Uniting Church in Australia - You're invited 💌 Installation of Rev Charissa Suli as President of the Uniting Church in Australia

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10-16 June 2024 National Update Your weekly snapshot of the Uniting Church in Australia

Our Featured Story 17TH ASSEMBLY Join us as we install Rev Charissa Suli as President of the Uniting Church in Australia On Thursday 11 July the 17th Assembly meeting will open with worship and the joyful installation of Rev Charissa Suli as the 17th President of the Uniting Church in Australia. The installation will be a historic event, with the Uniting Church being the largest Australian Christian denomination to elect a person of colour as national leader. Charissa will be the youngest person to serve as President and the third woman. The President is the spiritual leader and representative of the Uniting Church nationally. Opening worship will be held at 7:30pm AEST on Thursday 11 July at St Stephen's Uniting Church, 197 Macquarie Street, Sydney. Opening worship is a public event and all are invited to join in celebrating God's call to Charissa, assuring her of our prayer and support. If you are planning to attend in person, please RSVP by 23 June. The service will also be livestreamed at 7:30pm AEST (QLD, NSW, ACT, VIC, and TAS), 7pm ACST (SA and NT) and 5:30pm AWST (WA). Online access details are coming soon. Read more and RSVP KING'S BIRTHDAY HONOURS Honoured for their service The Uniting Church congratulates Uniting Church members recognised in the 2024 King's Birthday Honours List, including the late James Pfeiffer who was honoured for service to the Uniting Church. Other UCA members were recognised for their gifts in a range of areas and their extraordinary service to the Church and community. Images L-R: UCA recipients Lance Boswell, Carmyl Winkler and Rhona Collinson. 17TH ASSEMBLY RSVP for the 17th Assembly Cato lecture We are delighted that the 17th Assembly Cato Lecture will be given by world-renowned Korean American theologian Grace Ji-Sun Kim. The lecture is a significant feature of the Assembly meeting and is open to all to attend in person or via live stream. It will be held at 7pm AEST on Saturday 13 July at the Novotel Parramatta. You can now RSVP and see the many other opportunities to hear from Grace during her visit to Australia. ART AND FAITH An artist's tribute to the President Artist and Uniting Church member Michael Donnelly recently submitted a painting of Uniting Church President Rev Sharon Hollis for the Archibald Prize. Having known Sharon for three decades, the work is inspired by his admiration for her leadership, openness, courage, strength and faith. In this Q&A, Michael shares what inspired him to feature the President, the symbolism of the work and the relationship between art and faith. THIS IS MY UNITING CHURCH Enriched by scripture, liturgy and community A month after the ordination of Rev Reuben Edmonds in September 2023, he commenced placement at All Saints Floreat Uniting Church, a justice-seeking, community-minded church in Western Australia. In this week's This is My Uniting Church, they share how scripture, liturgy and community have enriched their life of faith together.  17TH ASSEMBLY Meet more Members of the 17th Assembly In the second week of Meet the Members, meet Rev Ian Turnnidge, Rev Paul Chalson, Rev Bea Skippen and Wendy Hendry. They'll be among over 250 people gathering on Burramattagal land in Parramatta for the 17th Assembly meeting next month. Hear about their hopes and catch up with all our Meet the Members profiles released so far here. ACT2 PROJECT Check out these videos from the Act2 report The Act2 team has released a suite of videos as part of the resources provided alongside Act2: The Gift of the Spirit, the Act2 report to the 17th Assembly. This video captures what people across the country shared about the national identity of the Uniting Church, and this showcase of eight videos invites you to imagine what a flourishing future could be like for different types of UCA communities. WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES WCC Executive Committee meets in Columbia The World Council of Churches (WCC) executive committee met in Bogota from 6-11 June, progressing the business of the WCC and absorbing the life of Columbian churches. Over the course of the week the committee addressed a range of issues including peace in Columbia, the war in Ukraine, solidarity with Sudan, upcoming climate conferences and a strong statement about the suffering of Gazans. See all WCC news.

In Memoriam Vale Clem Dickinson The Assembly is saddened to hear of the death of Rev Clem Dickinson. Ordained in 1967, Clem ministered to several congregations in regional Victoria and held significant Assembly roles including Executive Director of Stewardship Australia and Managing Treasurer of the Beneficiary Fund. We give thanks to God for a faithful life. A thanksgiving service will be held this Friday 14 June. Funeral details here Refugee Week Pray and act for refugee justice Refugee Week begins on Sunday 16 June, an opportunity to listen to the stories of refugees, pray for justice and safety and take action for a more welcoming nation. The Synod of South Australia has prepared this resource, and all are invited to the online ecumenical prayer service hosted by the NCCA Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce on 20 June. Download the resource UnitingWorld UnitingWorld EOFY Appeal In this video, UnitingWorld National Director Sureka Goringe shares about the work of our church partners in Durgapur, India, which are transforming communities through opportunities to overcome generational poverty and disadvantage. You can help support this work and create justice for generations by donating to UnitingWorld's End of Financial Year appeal. Donate now Around the Uniting Church Happy anniversary GKI Perth Happy anniversary to Gereja Kristen Indonesia (GKI) in Perth, an Indonesian congregation within the Synod of Western Australia, which recently celebrated 23 years of worship, witness and service. "May we faithfully care for this fellowship that God has given, and become a blessing for the world," was the reflection on the anniversary. See photos of celebrations on the Facebook page. See the photos

In case you missed it... News and story highlights from the last couple of weeks Sign up for the Covenant Anniversary resource here Register for The Preamble: 15 Years On conference here June Intergen Update - resources for your intergenerational ministry Assembly welcomes calls for a Human Rights Act Positions Playgroup Coordinator - Manningham Uniting Church Manage playgroups, lead a team and build key relationships with families, children, staff and volunteers. Presbytery Support Manager - UC Synod of Queensland Lead Synod Support Services for Presbyteries and be the primary liaison point for Presbytery leadership. Upcoming Dates 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 (resource coming soon) 4 August: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day Check out more dates across the year Join us in prayer for Rev Charissa Suli as she prepares to take up the role of President of the Uniting Church. All those recognised in the King's Birthday Honours and Uniting Church members who faithfully contribute to our Church and wider community. UCA artists whose creativity opens our eyes and "speaks volumes to our heart and soul." Those mourning Rev Clem Dickinson. Botswana, Zimbabwe 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