This project is a three part audio/visual series with some worship and prayers. The project is designed to foster and help the church tell the story of the Uniting Church and to provide ways in which people can join in the journey of commitment and service.

 A project sheet has been placed on the Assembly website that outlines what this exciting initiative will offer. To register your interest This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or visit the Assembly website for further updates.

I’m sure we have all had experiences where we reason our way to understanding; and then we have other times when we experience a leap to knowing that we call “insight”.

The Gospel for this week as I prepare this piece is Luke 24: 13 – 35, the well known story of the road to Emmaus. In the encounter of Jesus with Cleopas and his friend on the road to Emmaus we have witness to the struggle of Jesus to enable insight.

You really do have to wonder don’t you. I mean if Jesus just sort of turned up then it would be pretty obvious who he was you would reckon. But apparently not. We then have Jesus giving them a bit of a verbal clip over the ear and lecturing them on Moses and the prophets. Well that didn’t work so well either. Finally the travellers share a meal with Jesus and famously Jesus is recognised for who he is when he breaks the bread at the shared meal.

In this story there seems to me to be insights about strategies for evangelism and the implications for the church. In this story and many throughout the gospels it is clear that faith and relationship with God is only possible because God through Jesus seeks us out. The restoration of people and the whole creation into relationship with God always rests on the initiative of God. The mission belongs to God and we are the beneficiaries of that gracious love and commitment.

It is fundamentally important, perhaps especially for an activist church like the Uniting Church, to grasp that we do not bring God to people. It is not our mission. We participate in the mission of God (the Misseo Dei).

It is for this reason that the ‘On the Way’ project produced by the Assembly is so important (see above). Produced to coincide with the anniversary of the Uniting Church, this year the project explores the verse “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). We called to respond to the call of Jesus ‘yesterday, today and forever’ too. We in the Uniting Church belong to that mission and ‘On the Way’ explores that history and reflects on the road ahead. If you’re interested in learning more about the project you can  email or visit the Assembly website for furhter updates.

“People in rural and particularly remote Australia do not have the same support structures that are available to people in cities and towns,” said Outback Links coordinator Davida Melksham. “The nearest person to ask for help can be a hundred kilometres away.”

Ms Melksham said there was a huge demand for volunteers to lighten the load in remote Australia, particularly for families battered by natural disasters this year.

“At times, these families must cope with added pressures, whether it is flooding or drought, an illness, financial strain or the stress of seasonal workloads. Having an extra set of hands around helps them to get through.”

Ms Melksham said the volunteers valued the experience as it allowed them to connect with people and experience life in the bush.

The volunteer workforce includes tradespeople, nurses, teachers, speech pathologists, retired people, backpackers and other travellers. The only requirement is a willingness to pitch in wherever required.

To become a volunteer go to this link or phone 1300 731 349.

It’s your event, so put the billy on and gather your mates to start planning. We have prepared a Great Outback BBQ Host Pack to help you, including posters, invitation, recipes, fundraising ideas and much more. Call 1300 787 247 and ask for Jacqueline to register your event or go to our website and look for the Great Outback BBQ logo to download your registration form.

The survey is designed to assist the MEC to identify the range of contexts in which Lay Preachers serve and their roles and tasks. This will include understanding the processes and standards for training and assessment of Lay Preachers and what currently is in place to supervise and support Lay Preachers. The survey also seeks to understand the roles and recognition of non-accredited lay preachers and worship leaders.

The survey results will form part of a review that the MEC is conducting this year. All accredited Lay Worship Leaders & Preachers and non accredited lay worship leaders and preachers are invited to participate. Go to this link to complete the online survey or go to

The closing date for contributions to the survey is May 31.

The paper was developed in response to the number of persons from non UCA backgrounds leading Agencies and Schools havng increased significantly in the last 20 years in entities that often apply contemporary corporate governance models. Lay persons are filling in a larger proportion of chaplaincy positions and more ordained persons are coming from non UCA backgrounds.

The theological understanding of mission, ministry and the church has also changed over the last 20 years and has implications for the ministry of chaplaincy which is causing confusion and sometime conflict, between Agencies/Schools, Ministers serving as chaplains and/or Councils of the Church and differing expectations about how Agencies /Schools operate as sacramental communities.

This paper was prepared after consultation with the network of Synod school liaison persons, Synod Chaplaincy Co-ordinators and other appropriate persons and after obtaining various background papers and speaking with several people involved with chaplaincy; inviting them to make comments on the drafts. It was decided that the paper be more widely distributed to schools, agencies and other interested parties for feedback and input on the operation of chaplains in their particular contexts.

The paper will go some way towards clarifying the role and expectations of chaplaincy and other similar ministries in UCA in a 21^st century context.

The paper has been prepared by Rev Dr Chris Walker, National Consultant Theology and Discipleship with Rob Brown, Wendie Wilkie and Michelle Cook. Topics in the paper include:

• Ecclesiology
• Responsibilities of Chaplains
• The Context of Chaplaincy
• Ordained and Lay
• Issues for Chaplains and the Church:
• An expression of ministry
• Identity
• Employment
• Confidentiality
• Sacraments
• Non UCA Chaplains

To read the paper and provider feedback or input go to this link.

Geoff has been Uniting Church chaplain at the Flinders University of South Australia since 1997, following twenty-five years as a Secondary School teacher with a keen interest in fostering the empowerment of others. He has been Vice President and President of the Tertiary Campus Ministry Association, the professional association for university chaplains in Australia, and is the South Australian representative on the UCA National Assembly Working Group on Relations with Other Faiths.

Visit this page to download your invitation.

In the initial weeks after the quake and tsunami the UCCJ was involved in facilitating and housing volunteers to assist clean up in areas around Sendai, the worst hit region. The focus has been to assist those who are elderly and unable or unwilling to leave their homes. The UCCJ has also been working to care for those orphaned by the disaster.

In the medium to long term, UnitingWorld will support the UCCJ’s work to train people providing grief counseling and pastoral care.

For further information, the latest updates and pictures from Japan, please see our website.

May Chat
This month read our Five Minutes with the Rev. Glenda Blakefield, Associate General Secretary of the Assembly. Read the full interview here.

Concert for Japan
Want to support UnitingWorld’s Quake and Tsunami Appeal? Love classical music? In order to raise funds to support our partners the United Church of Christ in Japan, Strathfield Homebush Uniting Church are holding a concert.

Concert for Japan - an afternoon of classical music from Bach to Gershwin and beyond is on Sunday 29^th May and will feature a number of talented classical musicians.

For further details and to see how you too can raise support for Japan visit:

http://concertforjapan.gofundraise.com.au/ Buddhist Greetings

The Relations with Other Faiths website now displays a greeting to the Buddhist Community in anticipation of Vesak - http://www.assembly.uca.org.au/rof/news/239-vesak-greeting

Held at Mele Presbyterian Church, the conference is an opportunity for ministers to visit communities outside the area and see the global mission of God in action.

Following the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan last month, UnitingWorld, with the support of the National Assembly, launched an appeal to support our partners the United Church of Christ in Japan (UCCJ).

UCCJ has established an emergency committee who have been able to set up a relief hub within an undamaged student centre in Sendai, one of the worst affected areas. The Church aims to provide food and water, medical supplies, safe shelter and pastoral and counselling services.

John Barr, Associate Director for Church Solidarity – Asia, will visit Japan in the next week to connect with our partners and see first-hand what is happening in the aftermath of the disaster.

For further information, and the latest updates, on UnitingWorld’s appeal and how you can get involved please visit our website.