Tag: Uniting Church

The Chair of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Justice Peter McClellan AM will address the Uniting Church in Australia’s 14^th Assembly meeting in Perth next month.

Justice McClellan will address the meeting on Wednesday 15 July at the University of Western Australia.

President of the Uniting Church in Australia, Rev Prof Andrew Dutney has welcomed Justice McClellan’s agreement to address the Assembly and thanked him for the Commission’s important work to date.

“Justice McClellan has graciously agreed to speak to our Assembly meeting and we will listen very closely to what he has to say,” said Andrew.

“The Uniting Church acknowledges the pain and suffering of all those who have experienced sexual abuse at the hands of our institutions. Nothing excuses what they have experienced.

The National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) has invited all Australian Christians to participate in a National Day of Prayer and Fasting on Refugee Sunday 21 June.

The purpose of the day is to focus on the plight of asylum seekers and refugees both on mainland Australia and in offshore detention centres.

The General Secretary of NCCA, Sr Elizabeth Delaney, said, “For all who believe in believing prayer, the combined prayer of Christians from all churches is surely powerful. This, combined with fasting, prayer in action, is a concrete witness both to Christians responding to the Gospel call to welcome the stranger and our desire for unity through common action.”

Jesus taught that fasting from food and prayer is a way of accessing the power of God to enable the kingdom of God to come on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6.16-18; Matthew 17:14-21).

The NCCA has made available a range of resources for the day of prayer and fasting, including liturgy, prayers and teaching on fasting in the Bible. For more information visit http://www.ncca.org.au/.

When next week’s Federal Budget is delivered, UnitingCare Australia will be looking for programs and policies that invest in people, to advance Australia’s resilience and productivity.

“The Budget needs to do two things at once. We need to live within our means. And we need to invest wisely to improve future living standards. This means we need to consider increasing government revenue, and ensure that all aspects of the budget recognise the value of upfront investment in people,” said Lin Hatfield Dodds, national director of UnitingCare Australia.

“Tax loopholes need to be closed and investments need to be targeted towards Australians who face barriers to participation in the economy and community life.”

“Adequate payments for recipients of welfare, and provision of access to important services remain key priorities.”

“Funds that support vulnerable people provide a great return on investment. Providing support helps people reach their potential, and yields savings down the track as we prevent social problems from escalating. It also enhances the quality of our collective life, making Australia a better place to live,” said Lin.

In 1977 the Uniting Church in Australia came into being when the  Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational churches joined together. Since that time, Albany Scots Uniting Church and Albany Wesley Uniting Church have continued to lead independent lives.

After several years of working closely together the decision was made to become one congregation under the name of Albany Uniting Church.

Extensive discussions discerning the future role of the church led to mutually agreeing that worship should be held in the Duke Street property and endeavour to use York Street to raise an income.