Posts by Manningham UC

This week is National Volunteer Week, a time when we celebrate all those who give their time, gifts and energy for no financial reward to support their communities in many different ways.  At Manningham Uniting Church, we give thanks for all those who volunteer at any of our programmes as well as other community groups, whether they are hospital visitors, work for the environment, drive people to appointments, cooking meals, support those seeking refuge.  We never take you for granted…

This month my family begins renovating the house that is to shortly become our home. It is already our house (well the bank’s house – we just mow the lawns!) but it will be a few weeks before it comes our home. It will become our home not when we have received the keys (which we now have), not when we have finished the building and painting work to add our personal touches (which we have not!), but rather when…

Fresh Youth Theatre Manningham has been running for over five years at Manningham Uniting Church in Templestowe and has become a safe place for many young performers over that time. Fresh is a place to build confidence, meet like-minded people and expand ideas and opinions about issues prevalent in our lives. For me, Fresh has been a safe place where I can always be heard and accepted and share my feelings and thoughts with people like me. Every show has…

There were quite a few services and events planned for Easter this year. One of them was a community walk on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Day. Around 30 people from MUC and Doncaster Church of Christ gathered at the viewing platform behind MC2 in anticipation. We were in the shadow of the Doncaster Library and near the new council buildings. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I knew that Lucas was excited about what he’d planned with Jim, Beverley and Ellen…

It is better where refugees are not seen as simply a source of information, but rather as a partner for the change. – Pacifique Ndayisaba In late January this year, MUC received an urgent request from the Uniting Church Justice and International Mission (JIM) Unit to financially assist a Burundian refugee to travel from his home in rural Victoria to Adelaide to attend the ‘Refugee Alternatives conference’ https://refugeealternatives.org.au/ which was run on the 19th and 20th of February. This conference…

On Palm Sunday a keen group from Manningham Uniting Church joined thousands of others from churches, community groups and political parties across Victoria to protest against the Australian government’s treatment of refugees and to call on them to close Manus Island and Nauru.  Meeting in front of the State Library, the gathering heard inspiring speeches from refugee and prize-winning author Behrooz Boochani, broadcast from Manus, Nyadol Nyuon, African refugee, lawyer and community advocate, author Richard Flanagan and lawyer activist David Manne. All spoke passionately and persuasively regarding the need for…

I was drawn to the February article by Helen, who asked the question “What is Mission”? In the article Helen suggested that as cultures vary, so do their needs. In not understanding the culture and need we may in some cases be creating bigger problems for a community.    In 2013 Joan and I and our two girls travelled back to Zambia to the birth place of Tanya and Fiona.  It was in Kitwe a large town of 150,00 people, the site of a very large copper mine. I was working at Kalulushi Farm College,…

Through Emma Hanna, our Missional Community Development Worker, MUC has played a significant part in the development of the Manningham Council’s fabulous new ‘Pop-up Kitchen Trailer’. The trailer is available for use for groups and individuals within Manningham to foster community cohesion. While MUC is planning to use it at the opening of Stage 1 of our new building, scheduled for later in the year, and perhaps for other community events, we are hoping members of our congregation will also…