Posts from 2024 (Page 2)

Preparing to host this musical took many months. Gestation of a wonderful creation always does. A team of committed MUC Social Justice workers and generous volunteers took up the challenge and 113 people of all ages were welcomed to participate in a dynamic event, spear-headed by Simon Kerr and supported by his very able multi-talented musicians on guitar, violin and harp. The stage-presence of performers was both professional and relaxed, one-with-us, yet disarmingly confrontive (even with hints of humor) as…

Last Sunday Jess, Tom, Zander, Tabitha, Zara, Jared, Sam, Emily and Janelle from the Lorne SU family mission team came to MUC to lead the service. Together they shared the joy of mission with MUC through songs, stories and their energy. Tom gave the message from Matthew, using the illustration of practicing basketball layups and his volunteer work playing basketball with prisoners, that we need to do repeats and practice as Christians sharing our faith, that mission is important as…

I came across the article by Swee Ann entitled Love is the way – Love God and Love Neighbor.  I found it an interesting read.  One part of the article stood out to me.  It was this comment. “One of my laments for the church is that we are becoming increasingly corporate.  In the process, we lose our soul.”  I guess I am uncomfortable with the statement.  But why? I asked myself.  There was a time in my life when…

Maundy Thursday Sally led a Taize style service in the Chapel attended by about 30 people. The service was a lovely quiet meditative service of readings and reflection as a lead in to Easter. Sally led the á capella singing of Taize chants with the congregation enthusiastically joining in. Directions for Using a Towel To be used for:Drying dishes.Wiping eyes.Mopping spilled milk.Coping with sighs.Cleaning stains.Creating scandal.Holding on when it’s too hot to handle. Washing feet.Softening jars.Binding wounds in a world…

At our Spectrum meeting on 5 March we had an excellent attendance to hear Bruce Sullivan talk about the ‘Happy Home Children’s Home’ situated in Nepal. Bruce loves to travel the world, often to very remote parts of our globe, to pursue his interest in trekking and at the same time he uses the opportunity to improve the lot of those with whom he meets. He was indeed an enthusiastic speaker and the interest he takes in the people who…

At Emerging Church on Sunday,17 March, Tony and Zoe elected to tackle the question of how to love your enemies as part of our overall theme of Love God, Love your Neighbour. They said that for most people, including themselves, loving your enemy was extremely hard to do. In fact, it requires a change of mind. Tony set the scene by showing a trailer of the BBC series Earth, alerting us to the fact that mankind had been around for…

Manningham Uniting Church is preparing to launch a new ministry in the form of a Friendship Group for neurodiverse young people aged 12-16, called Catching Your Breath.  The phrase catch your breath commonly refers to the act of slowing down to enable you to breath normally after a period of intense physical exertion.  Likewise, we live in a fast-paced world, bombarded by stimulation and mental challenges that can leave us emotionally breathless, especially for those who live with anxiety and…

This Easter the L&D Portfolio (Learning and Discipleship) also created a Labyrinth in the Auditorium for anyone to journey on. The Labyrinth goes back to Greek mythology and was frequently used as a Spiritual practice and aid to meditation. This is the purpose of our Labyrinth during Holy Week. Some have been grown as part of a garden, but many simpler ones, like ours, are used indoors. This one is several years old and was painted by a group from…

Yesterday at Family@10 we explored the story of Doubting Thomas with an alternate name being posed for him as ‘Doubting Daring Thomas’. With a collection of stations on offer, we were able to engage further by looking at the story through poetry, craft, beads and wordfinds!

On Sunday February 24th, Manningham Uniting Church celebrated it’s 12th Annviersary. While the Uniting Church in Australia has been around for decades, we’re celebrating that Manningham Uniting Church has turned 12! We celebrated with delicious cake for morning tea after the worship service. We were also asked to add a leaf to the tree with our name and all the churches that we have been connected to. On 19 February 2012, the church communities of Doncaster Uniting Church, Wesley Doncaster…

I’d like to explore Love is the Way with reference to the reading from Mark with Jesus calling of the 4 fishermen. Let’s imagine Jesus bare footed at the water’s edge on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus saw the hard working feet and hard working hands of 4 fishermen – Simon, Andrew, James and John. How did Jesus know those calloused rough fishermen’s feet, would carry the type of man Jesus wanted as part of his inner circle? These salt…

During 2019 the SJAG will be providing regular articles to help us understand the importance of Social Justice and how we intend to take action on our behalf. This month the article will focus on the broad issue of ‘What is Social Justice’, that will provide the context for more specific discussions in later months. What is Social Justice? The term ‘Social Justice’ was first coined in the 19th century but the idea of social justice has a very long…

What is Love? you ask. Hmm! Not sure about that. I had been in Swan Hill visiting my mother. It was Easter Sunday; we went to church with Mum. After church, Ock, Mums cousin wandered over. A tall man, dressed in an old suit, the tie an ornament on his shirt. Softly spoken, his eyes clear, focused. A farmer, who had purchased my grandfather’s farm next door to his father’s, now his farm in the Mallee, 25 kilometers west of…

Something very special happened to me at Christmas. I came home one afternoon around 4pm and there on my doorstep was a takeaway food container neatly wrapped in Christmas paper. I was very good and popped the parcel near the tree to wait for Santa to deliver it at the appropriate time. I admired and read the accompanying card and hung it on my card tree writing the giver’s name on the still attached envelope. Somehow or other the envelope…

German theologian Karl Rahner has an arresting quote: “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will not exist at all.” Considered to be one of the most influential Catholic theologians of the Twentieth Century, this German Jesuit priest has words that invite us, indeed challenge us to explore, as we focus on this year’s theme; ‘The Way of Love’. Wrestling with the notion of what and who is a mystic may be a place to start…

As the descendant of slaves and the son of a civil rights activist, Bishop Michael Curry’s life illustrates massive changes in our times. Much of the world met Bishop Curry when he delivered his sermon on the redemptive power of love at the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle. Here, he expands on his message of hope in an inspirational road map for living the way of love, illuminated with moving lessons from his own…

At the Together@10 service on the 4 February 2024, the whole chuch community gathered together to honour and celebrate the offerings of all the leaders and volunteers with the community. The service showed the depth and breadth of those who support Manningham Uniting Church. We honoured all who offer their time and skills.

We gathered as a church community yesterday at Westerfolds Park to reflect on the Uniting Church’s Day of Mourning. Many thanks to those that arranged, organised and provided resources for the service that offered us a moment to reflect on the effects of invasion, colonisation and racism on First Peoples.

We enjoy going to café church together, and enjoy our worship there, although we have very different personalities and so appreciate different aspects of church in a real café. Church in a café means for us real coffee, but much more. Although it can be a bit noisy at times, the management at the Living Room always reserve a large table for us up the back, and the staff know us and are most welcoming. Along the way as Café…