Rev Dr Sonny Rajamoney was Inducted into Northway Uniting Church, in Beldon, on Sunday 8 November.
Susy Thomas, Moderator of the Uniting Church WA, delivered the Proclamation of the Word.
Sonny responded to his Induction and thanked the Presbytery of WA, members of the congregation, and his family for supporting his call to ministry at Northway Uniting Church. He said he is inspired to minister with the church in a new world.
WA church leaders gathered yesterday for an ecumenical Anti-Poverty Week service to consider what drives and sustains poverty in Australia.
Susy Thomas, Moderator of the Uniting Church WA, took the opportunity to call on the WA Government to consider the needs of those who are doing it tough rather than hoarding its surplus.
As many of Australia’s bushfire affected communities are still struggling to get back on their feet since last year’s horror bushfire season, people are once again preparing for another harsh summer.
To aid churches in these areas, a resource booklet recently went out to Uniting Church WA congregations to assist them in ministering to disaster affected communities. It provides advice for congregations on preparation, intervention and post-disaster support.
UnitingWorld have joined with the Micah Australia coalition to urge the Australian Government to provide vital support to vulnerable nations during the COVID-19 crisis. UnitingWorld believes the government can achieve this by protecting the world’s most vulnerable people, strengthening health systems, and kick-starting economic recovery.
A toolkit for churches is available on the UnitingWorld website containing links to video content, sermon notes, facts and statistics, ideas and resources for how to share the campaign with your church, and a letter template and instructions to write to your MP.
Wesley College launched its Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) at a NAIDOC Celebration Breakfast in July.
“At Wesley, we are committed to shaping and living a reconciled future where non-Indigenous and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples enter into a deep relationship with one another, forged by mutual respect, equality and shared histories,” said Wesley College Headmaster, Ross Barron.
The Uniting Church WA calls on the State and Federal Governments to protect ancient Aboriginal heritage sites by reforming Aboriginal Heritage Acts, in close consultation with Traditional Owners. They also called for Traditional Owners and knowledge holders to retain access and control over Aboriginal Heritage sites.
The decisions were made at the 44th Annual Meeting of the Synod of WA where more than 150 Uniting Church members from around Western Australia came together to discuss issues of importance in the life of the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Western Australia, and the wider community this weekend, Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September.
Rev Steve Francis will step down as Moderator of the Uniting Church WA on Friday 11 September. He reflects on his time in this role over the last six years.
As my time as Moderator is coming to a close, I was asked to write a reflection looking back over the past nearly six years and looking forward into the future.
When I was first elected Moderator at Synod in 2014 someone shook my hand and said “Condolences”. It was like they thought I got the booby prize in a raffle or worse. The experience of being a two term Moderator has had some dark and deep disappointments. There have been moments when I felt something of the pain and struggle of being a church that is in slow decline and in danger of reaching a tipping point when renewal seems almost out of reach.
The Uniting Church pays its respects for the life and ministry of Rev Dorothy Harris-Gordon. The Uniting Church in Australia has released the following pastoral statement.
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
We join in thanking God for the life and ministry of Rev Dorothy Harris-Gordon, who passed away in Lismore in northern NSW late on Friday 7 August 2020.
Aunty Dorrie as she was known, was the first Aboriginal woman ordained in the Uniting Church in Australia Synod of NSW and the ACT, and was one of several women who forged the path to ministry for their sisters in the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC).
After a break due to COVID-19 restrictions, Trinity North Uniting Church recommenced Messy Church once the restrictions in WA were eased to allow gatherings.
Messy Church at Trinity North Uniting Church attracts both church families and families from the community. We had 67 people at the August service.
4 January 1928 – 14 July 2020
Today we honour and celebrate the life of Lionel Edward Rose, one of our long-serving volunteers and colleague at the Uniting Church WA.
Lionel was a dedicated volunteer in the Uniting Church WA Archives department for ten years. He previously worked in the Uniting Church WA Property Department, consulting and looking after church properties.