Don's Blog Thursday 1

Hi all.

Last night Kay and I attended a prize giving ceremony at the University of WA. It was a great occasion with the students from the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences receiving prizes and scholarships. Included in the recipients were our Wesley Scholars, hence my reason for being there.

The tradition at this event is to invite a guest, usually a graduate of many years, to speak. On this occasion, they invited Professor Peter Van Onselen who is to become the inaugural Professor in Journalism at UWA. Professor Van Onselen currently works as a journalist with Sky News and The Australian newspaper. He gave a wonderful address flowing between his views on our current political system and his own personal journey of education within the Faculty. Following his address an immediate past student Amy Collins, who finished her honours degree at UWA last year, and is now teaching in Victoria, was invited to speak. Her address was also inspiring. She was full of energy and life and obviously gained so much from her time as a student. Both addresses were a powerful witness to the value of education. Both speakers highlighted the fact that the gaining of a broad arts education allowed them to gain a perspective that helps them think about their place in the world and how they might contribute to it. Needless to say this was impressive as both speakers were reasonably young and are wanting to offer so much because they felt they had been given much.

It was an honour for me to present the prizes to our music scholars on behalf of the Wesley Congregation. We are so grateful for their willingness to offer their time and energy as they assist us in worship. I could not help but think that this is a two way street in that they feel very grateful for the opportunity to share their musical abilities with us. The whole event did confirm to me that our Wesley Scholars program is a great initiative and I wish to thank John Beaverstock for his significant part in it.

Next week Chris Crause and I are attending the President of the Uniting Church (Rev Alastair McCrae) conference in Vanuatu. This is a hard gig but someone had to do it!! I must admit it is difficult to have a conference on a Pacific Island surrounded by surf, sun and ….etc, etc. However, let me reassure you, whilst the conference is being held in a wonderful setting we will have the opportunity to be exposed to the church at work in a developing country and see how they are connecting the gospel to their community. I am hoping to understand and bring back helpful ideas for us. The conference is also a valuable time to have conversations with Ministers from around Australia with the opportunity to share ideas and thoughts about our own ministry. At past conferences I have always found it very helpful and am looking forward to coming back refreshed.

On Sunday, 15^th May, Rev Tom Wilson will be the preacher. Many of you know Tom and I am sure you are going to enjoy his reflection particularly as he spent a significant amount of time with us during the Stations of the Cross and over Easter.

I look forward to catching up with some of you this Sunday.

Thanks for reading.

From your minister, Don

Sunday 8th May 2011

8.30am Discussion Group.

10.00am Morning Worship Reflecting on the Road to Emmaus story.

Sunday 15th May 2011

10.00am Morning Worship Guest preacher, Rev Tom Wilson

Sunday 22^nd May. 5.00pm Evensong at St George’s Cathedral, celebrating the conversion of John Wesley. The Priests and congregation of St George’s have invited us to celebrate this event with them. The preacher for the occasion will be Rev Professor Bill Loader.

Don's Blog

Hi all.

“Stations” is over for another year and whilst I feel very tired, it is a ‘good’ tired. We achieved so much. It was a strong exhibition with very good artworks. I have yet to confirm the attendance figures however; I felt we saw more people this year than last. I do know that we had more significant conversations, some of which I will share on Sunday.

My deepest thanks go to all those who took part, especially those who were volunteers in one form or another. Without you, it could not be done and I am so appreciative of the time and energy you gave to the event.

I am also very thankful for the work my PA Judy Muskett and Sia Nasios our Property Officer who put in an enormous amount of work to make the Stations happen. For both of them it was a baptism of fire, as they had not done it before. They came through with flying colours.

Soon we hope to have a gathering of all those who took part so we can compare notes and stories.

My week has been a short week as I took a couple of days as ‘time off in lieu’, however this morning I had a breakfast meeting with other ministers and pastors who come from the other city denominations. It was a great time to catch up with the various things we did over Easter. Each of us noticed that our congregations had a greater attendance than previous years. Interesting!

On Sunday, we listen again to the story of ‘doubting Thomas’. I find it fascinating that this story always comes after our resurrection story. Maybe our human questions come when confronted with such a transformative story as the resurrection. More about this on Sunday.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Thanks for reading.

From your minister, Don

Sunday 1^st May 2011

8.30am Discussion Group. Continuing the series “Embracing an Adult faith” by Marcus Borg.

10.00am Morning Worship Reflecting on the “Doubting Thomas” story.

Sunday 22^nd May. 5.00pm Evensong at St George’s Cathedral, celebrating the conversion of John Wesley. The Priests and congregation of St George’s have invited us to celebrate this event with them. The preacher for the occasion will be Rev Professor Bill Loader.

Don's Blog

Hi all.

It had to come. I can’t hold back any longer. I have to talk again about our 2011 ‘Stations of the Cross’ Artists. Sorry!

Last Tuesday Catherine Czerw, our curator, and I visited the last group of artists who are preparing for the exhibition. Once again, we were amazed by the outstanding quality of the work being presented. This time, I noticed the diversity of cultural backgrounds of the Artists. They are Indigenous, Australians, English, German, Iraqis, Italian, and Dutch. Their religious backgrounds are diverse as well. There are committed Christians from a variety of denominations, including, Catholic, Pentecostal and an Anglican priest. We have those who could be termed as agnostic, as well as a Buddhist and a Muslim.

What struck me in all of this is that it doesn’t matter what the background, religious or otherwise, each artist offers an aspect of the story, of the journey of Jesus to the cross, and relates it to our journey through life. Philip Berry’s work, (Station No 1, Jesus is Condemned) portrays a lonely figure beside the ocean, with foreboding clouds overhead. Philip talked about the loneliness of Jesus, surrounded by powerful forces. He identified that sometimes we stand alone overwhelmed by the powers of a destructive world around us.

Joan Johnson, (Station No 6, Veronica wipes Jesus face) symbolically depicts the fragility of Veronica against the strength of Jesus. She commented that it must have taken enormous courage for Veronica’s act of compassion, offered in the context of a hostile crowd. A poignant message for us, that in a moment of hostility it does take great courage to offer to compassion.

I know you will enjoy seeing the artworks as each one of them not only shares the story of Jesus and his journey to the cross but also has something powerful to say that is very relevant to our 21^st century living.

On Tuesday, evening John Beaverstock and I met five of the seven new Wesley Music Scholars. This year, our instrumentalists are, two viola players, one violinist, one cellist, one bassoonist, an organist, and a soprano. So quite a variety. We are looking forward to introducing some of them to the congregation on 10^th April, and hearing them over the next year.

Some pastoral matters.

Our thoughts and prayers are with a number of people.

Andy Corkill, our Mission Development Officer, this week received the news that his grandmother had died. Andy has flown to Sydney to be with his mother and to arrange the funeral. He was very close to his grandmother and I know he will miss her a great deal. It is also hard to be on the other side of the country when significant family events, such as a death, happen.

We were shocked to hear the disturbing news that Stan White was attacked and ended up in hospital. I understand he is now recuperating at home and will soon return to hospital to undergo an operation. Our prayers are with him.

Thanks go to Rev Lee Edwards who was able to take part in the service last week. As I write Lee is now recovering from an operation to her shoulder and we look forward to seeing her back in church, although for some time she has to manage with one hand.

I also understand we celebrate Harold Coppock’s 70^th birthday. A great milestone to reach.

I look forward to catching up with you on Sunday or in the very near future.

Thanks for reading.

From your minister, Don

Sunday 3^rd April 2011

8.30am Discussion Group. Continuing the series “Embracing an Adult faith” by Marcus Borg.

10.00 Worship – “I am the light of the world” Reflecting on the story of Jesus and the man born blind.

Don's Blog

Hi all.

It was great to hear Denise Zan, my former PA, speak briefly at our Sunday morning worship last week. I particularly heard her say that working for Wesley and UCIC was not just a job but calling. It was wonderful to share with her family and to thank her for all the things she has done for us over the last 10 years.

On Monday morning, the staff at UCIC, and people from Ross Memorial and St Andrews, celebrated Gail Christie’s 20 years of work with the Uniting Churches in the city. Gail initially began work with Ross Memorial and St Andrews congregations and then became part of the staff at UCIC. Most of her work centres on preparing and organising our Weddings and Baptisms. In this work, Gail plays a vital part in our ministry to people who don’t normally have contact with the church. In her speech, Gail said she worked with at least six Ministers and had come to know a myriad of people particularly through Ross Memorial and St Andrews. One memory Gail had was of a morning tea not being held after church because she had forgotten to put it in the announcements. She realised she had significant power!!

Our prayers and thoughts continue to be with Lynda Reavell (Finance and Admin Manager) who is caring for her husband Andy, at home recuperating from major heart surgery. Lynda is hoping to return to work sometime next week.

In the meantime the office is continuing to offer good service to all those who contact us.

My visit to some more artists this week proved to be very successful. On one visit I discovered that the artist had many years before spent some time praying in Wesley after the death of his father. So he was really chuffed to be able to present an artwork at Wesley. It was like he had come full circle. More about that story on Easter Sunday morning!

Another artist I visited, who has Station Number 5, ‘Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus’, talked quite deeply about how Simon was ‘compelled’ to take up Jesus’ cross and how sometimes we are compelled to confront the things that are hard for us.

This week Kay and I are having a weekend off and catching up on time together as both of us have been living rather hectic lives lately. I look forward to being back at worship on Sunday 3rd April.

I look forward to seeing you on in the near future.

Thanks for reading.

From your minister, Don

Sunday 27^th March 2011

8.30am Discussion Group

10.00 Worship – Preacher, Revd Lee Edwards.

Don's Blog

Hi all.

Our 8.30am Sunday discussion group takes a different direction this week. I will be showing a 10-minute DVD, which is part of a five sessions study written and presented by Marcus Borg. Titled “Embracing an Adult Faith”, and subtitled, “Marcus Borg on what it means to be Christian, the first session looks at the topic of, “God”. The format will be to look at the 10-minute DVD and then enter into discussion. We finish at 9.30am. If you are able to come at 8.30am prior to our normal Sunday morning worship, you are more than welcome. We are currently a group of six.

Last Saturday’s wedding was a wonderful occasion. Jan Carrick’s daughter, Lucy was married at Wesley. The enduring image for me was when I looked at the Groom’s face as Lucy came down the aisle. I don’t think I have ever seen such a beaming and loving face. The wedding was a great event and I think mother and father of the bride were very happy.

Last Sunday as we celebrated the baptism of Samuel and again we experienced a very loving event.

In the last week I have experience a ‘hatch’, a ‘match’, and I hope I don’t have any ‘dispatch’. Suffice to say that it was a wonderful week of being able to do the things I love doing as a minister.

This coming Sunday Denise Zan, my PA, and her family, will be in church. Denise began her life in connection with Wesley after travelling from Burma and was welcomed into Wesley when Rev Geoff Blyth was one of the ministers. She became the Minister’s PA when the Rev Kevin Dilks was the minister. In our service, we will farewell Denise, as she enters retirement, and we will offer a blessing and thanks to God for her wonderful work for the ministers and the congregation. She has faithfully served the Church over many years and I for one will miss her. We will also share some refreshments with her after the service.

Next week I am entering into another round of visiting artists for the Stations of the Cross Art exhibition. Hopefully you would have seen our advertisement for volunteers to help during that time. If you haven’t seen it, can I reiterate the need for volunteers to, ‘be a presence’ or to act as ‘tour guides’. If you feel you would like to be part of this please contact reception on 6103 4222 or e-mail admin@ucic.org.au.

This Saturday the elders and I are meeting to put some further work into our “Strategic Plan” to Wesley. You may remember the congregational meeting we held some time ago, this is a further development from that time. Watch this space!!

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday or in the near future.

Thanks for reading.

From your minister, Don

Sunday 20^th March 2011

8.30am Discussion Group

10.00 Worship – Nicodemus and For God so Loved the World.

Don's Blog

Hi all.

Returning to work on Wednesday after nine days in Vietnam was a hard call. Kay and I had a wonderful and amazing time. The place, the culture, and especially the people were incredible. For the first time in my life, we joined a tour group led by a young man from Sydney and supported by local guides at the various places we visited. We started at Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon), making our way through the centre of Vietnam, eventually ending up at Hanoi in the North. Some of the things we saw were hard as they referred to the war years. Whilst they remember and present some of the difficult times of the war, they hold no resentment towards the Americans or the Australians. They have, in their words, ‘moved on’.

I have some special memories of the last 10 days with the most moving being a visit to a factory where people with disabilities are trained to create and make artworks, some done with silk. On the second occasion we visited this factory I was watching a young man sewing a picture with silk thread. As he sewed, he sang. It was a lovely gentle moving tune and I had to hold back the tears as I watched and listened. Later, I talked to our Vietnamese guide and was able to sing the tune to him. He told me it was a lullaby normally song by a mother to the child as they went to sleep. I imagined this young man being sung to by his mother, and I came away with a very loving image in my mind.

There were many other images and experiences, including sitting in a boat travelling down the Mekong Delta, eating absolutely amazing and beautifully cooked food with wonderful flavours. Having conversations, slightly difficult because I could not speak Vietnamese, with different people as they shared their experiences of the country. We visited significant places both historical and natural where words cannot really describe the scene. I gained an appreciation of Ho Chi Minh who demonstrated a humbleness of spirit that was the driving force behind his desire to see the Vietnamese people free of colonial and imperialistic rule. I hope to more stories of our visit in my reflections.

Coming back to work on Wednesday was like hitting a brick wall. Part of me is still in Vietnam.

On Saturday, I am the officiating minister for Lucy and Craig. Lucy is the daughter of our Jan Carrick, our pastoral care coordinator. It is shaping up to be a wonderful wedding with the mother of the bride very proud and excited, as she should be. One of the good things about being a minister is the opportunity and honour to share significant occasions with families of the congregation so I am looking forward to my part in this wedding. The added bonus for me is that Lucy, and her sisters, and Jan, were a significant part of my Chaplaincy at Wesley College. So as you might understand this will be a special occasion. Also, Chris Crause has been involved in their pre-marriage ‘Prepare’ programme. So truly a UCIC wedding.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday or in the near future.

Thanks for reading.

From your minister, Don

Sunday 13^th March 2011

8.30am Discussion Group

10.00 Worship - The Temptation of Jesus story.

Don's Blog

Hi all.

As usual, my week has been filled with interesting and challenging events. It was so good to hear from Rev Geoff Blyth that Esme had received positive news regarding her recent operation. As I read the e-mail it felt to me that our prayers had been answered.. As I read the e-mail it felt to me that our prayers had been answered.

On Wednesday, I attended the ecumenical prayer group that meets weekly in the UCIC hall. They invite one of the group to share a story of faith and this week it came from a Nigerian man who works for one of the major companies in Perth.

He shared with us the story of the birth of his first child in Nigeria. At 38 weeks, they discovered that the baby had no heartbeat and was pronounced dead. This was a shattering event for himself and his wife, as they not only had to deal with the death of a child that she had carried for so long, but they had to deal with cultural expectations, where as he explained, ‘children are everything’, and especially if it is a male, which this child was.

They turned to their faith and prayed that God would help them move through this devastating situation.

In the middle of this trauma he remembered some Bible verses from his childhood and they helped him know that God was present with them in their journey. He remembered that his faith in was in a Jesus who had moved through a devastating experience to bring the love of God to us all.

Now some years later, he has two children and feels especially blessed as he works and lives in Australia with his family. God has been present with him in a very special way.

In both these events, I heard again the affirmation that God is with us in all aspects of life and always will be.

This week we give thanks again that our faith lifts us to that place of hope and encouragement.

Thanks for reading

Don