Uniting Church in Australia - On the eve of the #17th Assembly, youthful delegates and CALD members make lasting connections.

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8-14 July 2024 National Update Your weekly snapshot of the Uniting Church in Australia

Our Featured Story 17TH ASSEMBLY Pre-Assembly gatherings kick off It's just ONE day until the 17th Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia begins! Members of the Assembly are travelling from across the country to gather on Burramattagal and Gadigal land for the triennial decision-making meeting of the national church. Today, two important pre-Assembly events took place. Youthful delegates of the Assembly came together at Leigh Memorial Church and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) members were hosted at Mascot Wesley Uniting Church. Many of the youthful delegates will be participating in the Assembly for the first time. Incoming President Rev Charissa Suli encouraged them to know their presence and voices were an important part of the meeting.  “No matter what council of the church we come from,” Rev Suli shared, “our common ground is our humanity. My vision for the Uniting Church is that we will be a place of more generous welcome, that we will be proud of our diversity.”  See the wonderful collection of photos from the day on our Facebook page and watch the inspiring video created by the Signal Box capturing the hopes and thoughts of the youthful delegates. Read the stories COVENANT ANNIVERSARY Today marks 30 years of the Covenant Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Covenant between the Uniting Church in Australia and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress. We praise God for binding us together in God's spirit, for the vision of the founders of Congress and for the shared witness of the past three decades. The anniversary will be marked this Friday evening at the 17th Assembly meeting. The anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the past, present and future of the covenant. You can explore the history of the Covenant through the Assembly's Covenant Anniversary resources, including an interactive timeline and two new posters, and hear from Congress and Church leaders about their hopes for the future. COVENANT ANNIVERSARY Download your special anniversary edition posters In honour of the 30th anniversary of the Covenant and 15th anniversary of the Preamble, the Assembly has released two new special editions of the Preamble and Covenanting Statement posters. Download them now and display them proudly in your community! The posters feature original artwork by Grace Williams from UAICC Tasmania. PREAMBLE ANNIVERSARY Marking 15 years of the Preamble An exciting conference to mark the 15th anniversary of the Preamble to the Uniting Church Constitution took place on Monday and Tuesday this week with hubs around the country. 15 years after the Preamble became one of the Uniting Church's foundational documents, what do its confessions mean for our faith and practice today and for our "destiny together"? See some photos from Monday's opening session in Sydney. 17TH ASSEMBLY 9 ways to connect with the 17th Assembly The 17th national Assembly officially kicks off tomorrow with a full and exciting agenda, 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 tomorrow night, the meeting livestream, social media highlights or decisions and celebrations, here's your guide to connecting with the Assembly. 17TH ASSEMBLY Final online gathering of Assembly members Let's Walk Together was the theme of the third and final online pre-gathering of Assembly members held last Wednesday evening. Following on from first and second gatherings held over the past month, this session stepped deeper into how a gathered community makes decisions together on behalf of the whole church. Read the summary and watch the recording. 17TH ASSEMBLY Join us for the installation of the 17th President, Rev Charissa Suli Tomorrow night, Rev Charissa Suli will be installed as the new President of the Uniting Church Assembly at a service to be held at St Stephen's Uniting Church in Sydney. All are welcome to attend or to watch the livestream. If attending in person, please RSVP here. In case you missed it, meet Charissa in our feature story, and watch this video where she shares about the 17th Assembly theme, Threads of Love: Weaving Christ's Love Across Cultures and Boundaries. NAIDOC WEEK Congratulations Aunty Denise Champion Rev Dr Aunty Denise Champion was recognised Scholar/Research person of the year in the South Australian NAIDOC awards on Monday night. An Adnyamathanha woman and Uniting Church minister, Aunty Denise is Theologian-In-Residence at Uniting College in South Australia and a deeply respected theologian, writer and speaker. Congratulations Aunty Denise! See more photos of the awards and read the tribute from the Synod of South Australia. 17TH ASSEMBLY Meet the President's chaplains Get to know the chaplains chosen by incoming Uniting Church President Rev Charissa Suli. The chaplains will accompany the President throughout the triennium of her leadership, providing counsel and pastoral care.  INTERCULTURAL NEIGHBOURING SUNDAY Get ready: Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday The Uniting Church's second Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday takes place next Sunday 21 July! Emerging from a decision of the 16th Assembly, this day is an opportunity to celebrate our cultural diversity and pursue intercultural relationships in our neighbourhoods. Resources are out now and include a celebration guide, worship liturgy and a wide collection of other resources to enrich and support your participation.

Frontier Services Take some inspiration from Bill Meet Bill Clarke, one of Frontier Services' most cherished and committed Outback Links volunteers who doesn't stop making a difference. Bill recently shared his inspiring story at a Great Outback BBQ hosted by Romsey Uniting Church and helped raise $528.50! Join the fun and host your own Great Outback BBQ! Host your own BBQ 17th Assembly RSVP for the Cato Lecture You are invited to the 17th Assembly Cato Lecture, to be given by renowned Korean American theologian Grace Ji-Sun Kim at 7pm AEST on Saturday 13 July. The lecture will be held at the Novotel Parramatta, the site of the 17th Assembly meeting, and will be livestreamed for those unable to attend in person. RSVP now

In case you missed it... News and story highlights from the last couple of weeks Meet the 17th President of the Uniting Church Final episode of Dwelling featuring the President Meet the 17th Assembly preachers and teachers Get involved in NAIDOC Week Positions Pastoral Care Worker - St Matthew's Uniting Church Baulkham Hills A part-time Pastoral Care Worker to provide spiritual guidance and pastoral care to support the wellbeing of our congregation and local community. OH&S Coordinator - VicTas Synod (Melbourne - Wesley Place) Deliver safety information, advice and services including injury management, training, building assessments, governance, monitoring and reporting. Upcoming Dates 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 1 September-4 October: Season of Creation Check out more dates across the year Join us in prayer for The 17th Assembly meeting, for wise discerning and decision-making during the meeting, and for safe travels to and from Parramatta for those coming from outside of Sydney. UAICC and the UCA on the 30th anniversary of the Covenant, and as the Covenant continues to be lived out into the future. NAIDOC Week, for justice and flourishing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Eritrea, Ethiopia 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