Categories
News & Announcements

WA Ecumenical and Inter-faith Award

The Uniting Church in WA Ecumenical and Inter-faith Award will recognise an ecumenical or inter-faith project which has been initiated by a local Uniting Church member, congregation, faith community, school or agency. The award will be presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Synod and Presbytery, in September this year, with the winning entrant receiving $500 towards  their project.

Dorothy Carey, convener of the Ecumenical Affairs Committee, said that the award will acknowledge and encourage people or groups who are thinking wider than their own circles.

“It’s trying to get people to think outside their local church, and thinking about the wider religious community,” she said. “The only way you can actually get to appreciate and love other people  is to get to know them. You only get to know them by doing something with them, working beside them.”

Nominations are to be received by the Ecumenical Affairs Committee by 31 July; send a 500-word description of the initiative or project to Dorothy Carey at dcarey@westnet.com.au.

Categories
News & Announcements

We’ll love Muslims 100 years

Brad-Newspaper-Masthead-WA-Tearsheet

Uniting Church leaders from across Australia are joining interfaith and ecumenical friends today in a statement of solidarity with Australia’s Muslim community.

Uniting Church in Australia President Rev Prof Andrew Dutney is one of more than 150 faith and community leaders who’ve signed on to a declaration that “We’ll Love Muslims 100 Years.”

The statement is a reference to the banner headline in the Weekend Australian on 9 August “We’ll Fight Islam 100 Years.”

“Recent public statements and media coverage about Muslim-Australians in some sections of the Australian media have been inflammatory and divisive,” said Andrew.

“In our multi-faith society, Jesus’ call to love your neighbour means that Christians are called to meet, befriend and care about our neighbours who are Muslim.”

“Because of this, we can’t just stand by if they are unfairly insulted or marginalised.”

Categories
Stories & Feature Articles

Ecumenism an agent for peace

Australian Heads of Churches demonstrate Christian unity at the National Council of Churches in Australia Forum.
Australian Heads of Churches demonstrate Christian unity at the National Council of Churches in Australia Forum.

Australian churches have agreed to pray in solidarity with persecuted people in the Middle East at the recent National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) Forum held this past July in Melbourne. Delegates attended the Forum from the Uniting Church in Australia and a range of other denominations including Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Indian Orthodox  and Coptic Orthodox traditions.