New Times - Summer 2024 by Synod of SA

The Uniting Church in Australia Synod of South Australia

Summer 2024

Issue 55 / No 1

HE HAS RISEN LOVE

JOY

HOPE

Contents Features

Westbourne Park UC Day Camp 2024 .......................................... 4 Come & See ............................................................................................. 5 About Face Youth Project 1984 Reunion ................................. 6-7 A View of Occupied Palestinian Territories from an Ecumenical Accompanier........................................... 8-9 Out of Sight Out of Mind vs I was in prison and you visited me ...................................................................10-11 Disaster and Recovery Ministries ..........................................12-13 Effective Living Centre 2024 .......................................................... 14 Yorke Peninsula Uniting Churches Combined Celebration ... 15 Uniting Church Deaconess celebrates 100th birthday ..16-17 Celebrating the Past ... Looking foward to the future............. 18 Stokes Bay Uniting Church Reopening......................................... 19 Now You Are Here.........................................................................20-21 The United Church of Christ in the Philippines.......................... 22 A Cry Went Up in the Desert .......................................................... 23 Toward a Theology of Hybrid Identities, Hyphenated Cultures and Liminal Spaces................................................. 24-25 Being Begun Anew ............................................................................ 26

Regular pages Note from the Editor ............................................................................. 2 Message from the Moderator ........................................................... 3 Classifieds .......................................................................................28-30 Cover details: Photo: Easter 2024

Editor: Bridget Ransome Advertising: Engagement Team Design: Azi Parvandar/Alex Gatley Print: Graphic Print Group

Print circulation: 6,200

For editorial enquiries: Phone: (08) 8236 4249 Email: engagement@sa.uca.org.au Mail: The Editor, New Times GPO Box 2145 Adelaide SA 5001 For advertising bookings: Phone: (08) 8236 4249 Email: engagement@sa.uca.org.au

The Uniting Church in Australia Synod of South Australia Synod of South Australia Level 2, 212 Pirie St, Adelaide Phone: (08) 8236 4200 Fax: (08) 8236 4201 Country callers: 1300 766 956

From the Editor Welcome to the new year and your ‘new look’ New Times Summer magazine. You may recall that in the October/November 2023 issue of New Times we mentioned that we would be moving from a bi-monthly publication to a quarterly publication in 2024 – from 5 issues to 4 issues and on a seasonal basis. Our first issue for the year is the Summer edition, and it is jam-packed with a variety of articles and we are very grateful to all that have taken the time to send through items and to provide photographs that show the breadth and depth of the Uniting Church in South Australia. This issue also includes details of the Moderator’s Easter theme and there are a variety of resources now available on the Synod website to support congregations as they prepare for this important season within the church, sa.uca.org.au/easter/ Changes are also taking place in the Engagement Ministry Centre as we farewelled Emelia Haskey our Engagement and Communications Officer at the end of 2023. Emelia has accepted roles in congregations as she has a great desire to serve the church. Lucy Wiseman, our Events and Promotions Officer will shortly be leaving us to return to Western Australia for personal reasons. Lucy has been an events manager extraordinaire, taking on the Synod meeting logistics last year and a variety of events for the Synod office and the Uniting College for Leadership and Theology. We wish both Emelia and Lucy well in their new endeavours, and we look forward to welcoming two new team members over the coming months. As they say … change is constant! . Bridget Ransome Executive Officer Engagement

Message from the Moderator I remember one of the most memorable sermon challenges came when I was just twenty years of age and somewhat new to being a follower of Jesus. On this occasion, the preacher asked the congregation ‘what is the most important decision you could ever make?’ Most responses were to ‘follow Jesus,’ however it was the following comment that I have remembered so well. That is ‘the most important decision we make is the next decision.’ Whatever we decide and enact in word or deed will reflect the way in which we are following Jesus. The next decision will reflect whether we are drawing nearer to God, listening, discerning, and responding to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Or perhaps our next decision sees us drifting or being ambivalent about God. The next decision may demonstrate the patient, loving kindness of God towards others. It may be our choice to be further immersed in Jesus ‘the joy of heaven … and pure unbounded love of God,’ or it may not! Will our next decision reflect our abiding relationship in Jesus and the reality of his Joy being within us. Pope Francis reminds us of his predecessor Benedict XVI saying, ‘being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.’

The next decision may demonstrate the patient, loving kindness of God towards others. It may be our choice to be further immersed in Jesus ‘the joy of heaven … and pure unbounded love of God,’ or it may not!

Apart from these daily decisions, there are pivotal moments when we face difficult choices, or find ourselves overwhelmed with personal and corporate suffering. In these moments, it is as though we too are in the Garden with Jesus, choosing the way of God even when it comes with significant challenge and cost. As you read this edition of New Times, I encourage you to be aware of the impact of your ‘next decisions’ and how they reflect the seriously joyful presence and encounter with, the Risen Jesus Christ. Blessings,

Peter Morel Moderator Reference ‘Pope Francis Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel,’ (2013), The Incorporated Catholic Truth Society, London.

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Where has the Moderator been?

Westbourne Park UC Day Camp 2024 All around there are building sites – people building new houses, renovating, extending or developing businesses. So much goes into these works – plans, expertise, teamwork and design. At the Day Camp 2024 (in its 31st year) the theme was Under Construction as the event looked at the most important build – Our Lives! During the week (9am-3pm Monday to Friday) every inch of the church property was in use for learning, fun and games (or storage). 110 school-aged children attended across Reception – Year 7 (from 68 families); plus 35 high school aged leaders; 25 adult leaders; and additional helpers from across the church community! There was worship, drama presentations, singing and games, craft and food, small group conversations and activities, excursions, a visiting performer, a Tradie Fair, the Friday carnival, and the postcamp concert. Young people made friends, grew in their confidence and skills, and heard about how God could be part of their lives, in an encouraging, caring, multi-age environment. Each day of Day Camp the focus was on different components of building - Monday was about having a firm foundation (Wise and Foolish Builders); Tuesday was about looking at the team connections (Many Parts, One Body); Wednesday was checking the plans (Down Through The Roof); Thursday was fixing onto our power source (the Holy Spirit Comes At Pentecost); and Friday was doorways (He Is Risen) - God has new ways of being, let’s try God! The event was truly blessed by God over the time-of-Day Camp - in the preparations before and in the week of the activities. So many things happened for good. There were obstacles and challenging moments too, but God was definitely with all that participated. Thanks to the many people who take leadership roles, who help in different areas, and who offer prayer support! We thank and praise God for his faithfulness and provision over Day Camp. May God take our time and multiply the effect. As young people and adults continue to think on their Day Camp experience may God lead them to be courageous in their walk with God or be more open to God in their lives.

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From the General Secretary It is a great thing when one can speak about the good news of Jesus and then be confident that if you invite someone to worship, to a small group, an opportunity to serve or a community gathering that they will experience kindness, grace and welcome.

Come and See By Rev Philip Gardner

The gospel passages about the first Easter are wonderfully rich stories, filled to the brim with deep theological reflection on the meaning of the resurrection. In John’s gospel there is the story of the disciples meeting together behind closed doors on the evening of the resurrection. Je-sus comes and stands among them saying, ‘Peace be with you.’ The disciples are overjoyed. Jesus breathes his spirit, the Holy Spirit, into them and then commissions them, sending them to participate in his mission in the world (John 20:19-23). These gifts of peace and presence, joy and the gift of the Spirit have all been explicitly promised in the section of John named by scholars as the Farewell Discourse (John 13-17). In the cross and resurrection of Jesus, the promises of the Father are fulfilled, and the gifts that will mark Christian community are given. One could easily preach a sermon series or lead a Bible Study on the themes raised in this one passage. What I want to emphasise here is that John is envisaging Christian community in which people experience the presence of Jesus; his gifts of peace and joy, and sense afresh his call to serve the world in word and deed. We are

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called to both embody the good news and to share it. That is why, I believe, a constant refrain in the initial encounters with Jesus is ‘Come and See.’ It is a great thing when one can speak about the good news of Jesus and then be confident that if you invite someone to worship, to a small group, an opportunity to serve or a community gathering that they will experience kindness, grace and welcome. It goes without saying that we probably aren’t all confident that this might happen in all of our congregations. There will be a range of initiatives in the coming months that will help us begin this work on renewing and transforming the lives of our congregations. Keep your eyes open for some of these opportunities. But I also want to add it need not be about launching some exciting new program in your church (not that I am against that!). Michael Frost, at a seminar organised at Uniting College late last year, shared this quote from the influential missiologist David Bosch, ‘The mission of God’s people is to alert everyone, everywhere to the universal reign of God through Christ.’ Michael spent some time unpacking this sentence. Notice then that this is what is happening in the story of the first Easter. Jesus is present, fearful people receive peace and joy and are sent into the world. They become aware of what God in Jesus is doing in their midst and then are sent to share it with others. So, while I love a good program as much as the next Minister, in some ways I think we need to concentrate on the church being the church. A community that seeks to make visible the good news. That God’s promised reign is among us and breaking into our lives, and where there clearly remains a gap between our vision of the reign of God and current reality we wrestle in prayer, meet needs and act for justice so that all people, everywhere, may know peace, joy and community – the blessings of Easter.

In January 1984, two hundred and twenty young Uniting Church members from across Australia visited Southeast Asian and Pacific Island countries as part of the Uniting Church in Australia’s Youth Project for the 1980s, called About FACE (Faith and Culture Exchange). Ninety of these young people were from South Australia. In January 2024, forty years later, a reunion was held to share stories about the long term impact of About FACE on the lives of the participants. Rev Ken Anderson OAM – was the Uniting Church South Australian Synod Youth and Young Adults Consultant when he initiated the About FACE project early in the eighties. ‘You were part of what might be some of the most fruitful and wonderful years in youth ministry in any circumstance around the world,’ said Rev Anderson at the reunion. He referred to the Golong New Guinea exchange in the seventies; About FACE in 1984; further About FACE projects to Aboriginal communities around Australia; as well as overseas in the nineties and the renewal of the National Christian Youth Conventions held every two years from 1971. 1

About Face Youth Project 1984 Reunion By Debbie Bishop

Ken ensured that all youth projects were driven by young people (mainly under 30 years of age) which led to the development of many leaders in the church and community. One of these young leaders was Craig Mitchell, Project Officer for the About FACE overseas visit, reflecting that this project came at a time when the mission culture of the church was changing to become more about understanding needs and serving communities. Rev Brian Ball led a group to Thailand as part of About FACE in January 1984, after spending five years ministering in Thailand. Later in 1984 Brian and his wife Winsome were invited back to Thailand to Pastor in the English Language Congregation in Changmai. This involved many challenging ministry opportunities including working in prisons. ‘The About FACE project showed many people what it meant to belong to Christ and what it meant to belong to one another. Mission is about opening ourselves to a new and deeper understanding of what it means to belong to the family of God,’ said Brian at the renunion.

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You were part of what might be some of the most fruitful and wonderful years in youth ministry in any circumstance around the world.

Pastor Jon Paschke travelled to Vanuatu on About FACE in 1984 and then spent twenty years in ministry in Vanuatu working alongside locals on Resource Development and Ministry Training. ‘My life trajectory changed in 1984 … after About FACE,’ said Jon when reflecting on his trip to Vanuatu. About FACE had a lasting impact on the lives of many participants across Asia, the Pacific and Australia, demonstrating the unity of God’s family and the love and service we are called to put into action as disciples of Jesus.

Rev Ken Anderson

Sue and Bevan Lobley, Liz Collins, Phil Bell

L to R: Scott & Andrea Camac, Rev Ken Anderson, Debbie and Chris Bishop

Indonesian group 1 & 2 - Back L to R: Harvey Lewis, Grant Pierson, Tim, Phil Bell, Alexa Dunbar, Liz Collins, Pete Maschmedt. Front: Lesley Lewis, Jan Oliver, Karen Jenkin

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The About FACE project showed many people what it meant to belong to Christ and what it meant to belong to one another. Mission is about opening ourselves to a new and deeper understanding of what it means to belong to the family of God.

A View of Occupied Palestinian Territories from an Ecumenical Accompanier By Andrew Telfer

Andrew Telfer, a retired police officer and member of Seacliff Uniting Church, has been deployed twice as a human rights monitor for a total of six months with the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI). He first deployed in 2019 to serve as an eyewitness and monitor in the Palestinian community in the Israeli controlled areas of Hebron, in the south of the West Bank. In late 2022/early 2023 he served in East Jerusalem. ‘The horrific events of 7th October 2023, and in the months following, have been terribly traumatic for Israelis and Palestinians (in Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank) and for their families, friends and supporters. They have invoked for me strong reminders of my experiences in Palestine and Israel and sadness for all people of the Holy Land,’ said Andrew. The EAPPI was established by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in 2002 following an appeal from the heads of Christian Churches in the Holy Land. Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) provide a protective presence for Palestinian communities impacted by the Israeli Occupation and

report on human rights violations. Following deployment for 3 months, they return to their home countries and advocate for a just peace between Israel and Palestine. During my two deployments, it has been an enormous privilege to meet a large number of Palestinians and to gain an understanding of the daily difficulties they face because of the Israeli Occupations, the presence of Israeli settlements and the resultant presence of Israeli soldiers. I was also privileged to meet many Jewish Israelis, to learn more about their faith and share with many who actively oppose the Occupation which their Government continues to impose on Palestinian Territories. During my time in Hebron in the West Bank and, later, in East Jerusalem I saw and heard about a myriad of issues, including: · Arbitrary detention of Palestinians for up to six months without criminal charges, including children. · Collective punishment of communities because of the actions of a few. · Using lethal weapons against unarmed demonstrators and protestors.

· Increasing harassment and assaults of Palestinians by Israeli settlers. 1 · The diversion of water, by Israeli owned water companies, from Palestinian villages to settlements resulting in the former having far less than the recommended daily usage of water. 2 · Demolition and seizure of Palestinian buildings mainly because no building permit had been obtained. However, approximately 95% of building applications to the relevant Israeli authority have been rejected over many years. In 2022, a total of approximately 800 (an average of more than 2 per day) Palestinian buildings and structures were demolished in Area C of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. 3 & 4 · Thousands of Palestinians being subject to checkpoints within their own cities and also to cross into Israel for their daylabourer jobs, having to queue for long periods and, on many occasions, having their permit to enter rejected. · Separate roads constructed for settlers to enable easy access to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv while Palestinians use

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poorly maintained roads which lead to checkpoints and involve far longer time to travel. I was particularly disturbed by other issues of injustice that I experienced which conflicted markedly with my own justice experience. Palestinians in the West Bank, who are detained by the Israeli Defence Force, are dealt with under Military Law and Military Courts while detained Israeli settlers living in the West Bank come under a civil legal system. There are vastly different procedures, including access to legal advice, penalties and rates of conviction, which all favour Israeli citizens. As mentioned, collective punishment is a significant issue. I visited a village from which a number of people had been detained in connection with the killing of an Israeli man. The subsequent demolition of homes in the village and the suspension of permits to go to work, which were carried out as a deterrent from committing other terrorist acts, affected scores of innocent Palestinians who had nothing to do with the tragic death of the Israeli man. In other instances, whole villages have their entry and exits closed to punish ‘trouble makers’

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within, stopping people from being able to farm their land. There is a real fear that the Israeli government is allowing settlers to harass and attack Palestinians in order to scare Palestinians off their land, so that Israeli settlements can expand. When speaking with Palestinian people, I heard over and over again of their determination to remain on the land of their forefathers. Amongst their frustrations and sadness caused by the Occupation, they expressed their desire to be able to live in peace with their neighbours, with equal rights and an end to the Occupation and the presence of the Israeli military.

violence from settlers in the West Bank, Medecins Sans Frontieres, 12 June 2023 https://www.msf.org/palestinians-faceharassment-and-violence-settlers-westbank 2.

The Occupation of Water, Amnesty International, 29 November 2017 https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/ campaigns/2017/11/the-occupation-ofwater/

The Civil Administration acknowledges extreme discrimination in building permits and law enforcement between Palestinians and settlers, Peace Now, 10

During this time of grieving for the people of Israel and Gaza, it is important that we don’t forget that Palestinian lands have been occupied by Israel for 55 years and that there has been a blockade imposed on Gaza for the last 16 years. I pray that the international community can work with Palestinian and Israeli leaders to find a way to a just peace in the Holy Land so that all of its people, Jew, Muslim and Christian, Israeli and Palestinian, can live together in harmony and with equal rights.

Palestinians face harassment and

August 2023: https://peacenow.org.il/en/ the-civil-administration-acknowledgesextreme-discrimination-in-buildingpermits-and-law-enforcement-betweenpalestinians-and-settlers 4.

Fact Sheet: East Jerusalem Demolitions, World Council of Churches, April 2023: https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/ documents/fact-sheet-east-jerusalemdemolitions-april-2023

Out of Sight Out of Mind vs I was in prison and you visited me Chaplains, volunteer prison visitors and people advocating justice for the outcast may have the least desirable ‘gig’ in Christian ministry. It’s probably as ‘out of sight, out of mind’ as the people being served. But while society might prefer to ‘lock up offenders and throw away the key,’ Jesus’ challenge is to embrace people in every kind of distress, including those we may discard or dehumanise (Matthew 25:36,43).

Atherton, Tom and Margaret Gunn (ed) 2023 A Cry Went Up in the Desert Adelaide: Mediacom Education.

Bossie, Craig 2023 Prison Chaplaincy – ‘Keeping it Human’ Together (47:5, May) Uniting Church Fellowship and Mission Support

Ministry to Asylum Seekers Margaret Gunn

South Australian Uniting Church Minister, Rev Dr Tom Atherton (1937-2020) felt the isolation, impotence but imperative of responding to the 1500 asylum seekers incarcerated in the original town construction camp of Woomera, where he’d been appointed in 1997 to serve military personnel. Shortly after, when they all left, his ministry focus changed dramatically. He instinctively advocated at first for air-conditioning for the small brick huts, but this provoked public reprimand and humiliation. Daunted but determined, he negotiated with immigration authorities – new themselves to the ruthless ‘game’ of detaining asylum seekers in the desolate Australian outback – and after a while, he ‘got in’ behind the razor wire. For over six months, he offered what he could: a cross-cultural ministry to gnostic Mandaens (followers of John the Baptist), Christians and Muslims, a presence, a listening ear, a grieving heart, winsome homilies, lollies and biscuits for the children, a secret messaging service to detainees’ relatives and an increasing respect and love for the men and women whose cultures and stories were totally different from his own. This was an ‘Australia’ totally unfamiliar to him. Tom documented his encounters and personal reactions in a series of emails sent confidentially to me, initially a stranger to him and his wife Judith. Recently published with their permission, ‘A Cry Went Up in the Desert’1 is available from www.mediacomeducation.org. au and you can read the book review in this issue of New Times, by General Secretary, Rev Philip Gardner. Tom’s story of practised obedience to Christ’s challenge reveals the cost of discipleship.

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The Prison Chaplain

Rev Craig Bossie - Prison Chaplain and Lefevre UC ‘[Prisons] are entrusted with the lives of people who … are to be isolated from the rest of community for their wrong doings … [The tasks of prison chaplains include] coordinating human complexity and pain, finding ways to help, restore and release wounded people [in confined spaces] back into the community. Thankfully, there is a team of dedicated women and men [around SA] who enter this space … to remind those in prison that they are in fact, human.’ 2

The Justice Advocate

Mark Waters - UnitingCare SA and the Covenanting Committee Proposal 3 at the June 2023 Synod focused on the campaign of ‘Raising the Age of Criminal Responsibility’ from 10 to 14 years of age in South Australia. Many of the children and young people incarcerated in Australia from 10 years of age, are Aboriginal children. The Synod papers cited Amnesty International’s campaign: ‘Indigenous children are locked up at 17 times the rate of nonIndigenous children, despite making up just 6% of the Australian population aged 10 – 17. Of all children under 14 imprisoned between 2017 – 2021, 65% were Indigenous and 68% hadn’t even been convicted of any crime.’ The South Australian Premier, Opposition Leader and Attorney General have been informed of the Synod’s Proposal. The SA Attorney General, Hon Kyam Maher has proposed raising the age of criminal responsibility to 12 years of age in South Australia in line with a number of other jurisdictions around the country.

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Chaplain to Incarcerated Children Jess Kaucz - Encounter Adelaide congregation

Being the Chaplain at Kurlana Tapa Youth Justice Centre over the last 6 years, I have seen God desperately trying to reach these incarcerated children. It has started slowly, with God giving me eyes to see these children with his eyes, as beloved and forgiven, as full of purpose and beautifully woven. With these eyes, I could then work from a place of hope, in a space where I am surrounded by hopelessness. It has been so important to be filled with God's hope for these children. Over the years I have seen how God weaves in the dayto-day to remind all these children how loved they are, and how he has not forgotten them, either through prompting me to give them a book, which speaks to them so clearly or by giving them dreams or messages from the outside. But the biggest act of love I have seen God perform to reach these children is when in 2023 he spoke to my spirit that he wanted me to start a church service for these children in Kurlana Tapa, and against all odds, (including the centre having extremely low staff which would mean we couldn't run our service), God made a way and we hold weekly services, and because they are so popular we are bringing in a mid-week service too. This shows the lengths to which God will go, to reach those whom others forget.

Disaster and Recovery Ministries By Wendy Perkins

‘There was a steady flow of clients coming in [to the Mannum Emergency Relief Centre], and between seeing the various agencies, my colleague and I were able to offer tea and coffee along with a listening ear. It was quite humbling to hear people's stories. As each client left, they were always so thankful for the support they had received.’ Faye Jenke, Disaster and Recovery Ministries Chaplain

The Riverland flooding event which impacted people and communities along the length of the Murray River in South Australia for several months from November 2022 was quite unique in many ways. It was certainly the longest deployment undertaken by our team of volunteer chaplains who are part of the multidenominational and multifaith Disaster and Recovery Ministries SA. Those chaplains who are based in the Riverland made themselves available for many shifts, but the length and scale of the deployment meant that chaplains from other parts of the state were needed to support disaster-affected people in Emergency Relief Centres and Recovery Centres in Berri, Mannum and Murray Bridge. We were also able to send chaplains to one-day pop-up Recovery Centres in Pompoota, Morgan, Blanchetown, Swan Reach and Bow Hill. By mutual agreement chaplains ceased our involvement at the end of June 2023 as traffic through the Centres had slowed down and the need for our presence was no longer as urgent. Even though the level of trauma was significantly less and different to that experienced by those affected by bushfires, the chaplains still felt that they had something to contribute to the people who passed through Centres, seeking practical help, advice and psycho-social support. There were many positive comments about the care and compassion offered by chaplains, as well as by SA Government staff towards stressed people affected by this riverine flood. Chaplains felt warmly welcomed and privileged to serve the community in this context.

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Disaster and Recovery Ministries Riverland deployment in a nutshell · 7 months of daily commitment · Almost 840 shifts completed · 105 individual chaplains involved, each serving at least 1 shift · Each chaplain served an average of 8 shifts · 1 chaplain completed 40 shifts across the region · Approximately 4,200 hours contributed by our volunteers

Murray Bridge, Sturt Reserve – Photo: Max Howland

Many congregations and individuals contributed to the Moderator’s Flood Appeal as part of the Uniting Church South Australian Relief Fund. Some of these funds have been accessed by the Berri and Barmera Combined Church Council to support local school students whose families suffered significant financial pressures due to the need for longer travel as a result of road and ferry closures caused by the floods. These funds will be confidentially allocated to the school accounts of affected families, in order to ensure that students can participate in school activities and purchase uniform items. Further applications from congregations in the Riverland region are under consideration for support from the Fund in order to ensure that the church has the financial resources to offer practical support to people whose needs may not be met by other grants or agencies.

Sh ed at Mo oro ok

– Ph oto: R ev Linda F orsyth

Do you want to know more about Disaster and Recovery Ministry? We are a team of trained and accredited volunteers from a variety of faith backgrounds who provide pastoral and spiritual support to individuals and communities affected by disasters in South Australia, such as bushfires, floods etc. We offer compassion, comfort and a listening ear but we do not judge, have an agenda or seek to change anyone’s beliefs. Our next 2-day training course for potential new chaplains will be held on Tuesday 22nd and Wednesday 23rd April at Uniting College for Leadership and Theology. Further information is available on the Synod website UCA SA https://sa.uca.org.au/disaster-and-recovery-ministries/ or by contacting drm@sa.uca.org.au. Marty, Suzan, Erin, and Shoshana at Berri ERC

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Effective Living Centre 2024 By Fergus McGinley

After a great year of programs and events last year, the Effective Living Centre (ELC) is gearing up for a busy and exciting 2024. Founded in 1998, the ELC, is the on-going community engagement project of Christ Church Uniting, Wayville, and is a recognised Mission Centre of Mission Resourcing in the Uniting Church in SA. The first highlight for the year will be the launch of their new Progressive Christianity Forum. On the first Thursday of each month PC Forum will host challenging topical presentations exploring how people of faith can engage creatively with a deeply troubled and troubling world. Following the very successful Seminary of the Third Age over the past five years, the centre will move to a new series title and

format in which the exploration continues and expands. Those who pursue freshness and authenticity in expressing their faith will find much food for thought in the 2024 series. Another new offering for 2024 will be their Readers and Writers series, showcasing local readers and writers with a focus on current social issues. In May ELC will collaborate with Eremos Magazine to host a two-day Intensive Journal Workshop facilitated by Kate Scholl from Sydney. And old favourites continue: bi-monthly Poets Corner featuring a great series of accomplished South Australian poets, Wilkes Oration in June, two Social Issues Forums in the second half of the year and an Annual Concert at Trinity Sessions in August.

All are welcome to a fabulous Autumn Garden Party on Sunday 7th April in their wonderful garden, Turlatina Wirra, along the banks of the Parklands Creek. For more information and to download the 2024 Program Brochure please visit www. effectiveliving.ucsa.org. Effective Living Centre is a not-for-profit organisation funded entirely through ticket sales and the generosity of its supporters. You can become a Friend of the ELC and receive discounts to selected events as well as supporting their cause by going to Humanitix and searching for Friends of ELC. You can also donate directly to the ELC search for Donate to ELC at Humanitix.

Jess Kaucz

More details and information are on the ELC website: www.effectiveliving.ucsa.org, where you can also make contact or subscribe to receive regular updates and newsletters. The centre is also looking for volunteers, so please let them know if you would like to be involved.

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Yorke Peninsula Uniting Churches Combined Celebration By Claudia Agnew On Sunday afternoon, 26th November last year, the Yorke Peninsula Uniting Churches met together at Maitland Uniting Church. The previous combined service was in December 2022 when Rev Sandra Webb and Pastor Andrew Chambers were inducted and commissioned. This was the Moderator Rev Peter Morel’s first visit to Yorke Peninsula as Moderator, and it was he who gave the address which was based on Matthew 12: 9-16 and John 10: 1-6. He was also invited by the interim Chairperson of the Mission Council, Bronte Wilson to pray for the members of the Yorke Peninsula Regional Mission Council and the Ministry Team comprising Pastor Andrew Chambers, Rev Sandy Webb, and Pastor Brenton Smith who will join them in March 2024 , as Missional appointee; and Rev June Ladner who will be providing Supply in the Northern Cluster while Rev Sandy is absent. The service was led by Pastor Andrew Chambers with Rev Sandy Webb joining in via Zoom. Three members of the Regional Mission Council participated in the conduct of the service while spokespeople from the various churches provided interesting insights into their worship and missional activities. The music was provided by Robert Martin, Lin Morris, and Cathryn Dinnie. Robert had chosen the well known and loved songs and hymns which were sung enthusiastically and with great joy. Technical support was provided by Ted Beare and Joylene Potter. A very little girl, Anniki was not at all overwhelmed by the occasion and caused those present to smile broadly as she wandered about while the Moderator was giving his address. He was unperturbed by the distraction. The service was followed by a delicious, shared afternoon tea. With thanks to the Maitland congregation for their hospitality.

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Uniting Church Deaconess celebrates 100th birthday and a life of community service By Resthaven A client of Resthaven Riverland Community Services, and still living in her own home, Betty was a Deaconess of the Uniting Church, working in the Women’s Welfare Department at the Kate Cocks Memorial Babies Home at Brighton from 1969 to 1975. An important part of her role was to transport women in labour from the home to the Queen Victoria Hospital. ‘It would so often happen at night,’ Betty says. ‘These babies, ready to be born, and the mothers needing medical help. My role at the home was to take care of the mothers who were there, and then help out with the babies when they were born. Every need they had I was involved in. I would say I’ve dressed more babies than almost anyone around!' Her role at the home came after two decades of similar community outreach work, which all began in 1948 when she was accepted to train for the Deaconess Order.

Rushing through the streets of Adelaide in the middle of the night was all part of a day’s work for Miss Betty By (Elizabeth) Resthaven Leak, who celebrated her 100th birthday on 11th February, 2024.

The training took place in Kew, Victoria, and on returning to South Australia, Betty began a vocational appointment at Clearview in 1951. She was stationed at Blair Athol for 12 months, where church services, Sunday school and Ladies’ Guild meetings were all held in local homes until the church was built. Her next year was spent at Clearview, during which time her dedication took place at the Pirie Street Uniting Church on 24th February 1953. Appointments then followed in Broken Hill in 1954 and Port Adelaide in 1956, where Betty was called to help with the establishment of Wesley House. Like Resthaven, Wesley House is a community service associated with the Uniting Church in Australia. Betty was ordained in 1963 and then went to work at Pirie Street, Adelaide in 1964. She then went back to Port Adelaide in 1967 and was made a Senior Deaconess in 1968.

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Throughout all these appointments, Betty says her love of arts and crafts would come through as a way to connect with others. She often ran the arts and crafts groups, and would teach people new skills in sewing, crochet, card making, basket weaving, or any other craft they showed an interest in. At Wesley House, the weekly craft sessions culminated in a yearly fete, where the handmade treasures were sold to raise money for the church. Betty was the eldest of five children (including a brother who died when he was just five days old), and her family moved from Pinnaroo to Malpas in 1926 when she was two years old. Her earliest recollections were of a happy childhood on the farm. ‘It was a 30-mile (around 50km) trip to go to Loxton for shopping and sport. On one occasion driving home late at night, I remember the car became stuck in the sand, and we had to walk the rest of the way home, with mum and dad carrying the younger children,’ said Betty. She left school at 13 years of age to care for her mother who was sick. She also helped with the growing and harvesting of vegetables which helped supplement her dad's income – enough that they were able to put money aside to invest in a fruit orchard. It was hard work trekking behind a one-horse, single-furrow plough when preparing the ground for sowing, but in 1941 the family had saved up enough to buy an orchard in Ramco near Waikerie.

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Betty continued to work with her family on the orchard, pruning vines and picking fruit until her training in Victoria in 1948. The commercial property is still in the family, with her brother Doug, who is now 91, and his family growing citrus and grapes on it. Returning to Waikerie to care for her mother in 1975 after her dad had passed away, Betty quickly found her place within the local church once more. She took on some local preaching roles, occasionally taught the Sunday School, and led the Group Bible Study at Waikerie Community Senior Citizens’ Home’s Warrawee Lodge. She also performed pastoral care for the elderly in the local hospital. Even when she retired, Betty continued to spend two days a week at the hospital daycare centre where she helped with craft work. She did this for around 30 years, and it was only a global pandemic that could slow her down and stop her from attending the craft group and the church. To date, nothing has stopped her crafting at home! Crochet is still a daily activity for Betty, and she is currently working on a rug that will be donated to the local charity shop. Betty estimates it’s one of thousands of crocheted items she has made – often completing items within about two weeks.The church has really given me a wonderful life,’ Betty says. And it’s clear, there is much that Betty has done for the church and the community. (Source: Resthaven Media Release)

160th

Celebrating the past … looking forward to the future Brighton Uniting Church will celebrate its 160th Anniversary of the opening of its building at 443 Brighton Road, Brighton, on May 5th, 2024.We honour and pay tribute to the people who had the vision and confidence to build a substantial church building when Brighton was a farming community with primitive roads. The opening services of the new Wesleyan Methodist Chapel were held on Sunday, May 1st, 1864. The Wesleyan Methodists had been meeting as a worshipping community in Brighton since 1847, originally under an upturned boat.

From 1878, Brighton was part of the Glenelg Circuit, and was supportive in the establishment of several churches, including Marion, and in 1982, the Hallett Cove Uniting Church. Over the years there have been modifications and additions, including large halls in 1883, 1918 and 1959. There has been great community use of these halls to the present day. The stained-glass windows are a beautiful witness to the devotion that has been poured into the church’s life by individuals and families. In 2014, on the 150th Anniversary, a Thanksgiving stained-glass window was dedicated. The wooden cross on the front of the building, facing Brighton Road, was added in 1997. It is constructed

from timbers from the old Brighton Jetty, and has a time capsule embedded in the back. Brighton UC celebrates the past, but looks forward to the future. Society has experienced great changes, but we continue the witness of God’s love, and the vision of our founding pioneer families in Brighton. The celebration on Sunday, May 5th, will include a 10am Worship Service, with guest preacher, Moderator Rev Peter Morel and will be followed by lunch. At 1:30pm Peter Kelsall will give a recital on the Memorial Organ, installed in 1951 and dedicated to those who served in World War II.

Brighton has extensive records and archives and these will also be available for inspection on May 5th, and from Monday, 6th to Wednesday, 8th May, from 10am to 3pm, as part of South Australia’s History Festival. All are welcome to join in the activities and celebration. For more information visit: https://brighton.ucasa.org.au.

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Stokes Bay Uniting Church reopening By Pastor Conrad Tickner

In 2019-20 fires swept across Kangaroo Island and burned 211,474 hectares of land. The summer fire was the largest in the island’s recorded history and burned more vegetation than any fire on the island. Many homes, vehicles, stock and two lives were lost. The Stokes Bay community lost their hall, a central place in the life of the community where they could gather for celebrations, church services, sports tournaments and Christmas shows. The Stokes Bay uniting Church combined with the Parndana Uniting Church Congregation for fellowship, services and a place to call home until the Stokes Bay hall could be rebuilt. Over the last 3 years there has been the rebuilding of the Stokes Bay Community Hall, and with the help of the Prince’s Trust Australia, on Saturday, 25th November last year the new hall, tennis courts and play area were opened in an official ceremony. On the following Sunday 26th November, the Stokes Bay Uniting Church commenced their first service back at what the locals call ‘Amen corner’ in the new Stokes Bay Community Hall. 56 people were in attendance in their first service, with some visitors from the Mainland, 2 from the Kingscote congregation, but the majority were from the local community. This was all about the Stokes Bay Church and community to shine at this important occasion. The Service had a reflection of the church’s history spoken by Des Pratt, a slide show of past photographs of where the church has come from, singing and worship and a message spoken by Pastor Conrad on the ‘Love of God’ with two people responding to accept Jesus at the conclusion of the service. The night finished with food in celebration of the restart of Stokes Bay Uniting Church. For the next few months Stokes Bay Uniting Church will meet on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month while they rebuild, meeting at 5pm with a pooled dinner to share. The Parndana Uniting Church has gone into recess till early 2024, to allow resources to be focused on the restart of Stokes Bay. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for Kangaroo Island and the Uniting Churches, it has been a journey and God has not finished yet!

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The United Church of Christ in the Philippines By Rev Christa Megaw

During October last year, four Uniting Church Deacons, Revs Sandy Boyce, Juleen Villis, Judy Knowling and Christa Megaw attended the Diakonia Asia Pacific conference. This conference was held in Tagaytay, south of Manila in the Philippines. The theme was ‘Justice: God’s agenda’ and this was explored through Bible studies and sessions. This was also an opportunity to connect with deaconesses across the Philippines, Indonesia and Fiji and stand in solidarity with them. The conference was also an opportunity to re-connect with our partner church – The United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP.) The Uniting Church in South Australia has a longstanding partnership with the UCCP, with a commitment to mutually support each other and learn from each other. Mount Barker Uniting Church has a partnership with the Uptown UCCP church. A significant group in the morning congregation at Mount Barker UC were born in the Philippines and are now having families of their own.

Rev Juleen Villis (Deacon from Mount Barker UC) with members of the Uptown Church in the Philippines

In 2017 a church that some of the members attended whilst in the Philippines was hit by an earthquake and rendered unsafe. They decided to partner with them – the UCCP, and support them to repair their church. They worked through the South Australian Synod and their Bishop to draft a partnership agreement, which began with the words: ‘Arising out of personal relationships between people in Mount Barker Uniting Church SA and UCCP, this Memorandum of Agreement seeks to express a response to God’s call to join in mission together …’ They have had some services with shared liturgies and prayers, as well as providing financial assistance to repair the roof of the Uptown church.

Bishop Francisco S. Aviso Jr from Middle Luzon sends his greeting to us:

‘The United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) partnership with the Uniting Church in SA is a partnership in God’s mission responding to the least, last and lost of our siblings, who are on the margins of society. We in the UCCP find meaning and fulfillment in such a partnership to usher in God’s reign on earth as it is in heaven. Truly, we radiate our link to Christ and each other in our mutual partnership. May the Living and Loving God continue to bless our partnership for the sustained and faithful proclamation of the Good News of transformation and life abundant!’ We look forward to continuing this partnership with the UCCP. Contact Rev Christa Megaw christamegaw@gmail.com with any queries.

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‘A Cry Went Up in the Desert’ Rev Dr Tom Atherton and Margaret Gunn

Book Review by Rev Philip Gardner

Rev Dr Tom Atherton was an experienced minister and academic who was in placement at Woomera when the Federal Government began using it as a Detention Centre. Along with his Catholic colleague Father Jim Monaghan he attempted to minister to the inmates of the centre. In exchange for opportunities for worship leading and pastoral care they were expected not to crticise the conditions in the centre or the policies of the government. Tom felt the need to communicate with someone and decided that Margaret Gunn would be that person. Margaret wrote the only supportive email, among a flood of negative ones, after Tom had commented in the news about the situation in Woomera. Thus began six months of emails from Tom to Margaret as he worked through the politics and complexities of ministry in this unfolding context. Tom has since passed away and Margaret, with his prior permission, has edited and published the emails. She has written a very helpful introduction, framing the correspondence in its historical context and sharing some of her editorial decisions. As she explains, Tom was new to email as a form of communication – and especially early on it shows! Tom’s style and thoughts are sometimes eccentric and annoying (at least for me) and I am sure that some people will be maddened by his politics. However, this is an important primary document that gives one a sense of the confusion and chaos of the unfolding situation.

Moreover, one senses the moral and ethical dilemmas that Tom faced as he wrestled with his desires to advocate for justice for the detainees and to rail against the government’s decisions on the one hand, and the need to hold his tongue so that he can offer pastoral care on the other. These emails therefore are an outlet for his sense of justice while he continues to be present to and for the detainees and some staff. Margaret has given us a great gift, a fascinating case study, written in the midst of one of the great justice issues in our recent history. mediacomeducation.org.au/shop/a-cry-went-up-in-the-desert/

... one senses the moral and ethical dilemmas that Tom faced as he wrestled with his desires to advocate for justice for the detainees and to rail against the government’s decisions on the one hand, and the need to hold his tongue so that he can offer pastoral care on the other.

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Toward a Theology of Hybrid Identities, Hyphenated Cultures and Liminal Spaces By Rev Cyrus Kung

Our theology is never divorced from our own personal and communal life experience. How we engage with the world is as much about who we are as it is about how we are formed by the God who holds all things together. The context and concerns of our external landscapes often take the lead role in our contemplation of who we are. However, the thoughts, feelings and perspectives of our internal landscapes are also trying to meet us with strong, still and silent promptings. As a hybrid person, a Second Generation Asian Australian, and a Minister in a diverse church, naming our internal as well as our external landscapes better prepares me for any articulation of a theology true to our multifaceted experiences of God. My Western theological education reminds me of the words that John Calvin wrote in the beginning chapters of ‘The Institutes of Christian Religion,1

‘To know God you must first know yourself and to know yourself you must know God.’

In the mid-twentieth century the countercultural American trappist monk Thomas Merton similarly wrote of loving ourselves and loving others in a paradoxical way:

‘We cannot love ourselves unless we love others, and we cannot love others unless we love ourselves. But a selfish love of ourselves makes us incapable of loving others. The difficulty of this commandment lives in the paradox that it would have us love ourselves unselfishly, because even our love of ourselves is something we owe to others.2

John. Calvin Beveridge, Henry, ‘The Institutes of Christian Religion.’ Stilwell: Neeland Media LLC, (2014), 31.

Thomas Merton, ‘No Man is an Island, (2021), iv.

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In my experience as a Second Generation Asian Australian, when I engage in the tremendous task of reaching to both sides of a rift, I place myself in liminality, caught in between a place of great compassion and also great suffering. This is true because I see both sides of a story and often find myself holding great empathy that turns into great despair because I can see the polarities that exist. However, this is the place of the cross, of both suffering and compassion, a place in which boundless creativity, a grace beyond measure can be manifested. These two polarities are constantly competing for my attention, yelling and scratching at my soul, pulling me into both directions, wanting full control of me. Asian American theologian Jung Young Lee understands this tension through the person of Jesus as the margin or marginality, the one who holds the liminal tensions of the in-between together. Lee writes,

The challenge for those wrestling with liminal places, hybrid theologies and hyphenated identities is learning to navigate Merton’s paradox and Lee’s tensions of the in-between. The questions that arise for us all is: How do we find grace for not only the external landscapes that poke at our insecurities? But also find grace for our internal landscapes when we want to abandon the love of the other for our own safety. What is the place of Christ and the Spirit in this tension? How do we not only visit the margins but also live in the margins? How do we not only visit liminal spaces, but also embrace them?

‘The more he [Jesus] was rejected, the more he sufferedloneliness … loneliness and suffering are intensely relational, but different. Loneliness is a suffering expressed in detachment while suffering is pain expressed in attachment. That is why they co-exist.’3

Lee, ‘Marginality,’ pp. 92–93.

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Being Begun Anew By Dr Bart B Bruehler

My family and I recently relocated across the world from the United States to Australia so I could commence a new role at the Uniting College for Leadership and Theology in Adelaide. As you can imagine, this entailed all kinds of endings—the selling of our cars and home, ceasing work with churches and nonprofits, and a change in lots of relationships. It also brought many new beginnings. So many new beginnings! Housing, bank accounts, cell phones, schools, and many others. We felt called by God to make this around the world move, but it took a lot of effort on our part, and the help of a lot of others to make it happen. Our new beginning was a summons of grace, but our work on it has been exhausting and very present to us. As we approach Easter, my northern hemisphere roots, call to mind all the new beginnings of springtime that have long been associated with the new life offered to us in the resurrection of Jesus in that part of the world. In Spring, the world seems to come back to life of its own accord—the days grow longer, buds appear, the early flowers spring from the ground. We affirm that God has made the world and set things in motion, but we also sense that these new beginnings occur by natural instinct and of their own accord. These two senses of new beginnings, that they take a lot of effort or that they happen automatically, can tend to inform our intuitions about the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is God (John 10:30), and the ‘author of life’ (Acts 3:15), right? Even if Jesus’s body is killed, isn’t it just natural and normal for Jesus to still be alive and to bring that body back to life? Or, isn’t it true as we sing in a popular song that ‘Jesus is mighty to save

… he conquered the grave.’ Jesus in his divine power causes this new beginning; his authority and glory defeat death. There is some thread of truth in both of those perspectives, truth even supported by a few Scriptures (like John 10:18). However, the majority testimony of the New Testament is that ‘God raised Jesus from the dead.’ This proclamation recurs in the great speeches of Acts (2:32, 4:10, 5:30, 10:40, 13:30). The fact that God (the Father) raised Jesus from the dead is at the foundation of Paul’s understanding of the Gospel (Rom. 6:4, 2 Cor 5:15, Gal. 1:1, Php. 2:9, Eph. 1:20, and other passages). Jesus’s return to full, embodied life is not a natural outcome or the result of his own power exercised for his own sake. Rather, Jesus is dead, and God acts on Jesus’ behalf to raise him back to life. This lesson is not lost on Peter who counsels his audience to follow Jesus’ example as the one who ‘entrusted himself to him who judges justly’ rather than taking their cause into their own hands. Jesus models for us how to live even in his death. He trusts God to launch that new beginning, his re-newed life. May we remember and live the truth that we are not beginning things anew of our own accord in this Easter season but that we are being begun anew by the resurrection power of God. Dr Bart Bruehler is the Director of Biblical Studies at Uniting College for Leadership and Theology. Most recently teaching at Indiana Wesleyan University. He holds a PhD in New Testament from Emory University and is ordained in the Free Methodist Church. We welcome Bart and his family to South Australia.

Professor Bart B. Bruehler is from Indiana Wesleyan University. Bart will be teaching Pauline Letters and Interpreting the New Testament this semester at Uniting College. Bart is married to Anne, and they have three children. He is the author of A Public and Political Christ and Holding Hands with Pascal. He is currently working on a sociorhetorical commentary on the Gospel of Luke and researches how our bodies, minds, and cultures work together to shape our reading of biblical texts. He plays the trombone and enjoys baking all kinds of bread.

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Easter 2024 As the Easter season approaches, a range of resources have been created to support congregations including: Moderator’s video message PowerPoint templates Social media graphics. All resources are available from the Synod website at the following link: https://sa.uca.org.au/easter

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Angela Porter’s Commissioning

From left to right: Moderator Rev Peter Morel, Pastor Angela Porter (newly commissioned chaplain for Helping Hand Lightsview and Golden Grove sites), Rev Wendy Prior (Chaplaincy and Supervision Manager), Pastor Paul Hodgson (Coordinating Chaplain Helping Hand).

Uniting Church Schools Have Faith in Education

The independent schools associated with the Uniting Church Synod of SA provide education for around 6,000 students from Early Learning to Year 12. They offer a variety of learning environments, world-class facilities and high academic standards. Students are valued and cared for, and faith diversity is respected. The story, values and practices of the Christian faith are expressed with integrity to nurture young lives for sound learning, faith, compassion and service.

Annesley Junior School

Pedare Christian College

Pilgrim School

Prince Alfred College

Scotch College

Seymour College

Westminster School

28 Rose Terrace Wayville 5034 08 8422 2288 www.annesley.sa.edu.au

12-30 Surrey Farm Drive Golden Grove 5125 08 8280 1700 www.pedarecc.sa.edu.au

2 Campus Drive Aberfoyle Park 5159 08 8270 3033 www.pilgrim.sa.edu.au

PO Box 571 Kent Town 5071 08 8334 1200 www.pac.edu.au

Carruth Road Torrens Park 5062 08 8274 4333 www.scotch.sa.edu.au

546 Portrush Road Glen Osmond 5064 08 8303 9000 www.seymour.sa.edu.au

1-23 Alison Avenue Marion 5043 08 8276 0276 www.westminster.sa.edu.au

CLASSIFIED MORIALTA CHARITABLE TRUST FUND Morialta Charitable Trust Fund has been supporting disadvantaged children, young people and their families in South Australia through its annual program of distributions for 40 years. To enable the Fund to continue this support through community organisations in South Australia, Morialta Charitable Trust Fund seeks donations from the public. Donations of $2 and above are tax deductible and can be forwarded to the Morialta Charitable Trust Fund at PO Box 92, Crafers SA 5152.

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

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Placements News Placements finalised as at 9th February 2024 Elissa Inglis (MOP) to Sunset Rock UC (0.5) from 12 February 2024 Rev Naomi Duke to Seeds UC (Associate Pastor) (0.8) from 12 February 2024 Rev Geoff Hurst to St Andrew's by the Sea UC (Glenelg) from 1 March 2024 Rev Do Young Kim to Athelstone from 1 April 2024 Advertised Placements: Please see Positions Vacant for more details.

Wimala Presbytery

Vacant placements The following is the list of vacant (or soon to be vacant) approved placements:

PROFILES AVAILABLE Generate Presbytery Ceduna UC (0.6) Clare UC County Jervois Parish UC Cowell UC, Cleve UC, Driver River UC Naracoorte UC Western Eyre Uniting Parish Cummins UC, Lock UC, Yeelanna UC

Presbytery of Southern SA Blackwood UC Church of the Trinity UC Glengowrie UC (0.5) Seacliff UC from 1 August 2024

Barossa Congregations (0.9) Dernancourt UC (0.6-0.7) Kimba UC (0.5) Morialta UC Payneham Road UC (0.5)

Placements Across Two Presbyteries County Jervois Parish

PROFILES NOT YET AVAILABLE Generate Presbytery Flinders(0.6) Booleroo Centre UC, Booleroo Whim UC, Melrose UC, Wirrabara UC, Wilmington UC Goolwa UC Port Augusta UC (0.5)

Presbytery of Southern SA Vermont Fijian UC South West Fleurieu (0.4-0.5)

Wimala Presbytery Berri UC / Barmera UC West Lakes United For more information about placements, please visit sa.uca.org.au

Deadline for the New Times Autumn edition 2024: Friday, 5th April 2024 ISSN 0726-2612 New Times is the voice of Uniting Church in SA. Published bi-monthly, February through November, New Times represents the breadth, diversity and vision of Uniting Church members in South Australia. Articles and advertising do not necessarily reflect the views of the New Times Editorial team.

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