Guildford Wesley Chapel will celebrate its 135th anniversary on Sunday 19 August, 9.30am.
Methodist church services began in Guildford in 1837 when the Hardy brothers travelled to Guildford. The services were held in private homes, the open air or in the Court House after it was constructed. Guildford Church became part of the Perth Methodist Circuit when it was inaugurated in 1840.
A group of five women started discussions in my home in February 2015 about starting up a creative recycling group.
The name, Creative Recycling Augusta, was decided on, and before long we began making shopping bags from recycled and some donated fabrics. The majority of the fabric was and still is sourced from local outlets such as the Lions and Red Cross. The group now meets at Augusta Uniting Church.
The South Perth Early Childhood Centre, at South Perth Uniting Church, is looking forward to a major upgrade of it’s outdoor playground, after receiving a $65 000 grant from Lotterywest.
Hon Kate Doust MLC, Member for the South Metropolitan Region, presented the grant this morning to Noelene Moir, Director of the South Perth Early Childhood Centre, and Ronni Naughton, Chair of the Management Committee.
On Saturday 23 June, Lighthouse Church in Geraldton hosted the first training day for 18 new recruits to Geraldton Street Chaplaincy. These Christians were drawn from churches across Geraldton and experienced a day of stories, training, visual information and inspiration about the ministry of Street Chaplaincy; which connects Chaplains with those who are in need on the streets.
This initiative is new to Geraldton, but at a recent Ministers Fellowship meeting we heard from the Police Officer in charge about how local Police would welcome Christian churches to initiate a Street Chaplaincy team here in our city. The Police have witnessed the effectiveness of Street Chaplains in bringing ‘light’ to the streets of various cities and towns in WA already including Northbridge, Fremantle, Albany, Mandurah and Kununurra.
If you are looking for a quiet life in retirement, don‘t move to the country. However, if you wish to be part of the community you live in there is no better place to live than a small rural town.
Toodyay is such a place.
During the year in Toodyay there are four major festivals plus a monthly Farmers Market, and then of course there are four churches and numerous clubs which you can join.
A casual comment was made one Sunday that perhaps Toodyay Uniting Church could think about contributing to the displays at the upcoming Fibre Festival, which was held recently in June.
What do Katanning WA and Lincoln NZ have in common?
During April, both hosted gatherings of people passionate about ministry in rural settings. One over-arching message is: small and rural matters!
Setting the scene for the 100 delegates in Lincoln for the International Rural Churches Association (IRCA), Dr Rosemary Dewerse told us the story of Parihaka. This Maori village was being claimed by colonisers. In 1881, as armed cavalry rode in they were met first by children sitting in the road singing, then teenage girls skipping and then gifts of food. Eventually two Maori chiefs, Te Whiti and Tohu, along with many others, were imprisoned, but their commitment to nonviolent resistance did not waver.
Te Whiti’s conviction was that taking up arms would lead to more deaths, so instead they persistently pulled up surveyors’ marker pegs, built their own fences and ploughed up the settlers’ roads.
In 2012, the Uniting Church WA sold land, including a church building in Donnybrook, to the Shire of Donnybrook Balingup. The land is situated behind the Shire’s administration building so was purchased in case of future development.
The old church building was unoccupied for a few years. In 2016, the Shire’s administration space expanded and the decision was made to revitalise the historic building and turn it into Council Chambers.
Leigh Guthridge, Manager Development and Environmental Services at the Shire of Donnybrook Balingup, said about $200 000 went into the building. The building was assessed by a structural engineer and a local heritage architect was engaged to make sure it kept its historical significance.
In Tonga, the first Sunday in May is dedicated to the children of Tonga. This is a special Sunday where Tongans in the Kingdom of Tonga and anywhere in the world celebrate their children. It is referred to as ‘Fakame’, ‘White Sunday’ or ‘The Children’s Sunday’.
This year, Beth Shalom Tongan Uniting Church, in South Lakes here in WA, was no exception to what was happening in Tonga on this special Sunday. The children from our church dressed in their absolute finest and performed for their families and friends. It was a special day for Beth Shalom and our Tongan Community in Perth to acknowledge and celebrate our children by hosting a special program for them. The whole service was conducted by the children with the main purpose of thanking the Lord for their lives and blessings.
The Uniting Church WA Ecumenical Affairs Commission hosted an Iftar dinner on Saturday 9 June at St Peter and Emmaus Church in Joondanna, with members of the Muslim community in Perth, through the Intercultural Harmony Society. The evening was a fantastic opportunity for members of the Christian and Islamic faiths to come together and share a meal, conversation and some of the common aspects of the two faiths.
This year, Ramadan is held from Wednesday 16 May to Thursday 14 June. During this time, many Muslims fast from dawn to sunset as part of their spiritual reflection. Fasting during Ramadan is a time of discipline and personal reflection on time with God. The Iftar dinner is the breaking of the fast, held at sunset each day during Ramadan, beginning with a call to prayer. Iftar dinners are often spent with friends, family and community, making it a great time to share together with members of the Uniting Church WA.
Rev David de Kock, General Secretary of the Uniting Church WA, welcomed guests before Ismail Yildiz recited the call to prayer. After the meal, verses were read from the Bible and the Quran, followed by a reflection from Saliha Yildiz, year 8 student at Fountain College, on what participating in Ramadan means to her.
Over 50 people across cultures and generations came together for the Intercultural Next Generation Conference at Cannington Uniting Church in Perth’s southern suburbs from Friday 23 to Monday 26 March.
Uniting Church members from Tongan, Indonesian, Samoan, Chinese, Arabic, Burmese, African and Anglo-Celtic communities came to share their stories and learn from one another.
Conference sessions covered ‘cultural intelligence’, how our culture affects our understanding of the Bible and bridging the gap between first and second generations.
My personal highlight was when the young people shared with the ‘older folk’ on how they can better engage with the young people in the church.