Month: June 2018

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News & Announcements

New life for restored church

In 2012, the Uniting Church WA sold land, including a church building in Donnybrook, to the Shire of Donnybrook Balingup. The land is situated behind the Shire’s administration building so was purchased in case of future development.

The old church building was unoccupied for a few years. In 2016, the Shire’s administration space expanded and the decision was made to revitalise the historic building and turn it into Council Chambers.

Leigh Guthridge, Manager Development and Environmental Services at the Shire of Donnybrook Balingup, said about $200 000 went into the building. The building was assessed by a structural engineer and a local heritage architect was engaged to make sure it kept its historical significance.

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News & Announcements

Making decisions amid God’s abundant grace

Uniting Church members from around Australia will come together in prayerful community at Box Hill Town Hall in July for the 15th Triennial Assembly meeting.

On Sunday 8 July, members of the 15th Assembly will install Dr Deidre Palmer as President, the second woman in the history of the Uniting Church to hold this leadership position. Deirdre has chosen ‘Abundant Grace Liberating Hope’ as the theme for the Assembly and the triennium. Read more about Deidre in our profile story here.

Deidre will be installed as President in a service at St Michaels Collins Street Uniting Church on the first night of the Assembly meeting. From Monday 9 July, the Assembly’s 265 members drawn  from across the councils of the church will decide the church’s national priorities for the next three years. The first tranche of reports and proposals were sent to members at the end of April. They cover a dauntingly diverse set of issues.

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News & Announcements

UnitingWomen: Weave wisdom and wonder

Uniting Church women from across Australia will attend the third UnitingWomen conference in Brisbane in September. Registration is open and planning for UnitingWomen 2018, a biennial conference hosted by the Uniting Church in Australia, is well underway. The conference will be held from Thursday 27 to Sunday 30 September at Somerville House, located in the South Bank  precinct of Brisbane.

Queensland Synod General Secretary, Rev Heather den Houting says that while the location for UnitingWomen changes, the essence of the conference remains.

“UnitingWomen is about Christian women coming together in God’s name, finding acceptance, encouragement and inspiration,” said Heather.

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News & Announcements

Vale Geoffrey Dimmock

18 November 1927 to 7 April 2018

Geoff Dimmock grew up in NSW and completed his formal education at Sydney University graduating with a degree majoring in Soil Science. One of the common themes of those who spoke at Geoff’s funeral service on 19 April at St Aidan’s Uniting Church Claremont was his great ability to mix with a variety of people and discuss aspects of soil science along with those of life in general — family matters, gardening and music.

Geoff became a member of the Organ Society of WA in 1973 and remained a staunch supporter of the society through to 2015 when developing illness prevented his attendance at functions.

As a member of St Aidan’s Uniting Church Claremont, Geoff became fully involved in the life and activities of parish life. One of these activities was as organist, the St Aidan’s organ being the first  of Cecil Clifton’s five organs and built between 1875 to 1879. Geoff’s deep understanding of the place of the hymns in the liturgical setting allowed him to make appropriate choice of hymns and  tunes for any service. Importantly, he played in a manner that supported and enhanced congregational singing.

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News & Announcements

Church leaders stand #WithRefugees on World Refugee Day

dramatic portrait of a little homeless boy, dirty hand, poverty, city, street

Rev Steve Francis, Moderator of the Uniting Church Western Australia, today called for the Australian Government not to remove support for people seeking asylum in our local community.

Echoing the calls made by refugee advocates across Australia, Western Australian churches are disappointed and concerned to see the Government progressing with plans to remove fundamental support for vulnerable families in the local community.

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News & Announcements

U-Team at Emerging Youth Games

On Saturday 28 April, a team of around 20 young people and leaders from various Uniting Churches in Perth attended the annual Emerging Youth Games, held at Warwick Stadium.

The event was a great opportunity for young people between the ages of 11 to 15 to get together with other churches, play sport, build relationships, and learn more about Jesus. There were games for everyone; ranging from the more docile Connect 4 and Uno, to the high-energy basketball and dodgeball. The U-team’s success came in Nerf Wars (involving the infamous Nerf guns)  and badminton, where we came first and second respectively.

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News & Announcements

Wesley College opens refurbished wing

Wesley College, a Uniting Church WA school in South Perth, enjoyed the company of Uniting Church WA Moderator, Rev Steve Francis, at the official opening of its Clive Hamer Wing on Tuesday 12 June.

The newly-refurbished space is to become a magnet for innovation, where Wesley students can move their ideas forward and learn the skills that will be needed for the jobs of tomorrow.

“The integration of technology is outstanding – from our virtual reality gear, to our laser cutting machine, to the 3D printer. Students can broadcast their work, or make prototype games, or build robots. All these things bring together the traditional notions of technology and computer science, but start pushing them forwards,” said Headmaster, David Gee.

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Juniper Gerdewoonem opens in Kununurra

Much needed additional aged care for the East Kimberley has been commissioned with the official opening of Juniper Gerdewoonem (‘Juniper among the Boab Trees’).

Juniper Chief Executive Vaughan Harding said the new multipurpose facility expands vital services to the Kununurra community and provides greater opportunities for local employment and career paths in aged care.

“Our investment in the Kimberley is significant and this latest initiative builds on Juniper’s strong commitment to supporting older people and their families in regional Western Australia,” he said. “In addition to bringing much-needed accommodation, this multipurpose aged care facility enables the expansion of home and community care services in the region, so older people have greater access to vital services in town and may no longer travel to Perth or Darwin to get the help they require.”

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Stories & Feature Articles

Beth Shalom celebrates Fakame

In Tonga, the first Sunday in May is dedicated to the children of Tonga. This is a special Sunday where Tongans in the Kingdom of Tonga and anywhere in the world celebrate their children. It is referred to as ‘Fakame’, ‘White Sunday’ or ‘The Children’s Sunday’.

This year, Beth Shalom Tongan Uniting Church, in South Lakes here in WA, was no exception to what was happening in Tonga on this special Sunday. The children from our church dressed in their absolute finest and performed for their families and friends. It was a special day for Beth Shalom and our Tongan Community in Perth to acknowledge and celebrate our children by hosting a  special program for them. The whole service was conducted by the children with the main purpose of thanking the Lord for their lives and blessings.

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Stories & Feature Articles

Behind the tourist dollar

Twice a day, Wayan and his son Gede head up a hill with a load of greens hacked from the surrounding area, to tempt the palates of their hungry goats, who are giving back to the family in more ways than one.

The goats will eventually be sold to provide income for medicine, school fees, cooking oil and household items. In the meantime, they’re providing (literally) heaps of manure that can be sold off to the local coffee farmer.

High in the mountains north of Denpasar, Indonesia, Wayan and his wife Puta are part of a community left behind by the tourist dollar. They’re landless small farmers, cut out of the tourist industry and literally struggling to survive. If you’ve ever visited Bali, you’ll know how important you are to the local economy. But for local people without the means to work in hospitality or its associated industries, life in Bali is increasingly difficult.

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