To celebrate the occasion and the 34 years of history in the Uniting Church, we’ve offered the ‘On the Way’ project as a resource to congregations. This project examines some of our history and distinctive qualities as a church.

Video and printed resources were provided to congregations who signed up as well as suggestions for worship resources.

You can view the full package of resources here.

In viewing the project, it reminded me of my own memories of Union. It was an exciting time, with the separate church traditions of the three churches joining together in union and hope for their new Australian church.

I would encourage people to share their own Uniting’stories of their time in the church as we celebrate this anniversary. Some of these will go back to 1977 and other “Uniting” stories will be much more recent.

Part of the suite of resources included in ‘On the Way’ is a poster of the revised preamble to the constitution. The preamble is an important document for all of us in the Uniting Church and I invite you to view the poster here or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to request a copy.

So as long as you are over 18, have the right attitudes and abilities towards participating in a program that is all about being with indigenous Australians, About FACE 12 is your opportunity to grow your world view, your faith, and your relational networks.

This opens up lots of possibilities. Come as an individual. Come with a mate. Bring a small group from your church with a mentor. Get a crew from your presbytery to participate – now your presbytery minister can come with you. Mum, Dad and their young adult family members can all come together.

About FACE is a unique opportunity to live alongside Aboriginal communities connected to Congress (Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress), make life long friends, do some faith centred soul-searching and have some serious fun.

It involves some cultural sensitivity training together first, probably in Melbourne; then time being hosted by various indigenous communities in different parts of Australia, in small groups; and then some time back together as a whole group to reflect on what you learned, how you grew, and how you might help your back home communities to engage with indigenous people and issues.

If you would like more information send an This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or go to the website or your local Synod About FACE contact person/advocate.

Deadline for applications is Friday 30^th September, 2011.

The answer is… “We don’t know!”

But we are pretty sure there will be one – or something like it, that is for UCA young adults, national, awesome, that grows our faith, expands our discipleship and will be great fun with lots of energy! And we’re pretty sure it will have an exciting new shape and feel to it –whatever it is.

Decisions about the next NCYC will be finalised later this year. So watch this space to see what happens!

In the meantime, if you have dreams about what a national Uniting Church in Australia discipleship event could look like, who could run it and how, we’d love to hear from you! Contact us through This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Mary is a Behaviour Advisor with the Frontier Services NT Dementia Behaviour Management Advisory Service (DBMAS).

In that role, she provides advice and support to those who care for people with dementia across the Northern Territory.

On any given day, Mary might be providing advice to carers, face to face or over the phone, in aged care facilities or in a family’s home, creating educational resources or delivering training.

Most recently she travelled to Elcho Island, off the coast of Arnhem Land, to deliver aged care training to families and workers based there. “My work is very variable, there’s no day that’s the same,” Mary said. “I enjoy being able to get out and provide a service to a large portion of people, beyond one nursing home.”

Mary is passionate about providing care for dementia clients, particularly from remote Indigenous communities where the illness is estimated to be four to five times higher than the general population.

With the help of her NT DBMAS team, she has developed Indigenous-specific resources for dementia care. “Dementia is still a new concept in Indigenous communities, so it’s about education and understanding in a manner that is culturally and literally accurate, without demeaning anyone. I think it’s very important.”

The NT Department of Health and Families presented Mary with the title of NT Aged Care Nurse of the Year on May 13 at Parliament House. The peer-judged awards, held annually as part of International Nurses Day, drew 128 nominations across 10 categories. Mary took out the Aged Care category.

The Queensland Regional Conference, held once every two years, was held from 25 to 27 May and the Children’s Services Conference from 22 to 25 May.

Staff members in attendance included remote health nurses, mobile children services teams, Patrol Ministers, children’s carers, rural and remote family support workers and others.

Queensland Regional Manager Karen Harvey said mental health training was considered a priority for Frontier Services workers who provided support at the front line of remote and rural communities.

“Mental health is a real issue in the places we work, particularly when access to services is more difficult,” Ms Harvey said. “Certainly post-(Cyclone) Yasi and after the floods, mental health is a growing and pressing issue in the communities we visit.”

The regional conference included two days of mental health training presented by author and psychotherapist Dr John Ashfield. The Children’s Services Conference included specific training and professional development for staff who work with children and families.

Funded by the General Practice Network NT, six months of specialist training in palliative care came to an end when the participants attended the Palliative and Mental Health Conference in Alice Springs on May 20.

Frontier Services has now assigned Palliative Care Link Nurses in its eight residential aged care services across the Northern Territory.

The culmination of the training has coincided with National Palliative Care Week 2011from 22-28 May.

For information visit the Palliative Cares website. 

Gather friends, family or workmates in the backyard, paddock or courtyard to enjoy each other’s company around the BBQ. 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 Frontier Services's website and look for the Great Outback BBQ logo to download your registration form.

Upon his return, the Rev. Dr Chris Walker reported that the Convocation had been an exciting and heartening time. A full description of the event is available here.

Elenie spoke at the roundtable, organised by Amnesty International Australia, about the Uniting Church in Australia’s concerns about the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers in immigration detention.

During her visit, Ms Pillay voiced her concerns about Australia’s agreement to trade asylum seekers with refugees from Malaysia and the continuing denial of human rights to Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory under the NT Emergency Response.

“With additional submissions due by August this year, the sector expects an outcome by Christmas,” Ms Hatfield Dodds said.

“But regardless of further processes, UnitingCare Australia’s position is unchanged. Funding the claim must not come at the expense of vital social services.

“A significant proportion of our services are government funded. Funding arrangements must reflect any increased cost of delivering services.

“Our modelling shows that our network spends around 53 per cent of its total expenses on wages which is significantly higher than the Australian industry average.

“UnitingCare employs 35,000 staff nationally or one in seven community sector workers.

“Around 25 per cent of those 35,000 employees will be affected by the outcome of the Australian Services Union wage claim.

“Approximately 60 per cent of funding for those staff comes from state and territory governments.  Twenty four per cent is federally funded.  The rest is self funded.

“UnitingCare Australia fully supports improved remuneration for low paid community sector workers and we will be looking to governments across the board to fully fund the outcomes of this historic pay claim.

“We are looking to the Australian Government to provide strong leadership to the states and territories on this issue.

“UnitingCare Australia has committed to working with the Federal Government Consultation Group to ensure we can deliver the pay rise without cutting vital social services.

“As a nation we should not have to choose between adequate services for disadvantaged Australians and equitable pay for the people who work to provide those services,” Ms Hatfield Dodds said.

The Refugee Conference will explore the strengths and weaknesses of the United Nations Refugee Convention and the international system of refugee protection. Everyone from policy makers to advocates and interested community members are encouraged to attend. Registrations close 8 June and you can find out more information about the conference, including the program and speakers, here.

She also recently spoke with candidates for ministry at United Theological College (UTC) on one of their Ministry and Mission Days about the work of UnitingJustice Australia – what we do and why we do it. If you are interested in knowing more about the work of UnitingJustice, visit our website.

The book is an account of one of the most remarkable journeys in Australia’s history.  It began on 7 April 1942 when Margaret Somerville and 102 other people, including 95 part-Aboriginal children, set out on a transcontinental journey to seek safety from the war that was then overwhelming north Australia.

The narrative of the journey has been described by our Governor General, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, as 'one of the greatest of all Australian stories of love and compassion."

This new edition of Margaret’s book, in hard cover and extensively illustrated with vivid photographs of many Territory people and places will fire the interest, imagination and pride of every Australian.

Vicki O’Halloran, the Chief Executive Officer of Somerville Community Services (the community organisation that was inspired by Margaret Somerville's dedication to the people she led to safety) said "Margaret was very excited to receive an advance copy of the book, hot off the press. It is a 'must read' for everyone – particularly Territorians because it is such a distinctively Territory story, such a proud part of our history" Vicki said.

The handsome book's 128 pages include an Introduction and a Postscript by Territory historians Peter and Sheila Forrest. It was produced in the Territory by local publishing house Shady Tree, with design and layout by the Darwin graphic artists Sprout.

The book which will be on sale for $39.95 after 24 May.

Contact Peter & Sheila & Sheila Forrest on 89410435 for further information, details and photos.

Contact Elaine Castles, Somerville Community Services, on 8920 4100, for more details and appointments for interviews with Margaret Somerville.