Month: October 2017

A man for all seasons

Post author By revivewa
Post date October 27, 2017

Rev Brenton Prigge has been in placement as a First Third Specialist for the South West Region since March 2009. He will be leaving WA in October to take-up a new placement in Queensland.

Brenton immigrated to Australia from South Africa with his family after his ordination in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. He was admitted as a Minister of the Uniting Church in Australia in 2014.

Rev Hollis Wilson, Past Convener of the First Third Working Group shares his thanks for Brenton’s intergenerational ministry in WA.

Tags Our People and Agencies

News & Announcements

A tribute to Glen Banks

Post author By revivewa
Post date October 22, 2017

We, the Uniting Church Social Justice Commission, pay tribute to Glen Banks who was a compassionate and active member of the commission for many years, serving for several of them as Chairperson.

This was one of many avenues in which Glen lived out her Christian faith; because of her love for God she lived generously and selflessly, working with many different groups in caring for people. She was an integral member of Carramar Uniting Church and loved by all whose lives were intertwined with hers. For many years, she was involved with the Guiding movement, with the Emmaus Walks movement and with Kairos Outside. Glen Banks passed away suddenly in August.

Glen was fully involved in the large variety of work which engages the Social Justice Commission: work for peace, justice for First Peoples, the environment, poverty relief and so on. But she made an especially strong contribution to justice for those imprisoned or detained.

Tags Our People and Agencies

News & Announcements

God’s love breaking confines of the church

Post author By revivewa
Post date October 19, 2017

The 2016 Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Survey, which released its findings in February this year, found that Australian school principals are increasingly under stress due to their workloads. YouthCARE, a WA organisation providing chaplaincy in our public schools, is looking to address this problem through its new pilot program aimed at providing chaplaincy to principals.

There are currently two School Principal’s Chaplains employed in this program, both in regional areas of WA. Jill Clements is one such chaplain, working in the mid-west region; the other is based in the Great Southern. The pilot program began in term three of 2016 and will run until the end of2017, when it will be reassessed.

Tags Youth

Stories & Feature Articles

Time for a new Reformation?

Post author By revivewa
Post date October 17, 2017

500 years ago, on a day in October 1517, the Reformation began.

That day, a German priest, Martin Luther, sent his ‘Ninety-Five Theses’ on the ‘Power and Efficacy of Indulgences’ to the Archbishop of Mainz, Germany. In these theses, Luther criticised the common practice of his fellow priests, who sold indulgences to their parishioners.

Luther also disputed the teaching of the church about purgatory (an intermediate state after death, before entering heaven or hell), and criticised the authority which had been claimed by the Pope. As a result, he was excommunicated by the Pope and condemned as an outlaw. Actions from that time unleashed a series of protests and changes across the church. This Reformation led to the formation of numerous Reformed churches. The Uniting Church stands with these churches, as an heir of the Reformation. Our forebears protested about the state of the church in their day; for that reason, Reformed churches are also known as Protestant churches.

Tags Theology and Spiritual Reflections

Stories & Feature Articles

Moderator’s column: Renewal begins in worship

Post author By revivewa
Post date October 15, 2017

Occasionally people ask me what is the best part about being Moderator of the Uniting Church WA. Usually, quick as a flash, I say “Sunday mornings.” That’s because I have the enormous privilege of visiting, preaching and worshipping at many different congregations across the state.

Sometimes, I find myself in a small rural community, meeting in a home, hall or sanctuary. On other occasions, I am in a suburban gathering of the faithful with pipe organ or guitars and drums. I also receive the great honour of worshipping in other languages in our migrant ethnic, intercultural communities.

As celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the Uniting Church in Australia reminded us, “All of this is us.”

Tags Church and Community, Our People and Agencies

News & Announcements

Respectful conversations on marriage

Post author By revivewa
Post date October 11, 2017

As this edition of Revive hits the stands, Australia is in the midst of the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, the non-binding, non-compulsory survey asking the public whether Australia should allow same-sex marriage. Your postal vote needs to be received by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) by Tuesday 7 November for it to be counted in the survey.

There is a lot of diversity within the Uniting Church regarding this issue, and the church has been in conversation for many years about its formal position. One thing its leaders do agree on is the need for respectful conversations. At the recent Annual Meeting of the Synod of WA, members of the Synod took part in small group conversations about what marriage meant to them. They also had the opportunity to prayerfully send a written message to the Uniting Church in Australia on the issue.

Rev Steve Francis, Moderator of the Uniting Church WA, acknowledged the pain members of the church were feeling and felt this method of conversation was much more helpful than the traditional consensus model, guided by a proposal and debate on the floor of the meeting.

Tags LGBTQIA

News & Announcements

Òngoing renewal in the spirit of the Reformation

Post author By revivewa
Post date October 7, 2017

Rev Denise Liersch, Moderator Elect of the Uniting Church Vic/Tas, travelled to Germany as one of three Uniting Church representatives to the World Communion of Reformed Churches, celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, from 29 June to 7 July. She shares her experiences with Revive.

A couple of months ago, I stood in front of the castle church in Wittenberg where, 500 years ago, Luther nailed his 95 theses to the doors. Well, not to these exact doors; they are no longer made of wood, and Luther’s 95 theses are now cast into the bronze of the doors. As I stood there in front of the doors, repair works were being undertaken to the old stonework around the new doors. The church as a whole isn’t quite the same as it was either; it has had a lot of work done to it since then… I hope.

Tags International, Theology and Spiritual Reflections

Events

Understanding data to find new pathways

Post author By revivewa
Post date October 4, 2017

The National Church Life Survey (NCLS) and Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census data provide a wealth of information to the community, which churches can use to help guide them in strategic decisions.

Rev David Kriel, Mission Planner for the Uniting Church WA, and Rev Dr Elizabeth Raine, a past member of the NCLS Board of Governors and the NCLS Research Committee, will lead two workshops in October: Understanding your congregation using NCLS data and Understanding your community using Census data.

Elizabeth said that NCLS data is a great tool for congregations to understand their gifts and how to use them to connect with their local community. Not only can NCLS provide congregation profiles, but they can also provide information that is specific to the community around them.

Tags Church and Community