World AIDS Day - Fri 1

World Aids Day is a day where people around the world reflect on the reality of HIV/AIDS,
its effects, and future strategies for educating about and combatting the disease. The UnitingJustice website has just been updated to include links to the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliances resources for World Aids Day. These resources are excellent, and include an ecumenical liturgy information and action resources on HIV/AIDS. They can be accessed from our front page at http://nat.uca.org.au/unitingjustice [link fixed Adrian - RG]

You can buy a red ribbon with the money going towards HIV/AIDS research.

The Social Justice Unit of the Synod of Western Australia is encouraging people to donate to the Sara Klinik in West Papua, a health clinic dealing with the problem of HIV/AIDS. The Sara Klinik is a project of the Uniting Church partner church, the Evangelical Christian Church in the Land of Papua. Donations go towards research, training and mobile health clinics to enable this work to continue. If you would like to read more about this project go to the website http://www.justice.wa.uca.org.au and follow the links on the home papge.

If you would like to donate to the Sara Klinik, please make cheques out to “Uniting Church in Australia” and send your donation to:
Social Justice Unit
GPO Box M952
Perth, WA, 6843

Me church - Nearly NCYC Service

At the Nearly NCYC service, I was impressed by the ‘me-church’ clips, which originated in the US, and feature people asking for various bribes to get to church. (I’ll come to church if I get tix to the Superbowl…)

I wrote a post on a suburban mall church at my blog, which featured the type of people who I thought were pretty good consumers. The sermon was a glorified marketing seminar, and the service was customer service.

Now, my church probably doesn’t do this all that well, and recently when I was given some feedback on my handling of a morning service, I told the person that “liturgy is not really my passion, but I’d try to do a better job next time.” Phooey Customer Service!

But church is an intimately personal experience. If you don’t get something out of it, there’s no good reason to attend. I’ve found this in trying to convince young people from my church to come to NCYC. “What’s in it for me?” “Justify the expense.” It’s hard, as we all view the world from within a set of concentric circles with the ‘ME’ one at the centre.

Caring for others, Finding Jesus Christ in an increasingly ME focused world can be liberating. I hope NCYC will encourage young Christians like myself to renew our passion for caring for others and finding Jesus, as well as nurturing our own needs.

Dec 4 - UpperRoom - Christmas Profits

The upper room project meets the first Monday of each month (6:-8:30pm) to engage with spirituality and justice as struggled with and fought for by the Prophets and Jesus. We meet upstairs in the Shine Café/Bar (74 Kingsway Glen Waverley) with gallery space, discussion corners, opportunity for practical response and pondering space.

We hope the upper room will be

Space to rest/relax with your tribe
Be challenged by the prophetic call of compassion
Connect with heartbeats for living
There will be food, wine and friends plus

a gallery space for photos and other art.
activist space - activities, information and people deeply into that topic to meet
conversational space - multimedia and communally led (an interview, music, texts, a place to chat)
Please bring your friends - all are welcome
This month we have a photo exhibition by Zoriah - hope.peace.love.joy

Plus alternative Christmas gift ideas.
(Also we need to have conversations about whether to continue next year and if so what issues should we connect with?)

Age

And who is my Neighbour? Human Rights Vigil - Fri 8

Human Rights Vigil
Friday 8 December, 6pm
Saint John’s Anglican Church, Point Nepean Road, Sorrento

Saturday 9 December next is the fifth anniversary of the arrest and imprisonment of DAVID HICKS. Whatever one thinks of Hicks himself, it is not right that he should be imprisoned for so long without a fair and proper trial.

MOHAMMED SAGAR is the last of the 1500 boat arrivals from 2001 sent to Nauru to be outside the Australian legal system. He is an Iraqi refugee condemned to mandatory indefinite detention and declared by ASIO to be “a risk to Australia’s national security” without explanation or recourse.

A group of Melbourne parishes concerned for the denial of basic human rights such as these are simultaneously holding a HUMAN RIGHTS VIGIL pray, meditate and reflect on the plight of people such as Hicks and Sagar. The vigil concludes with a brief service during which the prayers of participants are offered.

The Mornington Peninsula Human Rights Group, which initiated this vigil would welcome similar vigils under the auspices of other Churches.

ENQUIRIES: Contact Helen Howells, Convener, Mornington Peninsula Human Rights Group on 5984 4753

Presented by the Mornington Peninsula Human Rights Group in conjunction with Amnesty International

MPH Festival - Micah Tent Photos

Here are a few shots of the Micah tent and our undies action. Click on a thumbnail to enlarge.

Increases in Australian Aid?

Thought this was great so I stole it from Ben. Thanks Ben.
The Government line:

On Wednesday on Melbourne’s 3AW, the Treasurer said this about increases to Australia’s Official Development Assistance on 3AW in Melbourne:

You know, Australia is generous. Australia is currently giving in aid, $3 thousand million. Let me say that again because it rolls off the tongue very easily, $3 thousand million which is an 81 per cent increase in aid since 2000. Now, there would be very few other countries in the world that have lifted their aid by 81 per cent.

The response:

However, this ‘81 per cent increase’ doesn’t factor in inflation, and nor does it recognize that the Howard Government drastically reduced Australia’s ODA in its first two budgets (1996/97 and 1997/98).

In fact, Australia’s aid spending as a proportion of our national income is only just returning to the level it was at when this Government took office.

Here’s how it all breaks down. (Thanks to Garth Luke for pulling the figures together from Government Budget Papers):

Over the whole history of the Howard government - from the last Labor budget (1995/96) to 2006-07:

• Aid has grown 41%
• Federal budget expenditures have grown 24%
• GNI has grown 46%

So aid has grown at a greater rate than the general budget but not than Australian income.

• In 1995/96 aid was 0.32% of GNI
• In 2006/07 it should reach 0.32% of GNI

So since 1995/96:

• Aid has not kept up with our growth in income
• 1995/96 - per capita aid from Australian government = $112.14 in 05/06 dollars
• 2006-07 - per capita aid from Australian government = $139.56 in 05/06 dollars

The Howard government has given $4.5 billion less to aid in 05-06 dollars than they would have if they had maintained aid at the level it was when they came to power, ie. 0.32% of GNI.

They have given $38 billion less than they would have if aid had been at 0.7% of GNI since they came to power.

VIC- State Election Party Policies

Below are some notes on the main parties’ policies and UCA direction concerning Climate, Industrial Relations and Community Service Funding.

There are suggestions and contact details to take further action in your area - enjoy.

Thanks to our friendly neighbourhood J.I.M unit.
Age

Victorian Election Notes - Comm Service Funding.pdf

Victorian Election Notes - Climate Change.pdf

Victorian Election Notes - Industrial Relations.pdf

Forge Youth Leadership Training/Forum

Shock Election Result!

Who would have thought it:

c/o: The Onion

Structural Racism

Below is a reflection from the CPT about structural racism and their organisation that I think is worth pondering. I have been wondering and wanting to have a conversation about structual racism in the UCA and Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress. It struck me from some of my chats with Congress people that they have some issues/concerns with their identity as independent or dependent from the UCA but also their identity as a ‘black fella’ organisation. Considering our countries history what is important for us to understand if we are to walk together?

Any thoughts?

Age

[Read more]

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