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National politics has been at the forefront of most media commentaries for the past few months. In what many have described as an underwhelming campaign, voters were asked to choose between two political leaders who appeared to morph into one, each attempting to out-do the other in the art of blandness. 

 In theory, we should have been spoilt for choice. On the one hand, a strong, feminist leader from a left-leaning background, unmarried, female and an atheist. On the other, the epitome of conservatism. White, middle-class, married-with-children male – a devout catholic who once studied for the priesthood.

 At the time of writing, Australia is still without an elected government. Historians and social commentators will dissect the election result (or lack there of) for years to come.

 Advertising gurus will blame a poor media campaign, political experts will look to softening of ideology and lack of policies, talk-back shock jocks will examine the banal such as hair colour, clothes and the gossip of backroom wrangling.

 President of the Uniting Church, Alistair Macrae, believes a lack of leadership is an important factor contributing to the political stalemate.

 “My sense is that Australians were looking for something deeper and more substantial from the campaign,” he said. “We were looking for true leadership.”

 “Good leadership does more than merely reflect the opinions and values of the community. It calls us to attend to the core values and vision of our community. Biblical wisdom tells us that ‘where there is no vision, the people perish’. 

 “If this aspect of leadership is neglected then leaders will inevitably seek lowest common denominator approaches which, in time, diminish any community. From within the Jewish and Christian traditions there are many examples of courageous visionary leaders – Moses, Esther, King David, St Paul and of course Jesus himself. We could all recall leaders in our national and local spheres who call us, often in the face of strong opposition, to the higher values of justice, peace and compassion.”

 Mr Macrae expressed optimism for the future, and believes society will reassess the issues it holds important.

 “It is my hope and prayer that out of this election will grow a commitment to a new political leadership: leadership that is principled, bold and courageous,” he said.

 “Forced by a political context where a very few people are being called to declare their principles and their priorities for our country, that we are finally having some serious public discussion about matters of substantial policy.

 “Out of the political mess that has resulted from a totally unedifying campaign, my hope is that our political leaders will refocus on how we can work together to build  a more creative, generous, hospitable, equitable country that deals honestly with the challenges that face our nation.

In the lead up to the state election on 27 November, the synod Justice and International Mission (JIM) unit have put together a kit on key political issues.

 “Uniting Church members have consistently expressed concern for those most disadvantaged in our community and for the common good,” JIM unit director Dr Mark Zirnsak said.

 “Our Christian faith provides us with a vision for the kind of society we want.”

 The kit includes issues relating to the disadvantaged, climate change and reforms needed around alcohol, gambling, prisons, mental health and water and drought management.

 “In the ideal world all political parties would seek to address these issues and would seek to outbid each other in addressing them,” Dr Zirnsak said.

“This kit equips Uniting Church members to raise these issues with their local candidates.”

 The information provided is non-party political and includes information on running a local forum with candidates, as well as meeting your local MP.

 The kit can be obtained by calling (03) 9251 5271, e-mailing jim@victas.uca.org.au or downloading it from jim.victas.uca.org.au

The Commission for Mission Board has announced the appointment of Charles Gibson as the new director of the UnitingCare Victoria and Tasmania (UCVT) unit. Mr Gibson has acted as the interim director during 2010 and has been with the unit in the roles of social policy advisor and assistant director throughout the last seven years.

Mr Gibson is an active member of the Uniting Church in Australia and began his career as a social worker in child protection. Mr Gibson remained with the Department of Human Services in a variety of senior management roles in regions in Melbourne and Geelong. He was responsible for a range of programs including out of home care; child, youth and family services; regional planning; indigenous services; primary health care; public health and communications.

Mr Gibson is excited to be taking up this position with the UCVT unit.

“We have been through a period of review which highlighted both the changing nature of our work as a unit and the changes across our agencies and the community services sector,” Mr Gibson said.

“Now is a time of renewed focus on providing support to the community services of the church as an expression of our participation in God’s mission. It is a time to explore new possibilities.

“Our agencies and congregations daily stand alongside individuals and families. They seek to respond to their immediate needs, connect them with community and to empower them to rebuild their lives.

“They also work to strengthen local communities and to advocate for change to the structures and policies which contribute to disadvantage. I feel privileged to be able to play a part in this mission,” Mr Gibson said.

Following an arson attack, planning delays and six years of hard work, the historic Ascot Vale Uniting Church has been formally reopened.

“The Church has overcome tremendous odds. I’m not sure our neighbours know how close we came to having to sell the property,” Rev Ron Rosinsky said.

Originally built in 1897 as a Presbyterian church, the suburban cathedral and noted landmark was destroyed in a devastating arson attack on the 29th August 2004.

The church community had struggled with the Moonee Valley planning department over permit applications, as well as ongoing funding problems for the redevelopment of the church site.

“We submitted plans to the Moonee Valley planning department in 2006 and had several unsuccessful meetings,” Mr Rosinsky said.

Following an 18-month VCAT dispute, a decision was made allowing a compromise of costly heritage redevelopment restrictions.

“We were at VCAT in 2007. We felt like we were treated without any regard whatsoever, as though we were just another company and not a church that has been serving the community for well over a hundred years,” Mr Rosinsky said.

Under the 2007 VCAT decision the church would retain the original frontage instead of several larger sections of damaged walls.

Though operational since 2008 the church has only recently completed extensive landscaping works.

“We have established a new community garden. Our philosophy is to give back some green space to the community, to establish a garden, playground, veggie patch and a place of sanctuary for all,” Mr Rosinsky said.

Local UC member Janelle Christie has been instrumental in coordinating the community project.

“Janelle has brought people together from all walks of life in four working bees since the beginning of the year. It’s been Janelle’s vision to make it a real community space,” Mr Rosinsky said. “It’s really brought people together.”

Ms Christie, who has a strong background in horticulture and landscaping, has overseen the design and construction of the garden.

“It’s in its early stages and there is still a lot to implement and also to maintain,” Ms Christie said.

“Sustainability is big in everyone’s psyche at the moment. The idea of the vegetable patch is about creating a garden that can sustain itself in the long term with minimal maintenance.”

“Our vegetable patch will give something back to the community in a substantial way, eventually providing food for families struggling to make ends meet.”

“When you bring people together around a good cause you really can’t suppress them,” Mr Rosinsky said.

The basement carpark at the Synod office was recently transformed into an art installation as part of an interactive and participatory sacred space.

The installation, titled ‘Secrets and Dreams’ was the latest event organised by the Commission For Mission’s Spirituality, Culture and Context project.

The organising team describe themselves as a collective of people united by the desire to explore what it means to be human. Many come from the Uniting Church, but don’t find many opportunities in a local congregation to connect faith, culture and imagination. The basement spaces offer such a chance.

Approximately 100 people attended the 7 August event. Some were drawn to the space from the street by chalk invitations on the footpath. Once in the space, people reflected and interacted with the art.

As part of the installation, people whispered secrets into envelopes and sealed them shut, wrote secrets that must never be told onto flash paper and let them disappear and stored their dreams for posterity in archive boxes. A contemporary art reviewer who came through the space described it as one of the best installations she’d seen in Melbourne.

The intention of the spaces is not to give people a message, but to offer an opportunity for people to place their story alongside a larger human story, and to let it be changed in the encounter.

The group has been curating spaces in the basement for the last three years, and interest is still growing. If people are interested, they can contact Cheryl Lawrie in the Culture and Context unit on 9251 5275.

Following a recent Herald Sun story regarding a call from the Heads of Churches for restorative justice programs, Moderator Isabel Thomas Dobson hosted a successful live blog for the newspaper’s online site.

The open letter from 11 churches called on the state government to place more emphasis on programs that prevent reoffending instead of investing more money on additional prison beds.

Initial responses to the article were rhetorically against the churches’ stance. The live hour-long blog enabled Ms Thomas Dobson the chance to elaborate on the issue and explain why restoration has proven to be successful in many situations.

“Trying out an unfamiliar medium was a risk, but it was one well worth taking,” Ms Thomas Dobson said.

“The hour went so quickly, with messages coming in constantly and there was a need to respond instantly.

“I learnt that people make comments on blogs without worrying about social niceties. There’s a lot of hostility towards Christians and the church, and I was reminded of just how radical Jesus’ message of reconciliation, forgiveness and new life is.

“People just couldn’t imagine there was an alternative to increasing punishment. More of the same isn’t going to make society safer – we’ve got to find ways of offering hope,” she said.

Despite it being a lively and often contentious medium, Ms Thomas Dobson said, if invited, she would run a live blog again on issues of importance to the church.

“It’s a new medium that promotes active discussion which will allow us to get our message to a wider audience,” she said.

Floods in Pakistan have now claimed over 2000 lives, with more than 20 million people affected by the rising water levels triggered by the annual monsoon rains.

The flooding, which started in July, has washed away millions of hectares of crops and buildings, including hospitals and schools. Millions have been left homeless.

Pakistan’s north-west region has been most savagely affected. The devastation has reached villages and some urban areas in Punjab, the richest and most densely populated province.

Survivors face a lack of food and water as well as the threat of disease. Marvin Parvez, regional director of Act for Peace’s Pakistan partner, explained: “The people of Pakistan are being forced further into chronic poverty. Cholera and dysentery are spreading, with further rainfall predicted this week.

“The massive food, health, shelter, water, education and livelihood needs are continuing to increase.”

In addition to these challenges, the relatively slow arrival of aid to even the most hard-hit areas has become a point of concern. As of 18 August, only $231 million had been raised – half of what the United Nations appealed for.

Aid agencies believe Pakistan’s ‘image deficit’ means potential donors are worried funds will be diverted toward extremist groups in the country.

As well as this, Bill Berger, USAID’s regional adviser for South Asia, believes the scale of the disaster has not been fully realised internationally.

Executive director of Act for Peace, Alistair Gee agrees.

“At 20 million, the number of flood victims requiring humanitarian assistance is almost the same as Australia’s population,” Mr Gee said. “We are hoping each Australian will realise that someone just like them needs help.”

With one-fifth of the country now under water, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Britain has said it could take five years and between $10 and $15 billion for the country to recover.

The Uniting Church has launched an appeal through SHARE. All money donated will be directed to Act for Peace.

Moderator Isabel Thomas Dobson encourages people to remember those in Pakistan.

“I urge all members of the Uniting Church to pray for those involved in the complex and desperate task of rescue and rebuilding and to respond in a spirit of generosity that comes from the love of God for all people,” she said.

To Donate to the Pakistan Flood Appeal log onto shareappeal.org.au or free call 1800 668 426

Kingswood College in Box Hill recently hosted the 2010 Educating for a Purposeful Life conference. Educators and mental health experts gathered to discuss and lecture on a range of issues affecting the development of purpose in young people’s lives. 

“Our task here at Kingswood, is to listen to this variety of inputs. To see what we can learn, what we think is worth trialling,” Kingswood College Council chair and senior research officer of the Christian research association, Rev Dr Philip Hughes said in his opening plenary.

“The students we teach today will be the leaders of our society in another 20, 30 and 40 years.

“Schools can make a difference to the general mental health of students. Schools can promote positive thinking about life. They can contribute to developing resilience,” Mr Hughes said.

Keynote lectures discussed current best practice regarding spirituality, mental health, passions and leadership for a better world. Presenters addressed the significant contribution these issues have on young people’s development while noting a need to be innovative in these areas.

“I personally don’t believe that traditional religious education is the answer,” Mr Hughes said. “Our research in approximately 28 schools suggests that religious education is not contributing greatly, for most people, to their thinking about the big questions of life.”

“We live in a world where traditions cannot be taken for granted. A world in which young people feel it is appropriate to make up their own minds about many of those things which were once considered the traditions into which one was born.”

In his keynote address, conference presenter Rev Fr Chris Middleton suggested the impact of school retreats can provide today’s teenagers with opportunities for engagement. 

“We feel the secular winds of our society, as well as the questioning that is going on within the Catholic Church,” Mr Middleton said.

“There is openness among the young to issues of meaning and spirituality and faith if the right vehicle is found.”

A Samoan celebration dance was one of the special events greeting a team of past and present Uniting Church Moderators speaking at thanksgiving services across Victoria and Tasmania to celebrate SHARE’s 30th anniversary.

Current Moderator, Isabel Thomas Dobson and former Moderators Rev Pam Kerr, Rev Allan Thompson and Rev Dr Warren Bartlett are among those speaking at 12 services being held throughout the synod between July and October 2010.

At Essendon (St John’s) Uniting Church in July, Ms Thomas Dobson was greeted with a dance by a group of young Samoan congregation members.

Meanwhile, at a combined service on the same day in Bunyip, congregation members put on a celebratory breakfast.

Ms Kerr braved footy crowds to speak at Geelong (Wesley) Uniting Church, while SHARE Director David Hickey travelled north-west to a service hosted by Bendigo (Neale Street) Uniting Church.

Wangaratta Uniting Church welcomed Mr Bartlett’s visit in late August, while Mr Thompson will join in 30th anniversary celebrations at Launceston (Pilgrim) Uniting Church on 12 September.

Speaking in a DVD shown at each event, Ms Thomas Dobson said that much of the work of UnitingCare agencies has only been possible because of the generosity of SHARE donors.

“On this 30th birthday occasion, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all SHARE donors.  You have enabled the church and its agencies to help others in so many ways and to bring hope and new life into desperate situations,” Ms Thomas Dobson said.

“Our vision is for a world of justice, equality and participation for all people.  A world where SHARE is no longer needed.  But that’s a fair way off.  We’ll need the SHARE appeal and your support for a good while to come.”

The first SHARE appeal was held in 1980 and raised $350,000.  Since then, SHARE has raised more than $32 million, much of it donated by Uniting Church members.

 MOVING CEREMONY MARKS OFFICIAL OPENING OF ACACIA COLLEGE

Younger students at Acacia College were a little confused when told they would be participating in their school’s official Opening Ceremony. “Haven’t we opened already?” they asked.

Principal, Andrew Houghton, was quick to reassure them that Acacia College had indeed been open for two very rewarding terms. “But we want to celebrate our opening and say a big thankyou to all the special people who created our wonderful college,” he told them.

Joining college staff, students and parents to witness this historic event, held on in July  were local politicians, representatives from the Uniting Church Synod and Presbytery of Yarra Yarra and past and present Acacia College Board members.

In the simple but moving ceremony, the college founders received heartfelt tributes for their vision, dedication and hard work throughout the past five years.

The college choir, AC Vocal, set the tone with a stirring performance, then two Year 7 students, Andrew and Grace, shared their experiences as Foundation students. While acknowledging the exceptional facilities available to them, they particularly noted the richness of the student programs and the strong sense of community across all the year levels. Andrew commented that “our College is very much a family school”, while Grace said that “all our students feel proud to be members of our new school”.

The chair of the board, Mrs Frances Wright, reminded those present that the opening of Acacia College was the first step towards establishing the Acacia Ministry Centre. The centre will offer a range of services including childcare, aged care, and health and wellbeing facilities. It will also include a worship centre and cafe.

“This is a challenging, brave and innovative project for the Uniting Church to be undertaking,” she said.

Moderator Isabel Thomas Dobson congratulated the Acacia College board and the Presbytery for their ‘vision and tenacity’.

In closing the ceremony, College chaplain Rev Ros McDonald asked that God would bless Acacia College and that the school would be “a place for the seeking of wisdom, for striving to do what is best, and for rising to the challenge of creating a better world”. Her words reflected the sentiment of the College Belief Statement included on the Opening Ceremony plaque:

“We believe that for our students to make responsible choices for a peaceful and sustainable future, they must be filled with reverence for the gift of life we share. Then, in their life journey, their achievements will make the world a better place.”