No 2 – June 2009
Crows Nest Uniting Church
Cnr Shirley Road & Nicholson Street, Crows Nest
From MichaelŐs
desk - Other FaithsÉ
As I flagged in the last newsletter, in the month of August this year, we are going to devote the whole month to thinking about and exploring the reality of living with people of other faiths. We will look at it from the point of view of our own experience; in terms of what our Christian faith teaches about relating with people of other faiths; and, most importantly, by inviting people of other faiths to come and speak with us. At this stage I have already invited Jewish and Muslim representatives to come and address us.
I was watching the news a little while ago and was reminded that Buddhism is the fastest growing religion in Australia, and I thought to myself we should invite a Buddhist as well.
In fact, as we have done before, I would like to prepare for this month by inviting anyone interested in this topic in our church to join me in a little planning group. I donŐt believe this would involve a large time commitment. And even if a planning group is not your thing, but you have some ideas or simply an important question please let me know.
Relating to people of other faiths, or at least being aware of them without prejudice, is a pressing challenge today. It is clear that the more globalised the world becomes the more people resort to limiting and exclusive definitions of themselves and of others. Sadly religion frequently provides such. We need to track down a very different road and find, within our Christian faith, resources for generosity and bridge building. Rev M.B., 4.6.Ő09
Church Council News - from
Jenny Vergison
We are delighted to welcome Joyce Lum, our new Administrator. Joyce came to the Church CouncilŐs June meeting. Joyce seems to be settling into the role quite happily, and is enjoying the work.
We are also thrilled to welcome our new Treasurer. Bessie Dumbleton has accepted the role and we are infinitely grateful to have her as part of the team.
The Ensemble Theatre after many years of tenancy, has vacated the hall at Holtermann Street. This leaves a large gap in our income. We are currently liaising with a prospective, long-term tenant, and are hopeful that something positive will come out of the negotiations soon.
Watch this space for further reports!!!
Did you know the
Lutheran community worships at the Martin Luther Kirche hidden away amid tall
city buildings in Goulburn Street.
To mark the start of their service, a cow bell is rung to stop the
conversation in church!
An idea for
Michael perhaps?
A new worship service – from
Michael
On Sunday afternoon, 14 June, there was a good turn-out, including children, to a meeting preparing for the launch of our new worship service. Lots of ideas were shared and a committee was formed to implement these ideas. (The committee is Michael Barnes, Sally Yabsley-Bell, Deb Lee, Janet McDonald, Roger & Mandy Collins-Woolcock and Cheryl Padmanathan.)
We will begin this new service on Sunday afternoon, 12th July at 5 pm!
We havenŐt yet found a name for it. All ideas welcome. We are gearing it for young families as well as young adults. There will be contemporary music and there will be lots of opportunities for participation and leadership in this new service by adults and children. There will also be room to experiment and to foster creativity. The children will still go out to a KidsŐ Church but it will be shorter than it has been in the morning service to allow the children more scope for involvement. While the children are in KidsŐ Church, the adults will discuss topical issues correlated with biblical texts.
We are very conscious of the need to maintain links with the morning congregation and, at this stage, propose to have at least 4 combined services each year.
Michael stressed at the meeting that this was a new experience for us at Crows Nest and as such we will all have lots to learn. So we will need to keep sharing ideas and also encouraging all who participate.
We are setting out on a new journey. LetŐs enjoy it, celebrate it, handle its challenges gracefully, and grow together.
Sunday School - from Deb
We continue to have between 6 and 11 regular kids who come
and join our group on Sunday mornings. We have been visited by several of
the congregation for our "getting to know you" slot, where the kids
hear from the person and also ask questions, (written by the children; some are
quite curly!)
This year we spent a longer time going through the Easter story. It is great to see that as the children get older they seem happier to absorb more detail.
We then moved into looking at some of the signs and symbols used by the early Christians. Another theme we are looking at includes work on a picture of a grapevine for the back of Church.
As Pentecost approached, we explored the "Spirit" using real tastes, smells, sounds, colours and textures. Each child wrote their own description (younger ones paired up with the oldies) of the qualities the Holy Spirit had for them. The results were really interesting and varied.
In a month or so, we look forward to changes to the time and maybe format of the Sunday School. I continue to be excited each week that the kids not only remember so much, but contribute their views and ideas.
Kids out the
Back – focus on the Preschool 3-day group - from Lin
Our 3-day children are mostly 4-year olds. They are starting to get ready for school next year.
At the end of last term Sally and Michael arranged an inter-active Easter service in the Church. This was enjoyed by all the children, parents and staff.
Some of the activities of the 3-day group are:
- investigating autumn colours and worms;
- practising how to hold a pencil correctly and tracing a variety of different shapes plus patterns;
- learning to write their names correctly;
- learning basic yoga techniques;
- developing an appreciation for their own artwork and that of their peers;
- role playing a number of different characters, through plays and songs.
A health and fitness program has started in this term.
Les
and Margaret HigginsŐ high time in Nepal
As part of our 50th wedding
anniversary celebrations we spent most of March this year in Nepal. During the
first part of our stay, we trekked for seven days in the Mustang region, which
is north of the main range of the Himalaya. In this area of rain-shadow the
landscape is arid but beautifully pastel-coloured. The irrigated fields by the
rivers provide the only greenery. We walked from a village not far from the
foot of Tukuche Peak the lower of the snowy peaks in the top of the photo. The
taller peak is Mt Dhaulagiri (8,167 metres). Most of our trek was along the
Kali Ghandaki River, which forms the deepest valley in the world. To get to
Muktinath, where the photo is taken, we climbed a thousand metres from the
river.
Margaret is posing with
Kamal, our ŇassistantÓ guide at the gateway to a temple complex – a very
sacred place for Hindus and Buddhist alike. The village in the photo has sprung
up mainly to accommodate pilgrims and trekkers. In Muktinath, there are now
many hotels to choose from, most offering comfortable rooms (some with en suite
facilities!) and excellent meals. This is the situation in all of the villages
we stayed at on the trek. Such luxury was a far cry from the tented treks
Margaret and I undertook in the past.
Muktinath
is one of the holiest destinations in Asia. To visit there is a highlight in
the lives of pilgrims. Those we passed returning from the temples and the
shrines radiated happiness. They greeted us with great warmth and seemed very
pleased that a couple of ancient Westerners were visiting their special place.
We found all of this quite moving.
Our trip was enriched enormously by the
company of our daughter, Wendy. She speaks Nepali and identifies very strongly
with the local people and their customs. They seem to love her for this. We had
wonderful social encounters as a consequence. The second photo is of Wendy and
Margaret buying vegetables in Dharan where Wendy and her husband, Malcolm live.
Dharan is a relatively ŇmoneyedÓ town as a result of its relationship with the
Ghurka Regiment of the
British Army. The paved streets you see in the photo and the developed commercial area are not typical of Nepal. Malcolm has a medical teaching position at a university hospital in Dharan. Wendy contributes her artistic talent to an NGO that is helping women who have been victims of violence to become economically independent.
Chorus Nidi
Chorus Nidi rehearses at 9am on Sunday mornings. We warmly welcome any new members,
particularly men. You donŐt need
to be able to read music – or even to have sung before, but you do need
to be able to sing in tune!
We have some foot-tapping music in store for
the first Sunday in July, so come prepared.
Looking at Books with Julie Newton
Ordinary
Graces, Lorraine Kisly,
ed., (New York: Bell Tower, 2000)
If you seek respite from secular pressures, if you seek inspiration to nurture your interior life, then the book Ordinary Graces is for you. This gem comprises an array of short extracts from more than a hundred memorable Christian works. Drawing upon more than a thousand years of devotional literature and the experience of diverse cultures, this collection offers spiritual sustenance in our time. The editor has drawn upon works of such authors as: Erasmus, the early 16th C Dutch New Testament theologian; von Moltke, an anti-Nazi jurist, executed by the Nazis; Thomas Merton, a 20th C Cistercian monk; Soren Kierkegaard, the 19th C Danish theologian; Teresa of Avila, the 16th C Carmelite mystic; and finally a number of the Church Fathers from the 4th to 6th C.
The writers do not shrink from the struggles that confront us. Voices past and present help us to better understand and develop the rich inner life that will give us the grace to meet lifeŐs challenges.
Social Events
coming up
The social committee is planning a Multicultural Lunch on
Sunday, 2 August. We can look
forward to a sumptuous lunch reflecting our different cultures – even a
special Queensland feature from Barbara!
Useful information
Church website:
http://cnuca.royroyes.net
Church office: Administrator:
Joyce Lum
ph:
9439 6033
email:
crnestuc@bigpond.net.au
JoyceŐs
office hours: Tues & Fri,
9.30– 2.00
Minister:
Rev Michael Barnes
ph: 9439 5851
email: mbarnes1@primusonline.com.au
Family Outreach Worker: Sally Yabsley Bell
ph: mob 0402 572 060
email: sally@broomball.com.au