UC National News 28 July-3 August - Equipping the Intercultural Church, Celebrating First Nations Children, Healing in Canada and more

Growing together as an Intercultural Church What does it mean to be an Intercultural and Intergenerational Church? What does it look like in practice? What are the challenges? As we wrap up our series on the Assembly's Strategic Direction of living our life as an Intercultural Church, we share the work of the Assembly Resourcing Unit in equipping the church to respond to the growing diversity of our church.  By creating space for conversation, sharing stories and identifying the barriers that exist, we can learn from and enable diverse groups within the church to flourish together. Let's Yarn about our Intercultural Church Here's your chance to contribute to the talanoa. Join members of the Assembly Resourcing Unit tomorrow Thursday 29 July at 7.30pm AEST for an online discussion about living faith and life cross-culturally. What does it look like to embrace unity-in-diversity in our Church? What deeper forms or models of shared life might God be calling us to? Where can you see intercultural creativity and imagination? National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day On 4 August communities across Australia will mark National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day – a day to celebrate First Nations children and their right to grow up strong in culture and spirit. Read a shared statement from the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC), UnitingCare Australia and Uniting Church in Australia Assembly reaffirming a commitment to support First Nations children to be proud in culture and strong in spirit. ICYMI: 2021 Cato Lecture - Prof Anthony Reddie Black liberation theologian and Director of the Oxford Centre for Religion and Culture Prof Anthony Reddie delivered his Cato Lecture to the 16th Assembly, mounting a vision for the Christian community where both difference and oneness in Christ are affirmed and celebrated. Not to be missed, you can watch the recording now. Finding our way: Glenbrook Uniting Church In this 20-minute video, Rev Ellie Elia shares the journey of Glenbrook Uniting Church in the Lower Blue Mountains of Sydney through the experience of COVID-19. From the initial outbreak in 2020 to finding themsleves in lockdown again, the video tells their story of finding creative ways to respond, to care for one another and to stay connected. The community has "lived their way into a new way of thinking", redefining what it means to worship together and discovering a new normal. Thanks Glenbrook Uniting Church for sharing! Permission to celebrate Holy Communion online extended As lockdowns designed to contain the spread of COVID-19 continue in parts of the country, a reminder that the ASC at its March meeting extended permission to celebrate Holy Communion as part of online worship until the end of November 2021. This is Our Vision for a Just Australia First Peoples at the heart of what it means to be Australian. A flourishing creation. Welcoming and diverse. A just economy. A society marked by inclusion and equality. Thriving communities. Across seven foundational areas, we express the hopes of the Uniting Church for a fair, compassionate, and courageous nation. UCC commits to truth-telling, justice and healing The Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) has responded to a statement released last week by the United Church of Canada following the discovery of unmarked graves on the sites of former residential schools for Indigenous children. More than 1300 other unmarked graves have since been found with searches ongoing, prompting national outrage and mourning.  COVID-19 and the God we meet in suffering Rev Dr Mery Kolimon, Moderator of GMIT, our partner church in West Timor, shares a theological reflection on her experience with COVID-19.  Throughout the pandemic, she has shown leadership in public health and coordinated the emergency relief program after the devastation of Cylone Seroja. The race is on to protect our most vulnerable UnitingCare Australia is urging the Federal Government to prioritise all vulnerable people in the accelerated vaccine rollout, calling for the revision of eligibility requirements to include people in the most vulnerable circumstances and the workers that support them. Host a Great Outback BBQ to give hope to Aussie farmers Each year, people from all over Australia gather around the BBQ to show support and make a direct impact in the lives of Aussie farmers doing it tough. In this short video Frontier Services National Director Jannine Jackson shares how you can take part this year, with options to safely host a BBQ or to purchase a virtual seat. The unexpected, audacious and ultimately life-giving promise Australian Women Preach is an ecumenical podcast featuring women's voices from all denominations preaching the gospel. This week's podcast features Assembly National Consultant and President-elect Rev Charissa Suli on this Sunday's Gospel from John 6:24-35. Listen now

Executive Assistant/Administration Manager - St Michael's UC, Melbourne St Michael's Uniting Church in the heart of Melbourne city seeks an enthusiastic, intelligent and experienced EA/Office Administrator to support the Minister and activities/outreaches of the congregation. Communications and Fundraising Coordinator - Frontier Services Frontier Services seeks a Communications and Fundraising Coordinator to join the marketing and fundraising team, delivering engaging content to grow the organisation's brand and supporter base across Australia.

JOIN US IN PRAYER FOR: All First Nations children to grow strong in spirit - for deep connections to culture, family and community.  Those who are vulnerable in the fight against COVID-19 and for equal and safe access to vaccines. Survivors and families grieving the discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools in Canada and the work of the United Church of Canada towards truth-telling and reconciliation.  Copyright © 2021 Uniting Church in Australia, All rights reserved. We're sending you weekly updates because you opted into news from the Uniting Church in Australia. Our mailing address is: Uniting Church in Australia Lvl 4 262 Pitt St Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia