UnitingCare network update

By Nigel Tapp

The UnitingCare Network Project’s Project Control Group (PCG) expects to make some significant announcements relating to a new network structure before the end of this month.

In June last year the Synod Standing Committee (SSC) established the PCG as part of a new strategic direction for the 25 UnitingCare agencies within the network.

The agencies currently operate ...

A living symbol

Former World War II pilot George Flack denies that he is a hero – but the people of France disagree.

In December last year the 93-year-old was presented with the Legion of Honour, France’s highest military award, for his participation in liberating France from the Germans.

Mr Flack flew more than 40 flights over France, sometimes in horrendous conditions, ...

SSC supports new legal structure

By Penny Mulvey

The Synod Standing Committee (SSC) has decided to change the legislative structure of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania.

In a letter to all congregation councils, presbyteries, the Assembly, other synods and reporting bodies and institutions, general secretary Rev Dr Mark Lawrence outlined the ‘significant decision’ taken by the SSC.

Dr Lawrence explained that under the legislative ...

Giving older people a voice

By Rebecca Ryan

Uniting AgeWell is calling for community members in Victoria and Tasmania to get involved in senior service planning to help improve the quality of care and effectiveness of its own services and the aged care system as a whole.

Unlike public health services – which are obligated to have a formal, consumer advisory committee to provide ...

South Geelong scholarships

In the aftermath of South Geelong Uniting Church closing in 2014, congregation members sought to create an ongoing legacy for the church community.

A South Geelong memorial scholarship was soon identified as an apt gesture from the church community in the local area.

Being sold under the Uniting our future program, South Geelong was allocated income replacement funds, some of ...

A Multi-Faith Paradise: The Need for Reconciliation in Sri Lanka and Melbourne

By Larry Marshall

Sri Lanka is an enigma. It offers us a wonderful success story of multi-faith harmony at work – Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and Christians – a deeply spiritual people living together, praying together and even sharing sacred spaces and pilgrimage rituals. Temples, mosques and churches can often be seen side-by-side in Colombo.

And yet, the other story ...

Not so super

More than 1000 retired Uniting Church ministers have had their retirement incomes slashed by federal government superannuation changes that came into force on 1 January.

Changes to the tax treatment of defined benefit super schemes mean more than 80 per cent of retired members in the UCA Beneficiary Fund are losing thousands of dollars a year, principally because it will ...

Asylum seekers knit for Australian charities

People seeking asylum often face long periods of stress and uncertainty as they wait for their claims to be processed. A group of asylum seekers at Darwin’s Wickham Point detention centre are knitting clothes for Australian charities as a way to improve their mental wellbeing.

Gan Mei Wah is an asylum seeker living at the detention centre and is the ...

Staying safe from bushfire smoke

Tasmanians suffering from breathing difficulties – including asthma – have been warned to take extra care as more than 80 bushfires are blanketing large parts of the state in smoke.

While no communities are currently under threat from the fires, residents – particularly the elderly and young – are encouraged to be particularly vigilant and remain indoors with their ...

Bringing prayers to your phone

Technology is opening up new ways to engage with scripture. An increasing number of people are accessing the Bible through their smartphones, so they can read it anywhere, at any time.

This year, the World Council of Churches will bring worship materials from the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity to people’s smartphones and tablets for the first time.

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Ninety-nine-year-old gets wish to visit world of Quidam

Ninety-nine-year-old Trudi Kaplan’s wish to visit the imaginary world of Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam was recently granted thanks to Uniting AgeWell’s Wishing Well program.

Trudi, originally from the United States, has no relatives in Australia. She currently resides in the Uniting AgeWell Queenborough Rise community in Hobart and loves to express her creativity through art.

Queenborough Rise ...

Tweeting God

If reports are correct, today Pope Francis is expected to meet Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google and Jared Cohen, current head of Google Ideas. For the global leader of a church to make time for such a meeting is a reminder yet again that technology has become a significant factor in theological messaging.

Susan Tellem, in her ...