Uniting Church in Australia - Happy Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday! UC National Update 12-18 July

12-18 July 2023 National Update Your weekly snapshot of the Uniting Church in Australia

Our Featured Story Happy Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday! This Sunday 16 July, communities across the Uniting Church are invited to join in the first national celebration of Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday.  Emerging from a decision of the 16th Assembly in 2022, Intercultural Neighburing Sunday (INS) celebrates the rich tapestry of cultures and languages that make up the body of Christ and encourages us to push deeper into what it means to live our life and faith interculturally in the Uniting Church.   It is also an invitation to go beyond our own communities to make connections with culturally diverse communities around us and join in with what God is already doing in our neighbourhood.  In a video message released today, Rev Sharon Hollis says, "The church born at Pentecost was a multicultural church. The gift of the Spirit enabled each person to hear in their own language the good news of Jesus’ message of love and justice." Share the message in your worship or on your socials!  Find this video, an INS prayer, ways to get involved and resources for a full worship service on our website. Happy Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday! Download the video message ACT2 PROJECT Act2 report launching live The latest report of the Act2 Project is now available and will be launched tomorrow, Thursday 13 July at 1pm AEST on Facebook Live (12:30pm ACST and 11:00am AWST). Join Uniting Church President Rev Sharon Hollis and Act2 Project Lead Andrew Johnson as they introduce the report, take your questions in real time and share the opportunities to engage during the next phase. Two of these opportunities are available already: fortnightly Zoom sessions to dive deeper into the report, and a series of public forums about the life and work of our national Uniting Church. See all the opportunities here. UNITING FOR THE VOICE "We need that voice for our people. Our future." We continue to invite Uniting Church people to share what a First Nations Voice to Parliament means to them and why they support this change. This week we hear from two members of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) in WA. Chair of UAICC WA Rev Robert Jetta says, "it's long overdue that Indigenous people (can) stand up and be heard and not be afraid to voice how we feel and how we see things going." Aunty Jennifer Turner from Waroona Uniting Church says a Voice is needed to support the next generation. "We need a strong future," she says. Stay up to date with our resources on the Voice to Parliament.  EVENTS President's Conference: Reshaped program In just two weeks, people from across the UCA will gather for the 2023 President's Conference at Redcliffe Uniting Church in Brisbane. Owing to a range of circumstances, the second part of the Conference, ‘All of this is us’, has been reshaped into a condensed program from 28-29 July. (There will be no Sunday program). A new option to register for the jam-packed Saturday 29 July program is now available for just $115! Hear from fantastic speakers like Uniting Church minister-scholar Rev Dr Sally Douglas, Aboriginal Christian Leader Brooke Prentis and Pastor Samantha McDonell, Connect100 Program Coordinator with UnitingCare Queensland. Gather, reflect, refresh and be inspired! HUMANS OF THE UNITING CHURCH Naomi Boulton "Embrace us as the passionate, capable, extraordinary people of TODAY..." This week as part of our Humans of the Uniting Church series, read this great Q&A with Naomi Boulton who recently served as a steward at the World Council of Churches (WCC) Central Committee meeting in Geneva with other young people from across the world. Naomi shares what enlivens her faith, what's inspiring her right now and her hope that the global church can amplify and truly listen to the voices of the young people.  PODCAST Live from the School of Discipleship Listen to this challenging, inspiring and thought-provoking discussion recorded live within the School of Discipleship 2023 community. Host Steve (Molk) Molkentin from the Pulse Team in the Synod of NSW/ACT, speaks with Rev Janet Staines (Chermside Kedron Uniting Church), Rev Jon Owen (Wayside Chapel) and Dr Sathi Clarke (United Theological College). Watch on Youtube, or listen on Apple Podcasts.

Frontier Services Thank you Redcliffe Uniting! The Adult Fellowship at Redcliffe Uniting Church have hosted an information session and served a delicious winter's day lunch to raise money for Frontier Services' Bush Chaplaincy and Outback Links (volunteering) programs. Every dollar raised in support of Frontier Services helps them reach more people in the outback. Frontier Services says thank you on its Facebook page. See the post Events Mental Health and Disabilities Join in person or online for this conference exploring how we can be more welcoming and inclusive of people with disabilities and mental health issues. Further, it will explore how churches can be part of advocacy for further reforms by governments. Taking place Saturday 29 July 2023, 9:15 am - 5:00 pm AEST. Check out the program, speakers and workshop options.  Find out more Around the Uniting Church What is your heart language? Dr Robyn Moloney is a member of Willoughby and Northbridge Uniting Church and co-editor of a new book that shines a light on the languages of faith in Australia. Contributors from diaspora communities reflect how language and spirit are about identity, belonging and faith community. Find out more and read excerpts in this article by Robyn published in Insights. Learn more

UnitingCare Australia Anniversary survey UnitingCare Australia is celebrating its 30th Anniversary in September - a great opportunity to recognise the past while looking forward to create an even stronger future together. Don't miss the opportunity to have your say in a survey seeking views and ideas about the past, present and future of UnitingCare Australia.  The survey closes this Friday 14 July. Complete the survey Circles Join us as we Yarn for Yes Join the Working for Justice and Walking Together as First and Second Peoples Circles tomorrow night, Thursday 13 July, for some deep dadirri listening on the Voice to Parliament. Join Palawa woman and Advocate of the Walking Together Circle Alison Overeem, comedian Ben Moodie and Olkola/Djabaguy woman Sherry Balcombe as they Yarn for Yes on Zoom, beginning at 7:30pm AEST. Register to attend Ecumenical UN hears from faith leaders A side event to the 53rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting convened by faith groups heard about the human rights implications of climate-induced displacement and the urgent need for responses. Rev James Bhagwan, General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches, highlighted the importance of mitigating the trauma of forced relocation for people in the Pacific.  Read the WCC report

Positions Communications Coordinator - Uniting Church Queensland An exciting opportunity for an energetic, self-motivated and engagement focused Communications Coordinator to join a creative communications team. Chaplain - Ravenswood School for Girls, Sydney Ravenswood School for Girls on Sydney's North Shore seeks an inspirational Chaplain to enhance and support the growth of its faith community (ordained position). Upcoming Dates 13 July: Act2 report launch: live on Facebook 13 July: Yarn for Yes webinar 16 July: Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday 26-29 July: President’s Conference (Brisbane) 4 August: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day 24-27 August: Uniting Church National Historical Society National Conference (Darwin) Check out more dates across the year Join us in prayer for Those across the Uniting Church who will celebrate Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday this weekend. As an intercultural Church, may we step outside our comfort zones to join with the transforming work God is doing in our communities. Rev Dr Karen Georgia Thompson, the first woman and first Black person to be elected General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ (USA). We pray for her leadership, and for the UCC, with whom we belong to the global family of uniting and united churches. The Act2 Project as it invites the whole Uniting Church into a fresh discernment phase. May it open the way into fresh words, fresh deeds and fresh ideas for the future of our Church. Eritrea, Ethiopia as part of the WCC Ecumenical Prayer Cycle. How will you celebrate Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday? Email us your photos and stories! Our weekly PowerPoint with stories, resources and prayer points for use in your weekly worship. This week includes a slide with the Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday video message. Cleck 'enable content' to play video.  Share Tweet Forward