UnitingCare Australia and Uniting Missions Network will hold their national conference Sunday 6 to Tuesday 8 April 2008 in Melbourne.
The conference theme is Shaping our future, Informed by experience, Inspired by vision.
Board members, CEO’s and program managers, organisational development and business managers, mission staff and volunteers are all invited to come along.
The conference will be held at Hotel Jasper, 489 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne (next to the Victoria Market). More details to come soon.
For further enquiries contact Uniting Care Victoria and Tasmania.
Christmas means many different things to different people.
For those who are reminded of loved ones lost, we pray you find comfort through the gift of the Christ-child.
For those who find annoyance in the endless ‘merry making’ that seems either superficial or to pass them by, we pray you find moments of delight and joy that truly have meaning.
For those who find themselves alone, we pray you be comforted by the presence of God-with-us, as known in the story of Jesus.
For those to whom the religious event of Christmas seems to alienate your own beliefs of trample on the integrity of your religion, we pray you find open and accepting people to encourage you in your own journey.
For all people, regardless of faith, creed, background or other things that might cause fear or indifference, let us be inspired by the life of Jesus and other inspiring prophets to work together to transform this world into a place of peace.
May you find a safe and blessed place this Christmas. Blessings from the people of St. David’s Uniting Church, Oakleigh, and the Balkara Parish of the Uniting Church.
RELIGION has been unfairly blamed for conflicts around the world in recent years, but Christians should remember the benefits of their devotion, Sydney Catholic Archbishop George Pell has said.
In his Christmas message, the archbishop reminds Christians that the birth of Jesus is a symbol of helplessness and hope.
“Christians believe that the almighty God has visited us, not just through prophets, saints and humanitarian heroes, but through sending his son to be born of a virgin in Bethlehem…,” Cardinal Pell has said.
A child once asked, “If Christmas is Jesus’ birthday, why do we get all the gifts?†In the midst of the busyness of the season, many of us may have asked ourselves the same question. Are all the presents we receive and the gifts we exchange really a reflection of God?For God so loved the world that He gave… When we read those words, then it becomes clear that giving truly is at the heart of the reason we celebrate. Giving reflects God’s character and expresses His heart.
But sometimes the true meaning does get lost. That’s why we’re inviting you to be a part of the “Share and Care†Christmas challenge. When we share with those around us through giving unselfishly, we are an example of what God did for us when He sent Jesus. When we use giving to express our hearts, we show the world once again that love is the reason for Christmas.
We can give a simple present. We can give a moment of our time. We can give a small kindness or a great sacrifice. What matters is not the size of the gift, but the meaning behind it. All gifts are ultimately a reflection of Jesus, who is The Gift.
God loved. God gave. God made a difference. We can too.
This article is from the web site: Jesus is the gift
MELBOURNE’S Anglican dean has been appointed the worldwide church’s top diplomat, representing the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Vatican.
David Richardson, dean of St Paul’s Cathedral, said yesterday his job would be to interpret Anglicans to the Roman Catholic Church and relay what was going on in the Vatican to fellow Anglicans.
A new breed of missionaries is trying to convert the world. Evangelists of unbelief say religion is a relic left over from the past that stands in the way of human progress. Once the world is rid of religion, immemorial evils such as war and tyranny can be overcome, and humanity will be able to fashion a new life for itself better than any known in history.
Such is the creed of anti-religious missionaries such as Richard Dawkins.
On Saturday, the St. David’s Uniting Church again hosted their annual ‘Search for an Angel’ event.
Search for an Angel is a fun event for children where they look for angels who provide clues to the gift of Christmas. The ‘treasure hunt’ ends with a live nativity of farm animals and baby Jesus.
A big thanks to all who helped make the day a success. And big congratulations to our two prize winners who get a free entry to the Rain, Hayne and Shine animal farm on the Mornington Peninsula.
This year’s winners are:
The Ferdinands family of Oakleigh &
John Berlangieri of Mt. Waverley.
You can check out a photostory of the day here (1MB)Â : Search for an angel 2007 (1M)
or for those with a fast connection, you can check out this larger version (7MB): Search for an angel, 2007
TEAR, an international Christian agency that is a strong advocate towards eliminating global poverty, has announced that the signing of the Kyoto protocol by the new Rudd Labor government in good news for the world’s poorest people.
Advocacy Co-ordinator for TEAR Australia, Ben Thurley, said he was “thrilled that the first act of our new Prime Minister was action on Kyoto. I hope it signals a new era in climate change negotiations and that Australia will now take more of a lead in the right direction.â€
Andy Atkins, Advocacy director of Tearfund UK, added: “This is a huge boost to the Bali talks, good for Australia and the world’s poorest people who suffer most at the hands of a changing climate. ”
Primate Phillip Aspinall, leader of the Anglican church in Australia, has spoken out against Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories after touring the West Bank.
He described Israel’s separation barrier as inhumane.
A priest says plainclothed police kicked their way into a Roman Catholic church in eastern Cuba then beat and used pepper spray on a group of dissidents.
The incident took place on Tuesday (local time) at the parish of Santa Teresita in Santiago as Father Jose Conrado Rodriguez was dressing before saying evening mass.
“I thought the church was on fire when I heard all the shouting,” he said.