Tag: Multi-Cultural

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Sustainability: the challenge for which religion was born

Plato advised: Leave it to the experts and Aristotle: Trust it to the wisdom of the people themselves.

The Progressive Christian Network WA conducted a very successful ‘Sustainability Now’ workshop at All Saints Floreat Uniting Church on 8 June. The inaugural event was dedicated to the First Peoples of Australia and the late Dr Bernard Bowen, a lifelong member of the Uniting Church, whose scientific legacy will benefit generations to come.

Over 70 people engaged with a range of eminent speakers.

Fr Rod Bower, activist and Rector of Gosford Anglican Church, set the religious theme with the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden as a sign that humankind was not to consume all that nature provides, to value the Sabbath for a sense of belonging to a wider community and the feeding of the five thousand; a story of creating abundance in the face of scarcity. 

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5 ways to celebrate Harmony Week

In Australia, Harmony Week recognises the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It is a time where Australians come together to celebrate our multicultural society. Read on for five great ways to celebrate Harmony Week, from Friday 15 to Thursday 21 March.

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Going Deeper: a day of spiritual refreshment

Single open book on green grass.

Uniting Generations and Multicultural Ministry of the Uniting Church WA are holding a joint event designed to nurture young people in their spirituality.

Young people aged between 15 and 35 are invited to attend Going Deeper, a one-day retreat. The retreat will bring together young Uniting Church WA members from different cultural backgrounds to explore their faith and encourage each other on the journey.

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Tongan thank you

Two years ago Scarborough Uniting Church welcomed into its church family Sione and Ana Lea’aetoa and their three children, Silesa, Susana and Lemoto.

The April 2018 issue of Revive told the story of Sione’s journey towards ordained ministry. Ana is also going through a Period of Discernment this year.

Ana’s father, Rev Beni Lalahi, is a minister in Tonga. The ministry he is undertaking focuses on vulnerable families, elderly people and prison ministry. Scarborough Uniting Church, through Ana, is supporting the children in his church with prayers and gifts.

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Stories & Feature Articles

All we have in common

Doesn’t matter where you are in the world, there’s something about Swedish blondes in flares. The moment I find ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’ in my playlist, smiles light the faces of my four young companions and for a brief moment during the chorus, we’re in perfect sync. At the other end of the clinic, our photographer and videographer bust a few moves in between the serious business of filming the testimony of clinic manager Albert, who has limited English and dreams of a blood pressure machine for his patients. 

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Papuan students building networks and partnerships in WA

Thirty-eight students and staff from the University of Ottow and Geissler (UOG), part of the Evangelical Christian Church in the Land of Papua in the Indonesian province of Papua, visited Perth from Tuesday 14 to Thursday 23 August. The trip was supported by the Black Pearl Network, a Uniting Church WA network of congregations supporting the partnership between the Uniting  Church in Australia and the Evangelical Christian Church in the land of Papua (GKI).

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Beth Shalom celebrates Fakame

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.

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Community Iftar dinner building dialogue and solidarity

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.

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Guiding the next generation

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.

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Memories of the children’s hospital

In 1897, businessman Charles Moore Esq, supported by a significant committee including 15 ministers representing churches in the expanding area of Perth, began the huge task of raising sufficient money to establish a local children’s hospital.

With the impending closure of Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), we want to ensure that the beginnings and journey of this hospital are not forgotten. To celebrate the life of our hospital, the Association of PMH ExTrainees
and Nursing Associates is commissioning a beautiful five panel stained glass artwork for the Multi Faith Centre at the new Perth Children’s Hospital.

Vaughn Bisschops, has created an amazing beginning to the design of this artwork. He has enabled us to include sketches of the 1909 Outpatients Building, which is the current Multi Faith Centre at PMH, various other cherished areas, and memories of the last 108 years.

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