News, Notices & Prayer points - 31 March 2020

Posted Mar 31, 2020 in News

News & notices – 31 March 2020

Below are the news and notices from congregations, the Synod of South Australia and the wider Uniting Church submitted for the Tuesday 31 March edition of UC e-News.

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Prayer Points for the week

• All people in Australia who find themselves without means of support due to the closure of businesses in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
• The Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his Government as they respond to this once-in-a-century pandemic.   

 

Congregations with online worship

Associate General Secretary Rev Sue Page sent out a letter titled ‘Being the Church in Un-gathered Times’ last week Wednesday (25 March). In this letter, she referred to a list of congregations who are continuing to be the church in worship in particularly online ways.  

This list (available on the UCA website here) is continually being updated. On this list you are likely to find a congregation whose worship style fits with your own and that of your congregation.

We would also like to remind you to please keep checking the UCA website for helpful resources  and for all COVID-19 related updates which affect the way we do church in these times.

 

Free resources from MediaCom Education

MediaCom Education is offering a free resource for congregations to use for Palm Sunday. It is available for download here.

Please share this with members of your congregation who wish to worship at home. It contains scripture readings, reflections and prayers, and is derived from their 'Seasons' product, which is discounted to $75 online for the Lent/Easter period (1 March to 31 May 2020). Find it here.

More resources at heavily discounted prices and Andrew Dutney’s new book ‘Angels in this Wilderness’, are also available for purchase on their website here.

 

Support UnitingCare SA Emergency Relief Centres – Pancake Day

UnitingCare SA would like to extend heartfelt thanks to all Uniting Churches who held a Pancake Day during February and March, and to those who have returned the funds raised.

UnitingCare organisations and Uniting Churches hosting newly designated Emergency Relief Centres will be putting your funds into good use around the state by finding ways to safely deliver food relief to those in need during this exceptionally difficult time.

With the increase in people who are unemployed or who have lost work hours adding to the already large vulnerable population that UnitingCare organisations serve, we like to extend a request for all families and individuals to hold home or video Pancake Days to support our extremely important work, most of which is not funded by any governments.

To register visit our webpages. To make a donation or return funds the secure payment portal remains open and can be found here.

Thank you for rallying around our organisations at this time of need.

 

SACC online newsletter

The SA Council of Churches latest email newsletter can be viewed online here. It was published on Wednesday 25 March.

 

Visits to the Royal Adelaide Hospital

Rev Nicholas Rundle, Chaplain at the RAH, has extended an invitation to all UCA members to participate in an initiative called #oneatone. This initiative asks people to pray for one minute at 1:00pm (every day) for healthcare workers.

He also requests that Ministers/Pastors intending to visit patients at the RAH should please contact him in the first instance for current updates about access. Nicholas can be contacted on 08 7074 1122 or 0474 054 160 or at Turn on Javascript!. The 24/7 page for Chaplains is 1536.

 

Resourcing for KCO in homes

You might like to consider holding KCO at home. Encourage campers to put the iron-on transfer on their red/yellow/green t-shirt. Give out the KCO connect badges. If you want, wear the wristbands too!

The KCO Team has adapted the Small Group Leader’s Guide for sessions 1, 2 and 3. Download the two-page overview of the changes to use with the printed guide that was provided in your Group Kits, here. The KCO songs are available here. You can download the original Small Group Leaders guide here.

They have also adapted the Notebook as a “Notebook for KCO at home”. This can be downloaded here.

 

UCA National News

The Uniting Church Assembly’s newsletter for the week 27-30 March 2020 contains a Pastoral Letter to the Church from UCA President Dr Deidre Palmer. There are articles on arrangements for Holy Communion, on Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit whose term as General Secretary of the World Council of Churches is coming to an end, and much more. Read the newsletter online here.

 

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

 

UC National News

The Uniting Church Assembly’s newsletter for the week 20-27 March 2020 contains articles and information on the upcoming President’s conference, how we as the UCA are responding to the global pandemic, how to access COVID-19 resources and an update from the Assembly Standing Committee meeting. It also shares a pastoral response to the pandemic from President Dr Deidre Palmer as well as a pastoral letter from the World Council of Churches.

Access the newsletter here.

 

Cancelled events

If you have an event that is currently advertised on the SA Synod’s Upcoming Events page, please let us know if your event had been cancelled/postponed so that it can be removed or adjusted accordingly. Contact the Synod Communications team by sending an email to Turn on Javascript!.

 

New Times deliveries

The April/May 2020 edition of New Times will be delivered to church offices and nominated collectors during this week. As all worship services in church buildings have been suspended, we understand that distributing copies of the printed magazine will be difficult to achieve. However, we do feel that it is an important link to the wider church which is treasured by many UCA members.

While a digital copy of New Times will be available to read on the SA Synod website, many of our members do not have access to the internet or prefer not to read magazines online. Please make the effort to ensure they receive a physical copy where possible.

If your congregation’s or organisation’s New Times copies are delivered to the home address of a nominated member, please collect these from them by the end of next week.

Delivering a copy of New Times to members of the congregation in person is a great way of providing pastoral care during these difficult times. At the same time the church’s leaders or other volunteers may also deliver printed copies of church services and other resources to help sustain those in isolation. Even delivery to a front door or letterbox, with no face-to-face contact involved, can make an invaluable difference.

Thank you for your continued support!

 

Response to COVID-19 in the UnitingCare network in SA

There are many UnitingCare organisations in SA and each is responding to the COVID-19 crisis according to its emergency plans. To find out more about a particular organisation, please visit this website

 

CSG (Creative Singing Group) Reunion

Are you a former member of CSG (Creative Singing Group) or know someone who was? A reunion as well as a public performance will be held on 19 September 2020 to celebrate the 50-year milestone. Former CSG members are asked to please contact Jan Oliver for event details through Facebook Messenger, emailing Turn on Javascript! or by calling 0425 607 500.

 

NCCA March newsletter

The National Council of Churches published their March newsletter on Friday 20 March. Access this newsletter here.

 

Staying connected

Two of our UnitingCare partners in the Ending Loneliness Together consortium have provided some tips on staying connected in the current climate in a great article found here. This consortium has grown from the concerns expressed a few years ago by a Uniting Church congregational member about the impact of loneliness on us all.

 

Worship resources in times of isolation

Over the next few weeks the Centre for Music, Liturgy and the Arts (CMLA) will be posting worship resources for worship planning which can assist worship leaders through the current circumstances where so many restrictions apply. Keep an eye on their website. For more information or support with these resources, you can also contact Jenni Hughes at Turn on Javascript! or Neryl McCallum at Turn on Javascript!.

 

Hope at Home Film Festival

Movies Change People has changed their original Faith Film Festival, which would have been held in cinemas across Australia, to an online 10-week film festival, starting 5 April. Across the course of the festival period, ticket holders will receive a new film in their library every single week, an accompanying Q&A with the filmmakers and/or fellow storytellers, and access to a range of online events including panels, workshops, in-conversations and more. 

The films include The Passion, The Heart of Man, Loud Crazy Love and more. Purchase your ticket here, or find more information here.

 

 

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