Uniting Church in Australia

Stand With Us Appeal

Uniting International Mission is raising funds for our “Stand With Us” appeal. For more information, visit our website.

From: Angela Lester
Adult Fellowship

The South Pacific area seminar was held in Tonga from the 13-19 September. The theme for the event this year was ‘Women making a difference through knowing Christ and making him known.’ Angela Lester, Vice President of the Assembly’s agency, Adult Fellowship, attended this event. This is her report.

From the moment we arrived at Fua’amotu Airport to be greeted enthusiastically by the Welcome and Transport Committee with an accompanying band after 11.00pm, the members of the Australian contingent knew Tonga would be an unforgettable experience.

The Seminar was held in the Assembly Hall of Queen Salote College, which is a day and boarding secondary school with an enrolment of 800 girls. Before the Seminar began the students of Queen Salote College entertained the World Officers, Unit Leaders and those who had already arrived with a “Sitting Down Dance” following the presentation by the Form one students of a ha’unga. This was very spectacular and the first of its kind as traditionally such a performance is done by men. The change was made as Queen Salote College is a girl’s school. This gave a small insight into some of the celebrations which had been part of the coronation of King George Tupou V.

The Seminar began officially on Sunday 14th, with an opening service in the Centenary Church of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, Nuku’alofa. The preacher was the Queen Mother, Her Majesty Queen Halaevalu Mata’aho who is the Unit Leader of Tonga.   The text was found in Hosea 10:12-13 and the theme of the sermon was “In Christ we make a difference”. During the service the Queen Mother officially opened the seminar.

On Sunday evening a spectacular scene lit the Centenary Church as the Seminar participants took part in a candlelight ceremony and sang the theme song “In Christ we make a Difference” written especially by Area, President Rev Mele’ana Puloka. Three choirs took part in the service with the highlight for me being the Sia’atoutai Theological College Choir singing, Zadok the Priest.

The daily program included bible study followed by with group discussion time. The focus of this time was on how women making a difference as: courageous women, ordinary women, women of faith, women who prioritise.

The choice of 35 workshops covered topics from prayer and intercession, hospitality, stress management, the environment, carer to a dying loved one, to Tapa cloth painting and spiritual gardening ensured something for everyone. 

Each unit presented a report of their activities over the last five years and a cultural presentation. Australia’s unit included a power point presentation showing where we come from, our Adult fellowship activities and some of the features of the Australian landscape, flora and fauna. The Thursday Island ladies danced and sang, we all sang some uniquely Australian hymns and songs and our Multicultural representatives danced. We enjoyed the reports and songs and dancing of our friends from Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. It was also good to hear from the three Helen Kim scholars: Rowena Connan (2001-2006) of Australia; and 2006-2011 scholars ‘Ilaisaane Kapani (Tonga) and Mataiva Roberts (New Zealand). They spoke during the Youth Night during which time we were entertained by a number of singing and drama groups.

Two bus tours around the east and west sides of Tongatapu, enabled the delegates to appreciate the beauty and history of the small island which Captain Cook visited in 1773 and Methodist Missionaries made contact in the 1820’s.

The closing service of Holy Communion took place on Friday morning the 19th September. Lead by a group of ordained women from across the Pacific, this was a spiritual conclusion to a week of sharing how women can make a difference through the South Pacific by knowing Christ and making Him known.

From: Jennifer Whyte
Research Officer, UnitingJustice Australia

Climate Change News

The Uniting Church has continued its involvement in the climate change and emissions trading debates with a submission to the Australian Government’s consultation process on its Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Green Paper.

The Green Paper discusses the Government’s preferred position on a range of issues relating to a national emissions trading scheme, known as the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.

The Church’s submission stressed the following principles:

• we must urgently do all we can to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.
• as a priority we must ensure that low-income households and people affected by poverty doe not suffer further as a result of the introduction of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme.
• the protection of the environment for its own sake and for the sake of our children and future generations should take precedence over maintaining and growing the already large profits of big industry.
• the development and use of renewable energy sources is a greater priority than cleaning up existing carbon polluting energy industries.
• we must begin to transform our economy from one based on fossil fuels to a “green” economy that reflects respect for the limited resources of the planet and the need for justice and equity among all people.
• Australia has an obligation to assist our Pacific Island neighbours to adapt to the effects of climate change already impacting Pacific communities.

In addition, UnitingJustice has produced two fact sheets for Church members wanting to know more about emissions trading and climate change. These, along with a range of UnitingJustice resources on climate change and environmental sustainability, are available from our website.

Please visit the UnitingJustice website to download this submission or any of our range of resources.

From: Gregor Henderson
President

Charlie Ocampo, a member of our largely Filipino congregation in St Alban's in Melbourne, commences in a new role with the Christian Conference of Asia in November. Charlie has been appointed as Joint Executive Secretary for Justice, International Affairs, Development and Service.

Charlie will bring a wealth of ecumenical experience to the position, having previously worked over many years with the Victorian Council of Churches and then for Christian World Service in the National Council of Churches in Australia. This new job means a move to Chiang Mai in Thailand. Charlie is the first Uniting Church member to be on the CCA staff in approximately 20 years. Congratulations Charlie, and be assured of the prayerful support of your home church as you commence this huge new responsibility in Asia.

From: Rosemary Young
National Director, Frontier Services

Concerts sing up the Bush

In a curtain-raiser to the Red Centre to Gold Coast car rally in September, country music stars Troy Cassar-Daley, Sara Storer and Warren H. Williams got the audience’s blood pumping at the Heartland concert in Alice Springs.

The concert was organised by Frontier Services, the charity partner of the rally, and raised funds for its work among Outback families. The rally traversed many of the areas where the organisation’s founder, John Flynn, worked last century.

A little over a week later Troy took to the stage for the second Heartland concert, in Townsville. Joining him on stage were The Songbirds — Beccy Cole, Sara Storer and Gina Jeffries.

Townsville was another stopping point for the more than 70 rally cars on their way to Longreach. Over 2000 locals heard Troy talk up the work of Frontier Services and I was interviewed briefly on stage during one of the breaks.

Following the concert, Troy offered to assist Frontier Services by recording a series of community service announcements aimed at regional radio stations throughout Australia.

Along the route Frontier Services also organised events, including breakfasts and bush poetry readings, to raise awareness of their work.

From: Theology and Discipleship

The National Assembly Working Groups on Evangelism and Missiology will deliver their discoveries to the Western Australian Synod in November.

Different theological positions have often encountered division rather than communion when they attempted to find ways forward in Australia’s declining denomination. Since the last Assembly this group has found this conversation to be enriching and challenging. Many good ideas have been raised and some old ideas have found their way back. Marshalling these ideas has been a daunting task.  From decisions of the Assembly Standing committee in March the working groups from the next Assembly, July 2009 will become a self -funding network, which will allow more participation from Synod mission practitioners and other interested people. Other such networks have been facilitated by the Assembly; the social justice network and the lay leaders and lay educator’s network.

The Assembly through its new National Theology and Discipleship Consultant, the Rev. Dr Chris Walker, with the working groups will facilitate this network. It has been a bit of a bumpy road for the working groups, especially with the usual hiatus that occurs securing a new staff appointment. The usual staff support has been sadly missed.
 
In Perth, the group will prepare for a major Colloquium with the Doctrine Commission in late 2009, marshalling their creative resources in ways accessible to presbyteries, congregations, schools and agencies.

The new national consultant with the working groups will also look at the funding for this network, given the resource shortages in the Northern, Queensland and Western Australian Synods and the Assembly. However the Uniting church has always been good at working together and finding new ways to do important work.

While in Perth, members of the working groups will hold discussion sessions and panel discussions to assist those attending from WA Synod. In this way, we hope that the art of an open-hearted conversation and the consequent creative “gospelling” may be modeled as well as discussed.

UAICC

National Communication Officer and
National Policy and Research Officer

The Uniting Aboriginal & Islander Christian Congress is seeking to fill the positions of National Communication Officer and National Policy and Research Officer.

The National Communication Officer is required to provide high level advice to the National Administrator and the UAICC on the effective management of issues and various media and communications and to develop and facilitate Public Relation opportunities for the positive promotion of the UAICC.

The National Policy and Research Officer is required to write draft policy and position papers, briefing notes, submissions, information resources and advocacy materials for the UAICC.

For full position descriptions and information packs visit the website.

NCCA

General Secretary

The National Council of Churches in Australia is seeking a General Secretary to act as chief executive officer of the NCCA, exercising ministry on behalf of the member churches by:

• promoting the unity of the churches;
• providing vision and encouragement in ecumenical matters to the member churches of the NCCA;
• ensuring implementation of the decisions of the National Forum and the Executive;
• facilitating the relationships between the NCCA and its member churches; and supervising the NCCA’s activities.

A position description and application guidelines will be available on the National Council of Churches in Australia website soon where more details on the major responsibilities, skills and gifts required will be outlined.

Please visit the website for more information.

October

16-17 National Christian Education Reference Committee, Adelaide (Nunyara).

17-19 National Youth Activities Reference Committee, Adelaide (Nunyara).

21-31 Adult Fellowship National President Mrs. Alyson Madsen will visit Victoria as one of the guest speakers at the 2008 AGM and fellowship day on Wednesday 29th October. Contact local groups for more   information.