Category: Stories & Feature Articles

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Stories & Feature Articles

What is your Yurora?

IMG_1359   “Faith is a practical thing,” preached Julian Hamilton, of the Methodist Church of Ireland on the third day of Yuróra, the 2014 National Christian Youth Convention (NCYC).“We must perform the text, and when we do God turns up.”

With a week full of worship, song, dance and social justice, mixed in with a healthy dose of Yuróra, how could we not be performing the word of God? Yuróra was the theme for the  2014 NCYC, a biennial event held by a presbytery or synod of the Uniting Church, and means ‘passion’ in the Dharug language. As over 1000 delegates and volunteers pulled up  outside the Centre for Ministry, Parramatta, it was clear their yuróra was calling them.

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Celebrating diversity while learning for life

North Balga‘s Devanya Strickland and Makayla White with Scotch College’s Will Lewis and Cooper Van Rooyen. Photo courtesy of The Community Newspaper Group.
North Balga‘s Devanya Strickland and Makayla White with Scotch College’s Will Lewis and Cooper Van Rooyen. Photo courtesy of The Community Newspaper Group.

As neighbours from across the city, year five students from Scotch College enjoyed a day out last year celebrating  with students of North Balga Primary School (NBPS) in their Multicultural Day. North Balga Primary School is a vibrant, multicultural school, with many students speaking English as their second language, from many different cultures.

Students from the school performed a range of dances and displays to celebrate their different cultures with the students from Scotch College, a Uniting Church school in Perth’s  Western Suburbs.

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Give it UP for Lent

Georgina Garrett, Jemima Taylor and Imogen Senior from Picton Uniting are Giving it UP for Lent in 2014 with new youth resources.
Georgina Garrett, Jemima Taylor and Imogen Senior from Picton Uniting Church are Giving it UP for Lent in 2014 with new youth resources.

UnitingWorld’s Lent Event provides opportunities for people of all ages to – as their motto says – connect, reflect and act. Connect with overseas communities; reflect on your faith  and act, by giving up everyday items and donating the money to vital relief and development projects instead.

This year Lent Event includes a new, youth-inspired addition – Give it UP for Lent. Running over one weekend from March 7–9, Give it UP for Lent is the result of collaboration  between UnitingWorld and South Australia’s Uniting Young People. It includes a full range of youth group resources, video and bible study materials. 

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A tree of hope

178892264Helping to strengthen family bonds under pressure, Mount Hawthorn St Peter Emmaus Church recently helped families with a parent in prison celebrate Christmas. Through Angel  Tree, incarcerated parents can ask to send a gift to their child along with a hand written card as a way of celebrating Christmas together.

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Uniting Aid delighted

photoUniting Aid, a community service organisation of Nedlands Uniting Church, has for the past 32 years supported marginalised people living in the City of Stirling. Here, Uniting Aid  secretary John Ward and long-time volunteer Gaye Goddard express their delight at the 25 laundry baskets full of food and gifts collected by students at St Stephen’s School for  distribution by Uniting Aid. A Uniting Church school assisting a community service of the Uniting Church.

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Moderator’s column: Living with mindfulness

As I gather my thoughts for this edition of Revive, on Intentional Living, I am reminded of a DVD based course Viv and I bought some time ago. The course was entitled Practicing  Mindfulness. The lecturer, Professor Mark Muesse, asserts that most of us live in a state of mindlessness most of the time. Mindlessness being “A mental state in which the mind  generates a constant swirl of remarks and judgements that create a barrier or words and images that separate people from their lives.”

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Challenging the language of fear

When we think about what we are scared of, what comes to mind? Debt? Crime? Death?

Dr Keith Suter, managing director of Global Directions and Uniting Church member, is a leader in global thought and a member of arguably  the most prestigious global think tank in the world, the Club of Rome. While you may not realise it, he believes that many Australians are  fearful of invasion.

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Cipto: The love of Christ through peaceful action

 

The Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Perth, a Uniting Church congregation in Mosmon Park, has much to celebrate at the moment with the commissioning, in December last year, of their new minister, Rev Ciptamartalu Sapangi.

Rev Ciptamartalu Sapangi comes to Perth from Bardung, Indonesia, with many years experience, including building interfaith relationships in Indonesia’s multi-faith society.

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Travelling with your eyes open

The Hallelujah Chorus with (l-r) John, Ellen and Bill Lemen.
The Hallelujah Chorus with (l-r) John, Ellen and Bill Lemen.

G K Chesterdon, writer and Christian apologist is quoted as having said “The traveller sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.”

Travellers may be regarded as pilgrims – literally those who have come from afar – who are on a journey to a special place. Over the past six weeks I have had the opportunity, while  visiting family and friends in Canada and The Netherlands, to reflect on what I have seen and how this seeing impacts on my sense of, and experience of, church, creator and  creation.

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KCO: Your place is waiting

Whether you’re young or old, there’s a place at the table for you at this year’s Kids Camp Out (KCO). Primary aged kids (years 2 – 7) are invited to take part as campers in the weekend,  while young people aged 13–17 can still join in with their congregations as well as being part of the Junior Leader Program.

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