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Welcome from the Moderator
Glory to God in heaven, and peace on earth!
W
e are about to enter the season of Advent; a time of waiting for the Messiah, the one who brings joy and peace. When I think about the coming Christmas season, I am reminded of Isaiah’s words, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:2).
Rev. Myung Hwa Park Moderator
The Moderator is elected to give general and pastoral leadership to the Synod, assisting and encouraging expression and fulfilment of faith, and the witness of the Church.
Whatever darkness the prophet Isaiah perceived, whether he was thinking about communal or individual despair, he proclaimed the fact that Yahweh led people into the light, gave them victory, and liberated them from bondage. And this was to be accomplished by the gift of the ultimate ruler — a wonderful counsellor, the mighty God, the eternal Father and Prince of Peace. These words of the Hebrew prophet, spoken some eight hundred years before Jesus was born, closely resonate with the message of the angel: “Your saviour is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord.” According to Saint Luke (Luke 2: 14), the birth of Jesus Christ has a twofold meaning: glory to God in heaven and peace on earth among those whom God favours. For the last two millennia Christians have been praising and glorifying God for the wonderful gift of the Christ child, the incarnated one, Jesus, which in Hebrew means “God saves.” But sadly many are still experiencing wars and conflicts; witnessing incredible destruction of environments caused by human greed; condoning discrimination against race, gender, religion and sexual orientation, and living with indifference towards people whose need for safety is so great that they leave their homes and become refugees and boat people and asylum seekers.
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How do we reconcile these conflicting perceptions? How do we bear witness to the truth of the Christmas message “Peace on earth among those whom God favours” in our troubled world? In November I attended a special service, ‘Prayers of lament and support for all who have been abused”. The service was organised by Uniting Churches together with Adults Surviving Child Abuse (ASCA). This deeply moving service was a small step toward bringing peace to those who have been abused. For me it was also a clear witness of how Christ’s peace can become a reality among those whom God favours, that is, those who turn to God for comfort and insight into how they can experience peace in their lives. Once again this Christmas we join with two thousand Churches from nineteen denominations in the Act for Peace. The simple action of sharing through the Christmas Bowl stands us alongside the fifty million refugees, asylum seekers and displaced people in the world. And in this way we glorify God who is compassionate to the lost, the hungry, the abused and the stranger. It is my deep joy to bring you special Christmas greetings. It is my exceptional privilege to extend the blessing of God to you and all your family and friends in this time of joy and peace. May the spirit of Christmas bring you a loving and blessed festive time. And may we never cease to pray for a time in which this blessing will be shared with our waiting world. A time when no families experience domestic violence, no child is abused, no one is discriminated against or excluded from hearing the good news — the wonderful, joyous news, our Savior, the Prince of Peace is born to us! Insights December 2014 3
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24 Cover story Famed for its neon Coca Cola sign and notorious for its late-night peddling and unsavoury behaviour, the suburb of Kings Cross in the heart of Sydney is home to an eclectic bunch. From the well-heeled to the 10-inch-stiletto-heeled; the transients, the long-term homeless, the caregivers and everyone else in between. Behind the ‘always-on’ hub bub of Darlinghurst Road and Macleay Street, nestled amongst the buildings of a quiet street, you’ll find a place that’s as uniquely Kings Cross as it is oddly King Cross, The Wayside Chapel.
Regulars 3 from the Moderator 5 letters 7 news
40 fellowship news 42 updates from the General Secretary
Editor Adrian Drayton SUB-EDITING/PRoduction/ DESIGN Belle&Co Editorial/advertising/ DISTRIBUTION inquiries Phone 02 8267 4304 Fax 02 9264 4487 ADDRESS Insights, PO Box A2178, Sydney South, NSW, 1235 email insights@nsw.uca.org.au web www.insights.uca.org.au
Insights is published by the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of New South Wales and the ACT. Articles and advertising content do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or of the Uniting Church. Subscriptions: Australia $38.50 (incl. GST); overseas $50. © 2014. Contents copyright. No material from this publication
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may be copied, photocopied or transmitted by any means without the permission of the Editor. Circulation: 18,000. ISSN: 1036-7322 Commonwealth of Australia 2014
The Uniting Church in Australia is one of the country’s largest denominations. Our vision is that it will be a fellowship of reconciliation, living God's love, following Jesus Christ and acting for the common good to build a just and compassionate community of faith.
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Your Say Assembly discussion paper on marriage
I had always maintained a firm conviction that ‘marriage’ was a term that related specifically to a relationship of lifelong union between a man and a woman as husband and wife. You might say that this was my prejudice – a prejudice that I shared with our current Prime Minister and many others, but one that was strongly opposed by my own wife, my four children and their spouses.
Turn the other cheek
Christians should not accept any social injustice or abuse. In the September edition of Insights Rev. Dr Brian Brown said, “Jesus took the law to a higher level by proclaiming ‘Turn the other cheek’ and ‘go the second mile’”.Many would assume that means we should continue to put up with bad behaviour. But this is Jesus saying take a non-violent but defiant stance against abuse and injustice. The only message I heard that made sense of these proclamations put them in the context of the culture of that time. A master could only strike a slave with the back of the right hand. If he ‘turned the other cheek’ it was impossible for the master to strike again unless with an open right hand or the left hand, which were both inappropriate. Turning the other cheek would stop you being slapped again. By law a Roman soldier could ask you to carry their bags for a mile. To ‘offer to go the second mile’ would have embarrassed the soldier and if he accepted would have broken the law. This would highlight the oppressive regime the Romans had instigated. Similarly being sued for your tunic and then volunteering to give up your cloak would leave you naked. This would be of great embarrassment to both parties, especially in public. Jesus is advocating non-violent confrontation of social injustice. George Graham, Byron Bay insights.uca.org.au
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In recent times I have changed my views and have become a strong advocate of same-sex union as being a legitimate expression of ‘marriage’. The fundamental reason for my change of view has been an awareness that all of the same-sex couples that I know, or know of, share a devotion to each other that they consider to be every bit as profound as the relationship shared between most married men and women and, more importantly, they earnestly seek to have their relationship recognised as of equal status, not inferior or different in quality. It goes without saying that I believe we need a new definition for ‘marriage’. In reading the Assembly’s Discussion Paper on Marriage, I am even more firmly convinced that same-sex couples who seek to have their relationship blessed should be welcomed by the Church in a marriage ceremony that would be very similar to a traditional marriage. While, I acknowledge that a number of scriptural passages relating to marriage do talk specifically of male-female duality, I see these as being essentially cultural, rather than theological and consider that the sentiment that they refer to could just as easily be applied to a loving relationship between a same-sex couple. Notwithstanding the above, I am not comfortable with the terms ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ being applied to couples in a same-sex relationship. I feel both terms are essentially sexist and imply particular role stereotypes to the
respective partners. When it comes to the Purpose of Marriage in the Discussion Paper, it would simply be re-expressed as “a nurturing life-long relationship enabling the full expression of physical love between partners, unfolding over time within the boundaries of this exclusive relationship.” I believe homosexuality is a God-given aspect of humanity, “legitimated by creation”; “all human relationships suffer from fallenness to some extent”; and “same-gender partnerships should be recognised and blessed by the Church in order to bring such partnerships into the same orbit of discipline and public accountability as (other) relationships of marriage.” I think that the Uniting Church’s reversal of the order in which the traditional Christian approach to the purpose of marriage makes a lot of sense, with “mutual companionship and comfort” listed as the first priority, reflecting the Church’s recognition that each couple (including a samegender couple) is able to exercise a great degree of discretion and control over the decision to nurture children. Greg Newton, Bolton Point Quotes in this letter are from the Assembly Discussion Paper on Marriage.
Celebrating Auntie Dorrie
Thank you so much for the feature in October Insights. What a great presentation of a much loved leader, her dreams, passions and hard work. Hannie Hoffman, via Insights website
Pain and hurt
The six letters on the property discussion in November Insights eloquently express the pain and hurt many of us feel when places we love are threatened. As a Church we need to acknowledge and account for this hurt in a way that seems beyond the capability of modern business ethos. Insights December 2014 5
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Your Say But there needs to be a dose of reality too. Several years ago while travelling in northern England we saw a church building in the town of Horwich in the UK, which epitomised the property problem. It was a handsome stone structure, which had been gutted and sealed off in splendid isolation with cyclone wire and walls. Obviously the church authorities could not afford restoration, the congregation was long gone and the heritage strait jacket had impeded creative re-use. Closer to home, on a recent visit to a town in Victoria, attending the prominent century-old now Uniting Church we could not enter through the front door because the magnificent steeple was no longer safe, there being a hefty price tag on repair. Our challenge, as Christians, is to balance sensitively the emotion and the reality. John Court, via email
Stop fiddling around
I am an Elder and Church Councillor with the Woolgoolga congregation. I am an old retired stenographer/ private secretary whose little grey cells rest comfortably somewhere between alert/comprehending and galloping senility. I read and re-re-read Dr Tahaafe-Williams’ “Soapbox” in the November Insights and concluded that senility was just around my next corner. I concluded that she could possibly mean one of two totally different things, thus: • The UCA hieratic system is lacking the authority of a Bishop or two – with which I totally disagree; or, • The existing UCA hierarchy is not sufficiently confident to “lower the boom” on the competing wills of individual and collective church councils – which is probably correct. To which I now ask – why did we have a Synod gathering? I would suggest that Synod meetings are exactly the place to get the churches together and argue this funding/ property disposal problem out and reach a conclusion.
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For goodness sake, stop fiddling around and just get on with it, before Dr Tahaafe-Williams’ writings render my little grey cells mush! Gwyn Austen
The installation of Rev. Myung Hwa Park The Rev. Park is a gently impressive woman. I look forward to her leadership over the next three years. Jenny Barnes, via Insights website Congratulations to Rev. Park and the Synod of NSW/ACT! Peter Weeks, via Insights website I thank you for accepting the position of Moderator. You have a great deal to offer. I like your fresh ideas that will bring new life to The Uniting Church. You have come a long way since you first arrived at United Theological College in 1988. I look forward to what you are going to do over the next three years as you lead the Uniting Church to bigger and better things. May the Lord bless you and keep as you serve him in this wonderful way. Maurine Redenbach, via Insights website
Vox Pops from Synod 2014 We’ve had inspiring and thoughtprovoking moments, but I think we are dangerously calm and relaxed about certain things, whilst at the same time all having a great sense of discomfort about the lack of discussion time we are having to really talk amongst ourselves during the sessions. Cameron MacKenzie Everyone wants to talk about property, but it’s been spread along such a long period I think that by the time we get to make a decision the conversation is going to be convoluted and disconnected. I think there should be more time given to the big issues that are going to need to be decided on and are quite complex issues. We seem to rush through things without having time to work out what we are deciding. Paul Simpson, Candidate for Ministry at UTC
I found it a tame Synod in some ways. The reports have been very positive. I still feel as if we are not touching some of the issues, not getting to some of the real issues. Generally speaking the offices of the Synod and the people who have actually put things together have done a marvellous job. There hasn’t been time to talk about issues, but then again it is a reporting Synod so we have a lot more reports to receive. We’re not getting enough time to ask questions, that would be one of my big things and it’s an opinion I have heard expressed by a number of people. Ken Davies, Illawarra Presbytery I believe the time is right to work for the common good. I have been following Synod 2014 through the App and the creation of the Growth Fund is a great idea to achieve common good. Leaders need to be proactive. I personally feel that too much time is spent on decision making. Glad to see the use of technology by Synod. Unfortunately this has not trickled down to churches. It is also sad to see different congregations having different agendas to that of the Uniting Church. Clearly we the need goal congruence through effective leadership and communication. Shanil Fernando, via Insights website
Be rewarded for having Your Say Every contributor to Your Say gets a DVD or BluRay from the Insights prize cupboard this month! Our gift to you this Christmas! Your Say letters should be sent to insights@nsw.uca.org.au or posted to Insights, PO Box A2178 Sydney South NSW 1235. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.
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News Drought Relief Project making an impact in the northern tablelands The Singleton/Branxton Uniting Church Drought Relief Project began in January 2014 when a member of the congregation ‘farm sat’ for relatives on the northern tablelands. His relatives are part of a close knit community of 30 farm families and at the time, every farm was severely drought affected. When he returned to Singleton he reported the experience to members of his congregation. The congregation responded with financial and in-kind support. One local donated cattle drench, another donated the use of his truck and another his ute and fuel vouchers.
President of the Uniting Church calls on Christians to bring joy to Burma’s forgotten refugees this Christmas Mae Li and her husband just had enough time to take their children and escape when the Burmese army attacked in the night and destroyed their village. It was terrifying. “Life in Burma was very fearful. When the military attacked we were very afraid. If the military did not attack then it was ok but we were often afraid,” recounts Mae Li. She is one of over 120,000 people forced to flee their homes to escape death, violence and fear caused by the conflict in Burma and now living in refugee camps across the border in neighbouring Thailand. Life in the camp is hard, but at least Mae Li has felt safe here, up until now. Refugees like Mae Li rely on food rations to survive. But recently, rations in the camps have reduced because of funding shortages. Mae Li is terrified that if her rations are cut further she will have no choice but to take her family back to Burma. “I worry about my family’s future. For my children. If I go back to Burma we will all be afraid,” said Mae Li. Moved by this horrific situation, the Reverend Professor Andrew Dutney, insights.uca.org.au
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President of the Uniting Church of Australia, has called on Christians around Australia to take action and bring some Christmas joy to refugees like Mae Li this Christmas by making a gift to the Christmas Bowl appeal. “The Christmas Bowl is such a familiar part of the Uniting Church celebrations in Advent and Christmas that we almost take it for granted. On this 65th Anniversary of the Christmas Bowl I encourage all Uniting Church congregations and families to support the Christmas Bowl this year, making it a centrepiece in our celebration of the birth of Christ,” said Andrew. The Christmas Bowl is the Christmas appeal of Act for Peace, the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia. It brings together over 100,000 Christians of all denominations to give relief and hope to people suffering as a result of conflict and disaster at Christmas. It is hoped that members of the Uniting Church in NSW will raise even more than the $367,000 they generously gave to the appeal last year. You can give to the appeal, find out more or order a church fundraising kit with worship resources, by visiting www.actforpeace.org.au/ christmasbowl or calling 1800 025 101.
In April, 282 small bales of cow hay were delivered to one farmer who breeds Shorthorn cattle. A pallet of working-dog food was provided by a produce store in Glen Innes and a quantity of chocolate was donated by the Singleton Heights Foodworks store. After the hay was unloaded, a bag of dog food, a block of chocolate and a note were left at the 30 mail boxes of the small community. The note expressed appreciation from the Singleton community for the farmers’ efforts to provide food and fibre for our nation. Another load of hay was delivered during the winter, together with pamper packs (from Chemmart Pharmacy) and meal vouchers to the local tavern. More recently, Majestic Cinemas has stepped in as a sponsor and plans are already underway for a pre-Christmas delivery of goods. If you’d like to get involved and offer your support, please contact the Hunter Presbytery on (02) 4908 0888.
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News Price Trust allocates almost $60,000 to Church projects More than $56,000 has been allocated to Uniting Church projects in the latest round of grants from the Norman and Florence Price Memorial Trust. The Price Trust provides one-off funding for projects that help, in some way, to relieve poverty. Successful applicants included; •C orrimal Regional Uniting Church – to fund the development of a selfsustaining garden in the grounds of the Church • T he Jannawi Family Centre (Lakemba Uniting Church) – to fund a Family Relief Project that provides families in need with practical assistance and support
Asylum seeker research project: Giving voice to asylum seekers UnitingCare NSW.ACT has teamed up with researchers at Anti-Slavery Australia, based at the University of Technology Sydney, to conduct an exciting new research project. The aim of this research is to record the experiences of asylum seekers who are or were living on bridging visas in the community. In November 2011, the Government began releasing asylum seekers from detention into the community on bridging visas. Many of the people on these visas do not have work rights, and are not eligible for full welfare payments. This means they are wholly reliant on welfare and charity to survive in the community. There are also asylum seekers currently living in the community who do not have access to any welfare or support. UnitingCare NSW.ACT and the Uniting Church are extremely concerned about the welfare of these people. 8 Insights December 2014
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There is little to no public information on where asylum seekers on bridging visas are located or how they are surviving. This research project aims to fill this important information void. We want to provide a space for asylum seekers who have been or are currently on bridging visas to tell their story about how the system impacts/ impacted their lives. We know many Uniting Church Congregations and members individually provide support to asylum seekers in their community. The researchers also want to speak to you about your experiences. If you or someone you know might be interested, please get in touch. All information provided will be strictly confidential. The more people that we can speak to, the better our final report will be.
• J oshua’s Kitchen (Jannali Uniting Church) – to provide a free weekly community meal for up to 70 locals who are disadvantaged or socially isolated •S ydney South Uniting Church (Redfern) – to help fund the ongoing work of the Church’s crisis accommodation and meal service for men each Wednesday night •F inley Uniting Church (Southern Newell Parish) – to fund the operation of a social support service for young mothers with children with disabilities • T he Bread Hamper Ministry (Wagga Uniting Church) – to fund the purchase of a purpose-built cold store to store an increasing amount of fresh food being used in a local food bank program
For more information or to get involved please contact Liz Barrett, Principal Policy Officer at UnitingCare Children Young People and Families on 02 9407 3223 or email at lizbarrett@ unitingcarenswact.org.au insights.uca.org.au
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and said, “This Hall will be of great benefit and an asset to this small, yet central, rural community, which is an important part of the Cessnock Municipality.”
Moderator opens community hall at Black Hill The newly elected Moderator, Rev. Myung Hwa Park, recently attended the opening of Black Hill Church’s Community Hall where she gave her vision of the future for the UCA in relation to small country Churches and communities. Black Hill’s 150th Anniversary was celebrated on 18 November 2011. The present Church was built in the late 19th Century. The Moderator found the Church and Cemetery both historic and spiritually engaging, saying it was a credit to all concerned to see everything in this setting so very well maintained. “I am pleased that Black Hill’s Honorary Pastor, John Bryant, persisted in his efforts to speak convince me that I would enjoy this day. I have enjoyed the Service and the opportunity to meet and speak to you all in this remarkable, Holy place,” said Rev. Park. Rev. Warwick Cadenhead, Minister of our Linked Churches of Morpeth, East Maitland and Black Hill, conducted the Blessing and Dedication of Osborn Hall. The Mayor of Cessnock, Cr. Bob Pynsent accompanied by Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon MP, also spoke at the Ceremony. Mr Fitzgibbon said, “This is the first Community Hall in this District to be opened in over one hundred years and I have pleasure in unveiling the name plaque for this Hall, 'Osborn Hall', which recognises Noela Osborn and her family, whose forebears were early settlers at Black Hill.” The Mayor cut the blue satin ribbon insights.uca.org.au
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"To all the volunteers and the companies that donated: Donaldsons, Bloomfield, Coal & Allied, Daracon, Mark Woodbury, Bunnings, Masters, Cottons Glass & Aluminium together with some of the Community of Black Hill, we give thanks to God for making this venture happen," he said.
Gateway goes from strength to strength Located in the Blue Mountains, Gateway Family Services has grown from an outreach activity of Blaxland Uniting Church into a respected welfare agency in its own right. Originally formed in 1990 to respond to the needs of families in the local community, Gateway now serves a large geographic area from the upper Blue Mountains to Penrith in Western Sydney. Gateway became one of the leading providers of disaster relief for Blue Mountains families hit hard by bushfires last October and November. With around 210 homes and other buildings destroyed, these were the worst bushfires the area had seen since the 1960s, in terms of the human cost of homes destroyed and livelihoods lost. With the aid of a government grant and $7,000 from the Uniting Church Disaster Relief Fund, Gateway established the ‘Step By Step Bushfire Support Service’. Mrs Gwilliam, a volunteer at Gateway for 15 years, recalled that Gateway was “Flat out getting this off the ground very quickly.” 'Step By Step' provided varied services such as delivering crisis intervention, informal counselling, help with replacing lost documents and offering links to goods, services and financial grants. The service initially targeted 330 impacted households, by the time the project
wrapped up, it had provided support to 510. According to 'Step By Step’s' Manager, Anne Crestani, “Our aim was never to walk into people’s lives at a time when they were most vulnerable and ‘take over’, ‘rescue’, or ‘fix’.” In a speech delivered at a ceremony commemorating the oneyear anniversary of the fires, Ms Crestani said that she was impressed with the resilience of people who had lost almost everything. “We would often ask people during our conversations with them, ‘How have you been able to do that?’” “We were always provided with an answer that would elegantly and profoundly reflect each person’s unique version of determination, perseverance and irreverent humour. “For five weeks we packed, sorted, sourced food and donations, made up gifts (over 1,000 individual gifts were sorted) and finally, delivered these. “None of this could have been done without the generosity of locals, businesses, and a host of volunteers, many of whom turned up as strangers and left as friends,” said Ms Crestani. Mrs Gwilliam told Insights she was looking forward to working on the hampers again at the end of November, but hoped this year’s efforts would not be harder due to bushfires. For more information on Gateway Family Services, visit www.gatewayfamilyservices.org.au or call 1300 316 746 (local call cost). Jonathan Foye is a PhD Candidate at the University of Western Sydney and a freelance journalist
Daily news updates To get daily updates of news and events go to www.insights.uca. org.au or subscribe to our weekly E-News at nswact.uca.org.au/ about-us/connect/
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From the General Secretary’s desk Christmas memories
I
’ve been lucky enough to be involved in performances of three Christmas musicals at different times in my life. All of them have taught me something about the Christmas message, which I might otherwise have missed.
Rev. Dr Andrew Williams General Secretary The General Secretary is appointed by the Synod to provide leadership to the Church by actively engaging in strategic thinking about the life, direction, vision and mission of the Church.
The first was the beautiful Christmas cantata by Vaughan Williams — Hodie, which I performed with a group of school students. The text blends biblical language and poetry to weave again the story that is so familiar. The power of the music at several points is extremely compelling particularly the opening stanza of Hodie, Hodie Christus natus est (today Christ is born!). The music has both power and subtlety. And then of course there are the three wise men and their journey. It is a piece of music I go back to every year and make sure that I listen to it at least once in the Christmas period. The second musical was a performance of Outback Christmas – a musical by Robin Mann based on the artwork of Pro Hart and the words of Norman Habel. Here is music that is familiar to us – we’ve been singing Robin Mann songs for a long time in the church and the Australian iconography of Pro Hart brings to mind familiar landscapes. Here we can suddenly understand shepherds as drovers, wise men as stockmen, and an ancient landscape. The musical finishes with a beautiful song, which asks the question: “Will you be coming home this Christmas?” It asks people to reflect on where home is for them as they focus on Christmas and its message. The third musical was with the Darwin Symphony Orchestra and a performance of Berlioz: The childhood of Christ. This is a much harder, and longer, piece telling a very complex story of the flight of the Holy family from Bethlehem through Egypt and the early years of Christ’s life. It’s mostly an apocryphal story.
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The thing that always captures my imagination in this musical, however is the scene where the Holy family has fled to Egypt and can find nowhere to find shelter. Finally, a group of Ishmaelites, (I guess we would call them Moslems) welcomes them in and offers them shelter.
May the joy of the infant Jesus be yours this Christmas The two fathers get talking and discover they are both carpenters. So the families decide to celebrate together. They call for musical instruments to be brought out, and it’s at this point that one of the most exquisite pieces of music around is found – a trio for two flutes and harp (the trio of the Ishmaelites) and the musicians are encouraged to play a lullaby to help put the baby Jesus to sleep. At the end of the piece of music Mary is in tears because of the beauty of the music and the families have become close friends. I love this memory because I got to play one of the flutes in this trio in a performance in Darwin. What is your Christmas memory? Is it a traditional European wintry scene? Is it an outback Australian hot, dry, dusty scene? Or is it a scene of strangers being welcomed and of intense beauty and an ability to see things quite differently because of such a welcome that’s received when you are most in need? However you experience Christmas this year may it be a time of re-engaging with the Christ who comes to us in helplessness and who seeks always to transform our lives and our world. May the joy of the infant Jesus be yours this Christmas. (Oh, and see if you can find some of the music to listen to!)
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Livingis Giving Get behind my community by helping me become a leader
By supporting Uniting Church Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women in leadership together we can... E quip women with the skills they need to become Aboriginal Ministers and leaders in their communities S trengthen the pastoral ministry of women within disadvantaged communities N urture the next generation
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Help raise $50,000 to reach our goal. With this money we can develop new education programs for Aboriginal women. These programs can provide women with the skills and motivation they need to become inspirational leaders within their community.
Donating is easy and secure. Make a donation by completing and returning the donation envelope in Insights. Go online to make a secure donation at www.livingisgiving.nsw.uca.org.au Donate over the phone by calling LivingisGiving 02 82674303 Donations to LivingisGiving are not tax deductible.
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Famed for its neon Coca Cola sign and notorious for its late-night peddling and unsavoury behaviour, the suburb of Kings Cross in the heart of Sydney is home to an eclectic bunch. From the well-heeled to the 10-inch-stiletto-heeled; the transients, the long-term homeless, the ‘cool’ set, the caregivers and everyone else in between. Behind the ‘always-on’ hub bub of Darlinghurst Road and Macleay Street, nestled amongst the buildings of a quiet street, you’ll find a place that’s as uniquely Kings Cross as it is oddly Kings Cross, The Wayside Chapel.
I’m dreaming of a
Wayside Christmas
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F
rom its humble beginnings, just a single room with a dozen chairs, today The Wayside Chapel provides an extensive range of services and support. Each year through its community services centre, youth space and outreach service, mental health program, community cafe and Aboriginal project, the team at Wayside offer support and assistance to thousands of people in the community.
and initiatives, as well as events to capture the hearts and minds of those who visit and those who offer support.
Founded in 1964 by the great Reverend Theodore “Ted” Noffs on the grounds of a Methodist Ministry, later becoming the Uniting Church, The Wayside Chapel has become an institution of sorts.
“It is important to bring our community together on a day when these people often have no place else to go and no one to share the day with. They can be with others in a non-judgemental environment and enjoy the spirit of Christmas.
In stark contrast to other Churches of time, whose pastoral agenda was conservative in nature, Ted Noffs’ Wayside Chapel was seen by many as a radical expression of Christianity. Not content with adhering to society’s norms, Ted focussed on bringing the community together and forming relationships with the marginalised, impoverished and drugaffected youth. “Ted Noffs was a ground breaker of his time. An opportunist. A smart entrepreneurial kind of guy who existed in another time. He was ahead of the game. He saw the world that was coming and endeared himself to the people of Sydney. After Ted died, the momentum he created waned badly, so when I came to the organisation in 2004 it was broke but that ‘power’ was still here”, recalls Graham Long. Reverend Graham Long is the pastor and Chief Executive Officer of The Wayside Chapel. A social worker in his first life, Graham held a number of roles before coming to Wayside. “I was a Church minister for about 15 years and a chaplain at Parramatta Prison. Then I started a welfare agency. But I was suffering from burnout so I became a postie. “I didn’t last long in the job. Just eight months. The boredom started to kill me. But I didn’t know what was next. So I resigned and the next day I got a phone call from Wayside. I’d never been there, never heard of Ted Noffs, but I knew from the phone call this was my next thing. When Graham arrived it was just him, one other full-time staffer and a couple of part-timers. Today there are just under 50 permanent staff and hundreds of volunteers. Not surprising, there has been significant change over the years; from total refurbishments through to the development of cutting-edge programs 14 Insights December 2014
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One such event and a real highlight of the year is the annual Christmas party. Started by Ted Noffs 25 years ago, the Wayside Christmas Party was a way for visitors and others from the streets to come together and find solace over a hot lunch shared with others on Christmas day.
“It is amazing to see our visitors on Christmas day all sharing a common bond of Christmas. The services at Wayside are shut for the day and to be with our visitors who want nothing else but to be there to enjoy the day is what makes it special,” said Anna Partridge, Public Relations Manager at The Wayside Chapel.
Our mission isn't charity. Our mission is to create community Each year at Christmas, before the party starts, The Wayside Chapel hosts a service on the road. “The street is shut down and we’ll get somewhere between 200 – 300 people attend. They come from everywhere. The well-heeled and the very poor, and they just sit side-byside. It’s a really good embodiment of our mission because you can’t really tell who is who. “We don’t think of the Christmas celebration necessarily for the poor. We think of it more for the lonely. And so we say, ‘Don’t be alone and miserable, come and be miserable with us!’” laughs Graham. The morning service kicks off the day of festivities and in typical Wayside fashion is an interactive and lively event for the community. “It’s a simple service. We just sing a few carols and say a quick word…that’s about it. But’s it’s happy; it’s outdoors, and it’s up and positive. It’s about getting presence rather than presents. That’s followed by what is really just a party as the street is transformed into a massive long table. It’s just terrific,” said Graham.
Last year, Anna worked on Christmas Day and brought her husband and three young children along to experience Christmas in Kings Cross. “The Church service was beautiful with the choir ringing out down the street. Our children were with their little friends from the community at the children’s table having their faces painted and colouring in, and of course having the mandatory Wayside tattoo put on! “The energy and vibe is something I can’t really explain. We spent a lot of time with ‘Animal’ last year and he gave my children presents out of his Santa sack. He passed away in September and so I imagine this Christmas will have a slight sad tinge to it without his presence,” reflects Anna. Despite the passing of local identity, Animal, Graham explains that the emphasis of the day is fun. “We have a DJ and the music gets cranked. You almost always see homeless people dancing in the street. I reckon if that doesn’t do it for you, nothing will. “What I think is really special about Christmas at Wayside is that it’s been going for so long that lots of things happen that aren’t programmed to. People show up with their guitar and sing, and nobody actually knows who they are. For a lot of years some guy showed up every year with a donkey. He just led it through the crowd and nobody knew who he was or asked questions. It was just an accepted thing. There is a lot of stuff like that,” said Graham. While the team of volunteers can’t always plan for donkeys and other colourful characters that turn up unannounced, being able to plan for the overwhelming generosity of the community is a must. Organising the event is a huge job and this year preparations started in August. Volunteers will serve around 800 people a hot, 3-course Christmas lunch. The goodwill to put the meal together is amazing. One women alone cooks 80 chickens and delivers them; while another makes 400 mince pies. There will be 80 turkeys, 40 hams and some 140 bags of potatoes. “We need around 300 volunteers on the day because people are seated and served. Logistically, it’s quite complicated. But the demand from the community to become a volunteer is quite extraordinary. It’s probably the most applied for position in Sydney. We advertise and fill the volunteer positions online. insights.uca.org.au
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It opens at 9am and by 9.03am all the places are filled. “For those who aren’t successful we encourage them to come along and be part of the atmosphere. I think there’s a lot of people in Sydney who think going to Wayside is a very good excuse not to be at their family function! But it’s essentially great news that so many people want to come,” said Graham. Like the volunteers, the business community also gets behind the event with fervour. “Lots of amazing things happen. For example. Pacific West Foods delivers all the seafood we can possibly manage. We get a phone call and they ask us, ‘How many prawns?’ and they send us the biggest, fattest prawns you can buy. Stuff like this happens all through December. “We always get more than we need so the discipline of the exercise is to manage it in a way that we’re not left with too much. We used to spend all Boxing Day cleaning and storing and packing, but we’ve got better at what we do. “When I first arrived we’d say ‘yes’ to everything and it was nuts — the work we created for ourselves! But that was the kind of atmosphere of the place. There used to be a culture of poverty so whatever people offered we had to take. I remember in the early days someone told me we’d been offered some fruit but had to get it that day or we’d lose it. “So I drove our little van to Homebush and they weren’t ready for me. I waited and waited and waited. Eventually this guy came out and handed me a box with about six oranges in it. It was a valuable lesson. These days it’s completely different. It’s really beautifully done,” explains Graham. Who knows what Christmas will bring this year at Wayside? While no-one can accurately predict numbers or who will grace the pavement with their good cheer and smile, one thing is certain: the spirit of community and the grace of God will bless all who attend. “Our mission isn’t charity. Our mission is to create community. In everything we do, we aim to bring all ends of the community together. And Christmas is the perfect day to do just that,” smiles Graham.
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Alan I’ve been coming to the Wayside since the early days when it first opened. In those days I was doing quite a bit of voluntary work at the Wayside. Then I left and I never came back for decades. In the last 10 years I got myself into a bit of trouble that took me about a year to sort out. During this time I started living on trains; did that for about six or nine months, and was suicidal. That’s when I started coming back to the Wayside. Things had changed when I came back. Ted Noffs was gone and it took me a while to adjust. I wasn’t used to Graham and the crew here. But I got chatting to them and Graham is a good bloke. These days I help look after the rooftop garden and of course come here for Christmas. The Chapel does excel at Christmas time and it’s a big buzz for Kings Cross because there are a lot of lonely people around here. I’ve had many Christmases here. In the early days I used to work here on Christmas Day but for the last few I’ve been here as a guest. It’s incredible how this whole street just transforms for several hours. There’s a buzz of people around and the community — the music playing and just people you never see. Nobody’s rejected at Christmas time. Even if you were barred at the time from coming to the Chapel, you are always welcome at Christmas.
Rachelle I’ve been coming here, on and off, for about 15 years. They’re really good here. They’ve helped me get housing and they help me with day-to-day living, and I do art here. It’s great and it’s very relaxing. Wayside isn’t just for junkies and homeless people. It’s for the whole community who need help in some way or just need to sit down and have a chat with someone random. It lets you just do that. I’ve been coming to Christmas every year for the past 15 years, mostly as a guest because it’s so hard to get a spot as a volunteer. It’s so popular everyone wants to volunteer. It’s such a good, happy festival of community feeling, which you don’t get around the Cross anymore. Everywhere is lonely now. It doesn’t matter where you go — even in a room full of people you can be lonely. But here at Christmas it’s a lovely, loving community feeling and spirit.
Christmas will be different this year without ‘Animal’. He was the heart of the Cross — a biker and a legend. He started the toy drive here. All year he would collect money and give gifts to the children at the hospital. Coming up to Christmas he would wrap all the gifts. I always make the effort to get here for Christmas no matter where I am because it’s so lovely. It’s nice to catch up with everyone and say “Happy Christmas”. They close off the street and last year we had photos with Santa down the nearby lane. They have tents all the way up the street, seats and tables and everything. And people’s relatives come and we get lunch served to us like we were at a restaurant. They even have Christmas crackers! Last year they had a children’s table and it was really lovely. We sang songs and most people get up and dance and have a sing-a-long. Everybody is nice to each other and are smiling, and everyone is just here to have a good time. No drug deals, no-one off their trolley, no agro — just everyone happy. And Father Graham’s Christmas service is wonderful. He speaks really well. It’s packed out — standing room only — but everyone is welcome to that too.
Donate a plate
Here’s a novel way to show your support for Wayside’s Christmas. By donating a plate you’ll be helping put a scrumptious meal on the table for someone who has done it tough this year. There are two ways you can do this.
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Donate a plate on behalf of a friend or family member
You can buy a plate from the Wayside’s Op Shop and give it to your friend or family members as a gift at Christmas. Visit the Wayside Op Shop at 29 Hughes Street, Potts Point between 9am – 4pm Monday to Friday or 10am – 2pm on Saturdays.
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Donate a plate on behalf of yourself
Head to Wayside’s website: https:// www.thewaysidechapel.com/ donateaplate.php and choose a plate size to donate. ‘The Works’ plate is $50, ‘Entrée plate is $25’ or design your own plate size. Your name will also appear on the Wayside Christmas tree. Insights December 2014 17
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Art and soul
The sights and sounds of Adamstown Arts
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n the heart of Newcastle, just a stone’s throw from the world’s largest coal export port, you’ll find the site of Adamstown Uniting Church. A proud building marked by its bright red doors and vaulted ceilings, this Church is home to a lively and forward-thinking Congregation that’s as creative as it is faithful. It’s also birthplace of Adamstown Arts. Rev. Dr Rod Pattenden has been the Minister at the Church for the past two years. An arts school graduate, experienced visual artist, curator, author, and Chairperson and member of the Blake Society, Rod was invited to take up the role thanks to his experience and the Congregation’s need for a minister with a background in the arts. When Rod came to Adamstown UC, there was already a strong music program that had been running for close on two decades. “It already had a strong platform and I was impressed by their commitment to reach out in the community and mix it with all sorts of people through the arts,” said Rod. Since coming to Adamstown UC Rod has introduced a number of initiatives including visual art exhibitions and creative projects, Messy Church, specialised children’s programs, and community workshops. “It’s like the Church is a studio, a place where you can experiment and play with your life rather than a place which is prescriptive about rights and wrongs. It’s really just a space to work out who you are as a human being and grow and thrive. We’re all trying to work out what it is to be human and people are looking for space to explore, so the arts provide a lot of resources in that respect,” states Rod.
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program was to create a relationship between the Church and its community and for the past 17 years it’s achieved that and more. The home of Dungeon Jazz is the basement of the Church, a fitting location given the importance of sound and atmosphere for this genre of music. “We have concerts five to six times a year. We’ve invested a lot in the space. We have two grand pianos, lighting systems, two sets of sounds systems and a lot of other equipment. We want to supply the musicians with the very best to enhance their music. Next year we have an Italian violinist, an American piano player, UK guitarist and jazz pianist from Belgium. We also support a lot of local bands,” said Rod. Rod also encourages young people in the community to get involved with Dungeon Jazz, offering them the chance to experience running events and learn about sound and lighting.
Our three core values are faith, social justice and creativity Rod’s wife, Jenny Barnes is also deeply linked with the Church and Adamstown Arts. An accomplished musician and former opera singer with Opera Australia, for the past 10 years Jenny has run the Sunday Interlude concert program. This year the series included four Sunday morning concerts and a Piano Festival over three days in August which culminated in a Gala Concert in November. Half the proceeds raised by the series will go to Lifeline. “Our three core values are faith, social justice and creativity, so creativity is kind of like an expression of the spirit. The audience we have, which has grown over the past 10 years, is extraordinarily faithful. When people first came they were a little suspect about what we were trying to
do. But that stopped fairly quickly. Our message isn’t about hitting people over the head and dragging them to a Sunday service. It’s ‘Please get to know us and know who we are. If you need us for a time in your life, you know where to come.’ It’s been a longterm exercise in building community trust,” explains Jenny. Rod and Jenny’s daughter, Heather Price, has been involved with the Church since she was born. She’s a trained classical musician and among other roles, runs Expresso Faith. Art. Music. Community — a monthly performance that invites a local musician or artist to share their work and story about how they work creatively with the audience. “At this particular time in Newcastle, venues are drying up. To have a place that is open to putting on all sorts of different music for all different ages in a spiritual space is a great way to encourage creativity. It’s making the Church more accessible for the general community, and so it fills two very important roles. “We have had a lot of success with this. It seems to be a way of reaching out into the secular community. What we’re really trying to do is encourage a part of the community that isn’t familiar with coming to the Church to feel comfortable in that environment, and start to renew those relationships again. For me creativity is a way of communicating that inner self. I love Expresso, because it encourages inclusiveness and understanding of lots of different sorts of people,” reflects Heather. Like Heather, her husband, Adam Price, is also a musician. His band Cotton Sidewalk recently played to a full house. In their finale gig, the band performed the songs from their spellbinding album Evil versus People. Within the awe-inspiring walls of the Church, replete with the Church choir, keyboards and synthesisers, a live string quintet, and the pipe organ, the band captivated the audience. insights.uca.org.au
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All the proceeds from the gig went to the Joseph Astro Price Memorial Fund, named after Heather and Adam’s son who passed away just before the album was released. The Fund supports the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Women’s hospital in Melbourne. Music isn’t the only artistic expression to grace the walls of Adamstown Church. Kaz Thorpe, a local photographer, recently held a photographic exhibition inside the Church. “I think religion or spirituality is in everything. So there’s absolutely no reason why a Church can’t be involved in looking at the beauty and the wonder of music and art and fellowship. Art is about fellowship and supporting each other. It’s a way of communicating and being with people not because of an agenda but because of generosity and community, because of caring and compassion,” explains Kaz. “I’d like to think it was an interesting experience for parishioners and visitors to be welcomed into the Church and see an art exhibition. I think the Church has really embraced Adamstown Arts because they see there is another way to be in the community. I think it’s a wonderful sense of community and friendship, and I’ve felt very welcomed,” reflects Kaz. This year Adamstown Uniting Church has been celebrating its 140 year anniversary, a significant milestone in anyone’s language. “Part of the celebration is acknowledging the history but also recognising that the Congregation is so warm and welcoming to new ideas. It’s just so wonderful having a Congregation that is proud of its history but is also open to change. “We’re providing an entry point into the heart of the Church for people who choose to move into that and have deeper experiences of learning about creativity and exploring life in various ways. We do all the traditional stuff with studies and other activities and workshops, it’s just that we’re also offering a generous doorway of interaction that’s two way with the community. “We’re finding that people really love that and we’re building partnerships with performers and other organisations who respect what we’re doing. We’re building a bigger insights.uca.org.au
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program because we’ve developed trusted relationships with performers and other arts groups in Newcastle. It’s just brilliant!” exclaims Rod.
Feeling creative? If reading this article has inspired you to start your own creative arts program, Rod has this advice for you. “There are often a lot of creative people within the life of the Congregation who often get overlooked because they don’t have the skill base because the Church is looking for Sunday school teachers or people who fit the program. “I think it’s really important to turn that on its head and ask, ‘What are you interested in? What are you good at? Where’s your passion and how can your participation in the lives of the Church be one where that can grow?’ One of our traditions says that the glory of God is the person fully alive. So ask yourself, ‘How can you give people that opportunity to come alive?’ Try out new things, no matter how old or young you are it should be a place where people have an opportunity to grow as human beings,” explains Rod.
The proof is in the pudding If you’ve ever had the pleasure of sitting down to a slice of delicious Adamstown Pudding Kitchen pudding, with its famous moist consistency and full flavour, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d gone to heaven if only for a few minutes. Little wonder they’re recognised as one of Australia’s finest gourmet puddings. In 1971, armed with her great grandmother’s recipe, a member of the Adamstown Uniting Church set about making puddings in her home kitchen to raise proceeds for a new Sunday school at the Tower Methodist Church. They were an instant hit and by 1979, the Church had purpose-built a kitchen that would become known around the world as the Adamstown Pudding Kitchen. Jocelyn Harvey is the chairperson of the Kitchen. She’s been a member of the Church for longer than she can remember. Not surprising, there has been much change over the decades both within the Church and the Kitchen.
“Today we have a full commercial kitchen with a full-time supervisor, four paid staff and a large contingent of volunteers. The kitchen meets all the council and government health regulations and complies with the health and safety standards. A far cry from its early days in the basement of the Church,” recalls Jocelyn. To meet Christmas demand, pudding making starts in July. But the Kitchen operates all year round. They sell their puddings at local markets and more recently, have started filling global orders via their website. The Kitchen is also expanding its line of products. “We’re experimenting at the moment with sauces and brandy butter. We’re always on the lookout for new possibilities,” explains Jocelyn. While the Kitchen still draws on the tradition of its ‘secret’ recipe, today the business has transformed from its early days, contributing around $60,000 a year to the Church’s outreach programs. “The whole emphasis now is making sure we run a business. And of course, we’re like all organisations — we’re an aging population and we have to plan for the day when we don’t have as many volunteers as we have now. And while we do offer work experience to volunteers who are seeking work, we have to look at marketing and promotion in ways that don’t rely quite so heavily on volunteers,” said Jocelyn.
Adamstown Arts
Art Exhibitions - Regular art exhibitions are held Sunday Interlude - Sunday Interlude provides a series of six popular music concerts during the year on various themes, with seasoned performers and emerging talent. Money raised from these concerts supports the church’s music ministry and Lifeline. An annual program is available. Dungeon Jazz - Provides a venue for regular jazz gigs with an amazing line up of local and international jazz artists! 228 Brunker Rd, Adamstown NSW 2289, 0418 861 267, info@adamstown-arts.com.au, www.adamstown-arts.com.au Insights December 2014 23
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On the road with the Murray Darling Basin Group
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he Uniting Church’s Murray Darling Basin Group is taking forward the Synod’s vision for our Church to be a transforming presence in the Murray Darling Basin. This includes offering pastoral care to the people and a prophetic voice for the reconciliation and renewal of Creation. The Group formed in response to the draft Murray Darling Basin Plan and the struggles of life on the land in the last drought for Basin communities. “We felt a tour through the Basin would allow people to experience something of life there, and to share stories and build an understanding between rural and city Congregations,” said Geoffrey Paterson, St John’s Uniting Church, Elsternwick, Victoria. And so planning for a trip along the Murray River, from Albury to Mildura, got underway. It would include public forums, meetings with Churches over a meal, visits to irrigation and dryland farms, ecotourism, visits to historical sites, and time with indigenous groups. Past Moderator, Rev. Dr Brian Brown, and new Moderator, Rev. Myung Hwa Park have both been involved with the Murray Darling Basin Group. “Myung Hwa’s presence on the trip was a thrill for those we visited and gave her a chance to see and meet lots of different people and places. As participants’ reflections below show, meeting, listening and sharing together grew our awareness of the complex issues for those living in the Murray Darling Basin. It enabled us to think about who we are in creation, and build connections for the common good,” said Geoffrey.
Seeing the Murray Darling though your eyes The 2014 Albury to Mildura tour has ended. But the transformative journey continues, and you can be a part of it. From 7 to 9 May 2015, the Murray Darling Basin Group will host a conference in Deniliquin on the theme Imagining a sustainable future for the 24 Insights December 2014
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common good in the Murray Darling Basin. The group is also considering future tours.
Myra Cowell,
Finley Uniting Church
For more information, please visit http://www.unitingearthweb. org.au/murray-darling or mdbconference2015@ucansw. goregister.com.au
Reflections on the tour Rev. Phill Matthews Rural Chaplain
The tour for me was full on as I did a lot of the driving, but also joyful as I saw people from different places slowly form a community, care for each other and share an understanding of why we were here. The other thing was to see the joy, passion and surprise of those who came to forums to understand why we came to listen and see what was happening along the Murray. I heard about resilience, innovation and deep caring for the river. From the two visits to local indigenous groups I witnessed respect, being grounded to country and self-knowledge about who you are and where you are going. The local Churches welcomed us warmly, and shared their concerns and joys of their place in an honest way. For me sunrise over Lake Hume on the first day and the clouds over Mungo National Park were mind blowing. I would like to thank the outgoing Moderator and new Moderator for taking an interest in rural New South Wales. My only regret was not being able to spend more time at some places. But I’ll go back. Please see www.ruralchaplains.blogspot.com for more photos and thoughts.
The Yenbeena Indigenous Training Centre is in Barmah. Here we learnt about the Indigenous people and culture; that many young people today seem to have lost their Indigenous identity. Sean told of his grandmother telling him that their people needed to stamp on the country, to sit on the country, and let it soak into them. As we left Mildura and travelled along the corrugated bumpy road to Mungo National Park, our guide, Graham, pointed out the different vegetation and what it means to the Indigenous people. He also pointed out items of particular interest as we walked over the terrain — things we could easily have missed if they hadn’t been pointed out to us. Sean and Graham brought to our attention the importance of handing down their Indigenous heritage to the younger generations.
Jim Vickery
Brighton-Kogarah Uniting Church
The earth screamed as it was thrust skyward along the Cadell Fault by an earthquake some 25,000 years ago. The mighty Murray was severed as the Green Valley rose up and emptied out, depriving the western land of its water supply. To the east, water from the melting ice in the mountains dammed up against the ridge. The eastern river folk moved to higher ground as insights.uca.org.au
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the water rose and they watched the transformation of their world by this new inland sea. Eventually the Murray broke through to the south; rushing at breakneck speed down the Barmah Choke. Then the Barmah River Red Gum forest took root in the sediment laid beneath the waters. The finger draws time circles in the sand at Lake Mungo to reveal our relationship with mother earth, as prescribed for 40,000 years in the lore. Embellishments to the circles show how insignificant our memorable time on earth has been and where we are placed in the cycles of a changing planet. Disruptions like the earthquake are recalled in the song; for it is only the song that changes. In the washout tread carefully and watch for the relics of disruption. Listen to the still small voice…
Geoffrey Paterson
St John’s Uniting Church, Elsternwick, Victoria
Paul Creek
Riverina Presbytery
Visiting local Churches and sharing with the people of the Murray Darling Basin was an important part of the tour. At many of the Churches there was a meal followed by a forum and panel. At Albury, we had some scientific input from Professor Max Finlayson from Charles Sturt University. At Finley, Kathryn Creek sang original songs about life in the Riverina and then we learnt about the rice and dairy industries and how the irrigation system works. Hawea and Janice Jackson provided some entertainment at Echuca before Emma Bradbury from the Murray Darling Association shared about her organisation.
meticulous in using it to maximum effect. Rice is a crop of opportunity: no water means no rice. Malcolm Holm’s 750 dairy cows are not as accommodating. Malcolm had sufficient fodder and silage for three waterless years but not enough to see out the decade long drought. He threw the dice and bet his superannuation to purchase feed for the remaining years. He won. We watched the milk flowing from the 50 cows revolving slowly on the enormous rotary milking plant and the milked cows walking back to their lush irrigated pastures. Robinvale and beyond is not possible without the water. Phil Burkett has dedicated his life to developing an organic citrus orchard with rigorous water efficiency. Like Phil, Merv Cupper on his citrus and grape block at Merbein, past Mildura, is contemplating retirement. Merv won a Landcare award.
Rev. Myung Hwa Park,
Moderator
After visiting a Robinvale horticultural farm, we shared a meal with the local congregation. In Mildura, Henry Tankard provided an after dinner speech about his family setting up one of the original irrigation farms in Mildura. After 2,500 kilometres over seven days, we stopped on the shores of Lake Boga in northern Victoria. We gathered around a simple roadside park bench under a warming sun, the large expanse of Lake Boga splitting the horizon behind us and a breeze blowing off the water. Here Rev. Phill Matthews led communion. After a Bible reading and a short sermon on Living Water, we partook of the elements. This fitting tour-ending occasion at the start of the Season of Creation allowed us to pause and reflect on our hectic but informative journey in a place where land, water, living things and the air mingled with everyday life. This is, after all, what we experienced and appreciated in the preceding week when we met and talked to dairy, pastoral, fruit and dryland farmers, townspeople, Congregations in Albury, Echuca, Robinvale and Mildura, and Indigenous representatives in Barmah and Lake Mungo. We did this in the awe-inspiring, diverse and God-creating landscapes of towering mountains and wide plains, wide and narrow streams, and plants tall and small. insights.uca.org.au
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After hearing from local speakers, we usually invited members of the Murray Darling Basin Group to form a panel to take questions. The forums provided a lot of information for those on the tour and local people who attended. The Uniting Church can provide a safe place where the diverse issues affecting the Basin can be explored.
Bill Bush,
St Ninian’s Uniting Church, Canberra
The liquid gold roars from the mighty Hume Dam to the endless plains. It is undiminished at our first farm visit near Corowa. A third generation couple at Savernake Station are raising prime lambs on deep rooted saltbush and cherish native pines.
I joined sixteen others who were willing to learn more about the MDB and be connected with the people, fauna and flora of that beautiful part of our Synod. The tour became eight days of amazing grace! As I stood on the Mungo desert, seeing the remains of a mother and child tens of thousands of years old, I realised what it means when we say ‘time immemorial’. An Aboriginal teacher taught me how to connect with the land on which I have now made my new home by tapping my feet on the ground to help me feel a connection with the earth. I watched those most beautiful rivers — the Murray and the Darling — which nourished the earth for the trees, animals and birds, and quenched the thirst of wanderers, both the first people and also the late comers. I then met people who helped me understand what it means to be a new comer in this vast ancient land of dreams and opportunities.
The rice farmer at Finley is the first of many who needs the water. He is Insights December 2014 27
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Behind the scenes of Unbroken with Angelina Jolie S
tar actress, devoted mother of six, tireless humanitarian and more recently, filmmaker; for Angelina Jolie the term ‘Wonder Woman’ barely even scratches the surface.
Having made her directorial debut in 2011 with In The Land of Blood and Honey – a love story set against the painful backdrop of the Bosnian war – Jolie’s second celluloid venture deals again in the hard-boiled currency of conflict, but this time it’s been refracted through the lens of WWII. Based on Laura Hillenbrand’s 2010 best-selling non-fiction title Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption, the film adaptation stars Jack O’Connell (300: Rise of an Empire, Skins) as Louis Zamperini, the unyielding U.S. Olympian and WWII hero who survived two years of torture and near-starvation as a Japanese POW. Jolie relocated to Sydney for two months to film on location at Cockatoo Island and was reported to have sampled both kangaroo and witchetty grubs. Husband Brad Pitt was unable to join her, busy working on his film Fury in England, but she brought with her brood of children for a “huge adventure.” So what attracted Jolie to the narrative of Unbroken? “I had spent some time trying to find a moving and emotionally powerful story, but I wasn’t thinking of making a movie of this scope,” says the 39-year-old. “The idea of making a movie about his life had been making the rounds in Hollywood for over fifty years and for many different reasons it just couldn’t get made. But as soon as I read Laura’s book I knew I wanted to do the film because it was such a compelling story even though I knew it would be a big challenge. I just had to figure out a way to bring all the 28 Insights December 2014
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important elements together and make sure that we had a screenplay that worked.” It’s a harrowing tale of survival against all odds and one Jolie felt moved to immortalise on film. “Louis’s life is the very definition of everything you hope to discover about the human spirit,” she says. “His story shows you that the human will is a remarkable thing and how incredibly brave and resilient he was. Louis was a remarkable and heroic man in so many respects.”
But when his wife Cynthia found Christ one night, so too did Zamperini Born 26 January, 1917, in Olean, New York to Italian immigrants Anthony Zamperini and Louise Dossi, Louis Silvie ‘Louie’ Zamperini took up running in high school as an antidote to bad behaviour. He trained as a crosscountry runner, winning races and setting records, eventually earning a scholarship to the University of Southern California. This led him to try out for the Berlin Olympics in 1936, where he came joint-first in the 5,000 metre trials. But Zamperini’s athletic career was cruelly cut short by the onset of war. After enlisting in the US Army Air Forces in 1941, tragedy struck just two years later when his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean. He was forced to spend 47 days adrift, fending off shark attacks and eating albatross to survive. But things took an even more horrifying turn when he was captured by an enemy ship and became a Japanese prisoner of war for two years. He was tortured, but lived to tell the tale.
On his return home, Zamperini suffered heavily at the claws of post-traumatic stress disorder and sought solace in alcohol. He was lost, mentally and physically disturbed by his experience of war, but when his wife Cynthia found Christ one night in 1949, so too did Zamperini. And he never looked back. He converted to Christianity after hearing Billy Graham preach in Los Angeles and later became a missionary to Japan. Zamperini remained a devout Christian until his death on the 2nd of July this year. He passed away aged 97, after a six-week battle with pneumonia.
Ange Zam
Jolie says she treasures the time they spent together. “When I had a chance to get to know him, he taught me so much about hope and being grateful for so much in life and simply being able to take time to enjoy every day of your life,” she gushes. “I’m drawn to people who are able to surmount a lot of obstacles and go on to achieve many things.” At the recent world premiere in Sydney on 20 November, Jolie reiterated the effect Zamperini had on her life.“I needed desperately to know a man like Louis Zamperini in my life, to know that there is hope, and with all that we’re challenged with today internationally, and with all the pain and death in the world, that the strength of the human spirit, the strength of a strong heart is valuable,” Jolie said. “He had an emotional reaction to seeing the film, to seeing his mother again, to seeing his brother, to remembering the races... and as a man of faith he was preparing himself to die and see them again. So it was this very gentle, beautiful, quiet moment with somebody I felt very privileged to be reflecting on his life.” Unbroken is in cinemas 15 January 2015. insights.uca.org.au
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Angelina Jolie with Louis Zamperini.
A scene from the film Unbroken.
Jolie on set with her cinematographer. insights.uca.org.au
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PLC student Savannah Lamble stars as Sylvia Zamperini (back row, middle) in a scene from Unbroken.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at the world premiere of Unbroken.
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A once in a lifetime experience
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ew opportunities come along to be involved in an international film production. But Savannah Lamble, Year 12 student at Pymble Ladies College (PLC), who studied drama for the HSC and lists a number of theatre productions at PLC, TV commercials and short film direction on her CV, had just such an opportunity when she was cast in Unbroken directed by Angelina Jolie. Insights interviewed Savannah before the world premiere of the film held in Sydney.
How did you come to play the role in Unbroken? I play Sylvia Zamperini who is Louis’ (the main character Louis Zamperini) sister. I became involved in the production when my agent rang me and said that Angelina Jolie was directing the film Unbroken and was looking to cast some extra female parts. I went to the audition and all I had to call out was “Go Louis Go!”, pretending I was supporting Louis in a running race in an American accent. About three months later I got the call that I had the part! I was so excited because I auditioned as an extra and then heard that I had the part as Louis’ sister.
So what was it like working with Angelina Jolie? Very surreal. She made us all feel so comfortable, so to have the very first film I’m in to be an Angelina Jolie film was just crazy. She was so welcoming and so excited to meet me and very comfortable around all the cast. She treated us as if we were professionals and at the same level as the rest of the cast. It was an amazing experience.
Where was the movie filmed? It was filmed in Tamworth and then in Camden where they filmed the school scenes. We also spent a lot of time in Fox Studios where the set for the family home was built. In Tamworth we filmed the final scenes at the airport. I got to travel a bit with the production, which was an amazing experience on a film of that size and scale.
Had you read the book the film is based on? I hadn’t read the book but family members had read it and loved it. As insights.uca.org.au
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Savannah Lamble walks the red carpet for the world premiere of Unbroken. soon as I got the part I went and did the research and read the book. It is such an amazing story. Sadly, I didn’t get to meet the real Louis Zamperini (who passed away in July 2014). We would talk about the story on set with other cast members about some of the more gruelling scenes and things that he had to go through. It is such an incredible story and crazy to think that it actually happened.
What struck you most about Louis Zamperini’s story? I think resilience and courage stand out the most because of all the things that happen to him and despite this he had the strength to carry on. Angelina wanted the story to be grounded in the family and have the point of the story be that he was trying to make his way back home and make them proud of his
achievements. The main thing for me was Louis’ strength of will to get through the amazing obstacles to make his way back home.
Why would you like people to see Unbroken? I would tell them to see it so they can see me! [laughs] But seriously, this is a true story, it isn’t your classic war story. It tells the story of one man who despite all the things that happened to him was an Olympic runner, was shot down during the war and interned in a POW camp then became this amazing American hero. Everyone should go and see it to carry on his legacy of courage, strength and resilience. Georgina Langford (with additional reporting by Adrian Drayton)
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Share in the joy of Giving This Christmas, why not give an unwrapped gift or a gift card to someone who needs it most. Visit your local Target store and donate to the Target UnitingCare Giving Box. Give and make a difference. To donate or learn more visit www.givingbox.com.au
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Living intentionally Student housing in the Presbytery of Sydney
B
y now students around NSW have sat for their year 12 exams, young adults in the Church are preparing to make the transition between high school and university. The colourful melting pot of ideas, interests and ideologies that tertiary study represents can bring both excitement and instability, and for many Christian students, university proves to be a crucial make-or-break time of faith formation. I can keenly remember the trepidation with which I made the decision in 2013 to move away from home and commence studies at the University of Sydney. Having grown up as part of the Congregation at Ebenezer/Pitt Town Uniting (in outer Sydney) all my life, it was a huge change to find myself living in the city and living independently. I was blessed to have discovered Epworth House, a Christian Community household attached to Leichhardt Uniting Church. Epworth House is dedicated to providing a space for young adults, who are seeking to learn about discipleship, commit to regular attendance and involvement in Church as a spiritual discipline, and live intentionally within a Christian community. In balancing the different commitments and pressures I encountered at university, I realised it was very easy for students to become completely absorbed in their studies, part-time jobs, hobbies and new social circles on campus. The problem facing the Church is that many Christian graduates can emerge from this whirlwind with little more than a ‘Sunday school’ understanding of theology, and a failure to appreciate how the Gospel carries ramifications for their future professional, familial or political lives. As the renowned Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker observed, ‘…Perhaps I am emblematic of everything that is wrong with elite American education, but I have no idea
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how to get my students to build a self or become a soul’. Epworth House exists to counteract this spiritual drift. As part of Leichhardt Uniting Church, Epworth House is a missional investment by a Congregation that has recognised the need to invest in the holistic formation of young adults and students in our communities. Living and studying in an intentional Christian household, embedded within the Uniting Church of Australia, has challenged me to think deeply and critically about my faith, and to grow into being a more mature Christian. Whilst providing a link to on-campus support in the form of Christian Students Uniting Bible studies and Uniting Church chaplaincy services, Epworth House encourages residents to serve and love the Church, alongside holding regular social events such as house dinners, communal soccer, bush dances and murder mystery parties. As someone who has been able to embrace these opportunities fully — through learning about radical discipleship, attending the annual School of Discipleship and Radical Discipleship Training Schools, becoming President of Christian Students Uniting at the University of Sydney, and meeting some of my best friends as housemates — I would heartily encourage high school leavers and any other young adult within the Church to consider taking simple steps.
A place to call home
There are three student housing initiatives within the Sydney Presbytery, which are home to students from UNSW, USYD, UTS, MQ, AIM, Notre Dame, UWS and Wesley Institute. They are all connected to a local Uniting Church. For more information please search the following links.
Looking for student housing? Epworth House at Leichhardt Uniting Church, Leichhardt: http://www.leichhardtuniting.org. au/#!epworth-house/c1ycq Cactus Community at Burwood Uniting Church, Burwood: http:// burwood-croydon.unitingchurch.org. au/cactus/accommodation/ Corio House at Hope Uniting Church, Maroubra: http:// hopeuniting.org.au/wp-content/ uploads/2013/10/Corio-Houseinformation.pdf
Information about Christian Students Uniting Christian Students Uniting: http:// www.csu.org.au/ Sally Andrews
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Out of this world: volunteering in Vanuatu
s Sue Jennings and I collected medical and educational supplies it quickly became apparent that we had volunteered not as individuals but as representatives of faith and local communities. We were not on our own, it was a community effort involving Merewether and Pitt St Uniting Church congregations, other community groups and friends. We volunteered with the South Pacific Charitable Association. We were lulled to sleep each night by the sound of waves and the beautiful waterfall in what seemed like an idyllic location: Asanvari on the island of Maewo. The beauty of this location continually warmed and surprised us but was of course superficial to our experience. A ceremony was organised for the handover of goods. The community gathered to see the wide array of donations including medical supplies, primary curriculum books, exercise books and stationery for students. When I lifted the baby scales from the suitcase, a nurse burst into tears saying: “Now I can weigh my babies, I have asked for this for so long.” Being able to weigh babies and having supplies with which to treat the common diseases suffered on Maewo will assist in improving the health of all the community.
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Asanvari Primary School has 92 students who travel up to two hours by dugout canoe or mountain track from the five local villages. The school had lost its library and contents to a cyclone over a year ago, so the curriculum books and supplies were well received. The children were even more enthusiastic about sports equipment and the uniforms, which have since become the official school sports uniform. Many villagers live in thatch and woven huts, which need rebuilding after the cyclones each year. Fishing has previously been an integral part of their diet, but the local ocean has been massively overfished by foreign fishing fleets and it is increasingly rare for villagers to catch fish. Exploitation by traders is also a problem for the community. It was confronting to spend my 57th birthday in a community with an average life expectancy of 56. Pneumonia, accidents and wound infections are common. I did not appreciate sufficiently the extent to which being unprotected from the weather can be a health hazard. The local nurse -— Olivet — had requested we bring a raincoat for her. The presentation of the raincoat resulted in more tears and appreciation together with descriptions of night walks to other villages and delivering
babies on the mountain tracks in the rain without a coat. As we left the island Olivet asked me: “Are we friends now?”, “Yes” I replied, “we are friends.” Olivet’s question confirmed for me the power of presence. In being present and offering friendship to the Asanvari community their sense of value and place in the world was reinforced as was their intrinsic value as individuals and as a community. Respect, warmth, understanding, commitment and caring grew from our growing friendship with Olivet, as did hope. Hope can be an anticipation of an improved future, based in part upon relationships with others, a sense of personal competence, as well as a sense of the possible. Our volunteering brought us all hope. The Asanvari community hopes we will return and continue our connection with them. I hope for this also. I hope to visit again but also for others to support my new commitment to collect good quality raincoats. I see these as life-giving. In this small under resourced community raincoats can make life more comfortable, prevent the development of pneumonia and enable people to live longer healthier lives. Raincoats can be a means of hope. Jennifer Burns insights.uca.org.au
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Lectionary Reflections Christmas
In the midst of the normal oppression of the reciprocal and domination tendencies of human politics and relationships, the story of Jesus' entry into the human drama is notable. It is neither reciprocal nor dominating. The promise of John's arrival comes as the fulfilment of Elizabeth and Zacharia's deepest hopes. The interaction between Gabriel and Mary is by no means power-balanced, yet there is a sense of welcome by Mary of this yet-to-be-understood blessing. Contrast these welcomed blessings with the self-serving upheaval of Augustus' decreed census. The entry of Jesus on the scene would prove to bring more change (upheaval) in human history than anything before or since. Yet the event is both offered and received as 'blessing'. Wherein is your hope found? How does your hope draw you into the fullness of life this Christmas season?
4 January John 1:10-18 Something so profound occurred in the arrival of Jesus. Even before Jesus willingly accepted his death on a cross the impact of his presence could only be described in vague and almost mystic tones. The use of a phrases like, 'we saw His glory; glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth' — only makes us wonder what the experience was really like. When we read these words of introduction in the light of the events subsequently recorded in the gospels, wonder only increases.
11 January Mark 1:4-11 The notion of repentance is not unique to followers of Jesus. However, there is something unsurpassed in the depth of personal reconfiguring that takes place when one becomes open to God. The symbolic act of washing expresses (among other things) the intent to start over — a clean start. The dirt that sticks/ clogs/impedes gets washed off leaving the essential person free to respond anew. There is no mention of Jesus repenting of sin but his baptism clearly marks a significant life-change for him none-theless. Reflect on your own baptism...What did you die to/ what was washed away? How does that enable you in your following Jesus today?
18 January John 1:43-51 This highly condensed story leaves many questions unanswered. That said, it does indicate that Jesus encountered particular people and invited them to follow him. The responses of these followers suggest more in-depth interactions than this brief story records. Philip's disarming invitation to Nathanael offers an appropriate model for us in inviting others...You might be doubtful, but hey 'come and see.' Clearly, when he did 'come and see', Nathanael discovered Jesus really 'got' (understood/knew) him.
Jesus goes on to make an outrageous claim that indicates they will discover him to be the point of direct access to the divine. To what extent do you experience Jesus as someone who knows/ understands you and gives you access to the divine? How does that shape the way you invite others to encounter Jesus?
25 January Mark 1:14-20 Time is important. There are moments in history when things can happen that until that point would have not been possible. Jesus’ arrival in history is such a moment. The development of the laws, cultic sacrificial system and the prophetic critique of both, created an environment of awareness, understanding and possibility that provided vital context to Jesus’ role, identity and purpose. The time was indeed full! The choice of fisherman as Jesus’ key/first disciples warrants some consideration. Rather than the established religious identities (priests, scribes or Pharisees), Jesus opts to call common or even fringe people. How has timing been significant for you in your discoveries of God? What do you consider appropriate credentials for discipleship? This Lectionary Reflection was written by the Rev. David Gore.
Jesus confounded and confused his core disciples and fringe followers alike (not to mention those who were so threatened by him). A strange glory indeed! What do you project into your notion of God's glory? How does your experience challenge this understanding?
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EXPLORE LIFE AND HOPE IN THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST United Theological College (UTC) is part of the Charles Sturt University School of Theology. UTC seeks to provide theological education and ministerial formation for: • those preparing for specified ministries in the Uniting Church • anyone seeking an intelligent and deepening understanding of the Christian faith
• undergraduate university students studying theology as part of their degree in some other subject • postgraduate and research students in theology and ministry studies.
UTC is located in North Parramatta and is an inclusive community of women and men from a vibrant diversity of cultural backgrounds who are committed to theological enquiry and the practice of the Christian faith. Apply now for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including: • Bachelor of Theology
(including an 8 subject Diploma and 16 subject Associate Degree)
• Graduate Diploma in Theology
• Master of Theology • Master and Doctor of Ministry • Doctor of Philosophy
Now is the time to consider exploring the Christian faith in a culturally diverse community... faith seeking understanding.
ENROL NOW FOR SESSION 1, 2015 For more information: Charles Sturt University 1800 334 733 www.csu.edu.au/contacts/enquiry UTC, Student Admin 02 8838 8914 studentadmin@nsw.uca.org.au www.utc.edu.au/courses
Options for study in many cases include part-time, full-time, on campus or by distance education. Single Subject Study options are also available. UTC is constituted within the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of NSW & the ACT, and Charles Sturt University’s School of Theology.
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Updates from the General Secretary Information for individuals and Congregations
In Loving Memory
•M rs Pat O’Reilly, mother of the Rev. Greg Woolnough passed away 15 October, 2014 •M rs Gwen Mathews widow of the late Rev. Rex Mathews passed away 10 October, 2014 •M rs Doris Eileen Brookes, mother of Rev. Graham Brooks passed away 22 August, 2014 •M r Edward Gough Whitlam AC, QC brother to Ms Freda Whitlam passed away 21 October, 2014 •M r John Harris, son of Rev. Dorothy Harris- Gordon passed away 29 October, 2014
Calling it a day
•R ev. David Wrightson, 23 November, 2014 •R ev. Gary Whelband, 2 February 2015 •R ev. Graham Olsen, 31 March 2015 •R ev. John Brentnall, 31 March 2015 •R ev. Dr Tony Chi, 30 September 2014
A Prayer for Good Health • Rev. Rae Trenerry • Rev. Mark Watt
Student accommodation
Albury/Wodonga Tertiary Student Accommodation. Share house in a caring, supportive, Christian environment at Wodonga Corner House www.emmanuel. unitingchurch.org.au and Albury Olive Grove www.albury.unitingchurch.org.au
UCelebrate with us this Christmas
This Christmas we’d like you to share what your Congregation does in the lead up to one of the most important dates on the Christian calendar. Like and share pictures from last year’s Christmas celebrations at your Church with us at our UCelebrate Facebook page. Alternatively, send through your pictures or details of your services to us at contactus@ nswact.uca.org.au and we would be happy to post them for you.
Weekly ENews
The best way to keep up to date with news, articles and events from around the Synod and other parts of the organisation is by subscribing to the General Secretary’s E-News.
Sign up and pass it on
This weekly newsletter is delivered every Friday to your inbox and you can also send us items to contactus@nswact.uca.org.au. •G o to the Synod website and sign up at http://nswact.uca.org.au/ about-us/connect/. •W hen you sign up, consider passing this communication on to someone you feel will benefit from the information and encouraging them to subscribe.
Ministry Matters P lacement Vacancies as at 1 December 2014.
The following placements have submitted profiles to the Placements Committee and are either in, or soon to be in, the process of seeking to fill a ministry vacancy. Placements are available to specified ministers of the UCA. These placements are listed as being suitable for a Pastor under Regulation 2.3.3(a)(ii). A non-ordained minister may offer to serve in an approved placement through a written application to the Synod. Expressions of interest may be made in writing to the Associate Secretary, Rev. Jane Fry on janef@nsw.uca.org.au or to the Presbytery’s Placement Committee representative. CANBERRA REGION Eurobodalla 70% (ADVERTISED) Yarralumla Bega Tathra St Columba’s, Braddon and Canberra City – Toe Talatalanoa Ministry Team (2 ministry positions) South Woden (Available Soon)
GEORGES RIVER PRESBYTERY Oatley
FAR NORTH COAST PRESBYTERY Maclean 70% (ADVERTISED)
MACQUARIE DARLING PRESBYTERY Broken Hill 50%
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KOREAN PRESBYTERY Sydney Cheil English Ministry 75% (ADVERTISED) KU-RING-GAI PRESBYTERY Broken Bay – Ettalong/Umina
PARRAMATTA-NEPEAN Castle Hill SYDNEY PRESBYTERY Wesley Chinese (ADVERTISED) Tonga Parish SYDNEY NORTH PRESBYTERY Neutral Bay 80% Pittwater
NORTHERN SYNOD Nightcliff Uniting Church Temporary Placement 1 May 2015 to 31 October 2015 SYOND OF VICTORIA & TASMANIA Loddon Mallee Presbytery Robinvale 50% for 3 years
THE HUNTER PRESBYTERY Upper Hunter Ministry (Available Soon)
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Position Vacant
Position Vacant
Ordained Minister, Deacon, Pastor or Exiting Candidate
Chief Executive Officer
Canberra Region Presbytery
Eurobodalla Linked Congregations, situated on the beautiful south coast of NSW at Batemans Bay and Moruya (Canberra Region Presbytery) are seeking a suitably qualified person to lead our Congregations. The position requires a person who can inspire and encourage the Congregations to adapt to the changing society in which we find ourselves, while maintaining and developing our comprehensive outreach programs. Leadership of worship and oversight of study and visitation programs would also be required. This position is a 70% placement, with a house provided on a separate site, and appropriate allowances for travel, phone, relocation and study. Commencement and working times are flexible. The applicant must hold or be willing to hold a Working with Children Check number. Only people with the right to work in Australia may apply for this position. Enquiries to: Trevor Kohlhagen Tel: 02 4472 1619 E: tdkclyde@gmail.com
Uniting Financial Services
• Investment and Treasury focus • Unique opportunity in an ethical investment environment • Leading charitable and religious development fund Reporting to the Synod’s Treasury and Investment Board, this role is responsible for both day to day management and input to operational strategy. Key challenges include the provision of strategic advice regarding the Synod’s funds; oversight of tactical investment decisions and effective collaboration with the broader organisation. As CEO, you will provide a ‘road map’ to agreed financial outcomes, (including capital preservation and annual distributions to the Church), with adherence to compliance, reporting obligations and effective risk management strategies. Demonstrated experience in direct investment is essential whether in financial services, banking or treasury management, along with relevant tertiary qualifications. You may be an experienced Chief Executive Officer, or a Chief Operating Officer, Chief Investment Officer or Group Treasurer ready to take the next step.
Applications should be sent to: Synod Associate Secretary Rev. Jane Fry E: janef@nswact.uca.org.au
Enquiries and expressions of interest should be directed to Malcolm Duncan of The Insight Group (02) 9233 3711 or search9@insgroup.com.au
A1100
Applications close: 6 February 2015
Cross Cultural Ministry in Australia United Theological College (UTC) is part of Charles Sturt University’s School of Theology. Cross Cultural Ministry in Australia (THL230) is being offered as an Intensive subject in Session 1, from 19-23 January 2015. Explore theological themes and practical skills relating to the practice of cross cultural ministry in the Australian context. This subject will provide the opportunity to discuss issues relating to understanding and appreciating the challenges and opportunities which arise in multicultural and cross cultural ministry settings. It will also involve a field trip to one or two Uniting Church congregations to explore first-hand what model(s) of cross cultural ministry is at work there. Learning objectives: • • • •
identify and describe a range of cross cultural issues evaluate a range of cross cultural theology models analyse the role of ministry in building inclusive communities detail the challenges facing Australia as a nation of cultural and ethnic diversity
This subject is open to anyone who has a keen interest or who would like to deepen their knowledge of cross cultural ministries.
ENROL NOW FOR SESSION 1, 2015 This subject may be studied as an individually assessed subject, for interest only or provide credit towards further study. For more information: Sef Carroll secarroll@csu.edu.au www.utc.edu.au/courses
To register: Student Admin 02 8838 8914 studentadmin@nswact.uca.org.au
www.utc.edu.au/courses
UTC is constituted within the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of NSW and the ACT, and Charles Sturt University’s School of Theology.
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28/11/2014 3:27:47 PM
Belief matters
“I believe in the Holy Spirit”
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he story of scripture begins with the Spirit brooding over the abyss, ready to bring forth creation out of nothing (Gen 1:2). And at the turning point of the ages we find the Spirit brooding over the womb of a virgin (Luke 1:35). The Spirit rests on Mary’s body in order to bring forth the new Adam, the beginning of a new creation. The Apostles’ Creed reminds us that the work of this creative Spirit is not yet finished. The same Spirit is now brooding over the whole human race, bringing forth a new human community in the image of Christ. One of the great themes of the Bible is the unity of the human family. In the Garden of Eden, God makes a man and a woman, a miniature society imprinted with God’s own image. And the Bible ends with depictions of a future city where people from every tribe and language will live together in a perfect harmony of praise (Rev 7:9). In Genesis, the fall brings about a tragic disordering of human relationships. The relation between humans and the rest of creation is blighted (Gen 3:14-19). Thus the whole world of creation is divided. Each human being is a fragment torn loose from the whole.
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This grim assessment of human fallenness culminates in the story of Babel (Gen 11:1-9). Here, human beings have begun to use their collective life to mock God. And so God divides their language, making it impossible for them to work together. Each group is a mere splinter of humanity, all scattered across the cursed earth, exiled and alone. But with the coming of Christ, the story of Babel is reversed. When the Spirit descends on the frightened company of Jesus’ followers, they all begin to speak in many different languages. The multicultural crowd outside is astonished to find that each one’s language is being spoken by this band of Galileans. They ask, “How is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?” (Acts 2:1-13). The Pentecost story shows the undoing of the fall through the creation of the Church. There is now a new human society in which all the old divisions are torn down. That is what happens when the Spirit is present. The Spirit fulfills God’s original plan by bringing forth this new community. Thus the creed reminds us of the link between the Spirit and the “one holy catholic church” – the new universal community whose boundaries are as wide as the world. The Spirit broods over the chaos of human nature, lovingly piecing the fragments back together and forming us into the divine image.
St Paul notes that the presence of the Spirit is marked by a heightened individuality as well as a deeper sense of communal belonging. The Spirit fuses unity and diversity by bringing “many gifts” together in “one body” (1 Cor 12). We become more truly ourselves as the Spirit broods over us, and we also discover that our lives have been knit together with other lives and stories. In this way the Spirit broods over each of Christ’s followers, renewing the human race one life at a time, while also drawing all of us into a common family. A great fourth-century pastor, Basil, explained it like this: the Spirit “Is like a sunbeam whose grace is present to the one who enjoys it as if it were present to that one alone, yet it illuminates land and sea and the air.” There is nothing more personal, and more universal, than the Holy Spirit. Ben Myers is Lecturer in Systematic Theology at United Theological College
insights.uca.org.au
28/11/2014 3:28:01 PM
Culture watch How to make gravy: Christmas for the lonely
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f ever there was a great Australian Christmas carol, it would have to be Paul Kelly’s 1998 song “How to Make Gravy.” It takes the form of a prison inmate’s letter home to his family at Christmas. ello Dan, it’s Joe here, I hope you’re H keeping well. It’s the 21st of December And now they’re ringing the last bells. I f I get good behaviour I’ll be out of here by July. on’t you kiss my kids on Christmas W Day, Please don’t let them cry for me.
It is a day when broken families feel their brokenness most acutely, when prisoners feel the absence of the ones they love, when bereaved parents are confronted by the void left by the children they have lost. Yet in such experiences of hurt and loneliness we draw close to the real heart of Christmas. After all, the first Christmas was not a particularly nice event. It took place against a backdrop of fear and oppression and a people’s desperate unfulfilled longing for justice. On Christmas, God came crying into the world, born in blood and fear and hope like every one of us.
It’s not a happy Christmas song. It is the song of someone locked out of all the comforts and festivities of Christmas. When Joe starts his letter, we think he’s referring to Church bells. But then it dawns on us that it’s the prison bell. No pretty jingle bells in this Christmas carol. No festive cheer. Only a profound ache of yearning and regret.
God’s cry was united with the cry of every mother who has ever lost a child, every child who has ever been torn from their parents, every family ever broken and every man and woman ever placed behind bars or turned away from safe asylum. In the birth of Jesus, God’s cry united with the cries of all the world and with the desolate hidden cry of every human heart.
The song is a poignant reminder that for many people, Christmas is the loneliest day of the year.
Christmas is, of course, a festival of joy. The good news of Christmas is “tidings of great joy” (Luke 2:10).
insights.uca.org.au
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But the joy of Christmas is much more than what our society calls happiness. It is the joy of the psalms and the prophets – a song pieced together from the fragments of a broken heart, a fragile hope rising from the ashes of despair, a cry of inconsolable trust in a God who is mysteriously present in the dark night of grief and pain. “If I make my bed in hell, you are there” (Psalm 139:8). Jesus is the world’s true joy because he comes to the world at the place where it hurts the most. He bears away our sin. He dissolves our shame. He heals the wounded spirit. He drives away the enslaving powers. He accepts the rejected, welcomes the outcast, seeks the lost, loves whatever is unloved and forgotten. He absorbs all our grief and death into his own heart. He does not spare us from hurt but he is with us – Emmanuel – in every grief. To feel alone and still to know that God is with us is to know the joy of Christmas, a joy that is as unlikely and as miraculous as the Christmas story itself. Ben Myers Insights December 2014 45
28/11/2014 3:28:15 PM
Entertain me read this press play
BIG SCREEN
Exodus: Gods and Kings (M) Ridley Scott has his go at the Moses story with Exodus Gods and Kings and it is clear that Scott has interpreted the Old Testament story with his own unique voice. This film tells the story well for contemporary audiences. Unlike Noah, it doesn’t shy away from a depiction of God whose wrath is wrought through plagues and death. The film hits all the major beats; Moses and Ramesses growing up together as brothers, Moses’ exile, Moses ordering Ramesses to set the slaves free, the plagues and the towering red sea crossing climax. This is a lavish spectacle mounted in the only way Ridley Scott knows how: with amazing action and grandly expansive special effects. Unlike Noah, earlier in the year, this delivers a literal interpretation of the Biblical narrative. Christian Bale as Moses and Joel Edgerton as Ramesses lead an allstar cast, which harks back to the Cecil B Demille classics. The canvas of this film, like the story itself, is vast and not since the animated film The Prince of Eygpt has the story been given such lavish treatment. Bible scholars will find a lot to criticise, but engaging with what will surely be a must-see film is important for the conversations it will prompt after viewing the film. Adrian Drayton 46 Insights December 2014
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Just one in the Crowd Rev. Ron Baker The Rev. Ron Baker is a retired Baptist evangelist. One night his life dramatically changed when he attended a Billy Graham Crusade meeting. In the days leading up to that day, Baker was a bus driver attached to a Sydney bus depot. Like many other drivers, he had been ferrying attendees to crusade meetings. One this occasion, he was approached by a Christian couple who asked him to come with them to hear the American evangelist, Billy Graham. Baker reluctantly went, as he notes, arriving late, and being seated way up top of the stand at the Sydney Showground. Billy Graham appealed for those in the audience to come forward in response to God’s call. As an extra chorus echoed through the stands Graham repeated his call. “In the top row there, God was waiting for a man to come forward who God was speaking to”. Finally Ron Baker heard a voice say “Go”. He responded. And so began his new life. Initially uneducated, Baker went to college, entered the ministry, and conducted evangelistic meetings across Australia and many parts of the globe. Just One in The Crowd is a biography with the raw emotion of a troubled childhood and later conversion to the life of a Christian.
Son of God (M) Son Of God was developed from material created for the miniseries The Bible, which has aired worldwide to over a 100 million people. While some deleted scenes have been added, most who view the film will have a certain sense of déjà vu. Diogo Morgado stars as Jesus. He is one of the few actors who has been able to infuse Jesus with traits that we recognise in the Biblical text. He seems to exude humility, loving kindness, charisma, calm and selflessness, but when needed has the strength we recognise in scenes like turning the tables in the temple. Perhaps because the film is edited together from the series (and is paced in some places like it could lead into a commercial break) some transitions seem a little disjointed. But these are all niggles really, because as a theatre experience the film is less a movie, more an occasion for corporate worship. As a devotional tool, the film’s simplicity is undeniably an asset. Perhaps what it lacks in ‘spectacle’ it more than makes up for in an emotional and worshipful experience. Adrian Drayton
Allan Gibson insights.uca.org.au
28/11/2014 3:28:26 PM
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