As our lives, workplaces and churches have changed the way they operate in a world of COVID-19, Geoff Bice, Social Justice Consultant for the Uniting Church WA, shares how churches can continue to serve those who are vulnerable in our community.
Category: Stories & Feature Articles
While we are physically distancing due to COVID-19, Louise Powell, member at Northway Uniting Church who is currently undertaking a Period of Discernment with the Uniting Church WA, reflects on the ‘time out’ many of us have been given.
As many congregations are seeking different ways of keeping in touch with their members, Margaret Johnston, Culture of Safety Research Officer at the Uniting Church WA, gives us a timely reminder that, through your good intentions, you might be in breach of copyright.
While people can’t physically gather for worship this Easter, Rev Gordon Scantlebury, Rural Resource Minister for the Uniting Church WA, has found a way to connect with his local township of Donnybrook over the long weekend – and share the hope of Easter.
Over the past few years, as minister at Bunbury St Augustine Uniting Church, we have welcomed more than 20 households from different parts of the world. They have found their spiritual home here, formed friendships, found work and social communities and added richly to both the church and city life of Bunbury.
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Recipe: Hot Cross Buns
With Easter spent at home while physically distancing this year, why not try your hand at making your own hot cross buns!
For many years, Peter and Raelyn Punch, from South Mandurah Uniting Church, have enjoyed the magic of homemade hot cross buns at Easter with their family. Raelyn shares her recipe with Revive and reminds us not to forget to wear an apron with this one, as things will get messy!
Ingredients
4 cups of white bread-making flour, or plain white flour
30g, or 2 teaspoons, of dried yeast (hint: if the yeast is old use 1 tablespoon of yeast)
1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups of milk
1 to 1 ½ cups of sultanas (variation: you could try choc chips, currents or whatever you like)
60g of cold butter
¼ cup of white sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon of mixed spice
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Plus:
Extra flour for kneading the dough
Additional plain white flour and water for making the crosses
Hot water, gelatine and sugar for glazing, if wanted
Method
Combine yeast with 1 teaspoon of sugar and flour in a small glass or stainless steel bowl. Place this small bowl into a larger bowl that has hot water in it, ensuring the water does not flow into the small bowl. Have the water level at approximately half way up the small bowl.
Carefully pour the lukewarm milk into yeast mixture. If it is too hot you will kill the yeast.
Cover with paper towel for approximately 10 to 15 mins or until mixture is frothy.
Sift flour, mixed spice and cinnamon together into a third large dry bowl. Add sugar and rub in butter with fingertips till well incorporated.
Mix in the sultanas.
Once the yeast mixture is frothy, pour it in to flour/sultana mix. Add beaten egg and mix well.
Grease a new bowl lightly, put the wet flour mixture into it and then cover tightly with a tea towel.
Leave the bowl in a warm place which is not in direct sunlight.
When the dough is risen (this could take approximately 40 to 80 minutes depending on the weather), punch the dough down with floured hands, turn out onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Cut the dough into three equal parts and then into smaller buns of equal size, and knead them into a round shape.
Place buns in a lightly greased lamington tin with no spaces between them, (the aim is to force them to rise upwards, like scones). Stand in a warm place covered by a tea towel for about 15 minutes or until they have risen again.
To make the crosses
Sift approximately ½ a cup of plain white flour and mix with water to form a paste.
Place in icing bag and pipe crosses onto top of buns.
Bake in a hot oven for 15 to 20 mins in a hot oven (230 to 240C electric, 200 to 230C gas), until brown on top and sound hollow when tapped.
Glazing
If you would like shiny buns, glaze immediately after removing from oven. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of gelatine in 1 tablespoon of hot water to make the glaze, and paint it across the top.
Cool the buns on a rack and enjoy!
Top image: Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash
Rev Steve Francis, Moderator of the Uniting Church WA has shared his Easter message for 2020. Steve reflects on the troubled times we are currently living in, and the hope which the death and resurrection of Jesus brings us.
Watch the video, or read the transcript below.
Australian-based Be Slavery Free, formally known as Stop the Traffik, is urging Australian consumers to make a difference this Easter and buy chocolate eggs from companies that are addressing human rights and environmental concerns.
Using life-giving symbolism and creative ways of staying connected, Margaret River Uniting Church, like many congregations at the moment, are finding new ways to be church during the COVID-19 crisis.
John Berger is the new Executive Officer – Agencies, for the Uniting Church WA. He will be working with Uniting Church WA congregations and agencies to build relationships and share opportunities for connection and growth. He has come to this role from being the CEO of St Bartholomew’s House for six years. He is also currently the Chairperson of the End Homelessness WA Alliance, and a member at The Billabong Uniting Church.
John reflects on this role.
The Christian life is a journey of parallels. At times there are great blessings and at times great challenges. My life’s work has very much reflected these parallels. God has taken me into some unique experiences and job roles over my career.
However, at the core of this has been my resolve to keep God at the centre of it all. I grew up in a working class and Christian family. From an early age, and with encouragement from fellow brother and sisters, I sensed the need to be led by the spirit. I finished High School with straight As in Maths and Science, but found myself being called to work with people.
My family didn’t cope with this – as this was not ‘real’ work. Real work would be doing a trade like my brothers or if I had to go to University – doing something like Engineering.
Despite this, I felt the calling to help others and found myself experiencing a deep peace about this decision. This has led me to a path of working with some of the most vulnerable people within our community in roles such as child protection and foster care, poverty and homelessness and ultimately as a Chief Executive Officer.
Despite all these experiences, one driving focus for me has been the voice of the people with lived experiences and my capacity to form relationships and journey together. I take heart from another fellow Christian writer who reflects on the journey of Jacki Pullinger who spoke about “softening your heart but hardening your feet”.
And yet the trouble is, it’s so easy to have a hard heart (compassion fatigue) and soft feet (taking the easy way out.) As Christians, we are challenged to love the poor and seek justice. But, how do you love the poor? What is your reference point and what does that actually mean? And how do we harden our feet to respond to the injustice that we perpetuate in our society to allow poverty and homelessness to continue?
Why are we not outraged in a country as rich as Australia – why do we allow people to live on the margins and live without a home?
As Jackie Pullinger stated: “My message is always the same; it’s how to get us sure enough of God’s love, so we can go out and share it with the lost. Having tasted his love all I wanted to do was share it until I died.”
So how does this influence me?
Firstly, I find myself listening deeply to the stories and lives of the people I work with. I respond to them as people (not clients), each with a unique story and show compassion (soft heart) to them. Secondly, I challenge our world view and see that I am part of the problem – that I tolerate allowing people to suffer and remain in their circumstance such as homelessness. This is a tough call as I have to stand up and advocate for change. This has led to making many changes in the way I work and more recently has guided me to be part of a social movement to end homelessness in WA.
This journey has given me many great blessings while continuing to face many challenges. At the heart of it is my reminder to keep a soft heart, but hardening my feet to seek justice for those who often do not have a ‘voice’ in our community.