New Times - August 2010

Issue 29, No 7 August 2010

August 2010

Grounded church for major change Faithfully fresh church expression Engaging the Basis Basis of Union Conference 2010, p. 21-22

Aged Care still concerning UnitingCare’s Grand Plan, p. 5

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This surging desire to achieve has at times charted me on a schedule so rigorously independent it has caused friends to wave the word ‘breakdown’ at me to alert me to my perilous pace. My factual response is always: I can’t afford to breakdown, so I won’t - which has successfully earned me the title, ‘Robot Caryn’.

The reality is, I’m selfsufficient and driven; often putting achievement and logic ahead of vulnerability and emotional openness.

The more I consider the Old Testament, the people of God and what it means to be Church though, the more I reconsider my robotically constructed life.

I, alone, cannot strategise the refreshment of the Church en bloc (as much as my brain wishes I could) so instead I have to wade into the complexity of doing life with you for the sake of heralding a call: to return to the ways, means and love of God so completely as to live out the ‘not yet’ Kingdom of God within our present context - together.

I can’t lock down a plan for this future of our faith, but I can give my life for it, every day.

Attempting to compute

Caryn Robot Rogers

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While we can plan for the future, dream of it, stay up late worrying about it and spend our lives pushing towards it, we can still never ensure exactly what form it will take.

In the Back to the Future movies, we see a fascinating future techno-world. In George Orwell’s classic novel, 1984, we read of how our futures will be caged under Big Brother’s inhibitive eye. And according to doomsdayists, our world will soon be ending, apocalyptically.

The future is a wonderful dream or a terrifying nightmare, depending on its predictor.

As I look at my own future, the strategic core of my personality plans, plots and punctuates the years ahead until I feel satisfied that I will achieve all that I want to, and live up to the gifts I have been given.

Next issue:

Championing Justice ISSN 0726-2612 New Times is the voice of Uniting Church SA. Published monthly, February through December, New Times represents

Editor Caryn Rogers p. 8236 4230 e. crogers@sa.uca.org.au

the breadth, diversity and vision of Uniting Church members in SA. News policies, guides and deadlines appear online at sa.uca.org.au/new-times-home. Articles and advertising do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor.

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sa.uca.org.au/new-times-home

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Rev Rod Dyson

mod

The first story in Luke 18 ends with a haunting question: “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

We would like to think so! Yet some years ago, after I preached on faith a person in the congregation remarked, “There is nowhere in my life where I have to exercise faith.” The person (a committed church member) was (thankfully) responding to what I said but their response was none the less profoundly disturbing.

On our better days, we might be bold enough to answer Jesus’ question with an emphatic, ‘Of course you’ll find faith!’ The gospels record the stories of many faithful people.

A Canaanite woman dares to approach Jesus because her daughter is being tormented. Jesus initially ignores her but perhaps

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out of embarrassment his disciples beg him to do something. Jesus relents, healing the daughter and saying, “Woman, you have great faith.”

As Jesus nears Jerusalem another woman anoints him.

She is criticised for being wasteful but Jesus says, “In truth I tell you, wherever in all the world this gospel is proclaimed, what she has done will be told as well, in remembrance of her.”

Both women are breaking, or at least going beyond, existing convention. Right there we have examples of fresh expressions of faith.

Of course, in the early church fresh expressions of faith were the norm.

Fresh expressions of faith can be quite offensive.

Certain beliefs blind us to the amazing work of God’s Spirit when it comes in ways we least expect or when it

does not fit our limited and ‘acceptable’ arena of God’s work.

I certainly don’t want to be found to be one who will not see the new thing that God is doing. It seems to me that what we believe may both inhibit and grow our faith.

Faith is about a loving, stretching, transforming relationship with Jesus Christ who calls us to live in ways that, without the help of the Holy Spirit, we simply couldn’t.

The Kingdom of God is not defined by our actions but by the vastness of God. And there will always be those who constantly and courageously position themselves so that they can only exist by faith in God. That’s where I want to live – I pray that we all will.

So is there a future for faith? Of course!

It’s a Grand Plan The Uniting Church is continuing its commitment to calling on the Government for an adequately funded aged care system that enables people to access quality care when and where they need it.

Hundreds of South Australians got behind our Go for Justice campaign last year. Now the Uniting Church, through UnitingCare, has joined a larger group calling for change.

The Campaign for Care of

Older Australians (CCOA) is a newly formed network of eleven national organisations providing community and residential aged care and housing.

Members include UnitingCare, Salvation Army, Anglicare, Catholic Health and the Lutheran Church.

Together, they are calling for older people to have a greater choice in services and improved access to quality care wherever they live.

They believe that the aged care sector is unsustainable with only 40% of providers operating in the black.

The group is calling on the Government to provide adequate resources to bridge the gap between current funding and the cost of providing quality services and accommodation.

The Grand Plan is about grand people – grandpas and grandmas, older people who are important in our lives

for a whole lot of reasons.

They are asking us to put a human face to their campaign by paying tribute to our grand people on their website.

The site also enables you to send a message to your local MP. You can show your support for The Grand Plan by going to the website www.thegrandplan.com.au

Point-scoring and policy Amy Goodhew, Communication Coordinator, Uniting Church National Assembly

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off asylum seekers who arrive by boat against people who make their protection claims offshore.

“We are talking about people who are coming to Australia for a ‘fair go’. They are not ‘queue jumpers’, ‘illegals’ or ‘boat people’ – they are human beings.”

Alistair also expressed the Church’s concern about the possibility of offshore processing in Timor Leste and said he looked forward to a more detailed explanation of their intentions from the Government.

“A Timor Sea version of the Pacific Solution would be contrary to any claims the Government makes about its commitment to treat people

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humanely. We do encourage continued conversations with the UNHCR to ensure Australia sets a high standard in meeting its obligations under the Refugee Convention.”

“We are encouraged by the lifting of the suspension of processing for Sri Lankan asylum seekers, and we urge the Government to reconsider the continuing suspension of claim processing for Afghan asylum seekers, who are now in an unacceptable situation of indefinite, mandatory detention.”

The Uniting Church has roundly condemned the Opposition’s policy proposals, especially the deeply disturbing plan to turn back

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asylum seeker boats.

“The Opposition utterly fails to recognise the dire situations of persecution and conflict that cause people to flee. These backwards policies are callous and punitive and will inflict further harm on already traumatised people.

“Increasing the offshore resettlement program is a good move in and of itself but is no substitute for meeting our obligations under the Refugee Convention to assess the claims of those who arrive on our shores.”

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The Uniting Church in Australia believes that there is little reason to be anxious about boat arrivals and more reason to be anxious about the continuing use of traumatised people to score political points in an election year.

Rev Alistair Macrae, President of the Uniting Church in Australia, said, “We are very pleased to hear the Prime Minister speak the truth – that the percentage of the world’s refugees that come to Australia can only be described as tiny. We call on Ms Gillard to do even more to dispel the myths and scaremongering.

“The Government and the Opposition must stop playing

Planning for a C-Change How do you change the culture of a church? Of The Church?

focus as a fundamental construct of the mission of the Uniting Church.

The inaugural C-Change Pastors’ Conference, 23–25 August, will gather lay and ordained leaders in the Uniting Church to engage these questions – and much more – in practical, workable directions.

“It’s tempting to gravitate towards comfort and easy to build a Christian world that ceases to have relevance, or even a connection with realities.”

news

The conference will incorporate the four streams of Uniting College for Leadership & Theology – Biblical studies, education and discipleship, leadership and missiology – in an attempt to ‘inspire the shaping, imagining and transforming of congregational culture’.

Pastor Craig Bailey, Director of Leadership at Uniting College for Leadership &Theology, will be overseeing the leadership stream and stresses that, “it’s not a matter of traditional versus contemporary. It’s a stirring towards outward

It is the first time that the Uniting Church SA has gathered in this way, with all in ministry including community ministers, lay pastors, ministry team employed members, lay ministry teams – not just ordained – invited to find collegiality and be better equipped for ministry.

Recognising the many effective ways people are exercising ministry in the church, there will be a Pastor’s training event hosted twice a year to support leaders and ministry workers as they navigate ministry’s ever changing form.

to comply with the Uniting Church in Australia’s Assembly Pastor Competency standards, which Pastors need to achieve in order to be accredited.

“In the bigger picture, we know and have recognised that our churches need to change, in order to more effectively engage with their communities,” said Craig.

This training is all about the ‘how-to’ of change.

“The challenge will be the

translating what we imagine and what we shape at the conference into the reality of congregational life. That’s priority one.

“It’s simply too easy to become a closed community that continually reinforces itself – it’s time for us to rediscover the Biblical mandate to go out into the world.”

C-Change Pastors’ Conference is being held at Nunyara Conference Centre.

For more information Contact Nichola Shaw: p. 8416 8427 e. nichola.shaw@flinders.edu.au www.unitingcollege.org.au

These training days will also help attendees to complete some of their competencies

Agenda to grow Sarah Urmston, Communications Project Officer The first Key Direction (KD1) of the Uniting Church SA Strategic Plan – Conversion Growth – has recently engaged a new convenor and team in a bid to overcome a challenging start to its planning. The necessity of KD1’s focus is clear; census after census show concerning trends of less people identifying themselves as Christian, declining churches and an ageing church profile.

It’s a trend which concerns Rev Roger Brook, the new KD1 team convenor.

“Conversion growth is something that I am

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passionate about,” he comments.

“Someone once said ‘This generation of believers are responsible for this generation of souls’ - I firmly believe that.”

This belief spurs Roger on in his new role, along with the opportunity to re-energise the church’s conversion growth culture. He, and the team which includes Rev Ruthmary Bond, Cullen Bailey and Caryn Rogers, are keen to ensure that more people will have the opportunity to be introduced to a relationship with God, through Jesus Christ.

For the purpose of this key direction, Roger defines ‘conversion’ as Romans 10:9 does: someone who makes a public declaration of a life transforming relationship with Jesus.

especially when we consider the fact that, “people are dying without Jesus and we, as a church, have a responsibility to do our best to make sure that this doesn’t happen.

“My initial hope is that a majority of individuals and congregations within the Uniting Church across our state will come to believe this and then begin to share their faith in such a way that many others will also come into a life transforming relationship with Jesus.”

“I’m not sure if there is anything more important than this.”

Roger believes there is urgency to the task at hand,

More information about Conversion Growth and the Strategic Plan can be found at strategicplan.sa.uca.org.au.

Epworth – the ‘building’ lives on Barry Atwell, General Manager, Resources In the June edition of New Times, I wrote about exploring the best missional use for our properties. In 2004, the Epworth Building Board was facing increasing pressure as it tried to compete in the office accommodation sector with a building showing signs of age.

In spite of the building’s proud history and very fine service to the Uniting Church over many years, the Board faced the constant challenge of spending or setting aside funds to continually keep the

building up to the standards expected by prospective tenants. The Board agreed to sell the building and create an investment trust in its place.

A new Board was created that had 50/50 representation from the previous Epworth Building Board and the Resources Board. Their task was to manage the proceeds from the sale of the building under special conditions which ensured that the work of the previous Board and Epworth

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Congratulations for your achievement, and thank you for your service to the Church.

an amazing difference!!

The previous Board also required the original sales proceeds to be retained and indexed for inflation. As a result, the capital value of the trust has now increased to $9 million.

Epworth SA Inc is well set up to continue to support the wider work of the Church by producing ongoing investment income for the Mission and Service Fund and Uniting Foundation. In this way, it is proudly continuing the legacy of the Epworth Building.

Thanks church!

The Mission and Service Fund contributions for 2009 were $1.23 million - an increase from 2008 of 3.5%. This is an amazing outcome given the uncertain financial environment in 2009, testifying to the commitment of congregations to the work of the wider Church.

Thanks to all Uniting Churches across South Australia for your ongoing support.

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Ten ministers celebrated 50 years of ordination at a lunch with the Moderator, Rev Rod Dyson, in late June this year.

Former moderator Rev Charles Biggs (1985-1987) was amongst the group which included Rev John Akehurst, Rev Kevin Woolford, Rev Brian Smith, Rev Allan Shephard, Rev Laurie Mickan, Rev Malcolm McArthur, Rev Mac Macdonald and Rev Maurice Lind.

building staff lived on. This has certainly happened!

Including the amount planned for distribution during 2010, the newly named organisation, Epworth SA Inc has contributed $2.7 million to the Mission and Service Fund and $1.15 million to the Uniting Foundation since 2005. The sale has taken Epworth’s annual distribution to the Mission and Service Fund from $200,000 in 2004 to $410,000 in 2010 – what

news

Three decades of church resourcing This year celebrates the 30th anniversary of MediaCom. MediaCom began as a fledgling ministry in August 1980 with a dream to resource local congregations in their mission. The vision of founders, Christine and Tony Nancarrow, was to provide local congregations with a resource of copyright-free materials for use in their congregational newsletters and magazines.

The Nancarrows used their life savings of $1,500 to create this not-for-profit ministry to underwrite the first issue of ‘Editor’s Clip Sheets’. A complimentary copy was sent to 2000 congregations with an invitation to subscribe. That initial mailing resulted in a 37% response rate – an unheard of response level.

Tony was the founding editor of Central Times (now New Times), and initially attempted to strike a balance between this role and his growing workload

with MediaCom. From small beginnings though, MediaCom grew to be a leader in providing resources to the Australian church, a ministry which has now diversified to all areas of Christian publishing.

Over time, and due to chronic illness, Tony let go of his communications role with Central Times to focus solely on MediaCom. For three decades, MediaCom has endeavoured to be on the cutting edge of resourcing the Australian Church, holding to its primary hope: to help congregations and clergy to communicate the gospel more effectively.

After 30 faithful years of publishing, from hot linotype to the modern printing press, Tony will be handing over the MediaCom reins to Ian Price in January 2011.

“I’m excited about this opportunity and see it as a continuation of the role I’ve had with the Mission Resourcing Network (MRN),” said Ian, current MRN Executive Officer for Uniting Church SA. “Mediacom is one of the last Christian publishers

standing – one of the last Christian distributors left.

I see this as a vital ministry that the Uniting Church is involved in, and I’m excited to take up this lead.

“I think mainline churches are in the most difficult time they’ve faced for around a century. To place good resources in the hands of ministers and leaders

MediaComs’s key areas of publishing and distribution are: • An extensive range of Christian books and magazines, carrying at any one time in excess of 2000 titles on a broad range of subject areas from devotional materials to spiritual formation and the practice of ministry.

• Its magazines serve individuals in areas of leadership, preaching and worship.

• Seasons of the Spirit, an ecumenical and lectionary based all age curriculum which serves many Uniting Church congregations

Vote like you mean it The Federal Election will soon be upon us on 21 August. Are you ready to cast your vote? How much do you know about the parties and politicians, and what they stand for?

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is something I’m really passionate about.”

In light of its service to Uniting Church SA and Assembly, MediaCom became an agency of Uniting Church SA a few years ago.

Happy 30th anniversary MediaCom, we’re pleased to be partnering with you.

For more information, head online to mediacom.org.au

We’re lucky enough to live in a country where democracy is the norm and every citizen is afforded the opportunity to vote for their representative. You can make the most of this privilege by getting a copy of the election resource produced by the National Assembly: Building an Economy for Life.

Building an Economy for Life invites you to consider the values which underpin the policies of the political parties and candidates who are asking us to give them the responsibility of national leadership.

This and other helpful resources are available on the Assembly website: assembly.uca.org.au/ election2010.

If you’re not webconnected, simply phone (02) 8267 4300 for your free copy.

future of faith The Church is facing an increasing challenge of communicating with unchurched people. In the complex melting pot of ideas we dialogue with as part of broader society, Uniting Church SA is strategically investigating what it means to be a fresh expression of church, and what kind of faith future we’re hoping to be part of.

Checking the expiration date Rev Tim Hein, CitySoul Woolworths call themselves The Fresh Food People a title which rang true on a recent episode of MasterChef which featured filo pastry from Coles, well past its use-by date. You can imagine the joy at Woolworths, and their nervous orders to quickly check their own shelves lest they be caught out.

Having proudly declared themselves as ‘fresh’, it would be a disaster to be caught out-of-date.

Proclaiming oneself as fresh or innovative is always a dangerous endeavour for a church; CitySoul is often called a Fresh Expression church, which sometimes makes me nervous. I shudder to think that we may be caught out-of-date or, like the population of Athens in Acts

17, always obsessed with the latest ideas.

I was reminded recently that the authors of the Basis of Union tried desperately NOT to be innovative, but rather to be faithful. Perhaps that is why it remains such a powerful and pithy document today. We all have that calling to be faithful to the gospel, not to innovate it or make it relative. Its unique truth makes it eternally ‘fresh’.

And indeed, there is something gloriously old about obeying a commission given to us 2000 years ago.

This end must always remain the same. But what about the means? The methods?

The church?

Our congregations are the primary front-line

agents of mission, and they must never hold to a style or format which masks a clear demonstration and articulation of the gospel from our world.

Our society is incredibly diverse and therefore our congregations, as a whole, should be diverse in embodying the gospel also.

Across Australia there are generally several churches in every suburb and every town. Most of them, frankly, are incredibly similar. As ‘insiders’, we become connoisseurs of different styles, and traditions, but to the majority of our society, diverse ‘outsiders’, it’s all the same.

No wonder it’s time for some fresh expression – our mission demands it!

At CitySoul we never try to be fresh for freshness’ sake, only because our missional call to be faithful to the unchanging gospel, in a changing society, demands we consistently approach things from a fresh perspective.

Loving our traditions or methods – no matter how ancient or fresh – becomes idolatry the moment they do not further the cause of the gospel.

Every single congregation must ask the two most powerful questions of all: By whom have we been sent? & To whom have we been sent?

It is in grappling with these key questions, that truly faithful and fruitful fresh expressions will be birthed.

And I’d rather be fruitful than fresh just ‘for the sake of it’.

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Import or local produce?

Dr Steve Taylor, Director of Missiology, Uniting College South Australia is famous for our local produce - Kangaroo Island honey, Riverland dried fruit, McLaren Vale reds. So it is worth reflecting on Dave Male’s recent Synod input in light of what is happening locally in South Australia.

Prayer and Support

Listening and Following God’s call

future of faith

Connection Dave suggested that fresh expressions go through a number of stages in their formative journeys. This starts with “listening to God’s call”, moves to “loving service”, then is followed by “forming community” and “disciple-making”. The result is “church” emerging in a fresh space, opened up in response to the creative work of God’s Spirit.

So in light of Dave Male’s input the Fresh Expressions team cast an eye over what is being locally grown here in South Australia.

Candlelit Reflections at Modbury have sensed God’s call and their “loving service” has involved creating a quiet, meditative space. The next step in their “fresh expression” journey includes how to appropriately gather individual spiritual searchers into community.

Fresh expressions are never only urban. In the Barossa, Greenock Uniting Church have seen people begin to gather around a building used for “loving service” not on a Sunday, but in a mid-week café with local art and craft. The next step in their journey also involves the challenge of “forming community.”

Hungry No More, at Mt Barker, has seen their “loving service” naturally lead into “forming community.” Their challenge now includes “disciple-making,” with the realisation that the people they are ministering with have unique needs. Hence discipleship and church will definitely need to take shape as a “fresh expression.”

A fresh expression journey is never linear, as is evident in the Esther Project. An initial dream to form church around theatre production then took shape in 2009 around storytelling. Community began to form, but recent changes are causing a re-think.

CitySoul or Eco-church would be an example of Dave Male’s final stage, “church” taking unique shape, whether around student life or environmental concerns. Both are locally grown, and missionally creative, fresh expressions.

The Synod Fresh Expressions team are keen to build on these, and to encourage other locally grown products. The Regenerate pub conversation serves as a bi-monthly resource (for information contact Nicola Shaw at Uniting College). Plans are underway to offer a Fresh Expressions vision day on Saturday, 27 November, 2010 and Fresh Expressions training through the Missionshape ministry course in 2011.

For our times Rev Rob Stoner Fresh ways of being church which engage with those on or beyond the edge of church have been around as long as I can remember. But in the church today there is a growing wave of interest in developing fresh expressions.

What makes an expression of church ‘fresh’ is that it intentionally targets those who

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are not yet part of any church.

The first and most important step in beginning a fresh expression is a process of listening: listening to the needs of the community, listening to each other, but above all listening to God. In many cases a fresh expression arises from lay people although some are

led by ordained Ministers.

People with this passion just have a go without waiting for permission, other than that given by the Spirit of God. In the church we are good at doing meaningful ways of worship but we are not always good at evangelism and discipling those we encounter. Fresh expressions

develop through a process of relational evangelism in which the development of deepening relationships leads the way to faith sharing in appropriate ways.

Resources to help fresh expressions on this journey are being developed by Uniting Church SA.

Mel Quillam (third from left) is a 28 year old Social Justice Campaigner from church@paravista.

Mel’s South Australian Lobby Group had the daunting task of meeting face-to-face with the Hon Penny Wong, Minister for Climate Change and Water, where they delivered key asks for dedicated action on climate change for the sake of poor communities.

Edwyn Shiell, Act for Peace

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott called the participants “awkward and inconvenient”.

Both leaders were right, the Voices for Justice lobbying event is anything but ordinary and orderly.

It is a vital expression of where faith and justice intersect, with people from all backgrounds uniting and participating in a democratic process most find inaccessible.

One of the great successes of the event was how seamlessly faith and justice were interwoven with tangible, credible

and achievable policy asks relating to the Millennium Development Goals and climate change.

Micah Challenge is a global movement of Christian agencies, churches, groups and individuals which aims to deepen people’s engagement with the poor and to help reduce poverty as an integral part of our Christian faith. To get involved in South Australia, contact Mel Quillam: sa@micahchallenge.org.au or 0439 959 725.

For more information: www.micahchallenge.org.au

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future of faith

From 19 – 22 June, Micah Challenge’s fifth annual Voices for Justice gathering saw over 320 passionate Christians, from every State and Territory, converge on Parliament House to remind policy makers of the 1.6 billion people who live in the dehumanising conditions of extreme poverty.

After two days of worship and policy training, lobby groups of multigenerational, church-going Australians, streamed into Parliament House, presenting then Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Opposition Leader Tony Abbot with over 112,000 signatures on a 40 metre scroll supporting the Micah Challenge cause.

Addressing participants, Kevin Rudd said, “This place is full of competing priorities. What’s important? How do we spend our nation’s resources?

“You are constantly out there as this nagging, prophetic voice.”

future of faith

Sarah Agnew, The Esther Project

Stories are indeed everywhere, and always have been.

Australian culture seems to be recognising again the importance of story and turning our attention and significant funding back towards story – particularly in TV programming.

The slogan for SBS this year is ‘six billion stories and counting’ and our television programs have moved from a bonanza of lifestyle programs in the early 2000s back to stories – the dramatisation

of the Melbourne gangland story in the Underbelly series and more Australian drama generally, Sea Patrol, City Homicide, Packed to the Rafters, and skit shows like Thank God You’re Here.

There is also a keen interest in the storytelling of other arts, such as dance, with various shows on stage, film and TV telling stories in dance or of dancers.

The Esther Project is a fresh expression of church whose gathering is shaped by

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storytelling. We continue to refine our pattern of gathering to better live out our vision.

Each month we focus on a particular story from the biblical narrative; on the first Monday our gathering is conversation based, and on the third Monday it is a contemplative gathering. It continues to be a life-giving experience, to engage at this deep level with the stories of our faith, and to share the stories of our lives.

In September this year, the Network of Biblical Storytellers Aus/NZ will be holding its national gathering in Adelaide for the first time, which is an exciting movement in biblical storytelling for South Australia.

It’s a very rich way to encounter the biblical stories indeed. This year’s epic storytelling is the Gospel of Matthew, which gives participants the opportunity to engage with the Gospel for the 2011/12 lectionary.

The gathering will happen on 24–26 September at Nunyara Conference Centre, and is open to anyone who is interested in exploring story or storytelling.

Contact me (Sarah Agnew) on 0408 087 754 or contactus@estherproject. unitingchurch.org.au for more information.

Other ways the Uniting Church SA is telling stories: • Godly Play: telling story to invite wonder and creative response. A group are travelling to the UK for training in this method in coming months.

• KCO 2011 theme is ‘I wonder …’, language strongly associated with the Godly Play method of storytelling.

• Dulwich Centre in Adelaide: narrative therapy. The language invites each person to be the expert of their own story, or of their own encounter with the biblical story, and is encouraging of meaning making that speaks directly into our own lives.

• Pancake Day: resources include storytelling • Worship at Presbytery and Synod, as well as in local congregations is becoming more frequent.

• Effective Living Centre: storyteller Julie Perrin has been invited to be its Artist in Residence in November 2010.

Connecting with the Community Rose Hegarty, ‘Connections’ Coordinator, Greenock Uniting Church

Taste and see that the Lord is good Phyllis Eddleston and Jill Walker, The Haven, Peterborough Uniting Church In 2000, we identified a need within the community of Peterborough for a ‘third space’ where people of all ages could meet, a place where the marginalised, disadvantaged and lonely could be served and loved, as Jesus loves and serves us.

Through prayer and planning ‘The Haven’ opened in 2004 as a coffee shop community in the hall adjacent to the Peterborough Uniting Church.

Days at the haven are opened with a study of God’s Word, reflection, sharing, and prayer amongst those present. Christian music sets the ambience, and literature, DVD’s and videos are available to learn more about the faith. For some this is their only point of Christian fellowship.

Here, birthdays are celebrated and fellowship shared, through life’s journeys and encouraging one another. People come for a cuppa and a chat but there is also art and craft, board games, the inevitable jigsaw puzzle and, most recently, instruction for new learning or rekindling of skills in basic sewing. The latter has resulted in raising self-esteems through achievement.

We look forward to continuing to establish The Haven community, being available to those who are searching for faith, acceptance and belonging. We see this community in a nontraditional ‘church’ setting, where people feel comfortable, as paramount to Gospel sharing.

The challenge we currently face is reaching people in the wider community who do not feel comfortable entering a church building. And we’re already making plans to meet that challenge, faithfully.

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future of faith

Faced with limited ministerial oversight and resources in 2007, the small and ageing congregation at Greenock Uniting Church made the bold decision to cease Sunday worship services and develop a community outreach using the church building on weekdays instead.

Through business sponsorship, community donations, grant funds and volunteer support, Greenock Uniting Church now oversees a ‘Connections’ Ministry incorporating a ‘Care & Share’ prayer group, ‘Big Bikes, Little Bikes’, Children’s Storytime, and a Coffee Shop. It also administers a ‘Community Donations’ program acknowledging the valuable work of local community groups and/or initiatives, as well as Uniting Church in Australia mission projects.

‘Connections’ Coffee Shop is open every Wednesday 10.00am-3.00pm (excepting summer holidays), as well as for community events and special catering functions. It is proudly supported by 20-25 volunteers from Greenock Uniting Church and the wider community.

Since 2009, Year 11 Hospitality Students from Faith Lutheran School have assisted with the Coffee Shop during school terms – including the provision of seasonal ‘lunch specials’. The menu comprises hot and cold beverage options, quality baked goods, and a standard regional produce plate.

Milk, cream, cheese, smallgoods and produce are all sourced from local suppliers.

It is with much excitement that a paid part-time Coffee Shop Coordinator will soon be appointed to ensure the ongoing sustainability of this valuable community outreach venture – quite amazing given where the congregation has come from!

‘Children’s Storytime’ is held on the first Wednesday of each month at 10.30am, with free cupcakes for all children, and ‘Big Bikes, Little Bikes’ offers bike fun for primary school children and their parents/carers at the Greenock Centenary Park on the first Sunday of the month 4.00-5.00pm. A ‘Care & Share’ prayer group also meet on Tuesdays from 9.30am.

The ‘Connections’ Ministry is about sharing the Christian message with people of all ages and backgrounds in real and relevant ways – it is about connecting with people in their everyday lives, building relationships and fostering a sense of belonging. Through God’s grace, and the dedication and tireless efforts of a special group of volunteers, ‘Connections’ is making a difference in people’s lives!

future of faith

Rev Gary Stuckey, Stillpoint Spirituality Centre Imagine a Sunday evening where you walk into the beautiful chapel at Nunyara, with windows opening onto both the bushland and the city lights. There is the sound of gentle music, the soft glow of candles, and the invitation to be still and know God in the depths of your being.

In the quietness a community gathers - to worship, to pray, to listen and to simply ‘be’. Within the next hour there are prayers, silence, symbols, reflection, words and music to refresh your soul before the working week begins.

During the next week you may take the opportunity to nurture your spiritual journey by participating in a Reflection

Group where faith is explored and deepened. Or you may gather on Tuesdays in the Stillpoint Spirituality Centre for prayer, meditation and Holy Communion, perhaps staying on for the monthly Be Still and Know group.

At other times of the year you might come to a Benedictine Day where you will experience the sacred rhythm of a monastic day in the balance of prayer, work, study and rest and find a group to encourage you in the practice of Christian Meditation. Or you may even discover the many opportunities for spiritual growth and support offered through the Stillpoint Centre in Retreats, Quiet Days,

or Spiritual Direction.

The invitation is there for you to receive the gracious gift of time - to restore the sacred rhythm of work, rest and prayer - a rhythm that has sustained those seeking to live out the way of Jesus for centuries but which so easily gets lost in the pressure to do many things and absorb much information.

There are those for whom Stillpoint is their spiritual home. For others their primary spiritual home is another church. And still others simply come as they feel the need. All are welcome.

Stillpoint at a glance Stillpoint draws its inspiration and guidance for following the way of Jesus from the monastic life of the Church, a way of life that balances prayer and action, work and rest, attention to the inner life without overlooking the outer life.

We are a community where we offer each other the gentle support of walking the way of grace, the way that invites us to live from the quiet centre that nurtures the springs of compassion and wisdom.

For some faith has been deepened. For others it has been rediscovered.

Peter Fuller and Di Price, Modbury Uniting Church Our inspiration came from the idea of the Iona Celtic ‘thin places’. The unspoken message of thin places is this: the presence of God does not always arrive like a knock on the door, but may be more subtle, even obscure, and easily overlooked.

We see this as being in harmony with the biblical notion of a God ‘who hides himself’– or who avoids the full glare of the spotlight of brash certainties, preferring the more indirect lighting of intimation, suggestion and sign which may appeal to our sense of wonder, and awaken in us modest hints of faith.

Jesus knew thin places. He chose to go into a desert, and on the night of his betrayal he

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chose to spend time praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.

At Modbury, our Candlelight Reflections offer a time to rest, relax and recreate in gentle candlelight, illuminating a theme specific scene.

We are finding that people from both church and broader community appreciate the space we provide. There have been comments on a number of occasions of ‘touching a chord within’.

We use everyday topics that open people to thin places – inviting the idea that God is present in the world as well as in the church. Our every intention is to create opportunities for discovery of the spiritual; so

many everyday things, used sensitively, have the ability to transport people to thin places and encounter God in a new way.

After 22 months we believe our calling, and the medium of reflecting, to be authentic.

A ‘Candlelight Booklet’ is available from the MRN website, mrn.sa.uca.org.au, on the Fresh Expressions page. The booklet contains 12 reflections on the following topics: Boundaries, Aprons, Dusk, Exploring Spaces,

Floods, Fragility, Hands, Rivers of life, Still water, Stones, The Shallows and Windows. There are also ideas for ‘setting up’ visual displays with pictures.

A little less

conversation…

Craig McGlone, The Journey Uniting Church at Elizabeth Downs

I’ve got a dodgy party CD in my car. Among artists such as Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Pink and Kylie Minogue, is Elvis’ classic hit ‘A Little Less Conversation’. It may or may not surprise you to know that this song captures my sense of urgency, both for my own life and for our church: A little less conversation, a little more action please All this aggravation ain’t satisfactioning me A little more bite and a little less bark A little less fight and a little more spark

Satisfy me baby.

in Elizabeth Downs, which is proving difficult.

Most faith communities find it tough to attract the unchurched; we find it hard to attract the churched. We’re not trying to be too clever, we certainly don’t have all the answers, but through God’s grace we have connected with a variety of peope crying out for hope.

The Journey Uniting at Elizabeth Downs is a messy church, but we love it. If you are looking for a gym to exercise your faith legs, please contact me for – ironically – a conversation! p. (08) 8251 7149 e. craig@thejourneycc.org.au

future of faith

Close your mouth and open up your heart and baby satisfy me

Whilst Elvis’ intentions are clearly different to those of our church, his soulful voice implores me (us) to exercise the legs that, through Jesus’ grace, faith has grown.

We have found our ‘gym’ at Elizabeth Downs. After years of chatting, I thank God that He called us to a place in which it is very obvious that conversations are not enough.

The needs in our community are so great and the pain so deep that ‘faith’ without legs simply doesn’t cut it.

Our latest challenge is encouraging more followers of Jesus, to come and experience the pain and joy of exercising their faith legs

15

future of faith

Rev Juleen Villis, Mt Barker Uniting Church Hungry No More (HNM) began in February 2000 as a free, weekly community meal aimed at building Christian community among people who didn’t usually attend church. We had become aware of people who were homeless, some who had just come out of prison, people who struggled with addictions – often with associated mental health problems; many of whom came from fractured family situations. We wanted to provide a place for all of them to come.

In hindsight, the seed for this ministry was sown when a member of our congregation, the late Eric Paschke started visiting Mobilong Prison on a weekly basis in his retirement. Eric was concerned that there was nowhere for these men to go when they came out of prison and that they needed support from a Christian community.

Eric had enlisted the help of some from the congregation in visiting prisoners’ families so relationships were already being made.

At the same time the leadership team at Mt Barker Uniting decided we would like to start a coffee morning for parents of children who had recently been baptised in our church. We made arrangements for an Alpha course to start with a crèche, but the planned participants didn’t turn up: the prisoners’ families and friends we had been visiting came instead.

In the past year we have started ‘Alive@5’ church, whilst still continuing our ministry of hospitality, T@6.

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We have also formed a music group using three guitarists from HNM people, along with a drummer. That has been important too, to find the gifts we have present in our group and to provide opportunities to use them.

Recently we have been challenged on our model of leadership. We know we must be prepared to have our lives and attitudes transformed as much as we hope the people we are serving will.

This can be confronting but is particularly important if we are ministering to people with many needs: we must watch that our attitudes always remain humble and respectful, whilst still being wise in making decisions.

Over the years many have joined the HNM team. This is essential if a fresh expression is to go the distance. We have also sought to bring people from the HNM ‘clients’ onto the leadership team as soon as possible. Being able to release control a little is important, as is the ability to risk things not always going as planned!

There are important lessons for any considering starting a Fresh Expression that can be learned from our beginnings: 1. Look for the relationships the church might already have through member or members that represent a group that is unchurched. When relationships already exist there can be a natural progression to ministry. God could also be nudging you to minister to a group you wouldn’t otherwise consider. We tend to set our sights on that which is safe, and non-scary!

2. Look at what God may be already doing, and be humble enough to give up your own plans in favour of God’s! If we had abandoned our coffee morning because the ‘right’ people didn’t turn up, HNM may never have started, because it was from that group that HNM was birthed: a gift of hospitality to people ‘just like us’.

Hungry No More encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to come and explore community. Pictured are three youth girls lighting candles for our Alive@5 church service.

Methodism, merit and Max Fatchen Caryn Rogers

Max invites me down a crowded memory lane with him; interviewing Douglas Mawson with a, “ridiculous story idea I was sent on (whether you could tow a chunk of iceberg from Antarctica to help relieve the drought)”, the beautiful eyes of Vivienne Leigh sitting metres away, John F Kennedy’s last press conference, the first atomic bomb at Maralinga, publishing The River Kings and being bailed out by a print mechanic who recognised Max’s, “awful mistake of spelling Banjo Paterson’s name with two t’s,” just moments prior to print.

And what a life to look back on as he celebrates his 90th birthday on 3 August this year.

“Old turkeys like me look back,” Max notes. “That’s most of the territory.”

“The most wonderful thing about my life was the woman I married.”

“I’ve travelled the world and seen great events, but I know where I belong,” Max comments amicably. “I’m an Angle Vale boy.”

“I came from the countryside; there churches weren’t just the religious centre, they were also the social centre.”

It is a little known fact that Max was a Methodist, “still am deep down,” he adds. “My wife was a Methodist too.

“I set eyes on her in a milk bar, and thought to myself, ‘I’ll have her.’

Max’s conversation often returns to his “beautiful” Jean, his beloved wife of 67 years. She is clearly still the heroine of the house, though she passed away on 7 February this year. Max speaks fondly of her, and often.

“It was Jean’s belief, her wonderful perception, her faith and everything else that I owe everything to. She loved her church.

“I don’t want you to imagine I’m a brilliant Christian, I’m not. I try, I have my doubts, but every now and then something happens that tells me that there is something very important going on, all the time.”

Max continues to write for The Advertiser, and, of course, lives in Angle Vale.

letters to ed Precarious prophet I’m not a member of the Church but I do read New Times.

I was particularly moved by the story about Dr Levee Kadenge in the July 2010 issue.

What a precarious position to find yourself in.

Ostracised by your government, your community and your church.

I would hate to imagine the catastrophic position our Australian society would be in if the prophetic voice of the Church was silenced.

Yours truly, D Wright, Port Augusta

Send your letters to: newtimes@sa.uca.org.au or PO Box 2145, Adelaide 5001.

Be topical, be brief, be timely.

Letters over 150 words will be edited; responses to previous letters /articles will be considered within two months of the original item’s publication only.

All letters are published at the editorial team’s discretion.

Max Fatchen, journalist, poet, author and Methodist, is turning 90 on 3 August. Max continues to write for The Advertiser from his typewriter.

17

magazine

“Hello Caryn,” greets a kindly voice from behind a heavy screen. The door opens and renowned journalist, poet and children’s author, Max Fatchen OAM, smiles broadly at me, and introduces me to his “great friend”, Freda the (Walking) Frame.

Leaning heavily on Freda, the nearly-90-year-old ushers me through to the lounge room and offers me a chair, while thanking me for coming out to speak with him.

The house is modest, but warm, reflecting the charm of its owner and the great loves of his life: his wife Jean, his family and his writing.

The walls are rich with photographs of loved ones and books overwhelm the shelves attempting to contain them.

Red Dove Cafe Volunteer Co-ordinator is seeking helpers to work in the cafe during Show week, 3-11 Sept. Please telephone Lesley Williams on 82613843 or 0402 006 629 to make your time/s.

diary notes

‘Heaven Knows’ A Capella group fresh from the Adelaide Fringe! Concert and Afternoon Tea, Sun 8 Aug, 2pm, Morialta Uniting Church, 26 Chapel Street, Magill. Proceeds to benefit Mission Projects. Tickets $10. Contact number: 8331 9344.

Pre-Spring Time Fete, 14 Aug, 10am - 2pm, Salisbury Uniting Church lawn (cnr Park & Brown Terraces, Salisbury). A fundraiser for Uniting in Care Salisbury, our outreach organisation which helps people in the local area experiencing tough economic times. Stalls will include: books, DVDs & videos, cakes, biscuits & jams, Devonshire teas, sausage sizzle, Father’s

Day gift baskets, garden plants, books, & second-hand items. Enquiries: Mavis & John Holland 8263 9513 or Church Office 8258 2675.

Wellspring SA invites you and your friends to an Intercultural Party at 2pm on Saturday 21 August at the Port Adelaide Uniting Church, cnr Commercial Road & Charlotten Streets. Local Refugee families will share how their faith has sustained them through many difficult situations. There will be song, dance and ethnic food.

Please bring a plate of food to share from your ethnic background. Enquiries to Val and Norm Bennett 82401945 vmbspring@hotmail.com Many Hands Light Work: Out of the Valley Youth and Young Adults leadership training on doing team ministry and mentoring is coming to a location near you! Pt Lincoln, Unity Hill UC - 24 Aug 6:30 – 9:30pm; Gawler UC 26 Aug 6:30 – 9:30pm; Aberfoyle UC 28 Aug

9:30am-12:30pm; Adelaide West UC 28 Aug 2:30 – 5:30pm; Goolwa UC 30 Aug 6:30 – 9:30pm; The Journey UC 31 Aug 6:30 – 9:30pm.

Keynote speaker is Bo Boshers, President of Lead222, a coaching and mentoring ministry to youth leaders. Out of the Valley is the MRN Centre for Youth in the Uniting Church. For more information or to register, go online: outofthevalley.com or call Katrina Levi on (08) 8396 0788.

State Mission Fellowship meets on Tues, 31 Aug at Scots Church from 10.30 am. (come earlier for a cuppa and chat). Subject: ‘Mission in the City’ - Rev. Sandy Boyce and Margaret Brereton. Lunch $3.

Live Life Loud Youth Worship Nights gather youth and youth groups from across South Australia to worship and learn about God, and build relationships. The next rally is titled: ‘under the influence of God’ and will be

held on Friday 28 Aug, 7:30 – 9:30pm. Location: Concordia College, 49 Cheltenham st, Highgate. Contact: Katrina Dowling on (08) 8396 0788 for more information or go online, outofthevalley.com.

‘Transforming Lives with Healing & Hope’ on Sat 11 Sept, 9am -4pm at Enfield Baptist Church, 1 Francis Ave, Broadview (Cnr Hampstead Rd). Enquiries: Mrs. Unity Hunt, (08) 8373 4676 or unityhunt@yahoo.com.au IRONBANK FAITH COMMUNITY celebrates 125 years of God’s faithfulness with two special events at the Church, Pole Rd, Ironbank: Thurs 16 Sept: shared tea at 6pm, followed at 7pm by the screening of the Centenary worship service in 1985.

Sun 19 Sept: shared tea at 6pm, followed at 7pm by a service of thanksgiving and celebration. Guest preacher: Rev Rod Dyson, Moderator.

All welcome – RSVP (for seating requirements) to Alan and Mabs Light : 246 Ironbank Rd, Ironbank 5153, (08) 8388 2148

your To have ssage t or me n e v e g upcomin , email ed here publish g.au .uca.or a s @ y r dia the iary’ in with ‘D line. subject

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magazine

Armchair worship

Covenant Review

Linda Sutton, Kadina-Wesley Uniting Church

Judy Barns, Secretary, Wudinna Uniting Parish

Community radio Gulffm 89.3 on the Copper Coast of South Australia, staffed by volunteers, gives a voice to church outreach programs like Target/Unitingcare Christmas appeal, Samaritan’s Purse, St Vinnie’s and the Salvos doorknock appeal.

It also enables the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be proclaimed on air for half an hour each Sunday morning.

The sessions of Gospel of the Air are ecumenical in nature, and all presenters are lay members of local Christian churches. Some pre-record their contribution, others are live to air.

To make the most of the timeslot, sessions are carefully scripted by the presenters and include a scripture reading, prayer and a meditation, interspersed

with hymns and other inspirational music.

A recent survey of community preferences for programming recorded a high level of interest and support for the continuation of Gospel of the Air. The responses came from those who seldom, if ever, attend church, and also from those who for reasons such as illness or infirmity, are unable to attend.

Occasionally a parent has been known to report the pretended disinterest of a teenager, who is really listening and paying attention.

Although advances in technology mean that the nature of the communication media is changing, radio still has its place, enabling churches to reach out into the wider rural communities with the message of God’s love for the world.

Roger-Norris Green is a regular presenter of Gospel of the Air on GulfFM 89.3 which gives voice to church outreach programs from the Copper Coast.

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Friday 25 June saw the annual review of the Covenant of Co-operation between the Wudinna Uniting Parish and the Wudinna Lutheran Congregation, which is now approaching its fourth anniversary.

Both denominations were equally represented in the group of fifteen that met with Rev Dr Steen Olsen

(Lutheran) and Rev Deane Meatheringham (Uniting) for discussion and evaluation.

In an atmosphere of tangible warmth, it was evident that the love for and acceptance of each other and our denominational differences has been a big contributing factor in making this arrangement such an ongoing success.

Free at dawn Helen Kirk, Wendy Norris and Rev Leanne Jenski, Blackwood Uniting Church Our friend Pam was being transferred to the hospice; her ovarian cancer had taken a vicious turn. We weren’t ready to say our goodbyes. We felt so hopeless and inadequate.

Within 24 hours plans were in place to make a quilt in a day; a quilt of love, a comforting quilt to remind our friend we were with her on this ultimate journey.

The process began, shopping in the morning and gathering in the afternoon.

Twelve of us sat around the table, cutting, pinning and sewing. We stopped for soup and a champagne toast to her. We continued with snipping of edges, and sewing of seams. There was much chatter as always and some quiet moments as

we reflected on times spent together.

By nine it was finished and in the dryer to ‘fluff up’.

The quilt was delivered; her daughter told us ‘Morning had Broken’ – “her spirit had been set free at dawn.”

Pam didn’t see the quilt, but she was aware we had gathered to show our love . The quilt stays with her family as a reminder that our friend was loved and will be missed.

In her own words,

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Aiming to engage the Basis of Union Uniting Church academics conversing together. The conference was not to be purely academic but, in scholarly discussion, endeavour to engage a broader constituency in discussion, debate and exchange of ideas about the theological responsibilities and commitments of the Uniting Church in light of the BOU. It was a key objective of the conference to host theological discussion in language helpful to Uniting Church members. The aim was to incite conversation that would inspire an ongoing dialogue between those who attended the conference, and those to whom they ministered to and with.

To help the conference relate its discussions to the wider life and witness of the UCA, and to its ecumenical partners, a panel of respondents were present to comment, question and provoke as the conference unfolded.

The panel included Bishop Stephen Pickard, Assistant Bishop in the Adelaide Diocese of the Anglican

Church; Rev Merrill Kitchen, Former Principal, Churches of Christ Theological College, Melbourne; Mr David Busch: Uniting Church member and Executive Producer, ABC Religious Radio; and Rev Michelle Cook (Deac), Frontier Services Patrol and St Luke’s Weipa.

Michelle challenged conference attendees to a

contextual continuation of the BOU’s unpacking, “What is the role of the BOU for those who have theologically critical realities? If we don’t take this conversation here back to the places where we come from, then there is no point in us having this conversation.

Are we going to have this conversation in language that others can understand?”

basis of union

In Melbourne, 9 –11 July 2010, the theological commitments and responsibilities of the Uniting Church in Australia were explored at a conference reengaging the Basis of Union (BOU), titled: Engaging the Basis: Theological Directions of the Uniting Church in Australia.

Over two days, around 120 ministers, lay leaders, basis of union appreciators and theologians fleshed out the 18 paragraphs that have guided the UCA since 1977.

Engaging the Basis aimed to stimulate serious reflection in the wider Uniting Church on the role of theology in the church’s ministry of worship, witness and service.

Presentations were made by 16 academics including one of the BOU’s authors, Rev Prof Norman Young; UCA President-elect, Rev Dr Andrew Dutney; Uniting College SA’s New Testament Lecturer, Dr Vicky Balabanski; and Trinity Theological College’s Director of Studies in Systematic Theology, Rev Dr Geoff Thompson.

The aim of the conference was to facilitate wider theological discussion through

Growing Sustainable Communities Green Month at Pilgrim

Free Public Lectures: Tuesday August 3: 7.30 - 9.00pm, Pilgrim Hall Theology of Sustainability Tuesday August 31: 7.30 - 9.00 pm, Pilgrim Hall Technology and Sustainability Sound Bites: 12.15 - 1.15pm, over light lunch Tuesday August 10: Sustainability and Greening the CBD Tuesday August 17: Sustainability and Justice Tuesday August 24: Sustainability and building design - public and domestic Musicians performing in the plaza outside Pilgrim Lounge Three speakers each lunch time.

Soup, rolls and coffee provided.

Gold coin donation.

Pilgrim Uniting Church 12 Flinders Street, Adelaide Enquiries: 8212 3295

The Basis of Union Conference in July this year aimed to stimulate serious reflection in the wider Uniting Church in Australia on the role of theology in the church’s ministry of worship, witness and service.

Over two days, the 18 paragraph document that has guided the Uniting Church since 1977 was discussed theologically, for the sake of the Uniting Church’s ongoing ministry and mission.

21

Uniting in Christ then, now and always

basis of union

Caryn Rogers At Engaging the Basis, the Basis of Union Conference held in July this year, the Christology of the Basis of Union (BOU) was strongly exhorted as a prompt for fresh missional activity.

Rev Prof Norman Young, one of the authors of the BOU, highlighted the importance of being a ‘Uniting’ Church rather than a ‘United’ one. He shared on the Friday night about how the BOU came into being, the context of its theology and a warm affirmation of new ways to reinterpret it faithfully today for mission.

‘Blog theologist’ Dr Ben Myers, Lecturer in Systematic Theology, United Theological College, Sydney, engaged further

with the reforming nature of the BOU’s Christology in his presentation on Sunday morning.

He was emphatic about the nature of the BOU’s Christology, that it confesses Jesus Christ as both crucified and risen, for the sake of a reforming Church.

“If we confess a risen Christ, it transforms what we think about the Church itself,” he commented. “This is the fundamental question that the Basis is seeking to explore - our sole loyalty to the living Christ, in humble obedience.

“It is because Christ is risen that we must remain under constant reform to Christ’s work.”

Thirsting for theology?

The broad range of papers presented at the BOU conference offer an excellent resource for Uniting Church congregation members in discussing the ministry and mission of the Uniting Church in Australia.

Engaging the Basis organisers will publish the

Rev Prof Norman Young

conference papers in a special edition of Uniting Church Studies, edited by William Emilsen of the United Theological College, Sydney, and following this they will be available on Uniting Church websites. This process may take some time, but New Times will inform when these are available.

Dr Ben Myers

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The pleasure and the pain Book: Under the Influence: A history of alcohol in Australia

Author: Ross Fitzgerald and Trevor L Jordan Recommended for: anyone seeking to understand the role of alcohol in Australian society In short: : A valuable study of the way alcohol has shaped our nation.

RRP: $30.00

The history of our nation has been shaped by alcohol in some quite significant ways. From the Rum Rebellion in the early 1800s, to the present time where our community seeks to find ways of curbing drunken excesses in binge drinking, home violence, car accidents, unruly behaviour by sporting heroes, and continuing problems in Aboriginal communities.

Aussie culture is often seen as one of high alcoholic usage, although the authors report that Australia is now 23rd in the world alcohol consumption rankings.

The historical material is fascinating. The Rum Rebellion, the emergence of new forms of alcohol such as spirits, and then the rise of beer, show how big changes have occurred over the 200 years of Australian history.

The individual chapters are insightful, each exploring a different aspect of the history and impact of alcohol within Australian society. In ‘A Pub with no Beer’, the authors describe how the Prohibition Movement became a major influence across Australia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The chapter ‘A Taste of Discrimination’ explores the way in which the Aboriginal population has been affected by alcohol and how laws designed to prevent them from consuming alcohol have come to be viewed as another form of discrimination.

The last chapter, ‘The Limits of Tolerance’, analyses some of the ways in which Australians have endorsed the right to drink alcohol, and yet also see the need to restrict its use for the greater good of the community.

A very insightful read, is alcohol really worth it?

- Roger Bassham

A New Way of Being Church

Book: From Galileo to Gell-Mann Author: Marco Bersanelli and Mario Gargantini Recommended for: those with a belief in God and interested in the beauty of logic In short: The wonder that inspired the greatest scientists of all time, in their own words.

Book: The Seeking Church: A space for all Author: Stephen R White Recommended for: those actively seeking, with an open mind, a new way of being church In short: Explores the difference between the Dispensing Church and the Seeking Church.

RRP: $48.95

RRP: $36.95

From Galileo to Gell-Mann is a compilation of stories by and about logicians and natural observers from the past three thousand years.

Despite possessing little scientific intelligence personally, this book showed me how to see artistry and beauty through numbers and observation.

You will not find an argument for a six-day Creationism in this book, although you will find some of the theology of Darwin in his own words. It doesn’t claim to be balanced; it is a collection of connections between what is observed and what is experienced by women and men who are open

to there being something beyond their scope of knowing. The gathered scientists don’t presume to give all the right answers, but they describe how to ask the right questions.

The take home message of Signors Bersanelli and Gargantini is that there is a place for ‘the search for meaning’ within scientific method.

There is a ‘need to know’ in every person, not just those who work in labs. A botanist can identify the genus of the flowers left on his desk, but discovering the purpose behind the bouquet is a different matter.

- Damien Tann

This book outlines the difference between the model of the Dispensing Church, with all its answers in matters of faith, doctrine, ethics and sacrament ready to distribute, and the Seeking Church, a church open to change and all who seek.

I started reading this book at bed time – not really a good idea – but quickly became compelled to give it my full attention. When I read about the church as it often is, and the vision of how it could be, I just had to read on. I found it stunning – such that I needed to tell others about it.

Mind you, this book (the third in a trilogy) will probably be divisive.

The author himself was accused of being un-Anglican.

The book is clearly written with summaries at the end of each chapter and links to the next.

At times I felt a little irked by reference to the trilogy’s earlier books, but quotes from them whetted my appetite to chase them up.

Some will find it threatening to the beloved status quo. On the contrary I found it life giving as it resonated with my understanding and longing.

Just read it!

- Glenys Badger

23

reviews

God of Wonders

Closing the door on child trafficking

world

Tom Ganderton, UnitingWorld Communications Coordinator With Nepal to the east, China and Bhutan to the north, Bangladesh to the south and Burma to the west, there is an unbelievable amount of people moving through North East India.

Many of its communities suffer the effects of extreme poverty. As a result, children who are poor and vulnerable too often become victims of human traffickers for slave labour.

At just ten years of age, Noha* was forced to drop out of school because her family were unable to pay her fees. Instead, she had to work and contribute money to the household.

When a wealthy family in North Bengal sent a scout to look for a domestic cleaner, they promised good pay and treatment to Noha, together with shelter and sufficient food.

For the next two years, Noha was rarely allowed contact with her parents.

She toiled long hours from dawn, seven days a week,

earning less than $0.50 a day.

Her body grew weaker as she washed heavy clothes and linen by hand.

The day Noha refused a task, due to exhaustion, she was beaten beyond recognition. After hospitalisation, she was sent home - with only the clothes on her back.

Uniting World’s Child Trafficking Prevention and Rehabilitation program, operating in partnership with the Church of North India, seeks to give hope to boys and girls like Noha.

The program builds awareness about the dangers of being tricked into slave

labour and prostitution, with an aim to expand into counselling and support for survivors.

This work can only be made possible through your generous support. * Name changed for security reasons India: colour and darkness India is a country that overwhelms the senses. Visitors describe it as vibrant, expressive, hectic, hot, confronting, charming and spiritual. But amongst the romance, sits a dark reality, where vulnerable children living in poverty come face to face with the realities of sex trafficking and child labour.

FACTS • The most common destinations for trafficked children are brothels, factories and domestic homes • 12.6 million children in India aged between 5-14 are trapped in forced labour right now • Children living in poverty are most vulnerable to traffickers • Indian brothels in total hold up 160,000 fairskinned Nepalese girls

Donations to the project can be made through UnitingWorld Call: 1800 000 331 Mail: UnitingWorld, Reply Paid A2266, South Sydney NSW 1235 Online: www.unitingworld.org.au Contact UnitingWorld for more information about this project and how you can help.