News & notices - 13 September 2017

Posted Sep 13, 2017 in News

Below are the news and notices from congregations, the SA Synod and the wider Uniting Church submitted for the Wednesday 13 September edition of UC e-News.

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SAYCO registration

SAYCO registration closes this Sunday 17 September. Parents and campers who need more information about registration should contact their church’s Group Coordinator. Any other questions can be sent to the KCO Office at Turn on Javascript!

Seeking a Convener for Packing Day

Packing Day is an activity of the National and World Mission Support Team affiliated with Uniting Church Adult Fellowships in SA, and working in partnership with the International Mission office of the Synod. Packing Day gathers quality second-hand clothes to send to certain op shops and residential care facilities in central and northern Australia, in addition to a small number of schools. Limited amounts of linen are also collected and distributed. Packing Day events are generally held at several Uniting Church locations – currently, Athelstone, Balhannah and Marion. Each site has its own coordinator and team.

A new convener is being sought to take direction of the “big picture” for Packing Day and manage some of the administrative, communication and pastoral elements of the events.

For more information, please click here or email Max Howland at Turn on Javascript!

Operation Santa

Operation Santa – youth helping youth, doing it tough. This year’s Operation Santa will be held on Friday 10 November – mark it in your planners and register now! For more information about Operation Santa, please click here. To register, please click here.

New Glenelg arts program

“Arts by the Sea” is a new creative arts program in the City of Holdfast Bay. Launched in August 2017 at St Andrew's by the Sea Uniting Church, it aims to enhance community life and foster social inclusion through engagement with the arts and encountering the creative Spirit. To learn more about events on offer, please click here.

UnitingWorld – church engagement workshops

At the beginning of 2017 Alexandra Bingham accepted a role with UnitingWorld to engage congregations across South Australia (her home base), Victoria and Western Australia on the subject of poverty alleviation, gender equity and climate justice.

Alexandra believes that poverty is preventable. Her faith has taught her that pursuing justice for those on the margins is not an option, but a key part of what it means to be Christian. For that reason she has dedicated her life’s work to the cause, working for a number of years on the delivery of international development programs for the Australian government and then volunteering a year in the Philippines as an Australian volunteer.

Over the weekend, Alexandra ran an interactive workshop with Burnside City Uniting Church’s Junior Church to unpack “What is Poverty?” and “What can we do about it?” The workshop engages young people about the UN Global Goals (how governments are responding) and the life changing projects run by UnitingWorld in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Later this year, the Junior Church plan to host a fundraising activity to support disadvantaged Dalit children in India so they too can access education.

Alexandra welcomes the chance to speak to your congregation about the work of UnitingWorld and can be contacted via email at Turn on Javascript!

Uniting College newsletter

Uniting College for Leadership & Theology has released their latest newsletter with updates about the chairs from the recently decommissioned chapel, the Diploma of Ministry, upcoming intensive courses (Beyond Sunday, Godly Play, Humanity & Grace, and Messy Church), how to host subjects at your church, and news from the Adelaide Theological Library. Read the update here.

Creative Engagement with Advent & Christmas

Join the Centre for Music, Liturgy and the Arts (CMLA) at The Corner Uniting Church on Tuesday 19 September at 7.30pm for a special collaborative planning night for the Christmas and Advent season. CMLA will also be unveiling their new Christmas and Advent resource.

Cost: $10 per person or $50 for unlimited congregational participation. Discounts on resources available.

2017 Anti-Poverty Week Conference

“Attack Poverty – Not the Poor” is an Anti-Poverty Week event organised by people living with poverty. The event will be held at Clayton Wesley Uniting Church on Friday 20 October, 10am-4.30pm, and Saturday 21 October, 12noon-6.30pm. Opportunity will be provided for conversation, sharing stories and hearing calls to action, and will include input from John Falzon (St Vincent de Paul), Liz Temple (Community and Public Sector Union), Valerie Farfella (Australian Unemployed Workers’ Union) and Tauto Sansbury (Narungga Elder). Costs vary according to whether the attendee is a low income person (optional donation), a community worker or ‘other’. Transport assistance and childcare are available.

For more information, please click here or contact Anti-Poverty Network SA via email at Turn on Javascript!

World Week of Peace in Palestine & Israel (17-24 September)

During the World Week of Peace in Palestine and Israel, which includes the International Day of Prayer for Peace on 21 September, church organisations, congregations and people of faith are encouraged to make a common witness by participating in worship services, educational events, and acts of supports to support peace and justice for Israelis and Palestinians. Click here for more information.

Upcoming events

The majority of Uniting Church SA events are listed on the upcoming events list here.

Some of the events coming up this week are Rediscovering Christian Community Health and Care Ministry, a Children & Family Ministry Leaders Gathering at Adelaide West Uniting Church, a Local Public Theology Workshop with Linda Woodhead at Pilgrim Centre, the Pilgrim Spring Festival at Pilgrim Uniting Church, “Is ‘No Religion’ the New Religion” Symposium at Pilgrim Uniting Church, a gathering of the Western Link Uniting Church Friendship Club, a mental health seminar at The Corner Uniting Church, and the first of two sessions on positive parenting for pre-teens at the Effective Living Centre.

Next Thursday 21 September is also International Peace Day. Churches marking this occasion are invited to submit their event here.

Check out the full list to see other exciting events happening in the coming weeks! Events can be submitted to the list here.

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Didn’t read the last “News & notices”? The items below are ones you might want to catch up on.

Mission & Leadership Development subcommittees

The Mission & Leadership Development (MLD) Board has developed subcommittees to oversee some of the work that the ministry centre undertakes – “Formation Education & Discipleship”, “Public Theology and Mission”, and “MLD Operations”. The MLD Board seeks expressions of interest from church members who would like to be part of one of these committees.

For further information, or to submit an expression of interest, please email MLD Executive Officer Rev Prof Andrew Dutney at Turn on Javascript!

Transforming Worship conference videos

Videos of the main sessions of the 2017 Transforming Worship conference are now available online. These include the three addresses given by each of the two keynote speakers, Ruth Duck and Stephen Burns. View the videos online here.

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