Category: Stories & Feature Articles

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Stories & Feature Articles

Moderator’s column: Renewal begins in worship

Occasionally people ask me what is the best part about being Moderator of the Uniting Church WA. Usually, quick as a flash, I say “Sunday mornings.” That’s because I have the enormous privilege of visiting, preaching and worshipping at many different congregations across the state.

Sometimes, I find myself in a small rural community, meeting in a home, hall or sanctuary. On other occasions, I am in a suburban gathering of the faithful with pipe organ or guitars and drums. I also receive the great honour of worshipping in other languages in our migrant ethnic, intercultural communities.

As celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the Uniting Church in Australia reminded us, “All of this is us.”

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Surviving on Newstart: life below the poverty line

When we think of poverty, often images of global crisis, starvation and sleeping rough on the streets come to mind. For many of us here in Australia these images are of the ‘other’ – people elsewhere in the world. But poverty is a lot closer than we think. Poverty can look like having to choose between paying the mortgage or the kids’ much needed school uniform; paying the electricity bill or doing a full week’s worth of food shopping.

In Australia, 13.3% of people and 17.4% of children are living in poverty. This equates to nearly three million people Australia wide, according to the 2016 Australian Council of Social Services (ACOSS) Poverty in Australia report. The report found that 57.4% of those living in poverty relied on social security payments as their main income and 32% received wages as their main income.

It is probably not surprising to many of us that Centrelink’s Newstart payment, a fortnightly payment described as a ‘jobseeker allowance,’ is levelled at well below Australia’s poverty line. A single  adult with no dependent children can receive a maximum of $535.60 a fortnight on Newstart; a single adult with dependent children can receive $579.30. ACOSS reports that an Australian single adult earning less than $426.30 per week, or $852.60 a fortnight, is living under the poverty line.

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Review: The Church Guide to Making Decisions Together

By Terence Corkin and Julie Kuhn Wallace, Abingdon Press, 2017

In an Easter article, former Uniting Church President Jill Tabart ruefully observed, “The consensus model is not being used to its best effect across the entire church.”

I agree with her.

What a pity not to use, dare I say to waste, the primary means of discernment that groups of people have available to them. Discernment is a community process of listening to each other and the Spirit, whereas the traditional western rules of meetings are there to facilitate arguments.

In a world which is now more divided, and decisions more difficult, our former General Secretary of the Assembly, Terence Corkin, was so convinced we needed to revisit consensus decision making processes that he, with an American Methodist Julia Wallace, has written this helpful how-to book, The Church Guide for Making Decisions Together. The book is a timely opportunity for leaders to re-visit the importance of the way we make decisions.

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Peacemakers in the world

Peace is a central concern of the Christian faith. The words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount are ones that have registered strongly in the minds of his followers ever since they were first expressed.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

Jesus’ disciples are to be active in seeking peace and reconciliation. Peacemaking is linked to other qualities such as righteousness and mercy (Matthew 5:6-7).

Peace is multifaceted. It involves not  only peace with one another and peace in society, but also peace with God, inner peace and peace with creation itself. Theologically, the Christian faith holds that while we are “made in the image of God,” with amazing capacities, we are also sinful with a bias towards selfinterest at the expense of others. We were created for relationship with God and others, but so often misuse our God given freedom and gifts for selfish ends resulting in alienation, tension and conflict.

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From the Archives: Thriving at School

This year the Uniting Church in Australia celebrates its 40th anniversary. Throughout 2017, Revive will feature significant events in the life of the church during that time. This edition, we focus on Uniting Church WA schools.

At the time of Union, five schools became part of the Uniting Church WA network. Methodist Ladies’ College, Penrhos College, Presbyterian Ladies’ College, Scotch College and Wesley College were all in operation many years before the Uniting Church formed. These schools have rich traditions and have celebrated many milestones and new initiatives.

Since Union, the Uniting Church WA has opened three schools.

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York celebrates 165 years

On Sunday 20 August 2017 York Uniting Church celebrated 165 years of a worshipping presence in the Avon Valley town. A fairly chilly day, so typical of winters in York,  the congregation joined with many friends to celebrate and give thanks. And what a celebration!

We began with our normal 9.30am worship service which was led by Rev Ruth Vertigan, who is part of the Rural Ministry Team and is our regional co-ordinator. Ruth attended the York Wesleyan Methodist Church (as it was then known) as a child so it was fitting that she come and lead the worship service on the morning of the anniversary. After morning tea we rushed home to gather the ‘good food’ for the afternoon tea which was to follow our planned ‘Pleasant Sunday Afternoon Concert.’

This anniversary concert is a very popular event in York, and this year at 2.00pm the church rang with the sound of 130 people singing Advance Australia Fair – a rousing start to the program organised by June Dawson.

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Youth group building intergenerational relationships

Arising out of a need in the congregation, the Maylands Mt Lawley Uniting Church Youth Group began in February 2016. After a year of being in operation, it is a much loved activity of the church.

Rev Kim Francis, Minister at Maylands Mt Lawley Uniting Church, co-ordinates the Youth Group alongside her son, Joel Francis, and Liz Lee, a member of the congregation, with the help of other parent volunteers. The group has about ten members, with around six attending each week. Some are members of the congregation, who also bring along friends.

Each Sunday, from 12noon–2.00pm, young people in years 6–12 share food, activities and discussion. Sometimes the group meet at the church, other times they head out and about. Outings have included activities like badminton, mini golf, kayaking, rock climbing and sailing.

Once a term they hold a cooking competition, and every week they enjoy a simple, but varied lunch together. Occasionally, they also meet with other youth groups from The Billabong, Mt Pleasant and Nedlands Uniting Churches, and they have worked through the Alpha Youth Film Series, a course designed to create conversations for young people exploring life, faith and meaning.

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Art on display at Beldon-Iluka

On the afternoon of Saturday 24 June, members of Beldon-Iluka Uniting Church shared art from their homes, brushes, chisels and needles with the wider Beldon community, as part of our 40th anniversary of the Uniting Church in Australia celebrations.

The local Beldon Primary School was excited to join in the celebrations too and their young artists put on a brilliant display of art work.

We were amazed with the talent in our area. Quilt makers, china painters, modern artists, wood workers, machine and hand embroiderers all submitted art for the display. People brought in favourite purchased art works too, some reminiscent of countries they had spent time in.

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First in Perth: UnitingCare West opens homeless shelter on Saturdays

Through UnitingCare West’s Winter Appeal, enough funds have been raised to turn the lights on at Tranby on Saturdays for the first time, on 15 July. Funds won’t last the year yet, so initially only core hours and services, including a free hot breakfast, showers, clothing, groceries and support from experienced staff, are offered from 7.00–10.00am on Saturdays.

With no sheltered Saturday morning services available in Perth for the homeless community, UnitingCare West made it their mission this winter to offer services to those most in need. Tranby, in  East Perth, offers free breakfast, shower facilities, support services and a warm venue to the homeless community. As a mission based organisation, all of UnitingCare West’s work is person-centered: starting with the individual, and building programs and supports around their needs. Working where others don’t, UnitingCare West deliberately researches needs and implements  solutions, where it finds that individuals are falling through the cracks.

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A pilgrim people: 40 years on

It was with a sense of excitement that three Western Australians travelled to Adelaide to attend the inaugural Uniting Church National History Conference from 9–12 June 2017. With Sheena Hesse, Archivist at the Uniting Church WA, Rev Dr Alison and Robin Longworth joined the fifty or so archivists and historians at Pilgrim Uniting Church. The Conference was hosted by the South  Australian Uniting Church Historical Society and focused on the history of the Uniting Church in this 40th anniversary year.

The Welcome to Country by Sean Weetra and the opening worship led by Rev Myung Hwa Park, Moderator of the Uniting Church NSW/ACT led us into the keynote address by Assoc Prof Renate Howe, who spoke on “Challenges for the Uniting Church in a changing Australia.”

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