Prayer Points

Ministry Team
Ecumenical Neighbours
Assembly President – Deidre
ASWC
CY&YA Committee
Property Committee
Mulling group
Hospitality Ministry
Indigenous Hospitality House
UCA Assembly
Creatures of the air

Holy Week worship

BUC News

Pastoral Care Review Report
Many of us participated in interviews for the review of our Pastoral Care ministry late last year. The report produced by the Review Team has been received and adopted by Church Council and is now available to be read. We will celebrate our Pastoral Care ministry in worship this Sunday.
The report is available here. It responds to our Pastoral Care Vision Document from 2014 (link) with its themes of Hospitality, Compassion and Community

Healing Haunted Histories – a reading and discussion group.
A number of people have expressed interest in reading and discussing together the latest book by Ched Myers written with his spouse Elaine Enns. Join Brad Coath for a number of sessions working through the book together. Please let Brad and Ian know if you are interested and we will find a time that suits (iferguson@icloud.com 0438547842 brad@unoh.org).

In their latest book, Healing Haunted Histories: A Settler Discipleship of Decolonization, Elaine Enns and Ched Myers take on the “ghosts” of settler colonialism, Indigenous displacement, and white supremacy that can be found in many of our family histories — if only we have the courage to look for them. The book is available online as an ebook or paperback and is equal parts:
  • memoir (mostly focusing on Enns’ Mennonite family and community, who endured the Russian Civil War, fled the Soviet aftermath and settled on Indigenous land in Saskatchewan in the 1920s);
  • social analysis;
  • theological reflection; and
  • workbook for those ready to “do their own work.”

Faith Exploration Group
Interested in a deep dive into Christian faith? – perhaps with a view towards Baptism and/or Confirmation? Ian is forming a group to go on this journey together, destination unknown! If you’d like to be part of it or just want to know more about it, please contact Ian on iferguson@icloud.com 0438 547 842.

Nourish
This three part series for primary aged children and parents concludes on 25th March.  Contact Dave Hall, 0417 310 128, for details.

April Olive Branch
The regular monthly newsletter will be published on Sunday 28th March with a supplementary Holy Week edition to follow on 11th April.  Please email your contributions, stories, reports, photos news to saide.cameron@bigpond.com by Tuesday 23rd March.

April & May roster
Our comprehensive roster system supports the work of worship.  There are lots of ways to get involved.  Contact Saide, 0407 096 743, to find out more.  The first draft of the upcoming roster will be available mid-next week.  Don’t miss on this great opportunity to get to know people.

Community News

Palm Sunday Rally
Palm Sunday (28th March) is an important opportunity to raise awareness of the continuing injustice and cruelty experienced by refugees and people who are seeking asylum.  This year Palm Sunday actions are calling for:

  • Permanent visas for all refugees
  • Basic income support for people in the community while their refugee status is assessed
  • Release ALL Refugees from Detention
  • An end to offshore processing

You can support Palm Sunday by attending an event on the day (all actions will be organised to be Covid-safe), sharing material on social media from the Speaking Out for Refugees FB page, posting your own messages of support, sharing information about the Justice and a Fair Go for Refugees Webinar, and taking action online.

Wider Church News

Hosanna in the Highest, Ecumenical Service
The Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network in Australia and Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Centre in Jerusalem are organizing a joint Ecumenical service. The service will be screen via Zoom on Saturday 27th March at 5:30pm.  As we mark the beginning of Passion Week, clergy and lay people from both countries will offer prayers, praise, readings and reflections proclaiming the liberation and presence of God even as we acknowledge the situation in the Holy Land today. This is a unique event providing the opportunity for Christians in Australia and Palestine to worship together at this significant time of the year.  Register to attend the hour long service here.  More details here.

Sunday Lunch Fundraiser
Join Coburg Uniting Church for lunch on Sunday 28th March from 1:00pm in support of the Asylum Seeker Welcome Centre.  Details here.

UC National News, 17th-24th March

  • Enough is enough, more 
  • Child safe in many languages, more
  • Raising the rate for good, Jobseeker
  • COVID-19 in PNG, time is running out
  • And more …
  • JOIN US IN PRAYER FOR:
    • First Nations People as we mark Close the Gap Day on 18 March – for support and funding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led solutions that end inequality and allow First Peoples to live out their right to self-determination.
    • Women who have experienced sexual violence and harassment.
    • The people of PNG and frontline workers responding to the surging number of COVID-19 cases.