News, Notices & Prayer points - 19 May 2020

Posted May 19, 2020 in News

News & Notices – 19 May 2020

Below are the news and notices from congregations, the Synod of South Australia and the wider Uniting Church submitted for the Tuesday 19 May edition of UC e-News.

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Prayer Points for the week

Uniting Aboriginal & Islander Christian Congress youth and young adults across South Australia.
All those in Australia and beyond who are unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our global church partners who are offering pastoral support and advocacy in their communities, where there is devastating loss of life, overwhelmed healthcare systems, loss of livelihood and fear for the future.
People with disability, made in the image of God as we all are, who seek equity and justice.
Uniting Church members, as we gather in various ways for worship.

Do you have a valid Working with Children Check?

The Uniting Church received a reminder from Department of Human Services that all ministers and leaders will need to have their DHS Working with Children Check completed by 30 June 2020.

As you will be aware, in July 2019 we moved to the new Working with Children Check, as mandated by the State Government. If you have not yet completed a new screening please do so as soon as possible.

The former Uniting Church SA Screening and Authority will no longer be valid regardless of any date listed beyond 1 July 2020. Some roles also require other checks, General Probity and Working with Vulnerable People. If you have obtained your screening via other institutions please advise us so our records can be brought up to date.

You can find more information on our website here.

Letter from General Secretary (15 May 20) - Op Shops Guidelines and Checklist

General Secretary of the SA Synod Rev Felicity Amery sent a letter to ministers, members of Church Councils and Congregational Leaders on 15 May regarding the opening and operation of Op Shops. Please find her letter, which contains more details, here.

Online worship service for Reconciliation Sunday

An online worship service prepared for Reconciliation Sunday (31 May) will be available on YouTube for congregations interested in using it for their Sunday worship. Individuals and groups may also be interested in viewing it. Links to the order of service and the YouTube video will be accessible through the Pilgrim Uniting Church website. The service incorporates resources prepared by the SA Synod’s Covenanting Officer, Tarlee Leondaris.

White Pages Directory listings

Have you recently checked whether your congregation’s entry in the White Pages Directory is correct? If there are any changes, please email Chris on Turn on Javascript! by 5 June 2020 so that she can organise for the listing to be corrected.

Dollars & Sense out now

The latest edition of Dollars & Sense was published today, 19 May. Dollars & Sense seeks to provide useful information and updates to better equip Church office bearers in their roles within the life of the Uniting Church. Read it online here.

UCA Assembly Newsletter

Read the latest news from the UCA Assembly, including articles on: Sharing stories with the Disability Royal Commission, Asian churches uniting in hope and mission and more. Read it here.

L'Arche Adelaide Community Life Coordinator (CLC) position

L'Arche offers community care for people with and without intellectual disability. This position is an important role in the life of the L’Arche Adelaide community. The successful applicant will be responsible for preparing for the commencement of L’Arche’s first house in Adelaide next year. This is a part-time position with payment by honorarium.

For the job specification please contact Rev Dr Trevor Whitney on 0403 711 653 or Turn on Javascript!. Expressions of Interest close Friday 19 June.

Please pass this advertisement on to interested people in your networks.

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

Grants SA - New COVID-19 Support Grants

Grants of up to $10,000 are now available for community organisations so they can continue to provide services to vulnerable and disadvantaged South Australians in response to COVID-19. A total of $3.35 million has been committed towards the Department of Human Services’ Grants SA COVID-19 Support Grants as part of the State Government's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Applications are now open and close on 30 October 2020. Please visit www.dhs.sa.gov.au/grantssa for the COVID-19 Support Grants guidelines and application form.

For more information contact Malcolm Wilson by email at Turn on Javascript! or the Grants SA Team at the Department of Human Services on 1300 650 985 or by email: Turn on Javascript!.

The Fundamentals of Transitional Ministry Courses are going online!

Course 1: The three-day “Fundamentals of Transitional Ministry: The Work of the Leader” FTM(L) via Zoom, will be held Wednesday 15 to Friday 17 July. Registrations are open now: https://ume.nswact.uca.org.au/fundamentals-of-transitional-ministry-leadership/

Cost: Reduced to $200 early bird (full price $250). Early bird registration closes on 15 June.

This initial three-day course is especially helpful for:

People in Presbytery leadership roles
People in the latter half of Third Phase of Ministry
Ministers intending to do significant amounts of supply
Ministers moving from chaplaincy/agency roles into congregational ministry
Ministers in placements going through significant transitions, such as looking for new mission directions, contemplating combining/closing, moving to resource ministry.

Course 2 for those who have completed Course 1: “Fundamentals of Transitional Ministry: The Work of the Congregation” FTM(C) will also be held by Zoom in the latter part of the year, but will be separated out into 5 days over several months, about two weeks apart. Email: Rev Dr Rob McFarlane Turn on Javascript! if you are interested and details will be sent as they come to hand.

Support UnitingCare Emergency Relief Centres

The UnitingCare Emergency Relief Centres (ERCs) are continuing to grow amazing relationships in the communities where they operate. Only two are funded by the State and Federal Governments, with one further receiving support from a generous grant. The rest operate on donations from the church and community. You can help make a difference by donating food or by making a tax-deductible (over $2) to the UCSA Relief Fund UnitingCare ERC appeal. Find out more: https://sa.uca.org.au/unitingcare-sa/

Letter to PROK

The year 2020 marks 30 years of the partnership between Uniting Church SA and the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK.) In 2014, members of PROK arrived in Adelaide to visit Uniting Church congregations and participated in an enjoyable 6-day itinerary in which the highlight was learning about the connection Aboriginal People have to the Land and God.

This year, representatives of Uniting Church SA had hoped to travel to South Korea in November to celebrate the partnership’s 30th anniversary. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 this is not possible. The local support group were saddened to hear of the high volume of cases of Covid-19 in South Korea. In response, this letter was sent to PROK showing solidarity and offering prayers.

The team looks forward to visiting the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK) sometime in the future and sends prayers of solidarity and good health to the PROK members.

NCCA welcomes new General Secretary

Ms Elizabeth Stone has been appointed as the next General Secretary for the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA). She was the part-time Interim General Secretary.

Read the letter from NCCA President Bishop Philip Huggins here.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

The international resources for the 2020 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, held from 24 to 31 May , have been prepared by colleagues in Malta. The 2020 theme, “They showed us unusual kindness” (Acts 28:2), remembers the historic shipwreck of Paul on the island of Malta and calls us to a greater generosity to those in need.