Tag: Church and Community

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Imagine a rainbow

According to Rabbi Dovid Freilich, ‘tolerance’ is a bad word.

“There’s been so much conflict, sadly, in the world because of religion. The world creates something in order to stop this conflict: a word being ‘tolerance’,” he said. “Tolerance means agreeing to sit together; you really can’t stand the fellow you’re sitting with, but you’ll tolerate them. It’s not a good word.”

For 30 years, Rabbi Freilich has been the Chief Rabbi of the Perth Hebrew Congregation, a Jewish Synagogue in Menora, Perth. He has also been the Chief Rabbi of WA and one of the Presidents  of the Council of Christians and Jews WA. Preferring not to use the term ‘retire’, Rabbi Freilich left the Rabbinate in July to take-up other interests after 45 years of service.

The Rabbi believes that rather than tolerance, respect should be our priority.

“We should respect each other,” he continued. “Respect involves two things. One definition of respect is you actually feel happy in another person’s happiness. So, respect implies that even though you might be one religion and you see somebody happy and contented in another religion, you’re happy for them.

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Life’s big questions over Elevenses

With a name inspired by JR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Elevenses at Trinity North Uniting Church is a discussion-led worship group making a big impact in the lives of the people who attend. In the book, Elevenses is a meal break taken by Hobbits at 11.00am. Although they do provide refreshments, at Trinity North, Elevenses is so much more than just a snack.

While the group has been beneficial for the young adults who attend, it is not specifically aimed at young people and attracts members of all ages. Its intergenerational scope has created a space where people can explore life’s big questions with others who have different perspectives.

Jana MacAdam is a member of Trinity North Uniting Church, Greenwood Worshipping Community, and a first-year university student. Feeling too old for youth group, Jana felt she needed more theological discussion than traditional Sunday morning worship could provide. On approaching her church council, she found they too had been discussing how they could provide a space for young adults to explore their faith.

“We found there was a need for something to cover the gap,” said Jana. “We’ve got the youth group and that’s really running well, but then you’ve got nothing for anyone who’s too old for youth group, and nothing on a Sunday.”

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Ordination joy: a life-long calling

In the presence of family, friends and members of the Uniting Church WA, Rev Justine Wall was ordained as a Minister of the Word on Sunday 9 July, 2.00pm, at Uniting Church in the City, Wesley Perth.

Rev Trevor Waters, Chair of the Uniting Church WA Pastoral Relations Committee, read Justine’s Narration of Steps, detailing her call to ministry.

“Justine first heard the call to ministry in her teens, but belonging to a denomination which at that time didn’t ordain women, she dismissed her sense of calling as wistful thinking,” he said.

“God’s call came again in her twenties but at that time, Justine was too busy establishing a family and pursuing a career in teaching. Her nagging feeling that God wanted her to serve in ministry was totally inconvenient.”

While in her thirties, Justine stepped into a school chaplaincy role, beginning her ten-year journey towards ordination. In 2016, she took 12 months leave from her role as Chaplain at Tranby College to complete her studies, and for the birth of her child.

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Celebrating 40 years

UJ_40 Year Anniversary Logo_v4

Uniting Church groups around the country have celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Uniting Church in Australia. Enjoy this gallery of pics from celebrations at Floreat, Trinity North and Rockingham and Rowethorpe Uniting Churches, as well as Good Samaritan Industries (GSI).

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To be a witness: Indonesian National Conference

The Indonesian congregations of the Uniting Church, with different ethnicities and backgrounds, gathered here in Perth for the 14th Indonesian National Conference.

GKI Perth Uniting Church (Indonesian) in Mosman Park, the only Indonesian speaking congregation within the Uniting Church WA, was given the privilege to host this important biennual  conference. It ran from 5 to 7 May, attended by eight Indonesian speaking congregations from multiple Australian states. We all came to share stories and brought messages from our home congregations.

The theme of this year’s conference was ‘To be a witness.’

“Have we become a witness of Christ in our family, in our church, and in our community?”

That is the message that was given by Rev Thresi Mauboy, the Moderator of the Uniting Church NT, in the evening devotion on the first day of the conference.

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Unearthing gold and God in the west

A recent advertisement in a church newsletter for free accommodation in return for providing Sunday services sparked an adventure from Queensland to regional WA. Ruth Duncan reflects on her experiences moving westward and how she struck gold in the faith community.

A small advertisement in a newsletter from the Uniting Church Queensland late last year popped up the day after hearing my last lecture in New Testament within the Lay Preacher’s course at Trinity College Queensland. The ad offered free accommodation in Kalgoorlie in return for providing Sunday services. What a great opportunity to see a different part of Australia and practise  what I’d been learning over the course.

Among the jaw-dropping from my local congregation members, they managed to ask questions like, “Where will you stay?” and “What is the congregation like?”

To these questions and more, including those that were in my mind, I had to say, “I don’t know.” I just heard the voice of God saying, “Come and see.”

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Dongara looks to the future

In a process to create a safer, more comfortable and welcoming church, Dongara Uniting Church have replaced their old, ‘traditional’ style pews for new chairs.

In a transition that’s taken over  three years to complete due to the church being heritage listed, the congregation have agreed to retain four pews for historical purposes. The rest have been sold to individuals; some for use in homes and gardens, some will be repurposed into other items.

The congregation has recently been in touch with the family of the person who built the pews and are working on creating a documented history. It is thought they may have been built using  Oregon timber which was originally cargo on a shipwreck off the coast of Dongara.

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Intergenerational bonding in Busselton

Finding common ground and activities for people of different ages is not always easy, but when you do, it can be a beautiful thing. The ‘blokes’ of Busselton Uniting Church semi-regularly get together for a meal at a local pub, but their February gathering was different. They were looking for something they could invite younger people to that would help foster relationships and  connection across the generations, so decided on lawn bowling.

On a balmy summer’s evening, 29 of us gathered to compete and eat pizza. Players ranged in age from 7 to 89 with everyone placed in an intergenerational team. There was plenty of banter and no hamstring tears to report.

The best part of the gathering was seeing the interaction between the different ages; common ground was found and relationships formed that will no doubt cross over to Sunday morning and  beyond.

Andy Broadbent

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Innovative aged care services hub milestone in the Kimberley

Creation of an innovative aged care service hub in Kununurra has taken a big step forward.

Juniper, a Uniting Church WA agency providing community and residential aged care, has announced that Pindan Contracting, an experienced construction company, has been appointed to build the organisation’s new 30-place care facility.

Juniper chief executive, Vaughan Harding, said the project was a boost for Kununurra, delivering important infrastructure and services to the town and wider community.

“The commencement of construction is a significant milestone and we will see over the coming months the creation of a modern facility that will serve as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for aged care services designed to meet community needs and aspirations,” he said.

“The project will help stimulate local employment, career pathways and opportunities for student placements.”

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Pancake Day supporting community

Pancake Day at Dongara Uniting Church has become a celebrated event around the town. Having started their event back some years ago when it was a Uniting Church WA sponsored event, the  congregation have continued running Pancake Day as a local fundraising activity for community services provided through their church.

Setting up a dining area at the church, with a yellow tent they bring out each year, the event is quite popular. Guests can dine in, or pancakes are also delivered to local businesses.

Wendy Small, from Dongara Uniting Church, said that the event is well supported by the town.

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