaching was the Gospel of the  kingdom of God.”

We don’t talk about kingdoms much these days, so the term can lack meaning, but the concept is pretty straight forward. A kingdom literally means a ‘king’s domain’ – it’s where the king’s values, attitudes  and ways of doing things hold sway. So what does God’s domain look like? The short answer to that question is, shalom.

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Social Impact

Manea College a sea of purple

Students from Manea Senior College in Bunbury rallied together on Wear it Purple Day to support sexually diverse peers and raise money for UnitingCare West’s True Colours program. Wear it Purple Day  was held on Friday 29 August, building awareness around issues that many young sexually diverse people might face.

The College became a sea of purple as students were invited to dress up for the occasion. They also held a presentation at lunchtime including information on the concept behind the event, performances, a  best dressed competition and berry smoothies made by the college’s Health Committee throughout the day.

Lauren Baxter, youth worker at the college, said that the year 12 Student Executive Team wanted to be proactive on the issue and run the event to highlight to the community that they offer an inclusive  environment.

“It was student led and it just makes it more relevant to the students,” Lauren said. “We’re aware that there are going to be students that are sexually diverse and we want the students to know that we are  supportive and there are services in Bunbury that they can go to.”

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Social Impact

Update: 5 Christian leaders arrested at MP Kevin Andrew’s office in Doncaster after prayer sit-in

Advocates for children suffering in detention have been arrested after sitting in the office of MP Kevin Andrews to request the release of all children and families from immigration detention.

Five church leaders have been arrested after a prayer sit-in in at Cabinet Minister for Social Services Kevin Andrews’ electorate office. The group were requesting a timetabled commitment for the release of all children and families from immigration detention centres.  They asked that Kevin Andrews become a public champion for the immediate release of children and families. Despite an invitation to respond to their message, Kevin chose to remain silent and decided to arrest the church leaders and close his office early today at 3pm.

Those arrested included local clergy and Christians from different denominations. One of those arrested, former disability nurse Leonnie Wickenden had this to say about her participation in today’s action: “I’m here today because the evidence of over 15 years of bipartisan asylum seeker policies, show us that vulnerable children continue to be put at immeasurable and unacceptable risk of life-long developmental disruption. Having over 20 years of service to people with disability, my faith determines that we owe children immediate freedom from detention so they can thrive in all aspects of their development, away from the bars of hopelessness and despair.”

The group made this request of Kevin Andrews because he is both a Cabinet member and a vocal public advocate for children’s welfare.

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Social Impact

Christian leaders hold prayer sit-in inside Kevin Andrews’ Doncaster office

Advocates for children suffering in immigration detention intend to stay until they have a timetabled commitment from the Government for all children and families to be released.

5 Christian leaders are right now holding a prayer sit-in inside current Minister for Social Services and former Minister for Immigration Kevin Andrew’s Melbourne electoral office calling on the Federal Government for the immediate release of all children and families from immigration detention centres.

The group, comprised of church leaders from Pentecostal, Church of Christ and Uniting Church backgrounds entered Kevin Andrew’s office at 11am and say they intend to remain there until they get a timetabled commitment for the release of all children and their families.

The group is making this request of Kevin because he is both a Cabinet member and a vocal public advocate for children’s welfare. In his recent address for National Child Protection Week, Kevin said that “child protection is a unifying issue in a place where we are so often divided. It’s one of those things that should be bigger than the to-and-fro of partisan politics.”

Speaking of the governmental “duty to protect,” he stated, “At the end of the day, the best interests of the child must always be pre-eminent and paramount. There should never be ambiguity on this question.”

However Kevin Andrews has been silent regarding the harmful effects of the detention of asylum seeker children.

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News & Announcements

Juniper adds a new dimension to spiritual care

Juniper has long had a commitment to providing pastoral support to our residents, clients and staff expressed through Uniting Church Chaplains and arrangements with Uniting Church congregations.
In recent years Juniper has observed the huge increase in diversity in belief systems and spirituality within the Australian community and among their residents, clients and staff.

In light of these changes, Juniper has recently committed more resources to a new dimension of spiritual care by creating a new Pastoral and Spiritual Care Team to respond to the variety of pastoral and spiritual needs of its people.

The team has recently been appointed and comes together with skills, training and experience in chaplaincy, pastoral care and aged care and from different Christian denominational backgrounds.

They work across 17 of Juniper’s residential facilities in Perth and Northam providing one-on-one support for the different expressions of spirituality and spiritual journey amongst the residents and staff.

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News & Announcements

Juniper salutes Senior Champion of the Year

A woman’s efforts to improve the lives of older Aboriginal people in the State’s far north have secured her WA’s premier seniors award.

Leading aged care and community service provider Juniper congratulated Ms Maureen Angus (62) who won the Juniper 2014 WA Seniors Champion Award on 8 November.

Maureen was elevated from a strong field of several category winners who in this year’s WA Seniors Awards were acknowledged for their service to older people.

From personal experience receiving at-home care Ms Angus knew others in her town could benefit from help, so she established a local community care service at Ardyaloon, a community of about 300 people located 2,446km from Perth on the tip of the Dampier Peninsula.

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Mustard Seed expanding knowledge

Mustard Seed, at Glen Forrest Uniting Church, is a program offering computer classes for people in the local community. A reference to the Biblical mustard seed, the program is all about big things growing  from the small. Five sessions are run each week during school terms helping people learn more about tablets – such as iPads – iMac, Windows, printing and scanning as well as assisting with any questions or  troubleshooting people might be experiencing with their computers.

Running since 2001, Brian Hassell, coordinator of Mustard Seed, said that they are one of the most well-equipped computer learning centres in the region. Operating out of the back room at Glen Forrest  Uniting Church, they have 22 computers available for use, including laptops and desktops as well as a digital projector, tablet computers, scanners, still and movie cameras, an audio recorder and a CD/DVD  copier.

The building is also equipped with wireless internet for people who bring their own devices. Each session costs $3 a person and the program has been fortunate enough to receive grants from the Uniting Church in WA and the Mundaring Shire. It has been an extremely popular program, mostly with retirees in the area, attracting over 90 enrolments each year and a waiting list of people trying to get into  the classes.

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Moderator’s Column: Listen with the ears of God

It has happened. The deed is done. No going back. On Thursday 11 September, by the grace of God, the leading of the Spirit and the goodwill of the Uniting Church in WA, I became the moderator. One of the  questions I have been frequently asked over the past few months is what a moderator actually does.

In starting out, one of the things that I am trying most to do is to listen and I am even trying to listen deeply. Listening is often the first step in the healing process. Listening to words, listening to sighs,  listening to heartbeats and heartbreaks are part of the art of listening. Listening to tone and to tenor as well as to what is said and not said. Being a disciple means to listen without judgement and prejudice.  Listening attentively is one of the most powerful ways to connect with another human being. When we listen to the deepest hurts and hopes of another, we affirm his or her very personhood.

Jesus was the best listener of all. He often listened to others before doing much talking himself. We see this after his resurrection when two of his followers were walking and talking on the road to the village of  Emmaus. Jesus “came up and walked along with them” (Luke 24 v 15). Luke then adds “they were kept from recognising him” (v16). Finally, Jesus joins the conversation without them recognising who  he was. He listened to the two travellers, but they didn’t seem to listen to him.

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