Thriving Youth Conversations - Resilience Survey

October 25, 2008
10:00 am	to	4:00 pm

You are invited to a Thriving Youth Australia event
Why are young people leaving the church and why are some staying?
with Rod Dungan

The purpose of this day is to help faith communities and congregations mine the opportunities to listen to young people about mission, worship, discipleship and justice.

This is a time for church leaders to listen to young people and hear why they are still hanging in with the church, and why some of their friends are not.

The day will help faith communities and congregations mine the opportunities to connect with young people in mission, worship, discipleship and justice.  Church leaders will have the opportunity to work on creating responses and local strategies to youth engagement in their communities.  There will be opportunities to start a monthly Support group to look at creating/sustaining young people within their faith communities.

Outline of the Day
Morning
•    9-30amRegistration and Refreshments
Afternoon
•    1-45 to 3-45pm  Workshops lead by young people
•    10am to 11am  Introduction to research to set the scene
•    3-45pm  Finishing Conversation and introduction to Resilience Survey
•    11am to 12-30pm  Conversations with young people

Where:        Centre for Theology and Ministry

When:        25th October, 2008
10.00am – 4.00pm

Cost:        $20

Book now with
Steve Goldsmith
at Thriving Youth Australia,
thrivingyouth@optusnet.com.au.

New Faith info/chat/links etc

So I thought as it seem to be a buzz of conversation I would put some links up.

The Article -http://www.theage.com.au/national/new-faith-throws-out-the-ten-commandments-20080915-4h3d.html

the followup article from today http://www.theage.com.au/national/gentle-rebuke-over-ministers-new-faith-20080921-4l0o.html

Uniting Church Statement of Faith:

UCA web page http://victas.uca.org.au/

Following media reports on the views of the Rev. Dr. Francis Macnab, many people will be interested in the policy of the Uniting Church in Australia regarding scriptural authority and Christian belief.

The Acting Moderator of the Uniting Church, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania has written a response to the issue.

The Rev Professor Chris Mostert, Professor of Systematic Theology at the Uniting Church Theological College has provided a theological response, available here.

The Basis of Union is the foundational document for the Uniting Church in Australia. It clearly stipulates the place and value of the scriptures and the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Paragraph 5 of the Basis of Union refers to the Biblical Witness.  Paragraph 3 and Paragraph 4 discuss the person and work of Jesus Christ. Please also refer to Paragraph 11 regarding the Scholarly Interpreters of the scripture.

Basis of Union document

Statement of Pastoral Concern from Moderator

Further to recent comments by Dr. Francis Macnab launching a ‘new faith’, the leader of the Uniting Church of Victoria and Tasmania has released a Pastoral Statement of concern. Please click here to download the statement.

GetUp - buy me a river

The Murray-Darling is at breaking point - literally dying of thirst.

The Murray-Darling Basin accounts for over 40% of Australia’s agricultural production and grows almost a third of all our food. It’s Australia’s food bowl. Could we survive without this mighty river system?

It’s time to implement urgent solutions to save it - as things heat up in the coming months, the Coorong Lakes at the Murray’s mouth may even dry up completely before summer’s end. Click here to help save the Murray-Darling before we turn our nation’s food bowl into dust bowl:

www.getup.org.au/campaign/BuyMeARiver

We’ve spoken to scientists, environmentalists and farmers, and learned there are three things our Federal Government must do, right now, if the mighty Murray is to flow again:

• Recover and release 500 gigalitres of water into the river system by the end of the year, and 4000 gigalitres overall to prevent our food bowl turning into a dust bowl.
• Create an emergency Interim Basin management plan, including a focus on the Coorong and Lower Lakes. This could be done in a matter of weeks, as a precursor to establishing a truly independent authority that is not held to ransom by State governments’ veto power.
• Establish a national freshwater reserve system to protect rivers, wetlands and estuaries of high value to the river. As a first step, urgently intervene to save the Murray River Red Gums, the river’s “green lungs” suffering from State inaction.

Everyday Australians can send a vital message of urgency to the Federal Government that we need to do more, and now. Click here to sign the petition to Save the Murray-Darling:

www.getup.org.au/campaign/BuyMeARiver

The Senate is holding an inquiry today in Canberra, hearing testimony from scientists on just how serious the situation has become. Just this morning, scientists gave evidence that use of water across the Basin needs to be halved below the current cap.

A decisive statement from the Australian community now could tip the scales and achieve the urgent State and Federal government action needed to keep the rivers flowing. More than just a national icon, take a stand today for Australia’s food bowl.

With hope,
The GetUp team

PS - As the science develops, the need for urgent action becomes clearer - click here to sign the petition to Save the Murray-Darling, before things heat up in the coming months.

Urgent Request Asian Women Workers (linked to FairWear)

Urgent Request from Asian Women Workers Action Group

Since publishing our booklet “Cries from the Workplace” our Asian Women Workers Action Group have met with several politicians in Sydney to tell our stories of exploitation, harassment and bullying, and to raise our concern that exploited workers like us must be protected in the new Industrial Relations system being established to replace WorkChoices. [Read more]

JustAct - Nestlé boycott list

NCYC09 Spam/propaganda = CD+DVD and Songbook

Crazy Dancin’ Kat we call her

Converge [LIVE] - the CD+DVD and Songbook

NCYC09 is celebrating the launch of Converge [LIVE] - the CD+DVD and Songbook of great new worship music, recorded live, and available now! You can download CONVERGE for free right now by just inviting a friend to download the song too!
Find out more, and also check out a trailer of the DVD at the Converge [LIVE] page, or you can order online right now!

Meryem Özsögüt

UPDATE:

Great news:Turkish woman trade union leader Meryem Özsögüt has been released from jail.

In a statement issued today by Public Services International, it was reported that Meryem’s union — SES — “thanked the international community for its support and solidarity via the LabourStart campaign as well as PSI affiliates”
and others.

(The full statement is on the PSI website - http://www.world-psi.org/ )

Over the last 10 weeks, 8,586 of you sent off your messages of protest in one
of the largest campaigns LabourStart has ever mounted. It has now been crowned
with success.

This should inspire all of us to sign up to the remaining campaigns — particularly those protesting repression directed against trade unionists in South Korea and Iran. The full list of current campaigns is here:

http://www.labourstart.org/actnowen.shtml

And remember — LabourStart receives no corporate or government funding. To conduct our campaigns we rely on your generosity. Please contribute today:

http://www.labourstart.org/donate.shtml

Urgent help needed - Meryem Özsögüt

Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

The Turkish government has jailed a woman trade unionist, Meryem Özsögüt, and has kept her in detention for nearly six months. LabourStart - the international work justice website has called on supporters and people of good will to give Meryem our much needed help. Meryem is a leader of the public sector union SES, and Public Services International (PSI) has launched a big online campaign demanding her release.
For more details and to add your signature, please click here now

This campaign will not take off, and we will not secure Meryem’s release, unless we can mobilize thousands of concerned people from around the world. Please do what you can to help this campaign go to lots of people that you know - forward it to other email lists, feel free to post information on church-related websites, use Facebook and blogs to spread the word …

Posted in Just Stuff

“talkin bout the revolution”

September 20, 2008

Our morepraxis gathering will now take place at the Greenwood retreat centre. Our home in Wantirna.

I invite you all to our house. Sat 20 10:30am-till late
An open house day with times and places to build a movement.

I’m happy to billet people traveling a distance and ask that others in the East offer a bed/floor to people traveling (maybe the westside peeps so they can stay late )

Bring stuff to share

Program (draft and needs some more work)

morning 10:30am

• Prayer Labyrinth (I have a little one out the back)
• Conversations about Prayer and Spiritual Direction - Joan
• Bible Chat - Age

Shared Lunch

Afternoon

2pm

• a mini art workshop - Lynd?
• Conversation about arrestable Christianity  -  Age, Jess & Paul
• Tech stuff - Rus & Mike?

3pm

• Walk to a Playground -
• Building a movement  - planning/starting various morepraxis hubs

Hubs: I am keen to see a few hubs get traction this year.
Reflect Hubs - spirituality/worship hubs (upperroom, alt worship or whatever) - Alannee?
Think Hubs - Discipleship groups (bible studies, gatherings) -  Age
Act Hubs - A prophet corner - Mentoring new young leaders to make a difference in our communities. Bring the young person you think has potential. - Rod?

Dinner - Hospitality of the Slum - Cara (she will need helpers)

Evening

An outside fire, couches, wine, coffee, music - conversations

If you are looking for something to fill your Sunday with great content and people ….

go to this http://morepraxis.org.au/nonviolent-direct-action-workshop

Nonviolent Direct Action Workshop

September 21, 2008
2:00 pm	to	9:00 pm

Preparing for Nonviolent Direct Action:
a workshop for faith based activists thinking about or preparing to engage in nonviolent direct action

Are you concerned about injustice, militarism and climate change? Do you think there is more to following Jesus than personal piety and private prayer? Do you long for a Church that recovers the call to resist the powers? Do feel personally called to take nonviolent direct action to transform injustice? If the answer is yes, this workshop is for you!

Jesus’ command to “love our enemies” is at the heart of the Christian life.  Often marginalised, misunderstood, dismissed, or seen as unrealistic, a life of transforming love and nonviolent resistance has been faithfully lived out by Christians throughout the ages.

Join four experienced trainers and activists to explore nonviolent direct action. This hands-on workshop will explore the tactics of direct action, create space to discuss and work through fears, and locate direct action in the context of the gospels. Not to be missed by anyone searching for God’s path to peace and alternatives to war-making. While the workshop will explicitly explore questions of faith, all people are welcome, irrespective of their religious beliefs or not.

The workshop will be facilitated by Jason MacLeod and Pru Gell from the Change Agency, Rev. Simon Moyle from Urban Seed and Jessica Morrison, a Christian activist. This public workshop is part of tCA’s commitment to resourcing social movements. All welcome. For more information or to book your place, contact Simon Moyle or smoyle@gmail.com.

The Den: 116 Little Burke St Melbourne

EDUCATION AT THE EDGES

October 14, 2008
5:00 pm	to	8:00 pm

EDUCATION AT THE EDGES

University of Melbourne Chaplain, Wes Campbell, in association with the Justice and International Mission Unit of the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania, presents:

EDUCATION AT THE EDGES

Tues 14 Oct (5-8pm), University of Melbourne – 1st Floor, Alan Gilbert Building (Executive Lounge)

Bob Maguire (JJJ and SBS) - MC (pictured)

[Read more]

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