UNITING CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ASSEMBLY UPDATE http://nat.uca.org.au> December 2003
In this final edition of Assembly Update 2003& The latest ASC Decisions Agency news Staff changes Mission Prayer Handbook 2004 Gift of Grace Rose 2004 Media Releases Positions Vacant Loads of new dates for 2004!
The next edition of Assembly Update will be published in February 2004
Just a thought
One of the challenges I have with living in Sydney is the lack of space. Maybe thats why so many people cling to the coast or travel down from the mountains every day at least then you can look out and not see buildings and people everywhere!
I find that space nourishes my soul. I was travelling once on the Nevertire road in western NSW (I was near Warren if that helps anyone) and I just had to stop on this quiet isolated road and soak up the experience. As I absorbed the sense of time and space and the presence of God it was a transcendent moment. It was revelatory. I guess if I were Abraham I would have built a cairn.
Meeting God by the road has a long tradition in the Church. God is encountered in many ways, made real, found to be trustworthy through many and varied experiences. At this time of the year we remember that the inadequacy of words as a means of revelation meant that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Terence Corkin, Assembly General Secretary
Christmas Greetings from the Secretariat
(including the Communications unit and Accounts)
Terence, Wendie, Leah, Geoff, Imran, Jim, Jenny, Linda, Sue, Merrilyn, Aysel and Vince.
May the season of Advent and Christmas be a time of blessing for you all, and may we all witness to the glad tidings of great joy, Emmanuel, God-with-us, in the birth of the baby, Jesus.
All I want for Christmas is&. From: Assembly Communications
Well of course the answer is for the world to know the Grace of God shown through the birth and death of his son Jesus Christ&& BUT&.. after that I am sure you are thinking I want my church to be updated on all of the news from the UCA National Assembly. How can I help them subscribe to Assembly Update for 2004?
Assembly Update is a newsletter that is published 11 times a year by the UCA National Assembly and it includes: updates on the national assembly secretariat, agencies, dates and conferences. It is important for members of the UCA to receive Assembly Update to keep them informed about the work of the UCA Australia wide.
Assembly Update can be sent to you or your congregation in many different formats.
Post This is a hardcopy of Assembly Update.
Email Email versions can come in different formats such as a word document, PDF or alert. This is a great way to receive Assembly Update as you can print it off and photocopy it for your congregation.
Alert An short message will be emailed to you to tell you that Assembly Update has now been posted on the website.
How do I subscribe? Subscribe online <http://nat.uca.org.au/update/> or contact the Assembly Communications Office t: (02) 8267 4231 e:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Resolutions on ministry, membership and sexuality
The Standing Committee continued to give attention to the needs of the Church arising form proposal 84 (now Assembly Minute 03.12.04). It is clear that there is a wide range of needs in the church at this time. The Standing Committee received the resolutions of the Synods of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Synod on Assembly resolution 03.12.04 as varied by the Assembly Standing
In response to requests from councils of the Church the ASC resolved to establish a process to clarify the doctrine of the Church regarding people in committed same-gender relationships being in leadership roles, including ordained ministries, with a view to decision-making at the 11th Assembly.
There is a three step process.
Step 1 responding to the requests of synods and presbyteries
refer Assembly minute 03.12.04 as varied by ASC minute 03.69 (proposal 84) to congregations and presbyteries for their responses by 30 April 2004;
Step 2 - wrestling with the issues
a period of Biblical and theological study throughout the Church, from June 2004 to June 2005, whereby members and councils, guided by the Basis of Union especially Paragraphs 5 and 11, seek further to discern Gods will in this matter;
Step 3 - towards decision-making
prepare a full report on steps 1 and 2 by September 2005, in order to resource synods and presbyteries as they prepare for the 11th Assembly; A letter and materials related to step one will be sent out in early January. A working group to identify resources and develop the methods to be used in step two will be convened by Rev Sue Gormann, Moderator of Victoria.
Full details of the decision and the Presidents pastoral letter are available from the Assembly website by going to <http://nat.uca.org.au/home> or by contacting the Assembly office t: (02) 8267 4248.
Caring for each other
The ASC is very aware that the decisions of one Council of the Church can cause concern for other parts of the Church. Standing Committee requests Councils of the Church to consider carefully the implications of their decisions on others in the life of the Church when they make decisions on these matters leading up to the 11th Assembly.
Changes to the Regulations:
The 10th Assembly resolved to make a number of changes to the Churchs Regulations. Some of these were actioned at the November Standing Committee. The changes relate to Elders and Church Council, recognition of Lay Pastors and the Alternate Regulations for Small Congregations. These changes will come into effect on January 1 2004. They will be placed on the website as soon as possible or contact the Assembly office.
Changes to the Guidelines for the Period of discernment:
The MEC submitted some changes to section six, which deals with recognition of prior learning. The changes come into effect immediately. The changes have been made to the Guidelines for the Period of Discernment that appear on the Assembly website <http://nat.uca.org.au/resources/index.htm>
Key Directions for the Assembly
What should be the key directions for the work of the Assembly and its agencies?
What might be the issues facing the church in our society and the world in 5 years, in ten years?
At the 10th assembly time was spent reflecting on what should be the key emphases of the national church. Nurturing people in faith, making disciples, finding continuing and new ways to be a truly national church, advocating for people who are in need and marginalized, continuing to walk with Congress, valuing our multi-cultural work, reaching out beyond ourselves, were all seen to be important. Unity in diversity remains a consistent theme.
ASC took seriously the phrase to model theologically disciplined and collaborative ways of working and will seek to implement that in spending more time on theological reflection and worship as a way of nurturing its own life. As well this the ASC are continuing to seek ways in which agencies may work more closely together and how the assembly and synods can complement each others work. In seeking to work more closely with agencies in developing their work, the ASC was aware that it is hard for them to fully understand the wide range of work the agencies do. Agencies will now report at each standing committee meeting on work done in the past four months or so, reflecting on how they are fulfilling the key directions and any issues they may face as a way of helping the ASC to be better informed.
Time to go fishing!
Well, perhaps not fishing but time for gardening, study, patchwork and reading!
I have decided to finish working for the Assembly and have put in my resignation to take effect as from May 2004. I will have worked for the Assembly for nearly six years and believe it is time to move on for personal and professional reasons. The pressure of travel, the diverse demands of the job, and a sense of deep tiredness have taken their toll. As the Assembly Standing Committee reviews my position again over the next few months it seemed an appropriate time to make this decision.
I have really enjoyed my work with its flexibility and opportunities to use my skills in so many areas. It has been wonderful to move around this great church and country, to meet so many people and see so much of the work of the church in so many places. I have deeply appreciated the hospitality and generosity of so many of you and the friendships that I now so value. I have learned so much. I have also been honoured to represent the church ecumenically, in interfaith dialogues and internationally in various forums, and thank the church for their confidence in me.
My greatest regret is to leave a wonderful and effective team in the Assembly. Their passion, their skills, their dedication is profound and they serve the church very well in an often difficult and complex environment. I believe Terence Corkin and I have worked very well together as a leadership team, modeling appropriately shared leadership that is vital to the life of the Assembly. It has been a relationship of deep respect, honesty and shared vision, with a robust sense of humour that helps to keep things in perspective! The national directors have worked more and more collaboratively, reflecting theologically together on their work, wonderfully demonstrated by their combined presentation to the 10th Assembly. They continue to work together with Terence and the ASC in sharing vision and passion for the work of the Assembly and the whole church in the proclamation of the Gospel. Support staff enable us all to function effectively by keeping us organized, taking responsibility for particular areas and assisting us all in so many ways.
But in the meantime there is still six months of work for me to do, things to be organized and people to see&&&&&&.. Wendie
News from Communications Unit
Change is a constant in our world and so too for us in the communications unit! We will farewell Leah Adams at the end of this year. Leah has decided to do further study and qualify as a teacher. We have greatly appreciated her work over the past two years, her flexibility in working part-time, particularly in putting together Assembly Update each month and working with Geoff Pritchard on various other publications.
Imran Bhatti will continue as our web master and we will continue to use Geoff Pritchard for design work. Serious consideration is currently being given to strengthening our media liaison work by employing a journalist/media officer next year, to assist the president in particular, and to work more closely with other national directors who have occasion to be involved in advocacy work with the government. We also hope that this person will also be able to assist the Assembly generally to let the church know more about its vast range of work.
Everything is new in UIM
New Staff!
Amanda Langford has joined our team as a full time Donor Liaison Officer for Uniting International Mission. Many thanks to all those that submitted applications and referrals, this position has now been filled.
New look Magazine!
Mission Partners Magazine has a new look! It is in an easy to carry A5 format and a great read! If you want to receive a copy contact Amanda Langford, Donor Liaison Officer on t: (02) 8267 4266 or
e: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.
New look Website!
Our website has also been redesigned and although parts are still under construction, log on when you get a chance to see what's going on! <http://uim.uca.org.au/> Check out our new photo gallery and worship resources!
Opportunity to serve in Bali
Our church partner in Bali, the Protestant Christian Church in Bali (GKPB) is seeking UCA Ministers of the Word to provide voluntary service for periods of three months in a number of English speaking congregations on the Indonesian island of Bali.
Congregations are located in the areas of Legian and Nusa Dua (just south of Denpasar). Duties include preaching, leading worship, celebrating the sacraments and pastoral care. Congregations include Indonesian nationals who wish to worship in English, international aid workers and business people together with a growing number of tourists.
Subsidised accommodation is provided. Previous experience of living in Indonesia together with some Bahasa Indonesia is an advantage but it is not a requirement.
Australian government travel advice still recommends all non-essential travel to Bali should be postponed. However, the island is recovering from the bombings in October 2002 and life is returning to normal. This is a unique opportunity to live and serve in a context where rich cultural traditions and vibrant religious diversity are a way of life.
For more information please contact: Rev John Barr, Executive Secretary, Uniting International Mission PO Box A2266 Sydney South 1235 t: (02) 8267 4251 f: (02) 8267 4222 e: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Beneficiary Fund
During 2003 the Beneficiary Fund has been undertaking extensive consultations as it sought to respond to changing circumstances in the Church and community. The Assembly Standing Committee received a final report from the Executive Director and determined that all members joining the fund from July 1 2004 shall join an accumulation fund . Members of the existing defined benefit fund including pensioners are not affected by this change. Support was given to some other modest actions that will strengthen the fund for the longer term. The Beneficiary Fund will advise members and the wider church of the changes in due course.
Space for Gods Glory
I watch and am touched by the Glory of God. Cynthia Brown
Space for Gods Glory is the theme explored in the new Mission Prayer Handbook 2004. The Mission Prayer Handbook is produced annually by the National Assembly and is a 96-page booklet filled with photographs and prayers, stories and reflections suitable for personal and small group devotions. It also includes information about the wide-ranging mission and ministry work of the national church. It would be a great end of year gift for colleagues, friends and family, and those you want to encourage in the faith.
Mission Prayer Handbook 2004 is filled with reflections and photographs from women in Western Australia on the theme Space for Gods Glory as well as images from the photographic exhibition shown at the 10th Assembly.
The Mission Prayer Handbook only costs $8 for a single copy, including postage and GST, $7 for 10 or more sent to the one address, or $5 each if collected from the Assembly office. Order from the Assembly office
t: (02) 8267 4428, e:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or f: (02) 8267 4222. Copyright permission for use of the material may be obtained from the Assembly office.
Gift of Grace Rose
As this issue of Assembly Update goes to print, most of the 8200 Gift of Grace roses should have finally been delivered to their destinations. This has been a mammoth task for the growers, who produced about 2000 roses for distribution as bare-root roses in July and then were anticipating a staggered delivery of the final 6200 from October through November as potted roses.
The project became more complicated when the region in South Australia where the roses were being grown (Myponga) experienced its wettest, coldest Spring for many decades. This resulted in a delay of about six weeks in the roses development and a frustrating time for those waiting for their roses. We are very grateful that everyone has been very understanding about the delay, especially those who took on the task of organising large group orders in their churches. They have had the difficult situation of seeing everyone on Sundays and trying to explain where their roses are!
There is still time to put in an order for the Gift of Grace rose for 2004, but we would like to have your order as soon as possible. There will be plenty of roses available.
Order forms are available from the National Assembly office by phoning Sue Neilson t:(02) 8267 4238, or you can download an order form from the Assembly website <http://nat.uca.org.au/home>.
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Stephen Webb Media Officer Communications Unit NSW Synod, Uniting Church in Australia Box A2178, Sydney South, NSW 1235, Australia email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: +61 2 8267 4308; Mobile: 0423 259 945; Fax: 9267 4716; Web: nsw.uca.org.au/cu/ & insights.uca.org.au/ ------------------ The Communications Unit publishes the monthly magazine Insights, conducts public relations for the NSW Synod of the Uniting Church, and provides a variety of communications services. These include writing, editing, web consultation and development, desktop publishing and graphic design, public relations and advertising. For a consultation or free estimate on your project call the Communications Unit at (02) 8267 4307.
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