Month: March 2015

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Stories & Feature Articles

How Jesus failed: Truth from the mouths of enemies

‘Let’s go back in time and listen to the voices who mocked Jesus. Hard though it is, let’s hear what they said against him and  uncover what it actually means.

Political failure

“Are you the King of the Jews?” asked Pontius Pilate. Did he really want to know, or was he hurling out one of those sick  jokes that come up among soldiers? He could not see a man with an army. His followers, all disappeared by now, are all  ordinary folks and broken people. Is he going to rule the world with that lot?

Pilate thinks a king would gather to himself  unanswerable power, but Jesus does not really give him much of an answer. Political failure? Today, the lasting truth is that  Pilate is gone and the risen Jesus rules billions of souls.

We broken souls have been the bearers of the news of real enduring glory.

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Categories
Stories & Feature Articles

NYALC: Coming home

When I arrived at the National Young Adult Leaders’ Conference (NYALC) I knew one person… vaguely. We’d exchanged  one or two tired words on our 5.00am flight from Perth. In total, this was my 2nd Uniting Church event. I didn’t know what to expect and new social situations usually make me feel gross.

I hate ‘icebreakers’, but found myself feeling easier by proxy: there was an atmosphere that really did break the ice. I didn’t  want to come with reservations, but I was also excited because of where I’d come from and what I was looking to find. I’m  from a different denomination. My mate Richard Telfer, First Third specialist for the Uniting Church in WA, was at a Love  Makes a Way action and said I could go in his place. I had to call him and ask what ‘Presbytery’ and ‘Synod’ meant for the  application form as they are words we don’t have in my church.

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News & Announcements

UnitingCare Australia responds to the Intergenerational Report

“Today’s release of the Intergenerational Report (IGR) provides an opportunity for us to think about the policy decisions we face. It should focus us on ensuring all Australians can participate and contribute,” said Lin Hatfield Dodds, National Director of UnitingCare Australia.

“The forecasts in the report don’t tell us the future, but they do give us a sense of the significant demographic shifts that are likely to occur. The IGR provides an opportunity for us to make plans now, to ensure we have a reliable safety net and can provide opportunities for people in the future.”

“A strong safety net should not be seen as a barrier to a good future, but as a central plank for a good society now and in the years ahead.”

“With government currently spending more than it collects in revenue it is clear that some changes are needed. We should be giving less government assistance to people who don’t need it and more assistance to those who do.”

“Reform to superannuation will also be important to secure the government’s long-term revenue stream and ensure retired Australians can meet the costs of their ageing.”

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Categories
News & Announcements

YouthCARE award for dedicated couple

Moderator of the Uniting Church in WA, Rev Steve Francis, and his wife, Kim, recently received a special YouthCARE Award.  It was presented by the Shenton Christian Council in recognition of fifteen years involvement in teaching Christian Religious Education (CRE) at Nedlands Primary School.

The CEO of YouthCARE, Stanley Jeyaraj, presented the award, noting the long history of religious education in public schools. In 1893 an Act was passed in the WA Parliament for the administration and delivery of what was then called Special  Religious Instruction (SRI), predominately provided in those early years by ministers and priests. By the early 1970’s the Churches Commission on Education (CCE) was established, with the sole purpose of providing Scripture in public schools.

By the 1990s, the CCE included pastoral care in its mission which led to the adoption of ‘YouthCARE’ as its trading name and  the beginning of chaplaincy in schools. The huge growth of chaplaincy has perhaps overshadowed the ongoing need to  continue the ministry of Christian education in primary schools.

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