Crosslight February 2024

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Food For Families.

Learn more foodforfamilies.org.au

Put food on the table – all year round.

Everyday we dig deeper to provide support when people need it most. We want to support everyone who reaches out to us, no matter what time of year it is – but we can’t do it alone.

Here’s how you can get involved in Food For Families: • donate non-perishable food and essential items • host a collection drive • be a community drop off point for donations • make a donation to directly support vulnerable people needing access to food.

Call us 1800 668 426 Uniting is the community services organisation of the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania.

want to Study overseas?

Florence and Alexander Yule Memorial Scholarship Supporting graduates of Pilgrim Theological College to engage in postgraduate study at an overseas university.

Discover what might be possible for you!

For further details about this and other Pilgrim scholarships visit www.pilgrim.edu.au

Pilgrim is the theological college of the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania

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Even when soldiers come after him, " and he is mocked, lashed, and crucified, Jesus does not respond with violence. "

Reverend David Fotheringham Moderator Vic Tas Synod

Within a few weeks we will be moving into the season of Lent, with Ash Wednesday on February 14.

Lent is a particular opportunity to hear Jesus’ call to “follow me”, and to reflect on our own disciplines of discipleship.

To me, the reading from the Hebrew Bible set for the first Sunday of Lent this year seems particularly significant.

Genesis 9:8-17 is the last part of the story about the great flood in the days of Noah, the story of the rainbow and the covenant that God makes.

It’s a covenant not just with Noah’s family but with every living creature of all flesh.

The flood story (or stories, because there appear to be two stories with slightly different emphases and timings woven together throughout Genesis 6-9) became important for the Israelites in the chaos and trauma of their forced displacement and exile.

The significance of this passage from Genesis for me lies in the context in which we encounter it this year.

We are seeing violence and destruction continuing in many parts of the world.

In Gaza, hostages are being held, tens of thousands are dying, an enormous human catastrophe is continuing to grow, and violence has been spreading.

A major thread of the flood story begins with God’s observation that “the earth was filled with violence”.

Violence, injustice and strife mar creation.

In response, God determines to destroy creation.

The language of “opening up the fountains of the deep” and “the windows of heaven” suggests an undoing of creation – bringing back the chaotic waters that had been parted in the Genesis 1 story of creation.

But the flood remains only for a time.

After the waters have subsided God recognises that there is still always a thread of evil in human hearts.

Even so, God resolves not to contribute to the violence in the same way. God hangs up the bow.

God makes a covenant, a fundamental promise, that however badly and violently people behave, God will not let the arrows fly from God’s bow, returning those primordial waters.

God’s bow, the rainbow, is hung in the sky as a self-reminder for God. Whatever the intentions were behind the lectionary writers selecting this passage for the first Sunday of Lent, it seems to me that there is a direct link between this story and Jesus’ journey to the cross.

Even when soldiers come after him, and he is mocked, lashed, and crucified, Jesus does not respond with violence.

Jesus’ teaching, after all, included learning how to love your enemies. Even from the cross he offered forgiveness and reconciliation.

Loving your enemies involves a lot of listening, understanding and care. When wounds are raw, as they are now for many, even talking to those you see as enemies seems impossible.

But talking is a start.

I’m certainly praying for any and all channels of communication through which ceasefires can be achieved, and for all those who work for just and lasting peace.

I’m also praying for peace between members of different communities throughout Victoria and Tasmania.

During this Lenten period, may we find ways of supporting and contributing to justice and peace in our homes, in our communities, and in the world.

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New take on OLD

songs For hundreds of years the joy of song has been an important part of worship, as people of faith have raised their voices high in praise of God. But as times have changed, the words to some songs have become unfamiliar, old-fashioned, and even, at times, archaic.

With that in mind, a new book by former Moderator of Victoria, Rod Horsfield, offers new and contemporary words for familiar tunes.

Rod launched ‘Songs in Season’ at the Highfield Road Uniting Church recently and hopes the new words for familiar music will complement new forms of worship.

“May these musical words provide a way to sing the Lord’s song in the strange land the world has become for the people of God in these times,” he says.

“The soil from which these songs grow is a fertile mixture of firstly, the faith of the Church, secondly, the expression of 4

church in a gathered community, and thirdly, the creative ordering of worship we call the liturgy.

“These elements are combined in an artistic expression in which an encounter with God and the reality of our lives in the world we inhabit are taken equally seriously.

“We are living in a time when new forms of worship are being actively explored, producing not only new words and music but new forms of gathering and expressions of faith.

“It is important in this ferment that we discern the difference between what is mere novelty and what is truthful innovation.”

In offering ‘Songs in Season’, Rod says it’s important to also consider the nature and place of worship when considering the reworked songs.

“In writing new hymns and songs, I believe that in worship, the people both address, and are addressed by, a God

who has chosen to enter human life and history,” he says.

“In the conversation of worship, people praise the God who has so acted, as well as listen for the Word of God addressed to them both communally and individually.

“People also bring the elements and experiences of their own lives in the contemporary world and offer them to God." Rod holds close a number of convictions about worship he says are important to make it work.

“The first is that the congregation is not an audience,” he says.

“However, that is a common misunderstanding because it makes the people passive spectators to what the people up the front are doing and saying.

“What the church aims to do in its liturgy is not ‘to please the crowd’, but to enable ‘the full, conscious, and active participation of the people’.

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Rod Horsfield has offered new words for some familiar songs.

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Songs of

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“One commentator says, ‘that means that it is the nature of the liturgy to be done by the people. It is not done to people. It is not done for people. It is not done in the presence of people.

The people do it … it is as a people that people do liturgy’.”

Former Uniting Church Assembly President Rev Dr D’Arcy Wood was a co-editor of the Australian Hymn Book (1977), Uniting in Worship (1988), and Together in Song (1999), and is well placed to offer praise for Rod’s work.

“During his years of ministry in the Uniting Church, Rod has been consistently committed to lively and faithful worship,” D’Arcy says.

“He also has a deep interest in poetry.

In more recent years, having laid aside the responsibilities of full-time ministry, Rod has devoted more time to the writing of hymns.

“I have had the privilege of commenting on many of his hymns and, in reading and singing them, I have been struck by the facility with which Rod is able to express biblical ideas in clear modern language.

“I am sure that those who sing these hymns will find their faith and understanding enriched.

“The Basis of Union says that the Uniting Church ‘prays that it may be ready when occasion demands to confess the Lord in fresh words and deeds’.

“Rod’s work is a good example of that commitment, and it is to be hoped that, in time, his hymns will be as widely sung as those of the notable Australian hymnwriters and songwriters, such as Geoff Bullock, James McAuley, Robin Mann and Elizabeth Smith.”

‘Songs in Season’ is available through booktopia.com.au, Koorong Bookstores or the Publisher, Coventry Press 33 Scoresby Road Bayswater 3153.

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praise Rod Horsfield offers a history of some of the songs that mean so much to him.

‘God we gather as your people’ It is as an assembly, a body, that worship happens. The church musician Don Saliers illustrates this with a story of being in a congregation with a woman (who used) a motorised wheelchair.

He says, “There is certainly pain and limitation in her life. But at the end of one particularly festive liturgy in which children had a role, she came down the aisle to receive communion. After the final blessing and hymn we happened to be in line together going towards the door. With a broad smile and sparkling eyes she said to me, ‘Didn’t we dance today?’.” Singing together achieves that same effect. We create something together that we cannot do alone. And so we often begin the service by singing a gathering song.

‘We praise you God Creator’ I wrote my first song when I was a Minister of the Word in the Ormond congregation some 30 years ago. I had prepared the service of worship for the coming Sunday but I could not find a song of praise in the hymnbook that matched what I was planning to say in the preaching.

So I was inspired to write one, drawing on some skills I had from years of writing poetry. This is a song of praise and has a creedal tone, in that it celebrates the work of God in creating a people as agents of God’s work in the world. It also

recognises the Church’s origins in the people of Israel. We sometimes forget those origins, that God’s first people was historic Israel and that Jesus was a Jew. ‘God who am I that I should …’

Though we participate as an assembly in the liturgy, we can also come as individuals with our own personal circumstances. In the liturgy there is space for the individuality of our coming.

In my own recent circumstances I have experienced the power of the much maligned “thoughts and prayers” in expressing solidarity in adversity, support in pain and the strength of the community who sings and prays for me when I cannot. The psalms, the hymnbook of the Scriptures, are full of the honest, even angry, protests and pleas of the person who cries out to God. This song is based on Psalm 131, the shortest song in the Psalter. I often read this psalm when sitting with people in hospital or by sick beds. The feminine image for God can be clearly inferred from the interpretation of this Psalm and in many other parts of the Scriptures.

‘Jesus was a stranger and a refugee’ This new understanding of God means that faith can no longer be isolated from the life of the world because God has chosen to enter creation as a human being in Jesus of Nazareth. The old saying that “religion and politics” don’t mix, is no longer accepted by most contemporary believers. If God chose to immerse God’s self in the creation and human history, it follows that the life of the world is the theatre into which the people of God have to embody their faith. This song tries to make that point and calls people into the struggle for justice as an imperative for faith.

Lent

and the purpose of mission

By Rev Nigel Hanscamp

For generations Lent has been a time of reflection and action in the 40 days before Easter.

Lent invites us to pause, pray, and act together with Christians around the world as we journey with Jesus towards Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Day. Recent studies and experience have emphasised the missional nature of the church, embodying and expressing the missio dei (the mission of God) by all of God’s people.

Being an incarnational community of Christ is to be in the world in ways that are transformational and embodying the love of Christ.

Being a missional community, the church is the body of Christ (not simply a gathering of individuals), filled and activated by the Holy Spirit (not simply repeating past habits), sent into the world (not creating more committees or projects) to share the love and hope of Christ (not to fill our pews).

We do this in peace-making, ministries of reconciliation, offering meaningmaking conversations, and practical ways such as foodbanks and community gardens.

However in Lent, we have tended to draw lay people out of this world of work and living.

Personal prayer or journaling practices are left to individuals, Lenten studies are conducted in church buildings, and ‘giving/taking things up for Lent’ are individual practices that are rarely

reflected on in the context of work or neighbourhoods.

How might our practices in Lent embody a missional posture?

Joy Han has recently challenged the church to rethink our habit of pulling lay people into the church (for example in committees and projects) “instead of utilising their capacity in the world”.

She notes that this habit takes faithful energy and passion out of already missional contexts of work and study, and reinforces a broken theology that ministry and mission is primarily done in the church or in church-sanctioned programs.

“We could start by articulating theologies that enable us to listen to (lay people’s) experiences in the world,” Joy says.

“This in time would help the Church to support lay people to better recognise where God is moving and calling in the places where they already are.”

This challenge might provoke some Lenten practices for 2024 and here are three that might go together: Why not cancel your church committee meetings during Lent; and resource conversations in workplaces about faith and where God might be moving. The following might provoke some ideas: “What are the meaning-making conversations that are happening or are needed in your workplace?” “Where do you see God at work in your work?” “In what practices can I/we be God’s hands and feet in this workplace?” “How can the peace,

reconciliation and hope of Easter be experienced here?”

And then bring the experience of those missional Lenten practices into Sunday worship.

Joy reflects that, “Our ways of worshipping still struggle to give voice to the experiences, both joyful and painful, of lay people in the world.”

It might be messy, but part of Christian missional discipleship is learning to “talk about our lives in the world as our context for worship and not as source material for small talk after the worship service is over”.

You may want to use the following for your Missional Lenten journey in your congregation: Joy J Han, ‘Our Missional and Intercultural natures are to be found in the world’. www.act2uca.com/ theological-culture-contributions/ourmissional-and-intercultural-naturesare-to-be-found-in-the-world; and Benjamin T Conner, ‘For the Fitness of their Witness: Missional Christian Practices’, in J Flett and D Congdon’s ‘Converting Witness: The Future of Christian Mission in the New Millennium’, Fortress Press, Maryland, 2019.

More Lenten resources can be found on the Synod website: www.victas.uca. org.au/weekly-worship Rev Nigel Hanscamp is Director Priorities, Focus and Advocacy with equipping Leadership for Mission in Melbourne 7

Synod means

business on ethics A presentation at Synod 2023 shone a spotlight on ethical procurement, and how Uniting Church members can ensure the products they use have been made using fair, not forced, labour.

By Andrew Humphries When Ramila Chanisheff addressed Uniting Church members during Synod 2023 in November last year, she brought a message of great importance, and support, for the ethnic Uyghur population of East Turkistan.

The Australian-based President of the Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women's Association outlined the brutal crackdown by Chinese authorities that has seen many Uyghurs killed, imprisoned and forced into labour camps to create the goods that China exports to the world.

Among those goods are solar panels, with China now exporting about 80 per cent of the world’s solar panels.

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Ramila says that since 2016 China has been guilty of systemic ethnic cleansing and other human rights abuses in East Turkistan, an area rich in resources like gas, oil, cotton and polysilicon, which is used in the production of solar panels.

Those Uyghurs not killed have been imprisoned or forced into camps as cheap labour, which allows China to export goods to the rest of the world at low cost.

China has been able to turn the export of solar panels into a huge economic driver in a very short time, but the dilemma for Australians is that the solar panels we want to install as a renewable energy initiative have

almost certainly been made in East Turkistan using forced labour.

“While solar panels are wonderful, the story behind their production isn’t so wonderful,” Ramila says.

“I'm all for the environment and free energy, but we've got to think about what cost this comes at, when you've got a whole ethnicity being ethnically cleansed (and forced into labour camps).”

In addressing Synod 2023, Ramila wanted to raise the level of awareness around what is happening in East Turkistan, also known as the Chinese province of Xianjing, and offer an opportunity for Uniting Church members to advocate on behalf of the

ethnic Uyghur population there.

Ramila’s address was part of a wider discussion during Synod 2023 around the issue of ethical procurement and investment, with Senior Social Justice Advocate Mark Zirnsak from the Justice and International Mission Unit putting forward a resolution to address the issue.

The resolution resolved “to lament that all parts of the Synod cannot avoid business transactions where the goods and services supplied will have involved serious human rights abuses, excessive environmental damage or other severe criminal activity in their production”.

It then called on Synod Ministries Continued P10

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Ramila Chanisheff from the Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women's Association.

has corrected its past practice and conducted meaningful remediation of its past wrongdoing; and not have dealings with any business  that has been established through criminal activity, or purchased with proceeds of crime, in the previous 20 years.

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and Operations, congregations, presbyteries, and Uniting Church agencies U Ethical, Uniting Vic.Tas and Uniting AgeWell to: seek to deal with businesses that  uphold ethical standards, including transparency in their ownership; not invest in and to avoid purchases  from businesses involved in ongoing serious human rights abuses, excessive environmental damage 10

and non-trivial criminal activity, where there is a viable alternative supplier; not invest in and to avoid purchases  from businesses that have been proven to have been involved in serious human rights abuses, excessive environmental damage and non-trivial criminal activity in the last five years, unless there is strong verification that the business

In putting forward the resolution, Mark says it’s important to consider the issue of forced labour, or slave labour, in general within a theological framework.

“The ‘church’ is, in the first instance, a new way of being in the world, a way derived from the incarnate Easter Christ and inspired by the Holy Spirit,” he says.

“In this sense, the church lives out of this new reality in each time and place – contextually ‘in the world but not of the world’, in anticipation of God’s promised fulfilment for all creation, completed in Jesus Christ.

“Thus, through its business dealings, the Uniting Church should point towards the coming Kingdom.”

In East Turkistan, says Mark, the Chinese government has made it difficult to get a full picture of the extent of the use of forced labour in the production of its goods for export.

“The (Chinese) regime's involvement makes it impossible to conduct effective on-the-ground investigations to determine if forced labour is present in the production of certain goods,” Mark says.

“Investigators I have spoken with who have experience working in China have reported that any attempts at meaningful investigation of forced labour inside China are now treated as industrial espionage by the regime.

“Responses from Chinese suppliers cannot be relied upon as evidence that forced labour is not present in the production of goods.”

Ramila says it is time the rest of the world, including Australian authorities, called out these human rights abuses by China.

“It’s about giving some background and educating everyone about what's happening over there,” she says.

“My message is that a lot of people still

Senior Social Justice Advocate Mark Zirnsak.

Image: Carl Rainer

don't know what's happening in East Turkistan, and how China is treating the Uyghur population.

“It’s also about asking people buying these products to demand assurances from the manufacturers that they haven’t been made using forced labour.”

At a Synod level, Mark says it is important careful consideration is given to exactly how products being used are manufactured in other parts of the world.

“A clash of values occurs where any part of the Synod puts the financial sustainability of its existing operations ahead of the need not to be supporting businesses involved in human rights abuses, environmental destruction or other criminal activities,” he says.

“A significant danger exists that such business dealings become justified through the argument the greater good the Synod is providing into the world cancels out the abuses and environmental destruction associated with our transactions.”

Ethical concerns drove Uber ban As Senior Social Justice Advocate within the Synod’s Justice and International Mission Unit, ethical procurement, and the related issue of secure work, is a hot topic for Mark Zirnsak.

Last year, it was popular delivery vehicle Uber, and its failure to pay its drivers properly for their work, that attracted Mark’s attention.

There was also concern about Uber’s long-standing lack of transparency surrounding its tax affairs worldwide.

The reality, says Mark, is that Uber ride-share drivers earn about $12 an hour, while for delivery drivers and riders it can be as little as $6.67 an hour.

That’s why in August last year, he was successful in having a ban placed on Synod Ministries and Operations staff using Uber and Uber Eats, due to the treatment of drivers and delivery riders, as well as concerns over their respective business models.

Adding to the heat on Uber was the release early last year of the Uber files, a treasure trove of material which painted a nasty picture of how the corporation conducted its business affairs globally.

“That release really caused us to go ‘yes, this really fits the bill of a company engaged in a whole model that revolves around insecure work’, and we now have something that has caught our attention to investigate,” Mark says.

“The survey feedback from congregation members and tax material release by the Centre for International Corporate Tax Accountability and Research were the two things that drove us to have more of a look at Uber, and that look does fit our previous pattern of addressing insecure work and exploitation of workers.

“This isn’t new territory for us but what is different is the model Uber and other ride-share platforms are using to pursue their aims.

“Clearly it’s all about the business model of Uber and, while there may be some drivers who it suits, the impression we have is that for a substantial number

of drivers who derive their main income from Uber, it is exploitative,” he says.

Mark says the basic problem with Uber’s business model is that it regards its drivers as independent contractors.

“Effectively, Uber is arguing that having a ride with a driver is like calling a plumber or electrician to your home,” he says.

“In other words, they are saying ‘we’re not employing them, they are an independent contractor’ and, I think, for the vast majority of us that just doesn’t pass the sniff test.”

In announcing the Synod’s Uber decision in August last year, Moderator Rev David Fotheringham said it was part of long-running campaigns to ensure a fair go for workers.

"The Uniting Church has a long history of seeking to ensure that people get fair and just treatment in their employment,” he said. “Uber and other ride-share corporations are another stage in those businesses who seek to avoid having to comply with employment laws that apply to employees.”

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Life,love and

laughter Uniting AgeWell volunteer Tracy Barron has known difficult times, but a positive attitude has been a constant companion on her journey

By Cathy Withiel The first thing that strikes you about champions and celebrates the LGBTQIA+ Tracy Barron is her kindness and honesty community.

– and the joy she feels from reaching out “I’m just me,” she says. to others.

“I tell people they need to be true to And the feisty 71-year-old Uniting themselves too, and if my story helps AgeWell volunteer is happy to tell her them, I am glad.” life story just like it is, in the hope of So, over a cuppa, Tracy begins: “I’m a encouraging people from all walks of life hermaphrodite,” she states, explaining to accept and embrace who they are. how she has lived with all that comes Tracy, who brings her special brand with having both male and female of humour and sunshine into the lives organs, including having prostate of the older people she chats with cancer while experiencing menopausal in her role as a volunteer with the symptoms a few years ago. organisation’s Social Connections program, has a heartfelt message she would like to share with ‘Crosslight’ readers.

“Don’t let anyone change you, each person Uniting AgeWell volunteer Tracy Barron is unique, so stay the same wonderful person that you are,” Tracy says.

Tracy grew up in Melbourne’s eastern She’s hoping this simple truth suburbs, was raised as a girl and started is timely, with Australia’s premier school as Peta.

LGBTQIA+ event, the Midsumma Festival, When she was seven, Tracy’s running until February 11. concerned parents sought advice from Tracy is also thrilled to have joined a psychiatrist, who concluded that her Uniting AgeWell at its stand at the inverted male organs meant she was Midsumma Carnival in Alexandra male.

Gardens on January 21.

Her parents took the difficult decision Tracy says volunteering enriches for her to undergo surgical intervention her life and she is proud to be part and drug therapy to enhance her of an organisation that has inclusion masculinity, sending her back to school as one of its core values, and which as Peter.

“It was hard, but I decided if I was going to have to live as a boy, I would become as masculine as possible,” explains Tracy.

Tracy worked in the engineering and building industries, took up boxing and got married.

She is single now and despite the pain of divorces, is hugely proud to have been a stepfather and to have fathered her own daughter, now aged 21, through IVF. After having lived as a man for 58 years, Tracy took up modelling at the age of 65 and is now proudly wearing heels and dresses and is enjoying being the woman she has always identified as.

She has also been able to accept that she is one of the 1 per cent of the population who identifies as being asexual.

“Sadly many people still find it taboo to talk about these things,” she says.

“Especially older people, who were raised not to discuss anything like this.”

Nine years ago Tracy took on the biggest fight of her life, prostate cancer.

She was told the cancer was very aggressive, but with her usual optimism she thought, “there’s no way I’m going to die, I’ve got too much living to do”.

These days, while lending her voice and experience to debunking myths around LGBTIQA+ and ageing, Tracy says

I’m just me. I tell people they need to be "true to themselves too, and if my story helps them, I am glad. "

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Continued P15

Tracy Barron loves the connections she makes as a volunteer with Uniting AgeWell.

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From P12

she’s feeling healthy, and there’s a zest about her that is almost tangible.

She still adores clothes shopping.

“My record is buying 40 dresses from op-shops in one day,” she chuckles.

But even Tracy concedes it’s possible to have too many clothes, and she’s turned the lounge of her townhouse into a makeshift shop, with rails of clothes she’s selling.

Tracy has also volunteered as an LGBTQIA+ counsellor and also offers to take those identifying as such out on opshop sprees.

She is also an advisor for Trans Victoria.

“I’m there to support them,” she says.

And she is delighted to be making a difference to the lives of older people through Uniting AgeWell’s Chat-A-Ring program where she regularly chats to an older person on the phone and, in another program, where she visits older

people in their homes or takes them on social outings.

“I enjoy talking to people, listening to their stories and helping make a difference,” she says.

“They say they feel upbeat after spending time with me, and I know people tend to open up to me.”

Tracy is also encouraging people to enrich their own lives, and those of others, by volunteering at Uniting AgeWell.

“Older people are from diverse backgrounds and life experiences,” she says, “so it’s good for volunteers to be as well.”

Tracy is not alone in enjoying volunteering with the Social Connections Program.

A recent survey of 300 Uniting AgeWell volunteers shows:  over 80 per cent are motivated by giving back to the community and

meeting new people;  nearly 80 per cent of the volunteers are over the age of 50;  almost 100 per cent say they feel appreciated by the not-for-profit organisation; and  many have enjoyed building skills and continuing to grow as a person.

In her spare time, Tracy, who has a beautiful voice and loves singing, is a member of Sing Australia.

She is also a member of the Uniting Church.

“The Uniting Church has always been so welcoming and embraces me, as just me,” she says.

Find out more about inclusion at Uniting AgeWell www.unitingagewell. org/about-us/diversity-and-inclusion and volunteering opportunities https:// www.unitingagewell.org/getinvolved/volunteering

You can make an ongoing difference.

By giving a monthly gift of just $20 a month, you can make a big difference to a family in crisis.

When becoming a regular supporter, you can support a program of your choice, helping individuals, families and communities across Victoria and Tasmania. Register today to become a regular supporter.

Call us 1800 668 426 Visit unitingvictas.org.au/regular-giving Uniting is the community services organisation of the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania.

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Uniting Church Minister Will Nicholas and equipping Leadership for Mission team member Kelly Skilton share a love of gaming and the possibilities it opens up along the faith journey.

By Andrew Humphries When Uniting Church Minister Will Nicholas and St David’s Newtown congregation members sat down for their pre-Christmas lunch late last year, it was an afternoon of great fun and fellowship and a celebration of what being part of a church community is all about.

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It was also an opportunity for Will to share one of his great passions with members of the congregation.

Since childhood, Will has been an avid gamer and, over time, that love of gaming has come to inform much of what he brings to the role of Minister.

He is quick to clarify, though, that

it’s gaming based around board and tabletop games, as well as what can be explored in the digital sphere.

“Gaming is a very broad term and a lot of people misunderstand it,” Will explains.

“I've had to be very careful when I'm talking about gaming, and when I first

Kelly Skilton loves exploring the digital side of gaming.

Image: Carl Rainer

came to St David’s it was spoken about that I was a gamer, and people thought it might have been in terms of horse racing and the pokies, that sort of gambling thing.

“It’s definitely nothing to do with that.

“People who are into gaming tend to talk about tabletop games, which actually brings in all of the different aspects of games that happen in a physical, geographic location, like cards, dice, board or pieces.

“That's the tabletop game side of it, and the other side of it then is the digital

side of it, and most people I come across who are into one are usually interested in the other.”

On the digital side of gaming, fellow Uniting Church member Kelly Skilton is leading the charge towards helping people realise the important and wonderful role it can play in further exploring their faith.

Part of that, she admits, involves shooting down a common misconception around gaming in general.

“If gaming isn’t something people

are a part of naturally in their lived experience, then there's an essence where it's seen as frivolous,” Kelly says.

“But there is a part where the frivolousness isn't what draws us to it, it's the exploration of different ideas and thoughts and how far we can push concepts.”

Kelly’s fulltime role in the equipping Leadership for Mission unit in Parkville involves exploring what the digital space can bring to new, and younger, Uniting Church members.

For someone also passionate about

Continued P18

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From P17

gaming, it’s the perfect marriage of two ‘Never odd or even’, which actually has great loves. this simple advice that part of the idea When embraced with an open mind, of play is actually to be immersed in says Kelly, gaming can help to open up something that's still ongoing and that a world of endless possibilities in the can be replayed and reset. exploration of faith.

“So the aspects of myself as a “I think there's an essence when we gamer and as a Christian are actually get to faith and spirituality, it’s thinking completely in sync with each other. beyond what we just see and know, “It’s been a lot of fun and one of the and gaming touches on those same things that I've been really pleased neurological pathways,” she says. about is that at St David’s I have been “Because it's touching on those same given very broad permission to actually spaces it's not a far reach that the board explore that side of myself as part of my or digital game leads you into theological ministry. conversation, maybe you’re moving “Since I've kind of outed myself as a pieces and then, all of a sudden, you're board gamer I've discovered so many talking about Jesus’ resurrection.” other Ministers and church leaders Like Kelly, Will who actually are says gaming secretly gaming.” often brings a As the Uniting new and different Church, and dimension to his many other faith journey, denominations, something that grapple with took him some a decline in time to feel numbers, Will comfortable and Kelly believe about. gaming has “I've always the potential been interested in to unlock great games and game riches for people play, but I had new to faith. subconsciously In the digital Rev Will Nicholas kept myself as a sphere, Kelly gamer separate loves interacting from myself as a Christian,” he says. with other young Christians through “In the 1980s, there was some hostility ‘Sonderverse’, a space bringing people around linking role-playing games, but together as part of an online community. also a number of the other games, to “Sonderverse is a digital ecosystem being a Christian. where people can find community, “So I guess I just grew up feeling that regardless of where or when you may I couldn't bring that part of myself into call a place home,” she says. my faith, until my supervisor when I was “We create a space for people to studying at Deakin University challenged connect together, stream and game me to say ‘actually, this really does need together, as well as explore faith and life to be integrated’. questions.

“The narrative play that's involved in “We are passionate about creating a theology is actually very similar to the safe and inclusive space for all people, narrative play that's involved in a game, no matter where they are in their and it requires a suspension of belief to spiritual journey. engage in a story, to move around in that “Sonderverse helps us to connect with story and to embody that story. people who might not be able to attend “And all of this became a bit of a a board gaming place in a physical way, lightbulb moment for me and it actually but are still able to connect in with a inspired me to start a website called community.”

“So many

games … deal with our space, spirituality and religious content.”

Continued P22

18

Will Nicholas with Elvis Brand, left, and Joshua DeBoe at Geelong gaming cafe Guf. Image: Carl Rainer

19

The force is strong in

Will

Rev Will Nicholas has been hooked on science fiction since seeing ‘Star Wars’ as a five-year-old.

Image: Carl Rainer

20

Coupled with Will Nicholas’ love of gaming is a twin passion for science fiction.

Call Will a “sci-fi freak” and he is happy to take it as a compliment.

And it’s all because of one of the most famous science fiction movies ever made.

In May 1977, director George Lucas’ ‘Star Wars’ (later renamed ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’) was released, the first of 11 Star Wars films that have thrilled millions of science fiction fans around the world.

That first Star Wars movie introduced us to Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo and his offsider Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2 and, of course, the baddest of bad guys in Darth Vader.

Since that 1977 release, Star Wars has become its own franchise, expanding into more films and other media, including

from 1974-81 and influenced so many who followed him in the role.”

For Will, it’s the endless possibilities that appeal to him when he enters the world of science fiction.

“Science fiction, and fantasy, have this ability to allow us to imagine a different existence, and throw off the constraints of the existence that is around us,” Will says.

“We can then in turn become informative about our existential selves as a whole.

“It gives us the freedom to play with a story or a narrative, enter that story or narrative and make decisions around it, understanding the consequences and the reasons those decisions might have been made in the story.”

television series, video games, novels, comic books, and theme park attractions.

In the process, it has brought in a staggering US$10.3 billion, putting it in second place behind the Marvel franchise.

For a five-year-old Will, the 1977 ‘Star Wars’ movie was his entry into another magical world.

“Absolutely, yes, I love it and it goes right back to my childhood,” Will says.

“My mum took me to see ‘Star Wars’, so science fiction grabbed me then as a child and still does today.

“I have also been a huge fan of the Doctor Who series and I’ve actually met Tom Baker, who played the fourth Doctor

Like science fiction, Will’s love of gaming has developed into more than just a hobby.

“A lot of people, when they think about board games, think about things like Monopoly and Scrabble, but really they're just entry-level games,” Will says.

“I have more than 140 games in my collection, but there are many that I don’t have.

“If I come across a game I don't have and its storyline sounds interesting, I go looking for it fairly quickly.

“I'm also very involved in the Kickstarter, or crowd funding community, so I'm often asked to review games to see the things that are currently being designed.”

21

Will Nicholas and Guf owner Paul Telfer.

Image: Carl Rainer

From P18

Will and Kelly are also part of a weekly online service on Twitch TV which has proven popular.

“Twitch offers the ability to connect within the gaming community, and so, because we are already on Twitch, we thought what would it be like to actually put on a service in this space, so if people aren’t going to walk into a church building, how do we connect them to where they're at?” Kelly explains.

“So we decided to put a Sonderverse service on Twitch on Monday nights from 8pm and the response has been incredible.

“For example, someone in Canada came on to Twitch searching for an explanation on why they can't hear the voice of God anymore?

“And we thought, ‘well, this is the space where people are going with questions like that’ and we need to be in that space they can reach.

“We actually realised there was a real community around Twitch, it's not just people trying to fill space because they're bored, they actually invest their time and don't schedule anything else

on because that's their time when they come to this community.”

Will uses the example of a game called 10 Candles to illustrate how gaming can help to broaden the exploration of faith,

“We are

were a toy or a game, we've put our faith into a glass cabinet and we've made sure that it's kept safe from everything, and we might stand and look at it as we walk past but the idea of actually playing with our faith and engaging with it in a first-hand way (doesn’t always happen).

“While I was in Tasmania we had a board gamers group and 10 Candles was a role-playing game we loved to play.

“It's a game where 10 candles are lit and it's designed to explore the concept of hope in the midst of hopelessness and as the team has success, or things go wrong and there are failures in achieving their goals, a candle is put out and, at the end of the night, there are no candles left.

“And in the darkness the group explores the journey they've taken.

“And so one year coming up to Easter, they said to me, ‘well if you're a Minister, could you do the Easter story as a 10 candles role play, allowing the people who play to actually enter the story to make decisions that might not be canonical in decision making’.

“It was quite a profoundly moving

passionate about creating a safe and inclusive space for all people ... in their spiritual journey.”

22

Kelly KellySkilton Skilton

and unlock what might previously have been hidden.

“I think one of the things that I’m particularly interested in when it comes to games and faith is that because of our reverence for our faith story, we tend not to play with it,” he says. “In fact, as if it

experience to actually play with the Easter story in that way.”

So, where does someone start on the journey towards faith through gaming?

“I'd say start with the game that you like playing because it's actually about enjoyment,” Kelly says.

“The idea of exploring who you are in this world can only be done if you are actually invested in it, and then you'll find like-minded people.

“So put on a gaming event and invite some people along.

“By doing it this way, we found a group in Shepparton whose members are gaming, and one in Gippsland that wants to start gaming.

“And the fact is that we've been doing board games as part of youth group for years, so why not also bring it in as a part of Sunday morning worship?”

When he reflects on Christmas lunch with his St David’s Newtown congregation members, Will is grateful for the way they have embraced his love of gaming and, in turn, become comfortable in exploring it themselves.

“It takes a little while to bring some people around,” he admits.

“People are hesitant, especially older people, to try something new, but one of the things I've discovered about games is that there's a social contract in the playing of them, whether they're digital, board or tabletop games, where I have found that people with differing backgrounds, age or neurodiversity actually come to a table as equals.

“So if everyone is learning a game for the first time, they are all learning what the social contract around that game is, and what the rules are and how to play.

“And so I think especially in the area of neurodiversity, I've seen people come along to a games night with a board game under their arm and suddenly have the keys to enter into the room of social engagement they may not have had previously.

“There is this sense that when we come to play a game together, we actually put the world and our position aside, and we adopt a place and a name and a role that might be entirely different to our normal ones.

“And often, when the game is the focus, there's the opportunity to talk about so many other things in a way that's not as confronting.

“But on top of that, there are just so many games that have a focus that actually deal with our space, spirituality and religious content.”

Kelly Skilton has developed a digital community called Sonderverse for people exploring their faith journey.

Image: Carl Rainer 23

Convention joins

of both both wo w of

When faith, gaming and community come together exciting things happen, never more so than during the OmegaCon convention.

Held in Geelong, the board game and role-playing event unites the gaming community in three days of faith, fun, fellowship and exploration.

For Will Nicholas and Kelly Skilton, it’s an exciting time as their strong faith intersects with their passion for gaming and role-playing.

It is, they say, the perfect coming together of both worlds.

OmegaCon came about following an approach from Will, with support from St David’s Newtown where he is Minister, to the Geelong Regional Library and board gaming café Guf about setting up a board games event. The end result was a three-day convention that exceeded their wildest expectations.

“So it was something similar to what the church has done in the past, around youth group conferences, but with a specific gathering point around games,” Will says.

“A Sunday worship service as part of the event was themed around games, with a panel of people, and we talked about universes and canon during that service, because canon is a word we use a lot in Christian circles to talk about how our Bible and doctrine were created, but there are so many other spaces in games, movies and science fiction that also talk about canons.

“It was really interesting to use that word in a way that crossed over between the two worlds of games and church.”

Kelly says OmegaCon illustrates what can be achieved when faith, community and gaming meet.

“With that connection where exploring

Will Nicholas is looking forward to OmegaCon in Geelong from May 31-June 2.

Image: Carl Rainer 24

who you are beyond one’s self in gaming connects with faith, it actually seemed like a no-brainer that it was something we should get involved with as a church in order to explore what it means to meet people where they're at in our society today,” she says.

“It was an awesome event because it wasn't just about the church, it was also about the library, Guf and Uniting Church hosting it and inviting people to take part, so there was a great sense of community.”

Last year’s OmegaCon was such a success that another one will be held this year from May 31 to June 2, incorporating International Table Top Day on June 1.

OmegaCon information can be found at www.omegacon.info

best

orlds orlds Crosslight is a bi-monthly magazine produced by the Communications 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 for Easter, April 2024 Issue: Bookings February 01, 2023 Copy & images for production February 06, 2024 Print ready supplied PDF February 27, 2024 See crosslight.org.au for full details.

Distribution Crosslight is usually distributed the first Sunday of the month.

Circulation: 16,000 Editor Andrew Humphries Ph: 0439 110 251 andrew.humphries@victas.uca.org.au Graphic design, Photography and print services Carl Rainer (03) 9340 8826 carl.rainer@victas.uca.org.au Advertising and Distribution Andrew Humphries Ph: 0439 110 251 andrew.humphries@victas.uca.org.au

UCA Synod office 130 Lonsdale St Melbourne Victoria 3000

Feedback & correspondence crosslight@victas.uca.org.au ISSN 1037 826X Next issue: Easter, April 2024

ucavictas

ucavictas 25

Give the gift of support

Moderator’s Emergency Response Fund Every year thousands of people are impacted by emergencies in Victoria and Tasmania.

The Moderator’s Emergency Response Fund is a way for those of us wanting to help when current or future emergencies occur, and to contribute to communities in need of immediate assistance.

Funds may be used within the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania to:  provide for pastoral, ministry, and mission activities to assist in the Church’s responses to disasters, emergencies or other crises  support relevant councils of the Church to undertake disaster preparation/response, programs/processes  partner with other organisations in disaster preparation/response, programs/processes.

Donations can be made at any time, not just in response to a specific emergency.

26

231016

For further information, or to make a donation, visit the Synod’s website: www.victas.uca.org.au

Total Mission Income $24.89m

Fees & Tariffs $9.97m Trusts & Bequests, Chaplaincy $4.07m Investment Earnings $4.04m

Total Expenditure $28.14m Mission Directed Expenditure

Support Services Expenditure $12.2m

Missional Budget in focus U-Ethical, AgeWell, Uniting $3.10m

Mission and Service Giving $2.65m

Secretariat $4.52m

Other Income $1.08m

The information on this page has been drawn from the 2024 Missional Grants budget, approved by the Synod Standing Committee.

Thanks to the generosity of our congregations, Mission and Service Giving has remained fairly constant over the past three years, despite Covid and cost-of-living pressures. This generosity ensures the continuation of Missional Grants to support community initiatives.

Launched only three years ago, the Money for Mission Fund is already the second largest source of grants

income across Victoria and Tasmania.

In addition to returning ongoing income to participating congregations, this now represents 40% of the Trusts and Bequests Missional income across our Synod.

In all, there is a total of $9.75million in grants budgeted to be allocated in 2024 across the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania this year. Synod also contributes $1.86m funding to eight Presbyteries for two full-time ministers in each.

It is through the generosity of

Total Mission Income

congregations that the Church’s mission within local communities is funded.

Wise stewardship of limited resources eLM $7.33m mean that in any given year not all projects can be given the funding green light, however continued income growth in areas such as Money for Mission and Presbyteries $1.86m Mission and Service Giving would allow more community to proceed.

Grants project Paid $2.54m The full 2024 Mission Budget pack can be found on the VicTas Synod Website at: victas.uca.org.au/resources/ missionresourcing/accountingservices/ mission-service-budget

Fees & Tariffs Trusts & Bequests, Chaplaincy Investment Earnings U-Ethical, AgeWell, Uniting Mission and Service Giving Other Income

2024 Missional Grants Estimated Budget ESTIMATED GRANTS DISTRIBUTION From Trusts & Bequests  Congregational Missional Programs  Uniting Missional Programs  eLM Trust Distributions  All other Trust & Bequest Distrib.

From Synod General Funds  Assembly Presbytery Block, PARIP and  Congregation Missional Programs  Redress, Child Safe, Act2  Ecumenical Grants

$9.75M $3.6m $0.65m $0.99m $0.33m $1.63m $1.24m $0.50m $0.29m $0.41m $0.04m

From Specific Purpose Funds  Congregational Missional Programs  Congregation Debt Relief Grants  Early Childhood Programs  Disability Grants  eLM Grants  Small Rural Grants  Pastoral Assistance Grants From PSP Sharing  Congress Grant  Congregational Missional Programs From Money For Mission Fund

 Grants to support wider Church

$1.30m $0.24m $0.05m $0.4m $0.05m $0.50m $0.01m $0.05m $1.2m $0.50m $0.70m $2.41m $2.41m 27

FAITHFUL GIVING

By Andrew Humphries

In Mount Waverley in Melbourne’s southeast, one Uniting Church congregation continues to faithfully live out the Christian ethos that says to give freely to others is to be blessed in return.

Rev James Douglas has had the privilege of being Minister at St Luke’s for nearly 10 years and sees on a daily basis how this concept of Faithful Giving lies at the heart of what drives the congregation.

From the annual ecumenical Christmas Bowl Appeal, to contributions to Frontier Services, villages in TimorLeste, and a fellow Uniting Church congregation, St Luke’s members provide constant proof of the positive impact that comes by digging deep for others.

And it’s an impact that never fails to warm James’ heart.

“St Luke’s has a pretty typical congregation and it’s one that has always been generous in terms of its stewardship,” he explains.

“As the Minister here I have always 28

been impressed by the level of the congregation’s contribution to mission and service. It has always been significant and is somewhere around 10 per cent of its net income.

“The Church Council and congregation have always been supportive of meeting that commitment and, indeed, increasing it when it has been suggested by the Presbytery, and in making sure we are able to pay our share to the wider Church.

“The main source of income for the congregation is obtained through offerings, while a Uniting kindergarten pays a contribution to us for the use of our building, as does a Chinese congregation which uses it on a Sunday morning.

“These contributions are important in that they help to ensure that our budgeting can continue to be generous, but the majority of our income still comes from congregational offerings.”

The congregation’s generosity was never more evident than as a result

of the Covid-19 pandemic, when government financial assistance meant it was able to help the Pakenham Uniting Church to continue its missional work with the area’s Sudanese community.

“Our congregation received money through the Federal Government’s JobKeeper program during the pandemic and we found ourselves with a surplus in the budget, so rather than simply pocket it we decided to give something to another part of the Church that perhaps hadn’t done so well during this time,” James says.

“Tom Spurling from the Port Phillip East Presbytery asked around and came back with a proposal to offer some funding to Pakenham Uniting Church to support its members’ work with the South Sudanese community.

“We felt it was appropriate to provide some assistance to the wonderful work that Pakenham was doing.

“We also support organisations like Frontier Services, and we always give a generous donation to the Christmas

Bowl Appeal, so there is a sense that we recognise that where we are able to, and we have the financial resources to do so, it’s a blessing to be able to share.

“The congregation has always believed that being part of the broader Uniting Church is an important part of being a congregation, while there has also been a strong connection with the Justice and International Mission unit and the work that it does, as well as a strong focus on youth work.”

That strong commitment to international mission work through Faithful Giving is best illustrated by St Luke’s support for the people who make up seven villages and 24 hamlets in Vemasse, Timor-Leste.

St Luke’s and the City of Monash Council are partners in the Monash Friends of Vemasse, a community group which provides ongoing fundraising and support for its residents.

It is, understandably, a cause close to the hearts of a number of St Luke’s congregation members, many of whom

have made annual visits to Timor-Leste and struck up firm friendships with the people of Vemasse.

James says congregation members have taken great joy in helping residents financially and through providing volunteer labour.

As they embrace Faithful Giving, James says the generous members of St Luke’s find their own faith is rewarded in so many ways.

“I think they feel a sense that they are able to participate in the work of the Church beyond the boundaries of St Luke’s,” James says.

“Like a lot of congregations, our members have had active involvement in various community and service groups in their earlier lives, and while many of them don’t have the capacity to participate in that way anymore, they still want to support that work and express the love of God in other ways.”

As their Minister, James says it is an honour to be involved with a congregation so committed to giving

faithfully to others. “I take great pride in what the congregation is doing, the capacity of members to be generous and their consistent response to invitations to show their stewardship,” he says.

“The consistent response of the congregation has always been to dig deep to help others and its members have a strong understanding of the importance of stewardship within Christian discipline, and that we give as part of an expression of our faith.”

Your FAITHFUL GIVING supports the wider church by funding grants; training for ministry candidates and local leaders, Presbytery Ministers and ministry; Crosslight, websites and e-news; resources to assist in worship, witness and service; Narana; equipping Leadership for Mission (eLM); providing services to help meet obligations to keep our people and properties safe; and supporting church communities in rural and remote regions.

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Christianity AND ITS PLACE IN THE

w rld

By Rev Associate Professor Geoff Thompson

What is Christianity? What is the gospel?

What is the church?

Christian people have constantly wrestled with such questions.

Even if they are perennial questions, they are asked with a particular edge in our current context of Christians being a minority in Australia.

Minority status, stripped of all the accrued overlays enjoyed in previous eras, can at the very least provide clarity about the centrality of Jesus Christ to Christianity and the gospel.

Christianity is, after all, about Jesus Christ: his life, death, resurrection, present and future. It’s about how, in this still unfinished drama, the one Jesus called ‘Abba,’ the God of Israel, reaches out to the whole world in the power of the Spirit in reconciling, gracious, disorienting, demanding, liberating and restoring love.

It’s about how the people caught up in and gathered around this drama – across many times and many places – have multiplied their ways of bearing witness to Jesus in their many words and many deeds.

English theologian, Mike Higton, 30

captures this with his idea of the church as a “series of experiments in following Jesus.” In each experiment the church “unfolds something new of the gift given

by God in the resurrection.”

In sum: the church “is beckoned by the Spirit into the discovery of God’s abundant gift in Jesus Christ. Its life is a collection of experiments in which the abundant love of God is explored and embodied.” In other words, the roots of such experimentation do not lie with us and our creativity or innovation. They lie with the beckoning of the Spirit. And because there is a series of experiments from which to learn, we don’t have to start from scratch every time.

Thinking of the church as a “collection” or “series” of experiments in following Jesus and responding to the Spirit’s beckoning helps answer the question, “What is the church?”

We are not, however, used to answering this as a minority. (Although, we in the Uniting Church should not forget that our historical roots include the Methodist and Congregational traditions which, at their origins, willingly embraced minority status in

order to dissent from the political and ecclesiastical status quo.)

But some of the more recent ways of understanding ourselves have had a self-important edge. Even in the Uniting Church’s inspiring 1977 Statement to the Nation, we described ourselves as “an institution within the nation.” There are centuries (not least recent decades) of evidence to tell us that this has been a dubious experiment in self-description.

We need to let it go. We don’t have to be an “institution in the nation” to exercise the prophetic ministry to which the Statement to the Nation rightly summons us.

God has often called particular churches to minority existence. Let’s embrace this and experiment with it.

This also involves experimenting with how we think about the church when it is a minority. I have recently found three theologians to be especially helpful in this task. A few sketches of their ideas follow.

American Presbyterian theologian, Amy Plantinga Pauw defines the church as the “publicly visible, though not sharply definable reality of self-identified

communities of Christian faith spread across time and space.”

Can we experiment with being clear about our “identity” and ensure that we are “publicly visible” whilst simultaneously resisting the urge to be “sharply definable”? The latter is a particular temptation for minorities.

Some further comments from Professor Pauw can help us with the notion of Christian identity. She says that the church “is a trustee of a radically universal vision of creaturely communion with God.” The church is a trustee of something particular: the odd, rough-edged story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection as the foundation of that universal vision.

The church is called to live into that particularity if it is to stay connected to its foundation.

But how, with this clear identity, do we resist the urge to be “sharply definable”?

How do we avoid being a ghetto?

Here, Brazilian theologian, Vítor Westhelle, can help with his idea of church as an “event” that variously takes place in “liminal spaces.” Liminal spaces are places and times of transition

(personal, communal, institutional).

Customary reference points have dissolved; it is hard to get your bearings.

Westhelle insists that the church is only the church when it lets go of those bearings, and enters the liminal spaces, “the dangerous playground (where) the church has its roots.”

But he also suggests that in these spaces the church’s shape will be defined by its decisions as to whom and to what it chooses to be “adjacent.”

For Westhelle, therefore, the church needs to let itself be shaped and reshaped by the relationships it has with its neighbours.

And that is why it is much more important to pay attention to who we are willing to sit alongside as neighbours than to see, for instance, where we sit on the denominational league tables.

Concern with whether the Uniting Church is the third- or 10th-largest or the smallest denomination (or service provider) in Australia is meaningless – and a distraction.

As communities of the gospel, wherever we sit on the denominational league tables, the challenge is to Continued P32

31

From P31

explore how our local communities creation of counter-cultural practices. … of Christian disciples befriend – and (T)he communities it founded needed how we allow ourselves to be shaped to demonstrate its presence in meals, by relationships with – the despairing, meetings, and patterns of mutual care neglected, voiceless and the different. that were not bound by conventional For the Uniting Church, arguably the practice. ultimate test case on this issue is the What the grace-filled event of Christ’s extent to which we allow ourselves to life, death and resurrection did was bring be truly reshaped by our covenant with forth “norm-violating communities” the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander and generated “social identities…at a Christian Congress and our claim to be a diagonal to the normal (standards) of multicultural church. value.”

If one temptation is for minorities to Driven by this same grace, our retreat behind their walls, another is to communities of faith can experiment conform to the majority. The story of the with explicitly naming our communities ancient church surrendering its early as “diagonal,” “norm-violating cultural and social strangeness in order communities” in which together we to conform to the prevailing social order learn to embody and practice this has been told often enough. new form of society: to be diagonal But it is worth being reminded of just in the same way that God’s grace is. why the first Christians communities There are connections here to the way were as novel and strange as they were the founders of the Uniting Church before the impulse to conform took highlighted the “strange way” of Jesus hold (albeit without ever extinguishing Christ. the impulse to dissent). British New Testament scholar, John Barclay, has Rev Associate Professor Geoff Thompson recently drawn attention to what he calls the “incongruity of grace” This may also involve living diagonally which is central to Paul’s understanding to the popular categories of “sacred”, of the gospel and of the way he “spirituality” and “religion” to which the envisaged Christian community. modern secularised West has relegated Just as God’s choice of Israel had Christianity (and, for that matter Islam, nothing to do with Israel’s status or Judaism, Buddhism as well). Those virtue, so it was of the first Christians. For categories can illuminate some aspects Paul, there is an “incongruity between of the gospel. But through their own the mercy or grace of God and the status norms and ideologies, they can also or worth of its recipients.” The gospel of obscure it. grace creates new visions of status and In sum: our current minority status worth. The lowly are lifted and the proud provides a fruitful context to continue humbled. Social hierarchies and ethnic the church’s series of experiments in hostilities are challenged. The early following Jesus. It is an occasion to Christian communities embodied these discover our identity without building new visions in the nitty-gritty of their impermeable walls. It’s an occasion shared lives. On this it is worth quoting to inhabit the liminal spaces of the Barclay at length: world. It’s an occasion to live out of the Paul’s theology of grace was incongruous grace of God. developed in and for the creation of So to think of the church is to do innovative communities that crossed far more than describe the church as previous boundaries and challenged missional. Sure, this has been a vital (existing) hierarchies of worth. It corrective to earlier inward-looking required expression in social terms that definitions of the church. But to say the could be real only if it had effect in the church is missional is not to say very

much. Indeed, it will only say anything when our mission emerges from the church’s life as a permeable, liminal and gracious community.

Responding to the beckoning of the Spirit to unfold the gift of the resurrection, our calling is to foster communities of disciples where others are also welcomed into the unfinished drama of incongruous grace.

Communities where people gather to be reminded again and again of this grace through such fragile and unpretentious means as ancient texts, truth-telling words, simple water, fragments of bread and blood-red wine. Communities where people gather to be loved, and to learn to love their enemies.

Communities where participation in the drama of the living Jesus challenges us to share wealth, to abandon privilege, to dignify those denied dignity, to receive friendship from strangers whilst befriending and learning from them.

Communities in which we summon one another to repent of the exploitation of both our neighbours and the earth, to call each other to account, and to be emboldened to unveil and resist the ever-potent principalities and powers.

These are experiments worth being part of and could enliven our answers to those perennial questions: ‘What is Christianity?’, ‘What is the gospel?’ and ‘What is the church?’

The writings referred to in this article are: Mike Higton, The Life of Christian Doctrine (T&T Clark, 2020); Amy Plantinga Pauw, Church in Ordinary Time: A Wisdom Ecclesiology (Eerdmans, 2017); Vítor Westhelle, The Church Event: Call and Challenge of a Church Protestant (Fortress, 2010); John Barclay, Paul and the Gift (Eerdmans, 2015); and John Barclay, Paul and the Power of Grace (Eerdmans, 2020). Professor Pauw will be visiting Pilgrim Theological College in 2024 as a Northey Lecturer.

Rev Associate Professor Geoff Thompson is Co-ordinator of Studies: Systematic Theology at Pilgrim Theological College

God has often called particular churches to minority "existence.

Let’s embrace this and experiment with it. "

32

Pilgrim Theological College

Make life’s deepest questions your occupation

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Pilgrim is the theological college of the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania 33

Leading the

fight against

lepr sy

By Andrew Newmarch and Andrew Humphries Out she came, clothed completely in protective gear: goggles, mask, gloves, and disposable gown, just like during Covid-19.

But this time the enemy was leprosy, and the point of the illustration was that the protective gear was no longer needed.

As Eaglehawk Uniting Church lay preacher Merrill Cole explained traditional fears about leprosy and how they no longer needed to be feared, she took off the protective clothing.

Since the 1980s, a cocktail of antibiotics can now be taken by leprosy sufferers and, within 48 hours, they are no longer contagious.

Merrill has been to Nepal to see leprosy work and has been a longterm supporter of The Leprosy Mission Australia, as co-ordinator of Eaglehawk’s monthly FOCUS Service.

Her display came during a visit by Pius Ogbu Sunday, the programs and operations manager from The Leprosy Mission Nigeria.

Pius was in Australia as a guest of TLMA but also to participate in the Australian Council for International Development’s annual conference as guest speaker.

Merrill says it was a wonderful experience to host the visit from Pius.

“When I contacted The Leprosy Mission Australia to request a speaker for a FOCUS Service, I never expected to have the offer of an international speaker from Nigeria,” she says.

“And not just to speak, but to share his experiences with people diagnosed with leprosy, the difficulties with accessing treatment, and negotiating and influencing government processes to affect change to promote equality.

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“Hearing from someone (like Pius) is much more compelling and ‘real’ than any amount of the same accounts that we see on TV or read about in a magazine or on social media.

“Thank you to Glenn Coleman and Andrew Newmarch from TLMA for their assistance in bringing Pius to Eaglehawk.”

Merrill says Eaglehawk has had a long-standing connection with TLMA as part of the congregation’s regular FOCUS Service theme promoting support for various organisations or programs.

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“Our FOCUS services are currently the first Sunday of each month and there is a different Christian-based organisation or a UCA program that we bring to our congregation with updates, information, and an opportunity to contribute financially through donations,” she says.

Pius talked about change and the transformation that can come about for individuals and society as a result of the work on the ground by TLMN, but also the support from congregations and the public. He told the story of Isiyaku, who was 47 when he finally presented to a

clinic and was diagnosed with leprosy.

He had not had the opportunity or knowledge to get checked earlier and was suffering from ulcers and pain, which meant hospitalisation.

As he lay there and observed, Isiyaku realised that the people who consistently visited him and asked after him were leprosy mission people and local church members.

He was astonished and curious as he discovered that their motivation was the love of Jesus, a concept he had not heard about or understood before, and

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More about Merrill Cole What’s your Uniting Church story?

I was in my early teens at Union and had only just begun to explore my faith.

So really, even though I was part of the Methodist Church, I have only been Uniting but definitely brought my love of singing. I've participated in many aspects of leadership and responsibility locally, within the presbytery and a few across Synod, and my desire for learning led me to be recognised as a Lay Preacher.

The Leprosy Mission Australia representatives Eva Lee, Andrew Newmarch and Paul Andrews with Pius Ogbu Sunday at TLMA’s Box Hill headquarters.

he decided that this was something he wanted more of.

He flouted the hospital rules and found his way to a nearby church on a Sunday and began to learn more and, when he was discharged, he talked about these new learnings with his family, who also became interested.

Sadly, Isiyaku died soon after from complications from his ulcers, but not before he had found joy in a new spiritual awakening.

Pius also told the Eaglehawk congregation about how serious change

What’s one thing you love telling people about the Uniting Church?

When I mentioned that I'd been asked to share in 'Humans of the Uniting Church ' I had someone close to me say, "As opposed to the Aliens?" We are human - and what I like to share is that we still laugh and cry, we experience the good times and the difficult times, but we share all of these with others who are not only interested in us but truly care for each other's wellbeing. That is what it's all about.

What enlivens your faith in Jesus?

When I read or hear a passage of scripture in a new way. The meaning we gain can be so different depending on our circumstances at the time and within the changing culture of our lives.

Yes, they may be the same words, but we hear them through new filters and build them into action in our new context.

What's one thing you'd like to change, or something you hope for?

For many years I have commented that while people are predominantly self-sufficient, God will rarely be their first thought. No, I definitely don't want a recession or GFC, but I find it disheartening that many will go through life believing that being a 'good person' is enough but never know the love and grace of God.

What’s one thing happening in your community that’s really exciting for you?

Within my faith community, I find joy that we can meet those in need and provide support in both practical and emotional ways. For many, this has grown to include spiritual support and overall, even though much of what we see in the news or on social media is the 'not so good ' stories, experience shows us that it is the 'goodness' of humanity that shines through.

What's one thing you would like the rest of the Uniting Church to pray for?

We must pray the most fervently for those who have not yet known the mercy and compassion of the God we know. Is it impossible to ask that everyone would know and accept Christ?

We should continue to pray for the impossible because with God are all things possible.

This Q and A was part of the National Assembly’s ‘Humans of the Uniting Church’ feature.

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Merrill Cole and Pius Ogbu Sunday at Eaglehawk Uniting Church.

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around leprosy had also taken place at a public level in Nigeria, a fact brought home by what he had observed at a referendum polling booth in Melbourne the day before.

“This could never happen in my country,” Pius told the congregation.

“Polling booths are vulnerable and volatile places, but you all just queue up calmly and even have barbecues to celebrate your vote.

“Here, you are all required to vote but that is not the case in my country; some are even excluded from voting.”

Pius went on to explain that two barriers exist for people with leprosy and disability wanting to vote in Nigeria.

People in Nigeria have to register to vote and get a voting card, but the first obstacle is that electoral commission staff are fearful of leprosy and won’t go near people with leprosy attempting to register or worse, will prevent them from 38

coming to the registration centre.

Secondly, voter registration is by fingerprint and many people with leprosy do not have fingers, so they are effectively disenfranchised.

Pius explained how TLMN and disability organisations lobbied the electoral commission for change, offered to train staff and invited the Australian High Commissioner to launch the training.

This elicited a very positive response from the electoral commission but the rules still needed to change.

A group of people from the leprosy colony just outside the capital, Abuja, came and occupied the INEC offices, resulting in changes to the Electoral Act which then allowed for facial recognition as an alternative to fingerprints to get a voting card.

In elections in February this year, only about 25 per cent of the population

registered to vote but about 50 per cent of the newly eligible population of people with leprosy and disability turned out.

Pius described the fight against leprosy as like the story of Moses and Joshua fighting the Amalekites as recorded in Exodus 17.

For Pius and other Leprosy Mission partners around the world, there is a deep sense of gratitude for the support and interest from the churches and public in Australia.

Andrew Newmarch is The Leprosy Mission Australia Head of International Programs

Blessed

are the poor in spirit

By Bill Loader

How can I know the loneliness of being without enough food, looking at my malnourished child, knowing it is too late?

How can I imagine the fear of random acts of violence, the bullying, and the violations on people not allowed a voice?

I can see more now than any previous generation. I can video scenes of destitution and watch them over and over again.

They pass my eyes like so many colours, so many pictures, a mist of too much to see, too much to know-I cannot see.

My eyes have learned to see and not see. My brain has learned to know and not know.

It is a fearful thing to be overwhelmed by just too much, too much human need.

Other people’s pain is paralysing.

I want to pretend it is not so, merge the documentaries with the movies and blow it all away as fiction.

If I let it settle it will fall on me like dust and ashes, like a blanket of darkness crushing my soul.

My feeble efforts collapse beneath the weight. It is too much to bear. Something dies within me.

I can learn to dull my senses for relief.

Let the radio talk constantly, the music fill the space for hearing; let them drown out the cries and give me peace.

I can escape into religious experiences or sense-dulling drugs. Give me my patch of mown lawn, the silence of my cement fences, the comfort of barbecue smells and my friends and family. And why not?

But who said I must bear all that truth?

Who said I can ever do enough? Who said I must have the answers? Who said it all rests on me? Why choose the guilt I can never bear without deceiving myself?

There are moments when we feel deeply vulnerable and severely limited – before human need in the wider world and sometimes before our own. We need not run away. Does God conspire to pretend we must be sufficient for all this?

Is not God’s love an acknowledgement of our humanity, including forgiveness for our sin, but more than that: being God when we can’t and should never try to be?

Does God in Christ not carry all this in brokenness? And of us he asks us to walk alongside and not to fear.

We do not need to fear that need will overwhelm us because we are not pretending we are sufficient to deal with it in the first place.

“In spirit”, in the spirit of shared brokenness and hope we walk with the brokenness of God and the poverty of people.

To do so is to be blessed in hope. It is sufficient that we allow ourselves courage to be present and not to run away, even when all we can sometimes do is cry silently and pray.

Then there can also be peace and joy but not at the expense of need.

Emeritus Professor Bill Loader is a Uniting Church Minister.

This extract is from his book, ‘St Patrick and the Helicopter: Theological Stories and Reflections For Young and Old’

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