Month: April 2015

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News & Announcements

Introduction of No-Fault Insurance applauded by disability sector

National Disability Services (WA), representing more than 100 disability service organisations including Good Samaritan Industries (GSI), applauds the State Government on reports that a No-Fault Insurance Scheme will be included in the upcoming 2015 State Budget. GSI is an agency of the Uniting Church in WA.

NDS has campaigned strongly for a fairer insurance scheme in WA which will cover all people catastrophically injured in a vehicle accident regardless of who is at fault.

According to Insurance Commission of WA figures, an average of 92 people are catastrophically injured on WA roads each year, including 44 people who are deemed ‘not compensable’ because no one is to blame for their accident.

The decision to implement a No-Fault Insurance scheme will ensure those 44 people are compensated for the cost of their lifelong care, bringing WA into line with the rest of Australia and correcting the serious injustice where those with catastrophic injury are divided into two camps: compensable and not compensable.

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News & Announcements

Filling a need in Gingin

There are many benefits in living in the country, but at Gingin Uniting Church, we have become aware of a looming major community problem: Alzheimer’s and a lack of services and carer  support. After some input from Rev Dr Bill Jenkins at our 5th Sunday combined churches service, we decided to take it further and offer a full-day free seminar run by Alzheimer’s Australia  WA, as a community service activity. Bill is a Uniting Church minister and a psychologist who has conducted research into dementia.

There was much interest and thanks before the event, and leading up to it we have discovered several community members who have both training and/or experience with Alzheimer’s care, as  well as families already struggling to cope.

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News & Announcements

KCO: The journey

Darren, from GKI Perth Uniting Church (Indonesian), shows off his boat, made at KCO.

This year’s Kids’ Camp Out (KCO) was all about the ‘Journey’. Held over the weekend of 14–15 March at Advent Park in Maida Vale, even the rain couldn’t stop these campers, junior leaders  and camp leaders enjoying food, friendship, craft, games, storytelling, music and dancing; all while reflecting on their journey with God.

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News & Announcements

Uniting Church in Australia calls for an immediate moratorium on offshore transfers

The Uniting Church in Australia is one of more than 100 Australian organisations calling for an immediate moratorium on transfers to immigration detention facilities on Nauru and Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.

The call by churches, human rights groups, aid agencies, faith-based organisations and others follows the case of a five year-old girl who attempted to commit suicide after an extended period of detention on Nauru.

“The plight of this poor young girl is a tragic example of the damage the Australian Government is doing by sending asylum seekers into such unsafe, harsh environments,” said Rev Elenie Poulos, national director of UnitingJustice Australia.

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News & Announcements

Juniper reveals future retirement lifestyles in Menora

Innovative contemporary living is a hallmark of Juniper’s newest retirement living community which was officially opened in Menora on Thursday 23 April.

Chief Executive Vaughan Harding said the Juniper Elimatta Retirement Living project demonstrates the organisation’s forward thinking response to meeting the needs of older Western Australians.

“Juniper Elimatta Retirement Living successfully promotes apartments for life and ‘ageing in place’ – a concept where housing and community design enable residents to live and enjoy their home for as long as possible,” Vaughan said.

“The project demonstrates the best in retirement housing where residents enjoy independence as well as companionship, wellbeing and security that come from community living.”

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News & Announcements

Welcome Rev Dr Apwee Ting

The Assembly Standing Committee has approved the appointment of Rev Dr Apwee Ting as the new National Director of Multicultural and Cross Cultural Ministry.

Rev Dr Ting is a Minister of the Word at Dandenong Uniting Church in Victoria, in one of Australia’s most culturally diverse and multifaith communities. He is a former Chairperson of the UCA’s Indonesian National Conference, as well as a former Chair (2006-2009) and current member of the Assembly’s National Reference Committee for Multicultural and Cross Cultural Ministry, with the specified role of liaison with the Assembly’s Relations with other Faiths Working Group.

Rev Dr Ting completed his PhD in 2005 at STTIP Jakarta (Sekolah Tinggi Teologi International Philadelphia) with an examination of the topic ‘Cross Cultural Ministry is the fulfilment of missional mandate in the areas of Church Unity and Growth’ from theological and ministerial perspectives.

“I strongly feel the hands of God, friends and communities supporting and encouraging me to take this important role. I feel so grateful and humbled by this opportunity and will give myself as a servant to all,” said Rev Dr Ting. 

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News & Announcements

Creating vision at the Crossroads

Wanneroo Crossways Uniting Church lies close to a major crossing of roads. The congregation has also been at something of a crossroads in its life over the last year. Quietly urged on by  members, it has now completed a planning process which has been suitably labelled ‘Towards a 2020 Vision’. The crux of the action was led by Rev David Kriel, mission planner at the Uniting  Church WA.

Members are now focussing on the set goals and are in the process of setting in place suitable actions and time-lines, as well as calling members to serve Christ and the gospel with the skills.

May the Holy Spirit grant Crossways the strength, guidance and wisdom to enable their reach to be bigger than our grasp.

Gemmel Sherwood

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News & Announcements

Uniting Church in WA calls for an end to three strikes mandatory sentencing

The Uniting Church in Western Australia and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) WA hold grave concern over the impacts that proposed changes to the Criminal Law Amendment (Home Burglary and Other Offences) Bill 2014 currently before the Western Australian parliament will have on young Aboriginal people.

Chair of the UAICC WA, Rev Sealin Garlett said, “We work every day to give our people, especially our young people, the best opportunities to reach their potential. Locking them up is not going to help. We need the Government to help us reduce the number of Aboriginal people in jail, not increase it with these hard-line mandatory sentencing laws. We invite the Government to sit down with us to discuss the best ways to address some of the challenges facing our communities.”

Moderator of the Uniting Church in WA, Rev Steve Francis questioned the effectiveness of mandatory sentencing laws in contributing towards the long-term safety of the Western Australian community.

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Education & Training

Summer Spirit: Growing in discipleship

Craig Mitchell’s workshop at Summer Spirit in February was both inspirational and entertaining. Craig is the national director of Formation, Education and Discipleship for the Uniting Church  in Australia.

His two sessions looked at congregations as learning communities and mission-shaped discipleship. Effective ministry leadership was about building relationships both within the congregation  and in the larger community. Examples of how to do this were shown in video clips from a Formation, Education and Discipleship (FED) study: Creative thinking was necessary even when it  challenged people’s comfort zones. I liked the example given of a minister who shook up his Church Council meeting by hiring a bus and taking them all to dinner in a city restaurant. They had a  bird’s eye view of the casino carpark and the minister challenged them to think about how to get the church carpark just as full.

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Education & Training

Developing assets for a brighter future

Training for the 40 Developmental Assets in a congregational setting will once again be taking place in Perth. The First Third team present this valuable training, which will help people  understand the qualities that young people need to grow into caring, responsible and productive adults. Researched by the Search Institute and released in 1990, the 40 Developmental Assets  is changing the way people work with and relate to young people around the globe. This research is regularly being extended and deepened to stay trustworthy and current.

The assets outline a range of qualities that will help young people as they develop, such as support, empowerment, boundaries and expectations, time management, commitment, positive  values, social competencies and positive identity. Leading the training will be Rick Morrell, First Third Ministry co-ordinator of the Uniting Church WA and Rick Pekan, young adult and small  group coordinator at Nedlands Uniting Church. Both are experienced leaders and  trainers in the ‘Asset’ approach.

Rick Morrell believes that the training will be immediately accessible by those who are present.

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