Crosslight June 2016

Crosslight Publication of the year

No. 266 June No. J 2016

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Young people are getting together to share their views on the future of the Church.

Our letters page includes news and views from Crosslight readers with something to say.

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Julie McCrossin talks about love, faith, family and human rights.

A powerful new film tells the personal stories of refugees seeking freedom in Australia.

Syrian children in a refugee camp in Jordan collect much-needed food packs distributed

by Act for peace. Many of the packs were funded thanks to the generous support of Uniting Church Members in Victoria. Turn to page 7 for a first-hand account of life in the camps.

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Meet the new moderator Rev Sharon Hollis.

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Pic credit: Ben Littlejohn/Act for Peace

Synod Snaps brings you images from throughout the Church and beyond.

Regulars Letters - 17 Reviews - 18 to 19 Notices - 20 to 21 People - 22 Moderator’s column - 23

Editorial Church leads the way PENNY MULVEY

THE ABC is once again inviting Australian voters to participate in the online civic engagement tool, Vote Compass, in the lead up to the July federal election.

Participants are invited to rate from A

Communications & Media Services

UCA Synod Office, 130 Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 Phone: (03) 9251 5200 Email: crosslight@victas.uca.org.au ISSN 1037 826X

to E (A being ‘strongly disagree’ and E being ‘strongly agree’), their responses to 30 policy propositions unnamed political scientists have determined are relevant to the federal election campaign.

The third statement of the survey relates to constitutional reform: “The Australian Constitution should recognise Indigenous people as Australia’s first inhabitants.”

Uniting Church members would applaud such a profound amendment to the Australian Constitution.

This Church was the first in Australia to constitutionally acknowledge Aboriginal and Islander people as the First Peoples of this land.

The preamble to the Uniting Church constitution was passed by the 12th Assembly in 2009. An extensive period of consultation across the length and breadth of Australia followed, seeking endorsement of synods and presbyteries, as required for Crosslight is a monthly newspaper produced by the Communications and Media Services unit of The Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania.

It is published 11 times a year.

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.

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

constitutional change.

It is a document worthy of reading and re-reading. It acknowledges the colonising churches’ complicity in the many injustices inflicted on Australia’s First Peoples. The preamble makes clear that God was present and in relationship with the First Peoples long before the colonisers arrived.

It states: “The First Peoples had already encountered the Creator God before the arrival of the colonisers; the Spirit was already in the land revealing God to the people through law, custom and ceremony.

The same love and grace that was finally and fully revealed in Jesus Christ sustained the First Peoples and gave them particular insights into God’s ways.”

The Uniting Church and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) are committed to a covenanting relationship which fosters just, inclusive and equal relationships, recognising the

place of First Peoples in Australia.

While the Church will repeatedly slip up, fall back into old habits of assuming the dominant voice, the covenental relationship is, according to the preamble, “a foretaste of that coming reconciliation and renewal which is the end in view for the whole creation”.

The revised preamble expressly acknowledges failures inflicted against Indigenous Australians. However, the preamble also brings healing and celebration.

The Uniting Church is leading the way.

Revisit the preamble (www.assembly.uca. org.au/resources/covenanting/item/668the-revised-preamble), reflect on its words, and consider engaging with friends and family.

Together, God, the Uniting Church and the UAICC is setting an example to change a nation.

Circulation: 21,000 (publisher’s figure).

Staff:

Deadlines: Advertising and editorial.

Executive Editor - Penny Mulvey Managing Editor - Deb Bennett Design, Digital Illustration and Print Services - Garth Jones Graphic Artist - Mirna Leonita Communications Manager - Nigel Tapp Online Content Coordinator - Emmet O’Cuana Communications Officer - Tim Lam P.A to Executive Editor - Lynda Nel Senior Media Officer - Ros Marsden Media Communications Officer - David Southwell

Please check exact dates on our website <crosslight.org.au>.

Closing date for July– Friday 17 June 2016.

Printing: Rural Press, Ballarat Visit Crosslight online: crosslight.org.au

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News Uniting AgeWell receives LGBTI award

UNITING AgeWell has received a prestigious Dorothies Award for its work in providing LGBTI-inclusive aged care services.

The Dorothies are organised by Working It Out (WIO), a Tasmania-based organisation that provides support for people negotiating their sexuality and gender identity.

The awards are named after Rev Dorothy McRae-McMahon, a former Uniting Church minister and respected leader in the LGBTI community. Ms McRae-McMahon grew up in Tasmania and later became minister at Pitt St Uniting Church in Sydney and the national director for mission.

Uniting AgeWell was recognised for ‘Inclusive Practice for LGBTI elders in a Faith-Based Care Service’ at a ceremony in Launceston on 17 May. It coincided with International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT).

AgeWell’s Strathdevon manager of integrated services Vicki Pollock received the award from Susan Ditter, executive officer of WIO. “A lot of elderly LGBTI people have had to hide their identity for a lot of their lives, so they feel very unsafe coming into aged care because they don’t know what staff will be

Discussing the budget

IN May, UCA Funds Management engaged with not-for-profits (NFPs) in what was a tough month for many in the sector. Policy changes, such as an interest rate cut from the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and a relatively unfriendly federal budget, present significant financial challenges.

To address these issues, UCA Funds Management hosted two discussion events: a NFP post-budget breakfast seminar on 17 May and a webinar conducted with Pro Bono Australia on 25 May. More than 180 guests attended the breakfast seminar which focused on the budget changes and election positions that could impact the sector. The event included a keynote address from Commonwealth Bank of Australia economist Bruno Bellon

JUNE 16 - CROSSLIGHT

Working It Out CEO Susan Ditter and Uniting AgeWell manager of integrated services Vicki Pollock

like or if they’re going to judged,” Ms Pollock told The Examiner.

Director of mission for Uniting AgeWell Rev John Clarke said the award was a wonderful recognition of the work Uniting AgeWell is doing to incorporate LGBTI-inclusive practice into its residential and community services. This includes establishing a senior executive LGBTI Working Group, developing an LGBTI policy and offering training to staff. Standard administration forms and

and an expert panel of guests to discuss key issues.

The Pro Bono Australia webinar, presented by UCA Funds Management CEO Michael Walsh, focused on the challenges of financial sustainability for NFPs. Mr Walsh spoke of the effects of the recent interest rate cut from the RBA, which creates even more challenges in the charitable space. With interest rates likely to be “lower for longer,” Mr Walsh said it will be harder for organisations that rely on investment income to maintain spending levels without taking on more risk.

In the hour-long webinar, which included questions and answers from some of the more than 900 participants, Mr Walsh outlined strategies and structures organisations can consider to mitigate the effects of lower returns on cash in an uncertain funding environment. He also touched on budgetary decision and funding changes, including a $21.3 million Health Care Home trial, a $925 million saving by a continued pause on indexation of Medicare rebates, an extra $118 million for students with disabilities over the next two years, and $100 million for domestic and family violence programs.

Copies for both presentations are available on request from UCA Funds Management by calling 1800 996 888.

procedures are also being updated to ensure they are LGBTI-inclusive.

A recent survey found that more than two thirds of Uniting AgeWell staff agree it is important for the organisation to provide LGBTI-friendly services.

Mr Clarke said AgeWell is working towards Rainbow Tick accreditation, which recognises an organisation’s commitment to safe and inclusive service delivery for LGBTI people.

Bronwyn Pike to head new UnitingCare Agency Board

FORMER Victorian Government health minister Bronwyn Pike has been appointed inaugural chair of the new UnitingCare single Agency Board.

UnitingCare will become one of the largest consolidated community service organisations operating in Victoria and Tasmania. A new, single governance structure aims to strengthening its ability to support people in need throughout the two states.

The announcement in May came after a decision by the Synod Standing Committee (SSC) last year to establish a single skillsbased Agency Board.

The Board will govern 18 UnitingCare agencies and Wesley Mission Victoria (WMV) supported by regional advisory committees, local support groups and clinical governance committees. Currently, the agencies and Wesley Mission Victoria are all governed by individual boards.

Before entering state parliament in 1999 – and serving as a minister for 11 of her 13 years – Ms Pike was the director of Uniting

“This signifies that we have worked to make our services welcoming of the LGBTI community and able to meet their needs,” he said.

Mr Clarke will host a workshop about ageing well without discrimination at the upcoming Daring Conference, a biannual gathering of LGBTI people in the Uniting Church.

The conference will take place at the Centre for Theology and Ministry from Friday 10 June to Monday 13 June.

Church welfare programs in Victoria.

She said she is looking forward to returning to the church community.

“The Uniting Church has been an enormous part of my life since my childhood,” Ms Pike said.

“There is a strong sense of ‘coming home’ and being able to bring with me very broad experience in government and the private sector to assist the Church’s community services activities during this time of significant change.”

UnitingCare agencies and WMV operate in metropolitan, regional and remote parts of Victoria and Tasmania offering a broad range of services and advocacy to support thousands of vulnerable people.

The new single Agency Board will assume governance when all funders have formally agreed to service contracts continuing under the proposed new structure. This is expected to occur before the end of the year.

Three agencies – Kildonan UnitingCare, ReGen UnitingCare and UnitingCare Ballarat – have expressed concerns about the changes. A proposal is coming to the Synod meeting requesting a phased amalgamation of the existing network agencies to better mitigate potential risks arising from such a large merger.

The (SSC) has invited current boards and CEOs to collaborate in further refinement and implementation of the new Agency’s governance and operational arrangements.

Turn to centre pages for more details.

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Annual Investor Briefing 2016 Interest rates lower for longer Tuesday 26 July 2016 Register now to ensure your place!

Titled “Interest rates lower for longer”, this year’s investor briefing will cover: > The economic outlook, fund positioning and performance

> Implications of the election > Ethical investment developments

> The challenges of a low inflation environment Each session will include question time, as well as a meet and greet with the full UCA Funds Management investment team.

Due to popular demand, we will be holding two sessions: Lunch session Tuesday 26 July 2016 11.30 a.m. – 12.45 p.m.

Evening session Tuesday 26 July 2016 5.00 p.m. – 6.15 p.m.

Rydges Melbourne, Broadway Room 186 Exhibition Street, Melbourne

Rydges Melbourne, Broadway Room 186 Exhibition Street, Melbourne

Lunch, tea and coffee provided

Canapes, tea and coffee provided

Register your place > www.ucafunds.com.au/investorbriefing General advice disclaimer: This advert provides general information only and must not in any way be construed or relied upon as legal or financial advice. No consideration has been given or will be given to the individual investment objectives, financial situation or needs of any particular person. Before acquiring a UCA Funds Management product, you should read the disclosure document for the product and seek independent advice to ensure it is appropriate for your particular objectives, financial situation and needs. UCA Funds Management is a registered business name of UCA Funds Management Limited ABN 46 102 469 821 AFSL 294147. Neither UCA Funds Management nor the Portfolios/Funds are prudentially supervised by APRA. Contributions to the Portfolios/Funds do not obtain the benefit of the depositor protection provisions of the Banking Act 1959. The Portfolios/Funds are designed for investors who wish to promote charitable purposes and support the work of The Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania. Unit values reflect the market value of the assets of the Portfolios/Funds, and consequently may rise or fall in line with market variations. Past performance is no indication of future results. UCA Funds Management does not guarantee the return of capital or the performance of the Portfolios/Funds.

UCA Funds Management is a social enterprise of The Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania

Follow us on LinkedIn! www.ucafunds.com.au/LinkedIn

News From Mooroolbark to Kampala DEB BENNETT IN the early morning hours of 27 April 1996, a weary Australian educator and a disheartened social worker from Africa met at the breakfast bar of a café on 500 West Broadway, San Diego. Their meeting was not chosen by either of them: it was random, unexpected and unscripted. When the educator entered the café, the stool beside the African was the only vacant place in the room.

Geoffrey asked the Australian to pass the salt; Douglas broke his resolve to keep to himself, eat quickly and get out of there.

They struck up a conversation that would profoundly impact both their lives.

The story of this chance encounter between Doug Williams and Geoffrey Kyeyune will be familiar to many readers of Crosslight. As the two travellers chatted over breakfast, Geoffrey shared his story of working with the street children in the Kampala District of Uganda.

Doug listened intently as Geoffrey discussed the challenges of providing opportunities for some of the world’s poorest children. He left the meeting knowing that he could do something to help.

A member of St Margaret’s Uniting Church in Mooroolbark, Doug returned home and, with the encouragement of his minister, Rev Lesley Shekleton, shared the story of his meeting with his congregation. Two decades later, the consequences of that short conversation in San Diego continue to be integral to both the spiritual life and outreach of the small church in the hills outside of Melbourne and the African success story that is Rubaga Youth Development Association (RYDA).

“Since I first shared the story, I have been endlessly stunned at the growth of RYDA’s support community,” Doug said.

“In Australia, the numerous and varied fundraising activities over 20 years have caught the attention of many generous people and organisations beyond St Margaret’s. Gifts have arrived from folk who respond because they have read an

Geoffrey Kyeyune and Doug Williams beside the Nile River

article in Crosslight, or because they have a friend or family member who attends St Margaret’s, or because their organisation has invited our guest speaker to present.

Every single cent ever given has been transferred to RYDA to continue their amazing work with the vulnerable youth, women and children of Uganda.”

RYDA’s principal aim is to empower the poor and disadvantaged of Uganda, especially women and children, by assisting them to increase their socio-economic independence. In particular, RYDA seeks to increase life skills, opportunity, education and vocational training to help put an end to child labour.

While the support of St Margaret’s has been integral to the success of RYDA, in April this year several members of the congregation reflected on what this commitment has meant to them.

Stephen White said that hearing Geoffrey speak was the reason he and his wife joined the St Margaret’s congregation.

“In the ’90s, Karen and I were looking for a church,” Mr White said. “Karen gave St Margaret’s a try and convinced me that this

could be the one for us, so I came along. It happened to be a morning RYDA’s founder, Geoffrey Kyeyune, was visiting from Kampala. I was so impressed with his story and the congregation’s support for RYDA’s work that I have been here ever since.”

Marj Hookey has been church treasurer for the past 20 years. She said St Margaret’s involvement with RYDA has shown church members what real mission giving means.

“It is a bold and breathtaking story of a visionary leader changing the lives of orphaned and vulnerable street youth in Uganda,” she said.

For Joyce Dodge, whose family were early settlers of Mooroolbark, the good thing about supporting RYDA is the continuity. “It is an organisation where God is at work.”

Fellow member Yvonne Spicer expanded: “It never ceases to amaze me how the Holy Spirit has worked, and continues to work, through us and RYDA – how everything falls into place.”

Current minister, Rev Arnie Wierenga, has run multiple marathons to raise funds for RYDA. He agreed with Yvonne. “I am constantly amazed at how much can be

achieved with almost nothing and a little faith.” Mr Wierenga said.

A public display and timeline was displayed in the church to commemorate the 20-year anniversary. Doug said that while many would see the relationship as helping the people of Kampala, it is the benefit to St Margaret’s that has been most profound.

“Amazement is the dominant theme in the display,” Doug said.

“Not amazement with what we have achieved, rather amazement at what the Spirit has achieved with us, even when we thought we had nothing to give. And with what the Spirit has achieved through the energy and enterprise of the staff and children at RYDA.” Geoffrey read Doug’s regular online update and sent a simple email to his friend in response: “The website has reminded me that we are 20 years older. At the time I was 33 years, now am 53 years. God has guided us well that we have saved lives.”

For more information on the work of RYDA go to: blackdouglas.com.au/ryda

4th Common Dreams Conference “Progressive Spirituality: New Directions” Major public addresses by Dr Diana Butler Bass (US), Dr Val Webb (Aus) and Prof Pamela Eisenbaum (US), plus other noted progressive Australian & International speakers BRISBANE l 16 to 19 September 2016 To register online & for more information visit the website at www.commondreams.org.au For enquiries or a brochure call (03) 9571 4575 or email info@commondreams.org.au JUNE 16 - CROSSLIGHT

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News

Mending fences Fencing team

THE Benalla Uniting Church Emergency Fencing Team celebrated the handover of a Polaris All Terrain Vehicle, trailer and much-needed tractor equipment at Thoona in April. The fencing team was formed as a response to the Black Saturday fires in 2009. The widespread devastation of the fires prompted a practical response from Alan Stafford and volunteers from Benalla, who replaced fences and cleaned up properties affected by the bushfires. The word spread and volunteers from all over Victoria and other states joined the team.

The fencing team includes farmers, service organisations, inmates from correctional centres, asylum seekers, school groups, locals and many more.

Initially set up by Goulburn North East Presbytery, Benalla Uniting Church has now taken over administration for the group. SHARE has also supported the group throughout the years.

Bronwyn Pitty is the secretary of Benalla Uniting Church. She said that while mending fences was important, the true value of the team’s work was difficult to measure.

“The fencing work allows relationships to develop between volunteers and those affected by disaster,” Ms Pitty said. “The trauma resulting from a disaster can begin to heal when others show they care.”

At first the team borrowed equipment but over time raised enough funds for a trailer

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full of gear. At times it was possible to borrow a tractor, but the ideal was to have a tractor that the team could call its own. To work towards purchasing a tractor fund-raising events were held, including a concert with Greg Champion. Other funds came in from private donations and the generosity of community organisations.

Ms Pitty said the generosity of the community has enabled the team to carry on their work.

“This was made possible because of the generosity of Rotary International District 9790,” Ms Pitty said.

“Rotary was made aware of the Emergency Fencing Team and their work and were able to help. The new tractor and ATV will enable the team to replace fences in otherwise inaccessible terrain.”

Thoona received the services of the Fire Fencing Team 16 months ago.

Those present at the April handover included Rotary District Governor, Richard Luke, local Rotary members, members of the Benalla Parish of the Uniting Church, Emergency Fencing Team members, locals and equipment suppliers.

“It was a fantastic day,” Ms Pitty said.

“A day of celebration, a day of hope and prayer realised in God’s time.”

Director Property Services The Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, is seeking a highly experienced and suitably qualified person to fill the role of Director of Property Services to oversee the Church’s vast and diverse property portfolio.

This critical senior role leads the busy Property Services Team and is an essential function in providing professional advice and service to the Property Board and related Boards, Committees and Congregations of the Church.

The Director will be responsible for managing and providing leadership to the staff in the Property Services Unit and for developing strategies to assist in the ongoing efficient management of property across the Synod. The Director will be the guidance for how to balance and prioritise ‘Mission’ and ‘Property’ across the team.

The ideal candidate will be fully conversant with regulations and legislation pertaining to property in Victoria and Tasmania. Extensive experience managing multiple large scale developments and dealing with architects and project managers is essential.

To be successful in this role the person will be able to combine their commercial capabilities with a pastoral focus ensuring that the UCA values of respect, social justice and wise stewardship underpin all decision making processes.

Obtain a position description and apply online by 26th June 2016: https://unitingcaresynod.mhr.com.au/searchjobs.asp For further information contact: People and Culture (03) 9251 5917 The UCA is proud to be an inclusive employer.

The UCA is committed to keeping children safe.

A willingness to work within the ethos of the Uniting Church in Australia is essential.

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News Life in a refugee camp KAREN McGrath recently travelled to an urban refugee camp in Jordan to meet with Syrian men, women and children forced to flee their home to escape war and violence.

Ms McGrath was on assignment with Act for Peace, the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia.

She shared with Crosslight her reflections of life in the camps. While there, she witnessed the distribution of urgently-needed food ration packs to the Syrian refugees. Many of the packs were funded thanks to the generous support of Uniting Church members.

DURING my visit I learnt a lot about people’s suffering, but also about their resilience. I saw the emotional pain people were experiencing, the terrible living conditions and their desperate need for food, medical treatment and other kinds of support.

Despite having lived through such grief and trauma, the people welcomed me into their homes and shared their stories with me.

A family described how they fled from their house in the night as bombs flew towards them, a woman told me how she lost her sister and unborn child and two young boys described how they had lost their dad.

One question I asked was: “What did the war take from you?”

“Our dad.” “Dignity.” “School.” “Everything.”

These heartbreaking responses caused me to

Fatima. Pic credit: Ben Littlejohn/Act for Peace

reflect on just how much the war in Syria has impacted ordinary mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. After five long years, the conflict has come at an unconscionable human cost.

People fleeing violence have lost not only their

homes, livelihoods, family, friends, but also their dignity, safety and basic human rights.

After all they have been through, many of the amazing men and women I spoke with are still determined to help others in need.

To help raise money and awareness for refugees, Act for Peace is calling on compassionate people around Australia to take part in the Ration Challenge.

The Ration Challenge takes place during Refugee Week, 19-25 June. It challenges compassionate Christians to live on the exact rations that a Syrian refugee living in a refugee camp in Jordan receives for one week and get sponsored to do so.

Thousands of caring people have already signed up. The money raised will help provide refugees with food, medicine and psychosocial support. But more importantly, by taking a stand, participants will show refugees they are not alone; there are people in the world who care.

Fatima is a proud and strong woman who volunteers to distribute food aid to fellow refugees in Jordan “with love and a smile”.

Though she says she will never forget the humiliation and powerlessness she felt when she first became a refugee, the war hasn’t taken away her smile.

Fatima was forced to flee Syria three-anda-half years ago, and now lives in Jordan with her children. With more Syrian refugees arriving every day, Fatima says that life is hard and resources are becoming scarcer.

“We mainly depend on coupons and packages distributed by NGOs,” she said. “They’re getting fewer all the time. So we are trying to adapt. We no longer have breakfast, the children just have milk.

“I never thought this would happen to Syrian people who were living in prosperity and dignity.”

Fatima is grateful to the people in Australia who helped to train her and the other volunteers she works with.

“I thank the Australian people and I am always praying for them because they gave myself and all Syrians great hope,” she said. “We will always pray for you and for your country to never suffer what we have suffered from.”

We have become used to seeing news headlines full of statistics about the Syrian conflict, and the numbers are so huge they’re hard to comprehend. But I hope that by sharing the story of ordinary people living day to day in Jordan, I can communicate the suffering caused by the crisis at a human level.

At a level we can all actually understand.

Find out more on the website: actforpeace.org.au/rationchallenge

Chief Executive Officer-Executive Director UnitingCare Vic/Tas (New Agency)

Victoria and Tasmania

UnitingCare Vic/Tas has a combined long and proud history of community service delivery as an expression of Christian care and compassion and of God’s mission in the world, originating in the Uniting Church and its predecessor denominations.

We are seeking an engaging and passionate CEO to encourage and support the agencies through this change process. The CEO will lead the process, bringing the majority of agencies together and making them into an effectively aligned unit.

UnitingCare Vic/Tas currently provides community services through 26 separate agencies, each with their own board of governance.

The current agencies have a combined annual turnover of approximately $240 million, with 3,500 employees and 4,000 volunteers. The majority of these agencies will be amalgamated and governance is to be transferred to a new, single skills-based Agency Board which reports directly to the Synod Standing Committee.

The successful candidate will have: • CEO experience of a mid to large organisation, preferably in the community service sector • A strong influencing and engaging leadership style • Significant project management experience directing an extensive change process • A solid history of execution and delivery to project plans • Understanding of funding and government compliance requirements

An opportunity now exists for an action orientated and innovative Chief Executive Officer to take leadership of the consolidated New Agency, providing a clear sense of direction for current and future activities, both operational and strategic.

This is a unique opportunity to build on the best of the composite organisations that comprise UnitingCare Vic/Tas, and provide the platform for future growth in a dynamic and changing landscape.

A competitive package commensurate with experience is on offer.

For further discussion please contact Malcolm Duncan of The Insight Group on (02) 9233 3711 or send your details to search9@insgroup.com.au by 17th June 2016.

The UCA is proud to be an inclusive employer.

The UCA is committed to keeping children safe.

A willingness to work within the ethos of the Uniting Church in Australia is essential.

Appointment is subject to a satisfactory criminal history check.

JUNE 16 - CROSSLIGHT

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News

Fiona Adams (right) with Truly Welgemoed from True Care Gardening

Baristas, beans and blessings at Hoppers Crossingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Playdate CafĂŠ ROS MARSDEN

IN a happy atmosphere of anticipation, the Playdate CafĂŠ at Hoppers Crossing Uniting Church launched a new community destination for church members and the wider public.

The concept for the cafĂŠ started in 2013 after Hoppers Crossing Uniting Church member Fiona Adams attended a Mission Shaped Ministry â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;fresh expressions of churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; course run by the Port Phillip West Presbytery. Rev Dr Adam McIntosh, Presbytery Minister Mission and Education, and Rose Broadstock, Mission Development Strategist, were struck by Fionaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enthusiastic vision of a God that is welcoming, loving, engaging and serving.

They continued conversations and Fionaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dream of a cafĂŠ that was a social enterprise, a place of gathering and a location to experience community became a reality.

Rose and Fiona still laugh at the moment they decided on the location for the Playdate CafĂŠ. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the funniest things during the planning stage was when Fiona and I were sitting in the entrance area

of the church,â&#x20AC;? Rose recalled. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were staring at the kitchen area which was basically an unused space, and puzzling over where we could possibly operate. Then it hit us. The perfect place for the cafĂŠ was in front of our eyes, at the church!â&#x20AC;?

As well as the delicious cakes and beverages, a large enclosed area means it is a safe and secure environment for children to play. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t gone for playground equipment,â&#x20AC;? said Fiona, â&#x20AC;&#x153;preferring simple blocks, toy boxes and sensory toys that nurture imagination. In fact the adults love using the blocks too!â&#x20AC;?

Four framed word images hang on the wall of the cafĂŠ, reflecting the ethos of all who enjoy a visit to the cheerful environment â&#x20AC;&#x201C; â&#x20AC;˘ We are respectful â&#x20AC;˘ We are loving â&#x20AC;˘ We are eclectic â&#x20AC;˘ No Perfect People Allowed Fiona said the signs are central to the belief of the cafĂŠ. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our hope is that the spirit as well as the body is nurtured at this cafĂŠ. We have enjoyed so much support already from the wider community and I hope that Playdate CafĂŠ becomes a gathering space for anyone in the Hoppers Crossing area who enjoys happy company. And of course, great tea and coffee.â&#x20AC;?

Playdate CafĂŠ is located at 235 Derrimut Road, Hoppers Crossing and is currently open Thursdays and Fridays from 10am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2pm. Like their Facebook page at https:// www.facebook.com/PlaydateCafe/timeline You can watch the video story of Playdate CafĂŠâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s evolution on You Tube at https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=py5zx_6Eqto&featur e=youtu.be

Participants at the 2014 NYALC in Sydney

Empowering future leaders

YOUNG people from congregations throughout Australia will gather at the Gold Coast in July for the National Young Adult Leaders Conference (NYALC).

NYALC aims to empower young adults in the Uniting Church by equipping them with essential leadership skills. It is also an opportunity for young people to connect with youth from other states and grow together in faith.

Guided by a team of mentors and peer leaders, the participants will undertake daily bible studies and worship services.

They will visit local ministry and mission projects and reflect on the leadership approaches of these ministries.

NYALC is hosted by Uniting Church president Stuart McMillan and Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) chairperson Rev Dennis Corowa. The conference acts as a bridge that connects young people with leaders of the Church. This will be an ideal opportunity for the young adults to speak to the Church about the issues that matter to them.

Other church leaders who will act as

mentors during the six days include South Australia moderator and president-elect Deidre Palmer, Northern Synod moderator Rev Theresi Mauboy and UAICC pastor Ray Minniecon.

Anthea Maynard is presbytery minister of leadership and formation in the Presbytery of Tasmania. She was also a mentor at the last NYALC, held in Sydney. â&#x20AC;&#x153;NYALC is the best thing I have seen in the Uniting Church. The opportunity to be involved transformed my understanding of the UCA,â&#x20AC;? Ms Maynard said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I loved mentoring there and would be keen to be involved again. It was a delightful, transformative journey.â&#x20AC;?

The conference will gather up to 100 young adults aged between 18 to 30. A reflection of the Uniting Churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cultural diversity, NYALC participants will include similar numbers of Indigenous, Anglo and second generation young adults. They will share stories with one another and learn about issues affecting Indigenous and second generation Australians.

Rev Tom Kerr, national faith development consultant (youth and young adults), said NYALC offers a supportive environment that enriches the faith and leadership potential of young people. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The conference provides core messages of the Christian faith that can motivate, guide and empower leadership and service to be relational, gracious, inclusive and open to working collaboratively with others of goodwill,â&#x20AC;? he said.

NYALC takes place from 8-13 July 2016 at CYC Burleigh campsite. Applications are filling fast and spots are limited. Register at http://nyalc.org.au/register

Coming Up @ St Michaelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s St Michaelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Music Gala 12.30pm, Sun 5 Jun Celebrating the music that has inspired Dr Francis Macnab for over 45 years.

Including works by Shostakovich, Mahler, 3URNRÂżHY 0R]DUW DQG D QHZ ZRUN EDVHG on a text by Dr Francis Macnab.

In Conversation with Dr Francis Macnab & Bishop Ian George 10am, Sun 19 Jun A rare glimpse into the life and history of a unique city church through the eyes of two inspirational leaders.

Part of our regular Sunday Service.

FREE EVENT

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St Michaelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Healthy Ageing Seminar 11am, Thu 30 Jun Presented by Dr Francis Macnab and Julijana Chochovski. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your Anxieties Change As You Get Older.

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CROSSLIGHT - JUNE 16

News Julie McCrossin – finding acceptance in the Uniting Church

FORMER ABC broadcaster Julie McCrossin is a familiar voice to the Australian public.

Ashley Thompson turns the microphone around to find out more about her unsung faith journey.

A self-described “refugee from Sydney Anglicanism”, Julie McCrossin has found a home in South Sydney Uniting Church.

Her appearance on ABC TV’s special all-Christian Q&A panel and facilitation of the UnitingWomen conference Q&A discussion in April reflect her willingness to engage publically with theological issues in a fair and respectful manner.

Perhaps best known for her role on the comedy quiz show Good News Week, Julie has garnered a strong public profile from her work across radio, television and print journalism. However, to pinpoint her to one occupation would be a disservice. At 61 years old she is an in-demand emcee, comedian, activist and all-round passionate educator and student. She is also an elder, treasurer and church council member of South Sydney Uniting Church.

Her involvement in the Christian church has until recently been less-known but always one to which she’ll openly attest, as she does with her advocacy for women’s and gay rights.

“I feel the great core of Christianity for me, at

JUNE 16 - CROSSLIGHT

this point in my life, is forgiveness,” Julie said.

“There was an extended period where, because of homosexuality, I felt unwelcome. I chose not to enter a church and fight for acceptance.

“But I have chosen to forgive in order to not feel bitterness and anger because bitterness and anger diminish one’s life.”

Faith roots Growing up as a middle child in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, Julie had what she describes as a “very Anglican and very positive” upbringing.

Her family became involved in their local Anglican church, where Julie attended Sunday school, sang in the church choir and was encouraged to embrace education – an opportunity the women in her family had not previously had.

“I was inculcated very early on to the liturgy, to the King James version of the Bible, to the beautiful classical music based hymns of the high Anglican tradition. So Christianity, faith and the words of the Old and the New Testament has always been supportive framework for my life.”

Overcoming rejection According to Julie, it all came crashing down around the age of 13 when she became fearful that she was sexually attracted to girls.

Homosexuality at that time was illegal in Australia, an internationally recognised mental illness and considered “against God’s will” by all Christian denominations in the 1960s.

“The Sydney Diocese leads the world against the acceptance of homosexuals. [They say] if you are a homosexual you must be celibate for life to be accepted in the eyes of God and your church,” Julie said.

Coming out to her parents at 18, Julie’s sexuality was deemed “utterly unacceptable” and sent her into a “very difficult and turbulent time”.

“My mother does accept me now but there is no doubt in the world she would prefer I wasn’t gay. And that’s something I will have to live with for the rest of my life.”

Respectful listening It wasn’t until six year ago, when she went to visit a friend suffering from cancer –office-bearer Rev Dorothy McRaeMcMahon – at South Sydney Uniting

Church, that Julie found her faith home.

“I went to the church to wish her well and I’ve been going ever since,” she said.

In 2014, Julie and her partner of over 20 years, Melissa Gibson, were married in New York. Although their marriage is not legally recognised in Australia yet, a blessing ceremony was held for them at South Sydney Uniting Church.

Melissa has two adult children from her previous marriage and Julie is happy to engage in discussion around the concern that children deserve a mother and a father.

“I think there’s a valid, sensitive discussion to be had about that,” says Julie, “The two children in my life have a father and Melissa and I have actively encouraged full engagement with their dad.”

Conversely, Julie says she has also been involved in the LGBT community her whole adult life and is “privileged to know couples, both men and women, who are raising children born from fertility services”. She cites studies, such as the February issue of the National Council on Family Relations’ Journal of Marriage and Family, which found no difference between children raised by heterosexual parents and children raised by lesbian parents.

“I guess I’m trying to use the values I’ve learned in the Uniting Church,” Julie said.

“The church has listed values so that, when we have disagreements, we try to approach it in certain ways. It is about deep, respectful listening and contemplation of the other view.

“So I believe in engagement and I believe in doing unto others as I would have them do unto me. When I was on television with Lyle Shelton [Australian Christian Lobby managing director] I treated him with respect, I put forward my views I hope strongly but not in an abusive or denigrating way and I seek to have the same in return.”

Lightening the darkness Often referred to as a comedian because of her natural warmth and humour, Julie said she actually does not consciously seek to entertain.

“It’s definitely helped me cope with some of the challenges of my life and manage the extended period of rejection for my homosexual identity – as well as a sick mum who struggles to not be overwhelmed by darkness.”

Her personal advocacy also identifies strongly with the Pacific women connected to UnitingWorld, who spoke at the UnitingWomen conference in Adelaide of a need for a new theology around women and the equality between men and women.

“Literal, simplistic quoting of biblical text is being used to forbid women having access to opportunities for education and leadership,” Julie explains. “And this is linked to very high levels of domestic violence.

“Women need to have access to education and to opportunities for leadership in order that we can combat this scourge.”

Julie believes education is the key to understanding.

“It’s about meeting people, learning about their ideas and their stories and sharing them in a public way.”

Her interest in being a part of the biennial gathering of Uniting Church women across Australia is clear: “Because all the topics we’re talking about are about making society a more equitable, fair and loving place.”

For more information visit juliemccrossin. com and unitingwomen.org.au

Julie McCrossin hosting the Q&A panel discussion at UnitingWomen 2016. Pic Credit: Bindy Taylor

This article was originally printed in Journey magazine, the award-winning monthly magazine, published by the Uniting Church in Queensland.

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Feature

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Feature

Vision wit DAVID SO

VISION TESTING THROUGHOUT the past three years, the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania has asked itself some big questions about where it is going. Now, it has proposed some responses.

In April, the Synod Standing Committee (SSC) approved the Vision, Mission Principles and Statements of Intent that the Major Strategic Review (MSR) developed as a primary aid for spiritual discernment and a focus for the Synod.

Essentially these are the responses to the basic ‘why and how’ questions the Review has been asking about what the Church should be doing and its role in a rapidly changing society.

Dr Jason Talbot is the program director for the MSR. He said the Vision and Mission Principles aim to express who we are, our core reason for being a church and what makes us uniquely Uniting Church.

“People come to Christ for many reasons but what we have been asking people is what it is that gathers us together in the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania,” Dr Talbot said.

“When we were out and about, people kept emphasising to us the need to have a Christ-centred vision for the synod.”

The MSR team stressed that the Vision and Mission Principles are not a definitive statement of belief but rather a framework to guide the Church’s thinking and actions.

“They are not a creed but a tool to provoke questions and examination of the Church,” Dr Talbot said.

The SSC has also adopted the MSR’s

recommended Statements of Intent, which are a more practical outline of how Synod should be attempting to apply the Vision and Mission Principles.

“Each statement responds to what we heard and observed during our engagement across the Church,” Dr Talbot said.

“Whilst these actions and behaviours are present in some areas of the Church they are not universal and need explicit attention.

“Together, the Statements of Intent provide a framework for discernment and planning that covers both the spiritual and corporate life of the Church.”

The SSC resolved the Vision, Mission Principles and Statements of Intent should act as a guide for “the purpose of prayerfully engaging in spiritual and theological discernment regarding the future direction of the Synod”.

Presbyteries, congregations and synod institutions will be invited to use the statements in a similar manner.

STARTING POINT The establishment of the MSR was resolved by the May 2013 Synod meeting, which also saw the decision made under the Uniting our future program to sell properties to cover debt from the closure of Acacia College.

Synod asked for a major strategic review to form a “vision and plan for the future of the Church and undertake a holistic financial sustainability review to support that vision and plan”.

As a starting point the MSR set about clarifying the Church’s purpose to ensure the resulting plans were based on an agreed set of principles.

What followed was a lengthy process of

synod-wide consultation, an ambitious reflection covering all aspects of the life of the synod.

REACTION THROUGHOUT THE CHURCH Through 2015, and up until March this year, the MSR team held workshops, information sessions and focus groups as well as less formal individual discussions across Victoria and Tasmania to explore and refine the Vision and Mission Principles.

In the more formal group discussions people were asked to consider and share what inspired them to be a part of the Uniting Church.

“The Vision evolved from the passion and desire for the future direction of the Church expressed by people across the Church in Victoria and Tasmania,” Dr Talbot said.

Synod general secretary Mark Lawrence said the consultation process had proved a valuable opportunity for people to think about being part of the wider Church.

“People were excited to share their stories of faith and what matters to them,” Dr Lawrence said.

“They were able to step back from the dayto-day running of their part of the Church and discuss their faith and values with people from different areas of the Church.”

The MSR team reported that the drafts “were seen as a succinct, straightforward and accessible expression of who we are as a Uniting Church”.

It said people saw the principles as a useful roadmap and way to help the Church reengage on the journey.

Other responses varied from how the statements were “very Uniting Church”

because of their mix of Christ, community and social justice themes to the less favourable view that they were merely ‘motherhood statements’.

One congregation that has given the Vision and Mission Principles something of a tryout has been St Stephens in Wodonga.

“We used the Vision and Mission Principles to help us with a mission study,” Helen Collins said.

“As a congregation we think these are a really good way of taking stock and

Vision: Following Christ, walking together as First and Second Peoples, seeking community, compassion and justice for all creation.

Mission Principles: God in Christ is at mission in the world and sends the Church in the Spirit to: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

share the Good News of Jesus Christ nurture followers of Christ in life-giving communities of reconciliation respond in compassion to human need live justly and seek justice for all care for creation listen to each generation and culture so as to live out the Gospel in fresh ways pursue God’s Mission in partnership

Statements of Intent: • • • • • • • • • •

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Focus on Vision & Mission Principles Foster faith, deepen discipleship Be lighter and simpler Seek reconciliation between First and Second Peoples Grow leadership capacity Nourish contextual expressions of church Act together across cultures and generations Deepen partnerships and trust Share our resources Build resilience, strengthen accountability

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Feature

h intent

UTHWELL

reflecting on where we are at, where we are hoping to be, and how perhaps we could do things a little bit better.”

Rev Deacon Mat Harry, who is minister at the Hampton Park Uniting Church in Melbourne’s southeast, provided feedback on the Vision and Mission Principles to the MSR. Although he said the MSR statements were nothing new – and his Church was living by these principles already – he saw them as useful.

“They help with setting the culture and creating the space that people can offer their gifts into the life of the church in a way that is set around objectives,” he said For the larger Church in Victoria and Tasmania he thought the statements could play an important role.

“One of the things that I think the Uniting Church struggles with is that there is no formal leadership as such, so the responsibility of leadership falls to everybody and, in some senses, falls to nobody,” Mr Harry said.

“This means it is difficult to work out our priorities because when it comes to decision time there may not necessarily be a framework in which decisions become more easily made.

“But if this can be picked up by the Synod then that will hopefully assist when decisions need to be made and priorities need to be set.”

Rev Paul Stephens, presbytery minister mission and education for the Yarra Yarra Presbytery, has (somewhat appropriately for a proposed roadmap) given the Vision and Mission Principles a road test by showing them to congregations he has been helping manage change.

“They have been very good, very helpful,” Mr Stephens said.

“They have been useful working with congregations to remind them of our calling in Christ.

“There is a warmth about them. People recognise that this makes sense. This is who we are and what we are called to do.

They capture the core things about us as a church.”

Rev Robert Elkhuizen, mission officer for the synod’s Property Services unit, said the Mission Principles have been incorporated into the Property for Mission Workbook, which is a resource for congregations

to assess their property for mission requirements.

“It is now established practice across our synod that all decisions about property begin with a prior conversation about mission,” Mr Elkhuizen said.

“I believe the MSR Vision Statement and Mission Principles can provide a really helpful starting point for congregations wishing to explore the call to God’s mission.”

Rev John Clarke from Uniting AgeWell, said the principles would help the wider Church, including the care agencies, engage in a shared framework.

“Uniting AgeWell’s mission aligns strongly with this Vision and the Mission Principles, as would the mission of other parts of the Church,” he said “Having an agreed focus will assist us to have a coordinated effort and speak the same language.”

FIRST AND SECOND PEOPLES The final version of the Vision may look a little unfamiliar to many who have previously seen it in draft form.

During the final round of consultations early this year there was a growing move to have greater recognition of the Church’s relationship with the original inhabitants of Australia.

It was a catalyst to insert ‘First and Second Peoples’ into the Vision statement.

Rev Tim Matton-Johnson, a minister with Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) Tasmania, was one of those who met with the MSR team and contributed to the discussion.

“The inclusion of First and Second Peoples reflects the language of the Uniting Church Constitution’s preamble,” Mr MattonJohnson said.

“We thought as we talked to the MSR team

it would be helpful to have these statements related to the Covenant included as a reminder of our shared story.

“It’s good to have that language in there.”

WHERE TO NOW? The adoption of the Vision, Mission Principles and Statements of Intent for the Synod is only the first step in their promulgation.

An implementation team is being established to help develop resources and tools for the wider Church community to engage with them.

“We will invite groups to dream, wonder and explore with prayerful open discernment how their current and future activities may live out Gospel values as reflected broadly in the Vision and Mission Principles,” Dr Lawrence said.

“The Vision and Mission Principles provide a focus and starting point for spiritual discernment. They list possibilities of what we can do to enable a renewing Church to emerge.”

In terms of the MSR’s wider work the Vision, Mission Principles and Statements of Intent will be a reference point for other proposals being considered at Synod 2016, including changes in Synod governance and other recommendations.

“As a Church we seek to be a worshipping, witnessing, and serving pilgrim people.” Dr Lawrence said.

“The Vision, Mission Principles and Statements of Intent are an aid to thoughtful and prayerful discernment for this journey.”

A call to us all SHARON HOLLIS THEY call us back to the heart of who we are – Jesus followers. They remind us we are people who recognise in Jesus the presence of God, and the joy of this calls us to live as people who shape our lives both collectively and individually by the story of God among us. The Vision and Mission Principles give language to how it is we will follow Jesus and what marks our participation in the reign of God. They capture both who we are and who we are called to be. Because the principles are both descriptive and aspirational they invite us to continue to live more fully into the life of God, made known to us in Jesus Christ through how we act in the world and share our faith.

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As I think about chairing Synod Standing Committee over the next three years, I hope the Vision and Mission Principles will aid our discernment. They can do this by providing a reminder of what our priorities are over the next few years and therefore where we should be putting our energy and resources. They should shape our agenda by helping us know what is truly important.

As we set agendas and make decisions, we need to ask ourselves how do these decisions help us to follow Christ and walk together as First and Second Peoples? Do these decisions help us to seek community, compassion and justice for all creation?

In saying this I don’t mean to imply that

the Vision and Mission Principles are tick boxes we check decisions off against.

Rather they are the guiding principles that call us back to the particular way we have discerned we are to be God’s people in this time and place. They are a reference point for reminding us how we want to live God’s story as God’s people over the coming years.

It is my prayer that the Vision and Mission Principles will assist the church across our synod to return again and again to our primary call – to be Jesus followers – and that this call will have a high priority in the discussion and deliberation of the church across the Synod.

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Profile

INTERVIEW WITH THE MODERATOR – REV SHARON HOLLIS ROS MARSDEN

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Profile

“Change provokes a range of emotions depending on what it is… It’s about each of us exercising the capacity to be self-reflective, take a breath, and notice what’s happening to us.”

JUNE 16 - CROSSLIGHT

What first called you to the Uniting Church?

It’s an accident of birth. I was raised in the Uniting Church so there’s that whole sense of being formed by my childhood exposure and watching my parents live out their faith. My mum remains active in the Dookie UC and we lived with my grandmother for a time, a staunch but gentle Methodist. The Uniting Church was part of the air that I breathed.

Did you ever reject religion?

Not ever. Some of my friends thought it strange, it wasn’t that common in my group. In my second year at uni, I attended Monash Uniting Church. That’s where I was called, because there was a community trying hard to engage and be a generous, generative and hospitable space. They had a fantastic minister, Jim Murray, who has just retired. He’s a big part of why I am in ministry.

When did you decide to be a minister?

Towards the end of my third year at uni. I was 21.

Tell me about your previous jobs.

Between high school and university I worked in the local supermarket. That job taught me customer service. Being able to strike up a chat with anybody is an important skill, the capacity to find shared connections quickly. Later I worked with Ministry of Housing. It was my first exposure to generational poverty and structural inequality and that never leaves you. It’s one of the reasons I’m in our Church, because we have a commitment to addressing some of those issues. I was at Fitzroy when there were a lot of Vietnamese and Laotian refugees. I gained a deep respect for working across issues where people have different experiences from my own. That’s life formative and life forming.

Are there extra challenges for women in religious leadership roles?

We still live in a patriarchal world even in enlightened churches like the Uniting Church. Patriarchy exerts power and being a woman exacerbates what you struggle with. There will be challenges for women until patriarchy ends. When you move into leadership, it’s working out how to be in that space and be confident of your sense of calling. If women aren’t in leadership, we’re missing a huge resource. I do believe we have better representation of women in our Church than other areas like politics, sport and business.

How would you encourage a woman interested in leadership?

Find another woman you admire who is exercising ministry or leadership and have a conversation. You will discover they have as many moments of feeling unsure and inadequate as you. I believe in mentoring, seeking out someone to guide you. It can equally be a man you admire. I’m also a great believer in education; read, enrol in a course, ask a congregation member where you can find resources. You don’t have to tell them why if you’re not confident to say it out loud yet. Learning helps bridge a gap between where we are and where we want to be.

How do you define your theology?

I think I’m a small ‘o’ orthodox. I’m committed to life and faith in the broadly orthodox belief of the church, but sometimes people imagine you mean something old fashioned. At the heart of orthodox faith is deep engagement with Jesus who made his home in his own time, his own place, his own context, in his own

culture. When you take that seriously, orthodoxy means you have to engage with contemporary issues. We have a foundational belief in who God is that has sustained the church for 2000 years. God comes to us through the spirit, and was made real, present and human in Jesus. For me, that is unchanging. The implications of that, the issues it pushes us to address, are utterly contextual. It’s not surprising that sometimes different parts of the church find themselves out of step, because we’re wrestling with completely different contexts.

Your term commences with Synod. Are you looking forward to it?

I strangely like Synod. You realise there is something remarkable about 300 people willing to sit in a room, talk, listen and discern a shared way forward that is faithful to where God calls them. I’m looking forward to the Bible studies, I love that we give time to community building.

I’m excited about the Vision statement and Mission Principles. I hope we spend time thinking about how they can energise and engage us at congregation and presbytery level as much as synod level. There will be some tough issues, clearly the MSR and how we receive that.

What would you say to people about approaching the tough issues?

deep and profound grief I decided that I wanted my girls to enjoy life again and not be crippled by events. I therefore had to demonstrate that.

Tell me about the girls.

Ingrid is 13, nearly 14, and in year 8. Esther is 19 and in first year uni doing Psychology and Social Work. They are still at home and they think my new role is so funny, but they have been really supportive about me doing it.

Is the Church relevant in 2016?

Yes and no. At one level a swathe of population don’t think it’s relevant. I don’t believe God ever thought, am I being relevant? God acts the way God knows how. When you have an encounter with God, it is utterly transforming and I can’t think of another way to live my life. To probe and ponder what it means to be in a relationship with God, and how it sustains and strengthens me. I don’t want to then say you can’t live a good life without this, I don’t like those sort of dichotomies. I just have to be willing to say this is what it means to me. We should never be in the business of compelling.

What church do you attend?

Brunswick Uniting Church Most recently you’ve worked at CTM. How can we attract young people to take up ministry?

“We need to talk about the joy. Being invited into the deepest places in people’s lives to share and nurture their faith is such a privilege.”

It’s how we hold our intention. The church will press on and God’s plans won’t be thwarted whatever we decide. Change brings fear and anxiety, but others love change. Some will say “could we just get on with it?”

Change provokes a range of emotions depending on what it is. Marriage is high on stress indicators but it’s actually a happy event, so change is hard even when it’s something anticipated with joy. It’s about each of us exercising the capacity to be selfreflective, take a breath, and notice what’s happening to us. If change didn’t invoke fear and anxiety, you would be worried too. It’s a matter of being honest – pausing and giving space – but then also being honest enough to say “is this a change that we need?”

In May 2014, after the death of your husband Michael, you wrote a beautiful piece for Crosslight called ‘Finding Truth in Grief ’. Two years on, is dealing with grief different?

It alters. It doesn’t go away, but you sit differently and sometimes it just depends on the day. Life has an enormous capacity to lure you back in, even when you want to stay stuck in your grief. The balance of loss versus pleasure changes. You are not the same person you were on the other side. The question is how you choose to live in the face of the integration of grief and loss in your life. I find living and hope compelling. They draw me back in.

For 10 years I was engaged in pastoral ministry. I learnt things about grief from that. But there are some things that you can never fully know until you live through them. Because you get on with life, to the outside world it looks like grief has an end.

I get why people think there is closure, but it doesn’t happen. There is never closure, just constant renegotiation of that loss and the role it plays in your life.

If you can decide anything in the midst of

I can’t understand why everyone doesn’t want to be a minister. Being called is a mystery that you can’t manufacture. Those of us in ministry should mentor and talk about our vocation, not always convey that we are busy and stressed. We need to talk about the joy. Being invited into the deepest places in people’s lives to share and nurture their faith is such a privilege.

We have a rich diversity of culture in the Uniting Church. What have you learnt from the people you meet?

When you’re in the dominant culture you have to open up to differences, because it’s so easy to do things how you like - assume English is the common language, that diaries and clocks are how everyone does business. You have to push yourself to do that reflection. There is such richness in the diversity of humanity and we are constantly uncovering what we learn from each other.

How will you help people hear the voice of the Uniting Church?

We have to own the fact we are now more marginal and stop thinking we have a right to a voice. We must earn it. What turns people off is to assume we should be heard. I think that’s why our Church has credibility, because we do engage. We can’t just give pronouncements.

How do you switch off ?

I love telly, I’m a complete TV addict.

I’ve finished the first series of Outlander, I loved Janet King and I’ve just started watching The Americans. The thing about telly and movies and books is they give you new perspectives, you see a reflection of yourself but also encounter others and that helps you understand yourself better.

What do you hope to look back on in three years’ time?

I stimulated rich conversations in the Church and helped us to have conversations on things that matter.

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Reflection Visit of Prof Musa Dube DEV ANANDARAJAN

PROFESSOR Musa Dube will visit Melbourne next month at the invitation of the Centre for Theology and Ministry and the synod’s Intercultural unit. Prof Dube is a sought-after post-colonial feminist theologian and lecturer in biblical studies at the University of Botswana.

She is the author of numerous articles published in journals, books, encyclopaedias and magazines. Her provocative book, Postcolonial Feminist Interpretation of the Bible is considered a must-read for Biblical scholars, theologians, and church leaders interested in cutting-edge biblical scholarship.

Dev Anandarajan, from the Intercultural unit interviewed Prof Dube on her impending visit to Melbourne.

Dev: The term ‘post-colonial’ is used widely in secular disciplines. But what has it got to do with theology?

Musa: Post-colonial, means since colonialism. It investigates the lasting impact of the empire and colonialism on the colonised and the coloniser. The impact is social, cultural, political, economic and ideological. It permeates and shapes all relationships in these stated categories.

Post-colonialism underlines that the relationship between the coloniser and the colonised does not end when the colonised attain their so-called independence, but rather continues in various hues.

Dev: Can you tell very briefly what postcolonial theology is all about?

Musa: In his book Culture and Imperialism, Edward Said underlined that the empire, just like gender, race and age should be mainstreamed in all our studies.

Given that modern imperialism was so pervasive, Said points out that we live in over-lapping territories; namely, that the First and so-called Third World countries are overlapping territories, economically, politically, socially and culturally.

Unless theology and the church acknowledge that they were shaped by empire-building and colonialism, they may inadvertedly continue to underwrite these relationships of inequality, domination and suppression.

Thinking of post-colonial theologyinvolves

Where to see Prof Dube While in Melbourne Prof Dube will address three forums. She is speaking at ‘Wisdom’s Feast’ at the Centre for Theology and Ministry on the theme ‘Let there be light: Reading the Bible for social and cultural transformation’ from Tuesday, 19 July to Thursday, 21 July. Prof Dube will also deliver the Northey lecture on Tuesday night.

She is lead speaker at the conferences organised by the Intercultural unit. The Women’s Conference will be held on 24 and 25 July at the Centre for Theology and Ministry on the theme ‘Women doing Post Colonial Theology with Prof Musa Dube – Moving, Living & Preaching Between Borders’.

A post-colonial theology conference on the theme ‘Ministry in the Contact Zone and the Third Space’ will be held on 26 to 28 July at the Korean Church, Malvern.

reflecting about God through the postcolonial framework and experience; resisting the continuing relationships of domination and suppression as well as striving to heal the wounds of the past.

Dev: Why is this theology relevant to Australia?

Musa: Australia’s history is grafted in modern empire-building and colonialism.

The question is how relationships of the former colonisers and the colonised are shaped by the history of modern imperialism? How has the history of modern empire-building and colonialism given rise to border-crossing, hybridity, ambiguity, and complexity?

Dev: How are the churches in Africa engaging with post-colonial theology?

Musa: Churches of Africa come in multitudes of diversities and cannot be easily generalised.

Some were historically part of the colonising mother countries; others, particularly African Independent Churches, were founded as resistance movements against colonialism; Others were visible activists in Apartheid South Africa, for example, characterised by the Kairos document. Contemporary explosion of neo-Pentecostalism is complex and defies easy generalisations. But it notably

Just keep swimming ONE wet Thursday evening in May, a throng of new Monash University graduands lined up to receive their academic awards from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. Even though the velvet-capped doctoral students looked so very grand in their finery, it had taken me three years of sheer hard work to complete my little Graduate Diploma in Psychology, so I proudly joined the group lining up to shake the Vice Chancellor’s hand, don caps and wobble across the stage to the applause of family and friends.

As is usual on such occasions, a member of the Monash alumni was invited to give the Graduation Address. But by the time the hundreds of students had trundled past, the audience were impatient and audibly groaned when the young man stood to deliver his speech. Arms were crossed cynically, ready for a speech encouraging the new graduates to “reach for the stars” or “follow your dreams” or “You go girl! You can do it”. But this was not the case.

The address had one simple message.

Wherever you are, whatever your work, always treat people with dignity and learn all you can in the place you find yourself.

Although the orator had worked hard at university to earn his degree in physiotherapy, when the time came to graduate, personal circumstances required him to grab the first job he could. He found himself working in a small suburban aged-care facility, which was a far cry from his dream job of massaging the 16

The great doors of the ‘Passion Facade’ of La Sagrada Familia cathedral, Barcelona. The main entrance doors are covered in words of the Bible carved in stone. © Kim Cain, 2011

Collingwood football team’s injured muscles.

Yet here, unexpectedly, working with the frail and aged he found passion for his work.

His research and program development in the aged care sector has now led to a 40 per cent reduction in falls and injuries across rehabilitation hospitals in Western Australia.

We were reminded yet again of the importance of being open to new ideas in the ordinary places of life – right where we are. It was a keen reminder to me that the very same rigour brought to other academic disciplines must also be brought to matters of faith and theology.

What we believe, how we understand the bible, church history and theology is the breadand-butter of our Christian faith. Whether we are ordained ministers, pastors, youth workers or lay members of gathered faith communities, we are called to bring all our intellect, sharpness of mind and deep thinking to the central questions – who is Jesus Christ and what difference does his life, death and resurrection make to the world?

We sometimes forget our Christian faith

requires work. This is the sort of attention we have come to expect in the fields of economics, medicine, law and commerce. Yet, as disciples of Jesus, we are called to also continually read, research, discuss, ponder and think about issues of faith. This intellectual work can be both exhilarating and exhausting, occurring in the most ordinary of places.

Our local church did just this when it decided to have some ‘post-Easter discussions’. They used an old book of essays published way back in 1980, written by the then faculty of the Uniting Church Theological Hall. The book and the discussion series was titled The Heart of the Matter: Reflections on the Resurrection Faith.

What ensued over the three-week series was challenging reading and deep discussion which took nothing for granted.

Essays, written well over 30 years ago, opened up honest conversation and a search for truth around the central aspect of Christian faith- resurrection.

Not everything was resolved, nor were old ideas simply reinforced, but somehow there

preaches the gospel of prosperity, health and wellness, which underlines the autonomy of African people.

It suffices to say Sub-Saharan African churches are inseparably tied to the history of modern empire-building and colonialism.

Dev: Is post-colonial theory anti-West and anti-missionary?

Musa: It examines participants in these histories and the ideologies they spin to justify themselves. Post-colonialism exposes structures of oppression, wherever they are practised and by whoever participates as an agent of oppression. It is quest for justice for all. It requires all of us to reflect on our role and participation in this history and its contemporary expressions.

Dev: What would a post-colonial church look like?

Musa: It is a church that commits itself to self-education concerning all structures of oppression. It seeks to strategically position itself to be a place of healing wounds of the past and present as well as participating in celebrating the dignity of all members of the Earth community.

Such a posture requires a repenting church which acknowledges its histories of consorting with the empire, colonialism, patriarchy, heteronormativity and other forms of oppression that denies all members of the Earth community their God-given dignity. Empire-building and colonialism was built on ideology of racism, sexism, gender discrimination and oppression of the Earth, among other social oppressions, which need to be tackled simultaneously.

For more information please contact Dev Anandarajan 0414721015 or Ann Byrne 03 9251 5404

was an integrity in the discussion and an exploration of ideas leading to a growing confidence and mature reflection of faith.

One person said she found taking the opportunity to rethink the issues of resurrection made her feel differently about her faith. Digging into the tradition and looking forward made a difference.

This sort of hard work is not just an optional extra for the enthusiasts. It is for all of us. Not everyone wants to complete formal theological study, yet this thinking can be done in many places. Some people will find great depth in attending short courses or a lecture series.

Some will find great stimulation sitting in on a subject such as ‘Doctrine Truth and Pluralism’ in second semester at Pilgrim Theological College. Some will find inspiration in joining a theological book group. Others may join a three-week congregation discussion series on the resurrection.

Just keep swimming.

The Monash University Graduation address reminded the gathered crowd that learning and life-changing moments happen in the unexpected tumble of ordinary existence. In being prepared to work, understand, question and learn, our lives can be profoundly changed. Our Christian faith deserves nothing less.

We are each called to talk more, read more, blog more, argue more and indeed analyse long-held entrenched beliefs. This is our work and it can lead to profound transformation in our own lives and those around us.

Rev Sue Withers Field Education Co-ordinator Centre for Theology & Ministry Member at St Leonard’s Uniting Church in Brighton CROSSLIGHT - JUNE 16

Letters Foreign aid

Still lucky

IT was extremely disturbing to read that over $11 billion has been slashed from Australia’s overseas aid budget during the past few years (‘Stop foreign aid cuts,’ Crosslight, May).

I’m sure the lives of many poor and vulnerable people have been put at risk by these horrific cuts.

I ask Uniting Church members to urge the candidate and political party for whom they plan to vote on 2nd July to have the courage and compassion to begin rapidly increasing overseas aid again.

At present Australia gives just 22 cents in every $100 of gross national income to foreign aid. This is our lowest level of giving ever.

As the article in Crosslight states, Australia is a prosperous nation and I believe we can share much more of our wealth with developing countries.

IN the late 18th century Thomas Paine called on the Americans to declare their independence: “Whatever we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly. Heaven knows how to put a price on its goods, and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.”

Australia is going to the polls in a few weeks’ time. As history has shown, the freedom to choose or form your own government can be hard won.

Australia is lucky that it did not have to undergo a battle-scarred revolution to gain such freedom. Australians are lucky too that the country values a fully democratic process when electing governments. The ‘fair-go’ is given pride of place in the national psyche, where losers graciously accept the people’s decision and allow for a peaceful transition of power.

A total change of government is still a cherished dream by our northerly neighbours, who live in countries which are ‘democracies-in-form’ only. Even uncomplimentary cartoon caricatures of leaders can earn you a dreaded midnight knock on the door.

Tied up with freedom is the concept of equality. The road to universal suffrage – the right to vote and to run for office – for western democracies has been a long and fretfully-taken one. Even during the so-called age of Enlightenment in the 19th and 20th centuries, women, the poor and non-whites had to wait their turn.

Two millennia ago, the apostle Paul wrote: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”

(Galatians 4:28). It may have taken quite a while for western democracies to mirror this powerful and defining spirit of Christianity.

But we got there in the end.

Robert Van Zetten Highton VIC

Open letter to the Uniting Church in Australia (please cherish the Bible) AS a child, I was dragged to the local Presbyterian Church, now a Uniting Church.

I never heard the gospel then and became a Christian much later in life. My dad was an elder there, despite being non-Christian.

Uniting Churches vary greatly and I have attended congregations dedicated to God. That’s the problem – the variance. Some churches are man-centred, but the Christcentred congregations acquiesce. The Uniting Church considers itself progressive, and may sometimes ordain homosexuals or deny Christ’s divinity. Some congregations object, but only temporarily.

I was recently looking for a church in Melbourne that my mother and I could visit. She mentioned she had heard Francis MacNab preaching years ago. Mum had not become a Christian at that time and only became a Christian recently (she attends an excellent Uniting Church).

I was delighted to discover that MacNab was still preaching, but then read what this Collins Street Uniting Church minister believes. He apparently denies Christ’s divinity, denigrates Moses as a mass murderer, reads myths into Bible stories and considers the 10 Commandments too negative for today. In fact, MacNab wrote a positive version of the Commandments, labelling his rewriting of the Bible to make it more ‘believable’ as the ‘new faith’.

Those keeping Uniting Church ministers and congregations accountable (from moderator to elders) have not been fulfilling their God-assigned role. They may have been attending meetings like my non-Christian dad did, but they have not been cherishing the Bible, seeking God or acting in the Holy Spirit’s power. I truly hope and pray that as the Uniting Church slips along the path of intolerant tolerance (or ‘unity in diversity’ as the Pope calls it), that many within the Uniting Church will stand for Biblical truth, refusing to tolerate such deadly false doctrines.

Cameron Russell Via email

JUNE 16 - CROSSLIGHT

Steven Ching Ballarat VIC

Puzzling response I AM puzzled on several fronts by the response of John Gunson (Letters, May Crosslight) to my ‘Ferment, Change and the Church’s Vocation’ (April Crosslight).

I am puzzled, firstly, by his suggestion that I blamed the ‘materialistic world’ for the church’s ‘failures’. Far from blaming anyone for anything or accusing the church of failure, I was giving reasons for suggesting that the church could let go of its pervasive sense of failure. What I did do was sketch some of the cultural realities which mean that the way of Jesus is now simply one option among many around which contemporary Australians freely choose to build their lives. Why should we expect that people will choose the way of Jesus if the church was more authentic in its witness? This assumption of the automatic attractiveness of Jesus is an assumption of Christendom and we must let it go.

I am puzzled, secondly, by his definition of the ‘key issue’ facing the church is its ‘failure’ to accept the ‘changed thinking’ that came with the ‘European Enlightenment’. My puzzle is that he can invest the Enlightenment with such confidence. Contemporary scholars have exposed its ideological prejudices and subject it to various levels of entirely justified suspicion. One manifestation of this is the number of contemporary thinkers who reach back behind the Enlightenment to retrieve some of Christianity’s classical ideas. Several leading atheist philosophers, Žižek and Badiou for example, find insights

in the apostle Paul of crucial contemporary significance. Public intellectuals such as Marilynne Robinson and Terry Eagleton offer incisive critiques of Enlightenment ideas and draw on pre-modern Christian theology to shape their own contributions to public discourse.

I am puzzled, thirdly, that he speaks of ‘the Enlightenment’ in the singular. It is a staple of all scholars of the modern period that there were multiple Enlightenments throughout Europe and the British Isles during the 18th and 19th centuries. There never was an ‘Enlightenment’ that was the end game for classical Christianity that it is often claimed to be. That people think there was, is simply a reflection of the success of ‘the’ Enlightenment’s own mythology.

Those who would call us back to ‘the Enlightenment’ are, I suspect, unaware how easily they are heard as actually calling us back to the 1960s when the Enlightenment (and in the 1960s it was still understood in the singular) held mainline liberal Protestants in its all-encompassing thrall. But if we are to pursue an intellectually serious dialogue with the diverse worldviews of our contemporary culture we will need to resist calls to ‘accept the Enlightenment’ and humbly take our place in our own cultural milieu whilst engaging the diverse legacies of the various European Enlightenments as they should be: as some among many of the various conversation partners we must engage as we patiently develop a contemporary Christian vision.

Geoff Thompson, Pilgrim Theological College

Good reads I WAS interested to read Bob Faser’s book review of Out of the Ordinary: Twelve Australian Methodist Biographies in the last Crosslight. Perhaps Bob had the period he was reviewing in mind (1902-1977) when he said that most scholars from a Methodist background tended to concentrate on topics of ecumenical interest rather than those of mainly ex-Methodist interest.

I totally agree with Bob’s remark that, “It is essential that we are aware of the Methodist dimension of the UCA’s heritage”. In our rush to be progressive and popular it is easy to depreciate and downsize the importance of history. Rather than ignoring or apologising for the past, we need to tell the positive story of the church’s significant contribution to the development of our State. We cannot live in the past traditions of our three churches, but if we do not respect them enough to learn what they believed and what motivated them, we have lost touch with who we really are.

I point out that last year marked the 200th anniversary of the Bible Christian Methodist movement and also the arrival of the first Wesleyan Methodist minister in Sydney. This produced a range of excellent publications.

Travis McHarg has written The Bible Christian Church in Victoria 1850-1902 and last year the SA Uniting Church Historical Society published my detailed story of the movement and how they spread into Victoria, Bible Christian Methodists in South Australia 1850- 1900, a Biography of Chapel and their people. These are significant accounts of the faith of our forefathers that should stretch us beyond mere nostalgia to equipping and projecting us into embracing the future.

Rev E A (Ted) Curnow Langwarrin, VIC

Yarra Junction history I AM part of a group researching and writing the history of Yarra Junction, a town in the Yarra Valley.

I am currently doing oral history interviews and am seeking anyone who may have attended either of these churches prior to or post amalgamation into the Uniting Church.

I am also interested in hearing from visitors to any local guest houses that attended either of the two pre union churches or the Uniting Church, or whose parents or grandparents attended, and about which you may have reminiscences either of church activities, Sunday school picnics, Sunday School anniversaries.

If anyone has photographs of any church activities or functions I would be interested in copying them too.

I can be contacted at wothomas@optusnet. com.au Warren Thomas

Chosen in the cosmos THE Hubble Space Telescope celebrated its 26th birthday on 24 April 2016. I know this event will never steal the march on the significance of Anzac day (25 April) but still, over a quarter of a century of peering into the universe deserves some mention. It was launched into space, 552 km above the Earth’s atmosphere in 1990. It has a mirror 2.4 m across and ‘observes’ invisible, near-ultraviolet and infra-red spectra. We can now see, among other extra-terrestrial bodies and activities not only in our home galaxy (the Milky Way) but also the Andromeda Galaxy, our largest galactic neighbour. Scientists are also able to discern by the light spectrum if any planet has the conditions necessary for life.

Despite two-and-a-half decades of scanning the universe, no other ‘Goldilocks’ planet with just the right conditions for life has been detected. Either the atmosphere is wrong or the temperature is wrong or the gravity is wrong or the matter-composition is wrong (many planets, like our Jupiter and Saturn are just giant balls of gas, one step and you sink right through!). The facts so far dovetail into the conclusion that we are, to put it over-simply perhaps, alone and unique. Sorry, no Klingons or Vulcans out there, just us Earthlings hurtling through space on the third rock from the sun.

If we could stand on the Hubble and look back at our big blue marble, we cannot help but realise how small we are, how lost in the endlessness of the cosmos we are… and yet at the same time how ‘chosen’ we are. A speck of life amidst an infinity of lifelessness. Many an astronaut who has seen Earth thus, has been overcome by what they realise as the design and handiwork of God. The light show extravaganza in the heavens has been there since the beginning of time.

The Hubble only gave us glasses with which to see them better. We slap ourselves on the back when we discover a super nova or two. But I wonder if we give credit where it is due. Where space, time, matter and life is concerned, the venerable Fulton J Sheen said it all when he wrote: “God is the author, scientists just the proof-readers.”

Kimmy Fam Ballarat, VIC

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Review

Finding the balance

Songs for children

Sermons with heart Family fun

REVIEW BY ROB HANKS (Youth Worker)

REVIEW BY BOB FASER

REVIEW BY GARTH JONES BOOK | BALANCING ACT: AUSTRALIA BETWEEN RECESSION AND RENEWAL | QUARTERLY ESSAY 61 | GEORGE MEGALOGENIS EXPANDING on themes briefly explored in 2015’s Australia’s Second Chance, journalist George Megalogenis returns with his second Quarterly Essay, Balancing ActAustralia Between Recession and Renewal.

On the heels of yet another myopic Federal Budget, Megalogenis’ new article looks at the need for reform in our approach to taxation, education and infrastructure projects. In particular, the petty partisan politics of recent governments are thrown into relief, highlighting egregious waste and outdated notions of Australian economic success.

Megalogenis’ gift for explaining complex economic principles in layman’s terms is in evidence in Balancing Act. Using jargon-free language and simple graphs, Megalogenis demonstrates that capitalism has left us with bloated cities, growing inequality and rogue, tax-evading corporations.

The author’s measured exasperation with the status quo is further illustrated in his meditations on our comparative prosperity in light of ongoing global economic ructions. Balancing Act challenges our political parties to abandon the outdated policies of the past and embrace a new paradigm. Specifically, Megalogenis advocates for a reconsideration of the economic balance between markets and the state.

With a lengthy federal election campaign in full swing, George Megalogenis’ latest offering is a thoughtful precis on the issues Australia confronts in the 21st century.

Essential reading for the thoughtful voter. www.quarterlyessay.com/essay/2016/02/ balancing-act

CD | I AM LOVED COMMUNITY SONGS FOR CHILDREN AND CHILDREN’S MINISTRY

I AM Loved is a crowd-funded children’s ministry music project produced by collaborators and friends, Heather Price and Alison Davies. The women were inspired by the desire for their children to know they are loved by God, valued and will always find a place within welcoming Christian communities.

What’s so brilliant about the songs on I Am Loved is the open, inclusive spirituality they reflect.

If our theology is how we speak (or sing) about God then there are plenty of songs that have been around since before we were all children that seek to serve our ministry goals. But these older songs don’t really grasp children’s worldview or the value they place on authentic relationships and being loved.

The songs fit the pattern of ‘Messy Church’ but are cleverly open to any and all children’s ministry. As well as action, energy, love, and fun, they create moments for meditation, prayer and story. There are so many events and occasions I wish these songs had been available for.

The catchy rhythms invite adults and kids, from toddlers to primary school age, to sing and move. ‘I See God in You’ and ‘You are Beautiful’ hold the central messages of the whole project. There are moments of quiet and surprises.

To quote Heather: “I am passionate about writing music that helps kids, and adults, connect to themselves in a spiritual way. I want to use modern language that helps us shake some of the difficult things that have happened within churches in the past and allows us to keep the good things that come out of being together in a community like a church – that is sharing our stories, loving unconditionally, and simply connecting with others.”

I won’t be surprised if I Am Loved brings on your ‘happy tears’!

Rob Hanks is the former coordinator of the NSW/ACT synod’s youth unit and current minister at Morisset Uniting Church in Lake Macquarie, NSW

BOOK | THE HEART OF IT ALL: SERMONS FROM ST STEPHEN’S | DAVID GILL

SINCE retiring from parish ministry, I’ve been culling my library. One area I’ve culled dramatically is my books of sermons. Examining my shelves today, I found only four volumes of sermons remaining.

One was John Wesley’s classic collection of forty-four sermons. Two of the others were

by Martin Luther King. And then there was this recently-published work, David Gill’s The Heart of It All, with sermons preached at St Stephen’s Uniting Church, Sydney, from 2010 to 2015.

Perhaps I can paraphrase the man in the beer advertisement who pops up in a variety of contexts on Facebook: “I don’t always buy books of sermons, but when I do they’re by John Wesley, Martin Luther King, or David Gill.”

These 27 sermons (only 17 fewer than Wesley’s) reflect David’s deep, lifelong commitment to the well-being of the people of God, as seen in a wide range of ecumenical and denominational leadership roles, both in Australia and overseas.

They cover the range of celebrations and observances of the Christian liturgical year, as well as such secular occasions as ‘the Kirkin’ of the Tartan’, Australia Day, and Remembrance Day. Throughout the book, these sermons challenge us to push our theological envelope, particularly in terms of ecumenical, multi-faith, social justice, and international areas of concern. To give one particular example, David’s sermon for Reformation Sunday (‘Always Being Reformed’) dramatically encourages those of us within the UCA, and similar churches, to mark 2017’s 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Reformation by declaring our intention to seek a restored and reconciled relationship of mutual communion with the Roman Catholic Church.

If you’re looking to read some sermons which combine ecumenical passion, pastoral insight, and theological wisdom, I’d recommend The Heart of It All.

REVIEW BY JAMES NEL 10 years old (with help from his mum).

MOVIE | THE ANGRY BIRDS | (G)

DO you ever feel like you don’t fit in when everyone else around you seems to be happy? Then you know how Red feels.

Red has been bullied because he’s different to the other birds on the island who live in harmony and who don’t like birds that aren’t always calm.

Red prefers to do things by himself, until he is sent for anger management classes where he meets speedy Chuck and explosive Bomb. But Red and his new friends can’t just stand by when the greedy green pigs come to steal the island birds’ eggs, and together they hatch a plan to seek the help of Mighty Eagle to save the island birds.

The Angry Birds Movie is directed by Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly and adapted for the screen by Jon Vitti from the original Angry Birds game. The voice of Red is played by Jason Sudeikis, Chuck by Josh Gad and Bomb by Danny McBride.

They find that Mighty Eagle is not quite as mighty as they imagined, so Red, Chuck and Bomb work together in their own special way to get across to the island of the greedy green pigs, and wreck their plans for a huge scrambled egg feast.

The movie showed me that just because you’re different doesn’t mean you can’t work as a team. It also reminded me to be careful of strangers until you understand their motives. And although the greedy green pigs lost the eggs this time, I don’t think they learnt their lesson.

Children from the ages of four to10 will like it. Although the movie is really about a war between birds and pigs, little children in the audience didn’t seem to be scared.

My parents thought it was a little boring and a story that would not happen in real life. I give this film a four star rating because I thought it was suspenseful, funny and I enjoyed watching it.

MediaCom.org.au. RRP: $16.50

For digital downloads or to request CDs and Music Books order from: www.heatherprice.com.au/downloads/iam-loved-album/

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CROSSLIGHT - JUNE 16

Review

Kiwi adventure with heart REVIEW BY GARTH JONES FILM | HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE | PG Sam Neill and Julian Dennison

HUNT for the Wilderpeople is New Zealand writer/director Taika Waititi’s (Eagle vs Shark) fourth feature film.

A family-oriented wilderness adventure comedy, Waititi’s latest is based on the 1996 book Wild Pork and Watercress, by eccentric Kiwi bushman-cum-author Barry Crump.

Ricky Baker (Julian Dennison) is a disgruntled tween with a long list of minor misdemeanours. Those juvenile crimes point to an imminent stay in juvenile detention, barring his final shot at foster care.

As the film opens, child welfare agent Paula

(Rachel House) and the clueless Officer Andy (Oscar Kightley) deliver Ricky to a rundown farm in New Zealand’s hill country.

It’s here that ‘gangsta culture’ worshipping Ricky meets eccentric foster ‘aunt’ Bella (Rema Te Wiata) and surly ‘uncle’ Hector Faulkner (Sam Neill, perhaps playing a variation on Crump).

Fish-out-of-water Ricky quickly assesses the enthusiastic Bella and the curmudgeonly Hector (Hec) as gullible bumpkins, and handily makes an escape bid. Sadly, Ricky has gravely overestimated his own bushcraft

Steve Thomas and Jamila Ahmadi

Price of freedom REVIEW BY TIM LAM FILM | FREEDOM STORIES | PG

REFUGEE Week, taking place in June each year, celebrates the positive contributions of refugees to Australian society. Freedom Stories is a collaborative documentary that explores the struggles and achievements of asylum seekers who arrived in Australia in 2001. Now Australian citizens, they have rebuilt their lives and are contributing to their new country.

Bayside Refugee Advocacy and Support Association hosted a screening of Freedom Stories at St John’s Uniting Church in Elsternwick on 20 May. Crosslight spoke with Freedom Stories director Steve Thomas about his motivations behind the documentary.

In 2002, Mr Thomas met refugees living at JUNE 16 - CROSSLIGHT

Woomera detention centre while filming his documentary Welcome to Woomera (2004).

He soon discovered a common humanity that challenged much of the negative labelling he encountered in the media.

“They are very much ordinary people, like us. Not the kind of threat to our security or ‘queue jumpers’ that asylum seekers tend to be presented as,” Mr Thomas said.

A decade after filming Welcome to Woomera, Mr Thomas embarked on a new project to examine what happened to the people detained at the centre.

“I wanted to cover the subject from the point-of-view of resilience – how people have remade shattered lives and managed to pick up the pieces and start again,” he said.

Mr Thomas described Freedom Stories as “a bridge between the past and the present”.

During the course of filming, it became apparent that most of the participants are still deeply affected by their experiences in detention. Because of this, he was eager to build trust with the participants and maintain a collaborative relationship with them.

“I regard my filmmaking as developing

skills, and barely makes it 200 metres from the farm.

Following Ricky’s initial attempt at emancipation, Waititi quickly sketches in a begrudging (Ricky) yet tender (Bella, less-so Hec) family bond developing.

Tragedy strikes, however, when Bella unexpectedly passes away.

Hec, inconsolable, acquiesces to welfare agent Paula’s demand that Ricky return to state care. Ricky, having grown accustomed to the freedom of rural life, stages a dramatic escape and flees into the forest.

Ricky’s wildly optimistic evaluation of his

friendships with people. As you get to know them, you can discuss things more deeply,” he said.

“People call me a director, but I think that’s a bit of a misnomer in documentary filmmaking. You’re working with other people and it has to be a collaborative exercise.”

Mr Thomas said his aim was not to produce an overtly political film. He believes such films can potentially fall into the trap of ‘preaching to the converted’. Rather, he hopes to tell a human story and, in the process, challenge people’s existing preconceptions about asylum seekers.

“Once you get it down to the human level it communicates to people, no matter what their political position is on refugees,” he said.

“I’m trying to introduce these people to Australians who might never have met refugees or asylum seekers before. Once you meet someone, it’s hard to maintain prejudices against them.”

One story that stood out to Mr Thomas was that of Amir, a refugee from Iran who now works in real estate in Sydney. Of all the participants in the film, Amir was detained the longest, but he also smiled the most. Mr Thomas explained that smiling was Amir’s way of coping with the trauma of prolonged detention.

But at one point during filming, Amir’s smile broke down and the mental scars buried deep within began to surface.

“It’s very illustrative of experiences that people have gone through and the different ways they try to live with those experiences,” Mr Thomas observed.

“Some participants have to forget in order to move on, but others never want to forget, they want to remember so they can tell their children and not take things for granted.

“It’s a film about dealing with the past. If you

own survival abilities once more leads to his apprehension by Hec. Events quickly take several unexpected, farcical turns and the mismatched duo are soon subjects of an intense nation-wide manhunt.

A throwback to family-oriented survival romps of the ’70s and ’80s, Wilderpeople focuses on the evolution of Ricky and Hec’s relationship as they evade man, beast and nature itself.

Pursued by a comically escalating ensemble of welfare agents, bumbling woodsmen and, as Ricky puts it, ‘ninjas’ (special forces soldiers), our odd couple’s warm-hearted camaraderie evolves as adversity begets forgiveness, acceptance and finally trust.

Set in the rugged Te Urewera region of New Zealand’s North Island, Hunt for the Wilderpeople also bears testament to the natural grandeur of the New Zealand landscape. Cinematographer Lachlan Milne captures the beauty and danger inherent in Ricky and Hec’s quest, providing a spectacularly vivid visual metaphor for the progression of the pair’s relationship.

Eventually, it becomes apparent that Ricky and Hector are our titular ‘Wilderpeople’, and the hunt of the title is not the authorities’, but actually the duo’s journey towards accepting one another as adopted kin.

A triumphant comedic fable, Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a big-hearted, off-kilter celluloid experience celebrating misfits, perseverance against the odds and the endearing eccentricities of families in all their forms.

can’t forget, then what do you do and how do you move ahead? It’s something we all experience, whether it’s losing a loved one or some trauma we’ve been through.”

It took Mr Thomas four years to complete Freedom Stories. During that time, Australia’s asylum seeker policies moved in a decidedly negative direction. While the participants in Freedom Stories were eventually resettled in the Australian community, the refugees currently detained on Manus Island and Nauru are trapped in a state of limbo.

“Although Freedom Stories is a story about people who came here over a decade ago, I think it’s a film that, unfortunately, is still very relevant,” Mr Thomas remarked.

“People in Manus and Nauru have been in detention for so long now that they’re starting to set themselves on fire, not because they hope the government will change its policies and accept them, but because they don’t have any hope at all.

“Those people we locked up in 2001 – all those lessons were there for us to learn. We never learnt those lessons as a nation and now we’re doing it all again.”

Freedom Stories is a reminder that refugees are no different to ordinary Australians.

They are people with hopes and aspirations.

They are artists, teachers, mechanics and lawyers.

As both major political parties continue to treat refugees as political pawns, Freedom Stories offers a glimpse into a brighter and more positive future for people seeking asylum in this country.

Visit www.freedomstoriesproject.com to find a Freedom Stories screening near you.

Congregations are also encouraged to host Freedom Stories screenings during Refugee Week (19-25 June) to celebrate the resilience and courage of refugees who now call Australia home.

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Placements MINISTRY MOVES CALLS AND APPOINTMENTS FINALISED Robin Yang, Endeavour Hills (0.5) to commence 1 June 2016

Wendy Snook, Berwick (St Andrews) to commence 1 September 2016 Jay Robinson, Koornang to commence 1 September 2016

Director of Mission UnitingCare Vic/Tas (New Agency)

Victoria and Tasmania

The New Agency was established in 2016 as the single merged entity from 26 UnitingCare agencies in Victoria and Tasmania to carry out God’s mission in the world by supporting thousands of vulnerable people.

The Director of Mission, working within the Mission and Values and strategic direction of the New Agency, will: • Support and guide the spiritual mission of the New Agency and ensure its focus on the UCA’s ethos and values. This includes advising the Executive with theological input.

• Facilitate dialogue and draw together New Agency strategy, with Christian theology and Synod priorities.

• Oversee the establishment and maintenance of effective Pastoral care services across the relevant services of the New Agency.

• Further develop links and networks across the Church, particularly with Uniting Church presbyteries, congregations and the Synod.

Obtain a position description and apply online at: www.unitingcaresynod.mhr.com.au/searchjobs.asp Applications close 16 July 2016 The UCA is proud to be an inclusive employer.

The UCA is committed to keeping children safe.

A willingness to work within the ethos of the Uniting Church in Australia is essential.

Appointment is subject to a satisfactory criminal history check.

THE UNITING CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA’S

national young adult leaders conference

8-13 JULY 2016

GOLD COAST CHRISTIAN YOUTH CAMPS BURLEIGH HEADS

Come as you are.

Live as God’s people.

Connect, renew, grow.

Be community.

NYALC is for developing leaders, aged 18-30ish, of all cultural groups within the Uniting Church in Australia.

THE NATIONAL YOUNG ADULT LEADERS CONFERENCE IS AN ACTIVITY OF THE UNITING UNTING CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA ASSEMBLY. HOSTED BY STUART MC MILLAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UCA AND DENNIS COROWA, CHAIR OF THE UNITING ABORIGINAL AND ISLANDER CHRISTIAN CONGRESS.

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Learning about leadership and discipleship with other Enthusiastic young adults about how to take Action within our circles of influence. Appreciating our Differences in culture, experiences and strengths to become Effective disciples of Christ who are Ready to be people of influence, because we have been Strengthened empowered, encouraged, supported, appreciated and loved by our Uniting Church in Australia.

Contact Tom Kerr 0407 698 835 National Faith Development Consultant Youth and Young Adults AN ACTIVITY OF THE UNITING CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA ASSEMBLY

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www.nyalc.org.au tomk@nat.uca.org.au

Fiona Winn, Armadale (0.7) to commence 1 July 2016 Ian Turnnidge, Cowes (St Johns) –San Remo to commence 1 July 2016

RECOGNITION WITHDRAWN Peter Davey, recognition withdrawn Reg 2.10.3(a) 17 March 2016

CURRENT AND PENDING PLACEMENT VACANCIES AS AT 23 MAY 2016 PRESBYTERY OF GIPPSLAND Mitchell River – Paynesville (0.6) Orbost Presbytery of Gippsland Growth Corridor Minister (0.5)(P) Traralgon District

PRESBYTERY OF TASMANIA West Coast Circular Head**

PRESBYTERY OF LODDON MALLEE Dunolly (0.5) (P) Maryborough (0.75) Mobile Ministry (P) North Central Living Waters (Birchip, Donald, St Arnaud, Wycheproof) (P) Presbytery Minister – Administration Sunraysia (0.5) and Robinvale (0.5) (P) Tyrell**

PRESBYTERY OF YARRA YARRA Diamond Valley (0.8) (P) EACH Mental Health Ministries Eltham – Montmorency (0.5) (3 year term)** Melbourne (St Michaels) Ringwood North Tecoma (0.6) Uniting AgeWell Condare Court, Girrawheen and Tanderra (0.5)

PRESBYTERY OF NORTH EAST VICTORIA Mansfield (0.3) Rutherglen (Rutherglen/ChilternCorowa-Howlong) (0.5) Wodonga (St Stephens)

SYNOD Ethical Standards Officer Hopkins Region Prisons and MRC Chaplain (0.6) (P) New Agency – Director of Mission**

PRESBYTERY OF PORT PHILLIP EAST Beaumaris (0.6)** Brighton (Trinity) Narre Warren North (0.7) (P) Noble Park (St Columbas) (0.5) Presbytery Minister – Mission and Education St Kilda Parish Mission PRESBYTERY OF PORT PHILLIP WEST Geelong St Albans – St Andrews Glenroy, Pascoe Vale, Pascoe Vale South (0.5) Hoppers Crossing Lara (0.6)** Macedon Ranges Partnership – Pastoral Care (P)

PRESBYTERY OF WESTERN VIC Wendouree (0.5)

** These placements have not yet lodged a profile with the Placements Committee, therefore they are not yet in conversation with any minister.

There is no guarantee that the placement will be listed within the next month.

(P) These placements are listed as also being suitable for a Pastor under Regulations 2.3.3 (a)(ii).

A person may offer to serve the church in an approved placement through a written application to the Synod.

Further information on these vacancies may be obtained from the Secretary of the Placements Committee: Ms Isabel Thomas Dobson. Email: placements.secretary@victas.uca.org.au Formal expressions of interest should be put in writing to Isabel.

Position vacant Part-time minister Toorak Uniting Church Toorak Uniting Church is seeking a Uniting Church minister for a casual 0.2 position to assist the Minister in Placement. While payment will be based on UCA stipend and allowances this is a contract position. The person needs skills in pastoral care, outreach, worship leadership and must be registered to perform marriages in Victoria.

Applications will be confidential.

Contact: Rev Dr Christopher Page for more information: cpage@netspace.net.au CROSSLIGHT - JUNE 16

Notices COMING EVENTS ART OF STORY 2016 THURSDAYS, 16TH, 23RD JUNE AND 14TH JULY, 9.30AM – 3.30PM, 28TH JULY 6.30 – 9.30PM The Centre for Theology & Ministry, 29 College Cres, Parkville, 3052 Discover the beauty and power of engaging listeners with stories that speak.

If storytelling calls to you, Art of Story will help you find your voice. Christina Rowntree and Julie Perrin will lead the course, engaging you in a learning environment that is both supportive and challenging.

Contact Christina on P: 03 9340 8815, E: info@ctm.uca.edu.au or www.ctm.uca.edu.au/ctm/events FRIENDS OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA AND THE SOLOMON ISLANDS MEETINGS: SATURDAY, 25TH JUNE AND 22ND OCTOBER AT 12PM TO 4.30PM St. Andrews Uniting Church, Cnr. Malvern & Burke Roads, Gardiner.

Melways: P.59, H7 This group brings together people who have lived or worked in these countries, to allow for sharing of common interests, updating on current developments, and provision of practical support. For more information: Contact Margaret White P: 03 9889 7345 or Don Cracknell P: 03 5623 6058

OPEN DAY, CROYDON NORTH UNITING CHURCH/GIFFORD VILLAGE SATURDAY, 9TH JULY, 1PM – 5PM. Croydon North Uniting Church, 387–389 Maroondah Highway, Croydon North.

Come along to see our art studio, try some sketching, music recital, afternoon tea, displays, photo library and kids’ activities – all welcome! For enquiries contact Pastor Margaret Pohlmann P: 0411 809 569 or Jane Davoren, UnitingCare Harrison on P: 03 9871 8701 or E: jane.davoren@harrison.org.au 60th ANNIVERSARY OF WORSHIP AT DANDENONG NORTH UNITING CHURCH SUNDAY, 31ST JULY 2016, 2.30 PM Corner Birch & Holly Avenue, Dandenong North, 3175.

Thanksgiving Service, followed by High Tea and a time of fellowship. All past members and clergy are warmly invited to attend.

RSVP to Margaret Swaby, Secretary on E: samaswaby@bigpond.com or P: 03 9707 0631.

Presbytery Minister, Mission and Education (2 year term) Presbytery of Port Phillip East Expressions of interest are invited for a full-time two-year ministry placement in the Presbytery of Port Phillip East to commence ASAP. This interim ministry role is to advance, empower and implement strategy development in collaboration with the Presbytery Standing Committee and other Presbytery ministry colleagues. Strong personal faith, CALD and intercultural engagement, proven project implementation skills and team ministry are essential.

Inquiries can be made to the Secretary of the Placements Committee of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania at placements.secretary@victas.uca.org.au Applications close Friday 22 July 2016.

Assistant Organist Wanted North Balwyn Uniting Church Is seeking an experienced or student assistant organist.

We have an enthusiastic singing congregation led by a fine 3-manuel pipe organ and a choir of 10 – 12.

Music ministry is an essential part of our worship services.

Free tuition by our experienced organist available.

We welcome enquiries to the Music Director, Bruce Steele – mail@nbuc.org.au, 9817 2151.

JUNE 16 - CROSSLIGHT

SOCIAL JUSTICE LUNCH SUNDAY, 7TH AUGUST 2016, 12 FOR 12.30PM St John’s Uniting Church, 567 Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick.

Speaker - Daniel Webb: human rights advocate on the Immoral Detention of Refugees. Cost is $25 per person.

Contact P: 03 9530 0684 or E: janeoldfield@netspace.net.au THE SYCAMORE TREE COFFEE SHOP 30th BIRTHDAY CHURCH SERVICE AND CELEBRATION LUNCH SUNDAY, 21ST AUGUST 2016 Service from 11am – 12 noon at Scots Church, 187 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg, and Lunch from 12.15pm - 2.30pm at The Sycamore Tree Coffee Shop and Drop In Centre.

The Sycamore Tree Coffee Shop is the outreach of the Heidelberg/East Ivanhoe Uniting Church. It has been open to the community offering hospitality for 30 years since 1986. All are welcome to join in the celebrations. RSVP and queries to P: 03 9458 4279 or E: sycamoretreecafe185@gmail.com GOD IN THE MARGINS Rev Dr Ji Zhang FRIDAY TO SUNDAY, 12th – 14th August Hamilton Uniting Church, 152 Beaumont Street, Hamilton, VIC. Sponsored by Henty Region.

Further details can be obtained from Elaine Edwards P: 03 5572 4627 or M: 0411 404 189 or on E: elaine1747@gmail.com EXCLUSION AND EMBRACE Don’t miss Early Bird discount!

Register before 17 June for Exclusion and Embrace conference 21-23 August in Melbourne to take advantage of our Early Bird offer. Multi-faith conference exploring relationship between spirituality and disability. International and national guest speakers, art exhibition and personal stories. Contact Ann Byrne P: 03 9251 5405 http://exclusionandembrace.melbourne/ 140th ANNIVERSARY OF ST KILDA UNITING CHURCH PARISH MISSION St Kilda Uniting Church Parish Mission will be celebrating the 140th Anniversary of the Balaclava Church on 21st May 2017. A detailed history is currently being written. Queries, photographs and reminiscences most welcome.

Please contact Maureen Walker on P: 03 9534 1966 E: maureenwalker5@bigpond.com THE HISTORY OF SURREY HILLS UNITING CHURCH is in the final stages of editing. Persons interested in purchasing a copy are invited to communicate with the editor Graham Beanland on E: beanlandgh@optusnet.com.au to reserve a copy. The book will be 125 pages in full colour and costs $30 plus postage. Launch details to follow.

CORRECTION In the May issue of Crosslight, the article ‘CTM offers a helping hand to farmers’ incorrectly stated that the Centre for Theology and Ministry offers a farm bursary. This is incorrect. CTM do not offer the bursary, they administer the bursary. We apologise for any confusion.

WOMEN’S ORDINATION BOOK In the 1820s, Congregational women could not speak in church. By the 1880s they ran their own meetings and by the 1920s they were ordained to positions of Congregational ministry, missionary service or theological education. This is their story. Rev Dr Julia Pitman’s new book, Our principle of sex equality: the ordination of women in the Congregational Church in Australia, 1927-1977 is available now for $39.95 from the Resource Room, Centre for Theology and Ministry, P:03 9340 8800, or Mediacom, P:1800 811 311, or online at www.mediacom.org.au.

THE HUB IS OPEN TUESDAY AND THURSDAY 10AM - 2PM, AND WEDNESDAY 10AM - 12NOON Glen Waverley Uniting Church, corner Bogong Avenue and Kingsway.

The Hub at Glen Waverley Uniting Church is a welcoming and friendly meeting place for people needing company, a cuppa and a biscuit to relax in a busy day or to practise speaking in English in an informal setting.

People of all ages are welcome.

CLASSIFIEDS CALOUNDRA, Sunshine Coast, Queensland: Beachside units, from $400/ wk. For details contact Ray P: 0427 990 161 E: rayandjean@hotmail.com CAPE WOOLAMAI, Summerhays Cottage. Sleeps 3. Tranquil garden.

Stroll to beach. Discount for UCA members. Ring Doug or Ina P: 0403 133 710. www.summerhayscottage.com.au GRAMPIANS WORSHIP, When visiting The Grampians, join the Pomonal Community Uniting Church congregation for worship each Sunday at 10.00am.

LORNE: Spacious apartment, breathtaking ocean view, open fire, peaceful, secluded, affordable.

P: 03 5289 2698.

PSYCHOLOGIST: Sue Tansey, BA (Hons), MPsych (Counselling) MAPS. Individual and relationship counselling. Bulk billing for clients who have a referral from their GP and have a low income. St Kilda. P: 0418 537 342.

E: suetansey@yahoo.com QUALIFIED CHRISTIAN PAINTER: Handy-man, interior/exterior work, available outer eastern suburbs.

P: 03 9725 6417.

SENIORS’ SPECIAL: Enjoy a break in luxury surroundings.

Three days and three nights, dinner, bed and breakfast for $450 per couple (including GST).

Jindivick Gardens. P: 03 5628 5319.

WANTED TO BUY: Antiques, second-hand/retro furniture, bric-a-brac and collectables. Single items or whole house lots. Genuine buyer – contact Kevin P: 0408 969 920.

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People A celebration of ministry A LARGE crowd gathered at Castlemaine Uniting Church recently to celebrate 50 years since Rev Adrian Pegler was ordained as a minister of the Presbyterian and then Uniting Church.

His time in ministry included placements at churches in Melbourne, Tongala, Yarram, Bendigo West, Romsey-Lancefield and Alexandra.

Mr Pegler recalled arriving at his first parish as a young minister and being asked “You’re tall. Are you a ruckman?” He declined the footy offer but served the local cricket team as a slow bowler.

Since retiring from full time ministry in 2004, Mr Pegler has conducted occasional worship in the Castlemaine and Bendigo districts and continues a long association with the interdenominational school,

Braemar College, at Woodend.

“It is important to be useful and I trust I can remain so,” he said.

Mr Pegler said he had been magnificently supported during his time in ministry by his wife Alison.

“The underlying guide to my ministry has been to point the way to Jesus Christ as the source of inspiration for people to lead fulfilling lives,” Mr Pegler said.

“Sadly the church has let itself be identified far too much with negativity; the ‘thou shalt nots’.

“A negative image is the last thing we want to project to the community around us.”

Mr Pegler said he had a strong commitment to what he described as radical monotheism.

“If we believe there is but one God, the creator of all things, then there should be no enmity between religions, faiths, races and societies,” he said.

“There would be no reason for any form of terrorism and all people with wealth in abundance would be inspired to share with those in need giving everyone the chance to develop their abilities.”

On track for friendship MEN’S SHEDS are a common sight at many Uniting Churches. Warragul Uniting Church has added a unique spin to the popular tradition with the Warragul Train Shed.

The centrepiece of the train shed is a model railway set built by a former member of the congregation, Don Breeden. When Don passed away in 2013, his wife June donated the railway to his friends at the church.

Members of the Warragul Train Shed now meet every Wednesday night. The men enjoy each other’s company while they work on the extensive model railway. The shed is also decorated with vintage train merchandise, including magazines, books, artwork and old steam train videos.

Tony Carson is a member of Warragul Uniting Church and a regular at the train shed.

“What I enjoy most is the interaction between everybody,” Mr Carson said.

“Not everyone is interested in trains. People come up here to have a yarn and provide

Alison and Adrian Pegler

Students speak up on justice “IF you had to leave home for fear of being killed, what would you take with you?”

This was the question asked by Mohammed Isah, from Lentara Uniting Care, when he spoke to 50 school students from Uniting Church schools. One of the responses was, “a passport”.

“Unfortunately,” Mohammed said, “many people fleeing their homes do not have a chance to make these sorts of decisions.”

The students spent the day putting themselves in the shoes of people seeking asylum – what they go through to get to Australia and what happens once they are here.

The day was organised by the Justice and International Mission unit, the synod’s schools project worker and Uniting Youth Ministries. It is part of a broader three-day program which brings together hundreds of students from Uniting Church schools who are passionate about social justice.

After learning, discussing and reflecting on the policies that govern Australia’s approach to people seeking asylum in Australia, the students were keen to see a change.

One of the students said: “Today I learnt that being young is not a barrier to making a difference.” Another said, “Social justice situations can be complex, but affect each and every one of us.”

Many students were surprised to learn that “the Uniting Church gathers to discuss important issues,” and concluded that the Church does “lots” to help people seeking asylum.

Wesley College students Claudia McSwain and Emily Hill. Pic credit: Kaylea Fearn (Wesley College)

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some pastoral care.

“We have a chit-chat and joke about whatever we want to talk about. Most of the talk is not about railways.”

The train shed also offers an opportunity for the men to use their carpentry skills.

Some members create miniature models for the railway, while others have helped to recarpet the shed. Recently, the group received a $2000 grant from RACV to insulate the walls, which will provide much-needed warmth during winter.

Bill Hall is an electrician by trade and helped install the wiring on the railway.

“There are a couple of retired or semiretired farmers here,” Mr Hall said.

“I am only a newcomer so I enjoy talking to people who have lived here a lot longer than I have.”

Mr Carson said the train shed would not have been possible without the generosity of the Breeden family. Don’s legacy ensures his friends will continue to have a space to gather and enjoy each other’s company. There is a plaque, named ‘DON’S EXPRESSion’, located on the side of the model railway in memory of Don.

All aboard for friendship and fellowship at the train shed.

Commitment to safety BRUNSWICK Uniting Church recently became the latest church to be presented with the Safe Church Recognition program certificate. Former-moderator Dan Wootton joined the congregation for worship to celebrate the achievement, which came after two years of work by a group of dedicated members.

The group facilitated Safe Church training and developed a Code of Conduct for all volunteers. Recognising the church’s duty of care should extend to all vulnerable people (children and adults); they refer to the program as a Culture of Safety.

Congregation secretary Saide Cameron said achieving Safe Church recognition was an important milestone for those involved in the program.

“Our congregation is wonderfully diverse

with close to 400 people on our rolls and includes at least 80 children ranging from babies to 17 years old,” Saide said.

“We are passionately committed to caring for people from all walks of life through our Olive Way Outreach program and relationship with the Asylum Seeker Welcome Centre.”

During his sermon, Rev Ian Ferguson recognised the importance of ensuring the church is a safe place for all.

“Today in our service we focus on one particular stand we are called to take as the Uniting Church, the whole church, in light of the Royal Commission into Institutionalised Child Abuse… Jesus calls us saying stand up, stand up against abuse in all its forms… Stand with the vulnerable, the abused.”

In presenting the certificate Mr Wootton said: “Displaying the certificate sends a message to children, parents and the community that this is a safe church to worship and enjoy each other’s company.”

Dan Wootton (Former moderator), Shawn Whelan (Church Council Chair), Anita Brown-Major (Children, Youth and Young Adult Committee member), Julie Perrin (Children & Youth Co-ordinator), Helen Rowe (Safe Church Contact), Leanne Salau (Olive Way volunteer)

CROSSLIGHT - JUNE 16

Moderator’s column It is written I AM writing this in an inbetween time. I have finished my placement at the CTM and am awaiting my installation as moderator. I am in a time of learning and preparation and my mind and heart are pondering what it might mean to be moderator for the next three years.

Over the last few months I have often been asked how I am feeling about becoming moderator. When I say ‘I am looking forward to it’ many people express surprise. There seems to be an expectation amongst some that because we know we have some hard decisions ahead in the life of our Uniting Church, I would anticipate my term as moderator more with dread than joy.

But that is not the case. I am not naive, I know that there will be hard times, moments of darkness, situations where I feel out of my depth, times when I will weep for the Church and for what we have done as church.

But still I am full of joy and hope. I am looking forward to being moderator even knowing this. I know in those times God will meet me and sustain me, God will make known to me grace and blessing, including the blessing of many wonderful people who are praying for me. And because I think there is much to be joyful about.

So what fills me with joyful anticipation?

One of the things that I am looking forward to is being able to visit a diversity of people, communities, agencies and schools across the life of the Uniting

Church in Victoria and Tasmania and engage in conversations about things that matter.

I once heard about a scheme in a Scandinavian country (I can’t remember which one) where you could go to the library and borrow not a book but a person. In the hour allocated the borrower was encouraged to have a conversation that expanded their horizons, opened them up to new insights and help them gain new perspective through conversation with another. I anticipate my visiting across synod will be like being able to borrow many, many people. It will enrich my faith, sustain my spirit and enlarge my sense of how God is at work in our midst.

I am so much looking forward to many encounters with others, to hear stories of the life of the Uniting Church in this synod, to listen to how you follow Christ,

how your faith is grown and nurtured and how you build others up in faith. I am excited to see the diversity of the church which, in a strange way, reminds us of our unity in Christ.

I am looking forward to seeing and hearing how we are engaged in acts of justice and mercy and compassion, joining ourselves to the reign of God, which longs for all of creation to be made whole. I am also hoping to share some of these stories across the church, through this column, on social media and in person, that we might inspire

and encourage each other with the new things God is doing as well as witness to the many ways God’s grace is helping us to lay down those things that must end. I expect to see signs of ending and of green shoots and flourishing life.

I am persuaded that conversations about faith and theology, prayer and spirit are vital for the life of our synod. I look forward to having such conversations in the various meetings I’m part of, in pastoral encounters, in gatherings and in the stories we tell each other in person and online. I look forward to hearing about the conversations you are having about ministry and mission. I look forward to conversations about our new Vision and Mission Principles and how they help to provide a framework for our being and doing as the Uniting Church in this synod. I look forward to conversations that matter.

I come to the role of moderator full of hope because God is with us, God’s Spirit surrounds us. I hope not in my own strength or capacity but in the promise of God that we are made competent for ministry and mission in this time because God has written into our hearts all that we need; life-giving hope, saving grace, enduring comfort.

We simply need to be witnesses to what God has written in us, to tell each other and those we encounter in our daily lives of how God has written in each of us, in creation, in the world, justice, salvation, love and joy.

Sharon Hollis Moderator

Giving is living The price of cotton TIM LAM

THE central-Asian country of Uzbekistan is one of the largest exporters of cotton in the world. However, much of their cotton is made from child and forced labour.

This cotton finds its way to garment factories and suppliers and eventually into Australian shops.

The Uzbek government forces more than a million adults and children to plant and harvest cotton every year. Many of these workers endure unsafe working conditions and often face threats of violence and penalties if they do not comply.

Uzbekistan is one of the few countries in the world where forced labour is systematically organised by the state. The government shuts down schools and public offices during harvest season and enlists young people, teachers and civil servants to pick cotton. This exacts a significant economic toll on the workers, who often do not earn enough to cover the costs of leaving employment.

Activists who campaign against forced labour face severe repercussions.

JUNE 16 - CROSSLIGHT

According to the Uzbek-German Forum’s 2015 World Harvest Report, human rights advocates are frequently targeted by the Uzbek government.

“The government unleashed an unprecedented campaign of harassment and persecution against independent monitors to attempt to cover up its use of forced labour while taking pains to make widespread, massive forced mobilisation appear voluntary,” the report said.

“A powerful climate of fear pervaded the harvest season and facilitated the government’s forced mobilisation of workers.

“Nearly everyone we spoke with during the season indicated that they were directly threatened or understood implicit threats if they refused to pick cotton, most crucially that they would lose their jobs.”

The synod’s Justice and International Mission (JIM) unit is part of the International Cotton Campaign, a global coalition dedicated to eradicating child and forced labour in cotton production.

Last year, the JIM unit asked the Super Retail Group, owner of brands such as Rebel and Ray’s Outdoors, to take action to ensure their products are not sourced from Uzbek cotton. Uniting Church members wrote letters and sent emails and postcards to the Super Retail Group.

The public advocacy has led to the Super Retail Group signing the Cotton Pledge, which publicly affirms their commitment to not use Uzbek cotton in their products.

GIVING

is

LIVING This positive step will add further pressure on the Uzbek government to abide by international regulations.

More than 240 companies have now signed the pledge, including adidas, Levi Strauss, Target, Cotton On, Myer and Kmart. The global pressure is having an impact with the International Labour Organization (ILO) reporting a decrease in the number of children sent to the cotton fields.

However, the exploitation of adult workers remains an ongoing issue. The Uzbek-German Forum said that public

service organisations such as schools and hospitals are sending up to 60 per cent of their staff to work on the cotton fields during the harvest period. This is not only an infringement of human rights, but also affects essential services throughout Uzbekistan.

The JIM unit will continue to encourage Australian companies to eliminate slave labour and human trafficking from their supply chains. You can follow their campaign updates at: www.justact.org.au/ 23

Synod Snaps

“Above all, life for a photographer cannot be a matter of indifference.”

- Robert Frank

Six congregations and faith communities gathered in Mountview Uniting Church in Mitcham for a multicultural, multilingual Pentecost service.

Croydon North Uniting Church and Gifford Village Community Centre received a visit from David Hodgett, State Member for Croydon. Left to right: Pastor Margaret Pohlmann, Ann Smith, Sharon Wolstenholme (Acting CEO UnitingCare Harrison), David Hodgett and Ted Smith.

Members from Western Heights Uniting Church set up a meditative Walking Circle at Ocean Grove. It was part of Mountain to Mouth 2016, an 80km arts walk that explores the Geelong region.

Rev Evelyn Payne (left) with Jan Semmens (right) blessed the opening of a Drop In Centre/ Second Hand Bookshop established by members of the Sunbury Uniting Church.

Final working bee at Mulgrave Uniting Church before the Indonesian congregation moved to their new home at St Andrew’s Gardiner Uniting Church.

Seeking photos for the 2017 calendar

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GIVING

LIVING

Is your congregation involved in life-changing initiatives?

The Commission for Mission is looking for photos for the 2017 Giving is Living calendar. The photos will showcase how the Uniting Church is involved in changing lives.

Photos should be high quality (recommended dimensions 3000x2000 pixels and 300DPI) and accompanied by a caption. Each person featured in the photo must complete a permission form, which can be downloaded from this link: bit.ly/Calendar2017 Send your photos and permission forms to David Wang at david.wang@victas.uca.org.au by August 1.

Find us at uca.victas.org.au

ucavictas

ucavictas

UnitingCare - A new vision

New Structure for Uniting Care UNITINGCARE will create one of the largest community service organisations operating in Victoria and Tasmania under a new single governance structure aimed at strengthening its ability to support people in need throughout the two states.

It comes after a decision – based on the work of the Major Strategic Review (MSR)

– by the Uniting Church’s Synod Standing Committee (SSC) last year to establish a single skills-based Agency Board.

Currently, the agencies and Wesley Mission Victoria are all governed by individual boards.

The Board will govern 17 UnitingCare agencies and Wesley Mission Victoria

(WMV) supported by regional advisory committees, local support groups and clinical governance committees.

Alternative models of support are being considered for smaller agencies. A model of support for congregations and presbyteries currently providing local or regional community services will also be developed.

New Agency Board

Mission Committee

Finance Committee

Audit and Risk Management Committee

Quality and Clinical Governance Committee

Community Engagement Committee

Clinical Advisory Committees

Regional Advisory Committees

Local support Groups

Changes build on existing reputation

Review calls for change

The new board

A clear foundation in mission

Project Control Group (PCG) chair Bob Hodges said the new governance structure would build on UnitingCare’s reputation as leaders of the provision of high quality community services across both states.

“It will make the work of client-facing staff more effective by creating a structure that helps them to share ideas and learn from the innovative work currently being undertaken throughout the organisation,” Mr Hodges said.

UnitingCare agencies and WMV operate in metropolitan, regional and remote parts of Victoria and Tasmania offering a broad range of services and advocacy to support thousands of vulnerable people.

With a combined annual budget of approximately $240 million, 3,500 staff and 4,000 volunteers, UnitingCare and WMV’s services include emergency relief, financial counselling, housing and homelessness services, employment services, early childhood services, child, youth and family services, disability services, mental health services, non-residential aged care, alcohol and other drugs services and Lifeline.

Under the new governance and top-level organisation structure, the direct reports to the Chief Executive Officer will be a Director of Mission, Regional Service Delivery, Executive General ManagerPrograms, Chief Financial Officer (including shared services), Executive General Manager-People and Culture, Transition and Integration Manager and Fundraising and Partnerships Manager.

It is anticipated that the CEO and senior executive positions relating to at least the program delivery and financial management will be in place at the date of handover. Following handover of governance, it will be business as usual for all agencies with CEOs reporting into the new executive structure.

“UnitingCare employs committed and experienced professionals who work across a wide range of service streams. Sharing knowledge more widely throughout the UCVT network will clearly lead to the development of innovative solutions which can only benefit the client base as a whole,” Mr Hodges said.

The MSR observed that recent changes in the Australian community services sector were consistent with the international experiences in the United Kingdom and New Zealand and required a change in approach from the Synod.

“There are new entrants from the ‘for profit’ sector into community services delivery, with more predicted. These new ‘for profit’ service providers will invest in efficiencies, effectiveness and marketing and introduce the sector to innovative service models,” the review stated.

“This change does not mean that the Uniting Church should not have a strong presence in the community services sector.

It does mean, however, that the UCA’s community service agencies must seek to match this innovation, whilst articulating their unique value and history to funders and to the people they serves.

“There are sound theological and missional reasons to continue to undertake community services work. However the agencies will need to adapt and refocus in a coordinated and intentional way, which will require a change to the way in which the Synod relates to its network of community service agencies.”

The new single Agency Board will assume governance after funders have formally agreed to service contracts continuing under the proposed new structure. This is expected to occur before the end of the year.

The Board will have up to 11 members including the Chief Executive Officer as an executive director.

Existing boards will be encouraged to remain in place to assist with the transition to the new governance structure.

“We would like to continue to work alongside our current boards that will play an invaluable role in providing input and advice to the new Agency Board,” Mr Hodges said.

“On the day of handover, there will be no change to the work that each agency is delivering in local communities. The same people will provide the same services to the same clients at the same locations they are at today.”

Mr Hodges said major funders had been notified of the proposed changes.

“Our largest funder is the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services and we are working closely in partnership with them to provide the information they require.”

Mr Hodges stressed the new Agency will have a clear foundation in mission.

“UnitingCare embodies the Church’s ethos of compassion and care for the vulnerable within our communities.

“An Aspirational Statement that outlines the vision and objectives of the new Agency will support this. The appointment of a Director of Mission will ensure a comprehensive approach to the Agency’s activities and relationships.”

One of the attributes of UnitingCare is its strong connection to community, particularly the valued work of volunteers.

The Board will retain and strengthen these connections.

“It will build on the legacy and strengths of the Uniting Church expressing its mission in community services,” Mr Hodges said.

“This work had its beginnings within congregations, missions and communities and is now represented in formally constituted agencies with professional staff and significant levels of government funding.

“Enhancing our capacity to be competitive while remaining true to our mission in and beyond the market is our fundamental challenge in the context of securing the right outcomes for those we seek to serve.”

SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE - CROSSLIGHT

UnitingCare Board

Regional service delivery

Secretariat

Chief executive officer

Director of Mission

EGM programs

EGM people and culture

Transition and integration manager

Fundraising and partnership manager

CFO (incl Shared Services)

Service Agreements

Top Level Organisational Structure 1

UnitingCare - A new vision Bronwyn Pike to chair new Board

FORMER Victorian Health Minister – and lifelong Uniting Church member – Bronwyn Pike is adamant that the time is right for the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania to consolidate its community services under a single Agency Board.

Ms Pike, who will chair the new Board, said UnitingCare agencies had done a

tremendous job in catering to the needs of their local communities for many years.

But the welfare sector has experienced massive changes of late, so the multiagency model no longer meets increasing and changing needs.

Ms Pike warned that in the current environment it is likely that very small agencies – both those connected with the Church and other churches or not-forprofits in general – would struggle to stay afloat.

“This change is something that I believe is going to be really beneficial to people (both staff and clients) and not something that is detrimental.

“Funding and the policy environment has changed dramatically, and will continue to change,” she said.

“Agencies are operating in a more competitive environment and need the economies of scale to manage the financial challenges. They need the collaboration that a big organisation can create to be able to continue to afford to provide services.

“The other change is the recognition that the clients need a more sophisticated and individualised service response. It’s much easier to create that with a bigger organisation and a bigger resource base,

Effective care At its June 2015 meeting, the Synod Standing Committee (SSC) approved a new strategic direction for the UnitingCare agency network.

Following a comprehensive review of operations by the Synod Major Strategic Review team, the SSC resolved to: • Affirm an ongoing role of the Uniting Church in community service delivery in Victoria and Tasmania as an expression of Christian care and compassion and of God’s mission in the world; and • Establish a single governance body which reports directly to the Synod Standing Committee. The governance body will oversee service delivery and support functions for community services provided in the name of the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania.

The SSC resolution acknowledged the importance of developing a clear ethos and culture of practice for Uniting Church community services within Victoria and Tasmania.

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rather than each small agency struggling with these changes on their own.

“Without some of these changes, small services are extremely vulnerable. I encourage people to think about the new opportunities that come with having a bigger resource base and a bigger organisation, rather than a situation where your opportunities are getting narrowed, not expanded.”

Ms Pike comes to the role with extensive experience as a business leader, board director, Victorian State Government minister, social justice advocate and teacher.

She is a principal consultant with BizConsult, where she provides strategic planning, executive mentoring and NonGovernment Organisation support.

Ms Pike is a Board member and chair of Western Health and Renewal SA, president of the Australian College of Educators, chair of the advisory committee for the RMIT Centre for Urban Research and a Board member of Uniting (the UnitingCare equivalent in NSW/ACT), as well as being a former Board member of Wesley Mission Victoria.

Prior to these roles, Ms Pike was the state member for Melbourne and Victorian

Minister for Housing, Aged Care, Community Services, Health, Education, Skills and Workforce Participation.

Before entering parliament in 1999, Ms Pike was the director of Uniting Church welfare programs in Victoria, which provided children, youth, family and aged care services as well as social justice advocacy.

Ms Pike said the existing agency boards and CEOs would play a vital role in the transition phase of the project.

“If you don’t try and bring people along on the journey, and listen to their wisdom and expertise, then the task is just so much harder. It’s absolutely critical that we continue listening and consulting, but also, acting decisively when that’s required.

“The Synod has made a decision (about a single Agency Board) based on strong research and evidence. How it happens is absolutely dependent on communication, consultation and engagement with the parties who are involved, and with the broader church.”

Ms Pike said the single Agency Board concept was one she had supported for many years.

“I was always hopeful that the UnitingCare agencies in Victoria and Tasmania would

Directly governed agencies (18)

Still under consideration (8)

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • •

UnitingCare Ballarat UnitingCare Bendigo UnitingCare Connections UnitingCare Geelong UnitingCare Goulburn North East UnitingCare Gippsland UnitingCare Harrison Kildonan UnitingCare UnitingCare LifeAssist Lentara UnitingCare Prahran Mission UnitingCare ReGen UnitingCare Tasmania Wesley Mission Victoria UnitingCare Wimmera Werribee Support and Housing Wodonga UnitingCare Creative Ministries Network

• • • •

Church of All Nations Heatherlie Homes Hotham Mission Endeavour Hills UnitingCare Neighbourhood Centre John Macrae Centre East Burwood UnitingCare Centre Southport UnitingCare Wesley Centre for Life Enrichment

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UnitingCare - A new vision come together, because I had seen how useful that had been in the other states,” she said.

Ms Pike stressed that such change by its nature was more evolutionary than revolutionary, although she was confident the process could proceed rapidly.

“With strong leadership from the existing agencies the process will be quicker than people realise.

“I’ve seen sometimes quite difficult arrangements actually gel really quickly if people feel included and can see benefit. I hope that we can have some really quick wins that help people to see the mutual benefit of being together.”

Becoming a bigger organisation means easier access to more resources for things such as research, policy, advocacy, professional development and career opportunities.

Ms Pike said she was proud of the fact community service was very much in the DNA of the church.

“One of the things that has really pleased me about this whole process is the fact that the church has said this work is integral to our mission and service. It’s part of who we are and not separate to who we are.

“There is experience and insight in the

agencies that can offer huge benefits to the congregations as they seek to live out their faith in their local communities, and vice versa.

“This is an opportunity for the church to seek out new areas of human need – as we are called to do as a church.

“The coming together of the agencies and the congregations can really make that happen because each has strengths.”

Ms Pike said the work and role of agencies would not change on the day of handover to the new Board, and neither should it.

“The contracts and the service delivery aspect of everybody’s work has to go on, because we are meeting a real need, and people are still going to be turning up at the door on day one wanting our services, be that drug and alcohol services, child and family support services, child protection, out of home care or disability services.

“All of these things don’t stop just because we change our arrangements and that is where the focus needs to remain throughout the transition.

“Our clear focus is on meeting the needs of our clients, because if we do that, I believe other things will begin to take care of themselves.”

New board appointees named Robyn Batten

THE Synod Standing Committee (SSC) has confirmed the appointment of seven members of the new single Agency Board, joining the chair Bronwyn Pike.

They are Robyn Batten, Mark Heintz, Phil Morris, Sue Norman, Peter Prasser, Rev Allan Thompson and Heather Watson.

Robyn Batten Throughout the past nine years Robyn has held leadership positions in some of the UCA’s largest community and aged care agencies. These include the executive director of Uniting Aged Care (Vic/Tas), the executive director of Blue Care and, simultaneously, the executive director of Australian Regional and Remote Community Services (ARRCS).

Prior to her work with UCA services, Ms Batten held CEO and executive positions in health and local government in Victoria and South Australia. Many of those roles involved leading major organisational change.

Ms Batten commenced her career as a registered nurse and holds both Bachelor and Masters degrees in social work and a Masters of Business Administration. She is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Currently a director of Aged and Community Services Australia, the national peak aged and community care organisation, Ms Batten has been a director of Barwon Water and Good Shepherd Youth and Family Services as well as a number of other not-for-profits.

Mark Heintz Mark is Chief Executive Officer of Otway Pork, a fully owned subsidiary of privatelyowned Australian agri-food company The Pastoral Pork Group.

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Mark Heintz

Phil Morris

Lentara UnitingCare and Vice President of Cycling Victoria.

Formerly a crisis intervention counsellor, Mr Heintz has extensive leadership experience in large-scale business turnaround, change management, strategic planning and dealing with conflict.

Mark is a past participant of the Williamson Community Leadership program and was awarded the St James Ethics Centre Fairfax Fellowship and an Asialink Business Leaders Scholarship. He has also lectured at Leadership Victoria’s Leadership Master Classes and Emerging Leaders Program.

Phil Morris Phil is the deputy chair and Board member of UnitingCare Tasmania. He was an inaugural Board member following the merger of several Uniting Church agencies in Tasmania some years ago.

He worked in the health and community health services sector for over 35 years.

Prior to retiring in 2014, Mr Morris, who has degrees in social work and public policy, was a senior executive manager of eight rural hospitals as well as a number of community health centres and services across Northern Tasmania.

Phil – a member of the UnitingCare Network Project Control Group – is also a Board member of Headspace, a youth mental health service in Launceston, a member of the Pilgrim Uniting Church Council and the Presbytery of Tasmania Standing Committee.

He also wears an apron each Monday volunteering in Maggie’s Cafe, an outreach of Pilgrim.

Sue Norman Sue is currently the chair and a Board member of Wesley Mission Victoria and has had a long association with the Uniting

Sue Norman

Peter Prasser

Church in several capacities.

She is an experienced company director, with a proven track record in applying sound business and governance principles to not-for-profit organisations.

An accountant by profession, Sue is a former executive director of UCA Funds Management and is credited with transforming the organisation to a professional funds management operation, by employing specialist staff, introducing contemporary business practices and systems and establishing transparent reporting.

Sue is also a past member of the Board of Trustees and director of Benefund Limited (the Uniting Church in Australia Beneficiary Fund) and the University of Divinity (formerly Melbourne College of Divinity) Council.

Peter Prasser Peter is general manager-Group Balance Sheet and Liquidity Management with the National Australia Bank .

A Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Peter has more than 15 years’ experience reporting to Boards, executive management committees and regulators on business strategies, funding, risk management issues/policies and financial performance in an environment of sound corporate governance.

He has a strong focus on ensuring businesses understand the dimensions of governance and risk within their operations.

Peter is the chair and a Board member of the Prahran Mission and a member of the Council of Elders at the Toorak Uniting Church.

Allan Thompson Rev Allan Thompson, now semi-retired,

Allan Thompson

Heather Watson

previously ministered in rural and suburban congregations. He was a presbytery minister and associate general secretary of the Synod, with special responsibility for the UCA in Tasmania. In recent years he had a national role oversighting the UCA’s response to and engagement with the Royal Commission on Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

At various times Allan was chair and executive director of Wimmera UnitingCare and was the inaugural Board chair of UnitingCare Connections and UnitingCare Tasmania.

He has also served on the Boards of two base hospitals, two Uniting Church schools and, for six years, was a member of the Tasmanian Heritage Council.

Mr Thompson is the chair of Uniting AgeWell (Vic/Tas) and believes it is vital that the Uniting AgeWell Board and the new UnitingCare Board work closely together, particularly in the provision of services to older people.

Heather Watson A partner in national law firm McCullough Robertson, Heather is a former chair and Board member of UnitingCare Queensland and chaired the Board’s Audit and Risk Committee and Governance Committee periodically during her term.

Heather currently chairs and is a director of the Community Services Industry Alliance Ltd and is a director of the National Affordable Housing Consortium Ltd. She is also a Board member of Uniting (Synod of NSW/ACT) and chairs the Governance, Audit and Risk Committee.

Heather has had a lifelong involvement with the Uniting Church and was a founding director of BoardConnect, a not-for-profit specifically focused on improving the governance capacity of non-profit boards.

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UnitingCare - A new vision Why the Church engages in Community Services REV STAN CLARKE

Brief history

SINCE Church union in 1977, the Uniting Church in Australia has maintained a significant involvement in the provision of community and welfare services. This has continued the tradition of its predecessor churches the Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists, which began in Australia in the early 1800s.

A majority of the UnitingCare agencies of today have evolved from the congregational missions’ shared belief that it was essential to match word with deed in the service of God. Unlike many other denominations, these initial missions had no requirement to be a member of the respective founding church to receive support.

They actively sought to minister to those who were often ignored by other denominations. This led to the establishment of missions catering for the poor including hospitals, prison visitors, schools, soup kitchens and orphanages.

In many cases, the local or regional/city context for the delivery of these services emerged and, as such, many agencies are well-known in their local community.

Some attract significant public support in the form of donations and fundraising activities, while others operate in a more constrained financial environment.

While fundraising has been an important element of many local agencies, state and national governments in recent years have moved to support the provision of community and welfare services through block grants and other funding programs.

Today, most UnitingCare community agencies have entered into funding agreements to deliver services on behalf of the Victorian, Tasmanian and Federal Governments.

This injection of government funding has accelerated the growth of services originally initiated by congregational 4

FROM its beginning, the Church has lived by the dual imperatives of gathering for worship and fellowship, and loving our neighbours – of being a community of light, gathered and dispersed.

These imperatives are encapsulated in the Great Commandment to love God with heart, soul and mind, and to love our neighbour as ourselves, living in creative relationship.

Notably the life of the gathered community has given rise to much of the community service work today lived out through our UnitingCare agencies.

Losing this balance and connection is to distort the nature of the Kingdom of God at the heart of Jesus’ example and teaching.

Jesus’ ministry began proclaiming himself to be good news for the poor, the captive, the blind and the oppressed (Luke 4:1821). It concluded telling us that, in as much as we offer even a cup of cold water to a neighbour in need, we demonstrate our

mission. Professional and specialist staff have, over time, replaced what was previously a predominantly volunteer workforce model.

The extensive government funding now received also means UnitingCare agencies must increasingly focus on compliance, risk management, performance reporting and financial management in order to meet contractual requirements. Increasingly, services are being delivered under a Consumer Directed Care model which places even more stringent requirements on funded agencies.

The future policy, funding and management environment facing UnitingCare will require a skilful balancing of service delivery performance, advocacy and clarity of mission.

At present each UnitingCare agency in Victoria and Tasmania operates with its own independent Board, with most agencies existing as separate entities.

Each of these Boards provide governance for the services and staff of its respective agency and, although linked with other UnitingCare agencies under the UnitingCare Victoria and Tasmania network (UCVT), each Board essentially has had sole governance responsibility under individual model constitutions.

The new, single Agency Board builds on the legacy and strengths of the Uniting Church expressing its mission in community services.

Enhancing the agency’s capacity to be competitive, while remaining true to its mission in and beyond the market, is a fundamental challenge in the context of securing the right outcomes for those the agency serves.

The single Agency Board will have an overall view of, and accountability for, the entire network. It will ensure that services are consistently delivered at the local and regional level to meet internally and externally benchmarked standards.

The single Agency Board will establish a shared services function for activities such as financial management, information and communications technology and purchasing. There are significant opportunities to streamline these functions, with clients being the beneficiaries.

love for them (Matthew 25:34-40).

Throughout, Jesus evidenced a discernible bias on behalf of the vulnerable and the marginalised. So the Church lives with a dual focus of love for God and love for neighbour, which we discover to self-love because of the interrelatedness of the whole of creation.

Appreciating this common humanity, the Church lives in essential connectedness with its neighbourhood, as a voice of compassion, reconciliation and justice wherever these are lacking.

Only in such connection is the Church a true expression of God’s love and justice for the world, ensuring a faithful and effective response to the ever-changing patterns of human need and disadvantage. This is the vocational identity of Christianity.

Through the work of our agencies, the whole church lives in dialogue with those neighbours that the church gathered in worship and prayer might not otherwise

understand and appreciate. Jesus exampled attentiveness to the presence of God that is ‘hidden’ in the world, hidden in the places people least expect it; not in the powerful and the privileged, but in the poor and the outcast.

Accordingly the Church must be an advocate for the Kingdom of God in selflessness, compassion, self-giving – orientated intentionally towards the least rather than the first and the best – expressing itself in peacemaking, hospitality, forgiveness and mercy and healing.

We understand that we are only fully human in relationship with others.

Rev Stan Clarke is a member of the Synod Standing Committee and a member of the UnitingCare Network Project Control Group. He is the minister at Ringwood Uniting Church.

The benefits of the new structure 1. The network will work and speak as a unified voice for social advocacy.

2. Enhance existing strengths and share best practice and expertise within different UnitingCare agencies throughout the network to build on an innovative culture.

3. Strategic alignment across the network, including the capability to develop new service delivery in rural and regional areas, as well as in areas of population growth and increasing service need.

4. Simplify governance to allow for a more agile response to society’s changing needs.

5. Strengthen the governance environment to better address the increasing complexity of delivering community services and client care.

6. Improve efficiencies through better coordination and collaboration.

7. Development of a uniquely Uniting Church expression of Christian care and compassion.

8. Enhance connections to the whole church and a better utilisation of the common wealth.

9. Confirm the ongoing support of small congregational outreach programs and Parish Missions.

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