News, Notices & Prayer points - 22 May, 2019

Posted May 22, 2019 in News

News & notices – 22 May 2019
Below are the news and notices from congregations, the SA Synod and the wider Uniting Church submitted for the Wednesday 22 May edition of UC e-News.
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Prayer Points for the week

• Pray for the new General Secretary, Rev Felicity Amery as she begins her placement with the Presbytery and Synod in South Australia. We pray for God's guidance as she begins this new ministry appointment.
• We pray for every congregation and faith community within the Uniting Church to discern wisely on their future Presbytery needs. That they follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and be open to what God is doing in and through the Presbytery restructure.

Welcome Rev Felicity Amery

Today we welcome new General Secretary, Rev Felicity Amery (Deacon). Felicity joins us from the Northern Synod, where she has been the Presbytery Minister of the Pilgrim Presbytery of Northern Australia, as well as the Dean of Students and Theology lecturer at Nungalinya College. She can be contacted via email Turn on Javascript! or via Executive Assistant, Tracey Bost on (08) 8236 4232.

Farewell Rev Rob Brown

Please be reminded that a farewell event for Rev Rob Brown will be held at the Presbytery & Synod office at Level 2, 212 Pirie Street, Adelaide on Thursday, 13 June 2019, at 10:00am. If you would
like to attend, please RSVP (for catering purposes) to Turn on Javascript! or 8236 4200 by 31 May.

Streamlining of payroll & HR processes
A new Payroll and HR information management system called ConnX will be launched in the second half of this year. ConnX will provide the capacity to automate and streamline the following processes:
· electronically enter time sheets and leave applications
· access their own employment information
· update their own personal information
· view leave balances and payslips on demand.
The system also supports Pastoral Relations & Mission Planning to maintain records for mandatory training for Ministers: a requirement following the Royal Commission. Planning is underway with the intent of a first phase rollout for Synod staff, and a second phase for congregations (those using Payroll Bureau) towards the end of 2019. Further information and updates on training, support and implementation dates will be communicated over the coming months.

Dr Deidre Palmer’s Greeting to Muslims for Ramadan 2019
Uniting Church in Australia President, Dr Deidre Palmer has released a video message to Muslim friends to coincide with the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.
View here message here.

Sally Stamp at your service
Long- time volunteer of the Uniting Church SA Stamp Group (Sally Stamp), Al Schammer, passed away recently. The UCASA and fellow Sally Stamp volunteers wishes to pay tribute to Al and asked that those who regularly donate stamps please keep doing so. Proceeds from the stamp collections gathered by the Sally Stamp group are donated to South Pacific School Aid Inc to send containers of books to the Islands and beyond. Stamp Collections that people might no longer need are particularly welcome. For information or donations, please contact Maxine Haines on 0427 972417 or email: Turn on Javascript!.

Stillpoint Winter Retreat
Bookings are now open for the Stillpoint Winter Retreat, on Friday 19 July to Sunday 21 July, at Nunyara Conference Centre. Retreat Convenor, Sharonne Price, will be running a workshop on the topic of 'Spiritual Practice in our Workday World'. Due to the large amount of interest in this retreat, Stillpoint has requested that those wishing to attend register soon to secure a place. For more information, please visit the Stillpoint website or email the office at Turn on Javascript!

National Council of Churches in Australia Newsletter
The ecumenical National Council of Churches has released their May newsletter with news of modern slavery and Pacific Islander workers, the Armenian Ecumenical officer’s visit, National Reconciliation Week, Safer Churches Conference, Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and more.
The newsletter can be accessed here.

Nominations for ‘Gathering” now open

The two-day ‘Gathering’ event on the Gold Coast from 12-14 September, 2019, is sponsoring 130 leaders (aged 25-35) to attend the event and nominations for sponsorship opportunities are now open.

‘Gathering’ is for emerging Christian leaders from the marketplace. It is a two-day event on the Gold Coast from 12-14 September 2019 to inspire, connect and mobilise leaders to live out God’s purpose for their lives. The theme for 2019 is your workstation is your worship station. The aim is to help delegates
explore what it means to live out their faith and calling through diligently serving and excelling in their day to day work. More information is available on the website here. Nominations close on 14 June, 2019.
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Didn’t read the last “News & notices”?

The items below are ones you might want to catch up on.

New Presbytery Funding Model Proposal
All congregations are encouraged to read the new Presbytery Funding Model Proposal here.
It explains how the new structure of multiple presbyteries will be funded.
On this page you will also find newly uploaded information regarding Generate Presbytery (published on Thursday, 9 May).

You are invited The Commissioning Service of Ms Shelley Alexander as Coordinating Chaplain for Resthaven Murray Bridge

To be will be held on Friday, 7 June, 2019 at 1:30pm. Venue: Resthaven Murray Bridge, 53 Swanport
Road, Murray Bridge SA 5253. For enquiries please phone 8532 1969.


Code of Ethics Training
Rosefield Uniting Church will be hosting a Code of Ethics training course on Thursday, 27 June from 1:00pm to 4:30pm. Cost: $10.00; afternoon tea is included. Please register your Intention to attend by sending an email to Turn on Javascript!. Bookings can be made online here.

Transforming Theology for Intercultural Ministry
An Intercultural Theology Forum will explore questions around: Why are most churches still segregated by culture and language? Is it possible to build culturally and linguistically diverse and intercultural ministries today? On Monday, 17 June, the Uniting College for Leadership and Theology will host Rev Dr Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Associate Professor of Theology at Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Indiana. She is an internationally renowned scholar, writer and passionate speaker and will deliver a Keynote Lecture
on the topic “Transforming Theology for Intercultural Ministry”. Participants of the Intercultural Theology Forum will discover what opportunities and challenges our churches are facing today and explore new ways of theologising and practicing to participate in the transforming mission of God. All Christian ministers/leaders/students across SA are invited. Held from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm with a light supper. Cost: $20/$15 concession. Online bookings will be available soon.

For more information about Multicultural, Cross-cultural Ministry in the Uniting Church, please contact Paul Goh on 08 8236 4244 or Turn on Javascript!.

Engage in interfaith dialogue with a home Iftar dinner
In an effort to contribute towards the growth of a harmonious and inclusive community, Uniting Church members have been invited to register their interest in attending an Iftar Dinner in the home of a local Muslim family. An iftar is a fast-breaking dinner that takes place every night during the Islamic
month of Ramadan (5 May to 4 June 2019). The dinners are organised by the Dialogue Institute of Australia (DIA) & Pinnacle College. To register your interest please follow this link and complete the form.
If you are interested in attending the Ramadan Carnival at Marion mosque, you can do so on Saturday, 25 May from 8:00pm to 12:00am. This gesture of interfaith goodwill and peace, comprises a night of festivities, feasts and entertainment, hosted by the Marion mosque each year, to help the wider community understand what the month of Ramadan is about. A special invitation has been extended to the Uniting
Church community and it is a terrific opportunity to celebrate unity and diversity.

Expression of Interest: Musician - Enfield
Uniting Church is seeking the contribution of a musician (piano, organ, other instrument) to participate in their 9:30am worship service on two Sundays of each month e.g. 3rd and 4th. Remuneration negotiable. Congregation members are familiar with TIS, All Together and several other sources and are open to new
music that enhances worship. If you are interested contact Rev Dianne Holden on 8354 2789 or Secretary of Church Council, Margaret Gunn, on Turn on Javascript!.

Do you have extra TiS hymn books?
Midlands Uniting Churches, which consists of the congregations of Auburn, Saddleworth and Riverton), are in need of more hymn books – specifically the Together in Song (TiS) hymn books. They need about 30 of these hymn books to complement their existing collection, which have gone out of print and are not
available for purchase any longer. If you happen to have surplus TiS hymn books, please contact Rev Peter Lane on 0417 814 393 or Turn on Javascript!.

Funeral arrangements for Jean Vanier
A live broadcast of L’Arche founder Jean Vanier's funeral will be held on Thursday, 16 March, on the French TV channel KTO (with English translation available). The broadcast will begin at 9:30pm South Australian time. Information on how to connect to the live broadcast is available on the L'Arche website.
There will also be a celebration of Jean’s life held at 2pm on Saturday, 25 May 2019, at St John the Evangelist Church, East Melbourne. Archbishop Peter Comensoli will preside. An invitation is extended
to all members of the communities of L’Arche and Faith and Light in Australia, as well as members of the wider public who wish to honour the life of Jean and all that he gave to the church and the world.
To RSVP to the celebration please email Shelley Cochrane, L’Arche Adelaide Board on Turn on Javascript! or phone (03) 6238 4341 by Friday May 17.

Summer in the Forest
For those wanting to find out more about the life and work of Jean Vanier, a special screening of the film “Summer in the Forest” will be held on 27 May, 2019 at 6:30pm at Capri Theatre in Goodwood. Proceeds of the ticket sales will go towards establishing Adelaide's first L'Arche house. Buy your tickets here.

Free filing cabinets
The Synod and Presbytery Office has a number of surplus filing cabinets (large and small) that are free for any congregation or faith community who might need them. If you are interested in picking up a cabinet (one or more), please contact Beverly Ong by 3 June at Turn on Javascript! or 8236 4224. We regret no deliveries – pickup only.

Loving your neighbourhood
Port Adelaide Uniting Church is hosting a Wellspring Inc event at their church (cnr Commercial Rd and Charlotten Str, Port Adelaide), on Saturday, 25 May 2019, from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Wellspring Inc is a distinctly Australian community inspired by the Iona Community ‘where spirituality and justice meet’.

SA Dialogue group has a new website
The South Australian dialogue group of the Roman Catholic and Uniting Churches meet together as six Roman Catholic and six Uniting Church representatives. They are part of an ongoing discussion group which seeks to gain a deeper appreciation of one another’s traditions. There has been discussion of many topics of mutual interest. Information and resources can be found on their new website located here.

UnitingCare Australia has a new Board
The first meeting of the new UnitingCare Australia Board was held last fortnight on a Wednesday.
The new UnitingCare Australia Board is as follows:
Hon Bronwyn Pike – Chair
Colleen Geyer – Assembly General Secretary, Uniting Church in Australia
Paul Linossier – CEO Uniting Vic.Tas
Tim Hodgson – Executive Officer, UnitingCare South Australia
Craig Barke – CEO, UnitingCare QLD
Tracy Burton – Executive Director, Uniting NSW.ACT
Lawson Broad – CEO, Somerville Community Services
Amanda Hunt – CEO, UnitingCare West
Geoff Batkin – CEO, Wesley Mission QLD

Newsletter from the Australian Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches currently has two positions available that would both be stationed in Geneva, Switzerland. To view information on these positions and other news from the Australian Council of Churches, please view their newsletter online here.

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