Crosslight Magazine June 2023

1-3 NOV 2023

1-3 NOV 2023

ƒ Sydney

ƒ Sydney

PreachFest

Proclaiming the Inspirational and Transformational Word

Proclaiming the Inspirational and Transformational Word

ƒ Melbourne and Online

ƒ Melbourne and Online

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Moderator’s Emergency Response

PreachFest brings together preachers from all backgrounds and cultures who share a passion for proclaiming the inspirational and transformational Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a space designed for you to ministers, pastors, as well as teachers of bible, theology and preaching.

PreachFest brings together preachers from all backgrounds and cultures who share a passion for proclaiming the inspirational and transformational Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a space designed for you to connect, learn and be inspired by other ministers, pastors, as well as teachers of bible, theology and preaching.

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“I want to say thanks for the fund because we need to work together and the Moderator’s fund provides that opportunity.” Rev Brian Morgan, Northern Rivers Cluster Minister, Rochester victas.uca.org.au/product/moderators-emergency-response-fund

Hosted by the Uniting Church Synods of NSW/ACT and Vic/Tas.

Hosted by the Uniting Church Synods of NSW/ACT and Vic/Tas.

One of the things that I enjoy about celebrations of Pentecost is that they often involve congregations stepping out of their usual comfort zone and either employing other languages, or sharing worship with other congregations which have different customs and cultures, or both.

This can be true even for congregations that are already richly multicultural. It helps us to remember that the gospel is not just for people “like us” – whoever “us” may be.

In the first Pentecost event, described in the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit fills the house where the believers are gathered, and they begin speaking in other languages as the Spirit gives them ability. The first believers, devoted to prayer, are given the impetus to cross barriers of language and culture. Before too long, the early church is prompted to work out whether regular Jewish practices would be expected of nonJewish believers; and a eunuch who’d asked questions about a suffering servant described in Scripture was heading back to Ethiopia with the joy of the good news of Jesus.

I recently found myself at a presbytery meeting at which Andy Calder was introducing the synod’s new Disability Action Plan. The Plan is translated into both Plain English and Easy English, recognising the importance of people being able to engage with the plan — coming out of the same impetus to cross barriers to allow for engagement.

At the same meeting, I was talking with the Presbytery about the Faithful Futures Project, which is a joint process between the Presbyteries and the Synod

towards discerning a clear set of goals and actions to prepare the church for worship, witness and service in 10-15 years’ time. The first step of that process has confirmed that the vision statement adopted by the Synod some years ago continues to resonate well: Following Christ, walking together as First and Second People, seeking community, compassion and justice for all creation. The statement has a degree of simplicity that can be readily translated.

That said, it also has plenty of depth. There’s plenty of room for discussion about what it means to follow Christ – the faithful, compassionate, and challenging Jesus, whom the disciples recognised as having “the words of eternal life”, who died on a cross but is raised in new life. Our very existence as a church is about recognising the grace and truth that we find in Jesus, to which we bear witness.

By the barrier-crossing impetus of the Spirit, who was in this land before colonisation, we affirm the importance of walking together as First and Second Peoples. Elsewhere in this edition of Crosslight I write about one way we can do that effectively: listening for the leadership of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress, and the invitation from the Statement from the Heart, regarding a First People’s Voice to Parliament.

At Pentecost, people from many nations heard the good news told in their own languages. The believers spoke in those other languages and shared their stories. With prayer, at the prompting of the Spirit, they shared in faith. May we find good ways of doing the same, with respect, care and grace.

Reverend David Fotheringham Moderator Vic Tas Synod

"By the barrier-crossing impetus of the Spirit, who was in this land before colonisation, we affirm the importance of walking together as First and Second Peoples."

Faith & figures

Every five years, Australians everywhere wade through a mountain of paperwork as the Federal Government’s Census takes a snapshot of the economic, social and cultural make-up of the country.

And on each occasion since 1991, former Uniting Church Minister Rev Philip Hughes has become the “Census Detective”, as he takes a deep dive into what the data tells us about religion and its place in Australia.

After every Census, except for 2016, Philip has put his thoughts together in a book which analyses where religion sits in the lives of more than 25 million Australians.

His latest publication, ‘Australia's

By Andrew Humphries

Religious and Non-Religious Profiles: An Analysis of the 2021 Census Data’, was launched at the end of March and provides a timely insight into the changing face of faith in modern Australia.

While his latest analysis is a useful tool for all denominations, Philip hopes it will be particularly helpful to the Uniting Church in guiding future planning.

“There is definitely useful material in it because of how broad it is, and therefore how accurate it is in terms of determining the identification of trends that are occurring in society,” Philip says.

“Clearly it's something all

denominations find of great use as they try to get a snapshot of what's happening today.”

So what do the Census figures tell us and what can we glean from them to help guide planning for the future?

They tell us, firstly, says Philip, that there has been a dramatic drop in the number of Australians who willingly identify as Christian.

“What's happening across the board is that the percentage of people identifying as Christian has declined significantly,” he says.

“It was 61 per cent of the population in 2011, and it had dropped to 44 per cent by 2021.

Former Uniting Church Minister Rev Philip Hughes has drilled down into the 2021 Census data to provide a lowdown on the state of religion in Australia.

“There is only one denomination that has actually grown in terms of the percentage of people in the population who identify with being Christian, and that is what we would describe as the Oriental Christian group.

“That is due largely to immigration by people from the Middle East, and that Christian group has been growing quite rapidly, while all others have declined.”

Rev Mat Harry is the Synod’s New and Renewing Communities Catalyst and points to the experience of his daughter Shalisa as an example of that changing face of faith in Australia.

“With brown hair, my youngest daughter Shalisa really stands out as the

sole Anglo girl in her high school class,” Mat says.

“All of Shalisa’s classmates were either born overseas, or their parents were.

“Many are of different faiths, Islamic, Christian, and a variety of other faiths, or no faith at all.

“Within class Shalisa speaks freely and openly of her faith and involvement in church life, just as openly as her Islamic friends talk of Ramadan and their faith practices.

“It is accepted that everyone can have a faith or no faith, and there is nothing inherently wrong with any way of living, it is just a part of life and an expression of all of us “doing, or being, ourselves”.

If, as Philip points out, the Census tells us that there has been a significant drop in those who identify as Christian, the next question, then, is how concerned by this should we be?

Philip is in no doubt about the answer, even if it’s one we might not want to necessarily hear.

“Yes, I think alarm bells should be ringing for all denominations because it’s a larger decline than we were anticipating,” he says.

“We've seen the drop occurring over the years and it has been occurring mostly with people in the 25 to 35 age group.

“What happens is that young people

grow up and the person who's filling in the Census about them in the household describes them as sort of Anglican or Uniting Church or whatever, and then when they are old enough to fill in the Census themselves, they put down ‘no religion’.

“So that's been happening for the last 40 years or so and has been a general trend, but what this Census shows is two patterns that we haven't seen before.

“One is that it's not been just the 25 to

35 age group that's been dropping out, it's been people of all age groups, and there are equivalent numbers dropping out in the 35 to 45 and 45 to 55 age groups, and even a lot of older people who are dropping out.

“That’s indicative, I believe, of a wider cultural change throughout our society that it’s not just this creeping change from the boomers on, there are more significant changes.

“The other pattern that is also

The proportion of Australians identifying with a Christian denomination declined from 61% in 2011 to 44% in 2021

Rev Philip Hughes

interesting is that it’s happening in rural areas just as much as it is in urban areas.”

Philip says the influx of migrants who bring their faith to Australia with them has benefited a denomination like the Catholic Church, rather than the Uniting Church.

“Their faith tends to become stronger once they leave their former country and arrive in Australia and that’s because they will obviously look to connect with people of similar language and values to their own, and those people are often found in religious organisations here,” he says.

“The Census tells us that 280,000 immigrants have arrived in the past five years who identify as Christian and a lot of them are Catholic and have had a huge impact on that Church, much more so than on the Uniting Church.

“So the Uniting Church hasn't benefited as much from immigration as the Catholics, or the Anglicans or Baptists have done so.”

For the Uniting Church, then, the Census statistics paint a sobering picture.

In 1961, 20 per cent of Australians were either Methodist, Congregational or Presbyterian, yet by 2021, just 4 per cent were Uniting, Congregational or Presbyterian.

The decline in the Uniting Church is one of the fastest among the denominations, and between 2011 and 2021 across Australia, there was a fall from just over 1 million members to less than 700,000, a drop of 37 per cent.

So, where have these people gone?

“Well, a few have moved to other denominations, but the majority have gone into the ‘no religion’ category or

simply written ‘Christian’ without going into further detail,” Philip says.

It leads him to ponder the deeper issue of the place of religion in Australia in 2023, particularly for those churches we might consider as being more mainstream.

“A number of denominations, such as the evangelical and charismatic churches, have not declined so rapidly, whereas the more mainstream churches have tended to decline much more rapidly,” Philip says.

The one Christian group which grew faster than the population is the Oriental Christian group, including the Coptic, Syrian and Ethiopian Orthodox Churches

is one Mat also says needs to be considered when considering the role of religion in contemporary Australian society.

“’You do you’ is almost the expression of our time,” he says.

“Society at large is person-affirming, meaning that no one understands the individual better than oneself, so do not judge, categorise or label an individual in any way.

“I think the best explanation for that decline actually lies in values, and there's been a major shift in people from traditional pro-family values to values of personal fulfilment, and within that sense of personal fulfilment the church doesn't necessarily have a place.

“It's not seen by the majority of people in the population as actually supporting that personal fulfilment in a significant way, whereas what's happening with the evangelical and charismatic churches is that they are still supporting the traditional family values and people are still attending those churches because they find support for those traditional values.

“These people become even more enthusiastic about their churches as the place where they feel safe and where their values are maintained.

“However, these churches have never engaged more than a tiny part of the Australian population, and there is growing distance between them and the population as a whole.”

This trend towards personal fulfilment

“It is up to the individual to decide for themselves how they seek to be understood, and this then extends to religious faith and expression.

“We live in a context of a ‘multifaith and no faith’ milieu.”

For a progressive Church like the Uniting Church, all of this presents an issue which needs to be addressed, says Philip.

“What it raises for the more open and liberal progressive churches, like the Uniting Church, is a question of what is it that we offer society which they don't necessarily find elsewhere?” he says.

“By any measure the Uniting Church would be considered a progressive church and therefore it doesn't attract people so much who feel that they're in a minority in society and want to sort of maintain a difference from the values that most people in society hold.

“On the other hand the question then becomes, what is the attraction, and I think it's not that people sort of reject the Uniting Church, it’s more that they don't find sufficient reason to actually go to it.”

Mat says a move away from Christian

However, the proportion of Australians identifying themselves simply as 'Christian' and not with a Christian denomination or group rose from 2.2% in 2011 to 2.7% in 2021

The decline in the proportion of Christians is happening most among those aged 25 –35

observance has also had a part to play in many people turning away from faithbased entities like the Uniting Church.

“Whereas previously the Christian Church was afforded privilege, with public holidays given for Christian observance and seen as sacred, and the Christian story reinforced within cultural practice, this is no longer the case,” he says.

“Football is played on Good Friday and Christian

and Gen Zs’ experience of faith, that is often observed through their relationship with the Church.”

While those figures paint a disturbing picture, Melanie says there was a consistent thread running through the reasons given by those people who remained committed to their relationship with faith.

“Unlike other studies, the Barna Group study listed common factors present in the 25 per cent of people

Meaning there are now more Sikhs and Hindus than people identifying with the Uniting Church in Melbourne

religious education is seldom a feature of public school life.

“Christian movies are very rarely shown on television at Christmas and Easter.

“We can no longer assume that people understand the story of Christ.”

Christian author and communicator Melanie J Saward says a recent study shows the extent of the problem facing many churches.

“Many statistics have emerged over the last few years that have painted a jarring picture of the state of faith for Millennials and Gen Z,” she says.

“But none quite so shocking as a study completed by the Barna Group recently, finding that 75 per cent of young Christians will leave church.

“What can’t be denied is that there is something missing in the Millennials’

who stayed,” Melanie says.

“These included: eating dinner together five of seven nights a week as a family; serving with their families in a ministry; having one spiritual experience in the home during the week; being entrusted with responsibility in ministry at an early age; and having at least one faith-focused adult in their lives, other than their parents.”

It is this depth of faith, says Melanie, that must be nurtured if future generations are going to continue the practice of worship.

“In my latest book, ‘Deep Faith Resilient Faith’, I examine what I believe to be the cause of this phenomena, and the missing piece is depth,” she says.

“It has always been a temptation in our Christian culture to become preoccupied with external matters and

Sikh religion grew by 191% between 2011 and 2021 and Hinduism grew by

148% between 2011 and 2021

not those of the heart. From the day the church began, there were smaller sections that concerned themselves with rituals, and in the generations just prior to Millennials, church attendance has been the universal sign of commitment to Christ.

“The five factors involved in keeping people committed to Church are all signs of a whole community discipling a child, that is parents, church leaders, and the larger church community.

“Truly, they are signs of depth and the priority to instil a deep faith in the next generation.

“Depth of faith is critical, as scripture proposes many times: it was the depth of the soil that determined the response to the seed (Mark 4:5), and it was deep digging that stabilised the house built on the rock (Luke 6:48).

“And so we must explore for ourselves what a deep faith looks like, so that we can exemplify it for the next generation.”

Like Melanie, Mat says it’s the church as a community that can best represent the depth of faith that is available for people to tap into.

“Research suggests about 25 per cent of the population claims to be lonely at any time, and it’s often described as a loneliness epidemic,” he says.

“Congregations are well equipped to help address this epidemic.

“When a congregation acts as a community of grace and care, accepts people for who they are, is fully inclusive in practice as well as theology, and gathers in ways that make sense and are inspiring for the people they are alongside in mission, such congregations are well positioned to bear witness to the glory of the story of Christ and respond to this multifaith and no faith milieu.

“It is well-positioned for those open to exploring spirituality to do so with us.”

As the Uniting Church ponders the drop in its membership, Philip says it must be prepared to tackle some hard truths if ground is to be regained.

“It's a matter of looking at ways we can best offer people a sense of meaning,” he says.

In 1961, 20% of Australians were either Methodist, Congregational or Presbyterian In 2021, just 4% are Uniting, Congregational or Presbyterian

Rev Mat Harry. Image: Carl Rainer

“Can we support people through issues of mental health and can we really build a strong sense of supportive community among people?

“So it's really a matter of reflecting now on what is the place of our churches in society as a whole.

“One of the things that I'm very keen to look at much more closely, and which I would suggest to the Uniting Church that it considers, is how do people gain their sense of meaning today, and my suspicion is that a lot of it happens in small groups and close relationships.

“My sense is that what's declining most rapidly are those churches which are sort of just local neighbourhood churches which may be too big to be just small groups but, on the other hand, aren't the big megachurches that can offer large numbers of small groups.

“I think the whole concept of bringing people into smaller communities where they find people who are supportive or with who they can relate, and with whom they can take action together in relation to social justice issues and that sort of thing, is really important.

“The patterns of Sunday morning services with preaching and so on is, I think, a declining pattern that's not working so well for many people.”

The question, then, is where does Philip see the Uniting Church placed in 25 years?

Will there, in fact, still be a Uniting Church?

“I think a lot depends on what directions we take now,” Philip says.

“Certainly one of the struggles is that a lot of Churches decline to a tipping point where they just can’t continue financially their models of being church, which are dependent on having a building and a Minister.

“And so that just becomes unrealistic and therefore they merge, and often in merging they lose their sense of identity

and so decline further. And it's likely that in another 25 years there'll only be a few of the larger Churches left.

“Certainly the immigrant churches will be maintained over the next generation, so the Samoan and Tongan churches, the Korean churches, Chinese churches and so on, but even they may decline after the first generation.

“Whether they can transition to being

As the Uniting Church stands at a crossroads, Mat says it needs to take comfort in and build on the fact that for many young people it represents a faithbased organisation most in touch with their own values and view of the world.

“The Uniting Church finds itself in a very interesting position,” he says.

“Yes, more people are not identifying as Christian in Australian society and less people are identifying with a Christian denomination.

“However, there is much evidence to suggest that more of the younger generations are open to spirituality in all of the forms that spirituality takes.

“Yet, due to the Uniting Churches broadly inclusive theology we may suggest that our denomination is the most person-affirming.

“The UCA’s understanding of the message of Jesus is one which is more closely aligned with how the broader

multicultural churches is certainly an issue.

“I think the Uniting Church will survive and if it continues to sponsor new expressions and small group activities which are less dependent on the traditional structures and forms there is hope for it to continue to play a significant role.

“It means that leadership will have to be different into the future and that the patterns of the past aren’t necessarily going to work.

“We need to look for less institutionalised ways of being a Church and look for those smaller groups who will be supportive of each other but also find a sense of meaning through values and social action.

“It needs to be a case of promoting churches to try new things out, which becomes even more important into the future.”

society understands the individual.”

While it might sometimes be facts and figures that drive the debate on religion’s place in modern Australia, strip it all back and you get to the very essence of what matters.

For Melanie, it’s about the current generation carrying the flag of faith for those to come.

“The fact is the next generations need us,” she says. “They need those of us who have come before them to demonstrate through the life we live, the kind of depth and meaning that a faith in Jesus can bring.

“They don’t need us to nag them, to judge them, to be frustrated by them.

“They need us to be willing to take up our cross, forego our comforts and go deeper than we have ever gone before, because the gospel has always been enough to satisfy all of us, from generation to generation.”

"We need to look for less institutionalised ways of being a Church but also find a sense of meaning through values and social action."

Rev Philip Hughes

Overall, 86% of people identifying with the Uniting Church were born in Australia, higher than almost any other denomination, and compares with just 67% of the overall population

Melanie J Saward.

Sunday.9.30Service Wonthaggi. Don'tbelate!

A

Rev Deacon Wendy Elson, Minister at Wonthaggi and InverlochUC Of

week in the l ife

This week looks quiet when I look in my diary and that always makes me nervous. Justifiably, because these are the weeks that have the potential space to get very busy 6am alarm: Up and about with time and space for a quick walk around the block and my usual 20min prayer meditation.

8am: Leave home for the services at Wonthaggi at 9.30am and then Inverloch at 11am.

children served to the adults with such joy. I am still buzzing.

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURS

FRIDAY SATURDAY

2pm: After the two church services and morning tea, I go home and make some phone calls. I have a special announcement to make this week. More on that later. Today our wonderful families did a very creative play. They got together for tea last night and wrote it on the theme for ‘Sun’ character was dancing in the sky with joy. And there was cake which the

One little piece of special joy this morning, a child in the play brought in their guinea pig to be a character and another bought her chook. I cease to be surprised really by these joyous knows where) walked up and put its head in the door! Such timing though, as I had just started reading a passage from Matthew, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem … how often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks

Monday. research,Thesis double check findings.

Tuesday 10am. Funeral Inverloch.at

Monthly rostered service at Rose Lodge Aged Care.

Zoom!Committee.RelationsPresbyteryWednesday.

Thursday 1pm. Combined Church Council meeting.

YarningCircle tonight.Uluru Statement& theVoice.

under her wings.”! A little visit from the Divine.

I have a wonderful text conversation which starts on Sunday afternoon and continues through Monday, about some aspects of the sermon which invite enquiry. I prepare a little for the coming week which has several things which need good focus.

is a collector of these, so I regularly drop some into his mail box.

The son of one of our elderly members rings to say she has gone into aged care and to ask if I would visit this week to ease her concerns about feeling isolated.

intersection between disability and theology. I am exploring several Biblical narratives as tools to better understand how we regard disability and to empower people through affording them the dignity they deserve.

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY FRIDAY

Another young man who is in text contact regularly asks me (again) if things in my life have been as tough as his life is just now. I have plans to spend a special celebration day with him in the coming weeks and I wonder if he is nervous about it. I first had contact with him through his request to Presbytery to send him pamphlets. He

6.30am: often sleep a little longer than the alarm’s 6am alert on Mondays. The adrenaline dump after Sunday services gets me every time.

7.15am: And so Monday starts in my preferred way, with a swim in the bay and some meditation.

9am: I hit the books. Monday and Friday are the main days I research and write my PhD thesis about the

SATURDAY

It is important to me through my ordination as a Deacon, to stand with those who are marginalised in our society, to understand the Gospel from the underside. The view from the margins is a vital part of the church and these are prophetic voices that the church does well to hear.

Having been a school chaplain for many years, it was this yearning, this call to the marginalised that led me to seek ordination. A few phone calls and preparational items interrupt me, but I won’t admit that here

6am: Another blessed morning with meditation, but no swim as I leave early to conduct a funeral at Inverloch at 10am. It is lovely to hear the family speak so lovingly about their mum and nan. We go on to the cemetery, where we say our farewells to this dear lady, and the family are happy that they have been able to share their memories of her love and care for them. The usual Tuesday morning coffee at the bakery with the Wonthaggi folks continues quite happily without me apparently.

I arrive home. I start the preparation for the services on Sunday, having listened to the By the Well podcast as I drove home from the funeral. I spend some time looking at the Figtree Worship resource and then send the music ideas off to both congregation’s musicians.

I have phone and text discussion with some people about when is a good time to welcome them into membership. As there are six of them involved it has been hard to get a time that we will all be there. They would love to do it together so they can tell everyone about what has prompted them to the decision to do this and we can have a special celebration.

On re-checking my diary earlier today I notice I have the monthly rostered service at Rose Lodge Aged Care on Friday morning so I check that I have something I can use to focus our worship using the Figtree Resource. Lots of phone calls and emails about various things later, I turn the computer off for dinner.

9.30pm: Off to bed, which is about the usual time.

week in the l if e A Of

4pm: Meeting finishes so I get to look over the relevant lectionary in preparation for my turn on the Figtree Worship Resource roster. I start an idea for this and get caught up in it. It sits as a draft to clean up after it has fermented a bit.

6pm: I turn off the computer and put it all out of my head. I note that as an aspirational thought.

I wake a little early today so I beat the alarm and get up. I am on the Interchurch Council roster for the reflection for the newspaper so, after a meditation, I have time to finish it off. I get a short walk and I leave at 8.30am to join the team making sandwiches with donated bread at the Inverloch church. These go in the freezer for brekky club at Inverloch Primary School two mornings each week. Then more folks come to the church and we sit together over coffee, and also cake because Nola and Pam have been baking (we look so hard done by on the rare times they haven’t done so). Our conversation is usually about what is happening in the community and our daily lives. Wednesday afternoon this week is Presbytery Relations Committee and I am glad that on this occasion it is on Zoom. That saves a two hour drive over to Traralgon but the down side is that we don’t get to see each other in person.

7am: This week my Thursday has a slower start and I get in a swim after my meditation. I have time for further preparation for the service.

Noon: I head to the church at Inverloch for our Combined Church Council meeting. There is much to discuss and we meet from 1pm-4.30pm. I drive one of the members home as I am aware she has some pastoral issues to chat about.

6.30pm: The church is set up and I go to pick up a lady who is coming to our Yarning Circle at Wonthaggi which starts at 7pm. It goes until around 9.30pm. The closing time is never set as our conversation is between First and Second Peoples and one of my first learnings was that we do not limit the conversation. Everyone is listened to so that we do not miss the wisdom by moving on too quickly. It is such precious time of deep sharing, listening and truth telling.

community members, some are from the Reconciliation group that several of our members attend. I was glad that our Yarning Circle hasn’t clashed this month with the Interchurch Council meeting as it sometimes does. I arrive home at 10.30pm and take a while to unwind.

11pm: Bed time. I wonder if I dare sleep a little later tomorrow since the service at Rose Lodge Aged Care starts at 10.30am.

10.30am: The service starts and it’s such a joy to see the very dear faces, especially those from our own congregations. There are around 12 participants with four from our own church as well as two of our congregation members assisting.

12.30pm: On the way home I call into another aged care place to see our member who has just gone there to live. She is comfortable and finds her adjustment easier when she thinks about how much relief has been felt by her family.

It is not her ideal option for life, but she knows it is the right time for this move.

1.30pm: I hit the books, conscious that precious thesis time has been used differently today. But there is give and take in the ministry calendar and I will ensure there is balance.

One of my ponderings around balance is in regard to that announcement I made on Sunday. I have just incorporated a new role into our way of being church. I will reduce my (0.8- 4 days) each week in the congregational placement to 0.4 and am taking on the (0.4) role of Spiritual Care Co-ordinator at Bass Coast Health.

Our focus symbol tonight is a bowl of cleansing water. Of course, we spend quite some time on the Uluru Statement and the Voice referendum.

Some of the people in attendance are wider

7.30am: Up and at ’em. A quick swim and today I don the short wetsuit as the weather is cooling. While the bay (Westernport) still feels OK, I realise there will be a few less swims each week when late autumn and winter assert themselves. I remember to do a RAT test before my meditation so I don’t have to sit outside when I get to Rose Lodge.

I feel an interesting mix of excitement and overwhelm. Our wonderful way of working in Gippsland in Figtree teams has led to the exploration of this possibility and I am trusting the gift of this new ministry will flourish with the assistance of others stepping into our congregational space. And our congregations are excited by what they see as a gift for their ministry.

Even before this, people have been stepping up and asking to be more involved in the congregational pastoral care. Releasing me for this wider Diaconal ministry offers us so much and so the review of ministry priorities is in full swing. I wonder what the coming weeks will look like as transitions and adjustments are made.

Oh well, I will live in this week for now. And if I am lucky, I will have Saturday off, but that thesis will not write itself.

Putting faith into action

By Meg Hocking

They say the eyes are a window to the soul and the smile a front door to your heart.

When you speak with Nancy, it’s difficult not to be captured by her warmth, her care for others and her kindness.

However, behind her beaming smile and infectious personality, Nancy is a pillar of resilience, strength and courage.

A year ago, she found herself on the edge of crisis. “One day I saw I'm alone. Really alone,” Nancy reflects. “I didn't know where to go, what to do. I just thought I can’t continue.”

As a new migrant in Australia, Nancy had travelled all the way from Iran in search of new beginnings. However, life so far was not as she had dared dream.

“Many things happened to me, one after another. Not good things, so many shocks in my life,” she says. “First of all, I lost my Mum. I was very close to her. I didn't come to Australia at a good time.”

While grappling with the grief of losing her mother, Nancy was forced to leave a violent marriage.

Alone in a new

country she was suddenly without stability, support or safety.

“You make some plans for yourself before leaving your country,” Nancy says. “Everyone makes that plan. But then you realise everything is completely different. Not what you expected.”

Although Nancy has limited memory of that dreadful day, she fortuitously found herself one afternoon at the doors of Uniting’s emergency relief centre in Melbourne’s east.

“I went to Uniting by accident,” Nancy says. “I was in tears, crying. I just remember after that, everything happened very quickly. They helped and they put me [on the path] to a normal life.”

Nancy was supported into crisis accommodation and then offered transitional housing. This accommodation is a partnership of the local congregation and Uniting Vic.Tas; the realisation of a shared vision.

The Uniting program offers women who are at risk of homelessness and have experienced family violence a safe haven while they set about securing a long-term home. Women also receive help with finances, mental health, food relief, employment coaching and other support services.

The local Uniting Church congregation advocated for and carefully planned

the specialist accommodation.

Congregation members generously donated their time to help prepare a joint funding application with the Wesley Mission to the Victorian Government.

For more than two decades, congregational members continued to lobby governments to realise their missional purpose on the Church’s excess land.

“It was a pretty terrible situation that Nancy was in when she came,” Nancy’s case manager, Rebecca, recalls.

“All clients that come to the service have experienced family violence, which often means they need a lot of support.

“When women first come in, they're very scared, they're very frightened, they don't know what's going to happen.”

Nancy was grateful to have safe accommodation and other support, however as she set about rebuilding her life, loneliness began to seep in.

“It was peaceful living there, beyond my imagination. But unfortunately, I was still sad. People say that it's depression,” Nancy says.

“When you’re depressed, you’re locked with negative thoughts.”

As part of the partnership with Uniting, the local congregation run a drop-in centre which offers the women welcome packs, food relief and a space

to connect. Tina, a Minister at the local Uniting Church, also offers pastoral care to the women. Nancy was one of these women.

“Mostly pastoral care is listening and offering support,” Tina says.

“Part of listening is being empathic and understanding. I also offer support for people’s faith and spiritual journey, whatever that may be.”

When asked how Tina supports those of different faiths and spiritualities she answers, “with respect”.

“No matter what our faith is, we all pray,” Tina says.

“So, I listen to people talking about their journey and encourage them to pray more. What they say really guides my response in how I encourage people to get in touch with their faith. Respect and encouragement are key to helping people grow.”

Through receiving ministry from Tina, Nancy was able to deepen her faith and draw strength from it.

“When Nancy talks about her faith, her face glows,” Tina says.

“She’s got such a deep joy and finds deep peace and strength from her faith. When we share from the heart it’s a lovely thing. It helps my joy for my faith. We can learn so much from each other.”

Nancy is now living in her own apartment and completing a degree in data analysis.

She keeps in touch with Rebecca and Tina. “Meeting Nancy and watching her grow through the program has been such an honour to witness,” Rebecca says.

“It makes me feel so happy that I've been able to contribute just a little bit in her journey. I really believe Nancy’s strength came from within and she had it there all along.”

“Nancy has a deep joy, a love of life despite everything that has happened. She has a lot of courage to come to another country and want to start a new life here,” Tina says.

After meeting Nancy and hearing her speak one would never imagine the hardships she has faced. Her philosophy on life is inspiring.

“Everyone has challenges, down times in their life,” she says. “Don't give up. Life is like a heartbeat, it goes up, down, up, down.

“Just trust your faith and you will find that positive energy in your life."

Such words are part of the joyful realisation of this congregation’s vision and their ongoing partnership with Uniting.

If you would like to support people like Nancy this winter, visit unitingvictas.org.au/share-appeal

*Some details such as names have been changed to respect the wishes of the person featured.

Nancy (left) and Tina.

Voices of reason

By Andrew Humphries

On May 21 last year, Anthony Albanese began his speech as newly elected Prime Minister of Australia by making a heartfelt promise to our First Nations people.

“I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet,” he told the nation.

“I pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging.

“And on behalf of the Australian Labor Party, I commit to the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full. We can answer its patient, gracious call for a voice enshrined in our Constitution.

“Because all of us ought to be proud that amongst our great multicultural society, we count the oldest living continuous culture in the world.”

Fast forward nearly 12 months and that “patient, gracious call for a voice” continues to dominate discussion around the country.

In February, Albanese said he expected the country to go to a referendum before the year is out on whether that

indigenous voice to parliament should be included in our Constitution and, in late March, he released the statement that Australians will vote on.

The Uniting Church wholeheartedly supports a referendum yes vote and, in late February, President Rev Sharon Hollis and Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress Interim National Chair Rev Mark Kickett endorsed the #Yes23 campaign.

“This is an historic opportunity for Australia to acknowledge and honour First Nations people and their deep spiritual ties to this land and to walk together as a nation toward a better future,” Sharon says.

“We support the yes vote for the voice as a pivotal step toward the full implementation of the Uluru statement, so that as a nation we can finally confront the truth of our past and present and make way for justice.”

Mark says now is the time for Australians to unite in support of justice for First Peoples.

“The Uluru statement is an invitation given by First Nations people to the people of Australia,” he says.

“A constitutionally enshrined voice will shape and guide the relationship between First and Second peoples in this country by enabling our people to have a say in the decisions that impact our communities.

“In the same way the 1967 referendum brought Australians together, this is an opportunity for all of us to unite in a big way as we seek to restore justice and promote healing for First Nations people in this land.”

As the discussion around a voice has continued, two indigenous Australians with strong ties to the UAICC and the fight for recognition for their people have watched on with great interest.

Uncle Vince Ross is a retired Victorian Uniting Church Minister, former UAICC chairperson, founder of the Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Geelong and, in 2006, was named NAIDOC’s Aboriginal Elder of the Year.

Alison Overeem runs Leprena, the home of the UAICC in Tasmania, is a former member of the Tasmanian Women’s Council, and in 2019 was added to the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women for services to the community, education and training, and cultural heritage.

They are, indeed, perfectly placed to offer their thoughts on a voice to parliament and what it might mean as part of a broader discussion about ongoing recognition for our First Nations people.

But, more than that, they have much to tell, and teach, us about what is expected from non-indigenous Australians, and if that means offering a few home truths along the way, so be it.

Vince says a yes vote in a referendum would send a signal to First Nations people that at long last they are being heard when it matters on issues that affect them.

“I guess for many Aboriginal people we struggle to convince government that

the only voice we hear loud and strong is theirs and it’s now time for our mob to be heard,” he says.

“Any partnership across communities comes about when people decide to make their voices heard and so here we want people to give us that voice in government.

“What I believe can come out of this yes vote for the voice is that government and community will realise we have a voice and want to be heard.

“Strong relationships will be developed and strengthened and there will be further understanding of the true history of this country.

“Our mob will be able to assist in the locking in of policies that actually work and self-determination and selfmanagement will become a reality.

“A voice will push aside those who think the Aboriginal mob don’t know how to do it, and open new doors of opportunities.”

Alison says an indigenous voice in our Constitution is a must, but there is

a caveat: it needs to be part of a much wider conversation around justice, truth telling and a treaty.

“I speak into this space as part of the UAICC, as a proud palawa woman, and as a big part of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community, and I think it is a missed opportunity if we don’t have a voice,” Alison says.

“But it’s also a missed opportunity if we don’t embed that in justice, truth telling and treaty.

“Is constitutional recognition on its own going to close the gap for First Peoples across the lands now called Australia?

“Absolutely not, but I think if we don’t start the conversations we might miss an opportunity that may never come again.

“I really don’t want it to be just a voice to parliament, I want it to be voices and, as a collective, that’s how we should speak into the space.

“This is a chance for education to be the healer.”

Like Alison, Vince says a treaty would

continue a journey towards selfdetermination for his people.

“There have been many written and spoken words about welcome and acknowledgement of country, reconciliation, the voice to parliament, black deaths in custody, juvenile detention, domestic violence and other issues,” he says.

“Government has for years struggled with these issues and tried many things but continues to fail.

“The answer lies within the Aboriginal people, if given the mandate through a treaty and not just a voice to parliament but a new structure that brings with it a self-determination model that sustained our communities for thousands of years.

“Aboriginal people have had to learn the Wadjala (white) man way and what is required is trust and for the wider community to understand the Aboriginal way of doing things.

“In a number of communities we see positive action taking place as people from both sides take the time to allow for that cross flow of information.

“This way of doing things is not rocket science, but what mainstream Australia needs to do is to value a culture that’s had a long go at developing lifelong skills and survived.”

In 1988, Prime Minister Bob Hawke made a political commitment at Barunga in the Northern Territory to a treaty as part of the journey towards reconciliation.

Just four years later, Prime Minister Paul Keating delivered his famous Redfern speech and, in the process, accepted responsibility for Aboriginal loss, devastation and trauma.

Yet over 30 years later, indigenous Australians can rightly say there has been little movement towards the actions that would cement their rightful standing in a land they have occupied for 60,000 years.

Alison says with reconciliation must come the process of truth telling?

“Let’s relook at that word ‘reconciliation’, because reconciliation assumes that there was something to reconcile in the first place,” she says.

“It also assumes that there was a relationship and I think we have overused the term ‘reconciliation’ more as a comfort to non-indigenous Australians than as justice leverage for First Peoples.

“I think we need to embed it in truth telling, in learning and unlearning.

“Just because you have a reconciliation action plan sitting on your table doesn’t mean you know about us, so we need to reconcile with our own truth telling that sits with us within our education system and our family histories.

can get there if we keep the momentum going and we make it about culture and truth telling, rather than phrases like ‘reconciliation’.”

Vince admits to being a glass half full type of person and, with that in mind, believes Australians are big enough and mature enough to vote yes to an indigenous voice in our Constitution.

But even if a no vote was to prevail, he believes not all will be lost.

“It is my belief that even if the vote doesn’t get through we, as a nation, will be further down the track in having a greater understanding of our history that will bring us closer together,” Vince says.

“No way will our voice be silenced any more and the voice will become the foundation for our communities.

“It’s encouraging to see the public response and the opportunity to build that which is required for the mob.

“One of my favourite responses is, ‘together we build’.”

“I think non-indigenous Australians need to delve into that first and actually ask the question ‘what are we reconciling?’

“For me, reconciliation is achievable, but we need to use the language that is used around self-determination, not just reconciliation.”

A trip to Alice Springs earlier this year made Alison a firm believer that change will come through our younger generations.

“I think there’s a lot of goodwill out there, and in Alice Springs I was absolutely overwhelmed at the young people and their real passion to want to learn and know more about First Peoples history,” she says.

“But I think the education system continues to let us down and, to quote my mentor, First Nations human rights advocate Cindy Blackstock, ‘today’s learners are tomorrow’s educators’.

“So until we have that threegenerational change, I don’t think we’ll get where we need to, but I think we

Alison, too, believes there are enough nonindigenous Australians wanting to create real change in the relationship with First Nations people.

“I have actually been quite surprised and comforted by the amount of nonindigenous Australians that want to walk with us, particularly young nonindigenous Australians in the Uniting Church,” she says.

“I think we do have a long way to go but I have a long time to give to it.

“I am still as passionate about this as I was when I was a mouthy little five-yearold.”

And with a voice in place, says Alison, must come the process of healing.

“If there is healing in the voice, and if there is change in people’s thinking, perception and a real acknowledgment that a white Australia has a black history, this is the opportunity,” she says.

“But it’s not just an opportunity for non-indigenous Australians just to say, ‘oh, I’ve done something’,

“I was quoted the other day posing the question, ‘what happens the day

Go to www.uniting. church/together-yes to see how you can help.

get involved!

Uncle Vince Ross.

after the referendum?’ And I think that’s a significant question, what does happen afterwards?

“How do we keep Aboriginal voices at the forefront, not just in the back stalls.”

Vince has seen much in his long life and now sees in front of him a country with an opportunity to make a meaningful statement on behalf of its First Nations people.

He feels confident it’s an opportunity enough Australians will want to grasp when they come to tick a “yes” or “no” box at the referendum later this year.

“The word reconciliation speaks about

a coming together and discovering our true history and having that capacity to be change agents throughout the wider community,” he says.

“My view is that we as a nation are moving toward a better understanding and that’s where we need to focus on and continue over whatever time it takes. Our mob will continue to believe and demonstrate that ability to be able to hang in there and certainly won’t be going away. We still have a long way to go but I do believe that if we continue the dialogue then the positives will come out of that, I'm sure.”

And as the clock counts down towards a decision on an indigenous voice in our country’s Constitution, Alison has one final message for non-indigenous Australians.

“I’d tell them to sit, learn, listen and hear the stories of our old people, that’s who I’m guided by,” she says.

“I’m not the storyteller, I’m the carrier of the story, so we need to dig deep into the storylines and songlines of the elders. I would want to ask what they don’t know and what they do know, then work from there because that’s how we learn.”

Alison Overeem.

Call for change rings clear

When Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress members met in Darwin for their national conference recently, discussion about the Voice to Parliament was high on the agenda. And in that discussion lay two questions.

When most referendums since 1901 have ended in failure, what hope can our First Nations people place in this one?

Can the 1967 Referendum, when over 90 per cent of Australians voted yes, give hope that the Voice to Parliament will be accepted by the Australian people?

The 1967 Referendum gave First Nations people the right to be counted in the Census and the opportunity to vote.

The Referendum on a Voice to Parliament gives the people of Australia a chance to allow First Nations people not only to be seen and counted, but to be listened to so that they have constitutional recognition and a constitutionally enshrined First Nations voice.

For our First Nations people, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

That mood of an urgent need for change was summed up in a speech to UAICC members at the national

conference by Nathan Tyson, the NSW/ ACT Synod’s Director of First Peoples Strategy and Engagement. In his speech, Nathan captured what was at the heart of the case for a yes vote later this year.

“The Voice is a tangible action that can make a real difference in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples and communities,” Nathan told the national conference.

“If Christians accept that the teachings of Jesus guide us in the way we are to live and act, it is clear that there is a theological imperative for Christians to stand in solidarity with First Peoples seeking justice, and to support the Statement from the Heart and its outcomes of Voice, Treaty and Truth.

“For me, the Statement from the Heart, and the Albanese Government’s commitment to getting the work done, gives me hope.

“I have not felt such hope since the Redfern speech by Paul Keating.

“But this is more than a speech. The Voice is tangible action that can make a real difference to the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.

“As a Christian I believe hope is important, so I hope that justice will be done.”

Joining Nathan at a question and answer session during the national

conference was distinguished academic Anne Pattel-Gray, Head of the School of Indigenous Studies at the University of Divinity.

“We’ve gone so long being unrecognised, unheard, and made outcasts in our own country,” Anne says.

“It is time that we moved from the periphery to the centre.

“It is time that we’re seen and heard.”

UAICC Interim National Chair, Rev Mark Kickett, says that now is the time for Australians to unite in support of justice for First Peoples.

Mark says the Covenant in the Uniting Church ties First and Second Peoples together in a binding way so that together we are able to contribute to a more just Church and nation.

“Now is the time for us to hear the call of God to seek justice by doing what is right for our nation”, he says.

“Like Jesus, we are called to be bearers of justice, not just in our words, but in our actions and by changing systems which continue to deny the place and rights of the First Australians.”

The UAICC encourages churches, communities and individuals to inform themselves about the Uluru Statement and what it asks of our nation, and to create respectful spaces for yarning about the impact a First Nations Voice will have.

Nathan Tyson.

truth burns

At a recent press conference Professor Marcia Langton said, ‘the truth burns’.

In that simple statement I heard a description of the work of the Holy Spirit who burns the truth into our lives, both our lives as a nation and as a Church.

The Holy Spirit has burnt the truth into my heart and mind and life as I have read and listened to the Uluṟu Statement from the Heart.

I try to make time most days to either read or listen to the Statement. I listen to it in English and I listen to it in First Nations languages.

As I read and listen, the Holy Spirit burns the truth into my heart, into my mind and into my gut.

It burns the truth that sovereignty has never been ceded and can’t be wiped out by colonisation.

It witnesses to the truth that their children are removed in too great a number and their people are disproportionally incarcerated. Not because they don’t love their children or are innately criminal, but because the system is unjust and cruel.

A First Nations Voice enshrined in our Constitution offers the chance to put a spoke in the wheel of this system and help us all build a more just and compassionate way of being with each other in ways led by First Peoples.

As I knelt before Rev Mark Kickett, Interim Chair of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress at the reconvened Assembly, I led the confession of sin on behalf of the Assembly.

We acknowledged our actions have not matched our commitment in the Covenant or the vision of the Preamble.

The truth of this is burnt into my life. I know that, just as Australia must learn to listen to its First Peoples, the Church must also learn to listen to Congress as they struggle for self-determination to lead and guide ministry with First Peoples.

So I will go to the ballot box when the day for the Referendum comes and I will vote Yes.

I will vote Yes to a First Nations Voice

with the pain, the hope, the joy and the grace of the Uluru Statement ringing in my ears, the long struggle of First Peoples for self-determination lodged in my heart and a longing in my gut for a better, more truthful way to be in these lands.

And I will leave the ballot box resolved to continue to be part of the work of justice-seeking, for even as we work for a Yes vote, after we have cast our vote, there remains hard, good, holy work of truth-telling and treaty-making to do.

There is also hard, good, holy work to do in the Church to bring about the

vision of Congress to be self-determining in all ministry and advocacy for First Peoples in the Church.

I will vote for a Voice and I will remain committed to this work so that I might join in the reconciling work of Christ, which calls us to truth-telling and justicemaking and which has the power to make all things new.

Rev Sharon Hollis, Uniting Church in Australia Assembly President

It’s time to speak up

Recognising the First Peoples of Australia by the establishment of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice is something that the Uniting Church is proud to support.

I’ve been following the conversation closely since the National Constitutional Convention at Uluru in 2017, and I deeply respect and appreciate my colleagues and friends in the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress, in their walking together with the Uniting Church.

I’m very glad to support the YES campaign, and to encourage individuals, congregations and institutions of the Church to take this opportunity to respond to the expressed hopes of First Peoples and deepen our walking together.

God created and sustained this land and the First Peoples long before colonisation.

Dispossession, violence and injustice caused massive damage to First Nations people, their knowledge and their relationships, diminishing the integrity of the gospel proclaimed by the churches.

I am glad that thanks to the work

of visionaries like Charles Harris, the UAICC invited the Uniting Church into a covenantal relationship in which “we may all see a destiny together, praying and working together for a fuller expression of our reconciliation in Jesus Christ”.

In 2021, the UAICC Interim National Chairperson, along with the Uniting Church Assembly President, urged the Federal Government to adopt the proposal for a constitutionally enshrined national Voice, recognising that such a Voice would be fed by local and regional representation, and being clear that a voice which was not given recognition in the Constitution would miss the primary appeal of the Statement from the Heart.

The Statement from the Heart came out of a thorough process of First Peoples-led dialogue, culminating in the National Constitutional Convention at Uluru.

It clearly calls for a constitutionally enshrined Voice, as well as a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making and truth-telling.

I’m glad that around the Church there have been many opportunities to unpack this rich and moving statement.

Having heard from the UAICC and the Statement from the Heart, the Uniting Church’s Assembly Standing Committee

has strongly affirmed the Church’s support for the Voice, as a step towards Voice, truth-telling and treaty.

The referendum is a profound opportunity for all Australians to respond to the invitation from Uluru.

It is a means for First Peoples to be recognised and heard on matters that have direct effect, in a way that national consultation among First Peoples’ has requested, allowing for details of structure and process to be overseen by the Parliament.

I’ve been encouraged at both ecumenical and interfaith forums to consistently find strong support for the Voice.

Along with colleagues and friends from the UAICC, I am keen to urge strong and clear support for the Voice. I encourage respectful conversations around all aspects of addressing injustice for First Nations people, and I pray that through this we will respond to our high calling in Christ to be instruments of reconciliation and peace: Following Christ, walking together as First and Second Peoples seeking community, compassion and justice for all creation.

he science of song

By Rev Dr Peter Blackwood

I sing in choirs and have sung oratorios and masses, operas and requiems, Bach, Mozart, Rachmaninoff and The Beatles.

Now, for the first time, I am singing science.

‘Origins’, to be performed at the Melbourne Recital Centre next month, is an oratorio by Jenny Graves and Leigh Hay with music by Nicholas Buc. This account in music of the origin of the universe and life on earth is an initiative of Professor Jenny Graves AC.

It is a response, in part at least, to Joseph Haydn’s ‘Creation’ (1798) that bases its text on the creation stories in Genesis.

Jenny is an evolutionary geneticist and in 2017 she won the Prime Minister’s Award for Science. She is famous for her work on the development of mammals, especially marsupials, including her genetic prediction the Y chromosome will disappear in the future.

Jenny and her husband, John, are members of the Heidelberg Choral Society. The libretto is a collaboration between Jenny and Leigh Hay, a poet who is also a member of the choir.

The Heidelberg Choral Society commissioned Nicholas Buc to set the text to music for four part choir, four soloists and orchestra.

Nicholas is a composer, conductor, arranger, violinist and pianist who studied composition with Brenton Broadstock and lives in New York.

I am also a member of the choir but I didn’t get to the first rehearsal. A few days after her first encounter with the score, a member of the choir rang me to ask why this secular work sounded a bit religious.

I am a Minister and am supposed to know about this kind of stuff. I asked the chorister to read me the words that sounded a bit religious.

She read the opening words, “Nothing, nothing, nothing, magnum mysterium…”.

It was the Latin phrase that sounded religious to my caller. The bits that sounded most religious to me were the next phrases, “nothing, quiet quantum quilt, blankets a boiling brew, positives and negatives together annihilating”.

The words took me back to theological college and lectures in 1975 with Fr John Scullion SJ on the book of Genesis.

In those classes I learned about the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing).

I learned that Genesis’ opening account describes the beginning of earth as a “formless void”, as chaos.

It seems to me that “quiet quantum quilt blankets a boiling brew…” is a poetic improvement on “the earth was a formless void”.

My immediate response to the phone call was amazement and excitement that when theologians and scientists ponder the origins of the earth and life, both are open-mouthed in wonder at the great

mysteries they present, the magnum mysterium.

Both reach for similar words to express their delight. Part 2 of the work reflects Genesis 1 verse 1 quite explicitly: “A primeval soup, inanimate brew, molecules squished in a chemical stew. Stirred by wind, cooked by sun … order from chaos, coalesce”.

One of the delights of singing `Origins` is learning interesting science and the development of evolution theories.

Nicholas Buc, an aspiring film composer, reflects the fun and majesty and drama in his music. He is kind to the choristers with singable lines and engaging rhythms.

He does not hang the tenors out to dry on high Gs for bar after bar like some baroque composers. The orchestra probably will not thank him for the movement with a key signature of seven flats (Ab minor).

More and more words of the oratorio have taken me back to Hebrew and Christian Scriptures as I rehearse, especially as Part 4 reflects on the dominant mammal.

The text enjoins humankind to “obey the ancient law be fruitful, grow and multiply”.

Genesis ascribes similar words to the mouth of God in Genesis chapter 1 verses 22 and 28. But wait, there is more.

Religious theology gives a lot of

attention to humanity’s propensity to muck things up. The church calls this ‘sin’. Origins describes it this way, “mankind, misled by false conceits … dominated by our own desire for dominance”.

Genesis comments on human conceit when the serpent in the Garden of Eden tells the woman, "you will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods …” (Genesis 3:4-5).

I am enjoying learning to sing Origins. Apart from the fun of making music, I am invited to ponder how scientist and theologian consider the same mysteries of human existence and speculate on our chances of survival with eyes alert to signs of hope.

This modern secular oratorio is not a science verses religion event but a helpful contribution to a conversation between two branches of human enquiry that marvel at how all that is came into being and how humanity fits into it all. The words and music of `Origins` set out to celebrate the science of who and how we are and where we might be headed.

Retired Uniting Church Minister Rev Dr Peter Blackwood and Yarra Yarra Presbytery Secretary Geoffrey Grinton are members of the Heidelberg Choral Society, which will perform Origins at the Melbourne Recital Centre on July 18.

WE BELONG TO THEDAY

WE BELO TO THED

1

Come join us

Rev Deacon Peter Batten

“Synod is an opportunity for the whole church to come together and discuss important issues of faith, mission, ministry and governance, and to recognise that although times are tough God has not left the church. Through the Bible studies, the daily gatherings, and opening and closing worships we come together as a people of faith to deeply listen to each other, especially the more marginalised groups in the church, to sing and to dance (should be more dancing) and to celebrate our life together. My hope for Synod 2023 is that we as the gathered church can acknowledge our grief at what the church has been, listen to each other and discuss what the Spirt of God is calling us into as we face the uncertainty of the future together. I think these are critical times for our Uniting Church, and in our tears and laughter we can open our hearts, minds, bodies and spirits to allow a freshness to feed us.

Rev Deacon Marian Bissett

I have been to two in-person Synods and one online Synod at which I was on the facilitation group. All three have been wonderful experiences and all three have been really different. I enjoy seeing the wider church work through business, and some complex and some straightforward matters, as well as looking at itself and having conversations around what the future of the UCA might look like. Apart from the work of mission and business, Synod is also an opportunity to connect with colleagues and friends, and to make new connections and share stories of life in the UCA and what that looks like in our own communities.

LONG EDAY

LONG EDAY

ni an s 5: 8

ni an s 5: 8

Rev Michele Lees

Rev Viola Leung

Jessica Hateley-Browne

I always leave the Synod meetings with a refreshed commitment to the Uniting Church as a Christian community. We gather, we worship, we meet new pilgrims and deepen connections with pilgrims already known to us. We get out of our own backyard and together we tend to the community garden. There are moments of frustration, and moments of low energy as I engage with the issues before the Synod. Yet, I have my mind changed, my spirit touched, and my understanding of our church expanded. I come away from the meeting optimistic and eager to keep participating in what God is doing in the world alongside my Uniting Church siblings.

To me the Synod meeting is about community and becoming better informed on what is happening across the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania. My visual memories of past meetings are smiling faces greeting each other after a long time apart and sharing a hug when appropriate. But Synod also has its serious side. To really know what is going on in our Synod there is much preparatory reading. As we gather to decide on matters that affect the Church, we rely upon the Holy Spirit to guide our thinking through a consensus model of decision making.

Synod is the heartbeat of every faithfilled, Spirit-dependent, God-centred, Christ-satisfied local church. This is where our primary energies should be directed. This is what we should expect from a healthy church, whether gathered or scattered. While there are many things the Synod could do, what it must do is continue to support the local churches to faithfully proclaim the gospel and help the Church walk together, united with one another as God’s new humanity in Jesus.

Rev Deacon Andrea Mayes

Synod is a time where we come together as a community to make important decisions. We learn to appreciate the diversity of our church as we listen carefully to each area and many different opinions. I always learn something useful, make new friends and deepen existing relationships. I think the most important thing about Synod for me is that it represents everyone. There are people of all ages and genders who attend. There are people who are new to the Uniting Church as well as people who have been in the Uniting Church all their lives. This means it is representative.

Rev Fiona Morrison

I love coming to Synod, connecting with old friends and colleagues and meeting new ones. I am passionate about how we make decisions in the UCA. While it may take a long time, there is a real feeling of empowerment for all people to have a say, and for us all to listen to the Spirit of God moving within and between us as we discern together where God is calling us as a church into the future. I find our Bible studies and worship a real time of challenge, and enjoy hearing about new concepts and old ones which re-engage us with God moving throughout our scriptures and throughout history and still engaging with us now, calling us always onwards in a journey of discipleship.

Rev Amanda Nicholas

Synod for me is a place where the people of God can gather to be heard. To listen to the Spirit, to listen to one another, to listen to the wider world and then to actively move as one body to participate in the mission of God in the world. To listen, to love and to be sent out to shine light into the world that is so rocked by darkness and despair. A world that day by day groans under the weight of life. A world that needs to feel the warmth of light, love and life. A world that needs to feel that little touch of the divine that each of us imparts in our community.

Rev Rod Peppiatt

The Synod meeting, for me, is about the opportunity to participate in the life of the UCA beyond the local setting (in my case, congregational ministry). It's a chance to look and listen for the signs of the Holy Spirit in church and community, and to engage with others on the same path. The consensus decision-making style of these meetings encourages us to work hard and carefully together, listening to each other in faithful discernment. Large church meetings can be an introvert's nightmare, but I nearly always find that the spiritual enrichment is worth the price.

Rev Gospel Ralte

Synod, for me, is a gathering of God’s servant-disciples of all missional works of services who, with their own consent supported by the responsible council, come to share the joy of witnessing the love of the resurrected Lord, and in following Him, to strive together to meet the challenges facing the churches today in a constructive way. In Synod, I meet new friends, learn new things, and share the joy of serving the Lord with others. I also experience the power of calmness, equality, stability and oneness through the ways the needed resolutions are peacefully made in consensus.

Call for Nominations for Moderator (2025-28)

At the next meeting of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania in November, the election of a new Moderator will take place. In a Moderator we are seeking:

 A person whose life and ministry is informed by deep spiritual practice.

 A wise person of mature Christian faith with an understanding of the Uniting Church and her congregations, agencies and schools.

 A person who appreciates and has skills in goverance and is able to deal calmly in the face of complex decision making.

 A person who can proclaim the Gospel confidently.

 A person who appreciates the Uniting Churches diversity and inclusivity.

 A person who has the personal strength and insight to provide a steady focus in a time of great challenge and change for the Church. For more information, email Sue Withers at susangwithers@gmail by July 21 or send it by post to: Rev Sue Withers, Convenor, Nominating Committee, 48 New St, Brighton, Vic, 3186.

Barbara Shying

The experience of Synod is inspirational and often leads me to new ways of thinking. Devotions, Bible study and keynote speakers often challenge me. The opportunity to meet new people from urban, rural and interstate spaces is very special. To see consensus in action, where opinions can be freely given within strict guidelines, is a lesson in democracy. Coloured cards express people’s responses to questions and ideas. I feel privileged to hear summaries of the proceedings at the end of each day which are thoughtful and insightful.

Contact your local presbytery secretary. Loddon Mallee nominations have closed. Port Philip West closes June 16, North-East Victoria closes July 8 and Port Philip East closes on August 4. For more information go to

www.victas.org.au/synod-meeting

They feel everyone has abandoned them.

Frontier Services National Director Rob Floyd recently spoke to a group of Bush Chaplains, and they all told him stories that had one thing in common: farmers and families feel abandoned. They feel their country has forgotten them.

All across our country, Australians are stumbling under the ongoing weight of floods, severe storms, the bushfires, and the drought which went on for years. In between, they faced mice plagues and a global pandemic

In the meantime, they are also dealing with all the ups and downs and hardships of life: the death of loved ones, personal tragedies, mental health issues, family violence.

Disaster Recovery Bush Chaplain in WA, Rev David Jackson, shared the story of a war veteran who was impacted by Cyclone Seroja in 2021 David said,

"His property was right in the epicentre; the winds literally blew his roof off

"It’s been two years, yet he’s still living under tarpaulins. Every time it rains, he has to run around with buckets to catch the water.

"He is strong, but he’s wearing out after two years of this His mental health must be under immense pressure ”

Our war vet needs a new roof, certainly, but he also desperately needs to know that he is not alone in this.

Many people in the bush are reluctant to ask for help themselves. They are proud and resilient and don’t like to ‘cause a fuss’

Often, Frontier Services Bush Chaplains are the first to see their distress and say, "It’s OK, we’ve got you. You deserve a helping hand, and we’re here for you."

Another Disaster Recovery Bush Chaplain in WA, Rev Erica Payne, shared:

“As a Chaplain, I respond to needs, and the need is simplepeople need others to stand with them as they move to recovery.

"My ministry is as a listener, someone who cares and takes the time to be with another in their pain, trauma, suffering, or in their joy and celebration

“I can help them manage whatever they are confronting or refer them to professional services. I meet folk as I attend community groups, events, and social functions where possible, and enjoy many cuppas with these incredibly beautiful people.“

Donate today

People in rural and remote Australia are facing terrible hardship Don't let them feel abandoned Please show them they are not alone.

Please donate by 30 June to help fund Frontier Services Bush Chaplains who provide support, comfort, and hope to people living on the land.

An agency of the Uniting Church in Australia, Frontier Services has been providing practical, pastoral, and spiritual support to people in rural and remote Australia since 1912.

Gender fluidity not straightforward

Issues such as abortion, homosexuality, same sex marriage, “transgendering”, gender-based role designations, and conversion therapy have dominated the media over the second half of my life.

With our prime minister this year joining the Mardi Gras parade for the first time, it may be a good time for Christians to reflect on how issues related to sexuality and gender identification continue to divide churches and denominations.

In this regard, the Uniting Church seems able to accommodate a fairly broad range of strongly held views, as evidenced in Katherine Abetz’s “More to be Said in Queer Story”(Crosslight, December 2022), a rejoinder to Andrew Humphries’ ”Queer Eye on the Bible” in the August issue.

The two contributions highlight the difficulties that arise when cherry picking passages from the Bible. In my view, suggesting that a queer person would see a man with water in the lead-up to the last supper differently to other readers of the Bible misses the point. Apart from saying that Jesus had dealings with a wide assortment of individuals, many of whom were social deviants, more rigorous argumentation is needed to posit that the queerness in question significantly altered the course of Jesus’ ministry.

Like so many issues raised enigmatically in the scriptures, we are left somewhat afloat in trying to discern between the meaning of many passages and God’s intent which lies behind their inclusion in the Bible. One such conundrum concerns the irony that bad things happen to good people (or that they happen at all). How can a loving God that is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent allow such unlovely things to occur? That one’s pain and suffering are part of an “omniplan” is not a very satisfying answer for those suffering in the here and now

In the Bible we are often cautioned about pretending to know God. From the story of Job to the blessing of the meek is the suggestion that God today is not who he said he was at some point

in the past. In other words, God is not impermanent but is always changing as even he appears flummoxed by what the free choice given to humans produces.

This possibility is presented to us in the first book of the Bible. On the one hand Genesis 1:31 describes all of

God’s creation as very good or excellent in every way. Then a few verses on (Genesis 6:7-8) reveal that God has made a mistake in his planning - sorry, grieving and regretting that he ever created humans.

Read from that point of view, the Bible records a journey of resets beginning with Noah and his family and progressing through further reshufflings and additional covenants as the experiment unfolds and God finally conceives of a plan to send his only begotten son.

These adjustments are indicative of a God who may be all loving but not all powerful. That evil/Satan is never removed from the narrative confirms this fact. God does not (eg, cannot) keep bad things from happening, but through our prayer seeks to direct us in new ways to discern of love, kindness and forgiveness. In the process he is still offering us choice as the hymn “Once to Every man and Nation” proclaims. God is looking for support from all of us in how we interact with others.

Gender fluidity may not have been planned by God, and may be a new and perhaps unexpected outcome flowing from the God-ordained gift of free will. Are we not being asked by God in his/ her many manifestations to go beyond the limited guidance and storytelling in the Bible and choose in our hearts the best way we can love, respect and show kindness for all our fellow human beings? And who knows or would limit the choice of a powerful and loving God to surprise us yet again, this time with an only begotten daughter or maybe bisexual human?

Being open to God changing the way he/she loves us is being open not only to the full magnificence of God, but also to the range of views and insights offered up by those who as his/her followers are different and bring difference and growth that enrich the family that is the church.

Ross Mouer is a retired academic who grew up as a liberal Presbyterian and was a member of the Faith Explorers group at the Heathmont UC.

POWER TOTHE

PEOPLE

As a 16-year-old student, Claire Harvey was already asking herself whether planet earth had a long-term future, as the impacts of climate change began to emerge.

Thirty years later, The Village Uniting Church member is one of the many people at the forefront of the campaign to raise awareness around what climate change means in 2023.

And as she ponders the issue, Claire’s need to act is driven by one simple question she faces as a parent.

Part of Claire’s role in raising awareness around climate change involves taking a board seat as the Uniting Church representative on CoPower, a green energy provider based in Melbourne.

The Synod of Victoria and Tasmania is a member of the non-profit provider,

"Where

What

“You know, one day we are all going to be asked that question of ‘what did you do while our planet was burning?’,” Claire says.

“What is our answer going to be to that question, and I’m looking my own son in the eye when I consider it.

“He will be 88 in the year 2100, and I wonder what sort of planet we will have left to his generation.”

which offers members an opportunity to buy clean, affordable and sustainable energy.

The surplus revenue CoPower generates from electricity goes to supporting its mission of fighting poverty, tackling the climate crisis and supporting communities.

Part of its mandate means that its members make the ultimate decision on how its surplus is spent.

Last year, for example, all of its surplus revenue went towards mitigating the impacts of COVID-19.

Synod Senior Social Justice Advocate Mark Zirnsak says CoPower represents a step forward in the fight against climate change.

“It’s a community collective and it’s about setting up a model that works on the basis that our electricity system should not be for profit,” he says.

“It has members which now include the Synod, as well as community groups, environmental groups and trade unions.

Claire Harvey and her children Sarah and Micah.

projects and other community development projects.

“The idea is to also build a future that is emissions free, so by becoming a member of CoPower we have a seat at the table and can shape its direction, and use people’s electricity purchasing for a greater good, rather than simply putting more profits into the pockets of large corporations.”

Mark says while it’s relatively small at this stage, CoPower represents a positive model around what can be done in the green energy field.

“It does mean that people who sign up to CoPower know that their money is being used for a greater good and by buying green power through CoPower they are addressing the emissions from their normal electricity,” he says.

“We decided to become part of CoPower to then encourage church members and congregations to at least give it some consideration as a good model they can be part of.”

Claire’s board role with CoPower, which will be ratified later this year, ticks a host of boxes she says are important in the battle to arrest the impacts of climate change.

“It's a wonderful alignment for me in terms of these multiple sorts of interests and passions I have around climate change, economics, faith-based action and good governance,” Claire says.

“It’s not just about climate change, though, but also the fact that our economic systems need radical reinvention.

“Within that, co-operative and social enterprises like CoPower are well positioned to rise up as solutions within the old system.

“We need hopeful signs in the midst of crumbling, older structures that no longer serve us well.

“Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson’s wonderful book ‘The Spirit Level’, which is all about how more equal societies are better societies, points to co-operative and social enterprises as being these sort of hopeful signs of new ways of doing democratic participation and economic management.”

As the Uniting Church’s board representative, Claire’s role extends to

encouraging UC members to consider the benefits brought from involvement with CoPower.

Uniting Church members, she says, are in a powerful position to make change at the most fundamental level.

“We're all buying electricity and that purchasing power can be an important platform for amplifying our collective voice,” she says.

“So where do you want your money going? What kind of systems and structures do you want to be supporting?

“Just like the movement towards forcing our banking and superannuation industries to opt out of support for fossil fuel providers, opting for an energy provider like CoPower could ripple out and become the new norm, and that would be incredibly powerful.

“I think increasingly the fossil fuel industry is fighting to survive, and it's an opportunity for us to say you've been in denial for decades about your role in causing climate change, and you've known that this is destructive and you haven't adapted fast enough, so we are leaving you.”

That’s exactly what Claire did in late 2021, when she cut ties with energy provider Power Shop, which had heavily promoted its green and clean credentials.

All well and good, of course, until fossil fuel giant Shell bought it out.

Claire had been with Power Shop for about a decade before she used her voice to say that Shell’s takeover of a supposedly environmentally conscious energy provider wasn’t appropriate.

"When I heard about the purchase by Shell, I was frustrated and sad," she told the ABC at the time.

"Shell is still in the fossil fuels and oil business, and I know they're trying to branch out and transition into a greener, cleaner future, but they're still active in that space.”

As she prepares to take her seat on the CoPower board, Claire is looking forward to creating awareness and change at a grassroots level.

“I’m excited by the opportunity to represent a faith-based organisation,” she says.

“I know that my church is supportive

of this new co-operative energy provider that's passionate about addressing climate change, and that’s something that is wonderful to be a part of.

“I think it's great to be in the room and at the table making an effort to create a better world for humankind.

“And if we care about our neighbour, as we're called to, then we have to address these issues around climate change.”

Crosslight is a bi-monthly magazine produced by the Communications and Media Services unit of the Uniting Church in Australia Synod of Victoria and Tasmania.

Opinions expressed in Crosslight do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the policies of the Uniting Church.

Advertising

Crosslight accepts advertising in good faith. Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement. Advertising material is at the discretion of the publisher.

Advertising deadlines

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June 19, 2023

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June 26, 2023

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July 05, 2023

See crosslight.org.au for full details.

Distribution

Crosslight is usually distributed the first Sunday of the month.

Circulation: 16,000

Editor Stephen Acott (03) 9340 8819 stephen.acott@victas.uca.org.au

Communications Officer

Andrew Humphries Ph: (03) 9116 1400 andrew.humphries@victas.uca.org.au

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Carl Rainer (03) 9340 8826 carl.rainer@victas.uca.org.au

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Adelaide Morse (03) 9340 8800 adelaide.morse@victas.uca.org.au

UCA Synod office

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Feedback & correspondence crosslight@victas.uca.org.au

ISSN 1037 826X

Next issue: August, 2023

Marion makes a difference

By Andrew Humphries

Manningham Uniting Church member Marion Bailes’ commitment to helping those less fortunate than herself has been a strong guiding principle for many years.

The retired GP has been at the coalface in helping refugees and people seeking asylum adapt to and make sense of the strange new country called Australia they choose to call home.

Marion is part of a six-person group helping an extended family from Afghanistan settle into the country, thanks to a mentoring program facilitated by Communinty Refugee Sponsorship Australia and supported by the Manningham church.

Manningham’s congregation has a strong commitment to human rights, with its MUC Connections group supporting and advocating for refugees and those seeking asylum here.

Group members actively campaign on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers and, at a more practical level, organise food, toys and toiletry packs for newcomers to Australia, while there is also a fundraising component to their activities.

Marion says group members are passionate about supporting, advocating and raising funds for refugees, both within and outside of Australia.

As part of its mission portfolio, Manningham congregation members also set aside a certain amount of money each year to go towards supplying medication for refugees and asylum seekers who are faced with high health costs, and the church knitting group

makes winter woollies for newly arrived refugees.

Marion says the training involved as part of the CRSA program offers an enriching opportunity for people to become part of a mentoring group or to sponsor a refugee family via the Community Refugee Intergration and Settlement Piolot program.

Since November, Marion and members of her mentoring group have been helping the family from Afghanistan settle into the community in southeast Melbourne, after the volunteers undertook the CRSA program.

“We have group members from a range of backgrounds helping this particular family settle into the country, and we mentor them and help them with a range of issues and questions they might have,” Marion says.

“They might need assistance with issues like employment, accommodation and health, and also learning the English language.

“It’s really about helping them learn how everything works and assisting them to navigate life in Melbourne.

“I know that what we do is very much appreciated and family members often express how happy they are with our efforts.”

Ask Marion what motivates her passion for helping refugees and asylum seekers and she traces the answer back to her own upbringing, with two parents who believed helping others was the greatest act of kindness a person could offer.

“My parents were Christians and they were a wonderful model for me,”

Marion says. “If they had neighbours from another country they would go out of their way to befriend them, and that was something that stuck with me very strongly.

“It wasn’t only that it’s good to help people, it’s also the fact that it’s very rewarding to meet someone from another culture, knowing that you can help them and that they really value your friendship.

“What I have found is that you can gain so much when you meet a lot of very brave and resilient people, and discover what people from different cultures are like. It all just adds to the richness of our community.”

While the mentoring program is a new initiative for Marion, her passion for helping refugees and asylum seekers goes back decades, starting as a GP in community health in northern Melbourne in the mid 1990s.

“The community health centre at that time was near the flats where newly arrived refugees were accommodated, and many of them were from African countries like Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, and this started my interest in refugee health,” Marion says.

“Before that, though, I had been involved with helping migrants as part of my work as an intern at a hospital in Adelaide.

“It was part of the intern’s job to speak to these patients via interpreters and I really found this an interesting experience.

“In 1999 I was then working in general practice when I decided I would do a

part-time Masters degree in transcultural mental health.

“As part of that I talked to SomaliAustralians who had come here as refugees about their ideas around mental health.

“What I noticed was that these people didn’t talk about depression or anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorders, even through interpreters, and I thought that was interesting and something worth exploring, given their background of displacement and trauma and having to settle into a new country.

“The fact that they didn’t mention these mental health issues made me curious, so I did the part-time Masters degree and went back to general practice and ended up working at a refugee health clinic in the east of Melbourne,

where a lot of refugees from Myanmar settle.”

Marion recalls working in a clinic with a holistic attitude towards treating refugees, where nurses would talk to the families about their social situation and really find out what their priorities were in terms of health and other needs.

“It was a wonderful example of teamwork, with doctors, nurses, admin staff and interpreters all working together,” she says.

As she reflects on her many years of helping refugees and asylum seekers make a new life in Australia, the word “courage” often comes to mind for Marion.

“I think sometimes it’s very difficult for us to fathom the courage shown by refugees and asylum seekers in making

that journey to a new country,” she says.

“Growing up in Australia it’s very hard for us to imagine the level of courage that’s needed and the suffering that people have gone through as part of that journey.

“In my work as a GP, I would talk to refugee families who had lost more than one child, and it was so hard to imagine how they could keep going and make a new life for themselves. There is a real level of admiration for them.”

Marion says the mentoring program offers a wonderful opportunity to give something back to those less fortunate.

“I think to welcome a stranger and to love others as we love ourselves is a very basic tenet, and the Uniting Church has a very strong social justice ethos around that,” Marion says.

Image: Carl Rainer