Uniting Church in Australia - #UnitinginPrayer dates, Australia Day Honours + more in our first National Update for 2024

31 January - 6 February 2024 National Update Your weekly snapshot of the Uniting Church in Australia

Our Featured Story ACT2 PROJECT Save the date: Uniting in Prayer 2024 Following the popularity of the very first Uniting in Prayer event last year, save the date and sign up now for Uniting in Prayer 2024! Led by the Act2 Project, Uniting in Prayer is a national Uniting Church prayer event to take place between Pentecost and the 47th Uniting Church Anniversary (19 May – 22 June 2024). As discernment continues about future directions for the Uniting Church, this is a time to come together in thanksgiving and hope, in openness to the Holy Spirit. For 35 days we’ll share in daily prayers from across our Church, gather for prayer and worship and pray for each other through a national prayer chain which will connect every Uniting Church community to others. In 2024, the daily prayers will have an emphasis on creativity and include written prayers, videos, images, songs, poetry and art. There is an open call for prayer submissions, with creatives particularly encouraged to contribute. Prayers are due 31 March 2024. A range of prayer and worship resources will be available in mid-April. Save the date now in your personal and church calendars and sign up on the website to receive the resources, daily prayers and updates straight to your inbox. Sign up now AUSTRALIA DAY HONOURS Honoured for their service Congratulations to all Uniting Church members recognised for their extraordinary service in the Australia Day honours! This year UCA recipients include an opera singer, a mining engineer, an historian, a Girl Guides commissioner, a congregational Elder for four decades and a church organist who began playing before Union. Beloved former QLD moderator, the late Rev Donald Whebell, was awarded an OAM specifically for his service to the Uniting Church in Australia. Don was a formative influence for many and deeply devoted to the Basis of Union and its focus on Christ's mission. Read our UCA honours list. Know a UCA recipient not listed? Send us an email.    Nominations are now open for the next President-elect of the Uniting Church in Australia, to be elected at the 17th Assembly in July 2024. They will serve as President from 2027-2030. Nominations can be made by a Synod, a Presbytery, a regional or national committee of the UAICC, or two members of the 17th Assembly. Nominations must be received by Friday 12 April 2024.   Last week the Assembly gave thanks for the faithful service of Rev John Cox and farewelled him from his role as the inaugural Director of the Uniting Church National Safe Church Unit. Across two crucial leadership roles and almost eight years, John has served the Uniting Church in its safe church commitments with wisdom, integrity and humility. His leadership will be greatly missed and we wish God's blessings for the future. THIS IS MY UNITING CHURCH A faithful community in southeast QLD Our This is my Uniting Church series kicks off again for a new year! In the first feature for 2024 we hear some of the story of Warwick-Killarney Uniting Church in the Southern Downs region of Queensland, two hours south-east of Brisbane. Rev Ansie Liebenberg shares about the outreach to the community, how intergenerational ministry is budding and God's provision through the generosity of the church community. "We have heroes in our community..." SURVEY OPPORTUNITIES We want your thoughts on 3 areas of the Assembly's work As 2024 kicks off and planning continues for the year ahead, the Assembly is reviewing different areas of work and has released three short surveys for the wider Uniting Church to give feedback. They focus on: National Update, the Assembly's weekly e-newsletter. Circles of Interest, communities gathered around the different areas of the Assembly's work. The Voice Referendum, to understand how Uniting Church members and communities engaged. You might like to complete all three surveys, or just the ones most relevant to you and your community. Here's a great and flexible opportunity for a skilled communicator to work as part of a small but dynamic communications team! The Uniting Church Assembly is seeking a part-time Communications Officer to support the communications work of the Assembly in the lead up to the 17th Assembly meeting. This role is 15 hours per week on a temporary basis, beginning early March 2024. Stay on top of dates across the year that the Uniting Church will mark together as a national church. This 2024 Assembly Calendar lists events around the Church open to all, key liturgical and ecumenical dates and various dates that are marked socially/culturally that you may like to mark in your local community.  Have we missed an event the national Church should know about? Email us UNITINGWORLD Lent Event is back for 2024 UnitingWorld invites you to mark Lent Event from 14 February to 28 March, 40 days of faithful action for God’s creation. In the face of the climate crisis, commit to personal, practical and political action for a peaceful and abundant world. Resources are now available for individuals and church communities, including a weekly video series from our partner churches and daily emails with theological reflections and ideas for action. Your community might like to take up a fundraising challenge too! PALESTINE-ISRAEL Walking in solidarity for Gaza This Lent, Christian groups from around the globe are walking the length of Gaza in prayerful solidarity with Palestinian Christians and the people of Gaza. The Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage calls for an enduring and sustained ceasefire and raises funds for humanitarian relief and refugees. Listen to Rev Alex Sangster, Advocate for the Assembly Working for Justice Circle, explain why she is joining the Melbourne pilgrimage. Find out how to join.

Current opportunities Assembly General Secretary There's less than a month left to apply for the key senior leadership role of Assembly General Secretary. If you're passionate about the national life of the church, a change and governance leader and thrive on collaboration, this could be for you! The position will be elected by the 17th Assembly in July 2024. Applications close 23 February 2024. Apply now Across the Uniting Church Quintessentially Cockburn Don't miss this excellent profile of proud Whadjuk Nyungar man Rev Mitchell Garlett from the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress. Written by the City of Cockburn and re-published by WA Synod's Revive, the article highlights his deep connections to community and Country as he serves with the Coolbellup Maaman ‘O’ Miya Uniting Church. Go to the profile Events Pray online with the WMC In preparation for the World Methodist Conference and Council Meeting to be held in Sweden in August under the theme "On the Move...", member churches are invited to join together in monthly prayer gatherings for and with Migrants and Refugees. It follows the WMC's 2nd Consultation on Migration last year on the root causes of migration and the ways churches can respond. As part of the global Methodist community, UCA members are invited to join the online prayers. The next meeting will be on 13 February 7am GMT (6pm AEDT). Register to join UnitingCare Australia Seeking new Board Chair The UnitingCare Australia Board is seeking expressions of interest for a new Chair on the retirement of its current Chair Geoff Batkin at the upcoming Triennial Assembly in July. This is a key leadership role within the UCA and an exciting opportunity for the right person to lead UnitingCare Australia to achieve its mission and vision. Find out more Day of Mourning #UCADayofMourning photos Thank you to the many Uniting Church communities who joined to mark the Day of Mourning on Sunday 21 January, the Sunday before 26 January. See some photos of services around the country on our Facebook page. We'd love to hear how your community marked the day - email your stories to comms@nat.uca.org.au. See the photos Natural disasters A helping hand after Cyclone As parts of southern Queensland move to clean-up mode following damaging floods and the threat of more severe weather lingers across the country, here's a heartening story about how the community of Mossman Uniting Church in Far North Queensland is seeking to support local businesses and families in the wake of Cyclone Jasper. They ran a sausage sizzle and with the support of the Carpentaria Presbytery and Qld Synod have organised funds to support a recovery hub and access to basic supplies. More from Journey

Positions Young Families Pastor - Redcliffe Uniting Church Redcliffe UC seeks a highly relational Pastor to be focussed on growing children and their families in faith. General Secretary - Uniting Church Northern Synod An exciting opportunity for a dynamic and visionary leader to help shape the direction of the Uniting Church Northern Synod. Upcoming Dates 2-4 February: Retreat Yourself 5-8 February: Raise our Tribal Voices Conference 13 February: Anniversary of the Apology to the Stolen Generations 14 February: Lent begins with Ash Wednesday 1 March: World Day of Prayer 29 March – 1 April: Easter weekend  Join us in prayer for All those recognised for their faithful and generous service to the church and community in the Australia Day Honours. Rev John Cox as he finishes in his role as Director of the National Safe Church Unit. We give thanks for his faithful leadership and wish God's blessings for the future. The faithful life and ministry of Warwick Uniting Church. All those leaders and young adults gathering for Retreat Yourself in Gerringong this weekend. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen as part of the WCC Ecumenical Prayer Cycle. Our weekly PowerPoint with stories, resources and prayer points for use in your weekly worship. What do you value about National Update and what would you like to see in 2024? Take our survey! Share Tweet Forward