Uniting Church in Australia - Meet incoming President Rev Charissa Suli, your Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday resource, final #Dwelling ep & more in UC National News 1-7 July

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1-7 July 2024 National Update Your weekly snapshot of the Uniting Church in Australia

Our Featured Story 17TH ASSEMBLY Meet incoming President Rev Charissa Suli Today we profile the inspiring and faith-filled journey of Rev Charissa Suli who next week will become the 17th President of the Uniting Church in Australia.  Rev Suli will be the youngest and the first person of colour, of Pacifica heritage and Tongan descent, to lead the church nationally.  Read about Rev Suli's powerful Emmaus moment that led her to ministry, the challenges she faced as a teenage mother and her deep sense of the new thing God is doing in the life of the Uniting Church. “The key point for me is that as Christians and people of faith we underestimate how broad, wide and deep the love of Christ is and that Christ’s love is so powerful that it can hold our diversity, if we would just take a chance and allow Christ’s love to transform us from within," says Rev Suli. In this feature piece, the incoming President reflects on the challenges the Church must face, including its own structural and cultural racism, and her joyful hope that we might be transformed and reconciled by the radical love of Christ.  Don't miss the story by SBS News on the President-elect and her barrier-breaking leadership. Bonus: a preview of the amazing choir performances which will feature in her installation service next Thursday. A longer version of the interview is available as a podcast here. Read our story now INTERCULTURAL NEIGHBOURING SUNDAY Celebration Guide now available Resources for Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday 2024 are out now! On Sunday 21 July the Uniting Church will celebrate this occasion for the second year. Emerging from a decision of the 16th Assembly, this day is an opportunity to celebrate our cultural diversity and explore intercultural relationships in our neighbourhoods. The resources include a celebration guide, worship liturgy and a wide collection of other resources to enrich and support your participation. 17TH ASSEMBLY 9 ways to connect with the 17th Assembly Members of the 17th Assembly will gather in Parramatta in just one week, and there are lots of opportunities for the wider Uniting Church to follow the work of the meeting as it happens. Whether it's opening worship, the meeting livestream, social media highlights or decisions and celebrations, here's your guide to connecting with the Assembly. DWELLING A final episode of the President's podcast After more than two years and almost 40 episodes, this week we bid farewell to Dwelling, the President's official podcast. Now at the end of her term, a final interview with the President herself closes a series of wonderful conversations as she reflects on her term in leadership, the formational moments of the past three years and what's sustained her along the way. She offers one of her final words to the Uniting Church in this role - to nourish the treasure we hold in clay jars. 17TH ASSEMBLY "Christ's love is the thread that will bind us" Ahead of her installation next week, President-elect Rev Charissa Suli has recorded a new message from the heart about her theme for the 17th Assembly and the triennium. Inspired by Charissa's rich Tongan heritage, Threads of Love: Weaving Christ's Love Across Cultures and Boundaries is an invitation to weave the thread of God's love through the tapestry of our life. Watch now on our website and on Facebook. COVENANT ANNIVERSARY Standing with Congress beyond the anniversary As we countdown to the 30th anniversary of the Covenant next Wednesday, outgoing President Rev Sharon Hollis shares her hopes for the future of the Covenant. In doing so, she recognises with lament where further progress is needed to advance First Nations justice, urging the whole church to stand with Congress. Make sure you check out the Assembly's resources for the anniversary - the interactive Prezi is now available as a download. 17TH ASSEMBLY 17th Assembly preachers and teachers A daily feature of each morning at the 17th Assembly will be worship and teaching from a diverse range of Uniting Church scholars and theological reflectors. Meet the preachers and teachers of the 17th Assembly and read a little about what they will reflect upon.  NAIDOC WEEK 5 ways to get involved in NAIDOC Week NAIDOC Week is fast approaching, beginning this Sunday 7 July and continuing until 14 July. This is an opportunity to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities, with this year's theme 'Keep the Fire Burning: Blak, Loud and Proud!' Check out our list of five ways to support and take part this year.

17th Assembly New Assembly papers released The third tranche of papers for the 17th Assembly meeting is now available. These documents include procedural proposals, proposals from the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress and Minutes of Appreciation for key groups and ministries. You can read all of the 17th Assembly papers here. Read the papers Frontier Services Congratulations Chaplain Sunny Congratulations to Sunny from Frontier Services on 10 incredible years as a Bush Chaplain! Your dedication and compassion have touched countless lives in the Parkin Sturt Remote Area, SA, and other rural and remote communities. From rallying Outback Links volunteers for group trips to offering a listening ear during tough times, your unwavering support has been a beacon of hope.  Donate to Frontier Services Theology Congrats Rev Dr Sally Douglas Congratulations to Uniting Church biblical scholar Rev Dr Sally Douglas whose book, 'Jesus Sophia: Returning to Woman Wisdom in the Bible, Practice and Prayer' has been shortlisted for Australian Christian Book of the Year through the 2024 Sparklit Awards. More about the book 17th Assembly RSVP for public events The installation of incoming President Rev Charissa Suli will take place at the opening worship of the 17th Assembly on 11 July. You are also invited to the Cato Lecture, given by renowned Korean American theologian Grace Ji-Sun Kim, taking place at 7pm AEST on Saturday 13 July. Find out more and RSVP now.  RSVP now Intergenerational July Intergen Update Be equipped for intergenerational ministry with the latest batch of resources and events from Intergen. The July update is packed with book and podcast recommendations, as well as a range of creative ways to engage people of all ages in faith, prayer and Bible study. A Ministry Resourcing Day is also being held on 13 August at North Balwyn Uniting Church in Melbourne. Read more Refugee Week Common Grace webinar Common Grace is holding a webinar on Tuesday 23 July at 7:30pm AEST entitled 'Love Beyond Borders: Peace and Welcome for All'. Hear from Suzan Wahhab, President of Palestinian Christians in Australia, and Common Grace's Gershon Nimbalker. Register here

In case you missed it... News and story highlights from the last couple of weeks Vale Rev Dr Gondarra OAM Hear the President and President-Elect on ABC Soul Search Meet the Members of the 17th Assembly New Dwelling episodes, four conversations with newly-ordained ministers Positions Engagement Coordinator (schools) - UC Synod of VicTas The Engagement Co-ordinator (Schools) provides logistical administrative support to foster collaboration within the network of Uniting Church schools Director of Bands - Newington College The College is seeking an outstanding music educator to lead our woodwind, brass and percussion sections of the music department, as well as the band and jazz programs. Upcoming Dates 6 July: Uniting Network online gathering 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 (resources available) 4 August: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children's Day 9 August: International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples Check out more dates across the year Join us in prayer for School of Discipleship taking place in Sydney this weekend. Uniting Network as they celebrate 30 years. Assembly and Synod staff entering final preparations for the 17th Assembly meeting next week. Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda 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