UC National News 20-26 July - A catalyst for new and renewing faith communities, new podcast episode, Language Resource hubs and more

A catalyst for renewal This week we look at Innovation from the perspective of New and Renewing Communities Catalyst for the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania Rev Mat Harry and hear about his work supporting and encouraging faith communities across the Synod to think outside the box about what it means to 'be' and 'do' church. Despite a prevailing narrative of decline in our faith communities, Mat has a vision for a different story which speaks of mission, community collaboration and embodying the Gospel. He says: "Our task – as has always been the task in every age and for every disciple – is to live and share the story of Jesus within the place we are planted. Therefore, congregational life needs to be ever adapting, and therefore innovative, in order to respond to the changes within our broader context.” Read about Mat's own story and watch some of the videos he's created of communities living their faith in new and innovative ways.  Read more Tune in to Series 3 of the Dwelling Podcast! Today we release the first of four episodes in a new series of the President's Podcast Dwelling. This series on Diversity and Inclusion invites us to think about how we celebrate and nurture the gifts of all. First up: Rev Dr Paul Dongwon Goh who works in Justice and Cross Cultural Ministry in the Synod of South Australia. Paul shares his own journey into the Uniting Church and reflects on how we might deepen our engagement with difference and reimagine our ways of working to be a truly intercultural church. Save the date for 2023: Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday In this short video message, Uniting Church President Rev Sharon Hollis invites us to begin thinking about how we might celebrate the first ‘Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday’, to be held on the third Sunday of July in 2023, as part of the recent 16th Assembly commitment to strengthen the ways we live our faith and life interculturally. New language resource hubs Collections of resources in different languages are now available through the Assembly resource library, Illuminate. They were made available as Uniting Church President Rev Sharon Hollis met with National Conferences leaders in Sydney and Melbourne recently. Pictured here, Rev Enshou Zhu from the Chinese National Conference presents the President with a thanksgiving edition of the Bible to mark 10 years of the Melbourne Chinese Christian Zion Church. View the full collection of language resources here.  Assembly Standing Committee gathers in Sydney Members of the Assembly Standing Committee met over the weekend in Sydney for the first time after the reconvened 16th Assembly meeting, the first in-person meeting of the ASC since 2020! Stay tuned next week for the highlights of the meeting.  'Uno, Dos, Three, Four, Five...': 2nd Gen perspectives Rev Esteban Lievano, Chair of the Uniting Church's Ibero-Latino National Conference, will explore Second Generation perspectives and the church in the next Albert Street lecture in a series hosted by The Cooperative. Join online or in person (Brisbane), 7pm (AEST) on Thursday 28 July. Register here to attend in person or use this link for the livestream. Webinar: History, Truth Telling and the Uluru Statement Tomorrow Thursday 21 July at 7:00pm, the Uniting Church National History Society is bringing together First Nations leaders and historians for an online webinar exploring the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Register here to attend via Zoom Reaching Sri Lanka's most vulnerable Right now, Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis. Many of our Sri Lankan neighbours are struggling to afford everyday essentials like food, medicine and fuel. Protests are escalating and poorer families are in urgent need of assistance. In this update, UnitingWorld shares how our church partners in Sri Lanka are reaching vulnerable communities and how you can help support them. President to join UFA in August Uniting Church President Rev Sharon Hollis will join Uniting Friends of Ageing (UFA) for their August conversation. UFA is a national network for members of the Uniting Church interested in ageing and aged care, auspiced by UnitingCare Australia and endorsed at the recent 16th Assembly. Join the conversation at 4pm AEST on Tuesday 2 August. You can sign up to UFA online. Contact Warren Talbot at warrent@nat.unitingcare.org.au for the Zoom link. Growing Up With Grandma Read about the incredible difference an extra pair of hands has made to orchard farmers Marj and Ray from Upper Yarraman in Queensland as they recover from one of the worst droughts in history. Juggling the care of their four grandchildren with the work of the farm, amid many challenges, they say the little bit of help received from Frontier Services volunteers (pictured) has made all the difference and enabled them to keep going. JOBS Office Administrator - Pilgrim Uniting Church, Adelaide Pilgrim Uniting Church in Adelaide CBD has an exciting permanent opportunity for a skilled administrator to support the implementation of its vision and mission. Chaplain - UnitingCare Queensland Blue Care is seeking a Chaplain for Caloundra & Maleny to deliver spiritual & pastoral care in Residential Aged Care facilities and in the community. Join us in prayer for Congregations and communities of faith who are seeking new and renewing ways to embody the Gospel. Those affected by illness, isolation or grief as a new strain of COVID-19 leads to a surge in case numbers. We pray for all healthcare workers tirelessly providing care to the sick. Those impacted by the extremes of climate in Australia and across the world.  Our Church partners in Sri Lanka working to support the country's most vulnerable communities amid an economic crisis. Djibouti, Somalia as part of the WCC Ecumenical Prayer Cycle. What are the signs of new life in your faith community? Email Us

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