Month: May 2017

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Stories & Feature Articles

Are they home yet? 20 years of Bringing Them Home

On Saturday 15 October 2016, speaking over the sound of a grumpy portable generator, I stood on the worn and creaking floorboards of the Mogumber mission church, reading a letter. It was a statement of support on behalf of the Uniting Church WA, to the people assembled that day. It was a difficult letter to read aloud.

The words of the letter are fairly simple, but they spoke some truth, pointed to justice and, for those present, brought a little bit of healing.

Mogumber, or what was previously known as the Moore River Native Settlement, became part of Methodist Mission in 1951, when the government handed over control of the site, until 1974 when it reverted to the Aboriginal Lands Trust.

For the people who came to Mogumber mission on that sunny October day last year, there were many mixed emotions. Some of those present had originally been taken there without choice, and in that event they lost their families, language, culture and country. Others were Uniting Church members who had faithfully served or worked there as part of their Christian service.

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News & Announcements

Sorry Day: learning form culture and deepening faith

Sorry Day is a time to mend relationships and acknowledge hurts. Sorry Day is held annually on 26 May to remember and commemorate the mistreatment of Australia’s Indigenous people.

It is an important moment, to remind ourselves of the importance of building respectful and honest relationships. For myself, as a member of the Second Peoples of Australia, Sorry Day is also a  day to remind myself of the importance of learning from the First Peoples of this continent and its islands. There is much we can learn about relationships with others, about living in Australia, and about faith in God.

In February, I commenced in the role of director of Education and Formation for the Uniting Church WA. A large part of my brief is to encourage the people of the church, and especially the lay  leaders, lay preachers, pastors, and ministers of the church, to commit to being lifelong learners. And there are many ways that we can learn: through reading, attending seminars, enrolling in  courses, serving people in need, reflecting on experiences you have had or working with people who come from cultures or backgrounds which are different from our own.

Learning is something that we can always undertake. As we deepen in our relationships with the First Peoples, we can learn much. Our land is greatly blessed by the long and faithful heritage of  these people. For millennia, across this continent, and in the adjacent islands, the First Peoples have cared for the land, nurtured their law, and showed resilience. They are gracious enough now to  seek continued relationship with those of us whose forbears have invaded, colonised, and decimated their lifestyle.

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News & Announcements

Give refugees a fair go

The President of the Uniting Church in Australia Stuart McMillan has condemned as ‘inflammatory’ and ‘deplorable’ comments made by Federal Immigration Minister Peter Dutton.

Peter Dutton has described the 7,500 asylum seekers living in Australia as ‘fake refugees’ and given them until 1 October to formally apply for protection or face deportation.

“The Minister is playing politics with people’s lives,” said Stuart.

“It is incredibly cruel and unfair to expect these vulnerable people to undergo this process in a limited time frame with limited access to legal assistance.”

“This arbitrary deadline will push already overwhelmed legal services to the limit, forcing many to apply without any legal representation or the support of an interpreter.”

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Stories & Feature Articles

Review: The Art of Interfaith Spiritual Care: Integration of Spirituality in Health Care Regardless of Religion or Beliefs, by Walter Blair Stratford

Walter Stratford explores spirituality as a common thread across all religions. As a retired Uniting Church Minister, he experienced how creedal boundaries tend to exclude, but discovered as a hospital chaplain and ecumenist, ways to breach these boundaries for spiritual care to be provided to those from different faiths and cultures. Spirituality, which he considers cannot be easily  defined, derives from our being deeply connected to and dependent on the natural world. He considers fostering this sense of connection as vital to spiritual care, but all too often neglected.

The book emphasises the importance of imagination and openness; the lack of it, leading to the exclusion and dogmatic inflexibility of fundamentalism. It led me to conclude that it is deeds and  not creeds which validate the faith that achieves peace through acts of justice, instead of the quasi-peace through acts of rhetorical violence that blights our present age.

This book may help the church adapt to the millennial generation that has left in increasing numbers, to welcome new comers and counter the fear of those we perceive different from ourselves.

Richard Smith

Categories
Education & Training

5 ways to refresh and energise your congregation

Rev Dr John Squires and Rev Elizabeth Raine were the keynote speakers at this year’s Summer Spirit, held at All Saints Floreat Uniting Church in February. They led guests through discussions around ‘new ways of being church.’ Reminding us that “change only takes place at the edge of chaos,” John and Elizabeth shared with ‘Revive’ ways in which local congregations can refresh and energise their church.

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News & Announcements

Building ties through service learning

Through the service learning program at Wesley College, a relationship has formed between the Uniting Church WA school in South Perth and Cyril Jackson Senior Campus, in Bassendean.

Cyril Jackson Senior Campus is a school in Bassendean which caters to year 11 and 12. It offers alternative learning, enrolling some students who have been expelled from other schools, and  refugees from around the world.

Five years ago, the Zonta Club of Perth was offering scholarships to female students at Cyril Jackson, giving Wesley College the idea to offer scholarships to the male students. With the aim of  raising enough money to give two $500 scholarships, in the first two years, three were actually awarded. In 2014 and 2015, three scholarships of $600 were awarded. Last year, three scholarships  of $750 were awarded. In addition, the recipients receive a Wesley Sports Bag including a hat, pen, shorts and water bottle.

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News & Announcements

Dongara looks to the future

In a process to create a safer, more comfortable and welcoming church, Dongara Uniting Church have replaced their old, ‘traditional’ style pews for new chairs.

In a transition that’s taken over  three years to complete due to the church being heritage listed, the congregation have agreed to retain four pews for historical purposes. The rest have been sold to individuals; some for use in homes and gardens, some will be repurposed into other items.

The congregation has recently been in touch with the family of the person who built the pews and are working on creating a documented history. It is thought they may have been built using  Oregon timber which was originally cargo on a shipwreck off the coast of Dongara.

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News & Announcements

Budget 2017: The Good the Bad and the Unfair

UnitingCare Australia’s National Director Claerwen Little says despite some constructive measures the 2017 Federal Budget needed to do more for the most vulnerable Australians.

“The commitment to fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) by an increase in the Medicare levy is a significant measure and a landmark worthy of celebrating,” said Claerwen.

“The full funding of the NDIS from 2020 will afford greater dignity and independence to Australians with permanent and significant disability.”

But Ms Little lamented punitive measures targeting the unemployed and welfare recipients.

“The very worst elements of this Budget impose harsh compliance measures on jobseekers for no apparent benefit to their employment prospects.

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News & Announcements

A budget of few blessings

The president of the Uniting Church in Australia, Stuart McMillan, says that, on balance, there is little to rejoice about in the 2017 Federal Budget.

“A two-year freeze on foreign aid, punitive new welfare measures including drug and alcohol testing for the unemployed, and the extension of income management just make life harder for the poor and most vulnerable,” said Stuart.

“In all this week’s commentary about winners and losers, we should remember that the poor are the ones who lose out most when governments neglect their needs. They are the ones who should be our focus.”

“Regrettably there are few blessings in this Budget for the poor in spirit, nor the prospect of the kind of support I’d expect of a wealthy developed nation like ours.”

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News & Announcements

New Assembly appointment for Rob Floyd

The Uniting Church in Australia Assembly Standing Committee has approved the appointment of Rob Floyd as the associate general secretary, Assembly Resourcing Unit.

Rob will move to this new senior leadership position in the Assembly from his current role as national director of UnitingWorld.

Rob is committed to the work of the Uniting Church and the Assembly, and has sought to live out his faith through this work. He brings extensive experience in the life of the Uniting Church, in particular his leadership roles in UnitingWorld.

The general secretary of the Uniting Church in Australia, Colleen Geyer, said she was looking forward to working with Rob in the new role.

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