Rev Ken Devereux, Chaplain Pastoral Care Services at Royal Perth Bentley Group, shares his thanks for Rev Margaret Smithson and her
many years of ministry at Royal Perth Hospital.
Sitting in the audience at the October Graduation for Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Interns at Royal Perth Hospital (RPH), Rev Margaret Smithson was reminded of her long involvement in the field of pastoral care.
‘Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God’, was the theme on Remembrance Day, Sunday 11 November, at Wanneroo Crossways Uniting Church.
Early in the worship, the children were told of various symbols of ‘Peace’. After the story of Noah and the dove returning to the Ark with a small olive branch, the children distributed small olive branches to all in the congregation.
A very significant Service took place in St Mark’s Anglican/Bencubbin Uniting Church on Thursday 1 November, when thirty locals and visitors were welcomed at the entrance by church Elder, Tony Gillett, to remember our pioneers.
Jeanette Beagley had ensured the church was prepared and ready for the occasion by adding a bowl of beautiful fresh roses on the christening font to complement the glistening brassware and flowers on the altar.
The gathering celebrated and remembered the pioneers who had used their gifts to encourage and support the spiritual requirements of settlers, and to establish churches as meeting and worshipping places.
The Commission for Education for Discipleship and Leadership (CEDAL) is inviting young adults in the Uniting Church WA to take part in a survey exploring a yearlong intern program.
In researching an intern program in WA, Dr Elaine Ledgerwood, Presbytery Minister Education and Training, has reached out to other Uniting Church Synods and reviewed their material. She is now asking interested WA
people, including parents, youth leaders and ministers, about what they might like included in a WA based program.
The Messy Church Summer Holiday Family Camp will be held from Friday 4 to Monday 21 January at the Uniting Church Campsite, Busselton. Groups, large and small, are invited to share some or all of this time with Messy Church families from right across Australia.
Messy Church is a monthly service aimed at families who might not feel comfortable in a traditional worship service. It involves music, craft, prayers and a meal shared together.
“The love of Christ can be made more vivid through Australian Christian concern, on Christmas day, the one great day of sharing.” Rev Frank Byatt, founder of the Christmas Bowl c. 1956
As Christians, we are called respond to, and faithfully live out, the Gospel call to be generous in our love, and to participate in God’s mission to bring healing, wholeness and hope to those facing hardship and injustice. It sounds like an overwhelming task, but in fact we can reach people in need with the humblest of actions.
Rev Alison Gilchrist, Presbytery Minister Mission at the Uniting Church WA, is inviting Uniting Churches in WA to turn on a Light in Every Street. LED lights and postcards are available for churches to gift to members of their communities this Christmas. Alison shares her thoughts around what this campaign can offer.
‘Tradition’ has become somewhat of a dirty word in church circles. The last thing most churches want to be recognised as is ‘traditional’.
This understanding, or misunderstanding, has been a thorn in my side as both a church minister and as a missioner, so I have read extensive research and engaged in provocative missional discourse in this area to good avail in terms of church vitality and growth, and seen its beneficial results in many congregations.
What actually comes to mind when folk refer to ‘traditional’ is their particular version of what they like or are accustomed to, and not necessarily the broader or larger Christian tradition, where the neverchanging Gospel has always found a voice in ever-changing cultures. It’s a conversation I’m always up for, but that’s for another day. Suffice to say ‘tradition’ fares far better in other arenas.
Of the many who are investigating the benefits of traditions to promote better emotional adjustment, Dr Steven Wolin, a psychiatrist at the George Washington University, says, “If you grow up in a family with strong rituals, you’re more likely to be resilient as an adult.”
Traditions play an important role in shaping personal identity.
Another researcher, psychologist, Dr Marshal Duke, found those who have an intimate knowledge of their family’s history are typically more well-adjusted and self-confident than children who don’t. There’s something about understanding your past and knowing you belong to something bigger than yourself that instills confidence.
Traditions also have the ability to offer comfort and security providing the
antidote to the harried feeling that comes from our fast-paced and everchanging world. There’s comfort in having some constants in your life.
Traditions impart and reinforce values, as well as adding to the rhythm and seasonality of life, which is composed of cycles big and small. Sunrise and sunset; winter, spring, summer, autumn; Christmas, Easter, Pentecost; and traditions tap into the desire to follow this natural rhythm that is embedded deep within us, but which has been flattened out by a contemporary society that creates its own unremitting 24-hour timetable, concentrating only on the now.
Traditions provide a unique way to connect generations especially in the area of lasting memories. Positive childhood memories help make happier and more generous adults.
Psychologists used to consider nostalgia a sign of depression. Fresh research, however, has shown that reflecting fondly on those things in our ‘nostalgia repository’ actually provides a myriad of positive benefits including counteracting loneliness, boosting generosity towards strangers, and staving off anxiety.
As I said at the outset, tradition has fared well, and proven itself valuable, despite our church based misgivings.
The Church’s DNA includes being a catalyst for positive family and community values, we see it modelled in the New Testament and in our history through the ages.
A Light on Every Street has been developed for us to continue in that great tradition in a small, but not insignificant way, and to share something of the Good News of the hope of our faith, by offering a Christmas gift that has the potential to keep giving as those receiving it frame their own new tradition.
More information and resources for A Light on Every Street are available from
Alison by emailing Alison.gilchrist@wa.uca.org.au or call 9260 9800. To read
more visit revivemagazine.org.au/2018/10/31/a-light-on-every-street.
Heather Dowling, Revive editor, shares some useful tips for surviving the Christmas and New Year season.
Sarah* is a single mother of two children aged six and three. She lives below the poverty line on a government allowance and often doesn’t have enough money left at the end of each fortnight to buy medicine, pay bills, or put a proper meal on the table.
While many of us are planning holidays, shopping for gifts, or deciding what size turkey we need for Christmas Day, all Sarah wants are the basics – to know the rent will be paid and her kids won’t go hungry. Anything else is a bonus.
Good Samaritan Industries (GSI) is one of my favourite parts of the Uniting Church.
I’ve grown up shopping at Good Sammy stores, not only for the bargain but because my mum always taught us to be thoughtful about what we were buying, and that re-using second-hand clothes was better than piling them up in landfill.