Category: News & Announcements

On Sunday 13 March, St Peter and Emmaus Church was packed as Rev Dr Sonny Rajamoney was inducted into service as minister of the Word. The service of induction began with songs of praise, sung with gusto by the congregation and guests. Rev Jeni Goring, the Anglican priest in service at St Peter and Emmaus, gave a call to worship followed by the acknowledgement of country by Bishop Jeremy James. Uniting Church WA moderator, Rev Steve Francis, gave a welcome and greeting in which he acknowledged the special guests present, including the chair of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Congress WA, Rev Sealin Garlett.

Steve then gave his sermon, entitled ‘Something beautiful for God’, he took inspiration from a statement from Mother Teresa,  “Each one of us has something beautiful to do for God.” Steve went on to express that God is calling all of us to do something beautiful.

The main points of the sermon were that God is the one who calls us. That we are called to follow Christ and within that call there is often another call to service in our lives. That the call to serve Christ often happens in ordinary circumstances, he expounded that in the groans of the world around us (referring to Romans 8) we can see the needs that we are called to serve. And even in our own internally groaning we can feel the call of God on our lives. Finally, Steve encouraged the congregation that God doesn’t just call us, but he equips us too, that we are given the tools to live out the call on our lives, and the support we need.

Rev Emma Matthews was inducted into Nedlands Uniting Church over the long weekend. On Sunday 6 March, Emma was officially welcomed to the congregation during a bilingual service, in both Mandarin and English.

Having served as the chaplain at Penrhos College – a Uniting Church WA school for girls in kindy to year 12 – since her ordination as a deacon in 2011, Emma will now serve at Nedlands where she will focus her ministry on working with children and young people as well as training for small group leadership, preparing people for baptism, preaching and organising retreats. Prior to ordination Emma worked in lay ministry in Sydney, Brisbane and a small farming community in south-east Queensland.

Rev Stephen Larkin, also a minister at Nedlands Uniting Church, preached during Emma’s induction service. He spoke about the importance of living in word and action.

“All are called to proclaim the love of God in word and deed,” Stephen said. “That’s what it says on the back of the Nedlands Newsletter. The ministry leaders are not Stephen and Emma, or the council. The ministry leaders are the members of the congregation. And the ministry leaders – that’s all of us – need to be using both their wings.”

The new general secretary of the Uniting Church WA, Rev David de Kock, joins the team at the Uniting Church Centre today. He comes to the role with new ideas and a passion for living out Christ’s call.

David came to Australia seven years ago from South Africa. He became a follower of Christ in his late 20s, after marrying his wife, Margie. David and Margie’s three adult children and six grandchildren have all also immigrated to Australia in recent years.

David answered his call to ministry after a significant time in his family life.

“I was called to ministry shortly after choosing to follow Jesus but resisted for nearly 16 years. In the meantime Margie was diagnosed with terminal cancer which became a special faith forming time for us,” David said.

“With the prayers of the church to support us we faced a series of tests all confirming the diagnosis, and then, without any treatment, the cancer disappeared and she has not been troubled since. It was a turning point and I was ordained to ministry in the Presbyterian Church of Southern Africa in 1993.”