Rev Dr Christine Sorensen, Uniting Church WA Presbytery Minister – Formation and Discipleship, asks what does the ‘spirituality of Christmas’ have in common with ‘the spirit of Christmas’?
Spirituality is a word that has gained such currency in our modern world it means everything and nothing. One of the ways we can give parameters to spirituality is to think of spirituality as being a capacity for self-transcendence, and then more narrowly define human, religious and Christian spirituality.
Rev Steve Francis, Ex-Moderator of the Uniting Church WA, is the new Chaplain of Tranby College, a Uniting Church school in Baldivis WA. Steve began the role in term 4, 2020, after he completed his role as Moderator in September.
Before serving a double, six-year term as Moderator, Steve served as the Minister of Nedlands Uniting Church, a large multicultural congregation, for twenty-three years. He has previously also worked as the State Youth Director for the Uniting Church WA.
With Christmas just around the corner, these super tasty Tim Tam Balls will be a sure hit with guests. Lay them on the Christmas table or package them up and give them out as gifts.
They could also be quite easily decorated for Christmas; try adding a drizzle of melted white chocolate, or rolling them in desiccated coconut. Or even experiment with other flavours of Tim Tams to try something different.
Simple to make and good to eat!
A year of fundraising plans for Toodyay Uniting Church flew out of the window when COVID-19 restrictions came into place.
In fact, we had to place all our plans on hold. Gradually we are slowly resuming our activities.
I began 2020 as your Moderator-elect wondering what would unfold during the course of the year and how I might be guided by God to effectively lead this wonderful Church when I assumed office.
When the day of the Opening Worship of the 44th Annual Meeting of the Synod of WA and my Installation arrived on 11 September, the world was a very different place indeed, unlike any other we have experienced in our lifetime.
Containers for Change officially launched in October in WA, and our own Good Sammy Enterprises is playing a huge part. Good Sammy is a Uniting Church WA agency providing employment opportunities for people living with disability.
As a Super Collector, Good Sammy has 16 collection points for all your used, eligible containers. Bring in your containers and get a 10 cent refund for each, or donate your refund to a registered charity – including Good Sammy.
Dr Deidre Palmer, President of the Uniting Church in Australia has shared a pastoral letter to the church, celebrating Christmas and marking the end of 2020.
The Messy Church Summer Camp will be held for the third time in WA this January, and registrations are already flying in as families and friends choose to take some time together in a Messy Church way.
It will be held from Friday 1 to Monday 18 January at the Uniting Church Campsite in Busselton, and campers are invited to attend as many or as few days they like during this time.
Christmas can be a difficult time for many people in our community, especially as many more are confronted by hardship for the first time. For people and families facing financial stress, many will struggle to access daily necessities, such as food, essential items, and even a safe space to live. As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be felt, Christmas this year will be especially hard.
The Target Christmas Appeal has proudly supported the UnitingCare Australia network for the past 29 years, giving customers the chance to support a better Christmas for others. Giving to the Appeal will help brighten Christmas Day for thousands of people and families who might otherwise go without.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, housing was at a crisis point in WA. But now, even more so. With jobs lost and the Australian Government’s JobSeeker payments about to end, there are people falling through the cracks and slipping into homelessness.
John Berger, Executive Officer, Caring Agencies at the Uniting Church WA, is also the Executive Officer of the WA Alliance to End Homelessness. He said Western Australia has come to this point after decades of failing to fund and support social housing in WA.