Category: News & Announcements

UnitingCare West broadens focus to help those most in need to belong and thrive

Post author By revivewa
Post date February 1, 2016

As UnitingCare West enters its tenth year of providing service to the WA community, they are proud to launch their new four year Strategic Plan. This Plan marks the start of a new era for UnitingCare West; and will guide the work of UnitingCare West’s 360 staff and 650 volunteers working in local communities. The Strategic Plan 2016–2020 has a strong emphasis on innovation and adaptability and will enable UnitingCare West to maximise positive outcomes for people and communities so those most in need can belong and thrive.

The organisation continues to advocate for people who are most marginalised in West Australian communities. Together with the Strategic Plan 2016–2020 UnitingCare West launches a revised mission statement, with the focus remaining on working with people most in need.

The mission statement from January 2016 is: “To work with people and communities so those most in need can belong and thrive”.

UnitingCare West CEO Sue Ash says “The change in mission statement reflects UnitingCare West’s growing maturity as an organisation and continued response to the needs of the people we work with and the communities UnitingCare West works in.”

Tags A Helping Hand, Poverty

News & Announcements

A welcome national approach on redress

Post author By revivewa
Post date February 1, 2016

The president of the Uniting Church in Australia, Stuart McMillan, has welcomed the commitment by the Federal Government to develop a national approach to redress for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.

“This commitment by the Government is important, because a nationally consistent approach has been identified as best meeting the needs of survivors,” said Stuart.

“The Royal Commission recommended a single national redress scheme and it’s a principle that we strongly support.”

“The Government previously thought a single national scheme was too complex and difficult to resource, so we acknowledge and thank the Government for its principled change of position towards a national approach.”

Tags Safe Church

News & Announcements

Survival Day message urges new talks on sovereignty and treaty for First Peoples

Post author By revivewa
Post date January 25, 2016

The President of the Uniting Church in Australia Stuart McMillan has issued a Survival Day message, calling for a new national conversation about sovereignty for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

In a message released to coincide with Australia Day, Stuart has asked Australians to celebrate the resilience of First Peoples and their extraordinary contributions to Australian life.

“Our national day is a good time to see with new clarity the wonderful heritage that is embodied in the nations and clans of this land’s First Peoples,” said Stuart.

“Respect for First Peoples is the hallmark of a great nation, and it’s now time for us to follow through on our unfinished business.

“For Christians, Christ’s love compels us to be truth tellers and ministers of reconciliation.

Tags First Peoples

News & Announcements

Not so super

Post author By revivewa
Post date January 22, 2016

More than 1000 retired Uniting Church ministers have had their retirement incomes slashed by Federal Government superannuation changes that came into force on 1 January.

Changes to the tax treatment of defined benefit super schemes mean more than 80% of retired members in the UCA Beneficiary Fund are losing thousands of dollars a year, principally because it will now be harder for them to receive the Age Pension. The scale of lost income varies with initial feedback suggesting most losses in a range of $5000 to $8500 and some as high as $10,000 a year.

Retired ministers, and in many cases their widows, are struggling to adjust to their change in circumstances with the Uniting Church Beneficiary Fund fielding reports of financial hardship. One late Minister’s wife describes herself as “being forced into a survival situation again” at the age of 76, while other former ministers are reportedly considering selling out of retirement villages they live in.

Tags Uniting Church

News & Announcements

The great Wise Guys search

Post author By revivewa
Post date January 19, 2016

An article in Eternity magazine about some churches in Geelong carrying out a community ‘Nativity Search’ project was the inspiration for Dongara Uniting Church to develop and present ‘A Great Search For the Wise Guys’ in our community during Advent 2015. Planned for children and families, the event included the making and ‘hiding’ around town of knitted wise men figures, a nativity photo booth where children and families could dress up as characters from the story and take photographs, and a free film at our church ‘theatre’, in December.

In June and July 2015 local knitters were recruited to make individual ‘Wise Guys’ using patterns downloaded from the internet. There was a good degree of enthusiasm from church and non-church folk for this part of the project. By the end of September we had 26 Wise Guys assembled and ready for the next stage of the plan. By this time, a variety of dress-up costumes had also been collected and constructed by our keen wardrobe mistress Margaret Bromfield. These were for people to use in the nativity photo booth during December when the Great Search was in full swing.

Tags Church and Community, Remote and rural communities

News & Announcements

A safe place for all

Post author By revivewa
Post date January 16, 2016

The Uniting Church is committed to creating a safe and caring place for its members, those who come seeking help, those who are hurting and those in need.

In some cases, that very reaching out and unconditional love by its members has meant the Uniting Church and its agencies have been open and accessible to those who have abused our children, elderly and vulnerable.

It is the duty of care of the Uniting Church members to ensure the spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing of all people it ministers to. Church leaders and members need to support and encourage each other to create and maintain safe church ministries.

Tags Safe Church

News & Announcements

UnitingCare Australia urges PM to take leadership on National Redress Scheme

Post author By revivewa
Post date January 14, 2016

“Confirmation from the office of Social Services Minister, Christian Porter that a Federal Government response to a national redress scheme for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse is imminent, is welcome news to UnitingCare Australia,” said Lin Hatfield Dodds, national director of Uniting Care Australia.

“The development of a national redress scheme is critical to ensuring survivors receive justice and healing.

“UnitingCare Australia supports a national scheme and asks Prime Minister Turnbull to lead the Federal Government in working with state governments and relevant organisations to develop an appropriate scheme.”

Tags Safe Church

News & Announcements

Special Meeting of the Synod

Post author By revivewa
Post date December 29, 2015

The Standing Committee of the Uniting Church WA wishes to advise that a special meeting of the Synod of Western Australia will be held on Saturday 6 February 2016 to appoint a new general secretary. From 1 January, Rev John Dunn will act as general secretary. The Standing Committee thanks Rosemary Hudson Miller for her dedicated service in this role. From 1 January, Rosemary will return to her former role as associate general secretary justice and mission, until 31 July.

Tags Uniting Church

News & Announcements

Juniper gardens to harvest benefits for mind, body and soul

Post author By revivewa
Post date December 16, 2015

Juniper, a Uniting Church WA agency providing community and residential aged care, is proud to announce the official opening of a brand new interactive garden space in Balcatta, created to provide an oasis of safety and tranquillity for the organisation’s many aged care residents and clients and people with disabilities.

Juniper Gardens, located on Burwood Road, is tailored to meet people’s special needs and has been carefully designed to provide accessible and stimulating outdoor activities; connections with nature, families and friends and the means to grow and harvest home-style produce.

Chief executive, Vaughan Harding, said people of all ages can enjoy the space, which also serves as an exceptional volunteering opportunity to individuals and groups from throughout the community.

Tags Ageing and Community

News & Announcements

Faith for stepping in the dark

Post author By revivewa
Post date December 16, 2015

A Conclusion of Placement Service was held for Jessica Morthorpe, First Third Specialist for the Metro West Region, on Thursday 10 December at All Saints Floreat Uniting Church. Ashley MacMillan delivered the following sermon.

So, I’m going to talk about faith… and Jess. But given that faith manages to make it onto the list of most mis-used words in the English language, I thought I should do some clarifying before I began.

Faith is often considered to be ‘belief without proof’, making faith just a subset of belief. Yet not only is this mistaken, it also makes faith just as boring as belief is. Belief refers to what you think is true. We have beliefs about thousands of things, some of these beliefs we hold no doubt about, such as my belief that that that the Earth revolves around the sun. Other beliefs are things that we acknowledge we may never be certain about, or that there cannot be an objective truth about, such as my belief that summer is the best season. In short, belief is a broad thing, and whilst it might be a significant thing, it’s also a bit of a boring thing. It is just a form of intellectual assent to an idea. Belief is passive.

The word ‘faith’ though stems from Latin, via old French through Anglo-french, and then into middle English, before finally landing in modern English, and it means ‘to trust’. Trusting is a step in the dark. There’s this game that I used to play as a kid, where you close your eyes, hold your arms straight at your side and let yourself fall backwards. The person behind you will catch you, but the trick is to not try and save yourself. The game is to trust them.

Tags Theology and Spiritual Reflections