Which women's workshop?

Posted in Culture

The 2016 UnitingWomen conference is fast approaching! Taking place at Wesley Kent Town Uniting Church in Adelaide from Thursday 28 April to Sunday 1 May, the conference will gather together women from across the Uniting Church in Australia for a time of sharing with one another, listening to speakers and participating in workshops.

The workshops for the conference have been finalised and registered attendees will soon be invited to book their places. New Times is pleased to give you more information about the inspiring women who will lead the conference workshops and the content that will be included.

 

Vicky Balabanski // Stories of Women in the Gospel of Mark

Vicky Balabanski is a Senior Lecturer in New Testament with Flinders University’s Department of Theology and Director of Biblical Studies at the Uniting College for Leadership & Theology. Vicky’s workshop will explore why feminist approaches to the Gospel are still important in a post-feminist era. She will give particular attention to Jairus’ daughter and the haemorrhaging woman (Mark 5:21-43); the dancing daughter (Mark 6:14-29), and the Syrophoenician Woman. Vicky will also lead the conference in daily devotionals with her colleague Liz Boase (below) to explore hope in the Old and New Testaments.

 

Liz Boase // A capable wife who can find?

Liz Boase is the Head of the Department of Theology at Flinders University and a lecturer in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible at the Uniting College for Leadership & Theology. After presenting an engaging workshop for UnitingWomen 2014, Liz is back to focus on the “capable wife” of Proverbs 31. Within this workshop, Liz will help participants to explore the portrayal of this woman, her role in the book of Proverbs, and whether she is a figure to be venerated or not.

 

Sef Carroll, Sureka Goringe & Maleta Rumaroti // Where will women lead the church?

Maleta Rumaroti is the secretary for mission at Kiribati Uniting Church. She will be joined by UnitingWorld senior leaders, Sureka Goringe and Sef Carroll, to explore how women’s stories create a powerful and energising source for leadership. Drawing on their own experiences and stories of leadership in the church and community, their workshop will provoke the question – where will women lead the church next?

 

Steph Dalton & Junior Vutoyi // The XX factor: women as agents of change

Join Junior (Program Officer at the Methodist Church Zimbabwe) and Steph (UnitingWorld, Relief and Development Learning and Effectiveness Manager – South Asia) with hands-on activities and stories that will help participants to understand the challenges women and girls face around the world. Junior and Steph will also detail the positive, life-changing role women and girls play in promoting sustainable change in communities made vulnerable by poverty.

 

Rebecca Gamadala & Roslyn Malngumba // Weaving stories of hope and reconciliation

At the 2014 UnitingWomen conference, Roslyn and her daughter Rebecca, both from Mapuru in remote North-East Arnhem Land, shared their special journey starting Mapuru Christian School. In 2016, they will share stories of old and new, woven in time, through their craft of basket weaving.

 

Deidre Palmer // Beyond violence: toward a human community of mutuality, equality & respect

Deidre Palmer is Moderator of the Uniting Church SA and President-Elect of the Uniting Church in Australia. Deidre’s workshop will draw on the example of Jesus as someone who welcomed people whose voice was diminished or silenced, into the community of the people of God. Deidre will explore the shape of the Christian community today and our call to prophetic lives, embodying relationships that reflect the life-giving Gospel of Christ.

 

Sharonne Price // Keeping the glass half full

Sharonne Price is a social worker, chaplain, writer, mother and grandma with a long history in the Uniting Church. Until recently, Sharonne also held the position of Executive Officer of the Uniting Church SA’s Pastoral Relations and Mission Planning team. Sharonne’s workshop will help participants hone their skills in activating and maintaining a hopeful stance. She will also use Christian framework to reflect on hopefulness – possibilities, passion, presence and call – and how it relates to the world of psychology.

 

Helen Whittington // Sustaining hope as a social worker (or other professional, health or community service worker)

Helen Whittington is a social worker and family therapist with various experience in counselling roles, particularly with children affected by abuse and trauma. She explores how to be hopeful when your working life confronts you with vulnerable people who have faced many challenges. She discusses how participants can go on supporting people to find hope, and how we can sustain hopefulness when services seem over-stretched or unjust.

 

Jenny Walker // Taste and see: personal prayer practices – a source of hope and encouragement in our lives

Personal prayer is one of those things that is often assumed, but rarely taught. How do you pray? Join Uniting Church Deacon Jenny Walker as she encourages other to share their experiences, experiment a little, and be introduced to some alternate resources for the very personal project of private prayer.

 

 

Other workshops

Ruthmary Bond // Sharing your faith by just being you

Kylie Brice // Song writing: connecting our stories through the creative spirit of music & songs

Jean Brown // Change the stories & you change the world

Candace & Denise Champion // Embracing our destiny together

Kathryn Curnow // Gender diversity in the workplace

Marlene Edwards & Denise Schumann // Wesley Kent Town: a walking historic tour

Geraldine Hawkes // Longing, listening, learning & loving in the way of Christ: the promise & potential of receptive ecumenism for our life & mission

Karan Hudson // Beyond doodling in the margins

Jenni Hughes // Can’t put God in a box: an exploration of language, art, song & faith

Amanda Hutchinson // Mindfulness and value-based living

Amelia Koh-Butler // The community of God: a creative feminist approach

Neryl McCallum // Having the courage to live a creative life

Elenie Poulos // Advocacy: shaping a more just and compassionate society


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