Uniting Church in Australia - 🎄 President's Christmas message, Advent#3 reflection, Prayer vigil TONIGHT, meet Merill Cole + more in National Update 13-19 December

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13-19 December 2023 National Update Your weekly snapshot of the Uniting Church in Australia

Our Featured Story PRESIDENT'S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE 2023 "A herald of God's joy, hope and peace" The 2024 Christmas message from Uniting Church in Australia President Rev Sharon Hollis is now available! Rev Hollis reflects that in this season of celebration, the mood seems far from celebratory. Many struggle to buy food to eat, and violence and suffering continue around the world.  “This Christmas we will sing carols which speak of stillness and silence on the night of Jesus birth. At the same time, we watch and read about the violence taking place in these same lands, death and suffering that is almost beyond fathoming.” Rev Hollis says Christmas invites us to meet God in all our life, our despair, our suffering, our wonder and our celebration.   "The birth of Jesus is the announcement by God that God wills the end of violence and suffering. Jesus is God’s way of standing in solidarity with us, arriving into all our brokenness and beauty. A herald of God’s joy, hope and peace." The video message is available to download from Vimeo or to watch on our website at uniting.church/christmas2023 along with messages from Moderators across the Uniting Church.  WATCH NOW ADVENT SERIES "Joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" In our third Advent reflection, Assembly General Secretary Colleen Geyer looks at the theme of joy. She reflects that while there is much joyful expectation at Christmas, at times joy is hard-won. Recalling Romans 12, Colleen reminds us that as people of faith we have hope and in that we glimpse joy, but we are also asked to be patient in affliction and faithful in prayer. Joy is hard won, but it lurks around the corner. The reflection includes a prayer, included in the PowerPoint below.  PRAYER Prayer Vigil for peace in the Holy Land: TONIGHT Join the Working for Justice Circle tonight as they host a prayer vigil for the Holy Land from 7.30-8pm AEDT. The gathering will include meditation, music and prayers for peace. The aim is to share in solace, solidarity and to pour forth love to all those who suffer. Register now. ACT2 PROJECT What's next for the Act2 Project? The Act2 Project concluded a huge six months of national discernment at the end of November. In response to an invitation to consider future directions and options for the Uniting Church, the team has received feedback from synods, presbyteries, congregations and hundreds of people across the country. Are you wondering what happens now and what they'll be working on ahead of the 17th Assembly? Check out this short video message from Act2 Project Lead Andrew Johnson. HUMANS OF THE UNITING CHURCH Meet Merrill Cole This week in our Humans of the Uniting Church series we meet Merrill Cole, accredited Lay Preacher and chair of the congregation at Eaglehawk Uniting Church, north of Bendigo in regional Victoria. Merrill shares her Uniting Church story, how hearing scripture in new ways enlivens her faith and her passion to make the love and compassion of God known to others. PODCAST Dwelling with Susy Thomas The final interview in the Dwelling podcast series with ex-Moderators is with Susy Thomas who was Moderator of the WA Synod. President Rev Sharon Hollis asks Susy about her journey from India to Australia and into the life and ministry of the Uniting Church. Susy reflects on the unexpected call to take up the role of Moderator, the presence and ministry of God in our agencies and schools and the foundational call of the Church to seek unity with Christ. Listen now and catch up on the whole series.  ECUMENICAL NEWS Christmas messages from the Australian church Read messages of hope and peace from across the ecumenical church in Australia in this list of 16 messages from Australian Church Leaders compiled by the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA).  Reflecting on the greeting of angels to the shepherds in the hills of Bethlehem, NCCA President Rev John Gilmore writes, "Much goodwill is needed. When there is heartfelt goodwill, it is a sign of peace being made real." THIS IS MY UNITING CHURCH A community at 'the meeting of waters' Where the Murray River flows through the twin towns of Echuca and Moama, either side of the Victoria-NSW border, you will find Echuca-Moama Uniting Church which spans both cities. Echuca is the Aboriginal word for ‘meeting of waters’ - the place where the Murray, Campaspe and Goulburn Rivers intersect. In this week's This Is My Uniting Church feature, minister Rev Michele Lees shares some of the life of this congregation which worships, serves and reaches out to the community on Yorta Yorta country. Do you know a community with a great story to tell? Email us to nominate them! EVENTS An invitation to Retreat Yourself Calling young adults in the Uniting Church! Check out this invitation to join a weekend of community, worship, beach fun, great food, prayer and sharing. Retreat Yourself is a three-day gathering for people aged 18-30 from 2-4 February in Gerringong, on the South Coast of NSW, organised by Pulse, the Youth, Young Adults and Families ministry of the NSW/ACT Synod. The event is now open to young adults from across the national Uniting Church. DAY OF MOURNING Sign up for the resource On the Sunday before 26 January, the Uniting Church marks a Day of Mourning to reflect on the dispossession of Australia’s First Peoples and the ongoing injustices faced by First Nations people in this land. An updated resource will be available soon. You can sign up to receive it as soon as it is available.

Around the Uniting Church Meet Rev Salesi Faupula At the meeting of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania in November, Rev Salesi Faupula was joyfully named Moderator-Elect. In this great feature from Crosslight, read about Salesi's passion for multicultural ministry and his fascinating life which has taken him from Tonga to the Northern Territory to Sydney to Melbourne. Salesi will serve as Moderator from 2025-2028. Read now UnitingWorld Shop Everything in Common There’s still time to share Everything in Common - UnitingWorld’s catalogue of gifts that fight poverty and build hope. Gift cards like seeds, schoolbooks, goats, pigs and clean water have been so popular this year that they ran out and had to print more! It's not too late to order gifts that fight poverty and build hope. Deliver is available via Express Post, print at home, or send e-cards via the website.  Shop now Frontier Services "Time to give back" 40 years of friendship and a lifetime of shared adventures! In this short video from Frontier Services, long-time friends Andrew and Laurie share why they volunteer with Outback Links while on a trip to Buchan, Victoria where bushfire recovery has been ongoing for four years. Read more inspiring stories about the life-changing work of Outback Links in Frontier News. Watch now Theology Raising our Tribal Voices The School of Indigenous Studies is hosting a four-day conference in February 2024 – Raising our Tribal Voice for Justice: An Indigenous Theological Revolution. The ecumenical conference will platform Indigenous theologians from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.  A unique opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of First Nations spirituality, knowledge, and history. Find out more

Positions Executive Assistant - Uniting Church Synod of Queensland An exciting role for an energetic and professional administrator to support three senior leaders in the Office of the General Secretary (CEO) team. Children & Families Pastor - Westbourne Park Uniting Church, SA Identify, develop and reimagine existing and new pathways for Children & Families. Upcoming Dates 3-24 December: Advent 25 December: Christmas Day (watch the President's Christmas Message) 21 January: Uniting Church Day of Mourning 26 January: Survival Day (message to come) Check out more dates across the year Join us in prayer for Uniting Church communities as they continue the journey through Advent, preparing hearts and minds for the arrival of the Christ child. The ministry and mission of Echuca-Moama Uniting Church. Rev Salesi Faupula as he embraces the role of Moderator-Elect in the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania.  Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam as part of the WCC Ecumenical Prayer Cycle. What is your Uniting Church story? Email us! Our weekly PowerPoint with stories, resources and prayer points for use in your weekly worship. Share Tweet Forward