Susy Thomas, Moderator Elect of the Uniting Church WA, was invited to attend an annual Christian convention at the church she grew up in, in Kerala India. The conference was held in February this year, just before COVID-19 restrictions came into place. She shares her experience.
From 14 to 20 June we celebrate Refugee Week, welcoming those who have come into Australia and celebrating the valuable contribution refugees and people seeking asylum make to our society. The Uniting Church has always been a strong advocate for the rights of people fleeing persecution – but we are not alone in our calls for justice.
Wherever possible the Uniting Church seeks to collaborate with service providers to ensure we are reflecting the needs of people most in need. In the complex field of immigration issues it is also handy to have assistance from academic friends – like Dr Caroline Fleay.
Robert Watson, a Past Moderator of the Uniting Church WA, and his wife Nely, both members of Foothills St Martin’s Forrestfield Uniting Church, used their time of physical distancing during COVID-19 to experience Perth in a whole new way.
On Monday night, as Western Australians enjoyed what remained of the WA Day public holiday, a group of Nyungars gathered in Forrest Place with other People of Colour and more than a thousand supporters.
Chants of ‘Black Lives Matter’ echoed through the otherwise quiet Perth streets.
During COVID-19 restrictions, you may have heard the phrase ‘we’re all in the same boat’, used as encouragement to look after each other and support each other through the new physical distancing rules.
You may have also seen a meme floating around the internet claiming that actually, ‘we’re not in the same boat, but we are in the same storm.’
This phrase is all too real for many people in WA who are falling through the cracks of the Federal Government’s COVID-19 financial support.
Uniting, previously known as UnitingCare West, invite you to join them in getting involved with Reconciliation Week – 27 May to 3 June.
Reconciliation Week marks two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey – the 1967 Referendum acknowledging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the High Court Mabo decision, respectively. National Reconciliation Week is preceded by National Sorry Day on 26 May.
A WA Stolen Generations artist has been appointed to create artwork acknowledging the Stolen Generations, which will be placed at Wellington Square, Perth. Wellington Square has been the location for many Sorry Day events, and is a significant place for Stolen Generations survivors and countless generations of their forebears.
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 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.
Providing community services has faced some new challenges during the COVID-19 outbreak, but UnitingCare West, a Uniting Church WA community service provider, is continuing to support vulnerable people in WA through their programs.