| Assembly Update September 2008 |
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| Monday, 01 September 2008 10:00 |
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The latest edition of Update is now available online and in PDF format. It includes more news from the July ASC meeting, as well as the latest from our Agencies and Working Groups.
Just a ThoughtFrom: Terence Corkin Over the last couple of weeks I have been involved in preparing the Assembly report for the synod meetings and starting to think about Agency reports to the 12th Assembly. I am surrounded by these activities all the time and I do notice the quality, commitment, vision, hope, energy, ability of the highly gifted and committed people who go about their work. Yet sometimes it is only when it is time to sit down and write up some of the things we do as a Uniting Church that it really hits me what a diverse and effective collections of ministries we embrace. Perhaps that’s not so uncommon. It’s often said we don’t stop to express our appreciation for someone until they are gone — when they are around thanks just doesn’t seem to come into the conversation. When was the last time you stopped and thought with a thankful and appreciative attitude about the people and ministries that take place in your congregation? The UCA, for all the challenges we seem to take some pleasure in dwelling upon, is a very vibrant, engaged and effective servant of Jesus, the head of the church. That is true not just for our congregations but for our schools, community service agencies, medical services, presbyteries, synods and the Assembly. If you ever have your doubts about the work that God is doing through the UCA I suggest you sit down as though you have to write a report on the ministry of the UCA to another body. You might find it quite remarkable how long that list gets and the challenge it is to decide what to leave out! PS. If you are short on ideas you might like to look at National Matters (the Assembly report to the synods), the 2009 edition of the Mission Prayer Handbook (available from Mediacom later this year) or the revamped Assembly website (coming to a computer near you soon!): www.assembly.uca.org.au.
More news from the Assembly Standing Committee July 2008Renewing the covenant A report was brought to the meeting from a Task Group that is engaged with the covenanting process. In particular it has found the uptake of the Building Partnerships study booklet disappointing. Please note this resource is available from the Assembly website and you are encouraged to make use of it in your own covenanting endeavours. Period of Discernment Guidelines In 1997 the Assembly established four phases of ministry. Ten years on, the Ministerial Education Commission (MEC) decided it was time to start reviewing those phases, including the Guidelines for the Period of Discernment. Feedback was gathered from MEC members, presbyteries and others who had been involved in the development of the resources. Out of that, revised Guidelines have been developed. Reporting on behalf of the MEC, Rev Chris Udy told the ASC that feedback had by and large been positive, but that people often saw the Period of Discernment as an obstacle on the way to candidature or specified ministry. He said, “We wanted to remove the perception that the Period of Discernment was a hurdle people had to jump over. Negativity arose where people wanted to be moved very quickly from lay positions to those of ordained or authority. We wanted to redirect that approach. The intention is to affirm that effective, creative and fruitful ministry is what happens in the workplace, family, congregational settings. We want to say the Period of Discernment is valid for people in all these settings.” Discussion among the ASC broadened the issue at hand, with some suggesting that we need to say something broader to the church about how we think about vocation and call within the life of discipleship and the role of the local Minister and congregation in assisting that discernment. At this point, the task group has been asked to refine their Guidelines and report to the next ASC meeting. Ministers Benefit Accounts Guidelines There have been variations, across the UCA synods, in the way that Ministers’ Benefit Accounts have been interpreted and administered. The advice was last compiled in 1999 and, with the current variations in (and confusion around) its operations, it has been suggested that the Guidelines be revised. Two ASC members, Bruce Binnie and Jim Mein, have been asked to provide an issues paper regarding MBAs – an identification of all issues – for the ASC Meeting in November. Assembly SMART Goals The ASC has been going through a systematic review of the Assembly Agency SMART Goals. This meeting focused on two goals: 1. evangelism, discipleship formation and leadership development; and Renewing the ‘passion for evangelism’ was the key point of discussion during the meeting, with ASC members struggling to know the best way that the Assembly can contribute to achieving this goal, to which they are all committed. There was no consensus about the ways in which the Assembly can best contribute to a renewal of passion for evangelism. It is generally thought that the Assembly Key Directions are a bold and excellent way of giving shape to the work of various agencies. However, the SMART Goals are creating confusion and, some believe, are less goals than processes; they’re seen as a way of ‘micro-managing’ the Assembly agencies; and many believe they are therefore unhelpful. The General Secretary said that, while we wouldn’t want to abandon an accountability system, the SMART Goals are perhaps not the best way. Sexuality and leadership The first colloquium on Sexuality and Leadership was held earlier this year. Members of working groups within the Assembly are now preparing for a second one, in November. However, many people across the church have been requesting access to papers presented at that first meeting. The Associate General Secretary, Glenda Blakefield, will request papers from the working group to make available to the wider church, but noted that they were prepared as discussion papers for a particular event and may not be that suitable for general distribution. However it is hoped that in preparing for the next Colloquium that the papers will be in a form that can be more readily shared. With regards to ‘the articulation of our doctrine’, some suggest that there are many people that have no idea who we – the UCA – are as the people of God. They don’t know our doctrine, they don’t know what it means to be ordained, and the list goes on. It highlighted that we need to be clear about ordination, our mission, the role of pastor, and discipleship. These are the areas that the Assembly needs to be mindful of and to give expression to.
Frontier Services NewsFrom: Rosemary Young, New respite service for Pilbara Frontier Services is set to launch a new mobile respite service in WA’s Pilbara region, aimed at people caring for those with mental illness. New Federal Government funding has enabled the establishment of the service, which will be based out of Port Hedland. Discussions are underway about the possible use of facilities at the local Uniting Church. The new funding will allow an additional two-person team to travel to remote towns and Aboriginal communities to give carers a short break. Frontier Services will also establish a new base in Port Hedland with a Training Officer who will provide advice and support to carers throughout the remote region. A Resource Officer will also provide some local respite care and support the mobile team. The service is expected to start in mid-October. It complements an existing mobile service which is already offering respite to people caring for the frail aged. Providing the remote area perspective Frontier Services’ expertise in remote areas was recognised recently with invitations to make submissions to a range of Federal Government reviews on drought policy, hospital care and early childhood education. The Government’s national review of drought policy sought the organisation’s opinions on the social impact of drought. Input came from Patrol Ministers and community services staff working in remote areas right around Australia. Frontier Services recommended a range of measures, including: • more funding for mobile and outreach services The organisation also participated in the consultation process for the Government’s National Quality Framework for Early Education and Care. While welcoming the commitment to improved services, Frontier Services is concerned about the Framework’s lack of a focus on indigenous cultures and disability issues. Other concerns include too strong a focus on Long Day Care. This is not normally an option in remote areas and Frontier Services believes there needs to be more attention given to other more flexible alternatives such as in-home care. The Commission will make recommendations later this year about improving the public health system.
QLD National Ministers ConferenceFrom: Gregor Henderson Registrations close this month for the third and final 2008 National Ministers Conference to be held in Queensland. The Conference is at the Alexandra Park Conference Centre from 11am Monday 27 October through to lunchtime on Thursday 30 October. The maximum number of participants we can host is 150, and some 130 ministers have registered to date. Registrations close on 26 September, or before that if we reach the 150 number. The first two conferences, in Bali and Darwin in July, went extremely well. On the Sunshine Coast Andrew Dutney will again be the key speaker, with other leaders including Sue Dunbar, Tony Floyd, Simon Hansford, Maz Smith, Gregor Henderson, and Jenny Byrnes as conference facilitator. It will be a very stimulating program, focusing on the vision and mission of the Uniting Church and excellence in local ministry. Participants have registered to date from every synod except the Northern Synod. Registration is via the Assembly website. The registration fee is $400. Further and full information about the program, accommodation options, airport transfers etc are available from the President’s office in Canberra. Contact Caroline Fletcher at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
MCM NewsFijian Congregations Conference The national conference for Fijian congregations within the Uniting Church in Australia was convened in Adelaide 10 -13 July 2008. The conference, under the auspices of the Assembly’s Multicultural and Cross-cultural Ministry, was highly successful. Fijians from around the country were keen to meet up with fellow Christians, relatives and friends who share a common cultural background, at the National Conference. Even the icy cold winds blowing in from Antarctica were not able to quell the excitement and intent discussion that was undertaken. Whilst there is a cultural bias of leaving the talking to Ministers and ‘church officials,’ all attendees were encouraged to voice their ideas, concerns and suggestions. This was especially relevant to young people who were strongly represented at the Conference. The Conference theme of ‘Unity in the Body of Christ’ stressed the need to breach differences that were common to the different congregations. While time was limited to addressing relevant topics and issues facing Fijian congregations, it was encouraging to witness people fully prepared to work closer together in sharing information and ideas on how to help each other. For the first time the Conference had to be convened outside of a Uniting Church conference venue. This was primarily due to the numbers attending the conference which could not be accommodated by the UCA. The Conference was hosted jointly by the Adelaide and Darwin Fijian congregations. The Adelaide congregation was responsible for logistical aspects while Darwin was responsible for the program. Although separated by thousands of kilometres this joint arrangement worked out well for the two congregations. Rev Dr Tony Floyd, National Director of Multicultural and Cross-cultural Ministry, posed a significant question to conference attendees: Is the Uniting Church a multicultural church or a church of different cultures?
National Conferences Task GroupFrom: Andy Tiver
Biblical Storytellers GatheringFrom: Mark Hillis The 8th Annual Gathering of the Network of Biblical Storytellers (Aust/NZ) is on this year. The Network’s Gatherings bring all kinds of people together who enjoy and appreciate the importance storytelling in every facet of life. This year’s Gathering is at Lake Dewar Lodge, Bacchus Marsh, Victoria. The special guest is Pam Faro, a highly skilled performance storyteller from the USA. Pam has experience in telling stories of all kinds with schools and faith communities, at festivals and in public libraries. It is her first visit to Australia. Click here to visit Pam's website. Registration forms are available from Annette Buckley: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . For those unable to attend the Gathering, it will be possible to catch up with Pam Faro in other contexts (for example, in Sydney from 8-14 October). For more information about the Network, or Pam’s itinerary, contact the National Coordinator, Philip Liebelt, at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Uniting International MissionFrom: Amy GoodhewCommunications Coordinator, UIM We say goodbye to… Uniting International Mission said goodbye recently to Denise Seymour, Kerry Enright’s executive assistant. Denise left to devote more time to her family, and is sadly missed. We are currently advertising for a replacement for Denise Seymour. For more information, please visit our website.
The Pacific Islands face very great challenges as they develop. The development challenges confronting the region cannot be addressed quickly or easily. The challenges include governance, poverty, stability, economic security, rapid population growth, HIV/AIDS, strengthening the core institutions for democratic nationhood and ensuring individuals have a greater sense of their place within a broader national identity. Ahead of the Pacific Islands Leaders Forum, the Rudd Government announced they would be trialling a pilot plan to bring 2,500 Pacific Island guest workers to Australia to pick Australian produce. This announcement aims to assist those in the Pacific Islands while addressing the AU$700 million dollars worth of produce that last year rotted and withered on the trees they grew on. Uniting International Mission welcomes this announcement. The scheme has the potential to bring greatly needed income and skills-building opportunities to Pacific Island communities, provided adequate safeguards are put in place to ensure decent working and living conditions for Pacific Island workers. Uniting International Mission is urging the Rudd Government to explore ways in which a guest worker scheme can work in conjunction with Australia’s aid and development program in the Pacific, in order to enhance the potential positive impacts of such a scheme for community development. Exciting inroads are being made in the relationship between Australia and the Pacific. Uniting International Mission is working to enhance and strengthen our ties with the people of the Pacific Islands and promote their welfare and that of their communities. The click here to view the full release. UIM staff abroad Director of Uniting International Mission, Kerry Enright, is currently travelling in the Philippines. Kerry has had a full schedule including participating in a peaceful protest march to free Pastor Berlin. Joy Balazo is in North East India running a Peace Workshop for Young Ambassadors for Peace. North East India borders on Nepal and Tibet and sits underneath the magnificent Himalayas. Kathy Pereira, People in Mission Coordinator, is in Fiji exploring future mission placement opportunities and meeting with our partner church in Fiji. John Barr, Asia Secretary for Uniting International Mission, is heading off to Denpasar, Indonesia and Jayapura, West Papua to meet with some of our Asian Church Partners. Laurie Fitzgerald, Director of Uniting Church Overseas Aid, is shortly travelling to Zambia to visit the Mwandi Orphans and Vulnerable Children project. Sharyn Robinson, Extension Officer for Uniting Church Overseas Aid, has just returned from PNG after visiting Lelehudi, Milne Bay, to evaluate the Knox Grammar School trip to the village and to build relationships in the region for future school trips.
Uniting Church Overseas Aid (UCOA) is currently raising funds for their Add Value campaign and their Burma Cyclone Appeal. With nearly two million people now homeless in Burma it is more important than ever to have your support. Our Add Value campaign is raising money to finance projects in Asia and the Pacific – specifically equipping individuals and communities to improve their livelihood and work towards a brighter future. Please go to our website to learn more: www.overseasaid.org. Please take our survey In order to facilitate this we have engaged a Christian consultancy called Capacity Builders to ensure we have vital input across the Uniting Church leaders. As part of the process of crucial input we have developed an online survey to hear YOUR opinion of Uniting International Mission. Please take the time to fill out our survey via our website – it won’t take more than 15 minutes. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us and will contribute directly to us building a stronger and more focused agency. Access the survey via the link on our website.
12th Assembly (2009)From: Penelope Monger The 12th Assembly, in Sydney July 2009, will be upon us before we know it! The theme for the Assembly is ‘Living Water, Thirsty Land’ and it is already being used to shape Assembly publications, including our annual report, National Matters, and the Mission Prayer Handbook (due out in October 2008). Look out for the logo below (and similar logos in colour) on documents and publications from the Assembly.
UnitingJustice NewsFrom: Jennifer Whyte New Website Launched UnitingJustice Australia is pleased to announce the launch of its new website: www.unitingjustice.org.au. The new site covers all areas of UnitingJustice’s work — what we do, how we do it and why we do it. Our work has been divided into eight ‘Issues’ sections, with each section containing a variety of resources applicable to that area of work, including information and action resources (such as fact sheets and longer discussion papers), media releases, submissions to government inquiries and annotated links pages. Uniting Church statements and resolutions can also be accessed easily through the ‘Uniting Church Statements’ page, which lists key National Assembly statements, such as the 1977 Statement to the Nation and the 1994 Covenanting Statement and important resolutions and statements in the area of social justice. The ‘In the Spotlight’ section features new UnitingJustice resources and projects and news, with ‘Around the Church’ giving updates on social justice projects, events and resources from synods and congregations around Australia. The ‘About’ section links to the Uniting Church justice contacts in each synod, and to the many Uniting Church agencies with which UnitingJustice works in partnership. The website will be regularly updated with news, resources and information from UnitingJustice and around the Church. We hope that you will find the new site much easier to use and full of helpful information. Should you have any suggestions for the site, please contact UnitingJustice at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Date for the DiarySeptember 14-19:
Theology for PilgrimsFrom: Terence Corkin Theology for Pilgrims is a compendium of all the foundational documents of our church. An unreasonable critique of the Uniting Church is that it does not know what it believes. In this comprehensive book there is a clear rebuttal to such claims. There are documents on the faith of the church, our understanding of the character and identity of the church as well as its core practices — baptism, Eucharist and ministry. There are several specific documents on the areas of controversy that the church has experienced around these issues in its 30 plus years of existence. So there are papers on ordination, including why the UCA ordains women, and our teaching on baptism and our understanding of lay presidency at the sacraments. There are also key documents on the church’s vocation as expressed through its two statements to the Nation, the Covenant with Congress and the statement on being a multicultural church. This large book (641 pages) is a must for every Minister and teacher in the church. It is not only a resource for understanding and teaching about the church but to revisit some of these documents is an inspiration and encouragement. The Assembly considers that this book is so important that it has subsidised the cost and, at $69.95, it is priced at a level that will not recover all the costs of production. This book will be available mid September. Orders may be placed at the website (go to the UCA section and find the resources listed alphabetically); or call on (08) 8371 1399 or toll free: 1-800-811-311. Alternatively it can be purchased through synod booksellers.
Books for UnitingsThese books are selected by Hugh McGinlay and are available from UCA bookshops and resource centres. For further information on any title, contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or click here to visit the website. Love’s Immensity (Paraclete) ISBN 9781557255259 $34.95 Jesus (DLT) ISBN 9780232527193 $29.95 Liberating the Bible (Orbis) ISBN 9781570757754 $37.95 Jesus Reconsidered (Polebridge) ISBN 9781598150025 $26.95 A Rabbi Reads the Psalms (Canterbury) ISBN 9780334029533 $49.95
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