Category Archives: Uncategorized

Event: Merthyr Explorers, New Farm, Q – An Alternative Funeral

 

Merthyr Explorers’ February meeting will be in March!
Please take note of the change of date to –

Wednesday 6th March.

I hope you will still be able to attend. Dr Steven Nisbet will lead our exploring on the topic of
“An Alternative Funeral: an exploration of new language for funeral and memorial services”

Please bring along some suggestions for the liturgy –

  • readings,
  • prayers,
  • music,
  • farewell statements,
  • committals,
  • format,
  • setting,
  • etc.
  • An example of a ‘progressive’ service by Rev Rex Hunt can be found here. It will form part of our discussion at the meeting. Please bring along a copy to the session.

Merthyr Road Uniting Church, 52 Merthyr Rd, New Farm.
10 am for morning tea
10:30 am we begin our exploring of the topic.
A donation of $5 towards costs is appreciated .

Some of us have lunch together at Moray Cafe nearby, so please stay if you can.

PS: The following two sessions will be:

Wednesday March 27th – a Jesus seminar with Brian O’Hanlon

Wednesday April 24th – Quantum Physic, Consciousness and Creation with Les Savage

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Event: Book Launch in Brisbane

The life and story of Pastor and activist Don Kawanji Brady.

Friday, 1 March

Book Launch: Yalanya (That’s the way it is)

Join us at State Library of Queensland for the launch of Yalanya (That’s the way it is).

By kuril dhagun, State Library of Queensland

Date and time

Fri, 1 Mar 2024 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM AEST

Location

Auditorium 1, level 2

State Library of Queensland Stanley Pl South Brisbane, QLD 4101

About this event
  • 3 hours
  • Mobile eTicket

Don Brady (Kawanji) was a prominent Aboriginal leader in Queensland through the 1960s and 1970s. He was a descendant of the Gu Gu Yalanji people from the Cape York region.

He was a foundation member of the Brisbane Tribal Council and actively involved in the campaign to abolish the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islander Act. Don was instrumental in the establishment of the Aboriginal Legal Aid Service in Queensland and active in the revivial of dance in eastern Australia with the Yelanji dance group.

Wayne Sanderson

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Opinion: Transcendence – Searching for light amidst horrors in Ukraine and Gaza

Francis Sullivan

[Francis John Sullivan AO is Chair of the Mater group of hospitals and Chair of Concerned Catholics Canberra Goulburn. He also spoke truth to power through the Royal Commission on Child Sex Abuse across 4-5 years.]

Is there any light in the Christian message in the face of the horrors in the Ukraine and Gaza? Apart from wishing peace on Earth does Christian belief actually change anything?

Well, along with Nick Cave, I don’t believe in an interventionist God. At least not a God sitting above our lives pulling the strings at whim. I do believe though in the more profound message we recall at Christmas; that God and humanity are engaged in a cosmic dance of interrelatedness. That the good we seek is prompted by the Divine and the love that motivates humanitarian effort reflects the nature of God. The degree to which human conflict can be transformed into a settled peace is the measure in which we act in accord with ‘our better angels’! In other words, the human instincts to seek goodness and justice and to repel evil reflect the instinct of God.

This is the Christian message for a troubled world. A message that carries a hope of transcendence. We do have the capability to move beyond sectarian interests, to rise above bigotry and discrimination, to overcome narrow mindedness and defensive postures and to seek harmony in the interests of a common humanity. This is not ‘pie in the sky’ naïveté. Rather it is a rational approach in the mutual interests of sustainability and prosperity. It is a pathway of collaboration and ethical behaviour. It does call out right from wrong. It does promote the quest for the good over that of evil. It does mean taking sides to ensure everyone is treated with dignity and given a fair go. It ultimately involves embracing uncertainty, even mystery, as a deliberate choice instead of remaining clueless.

At its best Christianity is a movement of compassion, not an ideology. It calls for personal and communal transformation. This doesn’t imply that Christianity has the exclusive mortgage on truth and morality. Wrongly applied it can get caught up in ‘culture wars’. Its true heart is to promote unity. Its ’value add’ is to enable a common assent to shared challenges. Its particular emphasis is to create the space for the unheard, the forgotten and the disadvantaged to take agency. It points to measures that balance the scales of opportunity and benefit to bring to effect the aspirations of dignity and respect for all.

Christianity is not isolationist. It is best conducted in solidarity with those for which it seeks to aid. The symbols, rituals and myths of the people become the poetic expressions of the deeply held truths nurtured by the Christian story. Again, the degree to which these truths can hold in the face of horror and threat is the testament to the civilising impact of Christian values. For the one tenet of the Christian faith, evidenced in the life and resurrection of Jesus, is that death, destruction can be overcome. But not without effort, perseverance, and above all, hope.

And part of the Christian ‘toolkit’ are the virtues of wisdom, prudence and courage. Not to maintain a misguided sense of being a ‘Christian bulwark’ against the ‘forces of evil’; rather as transcendental capabilities to assist communities to identify and embrace opportunities that lead to a common flourishing and sustainable futures.

Peace makers, whether they be negotiators or legislators, need an agreed foundation of human rights. The United Nations has plainly stated declarations which to a big extent resonate with Christian social thought. It is still the most viable meta narrative to adopt in times of war and international strife. This Christmas let’s pray that the inspiration to promote a common humanity be the basis for prudent and courageous international action.

[First published on 24th December 2023 in Pearls and Irritations. Pearls and Irritations is an Australian platform for the exchange of ideas from a progressive, liberal perspective, with an emphasis on peace and justice. The editor is John Menadue.]

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Event: Book re-launch – A Dumping Ground

Thanks to Rev Dr Wayne Sanderson for this event notice:

A Dumping Ground: A History of Cherbourg Settlement

Two decades after it was published, join Jackie Huggins and Auntie Ruth Hegarty for the relaunch of the seminal work, A Dumping Ground: A History of the Cherbourg Settlement.

Meticulously researched and written by long-standing historian and heritage consultant Thom Blake, the work is a compelling account of the impact of Government policy on the people of the Cherbourg community from 1900-1940. The official record is juxtaposed with powerful oral histories from those whose lives were affected by the alien structures of oppression, criminal negligence and exploitation at Barambah (as Cherbourg was first known).

In 2002, A Dumping Ground won the NSW Premiers History Award: State Records Prize and remains a pivotal work in documenting cultural resilience.

When your grandchildren’s children inquire about the old days, give them a copy of A Dumping Ground.

Ruth Hegarty
Elder, author and former Cherbourg dormitory girl

kuril dhagun – this is the place for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to meet, and for us to learn about unique Queensland Indigenous cultures, through exhibitions, events and digital programming. Enter through the Infozone or the Talking Circle.

Link to information.

Location: Stanley Place, South Brisbane

kuril dhagun – Level 1 of the Oxley Library Building

View map

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Event: A Pacific Voice in the Wilderness

Polkinghorne Oration – Rev James Bhagwan

Oceans of Justice and Rivers of Fairness – A Pacific Voice in the Wilderness.

Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That’s what I want. That’s all I want (Amos 5:24 MSG).

Uniting Church Fellowship and Mission Support (UCFAMS) invites you to this year’s Polkinghorne Oration, featuring guest speaker Rev James Bhagwan, General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches. Rev Bhagwan has spoken widely on the impact of Climate Change on the Pacific Island communities.

At: Concordia College Chapel

Corner of Balmoral and Cheltenham Streets, Highgate SA

Thursday 5 October 2023 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Tickets are $20 (or $15 concession)
Bookings can be made at: events.humanitix.com/polkinghorne-oration-james-bhagwan

This event is sponsored by UCFAMS (Uniting Church Fellowship & Mission Support) in partnership with Churches Together SA, EAG (Environmental Action Group) and ELC (Effective Living Centre).

Kind regards, Judi Maschmedt

Office Administrator

Effective Living Centre

Christ Church Uniting

26 King William Road, Wayville SA 5034

Office: 08 8271 0329

Website: effectiveliving.ucasa.org.au

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Places: Habitat Uniting Church (VIC)

The Habitat Uniting Church seeks to grow in grace, nurture community and make a positive difference in the world.

St David’s Centre
2 Mont Albert Rd (cnr Burke Rd)
Canterbury VIC

Here, you don’t have to be religious to explore your spirituality and encounter the sacred.

Vision and Values

Ministry Team

History

The Habitat Congregation consists of people from all walks of life who gather with a common interest in exploring what it means to become open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, follow the way of Jesus and be the people of God in our current context.

We meet for weekly worship, community activities and small groups. We are the body of Christ who seek to live in the image of God, share the inclusive hospitality and explore progressive engaging theology. In our living and all that flows from it, we strive to feed the soul with vibrancy, inspiration and dignity.

We attend to the human desire for meaning, identity and connection with the source of life. The word religion is derived from the Latin re ligio meaning to bind back to the source. We gather in the Christian tradition as part of the Uniting Church in worship, learning, pastoral care and in service.

Enquiries: office@habitatforspirituality.org.au

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Event and Reading: Atonement Theory as the Death of Christianity

St Lucia Spirituality Group

Greetings

Isn’t it interesting, perhaps frightening, to discover that we can hold deeply seated beliefs without ever questioning them? Our next meeting will examine the notion of Atonement Theory, a belief, founded in the questionable doctrine of original sin, that Jesus died for our sins. This belief is deeply embedded in our literature, our hymns, our psyche, and our art. For example, highway billboards and street corner evangelists proclaim “Jesus died for our sins.” And this notion of sacrifice is embedded into our worship e.g., “the sacrifice of the Mass.”

If we have a theology that requires victims, then that also requires victimisers, and history has demonstrated that errant theology has created many. If that is what God is, we do not need God in our lives, nor do we need a manipulative religion.

At our next meeting we shall examine the validity of this belief and the possibility of an alternative view that could be more life affirming.

Our discussion paper, “Why did Jesus die?”, which we shall consider, is here. We invite you to join us. The paper draws on these two videos of talks by John Shelby Spong: Why Atonement Theory will Kill Christianity  and The Cross as the Moment of Glory – He Did Not Die For your Sins. We recommend viewing them, however, if your time is limited, simply watch the second.

Our meeting will be held on Zoom at 6:00pm AEST on Tuesday 18 July 2023. Come early to meet the others there. Use this link to join the meeting. The zoom meeting will open at 5:45pm.

To register your attendance, please email John at jscoble@hradvantage.com.au.

St Lucia Spirituality Group

Email:       slsg4067@gmail.com

Facebook: St Lucia Spirituality Group

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Event: The Feminine in Christianity – St Lucia, Brisbane

The Book of Solomon has this to say about Wisdom, describing it in feminine language:

“She is intelligent, holy, unique, subtle, flowing, transparent, and pure; She is distinct, invulnerable, good, keen, irresistible, and gracious; She is humane, faithful, sure, calm, all-powerful, all-seeing, and available to all who are intelligent, pure, and altogether simple.”

Yet the Sufi teacher Asha Greer warns us:

“Don’t be fooled. Most of the spiritual books that have influenced us were written by men in societies where women were not included. You’ve been programmed by a lot of dead men who had no idea what it is to be a woman.”

We invite you to join us at our next meeting at which we shall consider the feminine in Christianity with the assistance of Rev Suzanne Grimmett, Anglican Priest of Indooroopilly. It will be held on Zoom at 6:00pm AEST on Tuesday 13 June 2023. Come early to meet others there. Use this link to join the meeting. The zoom meeting will open at 5:45pm.

A pre-reading briefing paper on the topic is available. To register your attendance, please email John at jscoble@hradvantage.com.au and request the paper.

St Lucia Spirituality Group

Email:       slsg4067@gmail.com

Facebook: St Lucia Spirituality Group

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Resources: Poem – “Love is the Answer”

Love is the answer                                                                                                                                  by Bev Floyd

‘Love is your last chance.

There is no other reason for living.’

said my 92-year-old friend.

Yes. Love is the only answer

to this weary world’s woes.

 

Love that does not blink

when faced with all the

silly nonsense people think

but carries on regardless…

giving a helping hand…

saying a kind and thoughtful word

as if it hadn’t heard.

 

Yes. Love is the best answer

for an angry child…

a spiteful woman or a raging man…

deep strong, unwearying love…

that helps them to be calm

and settle down. Just love.

 

Just love… when all the forces

of hatred and injustice

swarm about like killer bees

intent on retribution.

Only love can heal the anger and dismay…

take the pain, the guilt away.

 

Only love is strong enough

to do what must be done…

to persevere

and hope the best

will soon appear.

 

Love, which does what must be done

without a thought of self…

love, so tough it won’t be bent

but does what it is meant

to do… for others.

 

Yes. Love.  Just love…

which brings the sinner

and the saint together.

For even sinners can learn to love

and saints are sometimes weary.

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