Applications for the About FACE 2010 program close in 2 weeks – Friday 26th February, 2010!
About FACE 2010 is a Faith And Cultural Exchange for young adults between 18 and 30 years, to take place from 26th June to 17th July, 2010. Participants will elect to spend two weeks in a placement with either an Aboriginal community in Australia, or with one of our partner churches in the Asia-Pacific region. The About FACE program is an exciting and strategic opportunity for young adults to participate in the reconciliation and covenanting process with Aboriginal communities in Australia, and to share in solidarity with partner churches in the region.
The program will raise awareness of what it means to live in a global community, and to share resources and opportunities responsibly and with justice. It aims to create an ‘about face’ in the attitudes and lifestyles of participants, and to build relationships and bridges of understanding. About FACE is not simply an event for an individual, but is a shared experience with congregations and communities.
In 2010, placements will be within indigenous Australian communities, SE Asia, South Asia and the Pacific.
For more information please visit the About FACE website – www.aboutface.org.au (the website is currently in the process of being upgraded, so it may look a little different from when you visited last time). You are also welcome to contact either Jill or Tess in the Justice & International Mission Unit on (03) 9251 5271 or info@aboutface.org.au
note from Age
Hi guys if your thinking of applying but are unsure if it is for you …. then that wonder mean yes it is you - register already and I will see you at briefing. - I’m already looking forward to this years mob - gotta love about face!!!
facebook event here
From Diane’s blog:
Alright so, anger and sadness have filled my thoughts for the last couple of days as I had big plans for this week. Anti-poverty Week was suppose to be a time where people bridge the gap, get to know and maybe make a difference in the lives of some people in poverty. There is this carpark ramp at the back of my work, where some people have made their home. During the day their belongings are neatly stored in the cable trays that hang under the concrete slab above, no one would know during the day that anyone called this home. I work long hours and this is how my friends and I met. My plan this week was to make sure that each night there was dinner, or some new blankets, or even something like some flowers. I even thought of doing a painting. Alas … my plans have changed. Monday morning, bright and fresh I strolled down the alley to find a dirty great big roller door stuck on the outside of the building…
Read the full post for the whole story… 
The World Council of Churches (WCC) will welcome five young people (aged 18-30 years) to serve as interns in its Geneva offices from February 2010 to January 2011. Interns bring valuable experiences to the WCC at the same time as they undertake several modules of ecumenical learning.
The next 12 months’ internship period begins in February 2010. In Geneva, the interns will be assigned to one of the WCC working areas. They will carry out their tasks in cooperation with programme staff and under individualized supervision. During their stay in Geneva each intern is expected to plan an ecumenical project to implement in his or her home context when they return in February 2011.
The next generation of interns’ areas of work will be 1. International Ecumenical Peace Convocation; 2. youth and ecumenical formation; 3. visitors programme/media relations; 4. mission and evangelism; and 5. ecology and social justice.
Successful candidates are people committed to the ideals of the ecumenical movement, who will bring their energy, commitment and a fresh vision to their specific work assignment. Applicants must send, along with their application, background information about their church or Christian youth network that will help them in implementing their proposed ecumenical project.
Closing date for receiving applications for the five internships is 30 September 2009. As the ability to work in English is a necessary qualification, applications must be written in English.
More information on the WCC internship programme:
http://www.oikoumene.org/?id=3187
Information requests and applications should be sent to: wccinterns@gmail.com
Those aroung OZ… Please contact Sandy Boyce, sandyeboyce@gmail.com if you are interested in this opportunity, or know of someone who might be. Please pass on to people in your networks.
Hey peeps here is a thought provoking article by Bob Lupton about OS mission trips, work parties and the like. Have read reflect and tell me what you think. (I have put the whole article up as the url points to all FCS articles)
“They’re turning my people into beggars!” It was a painful accusation for Juan Ulloa to make. He was a churchman, after all. An elder. With loyalty to the household of faith. But when asked the question directly, he could not lie. I had pressed him on the relationship of his micro-lending organization to the churches of Nicaragua. Juan was the executive director of a Christian micro-finance ministry that made many thousands of small loans to Nicaraguan peasants. It seemed to me a reasonable inquiry to understand how they worked together with local churches. Hesitantly at first, Juan explained that there were entire sections of the country where his loan officers could not make any loans at all. These were the regions where a concentration of churches from the U.S. conducted their mission trips. “People say ‘Why should we borrow money when the churches give it to us?’”
The people were right, of course. What peasant scratching out a bare existence could refuse suitcases bulging with new clothing for his family? What struggling pastor could resist the temptation to accept a steady salary and generous church income in exchange for hosting visitors, organizing volunteer work, and staffing funded programs? What village would borrow money to dig a well or buy books for their school library or save money to build a church if these things were provided for them free of charge? If all they had to do was make their wish lists, show up for the schedule arranged by the donors, and smile graciously until their benefactors head back home, who would blame them for accepting this easy charity?
No, Juan was not blaming his people for becoming beggars. He was faulting the affluent, well-meaning U.S. church for its unexamined generosity. His accusations, now pouring forth with considerable force, were directed at naïve “vacationaries” who spend millions of dollars traveling to his country, perform work that locals could better do for themselves, and create a welfare economy that deprives a people of the pride of their own accomplishments — all in the name of Christian service. The unintended consequences of such mission work was undoing the very vision Juan had given his life to — helping his people emerge from poverty through training, entrepreneurship, saving and hard work.
For some reason U.S. churches, filled with results-oriented members, seem oblivious to the abysmal outcomes of many if not most mission trips. Perhaps because it feels so good to be giving to those so much worse off, or because unconditional serving seems so Christ-like, the Western church embraces with great pride an unexamined form of charity that our nation as a whole rejected with the passage of the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. We know that welfare creates unhealthy dependency, that it erodes a work ethic, that it does not elevate people out of poverty. Yet, in the name of Christ, we perpetuate this very welfare principle in the way we do missions. And the trend is growing!
A Princeton University study found that in one year (2005) 1.6 million church members took mission trips — an average of eight days — at a cost of $2.4 billion. And the number has grown every year since. “Religious tourism” as some call it has become a growth industry. The web is full of agencies (denominational and para-church) ready to connect churches to a “meaningful mission experience” in an exotic location rife with human need. The Bahamas, for example, receives one short-term missionary for every fifteen residents.
More scornful critics point to the make-work nature of many missions trips. Like the wall built on an orphanage soccer field in Brazil that had to be torn down after the visitors left. And the church in Mexico that was painted six times during one summer by six different missions groups. And the church in Ecuador built by volunteers that was never used because the community said it was not needed.
But in fairness to our U.S. churches, many of our motives are noble. We want to excite our members about missions. We want to expose youth and adults to the needs of a hurting world. We want to engage our people in life-changing experiences. We desire deeply to obey the teachings of Christ to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, show compassion to the oppressed and spread the Good News. But because we view missions through the lens of our church — that is, what will benefit our people the most, what will be most rewarding for us, what will appeal the most to our members — we neglect to consider what is in the best interests of those we would serve.
How we serve is equally important to who we serve. Take the well that my church dug for a rural Honduran village. The remote peasant community needed water. The obvious solution: dig them a well. There was great celebration when the first water was pumped to the surface and villagers filled their jugs with cold, pure water. But when our missioners returned the following year the pump was idle and locals were again carry water from a distant supply. We repaired the pump. But by the time we returned the following year it had broken down again. This happened repeatedly year after year. The village simply waited until their benefactors returned.
Compare this experience to the remote mountain village in Nicaragua where a different strategy was employed. A community developer, recruited from the U.S. and supported by Juan’s micro-lending organization, assisted the residents in creating a plan for a much needed well. She arranged financing conditional upon villagers investing their own money from their meager savings. She then connected them with a reliable Nicaraguan engineer, and helped them organize a water commission to set fees, collect water bills, manage finances and maintain their new utility. Village men provided all the labor, digging trenches, laying water lines and setting 250 meters. When the pump was switched on and water surged to the homes, the village erupted with pride. Their water supply, they soon learned, was abundant — sufficient to allow them to sell water to the adjacent village. They now owned andmanaged a wealth-producing asset. The lesson: never deprive people of the satisfaction of doing for themselves.
“Above all, do no harm.” It’s the bottom line of the Hippocratic Oath that has guided the conduct of physicians for centuries. It is time for the Western church to apply the same principle.
PS: Some believe that short-term missions trips whet the appetite for long-term mission involvement. Research does not support this claim however. In spite of all the moving testimonies of “life-changing experiences” by returning short-termers and the occasional example of full-time missionaries who point to a mission trip as the catalyst for their calling, there is no evidence that missions as a whole has benefitted. As a matter of fact, while short-term mission trips have increased dramatically over the past two decades, support of long-term missionaries has declined. Strangely, the correlation seems to be inverse. Perhaps because we have spent so lavishly on “religious tourism” we feel that our financial responsibility to missions has been discharged. Or is it that long-term missionaries do not serve the immediate self-interest of our church?
Bob Lupton
continue reading more from FCS - urban perspectives
Hi guys below are the detail to what used to be know as Christ in the Community course, living up with Dave Andrews and other friends in west end Qld for a couple of weeks. There are a number of people around our networks who have done this and I would recommend it as the best of all the live in intentional community/discipleship learning options out there. So if you are keen… contact them, and as always I am happy to chat more about this with you. Age
The Waiters Union is offering three options for people who want to learn how to live compassionately as a disciple of Christ in response to the distress of people in our communities.
Community Orientation Course (Two weeks)
An intensive course in West End, Brisbane held midyear (June/July), and again at the end of the year (early December). The course is a two-week, grass-roots, face-to-face, show-and-tell, do-it-and-discuss-it intro to Christ-centred community work. A range of inputs from people involved with aborigines, refugees and people with dis-abilities in the neighbourhood. Most of the time participants live in a joint household, but will be able to stay over night now and then with people in the community. The course includes personal reflection, interpersonal interaction, group process, cooperative organisation, whole-hearted, holistic engagement, cross-cultural dialogue, practical service and nonviolent action. The costs of the course are decided by the participants in a group cost-sharing work-shop, that we run as part of the course.
A brochure ( inside and outside ) with upcoming course details can be found by clicking here and here
2009 Course dates June 21- July 4;December 6-19
Community Work Placement (3 months)
Community Work Internship (6-12 months)
More info here http://www.waitersunion.org/training.htm#communityorientation
Contact:Evonne Richards
P61 (7) 32172323 or 0422601439
E. evonne@blackstarcoffee.com.au
Website: http://www.waitersunion.org
Hi Guys, I am having some chats about this program/idea and Vic/Tas next week. Any comments,thoughts or interest off the bat? Age
Are you feeling the need for ‘time out’?
A change of direction…
Space to breathe…
Have you been challenged to get serious about your faith? To make a difference… Be an agent of change…
The Big Year Out is a new adventure in living and serving for Christian young adults aged 18 to 30 years. It’s a year-long experience that you can take on part-time or full time. The Big Year Out includes
- a one-week discipleship intensive (9-13 February 09)
- a weekly community day of sharing, learning, inspiration and spiritual growth
- a weekly, hands-on mission placement in a church community service agency
- a mid year cross-cultural trip for three weeks including briefing and de-briefing
- a spiritual growth plan that takes you deeper in prayer and reading the Bible
- an end of year discernment retreat
- and more …
The Big Year Out is a part-time program. Along with the Discipleship Intensive and cross-cultural trip, each week from March you participate in the Community day and one day of mission service. That leaves the rest of your week free for part-time work, study, whatever.
http://thebigyearout.com/
Download a postcard here: bigyearout_postcard_web.pdf
A fourteen day tour with ten people to observe, learn participate, question, make the connections. Be part of something bigger. Some places still available. Applications closing soon.
For a copy of the brochure click here.
Background:
Christian World Service, the international aid and development agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia gives financial support to “Just Peace” programs in Fiji focusing on the pursuit of social justice through economic justice, faith and society, peace, social empowerment and youth training.
Expectations:
To consider coming, you need to be 18 or over.
You need to be relatively fit and in good health, and able to carry your own
For the application form contact:
Jeff Wild
jwild@vcc.org.au
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 in the S Bar (Shop 18, Village Walk, O’Sullivan Road, 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 will be thinking about internships, partnership, work parties, exposures and other experiences that help us see a wider world. There will be a dv of Ringwood UCA work party with their partner church in India.(They are returning in Jan09) Jen & Austin will be with us to chat about that time. Plus, Niki will be with us to sharing her expereince of being a nurse in Africa. So, make sure you chat with them on the night. (hint, hint) Plus, info on groups and all our combined expereices in this area.
An exciting course in West End Brisbane for Christians who want an intensive introduction to Christian community with disadvantaged groups. The course involves living with Dave Anderws some of the people from the Waiters Union in a joint household and some time in neighbouring boarding houses.
You will have the opportunity to explore: Prayer and Play, Spiritual Discipline, Corporate Reflections, Practical Service, Holistic Evangelism, Cross/Cultural Mission, Non-violent Action
Dates for 2007:
June 22-July 6
Dec 2-Dec 15
Costs: A group cost sharing exercise will be used. (People usually pay $100-200 per week)
You will have the opportunity to explore: Prayer and Play, Spiritual Discipline, Corporate Reflections, Practical Service, Holistic Evangelism, Cross/Cultural Mission, Non-violent Action
Download an application form here (note: the dates are form 2006 but the form is the same)Please give me a call/email if you are keen to go and would like a bit of pre and post support / background / encouragment. I think this is a great course if you can go - go.
Age
Join a fully escorted 10 day tour to Bali. Visit Christian churches, schools, orphanages and villages. Learn of the contextualization of the church in a Hindu culture. Stay at the church-owned beach resort for 7 nights, a homestay in a Christian village, and 2 nights at a beach resort on the north coast of Bali. Plenty of free time available for private shopping or sightseeing etc.
Price - approx AU$ 2000 pp - includes accommodation, air fares, taxes, transport and most meals.
Tour leaders are Rev Brian and Lorraine Niblock who have had 3 placements as volunteers in Bali with the Protestant Christian Church in Bali, a partner church of the Uniting Church in Australia. They are returning again in August 2007.
Expressions of interest by end of March.
Contact: Rev Brian and Lorraine Niblock, tour leaders, Ph (03) 5981-8716, email lb.niblock@optusnet.com.au, or
Sandy Boyce, People in Mission Coordinator,(08) 8236 4240, sandy@sa.uca.org.au.
This trip is jointly coordinated by Rev Brian and Lorraine Niblock and the People in Mission program.
Rev Sandy Boyce
People in Mission Coordinator
http://www.uim.uca.org.au/peopleinmission
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