We thank Uniting WA for sharing this article with us.
A personal story – Josh’s journey through homelessness
Josh* spent time as a Uniting WA Beds for Change participant last year. Beds for Change was a supported transitional accommodation service for people experiencing homelessness which was established during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was so successful that the program now forms part of Uniting WA’s ongoing strategy to address homelessness.
Josh shares his story here.
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I was born in a big city and spent the first 2 years of my life there before my family moved states. I then spent my childhood living in regional towns.
I was an only child and my Mum was a single Mum. She was an alcoholic and I had to look after her a lot. Since the age of 10, I used to have to nurse her outside the pub at two in the morning. A lot of the time I was on the street, drinking at a very young age. I wasn’t really socialising with good people and I was taken advantage of a lot. As a result, I don’t put up with anything these days.
When I got a bit older, I got into drugs and had issues there with methamphetamine for a while. That wasn’t good so I left where I was living and moved states again. I still had drug issues, but it wasn’t as bad.
Then I moved to be near my grandparents and that kind of sorted me out. I reconnected with them in early 2020 and I started sharing things with them. They were really supportive and good about everything, and they helped me out through a lot of the alcohol and drug issues. They helped me gain more self-confidence – that was my main issue and the main reason I used drugs and alcohol. I don’t drink nowhere near as much now, and I don’t touch drugs anymore.
My grandparents taught me that I can really do anything. They were hard on me, but I needed it. With them, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
I was 27 years old when I came over to WA thinking that I had a legitimate job in the South West, but it turned out it wasn’t. The boss wanted to pay me in cash. I had a letter of offer saying that I had a job, but he kept avoiding putting me on the books, so I ended up leaving after three months. That’s how I ended up being homeless in Perth.
I didn’t know anyone in Perth, but I thought my probability of getting ahead with housing and work would be a lot better in Perth than it would be in the South West.
That was the first time I went to Tranby (Uniting WA’s Crisis Support and Engagement Hub). I came in and let them know what was happening. I was in survival mode and just spent the bare minimum I needed to get by. I was looking for jobs as well, but I didn’t want anyone to know I was homeless. Every time I applied for a job, I used Tranby as my address and I never got any call backs from anyone because they would figure out I was homeless.
I spoke to the team at Tranby and they told me I could apply for Beds for Change. They helped me get through all of that and I got a place at Beds for Change, re-did my CV and asked them if I could use that as my residential address. They agreed and two days later, I had a job.
Beds for Change housed me while I started working. It allowed me the time to save up money so I could then get a share house. I would also go to Tranby so I could use the computers and the internet for work stuff.
I started doing factory work and then decided I wanted to go to the mines. I started off doing shutdowns but am working towards full-time work now. I did three of four shutdowns with my employer and then they offered me a probationary period for a permanent job, which I’m doing now. I work two weeks on, two weeks off and I really like it.
I’m living in a share house at the moment but am looking to move closer to the airport and the city soon. I’m looking for a one-bedroom unit so I can have space and come home to my own things. I like jiu jitsu and kick boxing, so I’m also looking forward to being able to do a class.
Beds for Change was awesome, it’s a program that should be done more often because it really helps people. The service was more personal, instead of having a format where ‘this is how it runs’ – it adjusts person to person and understands that everyone’s circumstances are completely different. Instead of just having one program and one model where you’re only going to get a percentage of people who will be able to make it through that model, Beds for Change is more flexible, which it should be – because that’s how life is.
My advice to anyone in a similar situation is to think back to all the things you’ve done well in your life and remember that you can do it again.
It’s always heart-warming to hear happy news about the children we support at Uniting WA but even more so in the lead up to Christmas. At the end of last year, a 9-year-old child who had been living in a Uniting WA family group home moved into the home of his new foster carer just before Christmas.
The new carer came onboard with Uniting WA after a foster care recruitment campaign, which ran in November and December 2020. The person completed the application and assessment process and was approved to become a foster carer a month or so before Christmas.
At the same time as the carer’s recruitment, it was determined that a foster care placement would be more suitable for the child who needed one-on-one support. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The child and carer were introduced and spent time getting to know one another before moving into the carer’s home.
Their first meeting was held at a park where they played football, and they eventually progressed to visits to the carer’s home. The child fell in love with the carer’s dog and was given their own wooden bed to decorate. The carer and child formed a strong bond, and both asked if the child could move in earlier.
The carer has an interesting background, having worked as a paramedic and teacher, and now as a drug and alcohol counsellor. A calm and nurturing person, the carer is skilled in managing stressful situations and helping people through challenging times – ideal qualities and skills to support the child with a trauma background.
There was much positive collaboration behind the scenes with our Family Group Homes and Foster Care teams, working together to organise meetings and to ensure both parties felt supported through the journey.
Christmas was a special time for the child and carer who enjoyed a family celebration.
Have you ever considered fostering a child with a disability or high support needs? If you’re interested in learning more about foster care placement, please contact Fiona Cafferty on 9355 9149 or at fiona.cafferty@unitingwa.org.au.
Members of the WA chapter of the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC) gathered outside the Wesley Uniting Church in the City on Friday 17 December 2021 to sing reworded Christmas carols to highlight the need for stronger climate action.
Geoffrey Bice, President of ARRCC WA said people were keen to get creative with the words of well-known carols as a fun way to make an important point.
“While we may be singing some light-hearted carols today, we hold deep concerns about the lack of action in WA to prevent the worst climate impacts.
“WA has major expansions of the gas industry on the cards, while at the same time the International Energy Agency this year called for no “new fossil fuel supply projects” and the IPCC modelling requires an immediate decline in the use of gas to keep within a 1.5 °C temperature rise.
“How then is it morally responsible to forge ahead with expansions of the gas industry? When will the WA Government draw the line and stop approving new fossil fuel developments?”
The Uniting Church have always held particular concerns about the most vulnerable in the community as well as minimising impacts on the environment.
Susy Thomas, Moderator of the Uniting Church WA said, “How can we justify to our children, to the people of the Pacific, to the vulnerable in our community who will continue to suffer through heatwaves and other weather extremes, that it is morally ok to expand a practice we know is going to cause harm?”
Ann Zubrick, Presiding Clerk of Quakers Australia, said that, “Perth plays host to head offices for some of the biggest polluters in the country. It is disturbing to us and to many Western Australians that, on the back of international climate talks, Woodside have announced their plans to open a huge new gas field.”
The group said they were encouraged by the recent news that the WA Government are soon to set 2030 targets for its own activities, particularly in relation to emissions from the South West Grid. However, the group fears that any gains made in reducing emissions will be simultaneously undermined if approval is also given to open new fossil fuel developments like Woodside’s Scarborough gas proposal.
Ann Zubrick said, “We are here today to show that people of all stripes in our community take the climate crisis really seriously. We are representatives from diverse faith groups and we, along with many Western Australians, want to see our state become a global leader in renewable energy, not a laggard of fossil fuel expansion.
“We have already seen with fires and floods what happens when the science of climate change is not heeded.”
“By contrast, we’ve seen during this pandemic that good outcomes are achieved when scientific advice is followed, but when governments do the wrong thing it’s the poor who are hurt the most.”
As a child, the Christmas colours I recall are mainly green, red and white. There were cards with snowy scenes, holly and evergreen trees and table decorations in these colours. Most people decorated pine trees. Santas were red and white (influenced by Coca-Cola).
I was still a child when I knew a person who bucked the trend. He had an orange flowering Western Australian Christmas tree, or Moodjar.
Not everyone approved. It seemed that most people thought we ought to use northern hemisphere – English and North American – colours.
The colours of our Christmases may not suit us as we conform to family expectations or traditions which we might otherwise not follow.
What colour do you associate with Christmas present?
For many, Christmas this year is bright.
In some places, especially where it is celebrated in the shadow of COVID -19, Christmas is muted or dark.
This may affect us if presents do not arrive because of world supply chains and the sheer volume of post and parcels. This may affect us if those dear to us have had a hard time or continue to live with deprivation, uncertainty or consequences of the times that are hard to manage.
I know some for whom a dominant Christmas colour is blue.
‘Blue’ symbolises Christmas being sad or hard, including for those feeling losses keenly or a particular reminder of some distressing experience, such as a gap in our gatherings for Christmas.
Not everyone finds this a ‘wonderful time of the year’. Over time, a deep blue Christmas may become lighter, yet never stop having a bluish tinge. One Christmas letter I received last year said the person had known over 20 people who had died in 2020.
The message of Christmas is for those for whom Christmas is blue.
What colour do you associate with Christmases yet to come?
The good news of God’s work is that the season when we celebrate the coming of the light has the power to encompass all the colours of the spectrum.
At times the colours shift and different ones dominate – that is inevitable. A time that is bright for us may not be bright for everyone around us. John’s gospel reminds us that the light of Christ shines in the darkness and the darkness will never overcome it.
So, we hold to the Christmas hope, peace and joy whenever we can and remember that the core of the season is a message of God’s love for all. This is a gift we can always offer each other.
“Joy to the world… Let every heart prepare him room…”
The love of God which is embodied in Christ and the Christmas stories has a particular focus in the gospel for this year.
For Luke, God was revealed not to the powerful, the confident or comfortable, or people central to social life or the power structures, but to those whom others saw as inferior or not to be included in the circle.
‘Shepherd’ in some minds in the first century meant ‘unclean,’ dirty, smelly, crooks and cheats, even when the poverty they lived with was beyond their control. In Luke’s story, these are the ones who have a central place.
There are many ways of experiencing being outside the circle. It may be that our colour doesn’t fit with some others’ expectations, it may be that we feel unable to share what is really going on with us.
There are many versions of Christmas, many experiences of Christmas. Different versions speak to different people.
Some enjoy the frills, and some prefer plain. Some may attract us, and some repel. As there are many different colours of Christmas, there are many dimensions to be explored.
What about you?
We are invited to come with hearts prepared to make room – for the joy – and for whatever is real for us, whatever colour or combination of colours are ours this year. Making room means allowing for God to reveal new dimensions of Christmas to us.
Summer Spirit, a continuing education and discipleship event of the Uniting Church WA, will be held on Friday 18 and Saturday 19 February 2022. This year’s event will explore values, as the Uniting Church WA goes through it’s own process of considering its values for its next strategic plan.
Included in the line-up of speakers is Hugh Mackay AO, Australian psychologist, social researcher and author of 22 books, including The Kindness Revolution. Hugh will be sharing insights from this new book, as well as from his book, The Inner Self: the joy of discovering who we really are and will encourage guests to think about the kinds of values that Australian society aspires.
Hugh believes that through kindness, we can create a better world.
“I would define kindness as anything we do to show another person that we take them seriously – and that can be anything from a friendly smile or wave to an offer of a meal, a helping hand in a crisis or, most particularly, our commitment to being attentive and empathic listeners,” he said.
“In The Kindness Revolution, I’m suggesting that whenever we face a crisis – like the pandemic, or fires, floods, wars, etc – we always rise to the occasion and act in ways that are true to the best of our human nature.
“We are kind to friends and strangers alike. We look out for the most vulnerable people in our communities. We rediscover the importance of neighbourliness. We make sacrifices for the common good.
“The question is: why don’t we go on acting like that, even when the crisis has passed?
“The answer is that our innate capacity for kindness, because we belong to a social species that needs social harmony to survive, can easily be overlooked in favour of more selfish, Hugh believes that churches have a lot to offer when it comes to kindness. He said the best way for Christians to be part of the kindness revolution, is to read the Sermon on the Mount, and then put it into practice.
“If Christianity’s role is not to foster kindness and compassion, then it’s hard to see what its social purpose is,” he said.
“When churches let dogma and doctrine – or even ‘religious identity’ – get in the way of serving others and responding to the needs of a wounded society, their true mission is lost.
“By influence and example, Christians can help bring about the transformation into a culture built on kindness and compassion. What if Australia became known as ‘the loving country’ rather than simply ‘the lucky country’!
“Kindness is the purest form of human love, because it involves no emotion or affection. We can be kind to people we don’t like, couldn’t ever agree with, and don’t even know – this is how we make sense of Jesus’ injunction to ‘love your enemies’.
“As Samuel Johnson wrote: Kindness is in our power, even when fondness is not.”
Summer Spirit will also feature two afternoon workshops with staff of the Uniting Church WA: Rev Hannes Halgren, Associate General Secretary (Strategy); Rev Dr Christine Sorensen, Presbytery Minister (Formation and Discipleship); Rev Rob Douglas, Presbytery Minister (Mission); and Dr Elaine Ledgerwood, Presbytery Minister (VET).
These sessions will work through the values of the Uniting Church WA, as a Christian community of hope, justice, creativity, compassion, integrity, accountability and compassion.
Guests can also join a discussion exploring how they can live out their values in their own contexts.
Summer Spirit will be held on Friday night 18 to Saturday 19 February at All Saints Floreat Uniting Church. All Uniting Church members, leaders, ministers and friends are invited to join.
Registration is $120 per person, or $100 early bird before 31 December 2021. Register five people and get the sixth free!
We celebrate International Day of People with Disability on 3 December, but how inclusive are we really in the church – spiritually, physically and online?
Accessibility in churches reaches beyond the physical barriers, and can also be about social inclusion and good theology around disability.
Robbie Muir, from Maylands Mount Lawley Uniting Church, lives with hearing and sight disabilities and feels it is important to teach the church how to be more inclusive. He also works with Good Sammy Enterprises, volunteers with Revive packing, and sits on the Uniting Church WA Disability Royal Commission Synod Task Group. He has presented his thoughts to Presbytery of WA meetings in the past, to encourage churches to become more accessible.
“A lot of my experience has been trying to teach the church what to do,” he said. “It’s alright for people to say ‘oh yes we care for the disabled’, but if they haven’t got things in place, it’s no good.”
Robbie encourages congregations to use overhead screens that are clear to see and free of backgrounds or busy images; make available large print copies of texts; provide hearing loops that are down the front of the church; have good lighting; have minimal steps or provide ramps; and have bathrooms that are easily accessible.
He thanked the church for its progression in this area, but also said he would like the church to be more aware of the issues that affect people with a disability and their inclusion in church.
“Quite often we’ve had to come up with ways to get around things,” he said. “I have an IrisVision that I can put on and see the overheads, but for a few weeks we had somebody who couldn’t do the overheads and we had sheets – and no one enlarged the hymns for me.
“It makes you feel a bit useless and that the church isn’t for you. It makes you feel isolated and excluded.”
He also encourages people to talk to members of their congregation who have a disability, and ask them what would help their experience at church.
“I think a lot of people don’t talk to the disabled because they think they’re stupid or don’t understand. Ask the disabled person [what they need], don’t just think ‘oh well they’ll manage’. Ask them. We’re not dumb, we’re not stupid.”
Dr Scott Hollier, CEO of The Centre for Accessibility Australia, is passionate about supporting organisations to create accessible digital spaces. He is also legally blind, and a member of Kalamunda Uniting Church.
Scott said that creating accessible spaces, and therefore inclusion, for people living with disability, is easier than we think. With some intentional thinking and planning, we can all get better at creating an accessible environment.
“Look at the quick wins,” Scott said. “You don’t have to solve every disability issue instantly; it will be a journey. But once the key pieces are in place it becomes a different way of doing things, rather than extra work.
“For example, once you’ve got that slide template high contrast, well, every slide will be high contrast.
“Quite often it is just about an awareness. Once people are aware of it and people are happy to do it, then it just happens after that point going forward.”
Melanie Kiely, CEO of Good Sammy Enterprises, a Uniting Church WA agency providing employment solutions for people living with disability, agrees that our digital and physical spaces need accessibility, and that we can go further on inclusivity.
“It’s so much more than just space and physical accessibility. If we just focus on that then we’ve lost an opportunity here,” Melanie said.
“It’s about inclusion, it’s about welcoming and embracing everybody – regardless of their ability and their background – into a church environment.
“It’s what we cover in the sermon, it’s the language we use, it’s the hymnbooks we use. Obviously, it’s the ramps and what have you, but it’s more than that.
“It’s about running churches that embrace everyone.
“We should be having people with disability in every church service as part of everything we do in the church. And they should feel completely included and we should learn from them, as much as they can learn from us.
“We’re about creating a community of faith, love and inclusion – that’s what I would like to see.
“Include everyone in the sermon, let them talk about their experience. Let’s include them in the choir, playing music and in the art. Include all levels of creativity, so that we’re embracing the differences of all our people in our congregations.
Melanie said that living with a disability does not have to be a negative thing. All people are unique and have gifts and skills, which should be welcomed and celebrated.
“We shouldn’t assume people with disability are flawed. We’re all different, we all have abilities of different natures and we shouldn’t assume that people need to be fixed,” she said.
“We should accept people and embrace people with all their unique and special characteristics.
The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (Royal Commission) was established in April 2019 and is still ongoing. It is likely that the Uniting Church WA will be affected by the Royal Commission. However, the church has a longstanding belief of inclusiveness, and works towards this end.
Dr Scott Hollier said that the Royal Commission is an opportunity for us to learn from the past.
“I think the Royal Commission has revealed that people with disability have not always been treated well in the church, and that needs to be acknowledged,” he said.
“I think the Uniting Church has done well in acknowledging the issues and trying to put processes in place going forward, and I think that’s a good thing.
“That said, my focus, and the focus at the Centre and as a legally blind person, is that we need to learn from the past. The Royal Commission has been important in understanding what has happened.
“Accessibility – whilst certainly that type of exclusion is nothing on the scale of physical abuse and spiritual abuse – does tap back into the importance of inclusion and equity moving forward.
“I would see accessibility as one more mechanism where we can focus going forward on making sure everyone is included in a worship space, and have that opportunity for full participation.”
Melanie Kiely, believes the Royal Commission is a good thing for Australia.
“It’s going to be a good thing for everyone,” she said. “You take the lid off the can of worms nd we can improve and stop bad behaviour and get better. We’ve got to keep improving.
“We’re not about protecting ourselves and we’re not about covering things up. We’re about learning from our past mistakes and moving on and not making them again.
“What we’re aiming for is a society that truly embraces diversity and inclusion, and that includes people with disabilities, and adapt the model of what we think perfect is, to be one that is beautiful diverse and imperfect.”
Melanie said the Royal Commission will be felt throughout the church – in our agencies, schools and congregations.
“I would see accessibility as one more mechanism where we can focus going forward on making sure everyone is included in a worship space, and have that opportunity for full participation.”
“I think it’s right across the board and I think it may or may not include an element of redress,” she said.
“It’s very wide reaching, and at this stage it’s going to go for another two years. There’s going to be a lot more hearings on a lot more topics.”
Dr Elaine Ledgerwood, Uniting Church WA Presbytery Minister – Education and Training, is a theologian with past experience in Occupational Therapy. Having worked with people with disabilities and listening to their stories, mixed with studying and continuously learning about God’s all-inclusive love, Elaine believes we are all vulnerable to disability throughout our lives.
“You are only temporarily able,” Elaine said. “For many people, this is likely to change.
“People with disabilities are like the rest of us – we all have our different hopes and fears, different personalities and different understandings of faith. One
day you might have a disability too; when that’s the case, I am sure you would like others in your congregation to ensure you are included in their activities.”
Theologically, Elaine said that sometimes people can make comments about a disability which may be in good faith, but which can actually be quite harmful.
“Spiritual abuse is a problem, such as when people get told they need to pray harder for healing,” Elaine said. “Instead, ask questions to help people find their own connection between their faith and disability.
“Using disability as a metaphor for the bad things in life – for example, talking about the Pharisees being ‘blind’ – can often be experienced as being judgemental about disability. Yes, it is something the gospel writers did, but we now understand the harm this can cause.
“Disabilities can be part of someone’s identity. So, saying things like ‘in heaven you’ll be walking’, or similar, is not always helpful. How would you feel if a key part of your identity was dismissed as not being important? Remember the resurrected Christ still carried the wounds of the crucifixion.”
However, living with disability does not always define a person, and Elaine said we should not make assumptions about anyone and their abilities.
“Disabilities do not define people. Just because you’ve known someone else with the same disability doesn’t mean you know this person. Get to know each person as an individual.”
Dr Scott Hollier believes that we have come a long way in Australia towards creating more accessibility, but that there is still a way to go.
“There’s been a generational shift around views and attitudes of people with disability and inclusion in society. That’s not just a church thing, but more broadly,” he said.
“I think as we continue to move forward with more awareness and education of the rights and needs of people with disability, that across society, and that includes religious organisations, that will get better.
“One of the great things about church is that it is a really supportive and inclusive environment. The lack of accessibility has never suggested to me that people don’t care or that people aren’t wanting to provide support – often it’s a lack of awareness.
“It’s been my experience that once people understand what the needs are, they’ve been very willing to make those accommodations. There’s a lot of great people who are willing to do great things to support equity, and it’s just a matter of letting people know about it.”
Tips for being an accessible church
Dr Scott Hollier shares these great tips for how your church or organisation can become more accessible in digital and physical spaces.
Make sure overhead slides have large font with good colour contrast, eg a dark background with white text. If people are still unable to see the slides, having devices (like an iPad) available with a link to see them can also be helpful.
Make sure videos have captions.
Distribute electronic versions of meeting documents before meetings.
Make sure PDF documents and newsletters are digitally accessible.
It is an Australian requirement that websites are compliant with the WCAG 2.1 AA standard, which has a range of key components. When building a new website, make sure to read up about these requirements or ask your web designer to work them in.
Make sure physical access to, from and around the building is clear and open, giving thought to things like space, handrails, and clutter.
Resources for more information about how to get your congregation on board with accessibility can be found on the website for the Centre for Accessibility Australia at accessibility.org.au.
The Centre for Accessibility Australia can also work with congregations and organisations as they commit to this journey. Contact them for more information on 0466 099 101 or email admin@accessibility.org.au.
Adrienne Inch knows the power of storytelling.As we age, it is normal to question our life’s purpose and meaning. For residents at Juniper, a Uniting Church WA agency providing aged care, this becomes even more prevalent.
In her role as Team Leader of Pastoral and Spiritual Care at Juniper, Adrienne Inch supports people as they work through these thoughts, and more.
Juniper provides community, retirement living and residential aged care services to people all over the state. But it is in residential care that the Pastoral and Spiritual Care Team work. The twelve staff on the team not only lead and arrange worship services for the sites, but also provide one-on-one pastoral care for residents and their families, as well as staff at the facilities. Adrienne also provides volunteer training for people who want to support the work of the team.
Adrienne explained one of the first things they do with supporting residents in their pastoral care is through a process of assessment designed to get to know who they are and where they find meaning in life. The assessment asks questions around religious beliefs, but also about their hobbies, family life, and where they find joy and meaning.
“We have to understand what the pastoral care needs of the residents are. And that comes through a process of getting to know them,” she said.
“If people are Christians that’s fairly straightforward – we know a bit about them, though everyone’s faith is different. We have people of all denominations, and we have a few people of other religious beliefs.
“The growing group is the group of people who say they don’t have any religion, or they were once part of a religion and they’re not anymore.
“We do a pastoral and spiritual assessment to understand what the needs are, and that’s made-up of several things. We find different ways of asking people ‘what gives meaning and purpose to your life?’ And not everyone has a Christian point of view.
“We see spirituality as a fairly broad concept about meaning and purpose, and who and what you’re connected to.”
For older people, grief can become a big part of life – as past grief begins to resurface, or as people experience more and more loss as they age.
“Sometimes people have grief from the past that still might need resolution,” Adrienne said.
“People won’t tell you everything in the first conversation. This information, you acquire over time, because people aren’t going to share their deepest secrets with you straight away.
“But you might discover they had a child who died in childhood, or a sister or brother who died, or a parent who died young.
“Particularly of the older generation, people weren’t always that aware of grief – people just had to get on with their lives. So sometimes when they’re older and have more time to think about it, then they revisit the events of their lives.”
It is when talking to people about their lives in this way that residents begin to open up and tell their stories.
“They have fascinating stories. People say, ‘oh I haven’t done much in my life’, and then tell you they’ve lived through WWII, they’ve lived through the depression, had next to no money, they did this and that – amazing stuff,” Adrienne said.
“Some of the stories are just amazing, the things people have done and survived.
“In that reminiscence with them, you can ask them questions or reinforce the significance of their lives. Clearly they made meaning out of their lives even when they were in very difficult circumstances.”
For people who are living with dementia, or who are non-cognitive, this process can become more challenging. However, there are other ways of connecting, such as sitting and talking with the family, or using symbolism.
Adrienne said there are a number of ways to strike up conversation with residents, which go beyond chatting about the weather.
“If you and I meet friends in the street, inevitably the weather is the first part of the conversation. It’s like an opening ritual,” she said.
“When you’re talking to people in residential aged care, they live in an airconditioned environment and while they do enjoy time outside, the weather is not always the best way to start a conversation, you have to find other ways to do this.
“So, I say to our volunteers, use the environment that you’re in, even what people are wearing. If you go into people’s rooms, observe what’s in the room – I spent a couple of hours with a man once who told me all about the photos on his wall.
“Find something immediate that you can talk about: How was lunch today? Or how was church for you today?
“Everybody benefits from talking.
“One of the most fascinating things I like to ask is ‘what was your first paying job?’ One lady wrapped chocolate in a chocolate factory in England, someone else worked for bookbinders and her job was to lay the paper out and take it into the room where the men bound them – it was all done by hand.
“They’ve got fascinating stories, amazing stories, and people come from all over the world.”
As is throughout religion and spirituality, symbolism and rituals become extremely important
in this aged care environment – particularly for people with dementia or who have limited-cognitive.
The Juniper Pastoral and Spiritual Care Team lead regular church services in the facilities, which are interdenominational and general.
The team also arrange for religious leaders from local churches or worship places to visit and conduct specific sacred rituals, such as communion.
“People can’t always express verbally what’s important to them, but if you set-up a cross and you have hymns, people have the sense that they’re in a church service,” Adrienne said.
“We have a number of Catholic residents, so we try and connect with the local Catholic church, so the priest can come in and give communion to the residents.
“Particularly people with memory loss, if they see a priest wearing his collar they know what that is, they can connect.
“Finding the emotional and spiritual needs can be a challenge if people can’t communicate with you. It takes time.”
While Juniper is a Christian agency of the Uniting Church WA, residents of the facilities come from all sorts of backgrounds and religion, including no religion. It is not the job of the pastoral care team to evangelise people to Christianity, but to support people in their own journeys and facilitate the religious and spiritual rituals that are requested.
“Our work is in response to the residents. We’re not there to put up the flag for Christians, our role is to respond to who is there and what they’re looking for and how they want to be supported. We do what we can to support them in the best possible way that we can,” Adrienne said.
“We’re not classically evangelical, we’re not here to convert everybody before they die. We’re here to support them and connect them to what is important to them.
“That’s not to say we don’t get to share our faith.
“The team create a Christian community in the facility, and that has really been very helpful for people to feel encouraged in their faith. People like what happens and its fairly informal, but it does have formality to do with church.
“We try and involve the residents in the church services. Residents read the Bible readings, or come and light the candle. Some of them can’t, but where we can we encourage them to participate.
“Services with people with dementia always have to be fairly flexible. People can come and go, walk-in and out, people call-out. You just have to be flexible because you’re never quite sure what people are going to say or do next; they lose some of their inhibitions.”
Again, Adrienne said that stories are a powerful medium for communication and connection.
“Stories are the best way to communicate meaning,” she said.
“We use the Uniting Church Lectionary, so stories are often the best way, rather than trying to tackle complicated theology.
“We do have people sitting in the room who are very cognitive, so we can’t make it childish. We need to draw a line between simple for people to understand, but not childish.
“It needs to be adult and stimulating for people who are cognitive and who have been going to church all their life.”
As many residents age into the end of life, pastoral and spiritual care can turn to supporting people through grief, loss and dying. A lot of this is done with the residents themselves, but also with their families and the staff who have been caring for them.
When deaths occur, funerals and memorial services are held to honour and celebrate people’s lives – residents, staff and family are all invited to attend.
“We’ve developed a number of resources that we use, as we deal a lot with grief and dying,” Adrienne said.
“Quite a bit of our work is with family members who are coming to visit, and you get to know some of them too. It’s not easy for people to watch their loved ones deteriorate and die.
“Some of my team have done things particularly for staff – the staff get very connected to the residents.
“End of life support is really quite important. Although people are old and we expect them to die, it’s still difficult.
“When they’re gone, it’s difficult. It’s still a major event for people. It’s still a loss.”
A huge part of sharing in people’s stories in pastoral and spiritual care is active listening.
“Talk therapy is the best therapy, that’s the bread and butter of what we do,” Adrienne said.
“I think that listening is a spiritual gift because it’s so rare to be honest. We’re not good listeners, generally speaking. We all want to tell our own story, which is fine, but we’re not that great at sitting and listening.
“When I do volunteer training, I say to people to observe their listening through the week. And when they come back, they often say ‘I’m a terrible listener.’
“When you’re sitting with friends, that’s fine. But if you want to be an intentional listener then you need to hold your own story and focus on what the person is telling you. Help them to explore their own story – that’s what we do here.”
For Adrienne, working in pastoral care in an aged care environment is more than a job – it gives meaning to her own life. “There’s something about being with vulnerable people that connects you with your own vulnerability,” she said.
“When I think about the gospel, Jesus was someone who spent time with vulnerable people – that’s pretty clear.
“Aged care is not for everyone. You need patience, you need to be able to listen, accept and love people as they are.
“Over time you learn how to go with what is – where people are in the moment.
“I find their lives and stories fascinating, just amazing. If I can do something to help in their last few years to make it as good as it can be, then that’s a great thing to be doing – that’s a great ministry and a great service to be involved in.”
Want to get involved?
Juniper’s Pastoral and Spiritual Care Team welcomes volunteers, who assist in a range of ways. Volunteers help bring residents to and from church, provide music, help with activities, and provide one-on-one conversation with residents.
Volunteer training will be happening in the new year. To find out more get in touch with Adrienne at adrienne.inch@juniper.org.au.
The ladies of “Caring Hands” at Northway Uniting Church, Beldon decided at the beginning of the year that they would have a project to make a Christmas Tree from crochet squares with a view to raising money for Wheelchairs for Kids.
Over 1000 squares were made and those that weren’t used for the tree were made into 15 blankets which were given to local care homes. The tree stands in the foyer of Northway Uniting Church with a request for donations to help reach a target of $200 which is the cost of making and sending a sturdy wheelchair to a needy child either in Australia or Overseas.
Recently Wheelchairs for Kids, based in Wangara and run entirely by volunteers, celebrated moving to new premises and commemorated the making of their 50,000th wheelchair.
$200 provides a child with a new strong, rough terrain, adjustable wheelchair built to World Health Organisation specifications and includes postural supports, a tray, basket, knee rug, a complete set of body and foot straps, a soft toy and tool kit. Also, when needed, for the many children with cerebral palsy a headrest and knee separator are included.
At the end of Advent, the tree will be dismantled and the crochet squares made into blankets to be sent with the wheelchairs.
Anyone wanting to make a donation to Wheelchairs for Kids can transfer payment to BSB: 016 494, Accn: 425 457 815, stating your name and address.
On Saturday 20 November, the Uniting Church Social Justice Unit along with many other community organisations and individuals joined together for a Hike 4 Humanity around the Kent Street Weir Park in Wilson. They are deeply concerned for the ongoing struggles of refugees on temporary visas living in our community with little hope of permanency and family reunion.
People like Salem Askari, a stonemason who has been working in the Perth building industry for the last eight years after fleeing Afghanistan as a refugee.
Salem is one of about 200 refugees on temporary visas who live in the Federal electorate of Swan – one of the main areas of Perth where refugees on temporary visas reside. They are working and living in the WA community but are stuck on temporary visas and can’t get their families to safety.
Salem says it was particularly devastating to see Kabul fall back into the hands of the Taliban when the Allied forces, including Australia, withdrew earlier this year.
“I am so stressed. It is really difficult to feel so helpless when your family are in such danger.”
Salem’s wife remains in Kabul and was working for the Afghan Government as a civil engineer up until the country fell. She is now in hiding, fearing for her life. He wishes he could sponsor her to come to Australia but since the Australian Government will only grant him a temporary visa, he is not permitted to bring her to safety.
“It is immensely frustrating. Eight years ago, I fled the same Taliban that my wife is now in danger from, but we still can’t be together, we can’t both be safe.
“I love living in Perth. Most of us have been here nearly a decade – we work hard, we pay tax, but we still are not allowed to settle. We want to invest in the community, we want to reunite with our family, but we need help to convince the Government to give us a permanent visa,” said Salem
Salem along with other refugees in his situation, and supporters in the WA Refugee and People Seeking Asylum Network (WARPSAN) of which the Uniting Church in WA is a member, have been organising to raise awareness of the difficulties of life on a temporary visa in a campaign called We All Need Our Families. The Hike 4 Humanity was planned as a family-friendly event to help launch the campaign and was successfully attended by approximately 160 people on the sunny Saturday morning.
The hike began with a welcome to Country by Clive Smith and his son Donald, both proud Wadjak Ballardong men, and then Salem shared some of his story along with Dr Hessom Razavi, a former refugee from Iran, now a writer and ophthalmologist based in Perth. Wendy Hendry from the Social Justice Unit was the MC, and gave attendees an overview of the campaign, and encouraged people to get involved, learn more and take action. An enthusiastic group of volunteers helped make it a successful event, marshalling participants around the hike circuit, finishing at the CARAD Fare Go food truck.
Geoff Bice, Executive Officer: Social Justice says “The Uniting Church in Australia is a long-standing advocate of the just treatment of people seeking asylum. We All Need Our Families is a community campaign to help put a spotlight on the cruelty of keeping people on a treadmill of temporary visas. We continue to hear the heartache of refugees and people seeking asylum who have fled the likes of the Taliban but are now powerless to help their direct family escape the same persecution.”
Geoff encouraged people to find out more about the refugees caught in this cycle of uncertainty, and about how to get involved by going to the We All Need Our Families website.
The youngsters I teach human biology to at the University of WA, who are around 17, generally think the only way of knowing is through science – ‘Give me the facts and I will understand the world’.
I love science, but there is another way of knowing, what Rob Bell called mythos, about what lies beneath the facts, that lies in our experiences and our awareness at a very deep level, sometimes beyond the everyday. We would say this is where God is to be found.
