Uniting Church in Australia - Meet the Members of the 17th Assembly! 🤎💛🧡

5-11 June 2024 National Update Your weekly snapshot of the Uniting Church in Australia

Our Featured Story 17TH ASSEMBLY Meet the members of the 17th Assembly With just over five weeks to go until the 17th Assembly gathers in Parramatta, Sydney, we are delighted to kick off our 17th Assembly edition of Meet the Members. Each week through June, we'll be introducing you to some of the 250 plus people attending the meeting from across our diverse Uniting Church who will form a community of fellowship, worship and discernment in July. Drawn from every Synod across the country, they will share of their hopes and expectations as they prepare to gather with others to discern God's call for the Uniting Church in Australia. Today, meet Pastor Ella Evans, Rev Lauleti Tu'inauvai, Rev Luke Williams, Dr Joanna Palmer and Pastor Jenny Wardrop. We'll be bringing you many more exciting 17th Assembly updates over the coming weeks. Stay tuned through National Update, social media and the 17th Assembly website. If you're not yet subscribed to this weekly email, join here. Meet the Members 17TH ASSEMBLY Gathering in faith, building community Last week the Assembly Resourcing Unit hosted the first of three online community building sessions for members of the 17th Assembly, with the first of three themes: 'Gathering at the Table'. Assembly National Consultant Rev Kath Behan reflects on the session and on the Uniting Church's commitment to community building and worship as the foundation for shared discernment and wise decision making. Read the summary and watch the recording. ADVOCACY Welcoming new calls for a Human Rights Act The Uniting Church Assembly was proud to be among more than 100 organisations welcoming the call for a national Human Rights Act following the recommendations of a new report tabled in Parliament. The Assembly has advocated for a holistic approach to human rights for almost two decades. Read the media release including a quote from Assembly General Secretary (Interim) Rev Lindsay Cullen. COVENANT ANNIVERSARY Sign up for Covenant Anniversary resources On 10 July we will celebrate 30 years of the Covenant between the Uniting Church in Australia and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress. The Assembly will soon be releasing resources for Uniting Church communities to mark this significant milestone in worship and to reflect on our history and future together. Read our story and sign up to receive the resources to your inbox as soon as they're available. ACT2 PROJECT Action stations on the Act2 report Act2: The Gift of the Spirit, the Act2 report to the 17th Assembly, has now been released to Assembly members and the wider Uniting Church as a PDF and a website. Read about the significance of the work, the shape of the report and an overview of what's proposed in this article originally published in Crosslight. PREAMBLE ANNIVERSARY The Preamble: 15 Years On An exciting Conference to mark the 15th anniversary of the Preamble to the Uniting Church Constitution will be held from 8-9 July. Adopted at the 12th Assembly in 2009, the Preamble includes the significant affirmation that "The First Peoples had already encountered the Creator God before the arrival of the colonisers; the Spirit was already in the land..." The conference will explore what the Preamble means for the faith of the Uniting Church today. Hubs are planned in Sydney, Adelaide, Perth and online. Download the flyer and register here. NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK Congress and Church leaders look forward Following on from National Reconciliation Week, we are sharing another video reflection from Congress and Church leaders, exploring living the Covenant into the future. You can also read a reflection on what it means to work for reconciliation under God from Rev Aunty Roberta Stanley, Chairperson of the UAICC Regional Council Qld, here. FRONTIER SERVICES Donate to the vital ministry of Frontier Services Frontier Services Bush Chaplains provide support, hope and companionship for people in rural Australia in their darkest moments. “If my Bush Chaplain wasn’t here, I think it would have all been too much," reflects one woman, who is supported by a Frontier Services Bush Chaplain through grief and ill health. You can donate to Frontier Services here and can read more about the essential care they provide.

In Memoriam Vale Jürgen Moltmann Towering German theologian Professor Jürgen Moltmann died on Monday aged 98. A member of the Evangelical Church in Germany and Professor of Systematic Theology at the University of Tübingen, Moltmann wrote seminal texts The Crucified God and Theology of Hope. We give thanks for his significant legacy. Read more Intergenerational Ministry June update from Intergen The latest intergenerational ministry update from Intergen is here! It's packed with events, ideas, prayer resources, lectionary reflections and training and learning opportunities to grow your ministry with and across all generations in your community. Resources here Around the Uniting Church A gathering of Spirit and unity Geelong Library in Victoria was the spectacular venue for a combined service on Pentecost Sunday, uniting diverse UCA congregations under one roof and mirroring an ancient gathering that once took place in an upper room long ago. Read more from Rev Will Nicholas, minister at St David's Uniting Church in Newtown Victoria. Read now

Around the Uniting Church Happy 30th Birthday Newlife Newlife Church in the Synod of Queensland celebrated its 30th anniversary in May. From turning the soil on a new church building in 1992 to the thriving, expanding community of God's mission it is today, we rejoice with the Newlife family in God's faithfulness. Watch the 30th anniversary video. Watch now School of Discipleship Hear from Grace Ji-Sun Kim The 2024 School of Discipleship is just one month away, taking place from 5-7 July in Sydney. The event will feature theologian and keynote speaker Grace Ji-Sun Kim, who reflects on the theme 'The Spirit and Discipleship' in this new video. Registrations close 20 June! Registration info Intercultural Church 'Making me Visible' podcast Uniting Church members Cyrus Kung and Joy Han have begun an exciting new podcast which explores the experience of those caught between cultures. It draws deeply on lived experience of faith and church to explore identity, culture, theology and racism. Listen to early episodes and stay tuned as this bold intercultural offering develops. Follow on Facebook

In case you missed it... News and story highlights from the last couple of weeks UCA signs on to new statement of commitment from Allies for Uluru New reflection on gender-based violence from Frontier Services Positions Dean of Formation - Uniting Church Synod of QLD Dive and maintain an innovative and flexible program for ministry formation within the Synod. Team Leader Administration - Banyule Network of Uniting Churches An exciting administration leadership opportunity. Upcoming Dates 5 June: World Environment Day 16-22 June: Refugee Week 22 June: 47th Uniting Church Anniversary 7-14 July: NAIDOC Week 10 July: 30th Anniversary of the UCA-UAICC Covenant 11-16 July: 17th Assembly meeting 21 July: Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday Check out more dates across the year Join us in prayer for The prayerful discernment of 17th Assembly members preparing to gather in July. All working to protect the human rights of all in the Australian community. Those marking Pride Month. As the work for liberation continues, may each member of the rainbow community know they are fearfully and wonderfully made. Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini as part of the WCC Ecumenical Prayer Cycle. Our weekly PowerPoint with stories, resources and prayer points for use in your weekly worship. What are you praying for this week? Email us! Share Tweet Forward Copyright © 2024 Uniting Church in Australia, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Uniting Church in Australia Lvl 4 262 Pitt St Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia