Rev Dr David Ferguson, Presbytery Officer for the Uniting Church WA, reflects on using the labyrinth as a spiritual practice during the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Inspired by ‘Rainbow Trails’ and ‘Teddy Bear Hunts’ going on in local communities all over the world to raise the spirits of people living with physical distancing restrictions due to COVID-19, Marlene Carroll, with the help of Carol McLaughlin, both from Trinity North Uniting Church, came up with the idea to spread some hope with neighbours around their church.
Marlene and Carol have hung colourful doves – a symbol of hope – from branches of a bottlebrush tree on the verge outside Trinity North Uniting Church Greenwood Worshipping Community.
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The spice of life
Alison Dyall is a member of the Uniting Church WA International Partnership and Development Commission, formerly the UnitingWorld WA Commission. She recently returned from a trip to Timor Leste, where she has travelled a number of times. She shares some of her experiences with Revive.
Rev Steve Francis, Moderator of the Uniting Church WA, and Kerry Povey, Chair of the International Partnerships and Development Commission, have written to members of the church, encouraging them to support the church’s international partners as they deal with the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Behind every passion project is a devoted creator, and Bible Society’s Bibles for Bubs project is no different.
Belinda Faulks, Bible Society’s Projects and Relationship Manager, birthed the project three years ago and has handwritten 7 000 birthday cards in that time.
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Review: Saint Judy
Directed by Sean Hanish, 2020, Cannonball Productions
Saint Judy is a film based on real life events of lawyer, Judy Wood, who’s thrown in the deep end in her first immigration law case. Her belief that the truth and doing what’s right can overcome almost insurmountable obstacles to forever change asylum law in the United States of America, as well as the lives of those around her.
Judy represents an Afghani woman, Asefa Ashwari who’s betrayed by her Tribal Leader father, persecuted by the Taliban for ‘Crimes against God.’ She faces the certainty of being murdered by her own brothers in an honour killing if her fight for asylum in the United States is unsuccessful, because she encouraged girls to think for themselves and to get an education by opening a school for girls in her village.
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Alpha Course goes online
A new study has revealed that 31% of Australians who state they have ‘no religion’ would actually search online to find out more about faith or religion.
Rev Norman Hogg, from Rockingham Uniting Church, shares how he and his wife, Freda, successfully raised $10 000 over Lent for the Uniting Church in Australia’s National Disaster Relief Fund to support people affected by Australia’s recent devastating bushfire season.
Rev Mark Illingworth, Minister at South Perth Uniting Church, was planning to start up a ‘Builders’ Club’ based at the church for lovers of Lego – and then came COVID-19. With physical distancing rules in place, Mark started the club online via Zoom.
How people of faith must work for change, by Rev Jim Antal, 2018, Rowman and Littlefield
The national synod of the United Church of Christ, USA, passed a motion in 2017 that: “The climate crisis is the opportunity for which the Church was born.”
Jim Antal’s book opens with historian Lynn White’s words from 1967: “More science and technology are not going to get us out of the present ecological crisis until we find a new religion or rethink our old one.”