Month: March 2018

Hope and renewal in the cross

Post author By revivewa
Post date March 31, 2018

One of the most moving services in the Christian year occurs on Good Friday when we retell the story of Jesus’ crucifixion. The story involves betrayal, lies and violence.

Our world is awash in violence be it terrorism, the war on terror, street violence, domestic violence, or violence against creation. The rhetoric of violence is alive and well among a number of world leaders. The recent Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has unearthed systemic violence and abuse against vulnerable young people.

Tags Easter, Theology and Spiritual Reflections

News & Announcements

Juniper appoints new Chief Executive

Post author By revivewa
Post date March 29, 2018

Juniper, a Uniting Church WA agency and one of WA’s largest providers of aged care and community support services, has named Chris Hall AM as its new Chief Executive.

Juniper Board Chair, Fred Boshart, welcomed Chris’ appointment and paid tribute to retiring Chief Executive, Vaughan Harding, for his service to the organisation which has spanned almost three decades.

“Under Vaughan’s leadership, Juniper has prospered and stands as a 21st Century organisation serving more than 4 000 older people from Wyndham to Albany, one of the largest care footprints in the nation. More importantly, Juniper now provides some of the most forward-thinking services available,” Fred said.

“Since joining Juniper in 1989 Mr Harding oversaw decades of change. More change and a higher pace of change seem inevitable, as ageing ‘Baby Boomers’ change the population profile, funding levels are reduced, red tape and regulatory burdens increase and an increase in ‘user pays’ creates a more competitive marketplace.”

Tags Ageing and Community, Our People and Agencies

News & Announcements

Review: Promises and Blessings in the Book of Revelation, by Doug Rowston

Post author By revivewa
Post date March 25, 2018

Mosaic Press, 2014

“Today’s reading is from the Book of Revelation…” you can feel the apprehension… and no wonder. Like the evolution of our language from Oxford Dictionary standard to smart phone condensed, we have lost the understanding of the many codes used in the Bible, particularly those used within the pages of Revelation.

Promises and Blessings is a short (100 pages), easy to read book, which uses pen portraits of the ten martyrs who adorn the west front of Westminster Abbey as intermissions. Their relevance to the main context of the book are as examples of sacrificial, Christlike faith.

Best read alongside the Book of Revelation, its objective is to demystify much of the ancient text which was written in code to protect early Christians from punishment if they were caught reading it. It identifies the secret code as threefold: a number code, a colour code and an animal code.

Tags Books, Films, Art, Awards and Recipes

News & Announcements

Review: Resurrecting Easter: How the West lost and East kept the original Easter Vision

Post author By revivewa
Post date March 21, 2018

By John Dominic Crossan and Sarah Sexton Crossan, Harper Collins, 2018.

Biblical scholars John Dominic Crossan and the late Marcus Borg conducted pilgrimages over the years to Italy and Turkey, two of which I was fortunate to attend.

We learnt that all the major events in Christ’s life are described in the Gospels but no direct reports of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. Instead, many artistic impressions of Jesus’ resurrection were created, some we visited in churches, caves and museums.

The first direct image appears by 400 and is part of the West’s individual resurrection tradition. The second direct image by the year 700 is part of the East’s universal resurrection tradition named the Anastasis, Greek for resurrection.

For 15 years Dominic and Sarah Crossan travelled across Europe and Asia creating a comprehensive photographic archive of this resurrection imagery. How timely when this book with Sarah’s images, the ancient texts which inspired them and Dominic’s scholarly interpretation arrived for Easter.

The cover image of their book is from the 1300s Chora Church in Istanbul, where we gazed at this beautiful Anastasis mosaic high in the half dome of the apse of the risen Christ, enveloped by a star studded mandorla, grasping the wrists of Adam and Eve, the personification of humankind. Christ pulls them from their tombs while standing firmly on the shattered gates of hell with lock and bolts strewn around his feet. Christ is trampling down a well-trussed Hades, guardian and personification of death, who is lying prone beneath his feet.

Tags Books, Films, Art, Awards and Recipes

News & Announcements

UnitingCare West induction

Post author By revivewa
Post date March 20, 2018

Amanda Hunt, CEO of UnitingCare West welcomes Rev Sophie Lizares as the new UnitingCare West Chaplain, with Robert Watson, past Moderator of the Uniting Church WA.

On Friday 16 March UnitingCare West formally welcomed their new Chaplain to the team, Rev Sophie Lizares, at an induction service attended by UCW staff, Board members and the members of the Uniting Church WA.

Sophie has a rich history of working with communities both here in Australia and overseas to belong and thrive. Sophie was ordained as a Deacon on Saturday 3 March at Willetton Uniting Church. Read more about Sophie’s ordination here.

Tags Our People and Agencies

News & Announcements

Uniting Church welcomes Gary van Heerden

Post author By revivewa
Post date March 20, 2018

Rev Gary van Heerden, Chaplain at Presbyterian Ladies’ College (PLC) was admitted as a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church in Australia on Tuesday 13 March, at the college.

Dr Kate Hadwen, Principal of PLC wrote about this joyful occasion in the PLC newsletter.

“Inspiring is a word that’s often used within our community, and rightly so,”she wrote.

“This week, we celebrate with Rev Gary as he is admitted as a Minister of the Word in the Uniting Church in Australia. Originally a Methodist minister, this transition has been a journey for Gary over the past almost seven years, since he began working at PLC in 2011. Gary has served in seven churches in South Africa along with spending two months working as a gardener in a silent community in Switzerland and three months as the van driver on the Isle of Iona in Scotland. In addition to serving as a minister, Gary is a qualified psychologist and has lectured in this subject at the University of Fort Hare.

“At a quick glance, synonyms for inspiring include encouraging, heartening and uplifting. Far greater than his qualifications or experiences, Gary brings to our PLC community an unparalleled combination of humility and inspiration. Perhaps this is what makes him so unique and so loved by staff and students alike,” Kate wrote.

“Gary leading circle conversations with small groups of girls is one of the most powerful experiences to witness. His passion for outsider witness practices and narrative therapy is such a gift to our students. For the past three years after the student leadership retreat when we ask the girls what was the most powerful experience they had, most cite the session with ‘Rev’.

“Beyond the knowledge and skills he brings to the role, is his strong sense of service and humility. In speaking after the Service of Admission, in true Gary form, he thanked the Uniting Church for ‘taking a chance on me’ and spoke of his desire to serve both the Uniting Church and PLC.

“At times, we look to famous role models to find inspiration when often the ones in our lives who are most inspiring are right beside us, in the background, quietly encouraging and lifting us up,” Kate wrote.

Tags Our People and Agencies

News & Announcements

Easter art engaging with the life and journey of Jesus

Post author By revivewa
Post date March 17, 2018

Uniting Church in the City (UCIC), Wesley Perth, one of the oldest and most iconic churches in Perth, is for the ninth time preparing to present the Stations of the Cross Art Exhibition in the lead-up to and over Easter.

Curated by Claire Bushby, the exhibition will feature newly commissioned artworks by fifteen Western Australian contemporary artists. The fifteen artworks correspond to the traditional Easter story and ritual of the ‘Stations of the Cross’. While pertaining to a religious narrative of the final days in the life of Jesus, participating artists each interpret a single ‘station’ through their personal and unique understanding of Easter and the human experiences and themes that underlie it. The exhibition will bridge between sacred stories and the issues and events that are present in our contemporary world.

The vision of Rev Craig Collas, minister at UCIC, is an open one – he hopes audiences of all spiritual persuasions can enjoy the imagination, imagery and conversation that the unique works of art will offer.

Tags Books, Films, Art, Awards and Recipes, Church and Community

News & Announcements

Girls’ Brigade celebrates 125 years

Post author By revivewa
Post date March 8, 2018

This is an exciting year for Girls’ Brigade Western Australia (GBWA): in 2018, the vibrant community organisation celebrates 125 years of mission.

To kick-off 125 years with a bang, GBWA hosted its national Girls’ Brigade camp Fonomarae (Fono) at Woodman Point in Perth, with over 100 people from across the nation attending. The week was filled with challenging activities and fun ones too, such as a photo scavenger hunt in Perth city.

The Fono camp is the start of birthday celebrations. GBWA State Commissioner, Nikola Lewis is enthusiastic about preparations to celebrate in a big, but meaningful way.

Tags Youth