Take an About FACE place

Applications are being called for this year’s About FACE (Faith And Cultural Exchange) program, which allows participants a unique experience with Aboriginal reconciliation and solidarity processes at partner churches.

About FACE is open to adults aged between 18 and 30 years, who elect to spend two weeks at either an Aboriginal community or a UCA partner church in the Asia Pacific region.

The program is a national activity of the UCA and is about building relationships, sharing faith, experiencing a different culture and growing in Christian discipleship.

For more than two decades it has aimed to raise awareness of what it means to live in a global community and to share resources and opportunities responsibly. Its key message is to create an ‘about face’ in the attitudes and lifestyles of participants, and to build friendships and bridges of understanding.

Applications for the 2010 intake close on Friday, 12 March. Read the full story here at the Uniting Church Vic Tas Media Room.

Visit www.aboutface.org.au for more information (and to download further information for applicants and application forms). Contact organisers Jill or Tess at the JIM Unit on (03) 9251 5266.

Proof of miracle needed for sainthood?

Australia – described in the 19th century by a Scottish church minister as “the most Godless place under heaven” – will get its first saint when Sister Mary MacKillop is canonised by Pope Benedict XVI later in the year.

Some Protestant church leaders have, however, raised questions about the need to find “proof of a miracle” in order for her sainthood to be confirmed.

Mary MacKillop, the daughter of a Roman Catholic, Scottish immigrant, at just 24, established the Order of the Sisters of St. Joseph in South East Australia in the late 1800s.

A teaching order, known locally as the “brown Joeys” after their brown habits, brought the first educational experiences to many of Australia’s rural poor then.

The recognition in 2009 of a second miracle attributed to MacKillop, has ensured she has passed the last stage of the three stages needed for her to be granted sainthood.

Faithful and inspirational, MacKillop had a reputation as a feisty woman who more than once clashed with male clergy in the area. At one point, when she was 29, she was excommunicated for disobedience. After she was readmitted to the church, she clashed with a local bishop who complained about her non-hierarchal style.

But MacKillop persisted in her calling, eventually leaving a legacy of schools for the poor, an orphanage, a refuge for women at risk plus, and a team of inspirational nuns to carry on the work.

Due to Australia’s heritage as a place for Britain to send convicts and an inherent suspicion of religion and clergy by many ordinary people, a Presbyterian minister, the Rev. James Denny, in 1849 claimed Australia to be “the most Godless under heaven”.

Even 150 years later, the proposal to canonise an Australian as a saint, has caused widespread discussion in the country’s media.

Two non-Catholic church leaders have raised questions of the Vatican’s need to find a miracle in order to recognise Sister Mary’s saintly work.

John Bodycomb a Protestant writer and commentator and former dean of students at the Uniting Church’s Theological College in Melbourne, wrote that while he has “long admired” MacKillop, “I find (it) questionable that the record of this good and godly woman must be adorned with miracle stories.”

Writing in Crosslight, the newspaper of the Uniting Church in Australia, Bodycomb, says the need to find miracles of divine intervention raises questions about God and MacKillop, noting, “I am uneasy with a divinity who/that can be manipulated by Mary MacKillop or any other singularly good person.”.

Bodycomb told Ecumenical News International he wrote the letter “to get people questioning the utter nonsensical theology that miracles imply”. He said did not want the work of MacKillop cheapened.

Bishop Glenn Davies from the Anglican diocese of Sydney says the sanctification of MacKillop raises questions of poor theology and it confuses the process of miracle making, which he believes in.

Writing on the Sydney Anglican Web site, Davies says MacKillop’s work is inspirational, however, “It is not the woman but the theology behind this move with which Anglicans would disagree.”

“Firstly, to award such a person with sainthood for these achievements and two alleged miracles is to misunderstand what the Bible describes as the qualifications of a saint.” Sainthood, he insists it a title for all people who have been forgiven their sins.

Secondly, “The Roman Catholic Church’s process of canonisation obscures the importance of God’s description of his people and replaces it with a human analysis of miracle working.”

This story is from ENI. Visit their web site at www.eni.ch

Latest aged care project begins at Noble Park

A next generation $17.6 million residential and community services project in Noble Park is the latest move by Uniting Aged Care Victoria & Tasmania (UACV&T) to provide for the current and future needs of the local community.

UACV&T, one of the largest aged-care providers in Australia, is responding to the demanding challenge of providing more aged care facilities to those in our communities who need it the most. This includes a commitment of services for older people living independently and to those who need care in a residential setting.

The development at UACV&T’s Trewint site at Noble Park is the organisation’s third announced in the last four months. It follows a $10.2 million development for 50 units throughout Tasmania and a $36.2 million continuing-care retirement community in Melbourne’s Kingsville.

The Noble Park project will provide 68 residential beds and modern community care facilities over three levels.

“The Uniting Church in Australia has a long and proud history of service provision to older people in Noble Park through its community services and residential care at Twewint. It is exciting to be able to ensure continuity of services which will meet future community expectations in contemporary facilities,” said Robyn Batten, UACV&T executive director.

The current facility’s 31 residents will remain on the site during the staged development. When the new residential facility is completed, the residents will move to the new complex, allowing construction of the community services facility.

All efforts will be made to minimise noise and disturbance for the residents during this time. Construction has commenced and will be completed in mid-2011.

At the sod-turning ceremony was Alan Griffin, Federal Member for Bruce, Jim Memeti, Mayor for Greater Dandenong, UACV&T representatives, Uniting Church Moderator Isabel Thomas Dobson and Kane construction stakeholders.

UC pursues climate change policies

Despite the hype of a global resolve at the Copenhagen climate change negotiations, the result is viewed by the Uniting Church as disappointing.

The final agreement, which is known as the Copenhagen Accord, supports keeping the global average temperature increase below 2oC, but has failed to make any commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

However, the UC is continuing to push the Australian Government to take greater action and to increase its greenhouse gas reduction target.

In November, Uniting, Catholic, Anglican and Baptist churches and the Salvation Army in the Coburg, Brunswick area collectively petitioned the government to take greater action on climate change.

Kelvin Thomson, federal Member of Parliament for Melbourne’s Wills electorate, accepted the 850-strong signature petition but said there was little Australia could do if larger, developing countries didn’t agree to emission reduction targets.

Although he said that sustainability starts at home, he admitted Australia was yet to make proficient use of available technologies and increase renewable energy incentives.

“Countries know they need to take action to address climate change, but most countries want others to do as much as possible while they do as little as possible.” said Cath James, UC Victoria and Tasmania Synod environment project officer.

Australia is a relatively wealthy country so it’s in a position to do more to address climate change than countries like China and India which are still battling with extreme poverty. However, collective action is needed, so everyone has to do their fair share,” she said.

The church also supports the call by Micah Challenge a global campaign of Christians speaking out against poverty and injustice. It says rising sea levels and changing weather conditions are already threatening food supplies and access to safe water, endangering lives, destroying island homes and cultures and displacing some of our poorest global neighbours.

As Crosslight reported in September 2008, low-lying island nations have the most to lose by increasing temperatures and subsequent rises in sea levels.

Tuvalu is one such nation and has affiliated links with the UC. This and other neighbouring island states in the Pacific are the ones at serious risk of losing their countries, livelihoods and identity.

“Already there are an estimated 150,000 extra deaths each year because of climate change, most of them children. Far from making poverty history, climate change threatens to make poverty permanent,” said national coordinator of Micah Challenge Australia, John Beckett.

But the importance of preventing disasters hasn’t just been a reaction to the obvious plight of these countries. The UC has been at work on environmental sustainability at home since the Basis of Union over 32 years ago.

In 1978 the church passed a Synod resolution calling on congregations, presbyteries and households to reduce their energy consumption by 10%.

In addition, there are also resolutions regarding energy efficient construction of new buildings, insulation and solar powered hot water heating. The Synod building itself has also undergone an energy audit and subsequent actions to reduce its energy use.

Uniting Church schools across Victoria and Tasmania have also been teaching students about sustainability models. Acacia College has gone the extra mile by building a near-entirely environmentally friendly school.

The Justice and International Mission unit (JIM) has recently released a second edition of the Energy Audit Handbook to assist congregations to make changes to their energy use.

What else can UC members do in 2010 to help environmental policies?

JIM director Mark Zirnsak said churches in Australia should be supportive of action that will bring to an end the political impasse that currently means no action is being taken.

“This inaction is because those who want no action and those who want high levels of action effectively clash to block a moderate path being taken to curb Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“We need to start on a path to reduce our emissions, and limited action as a starting point needs to be seen to be better than no action at all,” said Mr Zirnsak.

Copies of the Energy Audit Handbook can be obtained through Cath James on (03) 9251 5279.

Faith forum for the future

The future of how church agencies and congregations work together will be discussed in an open forum for the first time in April.

People from across the Uniting Church are invited to register for the ‘Engaging in God’s Mission Together’ forum on 20-21 April.

The forum will explore the 21st Century reality that across the synod and Australia, many congregations are getting smaller and older while some UnitingCare agencies are getting larger and stronger.

“During recent consultations across the sector, the CFM board became aware of an emerging sense of dis-ease as congregations, agencies and associated councils come to grips with the new relationship,” Commission For Mission (CFM) executive director Rev David Pargeter said.

“This new dynamic is altering the landscape. Small agencies that were once closely integrated with congregations’ engagement in local community have become multi-million dollar enterprises delivering significant services that require very different forms of governance and infrastructure.

“How are we to move together into this new reality so that we don’t end up with congregations, who have a deep sense of social engagement, feeling increasingly disenfranchised from the community service life of the UCA? Or agencies, that have grown out of congregational life – are they feeling disconnected from the local faith community?”

He says it is understandable that congregations might be tempted to look for and accept apparent attractive economic arrangements with agencies during times of vulnerability.

“But what if these lead to even greater vulnerability and even less capacity for self determination or direction setting for ministry and mission? Some of these perceptions and questions are like the elephants in the room that no one wants to name.”

He said this forum will provide the church with an opportunity to converse, name the issues and uncover ways of working together to serve the community with integrity and faith.

Also being discussed will be effective participation in God’s mission in the world.

“There are some huge changes going on and the forum will serve to ask what it will mean to be faithful together in the next 10 years,” said UnitingCare Agency congregations relations manager Andrew Philips.

“It asks questions like, could we have church facilities without the congregations?”

“It will be an open debate designed to clarify the issues. It is the intention that this prompts further discussions, bringing the people passionate about these issues together,” said UnitingCare interim director Charles Gibson.

“It’s following through on a strong commitment to facilitate stronger and effective relationships.”

It is hoped attendees will include congregational, presbytery, agency and wider synod members and staff.

Registrations close on Friday, 19 March.

To register and to find out more visit http://victas.unitingcare.org.au, phone (03) 9251 5262 or email info@victas.unitingcare.org.au.

Road accident memorial consultation

Consultations are being held to develop a permanent memorial to acknowledge those who have died and been seriously injured on Victorian roads.

The initiative comes from the Road Trauma Support Services Victoria (RTSSV), a community-based counselling service funded by the Transport Accident Commission (TAC). It also supports people in their grief and the commemoration of their loved ones.

Since 2001 RTSSV and the Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania have organised an annual Time of Remembrance ceremony. It is held on the third Sunday of November, designated by the United Nations as World Remembrance Day for Road Crash Victims.

The TAC has now provided initial funding for the consultation phase. A series of consultations with affected groups and individuals is taking place to learn about how people believe it should be developed.

One of these will be held on Wednesday, 10 March at 6pm, at the Uniting Church Centre, 130 Lt Collins Street. It is being organised in conjunction with the Victorian Council of Churches and the Faith Communities Forum of Victoria.

“Road accidents have affected thousands of Victorians during the last hundred years. Each individual’s connections to family and friends is irreplaceable and life aspirations and contributions within the community have been lost or changed,” said Uniting Church disability inclusion spokesperson, Andy Calder.

In 2006 Road Trauma Support Services Victoria held a Forum about roadside memorials for its volunteers and members. The forum supported the installation of safe roadside memorials. There was also support expressed for the development of a permanent memorial.

“Grief takes many forms, and so the types of memorials may also take many forms. RTSSV believe that there is a need to commemorate people killed and injured in the past and in the future.”

Following a meeting in 2007 with the Hon Tim Holding, Minister for the Transport Accident Commission, discussions were held with TAC staff and other interested parties to further develop this vision of a permanent memorial.

The TAC has provided initial funding support for the project, and the Uniting Church is providing the necessary infrastructure. A Steering Committee has also been established.

To register for the first consultation on 10 March, for catering purposes please confirm by email to vcc@vcc.org.au by Friday March 5.

UniChurch closed, resources still available

On 24 December 2009 the retail shop of UniChurch Bookshop at 130 Little Collins Street closed.

However, you can still order your UCA Resources from an on-going ordering service located at the Synod office with the same phone number, fax number, and email address used to contact UniChurch.

UCA Resources include the following material; Together in Song, Uniting in Worship together with individual service books, a range of bibles, baptismal certificates, prayer and spiritual resources favoured by UCA ministers, lectionaries, constitutions and other UCA-specific material.

This is not a definitive list of material that will be available. More comprehensive details will be posted as they become available.

Contact UCA Resources by phoning 03 92515291 or email unichurch@victas.uca.org.au.

Roll up for Pancake Day 2010

Groups, schools and businesses across the state are invited to cook and sell pancakes next month for an important cause.

Pancake Day is UnitingCare’s annual fundraising event which encourages local people to help local people while having a great day of fun.

It is designed to raise money for those in the community suffering poverty and disadvantage by rallying thousands of people to cook and sell pancakes at self-organised events across the state.

By registering your group, you will receive a host pack with all the instructions and promotional materials to make your Pancake Day a success.

Groups have until February 12 to register.

Last year 659 groups registered in Victoria and Tasmania and, with your help, the event’s success can provide practical support to nearly 500,000 people helped by UnitingCare this year.

These are people without a home, vulnerable children, the frail and aged, families in crisis and those with disabilities.

Since UnitingCare Pancake Day began in 2002, more than 1.6 million pancakes have been cooked, topped and sold at more than 12,800 events across Australia.

To register your event or to give a donation, contact Joanna Sullivan, Major Events Coordinator on (03) 9251 5252 or email joanna.sullivan@victas.uca.org.au

For media enquiries, contact Michael Docherty, media liaison, on 0418 330 483 or (03) 9251 5222.

Moderator’s Christmas message

The Moderator of the Uniting Church in Australia Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, Isabel Thomas Dobson, reminds us to embrace the true Christmas spirit by living without greed and respecting our neighbours and environment.

Christmas is a time when we, along with the rest of the community, often get caught up in preparation, shopping, carols and gift giving. We know there is a real danger that, in all the excitement, the true meaning of Christmas can be lost.

In the Bible, St Luke’s story of the first Christmas shows us decisively that the relationship between God and humanity, from that time on, would never be the same. The familiar tale of ‘no room at the inn’ and the first visit by the shepherds tells us that God broke into the world with love and vulnerability.

God identified with the powerless, the poor, the oppressed and the homeless that first Christmas and brought a message of peace, hope and joy.

The radical edge of the Christmas message is often muted under the weight of our celebration and consumption. Yet the spirit of generosity and compassion after tragedies such as bushfire, tsunamis and earthquakes shows us that, at times, the message still breaks through.

However, a more sustained response to justice and equity is needed. Indigenous Australians’ health and education are far worse than the rest of society; some people continue to demonise asylum seekers and deny them the support they need.

Amid the excess of Christmas celebrations, do we still hear Jesus’ call to treat our neighbour as we wish to be treated?

Living with less greed and a smaller environmental footprint is fundamental to the message of peace and goodwill for the whole world. Each individual is a person of worth, created in the image of God. How do we live that way?

In this particular time and place, God still breaks into the world. God is here with us.

That is as startling now as when the shepherds first heard the message. They were galvanised into action as they went and saw for themselves the baby Jesus lying in a bed of hay, then went and told everyone the good news.

At Christmas time we can ask, what will we do in response to the message of peace and God’s presence with us?

May we all share in the peace and joy of Christmas and, as we give thanks for the blessings of peace and joy in your lives, may we extend this to others.

Grace and peace,

Isabel Thomas Dobson

Stamping another good year

This year’s Uniting Church Sammy Stamp collections have netted $25,896 in sales for a range of grants used to help others.

This brings the total funds raised through Sammy Stamp to $554, 552 since it began in 1977.

Sammy Stamp, short for the UCAF Special Needs Fund – Stamps, provides grants for smaller aid projects.

Funds are raised by the sale of used stamps and Met tickets collected from churches, business, houses and other organisations. Several times each year, stamps are also received from the generosity of estate donations.

The stamps are collected, sorted, trimmed, packaged and sold by an enthusiastic group of between 20-30 volunteers who meet at the Uniting Church in Australia Victoria and Tasmania synod office each Thursday.

 “It’s another great result. The tireless work of the dedicated volunteers achieved more than last year and we’re very grateful to them,” said SHARE director, David Hickey.

“It’s a great chance to also say thanks to the rural collectors who send in stamps regularly and the significant, wonderful volunteers who have given to the effort over a long term.”

In 2010, the most valuable stamps will be sold to the world on eBay for the first time. Until now, sales were made solely from the at 130 Little Collins Street on Thursday mornings.

This year’s funds were provided to 13 grants, ranging from disability support to housing assistance, bushfire and international aid.

Click here to find out more information about Sammy Stamp.