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.
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.
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.
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.
The Commissioning of Methodist Ladies’ College’s (MLC) 12th Principal, Dr Marie Perry, took place at the college on Tuesday 6 March. The service was led by Uniting Church WA Acting Moderator, Rev Ken Williams, and MLC Chaplain, Rev Hollis Wilson. Students, staff and special guests were in attendance, and musical items were presented by the College’s Symphony Orchestra and Chorale.
Dr Marie Perry is a highly experienced educator who has taught all grades from Kindergarten to Year 12 and also delivered adult education. This breadth of experience has afforded Marie a keen awareness of the needs of every age group. As a leader, Marie has extensive experience in working with all sectors of a school community, and in the development of strategic partnerships for the mutual benefit of all parties.
Rev David Kriel was inducted into his new ministry role with Trinity North Uniting Church on Sunday 4 March at St Stephen’s School Duncraig.
Rev Greg Ross led the reflection. He handed out a piece of plasticine to members of the congregation, inviting them to shape it, meditatively, how they please. He then gave examples of people responding to God’s call to do something different, people who were brave enough to step out of their comfort zones and into the unknown, while holding the hand of God.
He shared the story of Florence Nightingale, “who lived out her lifelong calling or mission to change her society so that it truly reflected the prayer of Jesus – may your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven,” Greg said.
“Moses,” Greg continued, “that historical figure who had his life completely transformed from being an adopted royal Egyptian prince who committed murder in a fit of supposedly justified rage to being the fearless leader upon which the nation of Israel was built, is one such figure from the foundation stories of our Judeao Christian faith who demonstrated that your life could be transformed, and that making change and being a leader of people was incredibly frustrating and exhausting.”
Rev Sophie Lizares was ordained as a Deacon at Willetton Uniting Church on Saturday 3 March.
Having come to Australia from the Philippines, Sophie was raised in the Catholic church and was a leader in the ecumenical youth and student movement, passionate about working for justice. Sophie worked for the Catholic Bishops Conference in the Philippines and was the founding Executive Director and Editor of a weekly newspaper. She has completed two Masters theses’; one in social development and the other in ministry. During this time she became involved with the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, a Uniting Church partner church.
Sophie then became engaged internationally with the Christian Conference of Asia and the World Council of Churches. In 2000 she was elected into the Council of the United Evangelical Mission which is made up of churches from Asia, Africa and Germany, and in 2003 she was appointed Asia Secretary, consulting with 11 church denominations in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
On Sunday 10 December, Byford Uniting Church celebrated its 90th anniversary with a special Thanksgiving Service. The service also celebrated the work of the congregation’s Crisis Care volunteers, who provide support to people in the community who may be experiencing domestic violence and other forms of crisis.
The foundation of Byford Uniting Church was laid in 1927, with Mr and Mrs Abernathy mentioned on wall plaques still on the church today. Mrs Scott and Miss Cole have also been acknowledged, though without plaques, as two pioneers of the church building being built. On 31 March 1928, the church was opened by then Moderator of the General Assembly of WA (Presbyterian), Rev George Tulloch.
Since 1887, on or near the first Friday in March every year, millions of Christians have gathered worldwide to pray for the issues of family violence, child abuse, human trafficking, and other forms of injustice, as part of the World Day of Prayer Service.
In 2018, this prayerful support will be directed at the 540 000 inhabitants of the Republic of Suriname, on the north-eastern coast of South America.
Despite a history steeped in slavery and political coups, this tiny nation has achieved remarkable progress since its independence in 1975. Suriname enjoys multi-ethnicity and biodiversity, freedom of religion, free primary and secondary education, and free medical care for children and seniors.
On 9 December last year, five young adults and three leaders gathered at the Uniting Church Campsite in Busselton for the very first Deep End Camp. The overnight camp was for young adults between the ages of 16–25 years old, and provided the opportunity for people to explore and get closer to their faith, and to dive deeper into their religion and relationship with God.
Together, we enjoyed some great food, great company, and great unique ways to look at our faith and how our lives connect with kingdom and covenant.
Across the weekend we had three Bible study sessions, some time at the beach, Sunday morning worship with Busselton Uniting Church and a lot of frisbee and card games.
The camp was co-ordinated by Janine McDonald, Uniting Generations Officer, who, like all of us, was very excited for this camp to kick-off the brand new Uniting Generations ministry.