Category: News & Announcements

Building a future through mentoring

Post author By revivewa
Post date June 7, 2016

In April this year, more than a hundred children, along with junior and adult leaders, converged on Kids Camp Out (KCO) for a weekend of fun and fellowship. Many Uniting Church members get misty eyed as they talk about their experience of KCO (previously known as KUCA); it is a much loved event and eagerly anticipated every year.

KCO is open to primary-school campers with teenagers invited to attend as junior leaders. In a new development, as of next year, high-school graduates and other young adults will have an opportunity to participate in a KCO mentorship program.

Helen Haslam has been involved in KCO as a congregation leader, and her daughter, Naomi Haslam, has been undertaking an informal mentorship with craft leader, Margaret Johnston, for the past two years.

Helen explained that seeing her daughter’s experience with Margaret work so well over a two-ear period, she thinks that a formal program would benefit KCO and the young adults who have come through as junior leaders

Tags Youth

News & Announcements

Sorry Day: truth, justice and healing

Post author By revivewa
Post date June 2, 2016

Perth’s annual Sorry Day event was held at Wellington Square, East Perth, on Thursday 26 May, with over 2 000 school students plus a further 1 000 community members attending.

Six Uniting Church schools participated in the event, which aims to tell the stories of the Stolen Generations. The Uniting Church WA, through the work of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) WA and the Justice and Mission Unit, has supported the organisation of Sorry Day events for a number or years, through its involvement in the Bringing Them Home Committee WA. UnitingCare West was also a key sponsor of the event and ran a popular activity whereby young people could paint their stories onto message stones.

Rev Sealin Garlett, UAICC WA minister, provided a moving welcome to country, which was followed by a smoking ceremony from Prof Len Collard.

A stunning sand mural was laid out on the grass for people to admire, and later in the day dancers took to the mural with traditional dance, performing on the sand.

Tags First Peoples

News & Announcements

Past PLC principal honoured in naming of new senior school

Post author By revivewa
Post date June 1, 2016

Presbyterian Ladies’ College’s (PLC) Beth Blackwood Senior School was officially opened on 25 May 2016 in honour of PLC’s immediate past Principal, who left the school last October after 18 years of service.

Blessed with a sunny day in the midst of the stormy weather, the opening took place outside on the Quad, facing the impressive new limestone and steel building. The five Vice-chancellors of WA’s universities attended the opening as well as Rev Steve Francis, moderator of the Uniting Church WA, representatives from other schools, PLC students, staff and members of the school community. For Beth, it was the culmination of years of planning.

First designed as part of a plan for the campus back in 1999 by architect Marcus Collins, construction began late in 2014 and was completed in February this year. Sadly, Marcus passed away last year before building was completed.

Beth paid homage to his vision and passion to create a space that is both functional and beautiful.

Tags Schools, Youth

News & Announcements

Meeting costs in the aged care environment

Post author By revivewa
Post date May 25, 2016

Being acutely aware of the challenges faced by providers of age care services, it is abundantly clear that most people are completely unprepared for the move into such facilities from both a personal and financial perspective. In this article we explore the challenge of funding aged care with the view to getting people thinking about it now rather than waiting until the move is imminent.

There are already over one million retirees accessing aged care services in Australia. The move to aged care for a family member can be a very difficult process as the increasing cost structure raises questions as to the funding mechanism especially as the individual typically has strong ties to the family home. The costs of residential aged care are multifaceted and generally involve one or more of the following fees:

Tags Ageing and Community

News & Announcements

Immersed in the story

Post author By revivewa
Post date May 14, 2016

Last year, Bicton Uniting Church went on a journey. Using ‘The Story’, a resource for congregations and faith communities to explore the Bible together, they experienced growth and strength in their church community.

‘The Story’ has multiple curriculums, each aimed at a specific age or group, and each with 31 chapters. Every week the groups explored a chapter – meaning they were all studying the same text, but within their own contexts.

Rev Zak Cronje, minister at Bicton Uniting Church, said that it brought families together and meant that children and parents, as well as other different groups within the church, could respond to each chapter together and ask deeper questions.

“It did something fantastic in the congregation because all of a sudden people realised they were talking about the same thing,” Zac said.

Tags Church and Community, Theology and Spiritual Reflections

News & Announcements

Beth Shalom raising the roof

Post author By revivewa
Post date May 10, 2016

To encourage, listen and engage with their young people, Beth Shalom Tongan Uniting Church recently purchased a range of music instruments for the purpose of starting up a band. Many of the young people have musical gifts and skills that they wanted to use in the congregation to express their love of Christ.

Using a $4,500 grant from the Uniting Church WA’s Innovative Opportunities Unlimited Fund (IOU), Beth Shalom purchased an acoustic guitar, bass guitar, speakers, a mixer and a microphone. The band was formed, raising the roof each Sunday. Before each service, the band plays up to an hour of praise music, celebrating and worshipping God.

At the recent Summer Spirit event, held in February at All Saints Floreat Uniting Church, the group performed with high energy, enthusiasm and talent, and showed all those present, from the wider Uniting Church WA, just how loud church can be.

Kalo Fotu spoke on the importance of listening to their young people and engaging them as active members of the congregation. Whether a project succeeds or fails is not the point; it’s about giving young people a chance to express themselves.

Tags Church and Community, Intercultural, Multi-Cultural, Multicultural

News & Announcements

Dreaming of unity: Pilgrimage launched in Perth

Post author By revivewa
Post date May 9, 2016

The Council of Churches WA Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was launched today at the Bell Tower in Perth, with a performance from the Scotch College Pipe Band.

Deacon Theo Issa, president of the Council of Churches WA and member of the Syrian Orthodox Church, launched the week.

“We launch this pilgrimage in our beautiful city and at one of our city’s landmarks. This event allows us to appreciate what our city can offer us and the beautiful churches it has within our borders,” he said.

Rev Steve Francis, moderator of the Uniting Church reflected on ‘What is pilgrimage.’ He shared that a pilgrim is someone who is on a journey with God.

“God was calling them [pilgrims] and wherever they would arrive they would share the love of God with others,” he said.

Tags Church and Community

News & Announcements

Reaching out in the church

Post author By revivewa
Post date May 5, 2016

The Daring Conference is a biannual national gathering of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) people within the Uniting Church in Australia. This year, the three-day conference will be held at the Centre for Theology and Ministry in Melbourne from Friday 10 June to Monday 13 June.

It is organised by Uniting Network Australia, a network of LGBTI people within the Uniting Church and their families, friends and supporters.

The 2016 theme is Daring to Reach Out: Honouring our Diversity. Damien Stevens, co-convenor of Uniting Network, said the theme explores the challenges and opportunities for LGBTI inclusion within the Church’s culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.

“When we look at issues around LGBTI identity and inclusion and mix it with faith, we often find that spirituality and faith are very different between the privileged, white ‘out and proud’ movement and culturally and linguistically diverse people,” Damien said.

Tags LGBTQIA