Month: September 2018

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Stories & Feature Articles

Empowered to LEAD: NYALC 2019

More than 100 young leaders across the Uniting Church in Australia will gather this January to explore their vision for the church and to be encouraged and empowered in their leadership.

The National Young Adult Leaders Conference (NYALC) – LEAD, hosted by Dr Deidre Palmer, President of the Uniting Church in Australia, will take place from Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 January at Nunyara Conference Centre in the foothills of Adelaide.

Past participant Naomi Haslam, from the Uniting Church WA, described NYALC as a key stepping stone in her faith and in finding her place in the church.

“I found NYALC amazing,” Naomi said. “No other word.”

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Stories & Feature Articles

Review: Marathon Wheeler

Marathon Wheeler, by Heather S Coombes, Westbow Press, 2014

Now retired with the leisure of hindsight, Heather Coombes reflects upon her marathon journey in a wheelchair for the purpose of enriching life for those obliged to follow a similar rocky path.  Born with cerebral palsy, Coombes traces her family background to acknowledge the strength and inspiration she has received from the family into which she was born.

The author reflects on her adolescent turmoils in the years of her childhood and adolescence. Despite her father being the parish minister, her teenage thoughts were her own as she tried to make sense of being born into a body with physical disadvantages.

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Social Impact

Royal Commission an opportunity to shape the future

Nurse serving dinner to a senior man in an armchair at home

UnitingCare Australia has welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement of a Royal Commission into aged care.

Claerwen Little, National Director of UnitingCare Australia, stated that the services of the Uniting Church in Australia supports action to ensure the safety of older people in our community, and all people in residential aged care settings.

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Social Impact

Review: Never again

Never Again: Reflections on environmental responsibility after Roe 8, edited by Andrea Gaynor, Peter Newman and Philip Jennings. UWA Publishing, 2018

The Roe 8 Highway extension and the related Perth Freight Link was a hugely contentious public issue in the lead-up to the 2017 WA State election. Never Again outlines, purely from the perspective of the project’s detractors, the reasons why they believe it should never have happened and, as the title suggests, why it should never happen  again.

Whilst it is narrowly focussed on the Roe 8 project, the implications of the discussion broaden its scope. Significant questions (and solutions) are raised about the state of our democratic  processes, transport planning, environmental protection and respect for Aboriginal culture and heritage. Some of the chapters, contributed by an impressive array of leading academics, give serious pause for thought across all of these issues. There is also an account of activist strategies, legal proceedings and citizen wildlife monitoring revealing how politicised the project became.

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Social Impact

South West Forests need protection

View from the Bicentennial Tree in the Warren National Park, a 15 minute drive from Pemberton in south-west Western Australia on a misty and smoky morning.

The 42nd Annual Synod of the Uniting Church Western Australia, held over the weekend, called on the State Government to place high conservation value forests in secure national parks for the survival of threatened species.

The Uniting Church has a long held concern for the environment alongside its strong social justice stances arising out of its Christian belief that God, as the Creator of the universe, calls us into a special relationship with the creation – a relationship of mutuality and interdependence which seeks the reconciliation of all creation with God.

The Synod decided that given the uniqueness of the South-West forest ecosystems, the vulnerability of numerous threatened species endemic to the region, the relatively small areas of uncleared forests remaining and the need to mitigate against further damage to the climate system, the remaining South-West forests need to be protected from logging activities.

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Social Impact

Phasing out single-use plastics in WA

Tarutao national park, Thailand

The 42nd Annual Synod of the Uniting Church Western Australia, held over the weekend, called on the State Government to take action on the purchase and disposal of single-use plastics.

The Uniting Church has a long standing commitment to social, environmental and intergenerational justice. Recognising the impact of plastics on the environment, particularly in marine ecosystems, the Synod affirmed the 2018 decision of the WA State Government to ban the provision of single-use plastic bags, and called for further action.

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Social Impact

Uniting Church WA calls to reinstate ‘SRSS Safety Net’ support program

An Ethnic mother and daughter are indoors in a hospital. The girl is holding a teddy bear for comfort. The mother and doctor are talking about the girl's checkup.

The 42nd Annual Synod of the Uniting Church Western Australia, held over the weekend, committed to taking the next step in advocacy for people seeking asylum, calling on Australia’s leaders to restore dignity to people seeking humanitarian protection.

The Synod agreed to write to the Federal Government expressing concerns at the restriction of access to the Status Resolution Support Service (SRSS). Removing the service leaves families at risk of destitution and homelessness, and the church is calling for full access to be reinstated.

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Stories & Feature Articles

Suffering, scenery and the sacred

Yerevan, capital of Armenia and Mount Ararat on the background

For two weeks in May I had the marvellous privilege of exploring a fascinating and beautiful country, rich in history and struggle, a place almost undiscovered by tourists: Armenia.  When I told people I was off to Armenia on a self-funded trip most people looked puzzled and said, “Where exactly is Armenia?”

Armenia is in the South Caucasus region, sharing borders with Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran. The capitol is Yerevan, a city of over a million people, with the awesome snow peaked mountains of Mt Ararat dominating the skyline. The mountain forms an impressive background to Armenia’s ancient past.

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Social Impact

Standing with refugees

While our Federal Government still takes a hard line approach to refugees and asylum seekers, many Australians want to do more to help those coming to Australia for safety. There are a number of practical ways members of the Australian community can help.

The Uniting Church WA has been a long-time supporter of the Coalition for Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Detainees (CARAD), who provide support to refugees and asylum seekers in Perth. Recent cuts to the Status Resolution Support Service mean that up to 500 people in Perth may lose access to this program, leaving them without any form of income. Individuals and groups, such  as Uniting Church WA congregations, can help by donating items to CARAD’s Food Bank or organising a fundraiser to donate cash.

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News & Announcements

A safe church for all people

Little girls painting with finger paint

Dr Deidre Palmer, President of the Uniting Church in Australia, has released a statement during National Child Protection Week. National Child Protection Week runs from Sunday 2 to Saturday 8 September, and aims to promote the safety and wellbeing of children. Read Deidre’s statement below.

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