Category: News & Announcements

Memories of the children’s hospital

Post author By revivewa
Post date December 16, 2017

In 1897, businessman Charles Moore Esq, supported by a significant committee including 15 ministers representing churches in the expanding area of Perth, began the huge task of raising sufficient money to establish a local children’s hospital.

With the impending closure of Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), we want to ensure that the beginnings and journey of this hospital are not forgotten. To celebrate the life of our hospital, the Association of PMH ExTrainees
and Nursing Associates is commissioning a beautiful five panel stained glass artwork for the Multi Faith Centre at the new Perth Children’s Hospital.

Vaughn Bisschops, has created an amazing beginning to the design of this artwork. He has enabled us to include sketches of the 1909 Outpatients Building, which is the current Multi Faith Centre at PMH, various other cherished areas, and memories of the last 108 years.

Tags Multi-Cultural

News & Announcements

UCA President urges church to honour commitment to child safety

Post author By revivewa
Post date December 14, 2017

The President of the Uniting Church in Australia, Stuart McMillan, has urged church members to help ensure the church’s commitments to child safety are honoured as a result of the landmark Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

At the Royal Commission’s final sitting in Sydney today, Chief Commissioner Justice Peter McClellan AM warned that the sexual abuse of children is not just a problem from the past.

Justice McClellan said: “Poor practices, inadequate governance structures, failures to record and report complaints, or understating the seriousness of complaints, have been frequent.”

He went on to say: “If the problems we have identified are to be adequately addressed, changes must be made. There must be changes in the culture, structure and governance practices of many institutions.”

Tags Safe Church

News & Announcements

Authentic ministry in Meekatharra

Post author By revivewa
Post date December 13, 2017

Rev Steve Francis, Moderator of the Uniting Church WA, and Rev David de Kock, General Secretary, travelled up to Meekatharra over the weekend for the Induction Service of Rev Mitch Fialkowski as Patrol Minister in the Remote Area Ministry Murchison Patrol.

Mitch has been working in the area for around 5 years with Frontier Services. His role was previously under the umbrella of the National Assembly of the Uniting Church, however recent changes at Frontier Services mean Mitch’s role now comes within the Uniting Church Synod of WA.

Tags Our People and Agencies, Remote and rural communities

News & Announcements

Beryl Grant: a lifelong carer

Post author By revivewa
Post date December 6, 2017

An appropriate appreciation of the life and contribution of Beryl Grant in a brief space cannot hope to
succeed. Beryl passed away on Saturday 4 November.

Her chosen career was the caring profession of nursing. In 1958, shebbegan her long and most significant work as Matron of Ngala. She continued in that caring role until 1980, having influenced many, many people – nurses, babies, children, mothers and adoptive families.

Her contributions to our broader West Australian society were recognised with an OBE in 1976 and an AO in 1990. Amongst other things, she served as a magistrate of the Perth Children’s Court; the Chair of the Child Care Service Board; and Chair of the State Government’s Inquiry into Prostitution.

Tags Our People and Agencies

News & Announcements

A Day of Lament

Post author By revivewa
Post date December 5, 2017

A Day of Lament, in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse will be held on Saturday 9 December, 3.30pm, at McCallum Park in Victoria Park, Perth.

The event has been organised by an ecumenical group of lay Christians, who lament the fact that there has been so much silence on this issue. They also acknowledge the pain of survivors, apologise, pray for healing and commit to
justice for survivors.

Dr Alison Atkinson-Phillips, member of Victoria Park and Districts Star St Uniting Church, is on the organising committee for this event. She said the service is a response from members of the Christian church.

Tags Redress

News & Announcements

Championing ministry for the generations

Post author By revivewa
Post date December 1, 2017

Uniting Generations is officially the new intergenerational ministry model adopted by the Presbytery of WA.
At the recent meeting of the Presbytery of WA, held on Saturday 5 November, members agreed to the new
model which will encourage and resource churches to engage in intergenerational activities.

Moving on from First Third Ministry, which was adopted in 2007, Rev Luke Williams, a member of the First Third Committee, believes Uniting Generations is the obvious next step.

“I think the first ten years of First Third Ministry gave us an opportunity to go from very little focus on ministry with and to young people, to an opportunity to try and do something,” Luke said.

Tags Youth

News & Announcements

Rev Geoff Blyth celebrates 50 years since ordination

Post author By revivewa
Post date November 15, 2017

On Sunday 15 October, Uniting Church in the City (UCIC) celebrated the 50th anniversary of the ordination of Rev Geoff Blyth during the worship service at UCIC Wesley Perth.

Geoff was ordained as a minister of the Methodist Church of Australia at Wesley Church on 15 October 1967 with the late Rev Jock Drysdale. He has served in various congregations around Western Australia, including Denmark, Midland, Swanbourne, Kellerberrin, Floreat, Duncraig, Como and Perth Wesley. He was the Moderator of the Uniting Church in WA for two years.

He has been a Chaplain with the Silver Chain Hospice Care Service based at Kingsley, and a member of the Board of Good Samaritan industries.

Tags Our People and Agencies

News & Announcements

Wesley unveils Science Centre for Tomorrow

Post author By revivewa
Post date November 10, 2017

Wesley College’s ‘Science Centre for Tomorrow’ was officially opened in August by WA Chief Scientist Professor Peter Klinken AC, in a fitting celebration of National Science Week. In addition to Professor Klinken, Wesley College welcomed local teachers, media, government and industry representatives along with its extended community to view the state-of-the-art facility for the first time.

The Science Centre is named in honour of one of Wesley’s longest serving and much cherished teachers, Mildred Manning, who taught biology from 1923–1970 and retired in 1976.

In planning for the Mildred Manning Science Centre, Wesley College’s team of leading educators researched: foremost secondary science facilities in Australia; University Science and Engineering learning spaces and research centres; medical and Science research facilities across Australia; and consulted internationally with experts in learning space design for inspiration before designs were finalised in 2015 and construction began in 2016.

Their vision culminated in a building that is designed as a living, breathing science experiment to excite students who can learn in a hands-on approach.

Tags Schools

News & Announcements

Archives: volunteering in the church

Post author By revivewa
Post date November 5, 2017

This year the Uniting Church in Australia celebrates its 40th anniversary. Throughout 2017, Revive will feature significant events for the life of the church during that time.

While not specifically an event, this edition we wanted to celebrate the huge number of faithful volunteers who serve in the Uniting Church. From working with community services to providing church administration; pastoral care to leading worship – Uniting Church volunteers are doing amazing work all over the country.

Tags Faith In Action

News & Announcements

Big buzz at UCIC leads to awards

Post author By revivewa
Post date November 3, 2017

Uniting Church in the City, Wesley Perth has been presented with two Five Leaf Eco-Awards for their role in leading environmental change in the city of Perth.

Among other actions, in the last 12 months the church has installed the largest solar panel installation in the Perth CBD, started a program cooking rescued food to supply a centre for the homeless, installed three 2 000 litre water tanks to flush toilets in their buildings and have built a rooftop garden, including beehives.

They have been recognised for their achievements with the Five Leaf Eco-Awards Basic Certificate and Eco-Worship Awards.

The awards were presented at the Annual Meeting of the Uniting Church WA, held in September, by Jessica Morthorpe, Director of Five Leaf Eco-Awards.

Tags Environment