A Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
FUNDING GRANTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR
Youth ministry projects
Children & Families ministry projects
Scholarships for children of soldiers
Students undertaking tertiary and secondary studies
Ministers with children attending primary or secondary school
Children from Uniting Churches in the Bright and Beechworth areas associated with Uniting Churches in the Bright and Beechworth areas
Presbyteries, congregations or groups to develop and support educational initiatives in the regional areas of Victoria and Tasmania
Education for lay people, including lay preacher candidates and pastors
Continuing education for ordained and lay people in placement with the UCA
Women undertaking study who are currently working within the UCA or with the intention of service within the UCA.
APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN
Educational Grants, Scholarships and Bursaries For details, guidelines, closing dates and application forms visit: victas.uca.org.au/resources/grants/educational-grants-scholarships
For assistance, email grants@victas.uca.org.au or telephone 03 9340 8800
The Uniting Church has a long-standing commitment to supporting the right of both Israel and Palestine to exist in peace.
Reverend
David Fotheringham Moderator
Vic Tas Synod
Advent marks the beginning of a new year in the Christian liturgical calendar. We begin with the world waiting, wondering what the coming of God will be like; and then comes Christmas, through which we learn so much about God’s intentions, love, and willing vulnerability.
A year ago I wrote about the passage in Isaiah, in which the prophet awaiting God’s coming writes “O that you would tear up the heavens and come down”. I reflected last year that perhaps we needed to stop tearing up the earth, and to understand the meaning of the call: be still, and know that I am God.
Over this last year, the warring has not stopped.
It is over a year since we were utterly appalled at the actions taken by Hamas against civilians of Israel, including taking hostages, some of whom are still in captivity.
We are still faced with an appalling conflict, in which the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians, thousands of Lebanese people and hundreds of Israelis have been lost, extraordinary destruction has been wreaked, independent reporting has been severely limited, and the conflict has continued to expand.
Displaced people have been moved again and again, with no guarantees of safety anywhere.
The lives and livelihoods of so many people have been left in utter turmoil. To make matters even worse, the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians, UNWRA, has now been ‘banned’ from operating in Israel by the Israeli government, which will cripple aid distribution and be extremely difficult to replace.
It is hard to see how banning the work
of the most significant agency providing highly monitored relief is going to advance the hope for an end to war. It certainly doesn’t do anything to dispel concern about the extent of the aims of the warring.
The Victorian Council of Churches Standing Committee recently made a statement about how “Christians and churches are entrusted with a ministry of peace and reconciliation”.
That statement affirms that “there is no pathway to a just peace through ongoing killing. We urge a permanent end to all killing. We condemn acts of brutality and atrocities committed by those on both sides of the conflict. Such actions continue to form barriers to any efforts at lasting peace and continue to sow the seeds of hatred and fear that bear the fruit of lasting armed conflict. We call on the Australian Government and the people in our churches to support Israelis and Palestinians who are working for a meaningful, just and lasting peace”.1
The Uniting Church has a longstanding commitment to supporting the right of both Israel and Palestine to exist in peace and has continued to call on the Australian Government to do all it can to facilitate a just peace in the Holy Land, including supporting the International Court of Justice in its measures to prevent genocide, supporting peacemaking organisations and imposing targeted sanctions.2
As we enter this new Advent season, please continue to support efforts for reconciliation and peace in our local communities, and to call for a just peace and rebuilding in the Holy Land. At Christmas, may the good news of God dwelling among us continue to form us for the work and hope of peace.
1 https://vcc.org.au, Statement on Gaza 2024. The Tasmanian Council of Churches is not currently active.
The story of the birth of Jesus lies at the heart of Christianity, but it represents different things to different people.
Uniting Church leaders explain what it is that makes the Son of God’s birth such a compelling and inspiring narrative.
By Rev Michele Lees
The birth of Jesus is a gift of great love from God.
That God should humble Godself to the extent of dwelling on earth as a human being continues to amaze me. And to be born in humble circumstances only accentuates the humility of God’s action.
The birth of Jesus moves me to great joy as I can rejoice with the heavenly beings in the ongoing gift of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us.
Jesus with me informs my work.
To ensure that Jesus is with me in my ministry, all that I do is couched in prayer.
My work includes church leadership, preparation of worship, writing faith articles, and pastorally caring for those in
all stages and stations of life.
People of faith enjoy celebrating the story of the birth of Jesus.
They enjoy the image of Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus being born with the animals.
They enjoy celebrating with the angels the birth of God on earth.
People of faith love the traditional carols and the traditional acts of Christmas worship.
Christian people find that Christmas time is a great opportunity to invite members of the wider community to celebrate with them an event so central and dear to their faith.
Rev Michele Lees is Minister at Echuca Moama Uniting Church
By Rev Linley Liersch
For me the Christmas narrative is action packed and full of both fear and awe.
It is a good news story that challenges me to suspend my inner critic and just dwell in the story.
As a Minister I have often travelled on Christmas day, long distances on country roads, to tell, sing, narrate and preach this hope-filled message.
In Luke’s gospel, we have Mary’s both fearsome and awesome news of pregnancy.She celebrates by journeying to Elizabeth’s house to share the message of joy.
Joseph and Mary pilgrimage to Bethlehem and take the census in time for Mary to give birth.
Shepherds, in fear and awe, flock to see the saviour’s birth.
Some of our churches are experiencing decline, others are growing so fast that the new church leaders fear the many responsibilities.
Some congregations are filled with fear and barricade themselves in the building.
Some congregations are awestruck and do not know where to go next?
This is the time for the Uniting Church to remember it is a movement of God, and we too are pilgrims on the way.
The spirit is not confined to buildings but fills the outlying fields in the world with the glory of God.
If we stay inside, we will fail to hear the angel’s song.
Are we willing to take the risky journey to find God in a barn?
Rev Linley Liersch is a Presbytery eLM Minister for the Presbytery of Port Phillip West
By Rev Alister Pate
Jesus, God-with-us, was born over two thousand years ago.
That sounds like a long time ago, but it really isn’t.
The essentials of life were much the same. People were born, knew they were going to die, and, like us, asked the only real question: In the face of all this randomness and unfairness and suffering, this world which seems completely uninterested in human flourishing, how do we live?
This is the world into which Jesus comes.
He was born in modest circumstances, neither amongst the poorest of the poor, nor yet amongst the rich.
This idea that God would reveal Godself and live out a human life amongst people who were not at all cool, not at all powerful, not whatever the first century equivalent of influencers was, remains startling and strange.
Just like his birth, Jesus’ ministry is made up of the ordinary stuff of life. God shows up in our everyday reality. In Jesus, we see that the ordinary touches eternity and is profoundly meaningful.
When humans did what they do when God gets too close, God raised Jesus up on the third day to say emphatically: this is my son, the beloved, listen to him.
Through Jesus, God takes on the weight of the world – the burden of sin and the aching fear that it is all for nothing and says: life is meaningful.
It is all for something. Everything is going to be ultimately OK.
God loves every one of us, individually and by name.
Rev Alister Pate is Minister at Northcote Uniting Church
By Rev Deacon Marian Bisset
This has been a confronting year on a global scale.
Military incursions have become the daily norm on the news and multi-billion dollar deals to build nuclear submarines slip by unnoticed.
Butted up against those concerns is the image of a placid donkey happily munching hay from a manger, and it creates an uncomfortable juxtaposition.
Yet it is into this violence and pain Jesus came then and comes again today.
I doubt we will witness the birth as recorded in the gospels, or in various nativity scenes around the world, but certainly we will in the way we hold ourselves in what we do every day.
In my daily travels around my current placement in the Victorian High Country I see farmers making do, giving care to and honouring the stock they rear for sale, struggling when the wind comes
and dries what little green growth there was, or living with the real stress of when, not if, the fires come.
It is into these places, these lands where incarnational change happens.
In the rustling of the trees, in the flowing of the river, in the gathering at the farm fence is where I hear the voice of God.
To be invited to stand at the farm fence with the farmer is to see the face of God and hear the voice of God.
May we all see the face of the incarnated Jesus in all creation and people this Christmas and always.
Rev Deacon Marian Bisset was a Bush Chaplain with Frontier Services, before accepting the call as Presbytery Resource Minister for north Tasmania, and Presbytery eLM Minister for Tasmania
By Rev Ian Turnnidge
If people take the time to come to a church service during Advent or Christmas, we as congregations have an opportunity to create an experience that might bring the frenzy of the season to a place of meaning. Worship can do that, especially at Christmas.
People come to church at Christmas for a reason: to attend to the story, to attend to the spirit within them, to encounter hope or wonder, and maybe even to make meaning of the gift of Jesus to the world.
Maybe it’s enchantment? Maybe the year has been so difficult, that a church service is the only possible place imaginable that one might find refuge in the season of joy?
Each year the season and the story collide, demanding certain songs, themes of peace, hope, love and joy to be considered in the preparations, and the strange way that the end of the year causes me to reflect.
It is, to say the least, overwhelming.
The invitation to all worship teams is to consider how our services might assist people to attend to the heart, imagine into the familiar story afresh, and to open ourselves to the possibility of new birth.
The story of the birth of innocence in a hostile world is as poignant this year than any other.
Images of children and families in countries in the grip of war are the backdrop to the Bethlehem story.
Perhaps in every Christmas service there needs to be a chance to create an unstructured space to contemplate, pray and feel.
A time to stop and respond to the heart and to that still small voice calling within each of us.
At Christmas, love is born.
The Christmas story and our church services can create a place for that love to be born again, within and between us all.
There’s time to face the threats in this world, with a fragile story of love made real in the birth of Jesus.
Rev Ian Turnnidge is Minister at St Andrew’s Fairfield Uniting Church
Luke 1:30-35
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.
“The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God”.
Matthew 2:7-11
By Rev Cynthia Page
For me, Jesus’ birth celebrates the Incarnation, which means that, in and through Jesus, God came amongst humankind and all of creation, came to be alongside us, bringing good news of hope, joy and deliverance for all, and especially the vulnerable. In the Gospel of Matthew, an angel placates Joseph, with the words: “All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, “God is with us.” (Matthew 1:22-23, NRSVUE).
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him”.
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.
Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The concept of ‘Emmanuel’, ‘God is with us’, is incredible and affirming. It provides hope. We are not alone. God is with us. God walks alongside us.
The Incarnation is a foundational part of my ministry.
I seek to emulate God’s way of being amongst people, walking alongside them, being present and with them.
I think the truth that God chose and chooses to come amongst us is an endless source of hope and comfort.
A lot of life’s problems can’t be easily solved but knowing that God, who came amongst us as Jesus, is present with us, not aloof, but intimately engaging with us, gives us comfort and helps us to cope.
How can this ever get old or tiresome?
Rev Cynthia Page is a Resource Minister with the Presbytery of North East Victoria
Bowl filled with compassion
By Aimée Keay
For 75 years, church communities have been uniting through the Christmas Bowl to give hope to families who are displaced.
In 1949, Rev Frank Byatt first laid a bowl of remembrance on the Christmas dinner table asking his family to “share your good dinner with hungry children in other lands”.
From this simple act of compassion, the annual Christmas Bowl appeal was born, now a much-loved tradition in churches across Australia.
The Christmas Bowl legacy runs deep, in families, across generations, cultures, denominations and nations, and countless lives have been changed and bridges of solidarity built.
Tasmanian resident Ian Newman understands the legacy of the Christmas Bowl perhaps better than anyone.
“My parents were friends with Frank Byatt and his family and so we had the Christmas Bowl on our Christmas table in the 1950s,” Ian says.
For Ian, those foundational childhood experiences were crucial in shaping his world view and providing him with a tangible way to practise generosity.
“I'm very thankful for Act for Peace providing me with a mechanism that I feel is reliable to provide support for people who have much, much less in the way of resources than I and my family have had,” he says.
“It's an important thing for me to do
and certainly a fundamental attitude and in a way, a moral obligation as a Christian.”
Across oceans, families like Ian’s have been providing much-needed support for families displaced by conflict and disaster.
Families like Jane’s* in Zimbabwe.
When Cyclone Idai hit in 2019, Jane tragically lost everything, including her three children and her home.
“The cyclone started around 8pm when I was asleep with the children in the house,” Jane says.
“I woke up to find the house shaking and about to collapse.
“I was taken up with the water, fractured my skull and hurt my leg.”
Jane was heartbroken to discover that she had lost her three children, and she spent two years living in a tent after the disaster.
In the aftermath of Cyclone Idai and then Cyclone Ana in 2021, Jane was one of 700 displaced families who required relocation.
For 75 years, generous families like Ian’s have been helping families like Jane’s to rebuild their lives.
The Zimbabwe Council of Churches has been able to improve services like electricity, water, schools, health clinics, sanitation and hygiene for relocated families.
Jane and her family now drink safe, clean water from the new piped water
Jane and her miracle child: after losing her three children in the cyclone, she gave birth to her son at the age of 43. Image: Tobin Jones/Act for Peace
scheme and also have access to social support services.
The program ensures people who have been displaced have control over their lives and can thrive in their future, helping them to find safety, dignity, and belonging in their new homes.
For 75 years, churches and individuals across Australia have been giving hope and practical support to people who need it most.
From supporting refugees after World War II, to caring for families affected by famine in Ethiopia in the 1980s, and more recently, supporting people fleeing Ukraine, through the Christmas Bowl the church has made an incredible difference in the world.
Please pray and act for peace in the world as Act for Peace celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Christmas Bowl.
Please give today at christmasbowl. actforpeace.org.au
STAMP
of approval for fundraising program
By Andrew Humphries
Every Thursday for a few hours, a keen group of volunteers get together at a building in Brighton to gather and sort through hundreds of stamps.
They don’t make much of a fuss about what they are up to, but their efforts continue a remarkable story which began over 100 years ago.
In 1919, the Presbyterian Women’s Missionary Union started a stamp collecting program to raise money for missional work.
Taken on by the Uniting Church when it formed in 1977, the Uniting Church Adult Fellowship Stamp Fund, or Sammy Stamp as it is better known, has since chalked up $1.2 million through the sale of stamps, with about $1.15 million given to numerous projects.
“The Sammy Stamp guidelines say that ‘funds will be used for the relief of suffering, whether that suffering be physical, emotional, spiritual, or economic, or for the betterment of people who, in turn, will be able to influence the health and wellbeing of their immediate or extended community’,” convenor Allan Clark says.
Among recent projects to benefit were aid to Zambia ($4000), Frontier Services bush chaplains ($5000), the Uniting Vic.Tas Winter Appeal ($5000), and construction of a medical building on the Solomon Islands ($5000). Allan has been the Sammy Stamp convenor since 2008 and is justifiably proud of the impact a few volunteers getting together every week can have in raising money for numerous worthy causes.
“I just keep things rolling along as convenor, but it tends to run itself, and we can have anywhere between five and 17 volunteers each week sorting through stamps,” he says.
Those volunteers spend about five hours each week going through stamps,
occasionally striking gold and finding one that is worth quite a few dollars when sold on to collectors.
“We have seen stamps from as far back as the 19th Century and, over the years, some very valuable collections have come our way, which have raised a lot of money,” Allan says.
“The stamps come from all over Australia, but mainly from Victoria and Tasmania.
“What sometimes happens is we will be contacted by someone whose relative has died and left a substantial stamp collection, which they offer to us.
“We tend to do well now through selling some of the stamps online, and that has led to us getting coins in as well, which we also sell.”
As convenor, Allan’s role also entails considering applications that come in for funding through the Sammy Stamp program.
“When we get a grant application I’ll have a look at it and, if it fits our guidelines, I’ll show it to some of the committee members, and then pass it around to our volunteers on the day,” he says.
“We then take a vote on whether to accept the application, so it’s a very democratic process.
“From there, the UCAF Committee will approve it before it then goes to equipping Leadership for Mission for their approval.”
Volunteers are needed to continue the great work carried out by Allan and the team, and those interested need to devote just a few hours every Thursday to sort the stamps.
“It’s a fantastic social gathering as well, with a cross-section of ages,” Allan says.
For more details, contact Allan on (03) 9557 1008.
raising funds for worthy projects through the
Convenor Allan Clark and volunteers (below left) are
Sammy Stamp project.
Images: Carl Rainer
Hope stitched up for
rough sleepers
A Uniting Vic.Tas community project which began with a coffee cup fundraising idea is providing warmth and security for Victoria’s homeless.
In 2017, as Melbourne gained media attention for attempts to ‘clean up’ its city in preparation for the Australian Open and summer crowds, St Leonard’s Uniting Church Brighton member Barry Schofield saw an opportunity.
It was while watching a news clip of police ‘moving on’ a group of rough sleepers at Flinders Street Station, that ideas first began to brew for Barry.
“Melbourne, this is not a good look,” a tourist had remarked on the news clip.
But it wasn’t the tourist’s disdain at Melbourne’s response that sent Barry’s mind into a whirl, it was the takeaway coffee cup she clutched.
“If a group of people would each give the cost of a cup of coffee once a week towards a homeless person, it would soon add up to a sizeable amount,” Barry thought at the time.
He shared the idea with his Minister, Rev Kim Cain, and in a matter of months the congregation began their first Coffee Cup Challenge.
The concept of the challenge was simple: ask members of the congregation to donate the equivalent
By Meg Hocking
of a cup of coffee once a week, with funds raised going to Uniting Vic.Tas to help meet the many needs of those experiencing homelessness.
Kim suggested the challenge should launch on International Coffee Day, October 1, each year and run through until Pancake Day the following year.
In 2019, Uniting Vic.Tas adopted the Coffee Cup Challenge, encouraging congregations from across both Victoria and Tasmania to participate.
To date, close to $150,000, the equivalent of 30,000 cups of coffee, has been raised to support people experiencing crisis, vulnerability and uncertainty.
Only a few years later, the Coffee Cup Challenge became a crucial source of funding for a brand-new initiative which would provide vital warmth, protection and comfort to Victoria’s rough sleepers.
In Australia, the number of people experiencing homelessness has grown by 5.2 per cent in the past five years, with First Nations people, women and children disproportionately impacted by the housing crisis.
In 2022, Uniting Vic.Tas Emergency Relief Coordinator in Wodonga, Catherine Byrne, decided something urgently needed to be done to support the ever-growing population of rough sleepers in Victoria’s north-east.
“In the past we’ve been able to purchase portable swags, but because of the homelessness problem across Australia, they aren’t obtainable, so the solution is to make them ourselves,” Catherine says.
“Looking for community partnerships to be able to make the swags is not solving a problem, but it gives people dignity that they can have a portable bed on their back and have something warm to sleep in every night.”
But standing in the way of this bright idea was the resources to achieve it.
Already working to grow the Coffee Cup Challenge, Uniting Vic.Tas reached out to Barry to see what could be done.
“Two years ago, Uniting Vic.Tas came to me and said they were looking to get a new project up and running to support those facing homelessness,” Barry says.
“I thought this would be a great
St Leonard’s Uniting Church member
Barry Schofield, the originator of the Coffee Cup Challenge, with one of the Ruffy swags.
initiative for St Leonard’s to get behind.”
With proceeds from their 2023 and 2024 Coffee Cup Challenge, the St Leonard’s congregation was able to contribute $55,000 to what became known as the Ruffy Project.
With funding secured, Uniting Vic.Tas partnered with Carevan Foundation, an organisation which supports the disadvantaged in rural Australia, and Beechworth Correctional Centre, and by December last year the Ruffy Project was launched.
Two men serving time at the Beechworth Correctional Centre, a minimal security prison in north-east Victoria, are now volunteering full-time to produce the swags for the program, with others volunteering one day a week.
The two full-time men were taught by a community volunteer with experience in using industrial sewing machines, and they have learnt how to cut and sew the patterns together and thread the machines, as well as basic mechanical maintenance.
“The reason I’m doing this program is to gain sewing skills, but also to help those who are homeless have somewhere dry and warm to sleep,” says Joe*, one of the full-time volunteers.
“I love doing it.”
A typical week in the workshop sees the men spending two to three days cutting the patterns, using canvas for the swags and seatbelt material for the
straps, before forming a production line to start sewing.
The team can now sew one of the waterproof, lightweight canvas and foam mattress swags together in about 15 minutes.
To date, more than 90 swags have been made, with 76 distributed to rough sleepers in Albury, Wodonga, Wangaratta, Bendigo, Footscray and Broadmeadows.
Support for the project is increasing, with generous donations also received from the Beechworth Uniting Church.
“Those who have received the swags have been very happy that such a product exists for homeless folk,” Catherine says.
“They’re always very grateful.”
Currently a summer version of the swag with added fly screens and zips is being developed at the Beechworth Correctional Centre.
There is a strong relationship between homelessness and those in custody, so for many of the men at the correctional centre, this is a cause they relate to on a deeply personal level.
According to the Health of People in Australia's Prisons 2022 report, more than two in five people reported to be homeless in the four weeks before their incarceration.
Incarcerated people are also thought to be 100 times more likely to experience homelessness than the general
community. George*, who arrived at Beechworth in January, has experienced homelessness.
As one of two full-time volunteers on the project, the work means a lot to him. He enjoys the privilege of knowing that his handiwork is protecting rough sleepers from the elements and providing them with a warm and comfortable place to sleep.
“This program has helped me more than anyone will ever know, so for that alone, I thank everyone involved and I will be eternally grateful for the opportunity,” George says.
It’s not too late to sign up for the Coffee Cup Challenge and join the team of compassionate people across Victoria and Tasmania who are trading caffeine for kindness and supporting those experiencing crisis.
For more information or to register visit: www.unitingvictas.org.au/ fundraising/fundraise-for-us/coffeecup-challenge/
*This is a true story about real people. Some details such as names have been changed to respect the wishes of the people featured.
Carevan Foundation's Leanne Johnson (left) and Uniting Vic.Tas’ Catherine Byrne with Beechworth Correctional Centre volunteer Joe*.
Image: Mark Jesser, The Border Mail.
A way forward through the absence of hope
By Andrew Humphries
When theologian, academic and author Miguel De La Torre delivered the Northey Lecture at the Centre for Theology and Ministry in September, he had a slightly unusual message for those in the audience.
It’s time, he said, to abandon the concept of hope as a theological principle when fighting for a more just world.
In fact, says Miguel, embracing hopelessness is now the only way forward.
It’s a philosophy that has its roots in Miguel’s own childhood in New York, after his arrival in the United States from Cuba as a toddler.
As a Latino in the US, Miguel was given a quick and brutal introduction to the reality of life for immigrants and the underprivileged in the supposed land of the brave and the free.
“(Those early years) had an enormous impact because I was defined as a refugee and an immigrant,” Miguel explains.
“So, there was this feeling of never really belonging, and there was poverty as well, and never having enough to eat.
“It wasn’t until I was 18 that I was able to start earning money, escape poverty and begin to realise exactly what I went through.”
At the age of 22, Miguel became a Southern Baptist because, he admits, the church’s right-wing conservative thinking fitted perfectly with his own world view and political ideology at the time.
“At that stage it provided a spiritual justification for the political views that I held,” he says.
“The Southern Baptist church had begun to provide a moral compass for me, as problematic as that compass was at the time.”
More than 40 years later, Miguel is happy to acknowledge he would not now recognise his younger self.
“Miguel of 40 years ago would now regard me as hopelessly left-wing,” he says.
“But back then I was a misogynist and capitalist, all of the things closely associated with right-wing politics and Christian nationalism in the US.
“It wasn’t an easy cloak to throw off and it took many years to do so.”
Change for Miguel came through reading some of the Latino writers who were leaders in the liberation theological movement of the 1960s.
“I then began to reject those views that I had held as a right-wing religious and political person, but it took a long time to wrestle with the fact that those earlier views were wrong,” he says.
Having seen both sides of the coin, so to speak, Miguel has a strong message to impart.
“When I talk about issues of social justice and complicity with the structures of oppression, it’s not an attempt to make people feel guilty but to say that ‘yes, I have been there as well, and how do we move on from what we were and what we believed in to creating a more just society’?” he says.
“My message is always one of doing and action, and it’s when we move towards social justice that we truly become ecumenical and a body of believers, even if we believe in different things.”
Miguel admits his call to abandon hope, and with it a Eurocentric approach to philosophy and theology, won’t sit easily with everyone.
But it is the allure of hope, he insists, that has continued to dispossess the marginalised and disenfranchised.
“I’m sure it’s a call that will rub some people up the wrong way,” Miguel says.
“But we have to reject Eurocentric philosophy and theology because it’s been so complicit with colonisation.
“We also need to eliminate the concept of hope because hope becomes a tool allowing us to do absolutely nothing, and it becomes a middle-class privilege.
“But if people are hopeless, they will do whatever it takes to survive and it propels them to action.
“In a sense we need to develop ethics that screw with the system.
“Oppressed people have been doing this for thousands of years and I’m just giving some language and theory behind it.”
Keeper of the faith
As Synod Archivist, Dr Jennifer Bars has access to a wealth of history relating to the Uniting Church and its predecessors.
By Andrew Humphries
As the keeper of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania’s history, Dr Jennifer Bars loves being immersed in the past every day.
In her role as Synod Archivist, Jennifer is responsible for about 10,000 boxes of records, approximately 40,000 photos, and several hundred physical items, ranging from badges to furniture.
The items date back to the earliest days of the Colony of Victoria, and capture the pre-1977 history of the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregational churches, and post-1977 history of the Uniting Church.
Jennifer says she loves the sense of stepping back in time her role allows.
“Oh yes, absolutely, that’s such a wonderful thing to experience,” she says.
“At the moment I’m in the process of transcribing a Minister’s diary from the 1820s and, with a project like that, there is that sense of stepping back fully into the past.
“It’s just wonderful to be able to read and to handle items that were created such a long time ago.
“One of the most rewarding aspects of the job, and I think this is also something our volunteers appreciate, is the sense that you’re handling important physical evidence from the past.”
Jennifer says she is incredibly fortunate to lead a dedicated and experienced group of volunteers, whose range of expertise means they can tackle any request.
“We have volunteers who have been with us for more than 40 years, and they have an incredible depth of knowledge about the collection, and of the denominations that preceded the Uniting Church,” she says.
“The depth of knowledge that we are able to tap into is phenomenal, and our volunteers are just a terrific group of people.
“Last year we received 232 requests for information and research assistance.
“These requests come from members of the public, as well as congregation members who might be seeking genealogical information, or information on local and church history, as well as
Synod Archivist Dr Jennifer Bars oversees records, photos and physical items dating back hundreds of years.
Image: Carl Rainer.
Snapshots in time
This illuminated 1869 testimonial belonged to Rev James Bickford. James (1816-1895) was a Wesleyan clergyman born in England. After moving to Australia he became superintendent of the Yarra Street, Geelong, circuit in 1866, and was elected president of the Australasian Conference in 1868. He was Minister at Wesley Church from 1869-71.
This portable communion set was presented to Rev Marlene Thalheimer, when she was inducted as the first female minister in the Presbyterian Church in 1974. It was then presented to St John’s Uniting Church Essendon in 1991 by Marlene’s husband Roy.
1863
This book, ‘Orations on temperance’ dates to around 1895 and, according to an inscription inside, was “presented to Ernest Sprott as a prize for Reciting 11th Sept 1895”.
An 1897 New Year's text card from the Rev D J and Mrs Flockart of the St Kilda Wesleyan Church.
This ceremonial gavel was from The Methodist Girls' Comradeship, which was formed in 1918 in NSW. The aims of the MGC were to “challenge young people with the saving power of Jesus Christ and provide avenues of Christian service” and “to provide for the spiritual, social, physical and educational welfare of the members”.
This cream tablecloth is from Paynesville Uniting Church fellowship members, with the UCA logo in the centre and the years and names of members radiating from it in red, black and white fabric ink.
An
baptismal certificate for the Colony of Victoria signed by Wesleyan Minister W Woodall.
patchwork banner from
around 1865 is inscribed with the words “presented by the Revd. Hugh Blair A.M. to Hugh Murray Esqre. J.P. on the occasion of laying the foundation stone of The Birregurra Presbyterian Church, January 1865”.
This handmade appliqued square patchwork presbytery cloth with an unbleached calico backing is from the Loddon-Campaspe Presbytery.
The Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania sold all its residential camps operated by UC Camping in June 2023. They were Grantville, Westernport Bay; Norval, Grampions/Gariwerd; Merricks Lodge, Mornington Peninsula, and Adekate Camp, Creswick.
This leather-bound Bible written in Gaelic was brought to Australia in the 1830s.
“We’re also approached for heritage and architectural information and by people undertaking academic projects and theses, and we also receive a lot of requests from Synod operations seeking assistance with property information and details around trusts and bequests.”
The oldest item in Synod Archives is a bible from the 16th century, with most items dating from post-colonial settlement in Victoria.
“We have items that were obviously very precious to families, who brought them with them when they came to Australia,” Jennifer says.
“The very oldest items would be some of the bibles that came with families.”
Jennifer, who completed a thesis in Modern History at Oxford University and specialises in 19th century social history, has been Synod Archivist since 2015.
She says helping people with archival requests and questions remains the most rewarding aspect of the work carried out by her and the centre’s volunteers.
“Our role is to help people, we put a lot of effort into doing that, and we have been able to help some people out of some tricky situations,” Jennifer says.
“For example, a few years ago we were contacted by a woman whose name had been incorrectly registered on her birth certificate, creating all sorts of problems for her because her name never matched up with what was on official documents.
“She needed to be able to prove what her name was at birth and the only way to do that was to provide an official record of baptism, which we were able to do.
“The registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria accepted that proof and actually made a retrospective change to this woman’s birth certificate.
“She was incredibly grateful to us for that, and it’s wonderful to be able to help people in that way.”
New volunteers are always welcome at Synod Archives, and anyone interested can contact the centre on 9964 4080 or send an email to archives@victas.uca.org.au
This
Maroondah Uniting Church was sewn to
From P14
History at your fingertips
The archives were established by the Uniting Church Records and Historical Society in 1979. The records were mostly from the Methodist Historical Society Collection, with the later addition of some Presbyterian Church materials. Most primary material from Congregational churches was deposited in the manuscripts section of the State Library of Victoria.
The collection dates back to the earliest years of the Colony of Victoria, featuring many topics of public interest and social relevance.
Historians of most disciplines, secondary, tertiary and post-graduate students, genealogists and family history enthusiasts will find useful resources.
The main collections
Wesleyan Methodist/Methodist
This collection includes manuscript and printed minutes of conferences, districts, circuits, missions, departments, commissions, series of correspondence, building files, plans and photographs. There are holdings of denominational journals, serials and newspapers for Victoria. A wide range of educational materials relates to ministerial training, denominational board schools, Sunday schools and youth work.
Minor Methodist denominations, Congregational and Presbyterian
This collection comprises printed and manuscript minutes, parish records, financial and building records.
Organisations
There are a variety of collections relating to the many denominational and parish organisations created for fellowship, missions, church aid and moral welfare. Many of these were women’s groups located throughout Victoria.
Ministers
Some personal records are held for ministers of the Independent, Methodist and Presbyterian churches, including their appointments and stations.
Uniting Church
This collection contains parish and congregational histories, registers, minute books, paintings, prints and photographs. There are also bibles, hymnals, memorabilia, artefacts, and architectural plans and specifications for churches, schools, halls and ministers’ residences.
Synod Archives is located at 54 Serrell St, Malvern East and is open every Thursday (except holidays) from 9am-4pm and on Fridays by arrangement only. For bookings, phone 9964 4080 (Monday, Thursday, and Friday only) or email: archives@victas.uca.org.au
Images: Carl Rainer
Senior Social Justice Advocate
Redistribution of wealth and limiting the excessive accumulation of wealth could create more peace, joy and goodwill.
With Advent upon us, I have been reflecting on Charles Dickens’ 1843 ‘A Christmas Carol’ and its connections to the New Testament.
Dickens follows Ebenezer Scrooge, intent on hoarding wealth, as three spirits visit him.
Professor of theological studies Matthew Robert Anderson postulates that the Biblical inspiration for the story is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus at his gate (Luke 16:19-31).
The parallel was also drawn in Dickens’ own time.
The Sunday after Dickens was buried in Westminster Abbey, Dean Arthur Penrhyn Stanley preached on Dickens as a “parabler” and “through his genius, the rich man … was made to see and feel the presence of Lazarus at his gate”.
The rich man gets a second chance in Dickens’ version of the parable.
The Biblical text contains a wide range of perspectives on wealth.
The diversity has allowed many Christians to choose their own adventure in understanding how their faith should impact their behaviour towards wealth.
We often have a focus on “distributive justice”.
Distributive justice means that we should share with those in material need and there are plenty of Biblical passages that encourage this.
For example, in Acts 2-5, the early Jesus movement gave and shared their wealth generously.
Distributive justice underpins our income tax and social security systems.
However, our focus on distributive justice may be concealing another theme in the New Testament, Christian “limitarianism”.
Limitarianism argues there should be a cap on the amount of wealth any one person can have.
The New Testament suggests that
possessing far more than you need for a decent life is a barrier to being in the right relationship with God and other people (for example, James 5:1-5).
In Luke 12:16-21, God labels the wealthy farmer a fool for building bigger barns to horde his wealth.
Ethics Professor Ingrid Robeyns, at Utrecht University, has argued in her works, ‘Having Too Much’ (2023) and ‘Limitarianism. The Case Against Extreme Wealth’ (2024) that:
It is morally wrong for a person to have far more than they need when others do not have the basics needed for life;
Wealth allows people to skew political systems to their interests, undermining the principle that in a democracy, all people should have an equal say – one person, one vote; and,
Excessive wealth results in many who possess it using well beyond their fair share of our common resources. For example, recent research by Oxfam found that the wealthiest one per cent of the global population is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the financially poorest two-thirds of humanity.
MacKenzie Scott, the ex-wife of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, announced upon their divorce that she would donate her fortune to organisations working to make society more just and caring.
“There’s no question in my mind that anyone’s personal wealth is the product of a collective effort and of social structures which present opportunities to some people and obstacles to countless others,” she stated.
Advent is an opportunity to reflect on how redistribution of wealth and limiting the excessive accumulation of wealth could create more peace, joy and goodwill in the world.
Connecting with community
From
their op shop and coffee spot to ongoing support for Pacific Island workers and a local school music program, Uniting Church congregation members continue to make a positive contribution to the city of Bairnsdale.
In the picturesque city of Bairnsdale, nestled in the heart of East Gippsland, the Uniting Church congregation is a shining example of one deeply committed to serving.
With a rich history spanning 157 years, this lively church and its pastoral care list of 100 people has woven itself into the fabric of the region, becoming a hub of activity, compassion and outreach.
At the core of its mission is a steadfast belief in the power of community.
By Marina Williams
second-hand economy and a drop-in coffee spot since opening in 2008.
“Our op shop is more than just a place to donate and purchase pre-loved items,” explains Jenny.
“It is a gathering place, a source of income for the church, and a way for us to give back to the community.”
"We’re not just a church, we’re a part of this community."
community initiatives,” Jenny says. From funding the local Riding for the Disabled program to providing financial assistance to those in need, the op shop has become a lifeline for the region.
Community engagement is more than just offering recycled and repurposed clothing and household items.
The church’s pipe organ musical group, POMEG, regularly hosts concerts.
Bairnsdale Church Council Chairperson Jenny Arms
“We are not just a place of worship, but a place where people can find connection, support and a sense of belonging,” says Church Council Chairperson Jenny Arms.
“This sentiment is evident in the diverse array of programs and initiatives the church has spearheaded, each one tailored to address the unique needs of the Bairnsdale community.”
One of the church’s most visible and impactful endeavours is its Friendship Shed and Opportunity Shop, which has become a driving force in the local
Each week, a dedicated team of community volunteers, some of whom are members of the congregation, sort and sell the donated goods.
No item is wasted, says Jenny, and if it’s not suitable for sale, clothing goes to Lifeline.
A monthly car boot market is held in the church grounds.
“The team is terrific and works hard to ensure we can raise as much money as possible to support a wide range of
“The pipe organ is beautiful and the largest in Gippsland,” Jenny says.
“POMEG is always busy with quality musical events, which entertain the community and raise funds to maintain and enhance the pipe organ and grand piano, both of which are used in worship.”
The congregation is also deeply involved in supporting the area’s seasonal workers, many of whom hail from the Pacific Islands.
“We recognise that these workers are an integral part of our community, and we want to make sure they feel welcomed and supported,” Jenny says.
Bairnsdale’s Pacific Islands community has become an important part of Uniting Church activities.
In collaboration with East Gippsland Community Connections, the congregation and other local churches organise monthly barbecues, morning teas, and sewing classes for the workers, providing them with a space to connect, learn, and find respite after labouring on local farms.
The congregation’s commitment to inclusivity and intergenerational engagement is further exemplified by its Messy Church program.
Held once a month, Messy Church is a vibrant, family-friendly service that combines art, storytelling, and drama to explore the teachings of Christianity.
“It’s amazing to see the mix of children and adults who come together for Messy Church,” Jenny says.
“It’s a true testament to
the church’s desire to connect with people of all ages and backgrounds.”
The church’s outreach extends beyond its own walls, with members actively involved in a variety of community organisations, including the CFA, Rotary and CWA.
They also host many social groups and visit residents of the region’s aged care facilities.
“Many of the congregation are volunteers with many community groups, all in the name of our church,” Jenny says.
“We have drivers with Red Cross, ferrying people to doctors and hospitals, the monthly Meals on Wheels program, and people who collect and pack products for birthing kits and female personal packs for overseas distribution.
“The level of caring from
Di Kiely and Elwyn Harris from the Days for Girls group, which provides sanitary kits for overseas distribution.
Helper Colin (left) and Uniting Church members David Griffiths and John Butler get items ready for the op shop.
our people is just amazing; if they hear someone’s sick, ailing or needs something they’re around there or finding a way to support.”
There’s also a strong commitment among congregation members to men’s health and wellbeing.
The op shop introduced a men’s area, which includes tools and material for local men’s sheds.
There’s also a fortnightly men’s bible study group and monthly luncheon.
Jenny says this cross-pollination of involvement not only strengthens the church’s ties to the broader community but also allows its members to leverage their skills and resources to make a tangible difference.
One such example is the church’s partnership with the local secondary college music group.
When the group needed financial
support, the congregation stepped in, providing the necessary funds to ensure the program could continue.
“It’s these kinds of connections that really make a difference,” Jenny says.
“We’re not just a church, we’re a part of this community, and we’re committed to helping it thrive.”
The church’s commitment to community is also reflected in its efforts to address environmental concerns, having implemented several climate change initiatives in the past 15 years, such as installing solar panel systems and updating lighting and hot water services in the church and manse.
One of their biggest achievements, Jenny says, is a large blue gum plantation on the northside of the church complex that is providing ecological benefits.
“The trees were planted for wood chip
harvesting to generate an income,” she says. “While that is no longer viable, it has become a greenhouse gas sink site for electricity and vehicle use associated with church operations.
“We maintain the plantation through mulching to reduce fire risk seasonally, and projects such as these align with our desire to be good stewards of the planet.”
As the Bairnsdale Uniting Church navigates a transition to a new Minister, Jenny says the congregation remains steadfast in its mission to serve the community.
“We may be in a period of change, but our commitment to making a difference hasn’t wavered,” she says.
“If anything, it’s only grown stronger as we continue to find new and innovative ways to support the people of Bairnsdale.”
Over Summer many Victorians and Tasmanians face the increased risk of natural disasters and emergencies. The Moderator’s Emergency Response Fund is a way to help effected communities in need of immediate or future assistance.
Funds may be used within the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania to:
provide for pastoral, ministry, and mission activities assisting the Church’s response 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.
To make a donation, visit the Synod’s website: www.victas.uca.org.au
Celebrating the joy of Christmas
Uniting
We
J INING FORCES in faith
By Andrew Humphries
When Charman Uniting Church’s new headquarters open in Cheltenham next year, it will cap off a wonderful story of four congregations coming together.
For Port Phillip East Presbytery Chairperson David Higham, it’s a story that captures the many positive benefits when congregations make the decision to join forces.
The story began in 2000 when Herald Street Uniting Church (formerly Congregational Church) and Cheltenham Methodist Church formed a joint Cheltenham Church Council.
Then in 2011, approval came for the Cheltenham and Mentone congregations to form a Joint Church Council, ahead of the two congregations joining together in worship at Cheltenham from 2014.
Fast forward a few years to 2021 and a generous offer was made from the Black Rock Uniting Church congregation to host Cheltenham-Mentone members while construction of their new church centre on Charman Road continued.
The emergence of Covid-19 and a disruption to building supply chains meant construction work at Charman Road has taken longer than anticipated
but, during that extended time, Cheltenham-Mentone and Black Rock members formed a special bond.
Such a bond, in fact, that discussions soon began around the possibility of Black Rock merging with the Cheltenham-Mentone congregation.
With the support of respective Ministers, Rev Greg Fry and Pastor Di Paterson, that merger became reality and was officially blessed in July last year, with Greg and Di leading what is now Charman Uniting Church.
David says the success of the 2011 merger between Cheltenham and Mentone provided a template for what was to follow.
“It was certainly a successful merger in 2011 and both congregations saw a bright future ahead if they were to come together,” he says.
A bright future also now beckons for the Cheltenham-Mentone and Black Rock members, as they prepare to move into new headquarters next year.
“When Black Rock was approached about hosting Cheltenham-Mentone members, it was immediately accepted,” David says.
Rev Greg Fry, David Higham and pastor Di Paterson at the site of the new Charman Uniting Church in Cheltenham.
Image: Carl Rainer
From P26
“Black Rock members were very open to the idea and were very welcoming.
“What we then saw happening as the Charman Road construction project continued to be delayed was the emergence of a strong connection between the Cheltenham-Mentone and Black Rock members.
“So, at a Presbytery level we then began asking the question of both congregations: ‘what will happen when construction is finally finished at Charman Road, and would you want to continue working together?’
“There were various discussions among the congregations and the answer was a resounding yes, because these members had come together, become friends and grown to love each other.
“Both congregations talked about it as a marriage, and that marriage occurred on July 9 last year.”
David says by any measure the merger has been a great success.
“It was a great joy to see it all unfold,” he says.
“It’s been such a success because both congregations took the time to get to know one another.
“Sometimes a merger can seem like it’s being forced on people, but that wasn’t the case here.”
David says congregation mergers can have a wonderful outcome for those involved.
“I like to use the word ‘collaborate’, if congregations are open to the process,” he says.
“In the Cheltenham-Mentone and Black Rock example, members are going
to have a new building from the middle of next year, and it’s going to be a great community centre for the Cheltenham area.
“Redevelopment of the church on Charman Road began in 2013 and, while no one thought it would take 11 years, it will be finished next year, which is very exciting for the joined congregation.”
David says the next step at a Presbytery level is to talk to other bayside congregations to encourage them to work together.
“Discussions will focus on what congregations might be able to do together in a missional sense, and how they can support the work that God is doing in the community,” he says.
“I think this might be the direction to take in a lot of areas, and we want to support the concept of a Christian community in as many communities as possible.
“How we work to link people together has to be considered, and we’re starting conversations around that now.”
The stained glass windows from Black Rock will form an impressive backdrop at Charman Uniting Church.
Pastor Di Paterson is looking forward to worship taking place at Charman Uniting Church from next year. Image: Carl Rainer
Key dates in congregations coming together
AUGUST 2000
At a Combined Congregational Meeting held at Charman Uniting Church on August 6, 2000 the new structure for the Charman and Herald Street Uniting Churches was approved. The first meeting of the one Church Council at Cheltenham was held on November 1, 2000.
FEBRUARY 2011
Approval of the Parish request to form a Joint Church Council for the Cheltenham and Mentone congregations, and confirmation that the new council would be known as the CheltenhamMentone Uniting Church Council.
NOVEMBER 2014
The last communion service is held at Davies Memorial Uniting Church, a celebration and conclusion of 131 years of Christian worship in Mentone.
NOVEMBER 2014
A new beginning and new journey is started as the Cheltenham and Mentone Uniting Church congregations come together to worship in the one place, at Cheltenham. The significance of the event is marked as the communion set and candelabrum from the Mentone Uniting Church is carried into the Cheltenham Uniting Church at the opening of the service. The name of the church in Charman Road, Cheltenham, is changed to the CheltenhamMentone Uniting Church.
MARCH 2021
At a special meeting of the Cheltenham-Mentone Church Council, Rev Greg Fry advises that Pastor Di Paterson and the Black Rock congregation invite Cheltenham-Mentone congregation members to join with them for Sunday services while construction on a new church at Charman Road takes place.
MARCH 2021
First combined service at Black Rock takes place.
2021-2023
While regular combined services take place at Black Rock, lengthy discussions and prayer are held around the possibility of Black Rock merging with the Cheltenham-Mentone congregation.
JULY 2023
The merger of Cheltenham-Mentone and Black Rock is officially blessed. Presbytery Chairperson Tom Spurling leads the service of recognition of the new congregation, while the congregations, Church Council members, and Rev Greg Fry and Pastor Di Paterson all declare their commitment to moving forward together as Charman Uniting Church.
The word Charman is synonymous with the area and dates back to 1852, when Stephen Charman purchased 160 acres of land in the Parish of Moorabbin and donated one acre to the Methodist Church in 1855 for a chapel, school and cemetery.
Top photo: The Methodist Church in Cheltenham. Second from top: The church in Cheltenham being constructed prior to its opening in February, 1965. Second from bottom: The first service at the new church in Cheltenham.
Bottom photo: The Black Rock (St Andrew’s by the Sea) Uniting Church.
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Chaplains signify the spirit of Christmas
In the Australian outback, Christmas can be quiet.
In some remote communities, there won’t be Christmas carols in the air.
In some faraway properties, children won’t have presents to unwrap come Christmas morning.
The sad reality is that children in rural and remote areas often miss out, not just at Christmas but all year round.
According to the 2024 Child Social Exclusion Index, a report by UnitingCare and the University of Canberra, nearly half of children living in regional communities face high or very high risk of social exclusion.
“Many children experience disadvantage on multiple fronts, lacking the opportunities and family resources to be socially connected and to be able to participate fully in their local communities,” the report states.
This is no surprise to Frontier Services bush chaplains, the frontline staff who live and work among these remote communities every day.
It confirms what we’ve seen and known for a long time: our kids living in the outback are not given a level playing
field. Bush chaplains work day and night to be the connection and support that families and children in the bush need.
They travel vast distances to be physically and emotionally there for those who feel alone and disconnected from society.
And they will be working hard this Christmas.
Bush chaplain Jennie will be travelling the outback to bring songs, presents, and the Christmas spirit to isolated communities in Queensland.
In South Australia, bush chaplains Sunny and Julia will be delivering food hampers and presents.
In Western Australia, bush chaplain Lindsay and a few of his teenage music students will be doing a special Christmas performance for elderly people in Kalgoorlie.
In a small community in Far North Queensland, bush chaplain Joe will be hosting a humble barbecue and bringing presents to children who often go without.
We are so grateful to our community of supporters for helping bush chaplains bring the spirit of Christmas to people
in remote areas, showing children in the bush that they are not forgotten and that kind and determined people are there for them, at Christmas and beyond.
Your donation of $20 today could buy a book, an art set, or an educational toy for a child in the bush. It could help pay for 10 litres of fuel to help bush chaplains travel to families and children on remote properties. Please donate before Christmas at frontierservices.org/donate
Bush chaplain Sunny K with Christmas presents ready to be delivered in South Australia.
Gift of giving fights poverty
By Marcus Campbell
Christmas brings out our best selves.
We love to give and be generous to our loved ones, our neighbours and even strangers.
The holiday season carves out precious time to spend with family and friends and, when times are good, there’s extra food and presents to share.
But there’s another side to the season, and one that fuels our anxieties rather than the sense of peace and gratitude we’re supposed to feel.
We stress about all the family and friends we need to buy gifts for.
We’re annoyed by the consumerist culture that pressures us to buy more and more ‘stuff’ (especially in a highly inflated economy).
We feel nauseous about the amount of unwanted and excess gifts cast aside, and imagine the good that money could do.
And then there’s the anxiety about climate change.
Christmas spending and consumption triggers increased production the world over, leading to more plastic and landfill, more deforestation and biodiversity loss, and more greenhouse gas emissions that are driving the climate crisis.
And for us Christians, aren’t we supposed to be remembering Christ is born, a host of angels are singing, magi
are giving gifts to honour a king, and God is love and the world is renewed?
Surely, we don’t need to destroy the world while we celebrate our story.
Wider society is on the same page.
Polling by the Australia Institute showed that last Christmas more than 6 million Australians expected to receive presents that they will never use or wear, and nearly half of Australian adults would prefer it if people did not buy them Christmas presents.
It’s a telling sign about the culture we’re in.
While Christmas gift giving has become an uneasy standoff of buying stuff for each other just because it’s expected, it seems that nearly half the population would, just quietly, rather not.
So, what’s the solution? Surely, we shouldn’t stop giving.
Christmas has become synonymous with extravagant generosity for a reason.
Just like the best gifts, God’s grace completely surpasses our needs, so much so that it overflows.
Theologian Ben Myers once mused that our urge to give at Christmas arises from the “abounding grace” that Christ brings into the world.
“Gifts are a release valve for the human spirit,” he says.
“The special thing about Christmas isn’t just the use of gifts – that happens on all special days – but the profligate scale of gift-giving.
“On nearly every other occasion, the gifts are received by one individual.
“But the joy of Christmas is so high and so deep that we can only express what it means by giving gifts in every direction … we need to give something to someone, otherwise our hearts would burst.”
It's a compelling idea: feeling a joy so high and deep that we’re driven to give to anybody and everybody, lest our hearts explode.
What if the same idea could be leveraged to fix that other side of the Christmas season, the worry and waste and hyper-consumerism?
What if we let our joy and generosity go in every direction, including to where it’s most needed in our world, and in ways that protect God’s creation?
UnitingWorld’s Everything in Common Gift Catalogue is a way to do just that.
It’s filled with Christmas gifts for all budgets that help local communities in the Pacific, Asia and Africa to fight poverty in the face of climate change and environmental degradation.
There are gifts to help families start their own backyard chicken coops, gifts that provide schoolbooks for children in rural India whose families can’t afford to pay for them, gifts of seeds and kitchen gardens for families in Timor-Leste and Maluku to start growing their own fresh, nutritious food and tackle the malnutrition crisis, and so much more.
When you give an Everything in Common gift card to a loved one it honours your spirit of generosity and theirs too.
Not only that, it will flow to people, communities, creatures and creation that you’ll likely never see or meet.
But you’ll feel them.
Through your gifts, people get opportunities to grow their incomes, improve their health, send their children
to school and take collective action on poverty, climate change and genderbased violence.
Visit www.everythingincommon. com.au to shop online for gifts that fight poverty and build hope through Uniting Church partners in the Pacific, Asia and Africa.
UnitingWorld is the international aid and partnerships agency of the Uniting Church in Australia.
Help at hand to escape cycle of violence
By Meg Hocking
Family violence doesn’t take a break at Christmas.
Sadly, it often gets worse at this time of year.
Two-thirds of family violence incidents in Victoria take place between the Christmas and new year period.
That’s a family experiencing violence every five minutes.
Escaping this violence poses immense financial challenges and safety risks for families.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions found that it takes victim-survivors on average 141 hours and $18,000 to be free of an abusive relationship.
Trying to secure stable housing, navigating court appearances and legal fees, and financing mental health support, coupled with rising cost-of-living pressures is an insurmountable stress for anyone.
No wonder it takes victimsurvivors an average of seven attempts before they are able to leave an abusive relationship for good.
In 2021, after close consultation with local congregations on Tasmania’s northwest coast, it was realised that something urgently needed to be done to support families.
And so, the Uniting Vic.Tas family violence intervention program, CRIB, was born.
“Our CRIB program offers a wide range of support to families such as prevention, early intervention, harm reduction and ongoing education and support,” says Uniting Vic.Tas Family Services Manager for Tasmania, Nicole Day.
The service also helps families access emergency relief, housing referrals and other practical supports.
Devonport, Penguin, Burnie and Wynyard Uniting Church congregations
have long offered vital support to the program in the form of donations such as financial contributions, knitted items, bedding and children’s toys.
“Congregations reported seeing a rise in family violence instances and were concerned and wanted to be part of the solution,” says the program’s case worker, Deb Giles.
“CRIB stands for compassion, respect, imagination and bold, which are our Uniting Vic.Tas values.
“We needed a name which provided our program participants with a level of anonymity if they needed it and one that was respectful of people’s privacy.
“It also lends itself to the meaning of a home or a place of safety for young people.”
While family violence affects people of all ages, genders and backgrounds, it predominately impacts women and children.
It is the biggest cause of homelessness for women of any age and stage of life.
In Australia, every year 7000 women are forced to return to violent relationships because they have nowhere else to go.
These women are mothers like Jane* who, after fleeing violence time and time again, was forced to go back because too many barriers stood in her way to safety.
However, this time Jane was able to connect with Uniting Vic.Tas, who could help her navigate the uncertainty of her family’s future.
“Previously, Jane would have gone back to the situation of family violence,” Deb says.
“But this time, she was able to build a relationship with her support worker and is now in stable housing in her ‘forever home’.
“It’s absolutely brilliant.”
With your support, Uniting can help provide practical care, stable housing and mental health support to families fleeing violence, so they can rebuild their lives and begin to heal.
“This service just simply would not exist without the beautiful generosity of our donors,” Deb says.
“For our families, this support is their first step back into the world.”
Help to give urgent care to families this Christmas by visiting: www. unitingvictas.org.au/christmas/
Alternatively, if you would like to learn more about the CRIB program and support funding, call Nicole Day on 03 6244 1144.
*This is a true story about real people. Some details such as names have been changed to respect the wishes of the people featured.
Thanks to the kindness of Uniting Church congregations, Uniting Vic.Tas is able to support women and children fleeing from domestic violence.
Otira Book Club
Book review
‘Mindfulness and Christian Spirituality: Making space for God’.
Written by Tim Stead Review by Mel Perkins
Have you even thought that ‘mindfulness’ was something purely secular, and made up in America some decades ago?
Well, there is a spiritual practice that has existed in the Christian tradition for millennia that is very similar to mindfulness called ‘contemplative prayer’.
In ‘Mindfulness and Christian Spirituality’, Tim Stead draws on mindfulness practice as it dovetails with contemplative practice within Western Christian tradition. As an Anglican priest and accredited mindfulness teacher, Stead finds much to connect these two practices and thus much to offer 21st Century Christians.
He offers clear teaching, explanation and practical examples in a number of areas that relate well to those seeking to create (more) space for God within their lives. The author first covers “what is
Mindfulness?” and then explores what it means to move “from believing to knowing”.
In his final section, Stead focuses on areas to assist the reader to move “from doing to being”.
This last section includes knowing and trusting God, finding peace, prayer and worship, practising love, reconnecting with nature, and daily living.
In our fast-paced world full of busyness, this is a gem of a book designed to help us slow down, (re)connect with God, and with each other and our environment.
Mel Perkins is Lay Leadership Development Coordinator within equipping Leadership for Mission
To become involved with the Otira Book Club, contact Dominic Kouts at the Centre for Theology and Ministry at dominic.kouts@victas.uca.org.au to secure your copies for your reading group.
More information and the reading list can be found at victas.uca.org.au/ otira-book-club/
Tim Stead is a trained mindfulness teacher who seeks to practice mindfulness in his life as a way of:
finding a sense of anchor and grounded-ness in the midst of inner and outer challenges
deepening his insight into what is going on both within him and in the world around him
responding wisely to the circumstances of his life and in the world day by day
“Mindfulness, for me, is much more than a meditation practice but is a way of being and a way of living.” Tim says.
“I have had difficulty in recent years with some of the more ‘religious’ forms of spirituality but have become more settled with what is sometimes known as ‘non-dual’ spirituality.
“Many forms of spirituality seem to try to break down human experience into the binary categories of good/bad, right/wrong, sacred/secular, spiritual/material.
“One of the problems with this approach is that one is always preferred over the other and we can end up rejecting or suppressing whole tranches of human experience as we find that reality just can’t be neatly divided up in this way.
“A ‘non-dual’ approach would be to seek to welcome, without judgment all aspects of our experience and rather than judging one thing over the other – to seek the relationship between each, and in this way to find the inherent unity in all of life.”
Crosslight is a bi-monthly magazine produced by the Communications team 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.
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and custodians of the land on which we live, work, gather and worship, and we pay our respects to their elders past and present. We acknowledge that the Church throughout this Synod meets on land for which First Peoples have ongoing spiritual sovereignty and custodianship, and we commit ourselves to respecting Country and to working for a more just future together.
While Crosslight endeavours to publish all articles in a timely manner, they may be held over for a variety of reasons.
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December 19, 2024
Copy & images for production January 08, 2025
Print ready supplied PDF January 15, 2025
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In his five years as Minister at Ringwood Uniting Church, Rev Lucas Taylor has seen numerous examples of the congregation’s commitment to missional work. Yet it’s something that took place before he arrived at Ringwood that perfectly captures the congregation’s support for the ethos of Faithful Giving.
“A number of years ago, following a higher than expected return on money invested, congregation members devised a project that meant every member, including children, was given a sum of money,” Lucas says.
“Each member was told to go and do something good with that money and then come back and tell the congregation what it was that they did and what they learned from the experience.
By Andrew Humphries
“A coffee machine was purchased after a number of congregation members pooled the money given to them to enable us to provide a resource for hospitality for our church, and for groups that use our church,” he says.
“On the bench next to the coffee machine is a piggybank, which is used for donations from people ahead of Christmas.
“This money is collected and given to the young people of the congregation to purchase toys which are donated and distributed by our local Uniting Vic.Tas office.
congregation, and one which recognises that it has been blessed because of some financial decisions that have left a wonderful legacy,” he says.
“The sale of property in the past has been invested wisely and proceeds from that have always been clearly earmarked and celebrated as not just being for the maintenance and survival of the congregation, but also for participating in and supporting ministry and mission in the wider church and community.”
Lucas hopes the work of congregations like Ringwood can send a wider message around what is possible when a congregation embraces Faithful Giving.
"I feel like (the congregation) continues to teach me a great deal about giving."
Rev Lucas Taylor
“So it was a case of, ‘okay you’ve got an idea for something to do in the community, well you’ve now got the financial resources to go and do it’.
“It’s a project that is still talked about by congregation members more than a decade later, particularly around how young people were trusted to participate and how their ideas were encouraged.
“It was so successful that, following another recent healthier than expected investment return, we’re going to do it again.”
Lucas offers two more projects as examples of the congregation’s commitment to Faithful Giving.
“We let the young people roam Toyworld choosing the presents they would like to give to families in our community on behalf of their local Uniting Church.
“When they realise what we are doing, the business often supports us with a large discount on the toys purchased.”
For Lucas, the projects serve as a reminder of what any congregation can achieve when its members recognise that Faithful Giving is about doing good work with available financial resources and, in the process, enriching the world around them.
“It’s an extraordinarily generous
“One of the things that I have learnt from this congregation and have appreciated is how they place, hold and steward resources,” he says.
“Their attitude is ‘hey, our resources are here not just for our own sustenance, they are here for a purpose, and that’s ministry and mission’.
“I think it’s also characterised by a positive attitude to partnership with the wider church.”
Lucas says it’s the sort of attitude that means the congregation has been a strong supporter of UnitingWorld and Uniting Vic.Tas.
“We want to listen to the voices of people within these organisations and contribute to and partner with them as best we can,” he says.
“For example, because of our history
of giving we have developed a very good relationship with UnitingWorld personnel and we quite often meet with them to hear about what projects we might be able to support.”
The congregation has also shown a deep commitment to improvements in mental health, as a long-time supporter of the Yarra Yarra Presbytery’s mental health ministry. Lucas says it’s an honour
to be the Minister at such a generous church. “I’m very proud to be part of such a giving congregation,” he says.
“I feel like they continue to teach me a great deal about giving, and I have gained a great deal from their approach to money and stewardship,” he says.
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; 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.
Rev Lucas Taylor with the coffee machine and piggybank, part of Ringwood Uniting Church’s commitment to supporting the wider community.
Image: Carl Rainer
Faithful servant of
Christ
Ivan Badcock’s 55-year contribution as a lay preacher throughout Tasmania was recognised recently by Westbury Uniting Church. Ivan reflects on what has been a wonderful and fulfilling journey of faith and community service.
I grew up in a Methodist family and was baptised at the Bracknell Methodist Church in 1943, travelling there by horse and jinker.
Sunday School was attended from the age of five at the Little Hampton Methodist Church, about 1.5 miles from the family farm.
In the early years we reached Sunday School on dad’s bicycle, with my sister Yvonne standing on the bar and clutching Dad around his neck, and me sitting on a bag at the handlebars.
At its peak about 20 students attended, with Biblical stories given, text verses handed out to be memorised, hymns sung and prayers spoken.
The aim was to learn the best values for living life.
After finishing Sunday School, church life continued via attendance and involvement with youth groups, mostly at Longford and Bracknell.
Activities included games nights, car rallies and church camps at Turners Beach, near Ulverstone, and also at the Methodist Ladies College campus in Launceston.
The camps were organised by Methodist Youth Fellowship, with people attending from throughout Tasmania.
Ministers were in attendance and led Bible studies and fellowship times.
I commenced as a local preacher in 1965 and continued until 2020.
My official recognition was given on November 16, 1966 and recorded in the Bible presented to me by members of the Westbury Bracknell Methodist Circuit.
For a number of years I conducted 25 to 30 services a year, with the maximum being 35.
During that time I attended over 60 Methodist/Uniting churches, three Baptist, and five aged-care facilities.
Most services were in the north of Tasmania, stretching from Beauty Point at the entrance of the Tamar River, to Ross in the Midlands, and from Scottsdale in the northeast, to Somerset in the northwest.
On one occasion I conducted four services on the one Sunday, at Perth and Cressy in the morning, Campbell Town in the afternoon and Hagley in the evening.
Many of those 60-plus congregations have now closed but are remembered as being vibrant, faithful, dedicated and hard working.
Several services are still well remembered, including one at the Karingal Home for the Aged at Devonport.
At the service was 100-year-old Julia Kelly, who made a request for a large print Bible.
The request was carried back to the Latrobe Sunday School, which organised a fund-raising sock dance which was sufficient to purchase a Bible.
Once a year for about 10 years I would travel by air to Flinders Island to conduct worship.
Services at the large and historic Ross Church were, at times, interesting.
With the church advertised as a tourist attraction, people would wander in while a service was under way, with some just looking around while a few sat and
listened for a time. To preach the word of God has been a privilege and it has been a joy to join in worship with fellow sisters and brothers in Christ.
From 2001 to 2008, I worked as an administrator for the Launceston Benevolent Society.
It is the oldest of its kind in Australia, established in September 1834 to provide assistance to the destitute and poor in Launceston and other parts of Tasmania.
Assistance then, and still today, is to provide food and other life necessities.
In my last year, I conducted 3396 interviews, assisting 8109 people, which was a small increase on the 2007 year.
The people attending were a mixed group, some old and some young, and some with significant health problems, including mental health issues.
Drugs, alcohol, gambling, high rents and increasing food and medication costs were contributing factors.
Prisoners on release were among those attending, their payment being one week’s pension payment, which was not enough to get them re-established.
Besides conducting interviews I also had to attend to record keeping, government funding applications and reports, including financial matters, while I also gave talks to community groups on the work of the organisation.
Over the years the society has provided support during the city’s most testing times, such as in the depths of the Great Depression in 1931, when it issued 3911 coupons, representing 6750 rations to feed 5326 people.
