Insights Autumn 2018

insights AUTUMN 2018

LIVING A

JESUS-SHAPED LIFE RETHINKING LEADERSHIP ENDING MODERN DAY SLAVERY

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W E L C O M E F R O M T H E G E N E R A L S E C R E TA R Y

The lament of leadership

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REV. JANE FRY GENERAL SECRETARY The General Secretary is appointed by the Synod to provide leadership to the Church by actively engaging in strategic thinking about the life, direction, vision and mission of the Church.

he problem with ‘leadership’ – which we talk about a lot in the UCA and usually in terms of lament – is that it is too easy, too tempting to lose sight of the fact that the most important thing is not, in fact, ‘leadership’ but actually ‘followership’, which is hardly even a proper word. Apparently, that’s not obvious these days. A Google search for ‘leadership’ yields 322 million hits in 62 seconds; ‘followership’ on the other hand, yields a mere 773,000 in 53 seconds. This leads me to the conclusion that ‘followership’ is not a familiar or popular notion in the world at large.

There is another word though that captures some of the essence of ‘followership’ and that word is ‘discipleship’ (possibly even less popular in the world at large).

Discipleship is a word that is crystallised in the lives and experiences THE MOST of the followers IMPORTANT THING of Jesus.

IS NOT, IN FACT, ‘LEADERSHIP’ BUT ACTUALLY ‘FOLLOWERSHIP’

It’s helpful to distinguish between ‘disciples’ – those who have taken up the call to follow Jesus – and ‘crowds’ – those who drift along behind, turn up for any excitement or entertainment and then evaporate. Sometimes, on the discipleship journey, it’s tempting to take time out and hang with the crowds for a bit. While Jesus had infinite patience with the crowds, he wasn’t interested in collecting spectators or admirers. He wasn’t looking

for ‘adherents’ (another good UCA word which always makes me think of barnacles) or worshippers.

He was calling disciples to follow him into life and to learn how to be human in God’s image together.

It’s obvious from the Gospels and from the whole sweep of Christian history that would-be followers sometimes find the journey with Jesus perplexing, and sometimes frightening to the point of being life threatening but, step by step, they persevered. Along the way, they discovered among themselves capacities that they may not have known they had for work. They probably never imagined for themselves – feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, binding up the brokenhearted, and taking on the forces of darkness and despair. In the communities that formed around the first disciples they discovered the gifts and abilities that they needed for this work and soon they found themselves preaching, teaching, organising, managing, leading and collectively contributing to the wellbeing of the world in which they lived. And that world was changed – all because they were followers first.

Followers live towards and into a vision and the work of our lives is shaped to a large extent by whether it is a vision of light and hope or whether it is dark with foreboding and fear. As the church has contracted and its membership has aged, there’s sometimes a fairly

bleak sadness in the way we talk and remember.

In some of the lament about leadership it’s possible to hear a longing for someone to take responsibility, solve all the problems and make it all better. This is not a new lament and it’s not peculiar to the Uniting Church. In reality it’s been going on forever.

It’s a very interesting coincidence to have Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday fall on the same day. Lent is a perfect opportunity to take stock and review the discipleship journey - to change unhelpful or unhealthy attitudes and habits, to look for new opportunities to live a Jesus-shaped life. There’s a wonderful poem by Julia Esquival called ‘Threatened with Resurrection’ (you can find it here: http://bit. ly/2EU9tSg). It includes these lines: Accompany us then on this vigil and you will know what it is to dream!

You will then know how marvellous it is to live threatened with Resurrection!

The thing to remember is that we really do have everything we need to be church for the times that we’re in. The question that we all have is, are we bold enough and are we cheeky enough to keep following Jesus and to be part of the church that is being formed for today and tomorrow? i

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AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

Lent Event is a practical journey, meeting global brothers and sisters for whom resources are scarce but faith burns bright. We encourage congregations to learn, give and act: to set aside time in our worship services to watch videos, meet our partners face to face and pray for them.

This is how, together, we discover where resurrection life is thriving around the world. Together, our faith is strengthened. And the life of heaven comes to earth.

REGULARS 3 WELCOME 6

YOUR SAY

7 NEWS 36

THE TWO OF US

37 DIGITAL MINISTRY

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39 MAKING MONEY MATTER 40 LECTIONARY REFLECTIONS 44

CULTURE WATCH

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ENTERTAIN ME

The Uniting Church in Australia is one of the country’s largest denominations.

Our vision is that it will be a fellowship of reconciliation, living God’s love, following Jesus Christ and acting for the common good to build a just and compassionate community of faith.

MANAGING EDITOR Adrian Drayton EDITOR Jonathan Foye PRODUCTION/DESIGN Rana Moawad EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING/ DISTRIBUTION INQUIRIES PHONE 02 8267 4304 FAX 02 9264 4487 ADDRESS Insights, PO Box A2178, Sydney South, NSW, 1235 EMAIL insights@nsw.uca.org.au WEB www.insights.uca.org.au Insights is published by the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of New South Wales and the ACT. Articles and advertising content do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or of the Uniting Church. Contents copyright. No material from this publication may be copied, photocopied or transmitted by any means without the permission of the Managing Editor.

CIRCULATION: 15,000. ISSN: 1036-7322 Commonwealth of Australia 2018.

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M O D E R AT O R ’ S R E F L E C T I O N

Bearing witness

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month before Christmas, I bought a suit. It was the first suit I have purchased, apart from the five dollar Vinnie’s edition dinner suit in the 1980s for formals and other flash occasions. Several people had told me that there are occasions when I need to look, well, moderatorial, and so I bit the sartorial bullet.

REV. SIMON HANSFORD MODERATOR The Moderator is elected to give prophetic and pastoral leadership to the Synod, assisting and encouraging expression and fulfilment of faith, and the witness of the Church.

The reason I mention this is neither to garner sympathy, of which there has been none, nor to discourage mockery, of which there has been a small avalanche, but to talk about how we – all of us - appear in the world around us.

There is a sideshow amongst some church enthusiasts, in social media backwaters and in a few communities of faith, about “what the minister should wear” for worship.

Albs, stoles and scarves, cinctures, clerical collars, ties and suits, shorts and “Jesus sandals” are all part of the vocabulary which can, surprisingly, lead to pretty heated engagements.

My experience in ministry has been that people in the wider community often expect “the minister” to wear some indication of authority, much like a firefighter. The congregation often argues the opposite view. And if you’re buying into this topic with an opinion bordering on passion, then the merry-goround has begun.

If an alb and stole prevent me from bearing witness to the crucified, risen Christ, then the alb is not the problem.

If a fitted men’s shirt and shorts - with appropriate footwear - mean that I am

better enabled to proclaim the Gospel, then we need to ask some serious questions.

We visit the sideshows because they avoid the real event. We talk incessantly about finance because it’s a simpler analysis than discerning - and then acting upon - God’s mission. The Synod conversation about our finances is not unimportant, but if we solve the financial

How are we able to speak of Jesus to those around us? This is rarely a single, spontaneous moment, or the crafted technique to which I was first exposed during my uni years. This is the conversation which has ranged for hours, or years, around what is important for us: our relationships, our home, our politics, our safety, our world, our jobs, our fear, our hope.

If an alb and stole prevent me from bearing witness to the crucified risen Christ then the alb is not the problem issues before us and fail to comprehend how best to live as a community of faith, then we have only become better managers, not better disciples.

Another distraction is that of the “formula”, where if we just perfect the church worship/ small group/five-point sermon, everything will fall into place. I have preached recently in Mascot and Moree, Bankstown, Beecroft and Kurrajong and to think that one size fits all misses the subjective ministry of Jesus to centurions and fisher folk, women, children and gentiles. It also reduces the Gospel (and our experience of it) to a marketing exercise and fails to understand it as a reflection of the imagination of God.

This happens in the community in which people are made welcome, like the carols at Bendemeer, where the gathering of people singing and barbecuing is almost twice the village’s population. This happens in the book club, or the refugee support group, or the young parents’ recovery time.

The conversation reflects the value of those before us and their inherent value to our God. We “bear our witness” in our lives – not only in the words we speak, but in the life we offer to others in hospitality, in community, in worship and God’s word.

By the way, I still have the Vinnie’s suit, if anyone needs one. i

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LETTERS

Your Say WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU

This month contributors will receive the DVD 6 Below from Defiant Screen Entertainment because we love your feedback. Your Say letters can be sent to insights@nswact.uca.org.au or posted to Insights, PO Box A2178, Sydney South NSW 1235.

Letters may be edited for clarity and length.

PRIVILEGE TO EXPERIENCE

I note that your latest edition featured several pieces on people with disabilities or rather “special needs”. Can you imagine, a courageous young woman with an intellectual disability standing up in the pulpit and addressing a large congregation in church?

My wife and I were privileged to share this experience with several hundred other worshippers in the Wayzata Community Church, Wayzata Minnesota USA on 27 August 2017. Such was the impact that, when the sermon finished, the large congregation gave the preacher a standing ovation? In many decades of worship (I am 76 and have been part of the churches preaching ministry for more than two thirds of that time) I have never seen such a thing. The congregation’s reaction was totally spontaneous and to heck with all convention! What an experience! Would that all my friends could share in the most moving experience of listening to what this fine young person had to say.

Well, you can. Just Google Wazata Community Church and the young lady’s name - Allie Henley and you will find it dated the 27th of August. Hope you are as moved as my wife and I were.

Ian Sanderson, Normanhurst Uniting Church

COMPLEXITIES IN THE DEBATE

I hope that in future interfaith dialogue between Christians and Jews, if Israel is discussed, then Palestinians and Palestinian perspectives are there.

Zionist, those who want Palestine to be Israel, a Jewish state, have done quite a good job in coopting Judaism, the religious belief system, to its own purposes. Somehow we have to distinguish between the two. When modern-day Israel is discussed, Palestinian perspectives must be included.

I remember in the early days of going to Pitt St. Uniting Church, a Palestinian speaker was invited. I remember his words very well... “You Australians should understand about PalestineIsrael, and colonisation; you live on colonised land, yourself.”

This is something we should remember. Palestinian people, and their lives, matter. Their land should not be stolen, and we must say so, just as we say that Indigenous land here must not be stolen, by colonisers. People who are Zionists will often say how ‘complicated’ the situation is. There are complexities, but the salient features are clear: Palestinian land is being occupied and stolen.

As well as Palestinian people, we would do well to listen to Israelis such as Gideon Levy, who is in Australia as I write, who want to live in a just society with human rights and with a real

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appreciation of history that is not propaganda. That is what many of us want, here, as well.

Recently I have been in touch with relations in Canada, and I think we could take a leaf out of the Canadian book, with an Australian version of Canada’s Commission of Truth and Reconciliation. Then, perhaps, the voices of Indigenous people here would not be so easily disregarded. We need to know the truth, as far as Indigenous people here can help us understand it. We also need a human rights act and a human rights culture that would make the keeping of hostages on Manus and Nauru (‘an indescribable disgrace’, as Noam Chomsky described it in a recent personal communication), impossible.

Not long ago I applied for a replacement of my New Zealand (Aotearoa) birth certificate. I was more than moved to find it was written in Te Reo (Maori) as well as English. It seemed to me that the land of my birth was no longer a colonial outpost, but to some extent at peace with itself, and integrated in the region. How different from here! We really have a lot of work to do.

Stephen Langford, Paddington

News HEAT WAVES:

COMMUNICATION CHANGES IN 2018 The way we communicate across the Synod of NSW and ACT has been undergoing many positive changes over the last few years.

A THOUGHT FOR CHURCHES This Summer has been particularly hot.

Records have been tumbling, including hottest January and longest heatwave (consecutive days over 35 degrees) with Moree stealing this (unwanted) crown from Broken Hill.

This brings to mind the importance of recognising the danger of heat waves, and churches getting serious about working to help people survive them.

Heatwaves kill more people than all other natural disasters combined I don’t use the word “survive” lightly.

Heatwaves kill more people than all other natural disasters combined.

A recent article by Sara Phillips (ABC Environment), from 2014, revealed some frightening statistics “While 173 people died in the Black Saturday fires, for example, 374 people died from heat stress around that time.”

My concern is that these deaths went largely unnoticed at the time (as do those of people who cannot survive the current heat waves), because they don’t have the visibility or drama of bushfire, flood or cyclone. Heatwaves are silent killers.

Churches to take this threat seriously and do something about it. Lives can be saved, or at least made more bearable if congregational leaders take some simple steps.

Gather a list of the most vulnerable people in your congregation, and ask the congregation to do the same of their immediate neighbours. This list will include frail elderly, people with breathing difficulties including acute asthma, and infants – particularly those without air-conditioning.

When a heatwave is on the way (and forecasting has got this down to a very precise art), congregational leaders call their people and ask if they have arrangements in place for somewhere to go, somewhere to sleep with an air conditioner etc).

Where such events are protracted, the use of air-conditioned church facilities may also be used on hot evenings. Just the act of connecting could be a life-saver for someone who is silently suffering and ‘not wanting to be a nuisance’. It gives them an opening to express their need for help.

Church members do the same – contacting neighbours likely to be affected, and invite them over for a time, even for an evening to stay if relief is not on the way.

Being someone who is acutely aware of the importance of childsafe checks, I understand other things that might need to come alongside this, but – essentially this is actually just churches exercising proper pastoral care, and neighbours looking after each other.

Churches and other faith groups have the potential to bless many thousands of people in, and beyond, their congregation if they look for neighbours in times of crisis Rev. Stephen Robinson

With digital technology advancing at a rapid rate, we are able to offer up-to-theminute news through our websites, social media, and the weekly email newsletter Weekly Insights.

We have surveyed readers and discovered that many congregations across the Synod are embracing social and digital media. We have decided this year that Insights will be converting to a quarterly publication and subsequent issues of the magazine will be out in June, September and December.

This will enable us to direct even more resources to “telling the story” of the Uniting Church across the Synod, helping us to focus on good news from the life of the Church. So please keep sharing your stories with us and contact us on 02 8267 4305 or email contactus@nswact.uca.org.au

CONNECT WITH US Sign up to the Weekly Insights email • www.bit.ly/WeeklyInsightsSignUp Visit Synod and Insights websites • www.nswact.uca.org.au • www.insights.uca.org.au Like our Facebook pages • www.facebook.com/unitingchurchnswact • www.facebook.com/InsightsMagazine/

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N E W

P L AC E M E N T S

REV. BRONWYN MURPHY CALLED TO NEW PLACEMENT admission of ministers, chaplaincy, pastors, discipline, complaints management and minister support processes.

Rev. Murphy told Insights she was looking forward to the opportunity working with and building trust with people across the Synod.

The Synod of NSW and the ACT General Secretary, Rev. Jane Fry has recently announced that Rev. Bronwyn Murphy will be the new Associate Secretary for the Synod of NSW and ACT.

“I’m particularly excited to be reminded of our purpose and calling – reconciliation and renewal of all creation – that means, everything is about relationships and making room for each other. People matter more than programs and the world matters more than me simply demanding what I want.

As Associate Secretary, Rev. Murphy will provide collaborative leadership and partnerships working with Uniting Church Presbyteries, “I have a strong heart for the Congregations and Agencies. rural and remote areas of our church and I am keen Rev. Fry said that Rev. they don’t get forgotten.

Murphy will play a key role “I believe Australia needs the in supporting the Uniting Uniting Church and it is our Church, as “we discover privilege and responsibility new and creative ways to to keep in really good shape re-energise and revitalise for the days ahead,” said our Synod for an even more Rev. Murphy. hopeful future.”

“Among Bronwyn’s many gifts are her teaching ability, humility and pastoral care.

Bronwyn is well-known to many for her work imparting the Synod “Living our Values Program”.

“She is gifted in leadership as demonstrated in recent years when she served on numerous committees and councils of the church as a passionate voice and advocate for our rural ministries,” said Rev. Fry. The role involves oversight of matters relating to specified ministries, placements,

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Rev. Murphy has held Ministry placements, first in Yass, NSW followed by Narromine as Regional Resource Minister Central West Presbytery, then Macquarie Darling as Presbytery Resource Minister and most recently Lay Ministry, Education and Discipleship and Rural Ministry Consultant at UME. She is also a trained Disaster Recovery Chaplain.

Jonathan Foye

PUP GETS PEACEFUL NEW PLACE AT UNITING MAYFLOWER GERRINGONG Moving house can be a strain on anyone, but for pooch Zach, it proved harder than most.

The 11 year old miniature Labradoodle struggled when owners Brad and Sandra Johnson moved from Canberra to Gerringong and he started getting up to mischief while his owners were at work.

“Neighbours told us he spent most of his days howling and trying to dig under the fence to find new friends,” admits Sandra.

“So naturally we started to think about alternative arrangements for him.”

That’s when Sandra called Uniting Mayflower Gerringong aged care home and asked if the residents might like a regular visitor.

ZACH ADORES THE ATTENTION HE RECEIVES FROM THE RESIDENTS AT THE AGED CARE HOME

Luckily for the pup, the answer was a resounding ‘yes’ and now he spends three days a week being doted on by the residents of the dementia unit.

“I love having him here; it’s the best thing since sliced bread. He takes everyone’s mind off their worries. We should adopt him because he is so loveable and clean too!” commented resident, Stan, 91.

“Just between you and me, I give him two of my biscuits, I wet them, and then give them to him,” added resident Sandy, 74.

And the residents are not the only fans of the new regime as Zach, adores having multiple people to pat him every day.

“We’re so grateful to the staff and residents for looking after Zach. He loves it there and gets very excited. He comes home tired from playing all day and I don’t even need to feed him some evenings as he gets spoiled during the day with many treats,” says Sandra.

WO R L D

N E WS

WHERE THE WORLD’S MOST

PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS LIVE 215

MIL

LION

is the current number of Christians that are persecuted due to their faith worldwide

That is approximately 1 every 12 Christians

MOST DANGEROUS COUNTRIES FOR CHRISTIANS An Open Doors Australia study revealed that North Korea and Afghanistan top the list of the most dangerous countries to be a practicing Christian.

In the last 17 years North Korea has continued to be the most dangerous country to practice the Christian faith.

Afghanistan comes in at a close second on the watch list, this is due to the Taliban and Islamic State extremists controlling 40% of the country.

In the same report Open Doors also identified Egypt and India as having a high risk in religious persecution.

In Egypt last year there was a number of targeted attacks against Coptic Christian churches over Easter and more recently the Christmas period.

In India the rise of the Hindu radical group RSS, has seen an increase in violence with the group declaring that they plan to wipe out Christianity in the country by the end of 2021.

Vietnam, Indonesia and the Maldives, are among the popular Australian tourist destinations that have been named in the 2018 World Watch list.

See the full 2018 World Watch List at opendoors.org.au/persecuted-christians/world-watch-list/

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SHARING STORIES FROM

the heart

TOP LEFT: GUEST SPEAKER HARLEY EAGLE TOP RIGHT: TRAVELLING TO VISIT THE NARANA ABORIGINAL CULTURAL CENTRE MIDDLE: REV. CHRIS BUDDEN AND REV. GARRY DRONFIELD

Uniting Aboriginal Islander and Christian Congress (UAICC) members have recounted their experiences of cross-generational trauma – along with stories of hope and healing – at the 2018 National Conference.

More than 130 UAICC members from Australia gathered at Geelong Grammar School from 13-18 January to explore how Congress and the Uniting Church can work towards the healing of First Peoples.

Visiting Canadian keynote speaker Harley Eagle reflected on the impact of trauma among First Nations people in Canada.

Mr Eagle is a member of the Whitecap Dakota First Nations Reserve in Saskatchewan and implements cultural safety practices at Island Health in British Columbia.

“Colonisation and unresolved trauma and all that pain affects our being and that can add to the way we interact with one another,” Mr Eagle said.

“So the journey of naming trauma and telling stories and speaking about it is not an easy task.”

During the conference, Congress members were invited to share their own personal stories of postcolonial trauma.

Mr Eagle praised Congress members for courageously speaking up about past injustices.

Interim UAICC national coordinator Rev. Dr Chris Budden believes the effects of colonialism – invasion, loss of land and loss of culture – are passed on across generations.

Reflecting on the Gospel reading of Jesus raising a girl from the dead and healing a sick woman, Dr Budden said Jesus offers hope that healing is possible.

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“Jesus, by turning aside for this poor woman, was saying that you can’t have healing for the wealthy and powerful without understanding that poor people also deserve to be healed.

“Our own healing always depends on the healing of other people.

“We can’t separate ourselves and our lives… we must take the risk, start the adventure and trust ourselves that Jesus can in fact change our life.”

On Tuesday, conference members visited UAICC Victoria’s Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre.

COURAGE IS LESS AN ACT OF BRAVERY AND VALOUR AND M O R E O N E T H AT COMES FROM YOUR HEART

“If you look at the root of the word ‘courage’, it’s from the French word for ‘heart’,” Mr Eagle said. “So courage is less an act of bravery and valour and more one that comes from your heart.”

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“Christian people like us believe that Jesus actually brings healing and he can break the cycle of trauma,” Dr Budden said.

Narana founder Vince Ross and Wadawarrung elder Aunty Corrina Eccles explained the role of the centre in promoting greater understanding of Aboriginal culture and history.

UAICC members boldly boosted resources for mission with the election and appointment of a full time National President – Rev. Garry Dronfield -- and a full time youth worker for the next three years, to build on the strong work being done by young Indigenous church leaders around the country.

Rev. Dronfield is a Bundjalung man in placement at Sylvania Uniting Church in Sydney and served as Deputy Chairperson during on the previous National Executive.

Longtime Interim National Coordinator Rev. Dr Chris Budden will take up a part-time National Training Coordinator role as he transitions towards retirement.

Outgoing National Chairperson Rev. Dennis Corowa is also headed for retirement. i For a full report and interview with Harley Eagle go to insights.uca.org.au

Which seeds will you help grow?

Seeds of Growth is a new program which invites every congregation to help support mission opportunities that breathe new life into our communities and bring God’s love to the world.

Our Church stewardship program Living is Giving will soon be replaced by Seeds of Growth.

R E S O U R C E S W I L L B E AVA I L A B L E S O O N AT N S WAC T. U C A . O R G . A U

Seeds of Growth I N V E ST I N G I N T H E F U T U R E

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REDISCOVERING, LISTENING AND

setting a course for the future

Pathways is an opportunity for everyone across the Synod of NSW/ACT to participate in listening and conversation that will shape the planning of your Presbytery and the Synod. It is an opportunity to celebrate and build on our strengths, and to contribute to the shaping of the Uniting Church for the next 40 years.

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he aim of the Pathways is to take seriously God’s call for us to be a “fellowship of reconciliation… through which Christ may work and bear witness to himself” (Basis of Union, para.3).

A SYNOD-WIDE PLAN

The aim is to develop a plan that begins with the hopes, dreams and struggles of local congregations and missional activity and that encourages and supports the Church’s mission.

The project will run across all presbyteries and the UAICC throughout 2018 and will report at the 2019 Synod meeting.

The religious landscape in Australia has changed since the Uniting Church came into being in 1977. The Church must attend to the way in which it engages a rapidly changing world.

Pathways invites the Uniting Church to consider what it means to be called to be “Church” together. We are invited to reflect on what it means to be part of the body of Christ. What might it look like if we understood ourselves to be part of a greater whole, drawing on each other’s gifts, celebrating and praying for each other’s ministry? Perhaps we’ll find gifts and skills we never knew we had.

Perhaps by sharing resources we can do more together than we could ever do alone. Perhaps we can rediscover what it means to be part of a healthy body that serves the world and points to the radical love of God shown to us in Jesus Christ.

Pathways is grounded in the vision described in the Basis of Union that the Uniting Church is called to be a “fellowship of reconciliation, a body within

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which the diverse gifts of its members are used for the building up of the whole, an instrument through which Christ may work and bear witness to himself” (para.3). We seek the wholeness that is described in paragraph 3, in and through local congregations, regionally through cooperation with other congregations and through the Presbytery and Synod, nationally through the Assembly, and indeed through partnerships with other churches around the world.

Pathways seeks to help the Uniting Church to rediscover “wholeness” in its fullest sense order that we may bear witness to Christ.

Our witness to the unity of Christ is compromised when we ourselves are divided and isolated. Pathways calls each of the Councils of the Church to “pay heed” to the decisions of other Councils. We are called to pay attention to the wider life of the church and the ways in which all our actions impact on the work and ministry of others. We are all part of the body of Christ and in order to be healthy, we need to work together.

SHARING HOPES AND DREAMS

Last October, the Synod meeting heard from the Pathways pilot that was conducted throughout 2017 with the Presbyteries of Parramatta Nepean and New England North West. The Synod approved that Pathways be extended to engage with all Presbyteries and the Uniting Aboriginal Islander and Christian Congress. Throughout March to September in 2018, Pathways will be working with congregations, inviting each of us to reflect on who we are and who we are called to be, seeking to identify shared priorities for ministry and mission.

The report to the Synod outlined primary findings from the pilot Presbyteries. The

process has been effective in renewing relationships across the Councils of the Uniting Church. In diverse groups, people are invited to explore what motivates them and who we are called to be as the Uniting Church. It also invites us to share our hopes and dreams and the challenges that we face.

Pathways has helped us to affirm that we are deeply motivated to share the love and grace of God. We are also inspired by the Uniting Church’s commitment to social justice, diversity of thought and inclusiveness.

While we are good at providing hospitality for all kinds of often vulnerable people, many of us are struggling to tell God’s story. We love our neighbours and seek to serve them in practical ways, but we don’t know how to tell them that God loves them too! We also face challenges in terms of the leadership resources that are available and how we make meaningful connections with our local communities. i

NEXT STEPS

In February, Pathways will be undertaking training with the Uniting Church Engagement Team in order to widen the consultation process across the Synod.

Pathways will then be making initial contact with Presbyteries and congregations in March, with workshops between March and September 2018.

In the meantime, Pathways will continue its work in the Parramatta Nepean and New England North West Presbyteries.

Keep a look out for more information and be prepared to participate in the workshops and/or offer feedback via the Pathways website: nswact.uca.org.au/Pathways/

People of the

resurrection

W H AT DOES IT MEA N TO H AV E LIFE IN JESUS? “In him was life, and the life was the light of all people.” John 1: 4 (NRSV)

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t Easter season, we and move on”, but is this the about the lives of people who dramatise the story resurrected life we are called are sharing the Pacific Ocean of the last week of to uphold? with us. I may not see them, I Jesus’s life on earth may not hear them, but I can I read this story about a child with the disciples. We visit certainly feel the heartbeats returning home from school the moving adaptation of their joy and pain just like his backpack and lunch box of the last supper, Good the roaring sound of the dragging the ground. His Mum Friday, Easter Saturday and waves. We share the same demanded, “What are you Resurrection Sunday. One wants and basic needs as doing here son, it is only lunch needs no reminder of how God created beings. Every break. Did you finish early?” significant the climax of time I sing the hymn from “No, I’ve quit school” he replied.

Easter Sunday is, when Jesus Together in Song (146 by Mum said, “Quit school? Why rose from the tomb after Josiah Booth) “God who made have you quit school?” He said, defeating death. Jesus on the earth, the air, the sky “It’s too long, it’s too hard, and the cross is not the complete the sea, who gave the light it’s too boring.” The mother story or the end of life. The its birth, God cares for said, “Great, you have just completion of the me”, it reminds me described life. Get back on journey of life of my primary the bus!” takes place responsibility on Easter to care Is this the meaning of life?

Sunday for God’s Instead of just getting back EASTER CALLS morning creation. on the bus, we need to ask US OUT OF when we questions: Who is driving the THE TOMBS OF What does say, “Jesus bus? Which direction? Is it the LIFE AND INTO it mean is risen and right bus? Are there seating THE LIGHT OF when we he is risen arrangement rules in the bus?

GOD’S LOVE talk about indeed.”

Who own the bus? And so on. preserving During my life on the When we sing the hymn on last placement planet? What Good Friday Together in Song at Belmont Uniting does it mean when we (345 by Francis Westbrook) Church, I always enjoyed our hear preachers talking about “Were you there when they Ecumenical Easter sunrise “life in Christ”, “we have been crucify my Lord” the third service at Redhead beach. resurrected”, and “we are line of each stanza says “O We welcomed the new people of resurrection”? sometimes it causes me to dawn of the Easter sun ray’s What kind of life we are tremble, tremble, tremble”. This reflection on the smooth blue talking about? When we say is a reality check for a would be ocean ripples while singing in unison “God is good all follower of Christ. “alleluia, alleluia, give thanks the time,” then “All the time We tremble indeed, just like to the risen Lord…”

God is good”, what does it mother Mary at the foot of really mean to someone who I celebrate life and I am the cross. We also tremble is suffering from abuse and grateful for living such a in the last stanza “we were violence? So often we are content and peaceful life in there when he rose from out told, “that is life, deal with it Australia, but often wonder

the tomb” just like Mary, by rushing to tell others that “Jesus is risen!”

Our call as resurrection people is to bring life to others that are less fortunate than us. Past President Rev. Prof. Andrew Dutney reminds us that “the core business of the Christian movement has always been to share that the message of God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us” (2 Corinthians 5: 19).

In the Basis of Union it states that, “the Church’s call is to serve that end: to be the fellowship of reconciliation…” (para 3) The mission of God is reconciliation and renewal for creation.

Easter calls us out of the tombs of life and into the light of God’s love. The good news of Easter is that death no longer has a grip on us. Jesus is alive. We are people of the resurrection that find faith in the heart of Christ. That’s life. i Rev. Haloti Kailahi, Oatley Uniting Church

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U N I T I N G WO R L D L E N T E V E N T

As it is in heaven

“JESUS’ RESURRECTION IS THE BEGINNING OF GOD’S NEW PROJECT NOT TO SNATCH PEOPLE AWAY FROM EARTH TO HEAVEN, BUT TO COLONISE EARTH WITH THE LIFE OF HEAVEN. THAT, AFTER ALL, IS WHAT THE LORD’S PRAYER IS ABOUT.” NT WRIGHT.

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t’s a tantalising idea – colonising earth with the life of heaven. God’s will on earth, God’s kingdom, come… they’re familiar words from a familiar prayer. Yet too often when we look around this planet what we see and hear are the cries of children, the tweets of madmen and the suffering of millions. In a world of Trump and Brexit, royal commissions and celebrity scandal, the life of heaven looks like a pipedream.

Yet every now and then we see glimpses of the resurrection life. We see it wherever death is losing its foothold and people are pushing back against hunger, injustice and pain. We see it wherever people join hands against the odds and choose to walk together, learning from each other and bearing each other’s burdens.

60% of the people don’t have access to safe water.

But it’s far more than an aid and development project. It’s wrought by people who take seriously the call to God’s will as they carve out God’s kingdom. In a context where death could so easily reign, life forges ahead.

And change has come to this place because people of faith have taken ownership of a life-giving project and are determined to look after one another.”

Pacific-wide, 98% of people identify as Christian. The church is a powerful agent of change, and in most places, including Papua New Guinea where the Australian Government directly funds churches to carry out peace work, education and health projects, it’s the most trusted institution in the country. It’s difficult to imagine from our lonely pews in Australia, where a recent study revealed us to be among the most sceptical in the world when it came to believing that religion is a source of good. But throughout the Pacific, there are examples of faith with enough muscle to challenge injustice and bring about lasting change for the better.

As God’s people in a world divided, this is who we’re called to be: bold against the odds united by something bigger than ourselves.

For all our differences and contradictions, we go further together than we ever will apart

We see more than a glimpse of it in the image we’ve chosen for this year’s UnitingWorld Lenten material (left). It’s a photograph of contrasts: a man, a woman; light skin, dark skin; linen and grass skirt. The differences might be strikingly obvious, but so are the similarities: the light in the eyes, the warmth in the smiles, the open-ness of the faces.

There’s a genuine solidarity about those joined hands, and about the shoulder to shoulder embrace.

For us, it’s an image that speaks volumes. As God’s people in a world divided, this is who we’re called to be: bold against the odds, united by something bigger than ourselves. For all our differences and contradictions, we go further together than we ever will apart.

“When I think of these communities, where people work incredibly hard to put their kids through school or to collect water each day, I see struggle, but I don’t feel pity,” Alexandra says. “I often feel admiration. Their faith links them together and as a result they’re often more resilient than we are in the west.

They have a lot to teach us.”

Justin, pictured, is a father of three and leader of the church in the community.

His experience is typical of so many in the Pacific – he works through the heat of the day in community gardens alongside both men and women, and gathers with them at night to eat, talk and pray. There is time in Lelehudi – time for people, time for strangers, time for wonder. Justin, says Alexandra, speaks constantly of God’s blessing to his people – of God’s hand in the rain, in the gift of the water project, of these brothers and sisters from Australia.

Bear with me while I tell you the story.

Tucked away on one of Papua New Guinea’s most remote islands, Alexandra Bingham (pictured) spent five days documenting a partnership between the people of Lelehudi, the United Church of Papua New Guinea and the people of the Uniting Church in Australia, facilitated “Faith is part of everything,” Alexandra

by UnitingWorld. Its purpose is to bring observes. “People pray constantly, God’s clean water and sanitation to men, presence and providence is everywhere. women and children in a country where Lelehudi was one of the most close-knit communities I’ve ever visited.

Before you pack your bags and head for a tropical island, there’s more to the story.

Just before this image was taken, Justin had spent time showing Alexandra coconut trees dying because salt water from rising seas and king tides is poisoning their roots – not a problem even ten or fifteen years ago. He worries for the life of his community – it’s becoming increasingly difficult for families to feed themselves. Even a short drought in these parts would cause major problems for his community – death and hunger have already stalked the Highlands once this year. There is no running water or electricity in his community – Lelehudi’s single university student has been gifted a laptop which he charges in Alatou, an hour and a half away, before returning to his home on weekends to study. Whole families crowd around it to watch DVDs on Saturday nights before returning to sleep on woven mats in hand-built wooden huts.

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U N I T I N G WO R L D L E N T E V E N T

While women are active leaders and well respected in this community, rates of violence toward women and children in many parts of the Pacific are among the highest in the world. The church has been complicit in teaching that has silenced women over many decades.

This community is far from unique.

Right on our doorstep, climate change is leaving entire nations – think Tuvalu, Kiribati, Fiji – with grave decisions to make about their futures. How will people make a living or feed their families if the ground water is continually contaminated by salt? Where should villages – or indeed whole populations be moved to avoid flooding and natural

As it is in heaven allowing us to see the bigger picture of God’s vision and the spirit at work in the world.

This Lent, UnitingWorld invites you to explore our theme “Faith in Action: Together We Change The World.” 2018’s stories take us into the heart of our own Pacific; to Fiji, where the local church is working with parents to equip children for school; to Tuvalu where local people are equipped to deal with the challenges of a changing climate; and Pacific-wide where women and men are being biblically trained to see God’s plan for fullness of life within relationships, free of violence.

Our global view enlivens and enriches us, allowing us to see the bigger picture of God’s vision and the spirit at work in the world disaster? More than three in five women in our Pacific neighbourhood experience domestic and they have less representation in Parliament than even among the Gulf States.

Poverty continues to threaten the most vulnerable, from Vanuatu to Papua.

The Pacific, then, is a place of contrast – and we all relate to that. Just as we find throughout the world, the Pacific knows both life and death, hollowing sorrow and ringing joy. Because of that it needs, like the rest of us, the hope of a God big enough to deal with all that life dishes up. And it needs us to stand alongside fellow ambassadors of the life of heaven - willing to learn, share the load, and walk together. As we do, we understand what it actually means to be Christ’s body; strong feet perhaps, an arm that is wounded; a heart that beats strong.

Our global view enlivens and enriches us,

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Lent Event is a practical journey, meeting global brothers and sisters for whom resources are scarce but faith burns bright. We encourage congregations to learn, give and act: to set aside time in our worship services to watch videos, meet our partners face to face and pray for them. We encourage generous and sacrificial giving. And we encourage action – giving up something from our daily lives that we might find it hard to live without, and donating what we save to the projects we’re supporting together in the Pacific.

This is how, together, we discover where resurrection life is thriving around the world. Together, our faith is strengthened.

And the life of heaven comes to earth. i Cath Taylor, UnitingWorld.

FAITH AMONG OUR FRIENDS IN THE PACIFIC IS FUELLING RADICAL CHANGE. This Lent, we encourage you to put your faith into action to champion rights for women, overcome poverty and stand by our Pacific neighbours in their fight to save their island homes.

www.

Find resources for co-ordinators, congregations and individuals to learn, give and act at

lentevent.com

FLOODING HAS AFFECTED WHOLE FAMILIES IN VANUATU AND KIRIBATI

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The Priesthood of all believers RETHINKING LEADERSHIP IN THE UNITING CHURCH

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When we think of leadership in the Church, does your mind instantly go to the hour you spend at Church on a Sunday with a minister preaching? Do you consider leadership the domain of the other, more qualified people in your church? Do you feel you have gifts that could be used in your congregation? Insights spoke with The Reverend Bronwyn Murphy and Bradon French.

They quickly dispelled some of the myths of leadership and said that even if you are part of a congregation your gifts, skills and time may all be used to further the Kingdom of God.

f

or The Reverend Bronwyn Murphy -- Associate General Secretary for NSW Synod-- lay ministry is about the whole people of God, or as she explains, “the Priesthood of all Believers.”

When Martin Luther referred to the priesthood of all believers, he was maintaining that everyone could do priestly work. In fact, our vocations are priestly work. There was no hierarchy where the priesthood is a “vocation” and everyday work is not. Both are tasks that God has called us to do, each according to our gifts.

This is an important biblical idea that has great implications for our personal spirituality and public life: the idea that every believer is a priest, regardless of his or her full-time occupation. This has enormous implications for how Christians live their daily lives.

“For me, lay ministry is about the whole people of God. Laity simply means people of God,” explains Bronywn, dispelling the myths that to be in ministry you somehow need to be called into formal training. “The Uniting Church believes that the people of God – lay or ordained – work together to be the good news for the rest of the community.”

“Lay ministry is important because it’s living out discipleship. If you’ve been baptised that’s your entry in the Christian church, but it’s also your call to live a life of faith, which means you live differently than you might have had you had no faith.

“The rest of life is then working out what that looks like, what does it mean for to be a person of faith in school, the office, career or whatever it is? What is my expression of faith and who do I want to be with Christ?

Lay Education is part of this training and formation. It is how we learn to become more like Christ and the more we practice it the better we get at it. It’s kind of like excercise: the more you do, the more you benefit from it.

that community but also points that community outside.”

GIFTS OF LAY MINISTRY AND LEADERSHIP

Bronwyn is quick to point out that everyone is endowed somehow with a Bradon French is also looking at gift and through training and relationship lay leadership through Pulse, building those gifts and skills are given life and nurtured. which is the refocused work of Uniting Mission “The Basis of Union tells us that whoever and Education and the is in the room that’s who drives the boat. whole Synod of NSW and If you haven’t got the gifted people in the the ACT. While investing in room, change tack and do what they are existing congregations and good at,” explains Bronwyn. “Everyone leaders, Bradon would like has a gift and there is room for everyone to identify and foster young to use their gifts in life-giving ways as leaders with a passion to lead, long as we make room for those whose and equip them accordingly. Pulse gifts might be different.” aims to develop a sustainable, vibrant movement that strengthens communities A commonly held assumption is that it is mainly the rural and regional areas and develops effective leaders. that are in the most need of laity, trained

Everyone has a gift and there is room for everyone to use their gifts in life-giving ways as long as we make room for those whose gifts might be different “I think that we need to reflect on our core purpose and that leadership in the Church is for the sake of God and we need to demonstrate that,” says Bradon. “If we are talking about emerging generations and what they are looking for they need to be assured that they are part of something that is more than just a theological club of people who like each other. They want something that makes a difference.

So there’s leadership that sustains

and are able to take up the slack left by the lack of availability or funding to support a trained minister.

Bronwyn is quick to dispel this myth as is Bradon French whose focus is changing to identifying emerging leadership.

“When you look at rural communities, they seem to be ahead of the game compared to a lot of congregations that are supposedly healthy,” says Bradon.

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“They [rural congregations] have already given up on the fact that the minister is there to care for them because they don’t have one. So they are saying ‘how do we lead ourselves and hold ourselves accountable to our community?’”

A growing number of multicultural and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) congregations are looking for more active discipleship and mentoring in leadership.

“It’s no longer just rural people in the Church that are asking for leadership and lay ministry training,” explains Bronwyn. “Now in city areas it’s a growing as well and it’s a growing need in Tongan and Fijian congregations and starting to emerge in some of the Korean congregations who are looking to be empowered to be more active disciples. Some of these groups have never had the opportunity to study or do the courses before because it was the ministers terrain. So there is a deep excitement that they get to contribute not just help.”

that is within everybody’s grasp. People need someone who can believe in them until they can believe in themselves.”

COURSES, THERE ARE MANY

Uniting Mission and Education (UME) offer a variety of courses for people to identify and hone their gifts in a variety of areas, but as Brownyn explains: “We say come along to some of the courses, learn and see what you love and experience it. This way you can discern whether there is something you can take to your church council and

WHAT IS FAITH FORMATION?

Faith formation is about practicing discipleship.

“You are not learning in a vacuum, you are learning it to apply it to your life,” says Bronwyn. “This isn’t just head knowledge, it involves the heart and your life. So part of the deal is to grow and apply the knowledge to the way you live your life. This is why we call it ‘Living Our Faith’ rather than just a lay preachers course, because we don’t just want lay preachers, we want active disciples.

[emerging generations] need to be assured that they are part of something that is more than just a theological club of people who like each other

DISCIPLING THE FUTURE

Still in its early stages of development, Pulse is about identifying emerging leadership in the whole Church. It will be an important way ahead for the Uniting Church and existing leaders need to be empowered to identify and disciple these leaders.

“How we resource ourselves into the future taps into a whole other area of how we resource for formation and how we do discipleship,” says Bradon. “We tend to resist anything new, but we need to flip this around. And the risk that there is a lay leader in a congregation who wants to innovate or challenge and provoke a tremendous, but this says more about how the community has been formed, if there is fear and anxiety around taking those risks, than the individual and their willingness to follow the Spirit of God.” “It’s continuing the work of Paul,” continues Bronwyn. “It’s making disciples and teaching people what living faith means. If you have a minister and he isn’t educating and making disciples and shaping people to live a life of faith, what’s the point? It’s just a club. It’s not the only the only way, but it is a key way

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offer. UME realises that the courses are formational as well as educational and we have mixed that in the way we learn. It’s an opportunity to learn and then perhaps guide others seeking to do the same thing. So, we are encouraging discipleship and growth through understanding and learning.

“Individuals are free to explore more about their understanding of faith, participants are not required to seek permission to do the courses.

It’s generally after individuals have experienced the courses that they can decide where they would like to take the training.

It’s not just the education, but the formation that sets apart the training offered by UME. Formation is as important as the knowledge gained as this is how you stretch and grow and hear new ideas and this is part of the formation process.

For congregations who are moving from being passive ‘pew sitters’ to a more active expression of faith through discipleship courses and training assist individuals who can have conversations about the application of knowledge to congregational life and experience. By sharing together groups can discuss life and faith and grow in the process.

“These are the skills we need if we are serious about discipleship and nurturing,” says Bronywn. “It’s living out our faith, rather than let a minister live it for you.

Lay ministry demands that people take responsibility for their own faith and growth.

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COURSES

Available in city and rural locations -- Living Our Values -- Living Our Faith (series exploring the Bible) -- Intro to Uniting Church Worship -- Presiding at Weddings -- Presiding at Funerals -- Understanding the Sacraments -- Resource Ministry -- Ethical Ministry -- Foundations of Transitional Ministry For more information on courses and locations visit ume.nswact.uca.org.au

We tend to resist anything new but the risk is that there is a lay leader in a congregation who wants to innovate challenge and provoke insights 21

of desperation, but out of solidarity and hope.

IS SUNDAY CHURCH A THING OF THE PAST?

There is a growing need to identify where people are forming relationships and seeking out spirituality. Bradon would like to identify those people who are thinking out of the hour on Sunday ‘hymn-sandwich’ box.

“The gospel means something to millennials and they mean something to the Church. We want to equip them to do that well, not just with skinny jeans and a Facebook page, but with integrity and empathy.”

Research tells us that the frequency of attendance to church is dropping.

Googling ‘why people aren’t going to church’ offers story after story explaining the simple fact that people are making meaning and relationships elsewhere.

For certain age groups, gathering in a large space with people you don’t know presents challenges to many. In the age of Google, questions of spirituality are in your hand. It’s how and why we gather as a people of faith that becomes more important than the where and when.

“There is a new dynamic where leadership is always going to be organic but there’s a common vision and purpose where the identity is shared,” explains Bradon.

“They give us a vision of how we would like to move forward, where people share this common experience of grace and transformation, whether it be linked to sustainable food growing, the arts, video games or advocacy and action.

Wherever there is shared passion and purpose we can share the good news in those spaces but not necessarily with a program and a structure.

“At the moment we default to things we can recognise and they are the things of our legacy and our history but not things of our future that will serve us well.”

Pulse wants to identify, support and equip emerging leaders and network young people that have a shared passion and a sense of belonging to the Uniting Church.

“We want to strengthen the cohort and lift our gaze beyond the immediate congregation experience to support leaders both practically and digitally,” says Bradon. “We want to regenerate what it means to offer leadership to the Uniting Church. At the moment if a 21 year old expressed a desire to be a leader the prevailing wisdom would be to do a period of discernment and get ordained.

“We want to crack that open and make space for entrepreneurs who have an idea and passion...We also want to support our existing leaders to reimagine and to take risks in terms of working with emerging generations and not out

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WORSHIP, WITNESS AND SERVICE

“I think we have forgotten that worship is supposed to be linked to witness and service and if you separate worship you have just created a club,” explains Bradon. “It’s the witness and the service that gives the worship integrity and if you don’t have this you don’t have anything. Worship is meaningless if it isn’t lived out. If a minister isn’t empowering and growing people they are failing at the task.

We need to be equipping our prophets, changeagents, artists and dreamers to lead us and be resourced by those who’ve traditionally led us

“In the Basis of Union, discipleship is all assumed, but we stopped telling that story and went for professional ministry and that has not been good for the Uniting Church. I think it is about changing the ministry styles into the future as well. Just having a minister up the front every Sunday is not healthy.”

Both Bronwyn and Bradon agree that the challenge to break our addiction to the Sunday hour as a form of Christian growth and formation is one that Uniting Mission and Education is addressing.

UME is doing this through training, faith development, relationship building, theological training and identification of new and emerging leadership.

“Our relational formation is not done on a Sunday, but in our everyday lives as Christians,” says Bronwyn.

“We have had enormous change in the Church of the last ten years and it is really the tip of the iceberg,” says Bradon. “We need to be equipping our prophets, change-agents, artists and dreamers to lead us and be resourced by those who’ve traditionally led us, like the theologians and the pastors, to actually flip that around and de-centralise from maintenance to adaption and engagement.”

WANT TO KNOW MORE? For training and leadership opportunities visit the Uniting Mission and Education website ume.nswact.uca.org.au For more information about Pulse visit ucapulse.org.au

Personal reflections ON LEADERSHIP TRAINING

SPEAKING GOD’S LANGUAGE

SUNNY KIM | WAGGA WAGGA

Before telling my “How and why did Sunny become a Lay Preacher?” story, I would like to briefly introduce myself. I was born in South Korea and grew up in a strong Buddhist family. My husband, Matt and I got married in 2000 and came to Australia right in the next year. I became a Christian in 2006. Then we moved up to AlburyWodonga from Melbourne 2010 for Matt’s work as a radiation therapist and we have been living here since then.

Unlike Melbourne, there weren’t many Koreans living in this area. I was thirsty to hear a sermon in my mother language, Korean. Then totally by chance, I heard about a Korean community in Wesley Uniting Church in Wagga nearly 140 km away from my place which I have been joyfully attending for six years now.

Then I met this very important person in my life, Rev Daniel Yang, the Korean minister who found my gift as a preacher. He casually introduced me to the Exploring Jesus Christ course.

So I grabbed the chance without knowing how serious it was that I was getting into it. At the beginning I didn’t even know that was part of the lay preacher course. Numbers 18:20: ‘You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.’ Through this verse, I knew somewhat

that God called me a Levi for sure and as we know there are heaps of different roles among them, doorkeepers, priests, singers, etc. I’d been thinking that one day, I would become any sort of church worker except a preacher role because that was a ‘the least like me’ thing.

Anyway, when I had that course, a whole new world was opened to me. The study was fascinating and Rev. Bronwyn Murphy was a great teacher. I actually tried to step backward when I found out what this course was for, then Bron gave me a huge encouragement by confirming my gift again.

Most importantly, God gave me the one last confirmation in my prayer. I asked once again and prayed “Lord, I am not quite sure yet whether I am the right person to do this. With a very shy character... and my English... not a public speaker... I am very disadvantaged.” Then God said this clearly, “You shall not succeed by your own strength nor by your own power but by my Spirit.” (Zechariah 4:6).

Knowing that it is nothing about me but God gave me a great relief and confidence. And who knows? There are many small churches that have no preachers at all or someone like me who is thirsty to hear God’s word in our mother tongue in regional areas. I am trying my best to do the job which God gives me every moment. I feel super excited and honoured listening to the Lord leading and guiding me the way.

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A TIMELY CALLING RICHARD FLEMING | BEROWRA “And its about time too”, was the thought that jumped into my head as I walked out to the front of Berowra Uniting Church, to be accredited as a lay preacher in June last year. This journey started back in the early 1990s when I first started preaching and was spurred on by the experience of being part of the team for an Emmaus Walk, looked like it might happen when I started a Lay Preachers course via distance education through the then ELM Centre, but it spluttered to a halt when work pressures placed in on hold. But it seems God never gives up, because a talk by Rev. Bronwyn Murphy about the Living Our Faith series offered by Uniting Mission and Education (UME), refreshed that sense of call.

However, there was another motivation for attaining accreditation. My wife and I enjoy exploring this vast country in our caravan and when we can, visiting local congregations.

It was on one of these trips, about nine or ten years ago, that we attended worship in a lay-lead church in country NSW. As we were enjoying the hospitality of the congregation after the service, I was struck by the faithful persistence and dedication of the small leadership team. Back on the road, we talked about the service, the warmth of the welcome and the challenges faced by the lay leaders. I recall wondering if maybe they might enjoy a respite from the weekly demands of preparing services and that maybe, this was something I could offer when I retired.

I completed the Living Our Faith series in 2015. For me it was a mind expanding, faith deepening experience. I must admit to being a little surprised (perhaps even embarrassed) at the shallowness of my biblical understanding. Then again, I suspect that I am not alone in this.

Living Our Faith provided the pathway to turning that nagging thought about helping in some way with a rural congregation into reality. I have now completed three, four-week placements (two in Cowra and one in Leeton) and my wife and I are looking forward to returning to Cowra again in 2018. This growing relationship lead to our local Berowra congregation taking its well-publicised ‘Lego Exhibition and Competition’ to Cowra in 2017. It was the exhibition organiser who saw an opportunity to take the exhibition “on the road” to help a rural church build new community connections. Cowra is now taking the exciting step of organising its own exhibition in 2018, with some ongoing help from members of the Berowra congregation.

This has been an interesting and rewarding journey, which has brought home to me the importance of lay leadership in our modern church and the significant challenges facing some congregations, especially in rural areas. It has also shone a light on the wide range of gifts and talent that exist among the people of our church.

This journey has brought home the importance of lay leadership in our modern church and the significant challenges facing some congregations

Completing the Living Our Faith series has helped me grow in faith and has shaken me out of my comfort zone. The experience at Cowra has shown how diverse gifts can be shared across congregations in supporting the ministry of the Gospel.

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A GIFT FOR EVERYONE MARGARET JOHNSON Those of us with children understand the value of exposing individuals to a breadth of experiences to allow hidden talents to emerge. The best dancers in the world will never know about their talent unless they are given the opportunity to identify their talent through “trying it out”.

When I enrolled in the Living our Faith series of weekend workshops, I really didn’t have any particular outcome in mind.

The Living our Faith series was recommended as a way of my delving into the issues which I wanted to explore. I had no idea what I had signed up for - maybe a couple of weekends! I found out very quickly that there was so much more on offer and each unit of talks, workshops and student presentations was so enriching. I was always keen to participate in the next unit.

The course is excellent. Through it, I was able to develop an organised approach to a basic but satisfying exploration of introductory theology; the Old and New Testaments and Jesus. Accompanying these units is a unit on the Uniting Church in Australia and its values and another on leading worship. All of the units provide space for enquiry and growth, but also a time for discovery. Discovery of God deepened our understanding through the units studied and discovery of ourselves while working with the team and each other clarified our thoughts and drew out our talents. In addition we were exposed to the breadth of belief in mainstream Christian churches and were made familiar with the approach on the Uniting Church. One element of this approach was stated as people first, doctrine second.

This course benefits all who participate, but particularly those who feel led to be a lay preacher. Some people who don’t have an academic background may feel this course is not for them. This is not so. This course is designed to meet you where you are and help is always at hand.

And regardless of whether a participant takes on any leadership position after the course, they become a more effective contributor to their Congregation.

as a result of the growth which occurred I have more to offer.

The joy I have experienced as a result of knowing God better through authentic teaching helps me to serve others that they might experience that joy also.

A way of introducing the units could be to invite the team to your own church and ask surrounding Uniting Churches to participate and sharing the cost, or a prospective student could attend a regular unit as an observer before committing themselves to more. Further, a Congregation might give financial aid to a person wishing to attend. (Scholarships are available, too.)

The joy I have experienced as a result of knowing God better through authentic teaching helps me to serve others that they might experience that joy An added bonus of this course is that it gives people with a range of talents a proper foundation for the work they do in the church. Those who are really talented at presenting children’s programs, or leading the singing or decorating the church or any other aspect of church life will do so more authentically after experiencing the Living our Faith Series.

There is something for everyone.

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The time I spent listening to and drinking in the Living our Faith weekends benefited me well past preparing me to be a Lay Preacher.

It was a time when God was central to our thinking and we left enriched in spirit as well as more knowledgeable and more skilled. I have found that

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Now more than ever, congregational members are needed to take on an array of leadership roles - otherwise the church doors will close

REVEALING A DIFFERENT LANDSCAPE

GAYNOR GIBSON | MOLONG

Lay preaching was never on my radar. I had always been an active church member but that was mostly, on reflection, around the administration of the church. For years I had been on numerous committees because they are an important and necessary part of church life. But a move, by my husband and I, to the Central West of NSW changed all of that.

We settled in Molong - a rural community with a population of approximately 2300 people. I started to attend the local Uniting Church, which did not have an ordained minister in residence. This was my first experience of this scenario. The church is wonderfully served by a combination of a retired minister and long serving lay preachers. The running of church was also in good hands and firmly established so this environment, within a small congregation, gave me the time to re-think where my relationship with God was really at. It felt like my life was being ‘peeled back’- like the layers of an onion’bit-by-bit, by God, so He could finally expose my core and begin to challenge me.

Prior to coming to Molong, I had been a member of Toastmasters International — a public speaking organisation — for seven years. I finally realised that God was saying to me ‘Well you have done all this training, why aren’t you using it to spread my good news?’ And at the very same time, a member of my new congregation said to me ‘Have you considered becoming a lay preacher?’ Well that sealed it – no way out!

So in my sixth decade and with the blessing of the Molong Uniting Church, I embarked on the study that will ultimately have me ‘certified’ as a lay preacher. I was also delighted to find out that I could apply for a scholarship that would help with travel and accommodation costs for the weekend sessions. A very thoughtful woman left a bequest to aid rural students – and I am very grateful for her generosity.

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I have undertaken three of the four components required and have enjoyed every section. UME provide experienced, informative course leaders and the whole journey has deepened my faith and today I have a closer relationship with Jesus Christ than ever before.

The landscape has definitely changed in regards to church ministry — particularly in our rural areas. Lay preachers are playing such an important role — something that would not have been envisaged decades ago. Now, more than ever, congregation members are needed to take on an array of leadership roles - otherwise the church doors will close.

During one of our course weekends, a leader made the comment that she was pleased that not every church now had an ordained minister. Why? Because it made us, as congregational members, think about alternatives – with a little help from God. I think that statement has a lot of merit.

I thank God for ‘peeling back those layers’ and showing me that lay preaching was an option for me. It’s not for everyone and we all know that God has given us all different gifts and skills to enrich our churches and mission life within our communities and beyond. But if you have someone in your congregation who may be thinking about this type of ministry, please encourage them to seek God’s calling and if that course is shown, endorse their leadership and keep affirming them.

Finally, I also thank God for sending me to Toastmasters International to help with the public speaking. When I began, I could have rivalled Rudolph for brightness!!

GOD HAD OTHER PLANS

ASINATE ANGAAELANGI | AUBURN

Most people I know, whether called to be a minister, lay leader and even to study theology have not experienced an easy path of discipleship. Smooth sailing and clear skies of discernment haven’t been a part of my reality. A lay preacher and a theological student at Uniting Theological College (UTC) was never a part of my plan. I wanted to become a flight attendant!

I am nowhere near planes and fun trips around the world, but I can honestly tell you that I still pinch myself some days whether this is real or just a dream.

In 2014 I was among twenty two people from the Auburn Parish to participate in the Living Our Faith course. I was told the course was for lay preachers. And that wasn’t something I thought at the time that I was ready for. Many good leaders and dear ones to me at my Church encouraged me to just give it a go, so I went. Like the calling of Nathaniel from (John 1:4351) I just came to see and I never stopped coming to see what God had in store for me.

I believe that spiritual gifts are God-given abilities of a particular spiritual nature and a spiritual purpose. They may or may not overlap or coincide with natural talents or learned abilities. As we observe Christians in our journey, we can see spiritual gifts, learned abilities and natural talents coinciding.

Another interesting fact from the Greek text is that the word translated ‘gift’ in the ‘spiritual gifts’ passages is charisma which is derived from charis [grace]. A ‘charisma’ is a free gift, involving grace on the part of the giver.

Some of us are already aware of one or more of our spiritual gifts. Some may not be. A spiritual gift analysis is simply a tool to help us come to an awareness of our gifts.

Whatever it is actually bringing to light, and however imperfect it may be, it does serve to make us aware of the things we have an ability in, or a leaning towards. We may think the results are not accurate; that’s okay. It’s just a human tool?

But think about the results for a while; they may have bring out some hidden talents or inclinations you didn’t realise you had.

Putting faith into action can take many different shapes, but I believe it should always follow Jesus’ example of solidarity with those less fortunate, inclusion of those on the margins, and putting others before ourselves.

It often felt risky but exciting at the same time

The church is a spiritual body. In fact, it is the Body of Christ with Him being the head.

It is Jesus who guides, organises, oversees and shepherds the body in order for us to be what He wants us to be and to do what He wants us to do. The church is compared to our physical body to help us understand its structure and diversity of parts or members, all of which are necessary for the church or body to perform its task, function or work in unity and harmony efficiently.

Jesus organises the church so that we may function properly.

He organises His body by giving gifts and assigning ministries or functions to each member. We are who we are in the body of Christ because Jesus decided what your part is to be. Your assigned ministry is not your decision. Jesus is the one who calls.

Our role is to hear and recognise and submit to His decision.

Answering our call goes with learning and training each step that we make on our journey. And it is so wonderful to know that the Uniting Church in Australia has this training to equip all leaders so that we may work together not only for the common good but to build up the Kingdom of God where ever we are call to work in the Church. i

While doing the Lay Preaching course with Uniting Mission and Education (UME) I still had that mindset of being a Christian just means professing a faith in Jesus, but Jesus clearly said ‘Follow me’. Sometimes, that means literally dropping everything like those first disciples, and doing what we feel called by God to do. It often felt risky, but exciting at the same time, and God sustains us through the changes that are necessary for our lives. When I first felt called to faithrelated work, I knew I had to drop everything that I was doing at the time and move to away from my parents and love ones, this wasn’t easy at all. Other people have done much more drastic things because they felt called by God to do them; in some cases they even risked their lives.

Not everyone is called to do something frightening or daring, but we are all called to take our faith seriously by putting it into action. If not, all we have is a shallow faith and a ‘cheap grace’ (Dietrich Bonhoeffer).

If we just say we believe in Jesus and go to church every Sunday, but do not act out God’s love in the world, we are, in Paul’s words, ‘like a clanging cymbal’ (1 Corinthians 13:1)

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Good Grief

DESPITE BEING PA RT OF CHRISTI A N TR A DITION, HELPING THOSE W HO A RE EX PERIENCING GRIEF IS OFTEN A CH A LLENGE FOR THE CH U RCH.

g

rief is the process of adjusting to life after a loss. It’s something that everyone experiences, from big lifechanging events to seemingly small changes.

The Reverend Dr Christine Gapes is a Chaplaincy Coordinator at Western Sydney University. She has encountered people grieving as part of various leadership roles in the church.

“Grief is a reaction to loss and through our lives we will experience many losses, some deeply wounding and others seemingly less important,” says Christine.

“But we cannot judge what loss will be felt by a person to be important.”

Grief, Park suggests, “… [h]as come to be our most impregnable Tower of Babel, the very symbol of non-communication. We stand about in tears, wishing we could assuage the pain of persons dumbfounded by woe, but mostly we don’t know what to say. Better to make no reference at all? Better, more tactful, to allow them to get over it in their own time?”

Revealing the humanity as well as the divinity of Christ is important for our acceptance of grief

“The loss of pets or sporting losses can be just as deeply felt by some as the destruction by flood or fire,” Christine explains.

“We often focus only on the negative aspects of loss (material possessions, sexual abuse, death of family and friends as well as a sense of belonging, faith/spirituality) but there may also be grief associated with “positive” losses such as going to high school or university, leaving school, engagement, marriage or remarriage.”

While grief is this widespread and comes at us from a variety of angles, it is often misunderstood.

The late Ruth Park was an esteemed Australian writer. One of her works is a 1993 Sydney Morning Herald piece about grieving, in which she suggests that Australian culture “knows little about meeting grief head on.”

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“I’ve found it very helpful to give people an awareness of how complicated, drawn out and difficult grief can be,” says Christine.

“Explaining the “normal” process of grief (which varies from person to person and depending on the type of loss they have experienced) helps people accept that the sadness may last a long time, that crying is okay, that feeling strange and even hearing the deceased doesn’t mean you are crazy. There is a normal sadness or depression that comes with grief and we need to allow ourselves to hold this sadness rather than trying to ‘soldier on.’”

Grief is part of the Christian tradition. It has a strong presence in Scripture, with some of the Psalms, and Job among the readings that Christine recommends for Christians experiencing loss.

“Reading the Psalms or Job can be helpful for Christians as they show how angry, sad, or confused people were with God when loss pushed them down,” says Christine.

“Too often Christians are given a sense of false relationship with God in which we believe we are always to be on our perfect good behaviour, never questioning God, always being confident in our faith. Those who are grieving can feel as if the Psalmist understands their deep grief, when they are alone, when they are drowning in their tears. Revealing the humanity as well as the divinity of Christ is important for our acceptance of grief—when Jesus wept for Lazarus, or cried out “Why have you forsaken me?””

Too often Christians are given a sense of false relationship with God in which we believe we are always to be on our perfect behaviour, always being confident in our faith Helping young people deal with grief is a challenge that Christine says she has experienced. “Young people are very conscious of how they are perceived by their peer group,” she says.

“One 13 year old girl told me she could not grieve fully for her father who had died because whenever she came into a room where her friends were gathered they all fell silent, not knowing what to say or do. “

Services FOR THE GRIEVING

For many people who are grieving, important dates on the calendar can be painful, including Christmas. For this reason, many churches provide a ‘Blue Christmas’ services, which offer a reflective space for people who have lost a loved one.

In 2017, West Epping Uniting Church ran a Thanksgiving and Memorial Service in the lead up to Christmas. The Rev. Radhika SukumarWhite told Insights that the service is open to anyone who found the holiday to be a tough time of year.

“It’s a really lovely and reflective space for those who attend” she said. “We sing lowerenergy carols, we listen to Scripture passages that speak of hope in despair. Perhaps the most special part of the service is the opportunity for anyone to come forward and light a candle from the Christ candle in remembrance of someone or something.”

“For some, the personal struggles they are going through are named and respected in the space, but for many others, this service is just a chance to breathe and gain some respite from the rush and bustle and stress and joy-to-the-max of this season.”

Jonathan Foye

How do we help those who grieve?

Christine suggests a few practical ways that Christians may help friends or loved ones that are experiencing grief.

• “When a death or great loss occurs, ministers and youth leaders can help young people by talking about what it is like to grieve, to suggest ways in which friends can help.

Practical things like sending flowers or a card, paying for someone to go to a camp, or making sure they continue to come to youth group may help the grieving process.”

• “I found that when helping young people grieve, that getting them to make drawings, show precious belongings, or photos helped them talk about their loss. It was difficult for them to look me in the eye or talk without something that they could focus on. It seemed they did not want to be seen directly but at a distance.”

insights 29

ENDING Mo d e rn D a y

SLAVERY

m

SLAVE AND LIBERATOR REUNITED

oe Turaga came back to the Uniting Church in Mildura on Sunday 29 October. The disability services worker from Bundaberg in Queensland was returning to the Sunraysia region for the first time in 30 years - a region that holds some painful memories for him.

Audrey who owned a nearby farm heard of Moe’s plight when he visited her church. She offered Moe a job on her farm.

For three years from the late 1980s, Moe was a horticultural worker at a farm near Mildura, picking grapes and other fruit and veg to fill the shelves of Australian supermarkets.

As Moe tells it, “I escaped from the grape farm and my cousin and worked for her from then on.”

Moe came to Australia from Fiji at the age of 17 after his father died to support his mother and the rest of his family. The work arranged through his cousin – a minister of religion - was hard and unrelenting, picking in season, pruning in the off season. At least the money he earned was being sent back home to support his mother. So he thought.

Two-and-a-half years later, Moe’s world came crashing down when he spoke to his mother in Fiji on the phone. She told him that she hadn’t received a cent.

Like many people trapped in modern slavery situations Moe had no idea that he was working for nothing. His good intentions had been cruelly twisted around to the advantage of the person who had trafficked him to Australia.

I was finally free to make my own choices and live my own life

Despair and dark thoughts set in. “I felt cheated and deceived by this man who I and our community trusted,” says Moe. “But I also felt trapped because of his position of power in our society and that I would be shamed by my community if I complained or came home empty-handed. I would be seen as the wrongdoer or the rebellious person who didn’t make good of the opportunity that was provided to me.”

Salvation, when it came, was through a member of the local Uniting Church.

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“It was exhilarating to get paid a real wage into my own hand and to finally have money to get new clothes. I was proud to send the money I made to my mother and hear the pride in her voice on the phone. “Audrey helped me to get my passport back from the migration agent. I was finally free to make my own choices and live my own life.”

Moe has told his story many times in the last few months - to Church forums, to journalists, to international government representatives and global business leaders.

As he entered the Uniting Church in Mildura again, Moe wondered about the woman whose intervention had turned his life around all those years ago.

God’s grace is a marvellous and powerful thing. Sitting in the back pew at Irymple Uniting Church that Sunday, were Audrey and her husband Alan, now in their eighties. Tears welled up as the free man embraced his liberator. When Moe thanked her, Audrey said, “That’s how life should be.”

The following day in Mildura, Moe told his story again, this time to a hearing of the Australian Parliament’s Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade Human Rights SubCommittee. The Committee is inquiring into establishing a Modern Slavery Act in Australia. As a result of many people like Moe telling their stories, there is now bipartisan support for the introduction of a Federal Modern Slavery Act, sometime in 2018.

UCA CONGREGATIONS LEAD PASTORAL RESPONSE TO FARM ABUSE The prospect of greater scrutiny of supply chains and labour hire contractors is welcome news, particularly to Pacific members of the Uniting Church who’ve been actively involved in providing pastoral care to temporary migrant workers.

Tongans, Fijians, and ni-Vanuatu make up the bulk of the Australian Government’s Seasonal Workers Program under which more than 4000 Pacific Islanders come to Australia to work in our $10 billion horticulture industry.

Media reports have highlighted slaverylike practices like debt bondage, underpayment and terrible working conditions

Twelve seasonal workers have died in the Program in the last 12 months and recent media reports have highlighted slavery-like practices like debt bondage, underpayment and terrible working conditions in the horticulture sector generally.

caravans, and having their movements and activities restricted by labour hire contractors.

“The only water supply was one tap that provided unsafe, green, slimy water that was used for other domestic needs and definitely not safe for drinking,” said Mrs Maile about one location.

Falepaini Maile, an elder and Church Council Chairperson at Ingleburn Uniting Church in Sydney, set up the Tonga Australia Seasonal Workers Association Incorporated (TASWA) last year in response to calls for help from Tongan seasonal workers throughout Australia’s remote regional areas.

“The conditions of the containers were very unhealthy and unsafe with more than six living in one container paying $165 per head per week in rent.

Mrs Maile told the recent Parliamentary Committee hearing into a Modern Slavery Act about Pacific workers living in destitution, being charged exorbitant rates to stay in unventilated shipping containers and crowded houses and

“Another location had 13 workers living in a two-bedroom house with one bathroom at $120 per person per week.”

“At night when women wanted to go to the bathroom, they go out together, it’s not safe.”

Commercial lawyer Raj Thanarajah went on to tell the hearing he estimated contractors in illegal fruit picking syndicates were clearing an average of $768,000 a month.

With labour hire contractors offering costs of up to half the price of other picking options, Emma Germano from the Victorian Farmers Federation, herself a vegetable grower, described the dilemma faced by farmers.

“By ensuring that I was employing a legal crew, I condemned our business.

I increased the financial pressure on our farm. We went into further debt to keep up.”

“Ultimately the Australian government is our No. 1 labour hire contractor.

It’s the Australian government that chooses who’s able to come to this country to work.

“We’re asking that you give us a reliable and productive workforce so that we can employ them directly and be sure that, as Australian growers, we’re not exploiting them.”

On the ground in rural communities, a number of Uniting Church congregations are providing support to vulnerable migrant workers.

At St Andrews Uniting Church Mildura, Rev. Siotame Paletu’a’s ministry covers much of the Sunraysia region.

insights 31

“Our congregation collects food parcels for those in need, and a number of seasonal workers have been attending our Tongan worship services in Irymple.”

“Members of St Luke’s Uniting Church in Robinvale have also been active is offering community and fellowship.”

The Minister at Kangaroo Point Rev. Stanley Tuilovoni says his church members are already arranging to reach out to farm workers in the Lockyer Valley in the coming weeks.

THE FUTURE

Advocates from faith-based organisations hope that a Federal Modern Slavery Act and labour hire licensing laws being considered in a number of states will lead to better conditions for temporary migrant workers in the near future.

A training session convened by SUPPORTING SEASONAL the Queensland WORKERS Community A commitment to greater Bonnie Trevanion the Parish Chairperson Alliance and education and awareness of the Uniting Church in Queensland’s delivered by of modern slavery is North Burnett Region says churches The Salvation also needed.

ALISON RAHILL, and local government in her area have Army’s Freedom FREEDOM PARTNERSHIP Alison Rahill from The Salvation taken an active role in supporting Partnership Army’s Freedom Partnership seasonal workers. confirmed the points out that despite widespread importance of holding “We have a community cohesion officer evidence of exploitation, there have these conversations in church for the North Burnett district and been no prosecutions under the pastoral care workers who are in contact communities. That one meeting alone Commonwealth Criminal Code for slavery led to a case referral to the Australian with local Tongan congregations.” related offences in the farm, labour hire Federal Police. or meat and fruit processing sectors.

“Our local councillors have been very “I’m enormously heartened by the work proactive advocates for the care of our “When they rolled out anti-slavery laws of faithful Uniting Church members in Pacific Islander and seasonal workers. in the UK, one of the first priorities was Their welfare is taken very seriously here,” our congregations who are reaching educating police about the indicators of out and caring for their vulnerable she says. slavery,” says Ms Rahill. neighbours,” says Uniting Church Bonnie is quick to add that many President Stuart McMillan.

“The introduction of these laws in operators, contractors and farm Australia needs adequate resourcing “The treatment of seasonal workers is a managers are doing the right, fair and so traffickers can be held accountable justice issue that directly impacts many just thing. under the law.” of our Pacific Island Uniting Church “Where everyone does the right thing, the members as well as our regional church benefits are shared. The workers are not partners. only helping and benefitting their own “Our Church has been at the forefront families and villages through the work of advocacy against modern slavery they are doing here in Australia, but also through the work of the Justice and ours, our rural and regional townships International Mission Unit in the and our countrymen,” says Bonnie.

Synod of Victoria and Tasmania and City-based churches are responding ecumenically through the Australian too. Kangaroo Point Uniting Church in Freedom Network.”

South Brisbane hosted a Freedom Links training session on the indicators of modern slavery on Saturday 28 October.

Even with a Modern Slavery Act, Ms Rahill says the role of churches will remain central to detecting and responding to situations of modern slavery.

“Local churches are often the only place victims can go to access social, practical and spiritual support. Many times people with their eyes, ears and hearts open are the key that releases the enslaved from their desperate circumstances.” i

THE

Modern Day Slavery

FACTS

• There are 4300 people living in modern slavery in Australia • Modern slavery can include labour exploitation, domestic servitude, organ harvesting, sexual exploitation • Almost one third of trafficked people who are found are children

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MENT PA RLIA N N IA L A DE R ST R T H E AU INST MO A LLING ISLATION AGA C IN S .ORG JOIN U ROBUST LEG VE FRE E TO PASS . GO TO BE SL A Y SLAV ER

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Our courses include: • Diploma of Counselling CHC51015 • Certificate IV in Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care CHC42315

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If you’re interested in hearing more about these courses please contact our office on

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Courses start throughout the year and are run with a blended approach.

Reconnect with

God

Reconnect with Each Other

Reconnect with the Community

Project Reconnect From The Hunter Presbytery

Small church? Just the right size!

Project Reconnect is a DVD resource for small congregations providing: • A fresh weekly sermon (8 min) and all age message (4 min) based on the Lectionary

• A set of Discussion points for congregations to explore and discuss the sermon to share their thoughts

• 16 songs from our library of 35 popular songs from “Together in Song” (soon to expanded to 50) for accompaniment to singing

• Use a DVD as and when you need one!

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Email: orders@projectreconnect.com.au

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insights 33

SECULAR SONGS OF

Praise

i

n his 1995 classic, The Post Evangelical, Dave Thomlinson writes that music can help develop and deepen faith, even that written by an artist apathetic or antagonistic towards Christianity.

Many Christians, Thomlinson writes, “testify to feeling…stimulation—even spiritual stimulation—from ‘secular’ sources.”

The author goes on to suggest that Christians do well to closely and carefully listen to these ‘sources’ and discern their import to their faith.

“To characterise something like a record, a painting, a novel, or a system of education as ‘Christian’ or ‘nonChristian’ (or more commonly ‘secular’) is quite often to judge such things only on their superficial merits—for example, whether or not they talk explicitly about Christian themes.”

“In reality, there will almost always be a mixture of influences, and discerning which is a dominant influence does not always mean looking at the obvious signs. For instance, a song may well be recorded by Christians and have lyrics with an overtly Christian theme, yet it can nonetheless betray attitudes like arrogance, intolerance or sexism which are profoundly unchristian.”

“On the other hand, a so-called secular album may, on the surface, be criticising or even ridiculing Christianity, and yet at the same time be conveying a deeply Christian truth.”

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WHILE CHRISTIANS OFTEN DISTINGUISH BETWEEN ‘SECULAR’ AND ‘CHRISTIAN’ MUSIC, MANY UNITING CHURCH MINISTRIES ARE FINDING ‘SECULAR’ MUSIC USEFUL FOR THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD AND THEIR MINISTRY.

The Reverend Radhika Sukumar-White agrees. Based at West Epping Uniting Church, music has long been a part of her ministry, and she does not mind what type.

“The language of Christian music versus secular music is a misnomer,” Rev. Sukumar-White said. “I believe music and creativity are two things God created and blessed in humanity, so all, or at least most music, has something of the sacred in it.”

The Reverend Martin Goodwin is Minister of the Word at Rockdale Uniting Church. He also agrees that secular music could work towards helping Christians’ faith journeys.

“Many Christians believe that God is involved in the world (after all God loved the whole world so much...) and believe that God is seeking to show grace to all humanity as well as the whole of creation,” he said.

“Some though would make a distinction between the care and love and grace that God show to sinful humanity and fallen creation, and that which God offers to his chosen ones.”

This distinction, he observed, is sometimes referred to as the difference between common grace and special grace.

“A Christian songwriter will be seen as being inspired by God—that they have a gift from God—and that their music is especially uplifting and moving,” Rev. Goodwin said. “A secular songwriter might be inspired but it isn’t really a gift of God—it isn’t ‘special’.”

REV. SUKUMAR-WHITE PERFORMS WORSHIP AT SYNOD 2017

However, Rev. Goodwin suggests that, “God’s grace will make use of anything God wants to make use of.

As Jesus once said, if [God’s people] keep quiet, the stones will cry out!

Leonard Cohen once said ‘there is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.’ I think he nails it.”

“As someone hungry to feed on God, I will take whatever crumbs I can from whatever source I find. Does a hungry person ask the baker— ‘are you a Christian?’ before they will take his loaf of bread?”

Music and creativity are two things God created and blessed in humanity, so all or at least most music has something of the sacred in it Taking up this idea that the secular can inspire thoughts about the sacred, Insights asked a number of Uniting Church people about what music inspired them in the development of their faith.

Dr Matt Anslow coordinates Hope Uniting Church’s Community Garden project in Maroubra and has played in worship bands.

“We all have places or memories that are attached to particular songs or compositions. Music has a power to dramatically shift a particular moment in time for the listener, or even to alter their way of seeing the world,” he said.

Dr Anslow lists a number of acts, secular and avowedly Christian, as having had an influence on him.

“For me, I think of the beauty of Sigur Ros, the emotional complexity of Radiohead, the spirit of Springsteen, the passion of Rage Against the Machine, and the love of life of Queen as examples of music

MATT ANSLOW AT SYNOD 2016

that has drastically shifted my horizons, not only of music itself, but of the intersection of art, life and meaning.”

Chris Hartley is a Project Officer for the Homeless Persons Legal Fund and a member of Hope Uniting Church. In particular, he pointed to the work of a number of Indigenous Australians as music that had helped inspire his passion for justice for Australia’s first people.

“I really like the quote that ‘music is what emotions sound like’ and I think that also resonates in terms of connections of emotional expressions and faith,” he said.

“Music by artists such as Paul Kelly, Kev Carmody and Archie Roach were foundational for me in understanding the indigenous connection to the land.”

“Kev Carmody also gives expression to the ongoing strength and resilience

M U S I C A L M I N I S T R Y:

NO ORDINARY LIFE

of indigenous people and of their connection to faith despite the injustice they have suffered. One of his songs ‘Thou Shall Not Steal’ is very powerful on that front.”

“I also connect spiritually to the music of K.D Lang and Gurrumul Yunupingu.

The beauty of their voices reveals the divine.”

Rev. Goodwin noted a number of acts as being similarly revelatory, including Midnight Oil, Sinaed O’Conner, and Regina Spektor.

He said that the ability to find new music almost instantaneously was something that he appreciated.

“I give thanks to God for the opportunity to live in an age where so much amazing music is accessible,” Rev. Goodwin said.

“I thank God for the creativity of men and women who can so powerfully move me and inform my faith.” i Jonathan Foye

No Ordinary Life is a cabaret-style concert performed by two Uniting Church ministers, The Reverend Claire Wright and The Reverend Radhika Sukumar-White. Rev. Sukumar-White told Insights that the performance intersperses anecdotes and reflections on life and faith stories with “almost entirely” secular music.

“For example, I talk about being brown, and then sing ‘I Know Where I’ve Been’ from Hair Spray,” she said.

“Claire talks about being a woman in ministry, and then sings ‘If I Only Had a Brain’. The whole idea is to use music to evangelise, in a manner of speaking.”

Previous No Ordinary Life events have taken place at Canberra City and Bathurst Uniting Churches.

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T H E T WO O F U S

Discovering a call to ministry Liam Miller is the Uniting Church Chaplain at Macquarie University and recently started his candidacy for the Ministry of the Word. He became an Associate Chaplain at Macquarie University in 2012, a role that eventually led to his current role as Chaplain. Friend and mentor The Reverend Mark Hillis (former Honorary Chaplain at Macquarie) encouraged Liam to consider the next steps in his vocation. Insights caught up with them both to talk about church leadership and what it means to be called to a ministry. reminded that’s only part of being part of the priesthood of believers.

MARK HILLIS

LIAM MILLER

What led to you wanting to consider ministry as a vocation?

university. It’s been very creative and it’s been unique.

Liam Miller: I was finding myself further and further [drawn to] something and found out what that meant. It kept building until I realised this was something I enjoyed doing and liked. And something I was ok at. I started to get this feeling that this was something that I was called to.

LM: It’s a tricky because you sit in your Synod panel interview and they ask you about this calling that you have and you audaciously say, ‘I have been called into ministry into a specific way’. I think that audacity helps, in that you’ve already gone through a meeting with your presbytery and a meeting with your zone.

It’s not just this job, it’s about the vocation. So I talked to Mark and said ‘this is what I think. This is what I’m discerning…’

MH: The audacity you speak of — we’re a church that affirms the vocation of every Christian. What are the indicators that a particular type of leadership is needed? After 41 years that is still a fresh question for me. I’m now part of a congregation [with several] retired ministers, most of whom are still exploring their calling.

Mark Hillis: I was seeing the kind of work he was doing and the attitude he had and the boldness that he and our other associate, Richard La’Brooy, were showing. It is not an easy environment because there are so many [competing] religious groups and ideas. To have young people like Liam trying to not to be too preachy but to be open and vulnerable, I thought that was very brave indeed. He was more than brave, he was thriving in that environment.

Liam had some of the gifts and graces that you need to survive in ministry.

He was a person with courage, entrepreneurial flair and at the same time, exploring and studying his faith. He’s given a lead to our Church and to our region during his time at

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We are tempted to make the mistake to think that the church should congregate around a minister. We have to find a way for the church to see [that there is] this wide range of [roles] around the Church not only confined to ordained ministry. The Period of Discernment is not just a pathway to ordination, it is for any Christian to look at what God wants for them to be a Christian in this day and age.

LM: At the end of the Period of Discernment, they’re not just deciding how to be become a minister, we’re

MH: The ordained calling might be to get excited by the gifts of others.

We’ve already seen in Liam, a desire to share what he’s learning and the joy of discovering the Christian vocation. If it’s about a career path, about fulfilling your own desire, sadly that’s a solo kind of vocation. There’s plenty of egos around already, we want to see the whole Church flourish. We’re struggling with that as a church. We have some very learned leaders but that doesn’t guarantee a flourishing Church.

Tertiary chaplaincy is uniquely challenging. How has it prepared you for what you will encounter?

LM: There’s no guarantee [in tertiary ministry] that anyone will show up. It’s out there on its own, there’s a consistent turnover of students. Most students don’t even know that you’re there.

You have to demonstrate that you can contribute to the life of the university.

There’s still this sense that you’re there for a purpose, a vocation, and mission.

[In a Bible study I was asked] “What’s the Exodus?” This person had no concept of it and why should they? You’ve got to start over with ‘This is what we believe, it’s pretty strange, but we think it’s life giving.’ Chaplaincy can be like keeping the rumour of God alive – ‘loitering with intent’. It’s a very interesting space, but it helps knock down the idea that there’s a level of assumed knowledge.

MH: That aspect of ministry was something I enjoyed immensely in that both Liam and Richard were keen to discover what their faith meant. I found that exciting. That’s a tribute to Liam, that he finds a sense of ministry having been in that adventurous context and I think that’s what the church needs. i Jonathan Foye

D I G I TA L M I N I ST RY

Leading church together

i

n the season of Epiphany, we hear again the stories of Jesus calling his first disciples and how Jesus formed this motely, rag-tag group into the leaders of the early Christian movement.

These stories remind us that each of us is called to follow God and love of neighbour, using our own unique set of gifts, talents, and experiences. The disciples show us that we don’t need to be perfect to follow Jesus; we just need an open and willing heart.

Perhaps not since the days of the early church have lay people had more of a voice in the church—never had more opportunities to share the love of God in Christ Jesus—than today. This is due in no small measure, you guessed it, to digital social media. As Lee Rainie and Barry Wellman write in their book, Networked: The New Social Operating System, thanks to social media, “Each person has become a communication and information switchboard connecting persons, networks, and institutions. At the same time, each person has become a portal to the rest of the world, providing bridges for their friends to other social circles.”

In the early 21st century the “priesthood of all believers”—the conviction that we are each ministers in daily life, whether or not we are ordained, has morphed into the “tweephood of all believers,” where people are living and sharing their faith every day through these emerging digital technologies.1 Think about it. Your personal digital network is probably larger than your church’s and maybe than even your pastor. You are already connected to many people that don’t have a home congregation or religious affiliation. Most individual believers have as much or more influence than the congregation to

which they belong, or the minister that serves it.

For each of the short 52+ chapters, a different parishioner will join me for a short conversation responding to what in that chapter spoke to them.

We’ve recorded a few conversations thus far, and it’s a reminder of how rich our people and congregations are with insights into faith. The whole endeavor feels like a community art project, where we gather up and amplify many different voices.2

In fact, you are likely doing it already.

Anytime you extend comfort, rejoice at a milestone, share moments in your life that are meaningful to you and respond to the people, places, and experiences that are meaningful to others, you, as St. Paul wrote to the Romans “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). Everyday, Could your congregation do this probably several times a day, you have kind of project, whether digital the opportunity to gather, or analog, which raises up comfort, rejoice, and prayer voices and engages your for others. This is holy faith community and work, and it doesn’t extended network in require a collar, a E ACH PERSON HA S conversations about theological degree, BEC OME A P ORTAL where faith connects or a church office.

TO THE REST OF THE in everyday life? How All you need is a WORLD, PROVIDING might you amplify the digital device and an BRIDGES FOR THEIR voices of people in your internet connection.

FRIEND S TO OTHER parish or those whose SO CIAL CIRCLES We have also seen in voices have been missing recent years the ways in or marginalized? which digital technologies In my own ministry context, have helped to amplify the all trends point to a future with fewer voices of those whose voices have full-time clergy and clergy serving been historically marginalized. In the multiple faith communities. In the United States, the #metoo movement coming years the professionalization about sexual harassment has lifted of ministry that marked the 20th the voices of women and the reality of century will give way to a future and a their experience. The #blacklivesmatter church that will hinge on the leadership movement, which began as a social and priesthood of all believers. In the media phenomenon, has amplified meantime, digital social media can help the voices of the African-American us live into that new religious landscape, community in the U.S. amplify lay voices, and experiment with Social media gives everyday people these new networked and relational greater voice in our civic life, as well as ways of being church. i our religious life.

Perhaps you are wondering how to take this ministry of presence further. This year my church is experimenting by creating a podcast called “We Make the Road by Walking” inspired by Brian McLaren’s great book of the same name.

A “tweep” is a term for someone who is on Twitter 2 Check out the project at: udlc.org/wemaketheroad 1

Rev. Keith Anderson

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A TRADITION OF CHRISTIAN CARE AND CONCERN

Richard & Deborah Spiteri, proprietors

FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED FUNERALS CONDUCTED THROUGHOUT SYDNEY

MEMBERS OF THE FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION OF NSW

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M A K I N G M O N E Y M AT T E R

An attitude attitude An ooff gr atitude gratitude

i

t’s been many years since what is now called the National Day of Thanks (NDOT) was introduced. Despite having endorsement from both sides of politics and the GovernorGeneral, it seems that NDOT is mostly ignored

by Australians and it’s left to Christian churches to take up the idea.

Even then, while many churches participate, a lot don’t. Perhaps, like most other Australians, there is an aversion to anything that can be seen to “institutionalise” virtue. We would rather express our feelings on our own terms than in an orchestrated fashion.

I can sympathise with that. Which is why I’m writing this article now, instead of closer to the last Saturday in May when NDOT is held.

There may also be other less charitable explanations for the indifference of many people to NDOT, but in any case it provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the importance of thankfulness.

Through the Scriptures, God encourages us to be thankful. For example, many of the Psalms urge God’s people to “come together with thanksgiving” (95:2), to enter God’s courts with thanksgiving (100:4), or simply to “give thanks to the Lord’ (e.g. 75:1, 105:1, 106:1, 107:1,15,21,31; 118:29; 136:1,2,3,26).

In the New Testament, Paul puts it this way: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

• for abundant spiritual blessings in Christ, such as love, faith and fellowship; • for having our material needs met – food, clothing, shelter; • for things which on the surface are negative, but thanking God for the way He works in us during the tough times.

Above all, Christian thankfulness is gratitude for God Himself. The relationship we’re called into through Jesus is the most profound and wonderful gift of all; it’s the fountainhead of all other gifts, which are an expression of God’s purpose of sharing His very life with us.

Christian thankfulness is not a vague “to whom it may concern” attitude. It’s not just feeling glad about things, but an active acknowledgement that the living God is the giver of all good things.

Christian thankfulness is, therefore, a profoundly relational concept. In that light, developing an attitude of thankfulness becomes not a task to be accomplished, but an outworking of the gospel in our lives.

It’s a movement of the Spirit in our hearts, contributing to our character transformation under the Lordship of Christ. For example, in Colossians 3:15-17 thankfulness is linked with Christ’s peace ruling in our hearts and is in turn connected with living at peace with others in the church, with the process of learning and growing, and with honouring God in all that we do.

The National Day of Thanks is a good idea.

But an even better one is for all Christians to cultivate gratitude as daily character trait. If we were to do that, our lives would more clearly • for simple, every day things; proclaim the greatness of our God and the • for significant events in the lives of individuals impact on our world would be enormous. i and nations; Warren Bird, Executive Director, Examples abound in the Bible of thanks being given for all sorts of things:

• for people - their character, gifts and contributions to our lives;

Uniting Financial Services

Like all virtuous behaviours, they don’t just happen. You need to work at it, like a musician or a sports person practicing to get things to become automatic. Here are a few practical suggestions that can help in the process of cultivating gratitude in our hearts: • Keep a daily journal of things for which you thank God. • Deliberately set aside regular times for thanking God, maybe along with fasting. Consider skipping lunch once a week, using the time to offer prayers of thanksgiving instead.

• Intentionally thank family members, work colleagues, neighbours – whoever – for the things they do and they people they are.

• Give to, and pray for, the poor. Actively acknowledge that what we have is from God by giving it back to Him, as the people in David’s time did (see Chron 1:29).

• Be creative. I know of one man who always thanks God for his wife whenever he sees the numbers 518.

Why? Proverbs 5:18 says “rejoice in the wife of your youth”. In this way he has developed a thankfulness habit. The possibilities are endless for this approach!

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L E C T I O NA RY R E F L E C T I O N S

February – Jesus among us you plan to do or say? How will this transform your life?

Jesus: How does Jesus’ ministry change after this event? Why are God’s words important at this turning point? Are Moses and Elijah superseded, or collaborating with Jesus in God’s plan?

What does the resurrection add, if this story can’t be told without it?

4 FEBRUARY MARK 1: 29-39

St Mark launches us quickly into the busy life of “Jesus Christ, the Son of God”. In the 45 verses Jesus appears, he is baptised and blessed from heaven, tempted forty days and takes John’s place as a preacher of repentance.

He calls his first followers, preaches impressively, casts out numerous unclean spirits, heals a woman, a leper and many sick people. He bosses demons around, prays half the night, takes a Galilean ‘road trip’ and becomes rock-star famous. This is, apparently, what ‘Good News’ looks like.

In this week’s slice of the story, Jesus performs his first healing, not this time by the power of speech but of touch. Both words and gentle touch are important acts in the ministry of care, whether a ‘cure’ comes quickly or not. Jesus is then beset by crowds seeking their own ‘good news’, until he collapses in exhaustion. However he rises to renew the good news of God’s presence in himself through prayer, before moving on to spread the love.

Should Jesus have healed all the sick in Capernaum before moving on? If not, who should? What does good news look like for all

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the villages and cities and nations still waiting for Jesus to visit?

11 FEBRUARY TRANSFIGURATION MARK 9:2-9

The story of Jesus’ Transfiguration (‘metamorphosis’ in Greek) can be read in many possible ways. A commentary on its theological meanings would fill books. It has been used for personal prayer and reflection on our discipleship.

Its symbols and mystery are ripe for art and meditation.

Let’s try: Symbols: What do mountains signify for Moses, Elijah and Jesus? What does God do or say up high? What mountains have you ascended? When is it time to come back down?

What about metamorphoses: was anyone else dazzling, or dazzled, in the Bible? What do ‘white robes’ symbolise for Christians? How do butterflies work? Are we transfigured, dazzling or transformed like Jesus, or is he unique?

Following: Imagine yourself sneaking up the mountain behind Peter, James and John. How is your body, soul, heart and mind impacted? Do you shine a little, or fall back into the shadows? When the others are silenced, what do

18 FEBRUARY LENT 1 MARK 1:9-15

As we begin Lent’s 40 days of reflection, repentance and spiritual discipline, we turn back briefly to Jesus’ baptism and testing. Mark’s snappy gospel ignores questions like “why should the ‘Son of God’ repent and be baptised?” or what bystanders saw, heard or thought, and focuses on the transaction between Jesus and God. Jesus alone, apparently, perceives the Spirit-Dove and the voice of heaven. By word and Spirit Jesus is adopted into an intimate relationship with the One he will come to call Abba, my Father.

Unlike other prophets Jesus receives no call or task, but is equipped simply by his relationship to the love of God; the Son joined to his Abba by the gentle Dove-Spirit.

Did I say gentle? As this happens the clouds of heaven are storm-tossed, torn apart.

So heaven will fade and the Temple curtain be torn apart while Jesus dies. Likewise, the gentle Spirit ‘drives’ him into the wilderness as a stockman drives the cattle, to face his demons. A shadow falls over Jesus’ ministry from the beginning. And yet wild beasts wait with him, messengers of

grace comfort him, and the heavenly voice still rings in his ears.

What stormy challenges and deep comfort will you experience during Lent?

25 FEBRUARY LENT 2 MARK 8:31-38

Lent, and all of our discipleship, is the way of the cross. Dazzling Transfigurations and Divine adoptions are wonderful, but Jesus’ disciples must go the way of Jesus himself, or these glorious mysteries are meaningless.

For a short few centuries, Christians enthusiastically embraced the likelihood that they would lose their lives for Jesus’ sake. At other times in history that has also seemed possible, but we are a little more circumspect these days.

Why would we prefer ‘divine things’ like carrying our cross, losing our life, walking Jesus’ way of rejection and suffering, to ‘human things’ like saving our skin and gaining the world? Some churches preach ‘prosperity’ as God’s plan for each Christian, in plain agreement with poor Peter. Get behind me, Satan!

However we should admit that even without prosperity doctrine we remain a pretty safe and affluent bunch of disciples.

What would the Uniting Church look like if we all took Jesus’ words here a little more seriously? What would your own life look like?

Is there one more thing this Lent which you could give up for the sake of Jesus and the gospel which will help you save your life? i

L E C T I O NA RY R E F L E C T I O N S

March – Journey to the cross 4 MARCH JOHN 2:13-22

Each gospel in Lent brings us the good news but reminds us that grace can only come at a cost. A shadow falls in each episode pointing to Jesus’ looming death. How does this make you feel? Are you one of those who feels awkward about so much ‘bad news’ getting in the way of your Jesus? I once knew a church musician who hated singing any songs in a minor key. Too gloomy!

Jesus cleanses the temple early in his ministry in John’s gospel, engaging in a kind of dramatic prophetic protest, a kind of ‘demonstration’ in today’s terms. The good news: the Father’s house is not a marketplace; God’s presence cannot be traded.

Perhaps Jesus’ passionate ‘zeal’ for the Temple can be understood in Jewish tradition: the heritage of David and Solomon; God’s holiness, mercy, law or praises; the restoration of Jewish glory in the new (second) temple. But to Jesus this is personal. God dwells within him.

Tear down this temple, and in three days I will arise!

11 MARCH JOHN 3:14-21

So much judgmental condemnation has been proclaimed through John 3:16 that some hesitate to preach it at all. A shame, because in these words is grace for today, not darkness hereafter. The lenten shadow falls: the Son of Man will be crucified, lifted up like Moses’ bronze snake for healing. In John, however, the lifting up of Jesus is a

sign that God’s work over ignorance and division is already complete, finished (John 8:28, 12:32, 19:30).

‘Already’ is a powerful word.

While Jesus did not come to condemn the world, John tells us, those who reject his way of light are ‘condemned already’ simply because they have chosen to live in the darkness outside God’s grace. John calls that grace ‘eternal life’: not so much “forever’n’ever,” but the

‘eternal quality’ of life lived already in the light of Christ.

Eternal life; the Kingdom of Heaven; in the gospels these images mean human life lived in God’s love, light and grace. They may last forever, but they definitely begin here and now.

How is ‘eternal life’ already a part of your living? How can we shine the light of eternity into the darkness of today, so that others will understand and want to live in God’s light?

18 MARCH JOHN 12:20-33

Holy Week draws closer.

Jesus approaches death.

Business goes on as usual, but Jesus goes deep into rumination, anxiety, disappointment and defiance. He meditates on

the fruitlessness of grain not buried; of loving this world or the world of eternity. Greeks come, curious outsiders.

Does Jesus even meet them? Are his words directed to them – ‘Whoever serves me, the Father will honour’ and ‘I will draw all people to myself’ – and by extension, to us, distant in geography and history but embraced nonetheless by the glorified Name revealed in the power of Jesus’ self-giving love?

John’s gospel is rich and complex and does not always easily yield its riches.

Can I ask you please to pray for those who will be preaching this gospel, this week? These words need hard study and deep, honest, reflective meditation to come to life. Preacher and listener need to explore these fundamental questions: How is God glorified in the crucifixion of Jesus? How is the ruler of this world defeated? And how will all people be drawn towards the one ‘lifted up’ on the cross?

When you face dark or anxious times, which part of the gospel focuses your faith?

25 MARCH

PALM SUNDAY PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11

Let’s pause with the epistle reading rather than the gospel today. You probably know that this was an early Christian hymn. You may know a good tune! We should have sung this every Sunday in Lent, committing ourselves to the mind of Jesus Christ, his humility and glory.

My Biblical studies degree taught me this Greek poem is V-shaped. Jesus starts high ‘in the form of God’, then descends through human slavery to death on the cross, the bottom of the V. From that low point, he rises from death, is exalted and worshiped as Lord by every creature in the universe. Yay! But our Lenten Gospels have encouraged us to see both the shadow of death in the good news of Jesus, and the glory of God in those shadows.

When Jesus is in the form of a slave, in human form, he is most ‘obedient’, at one with God’s mind and heart, who loves us unconditionally and never leaves us God-forsaken.

That’s why (‘therefore’) God lifts Jesus into glory and honour, and us with him, if our knees and tongues will join this cosmic choir.

Through Holy Week, Good Friday and into Easter, remember that Jesus is in the world, not above it: preaching and doing good news, suffering among us and for us, speaking, praying and touching us with God’s grace.

It is at the bottom of the V that God in Christ is closest to us all. i Graham Perry Presbytery Minister Sydney Central Coast Presbytery

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B E L I E F M AT T E R S

2 CORITINTHIANS 8 GIVES US AN EXAMPLE OF HOW WE CAN FIND JOY IN GIVING, WRITES BEN MCEACHEN

IS IT POSSIBLE TO

give

joyfully?

a

year before the apostle Paul wrote the second letter to them, the Corinthian Congregation announced it would raise money to support Christians in Macedonia.

On the verge of collecting this money, Paul writes to the Corinthians about an impressive example of generosity. As we read about this example in 2 Corinthians 8, we might imagine the original readers feeling as if their giving is under the microscope.

The example that Paul shares is the Macedonian Christians the very group the Corinthians pledged to financially help.

STILL POOR BUT BEGGED TO GIVE

The Macedonians hadn’t struck it rich. They still needed financial support. Yet, “their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed into the wealth of their generosity.”

(2 Cor 8:2) The combination

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of being very poor yet super joyful equalled what Paul describes as “wealth of their generosity.”

The Macedonians were wealthy because they gave joyfully, not because they were wealthy and decided to give.

Paul adds the poor Macedonians pleaded with him to give generously in support of work by Christians (2 Cor 8:4).

FIRST, GIVE TO JESUS

The Macedonians’ joyful giving out of poverty wasn’t motivated by guilt. It was due to Jesus. The Lord Jesus Christ became poor so those who believe in him would be spiritually enriched (2 Cor 8:9).

Paul is alluding to what Jesus did on the cross and how much he gave up, so the rest of us could gain.

The Macedonians are wealthy because they gave joyfully not because they were wealthy and decided to give

Part of the Macedonians’ response to such godly giving was to first give themselves to Jesus, and then to God’s people.

Their generosity flowed from their generous saviour.

GIVE FROM WHAT YOU HAVE

Paul was sharing an encouraging example of eager givers who had given themselves to Jesus and found true wealth in generosity.

Paul (2 Cor 8:11) enthuses that what the Corinthians eventually give to their brothers and sisters will be acceptable “according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.”

Haven’t we agonised about how we would surely give more, if we only had more money? Worrying about what we don’t have to give away isn’t just a waste of time and effort.

Paul explains in 2 Cor 8:13-15 that whether we have more now, or we have less, what matters most is what we do together. Equality among Christians comes when we unite to share all God gives, because God gives so that we can meet each others needs.

Those who have “surplus” give to those in more need, and vice versa when the tables are turned (2 Cor 8:14).

N E W S F RO M U N I T I N G C H U R C H A D U LT F E L LOW S H I P ( U CA F )

Fellowship news

The UCAF NSW/ACT Synod Committee wish you a rewarding and fulfilling year ahead. Our enthusiasm, witness and service continues unabated.

The year opened with the Annual UCAF Synod Committee Dedication.

Moderator Rev. Simon Hansford assisted at the Dedication and Rev. Danielle Hemsworth-Smith was guest speaker. Rev. Noreen Towers began her term as the Committee’s Chairperson and already has some great initiatives underway.

Allan Secomb concluded his four-year term and thanked all for the honour of serving in this role. He mentioned particularly the wonderful “Encouragement Tours” around the state and the opportunities to visit so many congregations. He was also grateful for the support given to the projects, “Give Hope”, “Shine a Light” and “Outback Links-Clean Water”. The Committee will continue the Outback Links Water Project until late May 2018.

AGM ELECTION RESULTS

The UCAF NSW/ ACT Synod Committee AGM was held in December and the following Executive were elected, Rev. Noreen Towers Chairperson, Laraine Jones Secretary, Geoff Hicks Treasurer, Allan Secomb Corresponding Member and Sales Items, Judy & Geoff Hicks “Connexion” and Judy Hicks “Insights”. Proxy Positions are unchanged.

UNITING CHURCH REPRESENTED AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Thirty nine Australian representatives have registered for the South Pacific

Area Seminar to be held in Fiji of the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women in July 2018. The Stamp Committee reported that sales as of late November were $19,518. This is down on previous years. Stamp Committee Grants for 2017 have been allocated.

United Theological College offers you an

engaging learning experience

CONNEXION

Connexion continues to be well received in its new format and is now sent to most by email.

The UME website continues to publish the latest edition.

Stories and event information are always welcome. Next edition will be in March 2018.

Please forward to Judy Hicks (email below).

The UCAF Synod Committee have a new gmail address, ucafnsw@gmail.com.

RETIRED MINISTRY PERSONS’ LUNCH

NSW/ACT UCAF Synod Committee members will again assist with catering for the Moderator’s Retired Ministry Persons’ lunch. It will be held Thursday 22nd March at Turramurra Uniting Church.

RALLIES

Rally and Gathering Dates are already planned: Canberra Region Saturday 7th April at Braidwood.

The Hunter Tuesday 10th April at Tarro UC. Sydney Central Coast Picnic Friday 27th April at Woy Woy. Macquarie Darling TBA Nyngan Illawarra Thursday 24th May at Bowral.

Parramatta-Nepean Saturday 28th July at Northmead.

Interested in a Master of Ministry?

This course is specifically designed for ministers, pastoral workers, chaplains and church leaders. Assessment and project tasks may be shaped by the student around their own ministry context. utc.edu.au/master-of-ministry

Would you like to study a Bachelor of Theology?

UTC offers a Bachelor of Theology through CSU that enriches students spiritually and vocationally, equipping them for leadership and ministry in the life and work of the Christian church. utc.edu.au/bachelor-of-theology

New Scholarships New UTC Scholarships for intake 2018 have been recently announced for the Master of Ministry, Master of Theology, Bachelor of Theology and more…

APPLY NOW: Call (02) 8838 8914

If you would like to share your fellowship news or have any questions, please contact: Judy Hicks on judyh_rnh@hotmail.com

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C U LT U R E WAT C H

A stronger connection

THROUGH PLAYING REAL-LIFE BOMB SURVIVOR JEFF BAUMAN IN THE UPCOMING STORY OF HIS ORDEAL AND RECOVERY, JAKE GYLLENHAAL HAS FOUND A GREATER APPRECIATION OF LIFE AND LOVE, AND A STRONG DESIRE TO PASS OVER THE SUPERFICIAL FOR WHAT REALLY MATTERS.

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j

ake Gyllenhaal’s assertion that he has “never wanted to do things that were easy or too comfortable” is quite the understatement. After all, from his breakthrough in the mindbending, frightening drama Donnie Darko via the bleak thriller Prisoners, pumping up as a boxer for Southpaw and tackling survival desperation in Everest, Gyllenhaal is undoubtedly one of the most intense – and intensely committed – actors of his time.

While many of his contemporaries have specialised in the goofier and more gross-out fare, Gyllenhaal’s is a name synonymous with demanding roles. His part in Stronger, the truelife inspirational story of 2013 Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman, is certainly no deviation from that trend.

“I’ve always been anxious to challenge myself as much as possible,” says the 36-year-old actor. “For me, life is all about discovery and risk and exploring new aspects of yourself as well as the world in general.”

But Stronger is more than just another film to add to Gyllenhaal’s impressive CV. With his involvement in the development and production side of the project, he sees his commitment to playing Bauman – who lost both his legs in the bombing while waiting for his girlfriend to cross the finish line – as a duty, to the man who endured a complicated process of recovery and personal discovery and to those who were wounded and lost their lives in the attack.

“Trying to get Jeff’s story right was a very emotional journey that I knew, always, I’d never fully get that close to,” Gyllenhaal says. “It was this weird sense of, ‘You’re going to fail no matter what, because you’re never going to get to what it really felt like,’ but you’ve got to do it, to tell this story, his story.

“I was really intimidated to meet Jeff.

There is no way that any of us could really match the reality of what he and Erin [Bauman’s now-estranged wife] and the family went through.”

Bauman has stated that he is “immensely proud” of Gyllenhaal’s performance. Indeed, the two have become firm friends through their close working relationship. “He’s one of the strongest people I know,” Gyllenhaal says. “A lot of people have asked me over my career, ‘When are you going to play in a superhero movie?’ I feel like

“When I play a character, the most I finally have. To me, that’s how I feel about him. He’s a total inspiration to me.” interesting and exciting thing for me is being able to express myself very That sense of duty to honour his friend’s differently and more intensely than I experience does, however, create a could ever dream of in my own life. It’s sense of doubt for the actor. “It’s the also interesting to see yourself actually sense that you can never capture feeling and behaving the way your the horrific experience that Jeff went character behaves without even being through. You will always come away aware of it.” feeling that it’s fraudulent to even try to express that,” he says. “I wanted to do SEEING FROM THE this for Jeff, even though every step of CHARACTER’S PERSPECTIVE the way I thought, ‘What’s he going to Part of Gyllenhaal’s intensity in his craft feel like, what’s he going to think, when comes from his spiritual intelligence. He he sees this movie for the first time?’ It speaks of enjoying mindful meditation; was in my head the whole time.” to think deeply, and to try to make sense

A SYMBOL OF HUMAN PERSERVERENCE

of things outside his comfort zone. And when it comes to acting – the art of inhabiting someone else – it is the process of learning about them that he finds so fulfilling.

While Bauman was hailed a hero – he identified one of the two Kyrgyzstani brothers responsible, and who had also been planning to bomb Times Square in “I learn so much from looking at the New York – he didn’t see himself world differently when I work on as one. Gyllenhaal ponders a film and I’m seeing things this for a moment, then from the perspective of suggests: “I think Jeff my characters,” he I LOVE has ultimately grown says. “I take my work E XPLORING HUMAN into the idea of being seriously in ways that P S Y C H O L O GY, H O W a symbol for people people outside the WE INTERACT as well as being an business would never WITH E ACH OTHER inspiration to others. appreciate or find A N D G O I N G B E N E AT H He helped identify particularly interesting.

T H E S U R FA C E O F the bomber, which is The thing that really H U M A N B E H AV I O U R one important thing, drives me as an actor but his overcoming is my curiosity. I’m far everything else afterwards less adventurous in my own is what has really made him life and my work gives me the someone whom we can all admire and ability to exceed my normal boundaries draw inspiration from. and explore things about myself that I “I thought it was important that the movie wouldn’t do otherwise.” explore the specifics of the man, who he really was before the event, and then show the pain he went through as honestly and unsentimentally as we could, eventually giving way to the joy and love between Jeff, Erin, and his family. The idea was to describe his experience as honestly as possible.”

For an actor who is known for his commitment to physical – and psychological – transformations for his roles, playing Bauman fits right into this frame. “I love observing people and all the complexities and oddities of human behaviour that inform what I do,” Gyllenhaal says. “I enjoy the kind of creative expression that comes with mimicry and I love exploring human psychology, how we interact with each other, and going beneath the surface of human behaviour.

His friendship with Bauman, unsurprisingly, has affected Gyllenhaal very deeply. “Every day I feel much more grateful for everything I have in life,” he smiles. “On a very basic level, you feel foolish if you complain about little things that are so unimportant and trivial...

There’s not a moment now where I don’t see how absurd it is to dwell on minor things if I compare any of that to the level of pain, especially physical pain, that Jeff suffered. You see things very differently.

“It’s made me see life as being much more precious than I was ever consciously aware of before. Knowing that life is fragile makes you want to appreciate meaningful things in life and stop wasting time on things that are trivial and superficial.” i Christopher Ritchie

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REVIEWS

Entertain me PRESS PL AY

BLACK MIRROR SEASON 4 (MA)

There are no surprises in this film in terms of its story trajectory and the choices made by director Greta Gerwig. It is at its heart an entirely predictable comingof-age film. But there are many amazing things that make the sum of the film’s parts a joy to behold. And it’s the thousands of excellent acting choices made by the mother and daughter team of Laurie Metcalf and Saoirse Ronan that make this film literally sing.

Some of us grew up with The Twilight Zone, but these days the kids are watching Black Mirror. An anthology series that now has four seasons under its belt (19 episodes in all), the basic premise of Charlie Booker’s Black Mirror takes our slight animosity toward technological advances and amps those uncomfortable feelings into overdrive.

Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Ronan) is a high school senior living in Sacramento, California, circa early noughties. Pretentious, selfish and more than a little lazy, Lady Bird wants nothing more than to leave her embarrassing parents (Metcalfe and Tracy Letts) behind and be accepted into a cooler crowd, whether it be with the hip clique at school or upscale colleges she dreams of attending. Her actual problems are much more prosaic; her dad is freshly laid off, her mum is caring but hyper-critical and prickly, her love life is awkward, her grades are probably not good enough to get her where she wants to go. What is a girl to do?

Perhaps the biggest pleasure of the film is that Ronan and Metcalf crackle and make two very abrasive and irascible characters both totally and scrappily believable – they are the kind of performances that are rewarded with Oscars. There’s a real complexity to the interplay between the two characters, mixing affection, frustration, resentment and playfulness as they bounce off of one another. And this is what makes this film an absolute pleasure to watch. Young adult angst, familial dysfunction and tough love have never been so entertainingly committed to film.

Adrian Drayton

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The beauty of the series has always been in its view of morality, the human condition and our interaction with technology. If social media sends shivers down your spine, Black Mirror will amplify that feeling of helplessness.

Season four tackles its usual clutch of frightening extensions to our normal lives by taking a stab at the terrifying implications of virtual simulations, helicopter parenting via surveillance, insurance software able to recall actual memory fragments, and dating software that literally chooses your partner for you– and that’s just the first four episodes.

Black Mirror has always been about morality plays and the ethics of modern technology. They are essentially modern day parables. They are short stories designed to challenge and enlighten. The Twilight Zone got to tell 156 of them. Jesus told 70 of them. Here’s hoping there are more to come.

All episodes of Black Mirror are available to stream on Netflix now.

Adrian Drayton

P O S I T I O N S VAC A N T M I N I ST E R O F T H E WO R D - F U L L-T I M E

P O S I T I O N S VAC A N T PAT RO L M I N I ST E R

Saint Andrew’s Uniting Church, an inner city Church in Brisbane, QLD, is inviting applications for the placement of Minister of the Word.

The Presbytery of The Downs is seeking an ordained Ministry Agent to fill the position of Patrol Minister in the Cunnamulla/Burke & Wills Patrol based in South West Queensland.

Saint Andrew’s has a rich history of witness and practical ministry over 112 years. Our mission is to help people of all ages develop their relationship with God so that their special gifts can be exercised as a witness to God’s love in Christ.

As a congregation, we value: • Challenging, reflective preaching and engaging, thoughtful liturgy; • A traditional style of worship which recognises the power of good language and good music; • Outreach to people on our doorstep through provision of a weekly meal to the homeless and disadvantaged: • Commitment to wider social justice causes for local, national and international projects; • Outreach to the arts community including musicians and artists within Saint Andrew’s and beyond; • Building community by strengthening the covenant of caring within the church family, and weaving a wide network of connections through activities rooted in the heritage of stories and actions, outreach and service that have defined us within the city of Brisbane.

We are seeking a Minister of the Word who is willing to lead by example, to share responsibility and ministry with the lay leaders in the congregation and be open to develop the common vision for the ongoing mission of our church.

This is a fulltime placement within the Presbytery funded by Frontier Services.

The placement requires the Patrol Minister to be a self-starter, capable of planning, initiating and developing their work without close supervision and someone who can cope with isolation and personal loneliness due to the remoteness of the patrol.

Applications close on Friday 2nd March 2018 ENQUIRIES Initial enquiries to: Rev. David Fender Associate General Secretary Qld Synod GPO Box 674 Brisbane Q.4001 Email: david.fender@ucaqld.com.au

Presbytery of The Downs Uniting Church in Australia Phone: (07) 4638 9989 E-mail: tdpresb@gmail.com P.O. Box 432 Toowoomba Qld 4350

The gifts, skills and passions we are looking for include: • A commitment to thoughtful, challenging and reflective exegesis in preaching, the ability to engage with creative expression and meaningful liturgy and to recognise the communicative power of good language and good music; • Sensitivity and discernment in pastoral care of our congregation of wide ranging ages, backgrounds and interests; • Collaborative leadership skills including an ability to facilitate and encourage the lay leaders within the congregation, and outreach to the wider ecumenical and secular city networks; • Openness to the challenges of a city church and the continuing search for relevant Christian expression in today’s society; • Commitment to community engagement and social justice to support the mission of the congregation.

• This is a full-time placement, with stipend and allowances according to the Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod.

A full position description and congregation profile is available on request from Rev John Ruhle, Chair of the JNC, presmin@moretonriverspresbytery.org.au.

APPLICATIONS TO BE ADDRESSED TO: Saint Andrew’s JNC, c/- Secretary of Synod Placements Committee Uniting Church in Australia (Qld Synod) GPO Box 674 BRISBANE QLD 4001 Email: placements@ucaqld.com.au APPLICATIONS CLOSE 28 FEBRUARY 2018

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