News, Notices & Prayer points - 10 December 2019

Posted Dec 10, 2019 in News

News & notices – 10 December 2019

 

Below are the news and notices from congregations, the Synod of South Australia and the wider Uniting Church submitted for the Tuesday 10 December edition of UC e-News.

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Prayer Points for the week

• For those affected by the volcano eruption on White Island, NZ.

 

UC e-News holiday dates

UC e-News will be taking a three-week break over the festive season, with its last edition for 2019 being published next week (Tuesday 17 December).  2020 editions will be published weekly from Tuesday 14 January. During the holiday break there will also be no additional New Times Online articles or News and Notices published on the website. New Events Submissions via the online form will only be attended to as from Tuesday 7 January.

UC e-News wishes you a safe and joyful Christmas, and a Happy New Year.

 

Christmas Service Times

The Synod Communications and Events Team would like to encourage congregations to send in their planned Christmas Service times, as these will be published together on the Synod webpage. This is an important and often overlooked detail, as many holidaymakers would like to attend a local Uniting Church during the Christmas season. Christmas is also a time where our churches often receive visits from those in the community who do not regularly attend Sunday services. Having the service times available online is the best way to inform those interested in attending.

Please send your Christmas Service times to Turn on Javascript! as soon as they have been confirmed.

 

First woman chief for Defence Force chaplains

Uniting Church chaplains in the Australian Defence Force have welcomed the first ordained woman into their key leadership role. Former Queensland Moderator Rev. Kaye Ronalds will serve as the Uniting Church Representative to the Religious Advisory Committee to the Services, or RACS for short. Read more here.

 

Peaks call for aged care resolutions before the year’s end

Last week UnitingCare Australia joined with other faith-based national organisations and the 3 aged care peak bodies to send a consistent message to Government on the eve of the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO).  A joint media release and an article in The Australian called for the Government to invest in aged care so that every older Australian in need receives the highest quality of care when they need it.  Read more here

 

Westminster School set to twinkle this Festive Season

With the Christmas period well and truly upon us, a favourite pastime for families and children is visiting Christmas light displays across the state. One of Adelaide’s most celebrated is the free annual light display at Westminster School, Marion (a school of the Uniting Church), taking place from Thursday 12 to Thursday 19 December.

Now in its 14^th year, the school grounds will be open each night from 8:00pm -10:00pm welcoming visitors from across the state to see the school adorned in twinkling lights and Christmas decorations while taking part in in a number of festivities, including the popular nightly Christmas carol sing-a-longs.

Gold coin parking is available on the school grounds.

 

Uniting SA and UniSA: Mental Health PhD

UnitingSA is sponsoring a 3 year PhD project through the UniSA Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Research Group. The focus of the PhD is examining the key attributes of, and contribution made by, peer support workers in the not-for-profit sector to improve the lives of consumers. The scholarship opportunity is aligned with emerging local and national policy directions in mental health and suicide prevention: specifically, the contribution of peer workers towards fundamental improvements in access to community-based crisis and support service.

The closing date for applications has been extended to 13 December 2019. Want to know more? Click here. Hear UniSA's Nicholas Procter and UnitingSA's Margie Fahy speak to Small Change about the PhD scholarship.

 

Basil Sellers Laguna Quays Respite beach house

Well-Being Australia has a free-of-charge respite home available for use by missionaries, home mission personnel, pastors (including ministry personnel, school chaplains and hospice chaplains), theologians wanting timeout to write and reflect and all those engaged in full time mission/ministry.

The three-bedroom cottage is ideal for a visit to the Whitsunday Islands. It is located 15 minutes from Proserpine airport and AVIS offers a discount to all those making use of the Laguna Quays Respite home.

For more information, including contact details for bookings, go here.

 

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Didn’t read the last “News & notices”? The items below will keep you updated.

 

Synod Office closing dates

The Synod Office on Level 2, 212 Pirie Street Adelaide, will be closed over the Christmas break from 3:00pm on 24 December 2019, reopening at 9:00am on 2 January 2020.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

 

Offering from the Moderator's Installation Service

Thank you to those who attended the installation of the new Uniting Church SA Moderator, Mr Bronte Wilson, with special thanks to those who joined online via the live video stream.

The offering at the service totalled $2029.00, which will be used to continue the ministry work being done in Australian outback communities through the work of the Frontier Services.

Read more about their invaluable work here.

 

CMLA November newsletter (and 2020 events calendar)

The Centre for Music, Liturgy and the Arts (CMLA), a Mission Centre of the Synod of South Australia, has published their November newsletter. It contains details of events planned for the upcoming summer holidays as well as their 2020 program.

Access the newsletter online here.

 

Uniting Church WA mourns the loss of Rev Garlett AM

Rev Garlett AM was a Stolen Generations survivor and a founding member of both Bringing Them Home WA and the WA Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation to advocate for survivors and their families.

Read about his life here.

 

The Uniting Church National History Society has issued its first newsletter.

Access the pdf version of the newsletter here,  or join the Society for only $20 a year here.

 

Stand in solidarity with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines

Last week the Government of the Philippines included the National Council of Churches in the Philippines on  their list of terrorist organisations. There is a world-wide rallying of church organisations to express solidarity with the NCCP and condemn the move by the Filipino Duterte Government.

The UCA has responded by President Dr Deidre Palmer writing letters to the NCCP, the Duterte Government and to the Filipino Ambassador to Australia.

Deidre has also recorded a message of solidarity which can be viewed here.

 

Win a copy of Summer in the Forest on DVD

Tomorrow is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. To celebrate the organisation "Movies change People" are giving away a copy of Summer in the Forest, the 'extraordinarily tender' documentary about Jean Vanier and L'Arche. For more information on how to enter, go here.

 

 

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