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.
The Messy Church Summer Holiday Family Camp will be held from Friday 4 to Monday 21 January at the Uniting Church Campsite, Busselton. Groups, large and small, are invited to share some or all of this time with Messy Church families from right across Australia.
Messy Church is a monthly service aimed at families who might not feel comfortable in a traditional worship service. It involves music, craft, prayers and a meal shared together.
Dr Holly Catterton Allen is a leading academic researcher, author and teacher in the field of intergenerational ministry. In July this year, she spoke at the two-day ‘Embracing Intergenerational Ministry Workshop’ at the Centre of Theology and Ministry, Uniting Church Victoria and Tasmania. A group of six from the Presbytery of WA travelled to Melbourne to attend.
The ecumenical event included representation from the Church of Christ, the Salvation Army, the Baptist Church, the Anglican Church and the Uniting Church, with both lay and ordained leaders in attendance. Holly was also the speaker at conferences in Adelaide and Sydney.
More than 100 young leaders across the Uniting Church in Australia will gather this January to explore their vision for the church and to be encouraged and empowered in their leadership.
The National Young Adult Leaders Conference (NYALC) – LEAD, hosted by Dr Deidre Palmer, President of the Uniting Church in Australia, will take place from Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 January at Nunyara Conference Centre in the foothills of Adelaide.
Past participant Naomi Haslam, from the Uniting Church WA, described NYALC as a key stepping stone in her faith and in finding her place in the church.
“I found NYALC amazing,” Naomi said. “No other word.”
The Uniting Church WA recently supported five youthful members to attend the 15th Triennial Assembly Meeting of the Uniting Church in Australia. Youthful members, aged under 30, take part in a program where they are encouraged to share with and support each other over the week. Three youthful members from the Uniting Church WA share their experiences from the meeting with Revive.
While members of the 15th Triennial Assembly Meeting made important business decisions for the life of the church over the next three years and beyond, they also shared plenty of moments learning, being inspired and journeying together as the people of God. Here are just five of those ways.
The South Perth Early Childhood Centre, at South Perth Uniting Church, is looking forward to a major upgrade of it’s outdoor playground, after receiving a $65 000 grant from Lotterywest.
Hon Kate Doust MLC, Member for the South Metropolitan Region, presented the grant this morning to Noelene Moir, Director of the South Perth Early Childhood Centre, and Ronni Naughton, Chair of the Management Committee.
On Saturday 28 April, a team of around 20 young people and leaders from various Uniting Churches in Perth attended the annual Emerging Youth Games, held at Warwick Stadium.
The event was a great opportunity for young people between the ages of 11 to 15 to get together with other churches, play sport, build relationships, and learn more about Jesus. There were games for everyone; ranging from the more docile Connect 4 and Uno, to the high-energy basketball and dodgeball. The U-team’s success came in Nerf Wars (involving the infamous Nerf guns) and badminton, where we came first and second respectively.
Wesley College, a Uniting Church WA school in South Perth, enjoyed the company of Uniting Church WA Moderator, Rev Steve Francis, at the official opening of its Clive Hamer Wing on Tuesday 12 June.
The newly-refurbished space is to become a magnet for innovation, where Wesley students can move their ideas forward and learn the skills that will be needed for the jobs of tomorrow.
“The integration of technology is outstanding – from our virtual reality gear, to our laser cutting machine, to the 3D printer. Students can broadcast their work, or make prototype games, or build robots. All these things bring together the traditional notions of technology and computer science, but start pushing them forwards,” said Headmaster, David Gee.
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.