News

Dr Deidre Palmer's 2020 Easter Message

Dr Deidre Palmer, President of the Uniting Church in Australia,  has published an Easter Sunday message. This video, filmed on Kangeroo Island,  is well worth wating. Hope you enjoy it!

President's Easter Message 2020

Worship and Reflection for Easter Sunday12 April 2020 by Rev Graeme Kerr

Rev Graeme Kerr has very kindly prepared the service of worship and reflection for Easter Sunday 12 April which he has shared below (available in Word and pdf format).

Worship and Reflection for Good Friday 10 April 2020 by Rev Graeme Kerr

Rev Graeme Kerr has very kindly prepared a service of worship and reflection for Good Friday 10 April which he has shared below (available in Word and pdf format).

Reflection for Palm/Passion Sunday 5 April 2020 by Rev Graeme Kerr

Rev Graeme Kerr has very kindly prepared a reflection for Palm/Passion Sunday 5 April which he has shared below (available in Word and pdf format).

Reflection for 29 March 2020 by Rev Graeme Kerr

Rev Graeme Kerr has very kindly prepared a reflection for Sunday 29 March which he has shared below (available in Word and pdf format).

 

 

If you have trouble accessing these documents or know of someone who would prefer to receive a hard copy then you may contact the church (e.g. via the email address: standrewsboxhill@gmail.com )

Note that in person worship services at St Andrew's Uniting Church, Box Hill have been suspended at least until the end of April 2020 due to the coronavirus situation.

**St Andrew’s worship services suspended as of 22 March, 2020**

Worship services at St Andrews Uniting church have been suspended from 22 March, 2020 due to the coronavirus COVID-19 situation. The suspension of services will be in place at least until the end of April 2020.
Rev Graeme Kerr has very kindly offered to prepare a weekly homily that will be available on this website as well as distributed to congregation members via email, post or hand delivery as required. Congregation members will also keep touch with each other via phone.
If you wish to be included in receiving this homily or other support from the St Andrew's Box Hill congregation then please email your details to standrewsboxhill@gmail.com or telephone (03) 9890 1515 (you may leave a message if unattended).

For more information on the Uniting Church's response to COVID-19 see

The following prayer has been shared by Dr Palmer at the link above:

A PRAYER FOR COMPASSION, WISDOM AND STRENGTH

Loving and compassionate God,

You call us to love our neighbours and to be bearers of your hope and grace in our world.

Expand our hearts and vision to respond with compassion to those around us, who are struggling in this time of uncertainty, anxiety, grief and suffering.

Give wisdom and strength to our health workers, and government officials, as they provide leadership in bringing our country through this crisis.

We bring before you and into our hearts and minds:

  • Those whose work and income are uncertain
  • Those who are isolated
  • Those who are fearful of an unknown future
  • Those who live in situations of domestic violence, and whose isolation increases the control of their violent partners
  • Those who are homeless, and all those who offer them support and care
  • Those who are involved in aged care – our agency leaders, staff and residents and their loved ones
  • Businesses whose futures are uncertain – their leaders and staff
  • School staff and students
  • Those with health conditions that put them at greater risk

Give wisdom and care-filled discernment to all our Church leaders – our Councils, and local congregations, as we seek to creatively live out our worship, witness and service in ways that offer Christ’s life-giving love and presence.

Strengthen and sustain us to be your people – shaped by your abundant grace, bearers of your generosity and overflowing love.

Through Christ our Light and Hope, we pray,

Amen.

St Andrew’s service times and worship leaders, 1 March - 5 April 2020

The St Andrew's service times and worship leaders for 1 March - 5 April 2020 are:

  • Sunday March 1st, 9.30am Rev Dr Apwee will take the service.
  • Sundays March 8th and March 15th services will be take by Rev Dr Kisoo Jang and will be at the earlier time of 9.00am
  • Sunday March 22nd, 9.30am Ngun T Lian (a ministry candidate from the Uniting Church's Centre for Theology and Mission) will lead the service
  • Sundays March 29th and April 5th, 9.30am Rev Robyn Kang from Synod will take the service.

Thanks very much to all of the above for their kind support in leading the St Andrew's worship services. Hope to see you there!

(*** Note: revised on 15/3/2020 to update service details and start time for Sunday March 22nd entry)

Dr Deidre Palmer talks on ABC radio on the latest draft of the Religious Freedom Bill

Dr Diedre Palmer, President of the Uniting Church, takes part in a panel discussion on the latest draft of the Religious Freedom Bill on the ABC’s national radio program, "Niightlife".
You can listen back to this interesting and informative discussion at https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/nightlife/religious-discrimination...

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President Dr Deidre Palmer has voiced the Uniting Church’s concerns about the latest draft of the Religious Freedom Bills on the ABC’s national radio program Nightlife.

“We have concerns that this Bills may establish a hierarchy of rights so that religious expression is privileged over other human rights,” Dr Palmer told Nightlife host Philip Clark.

“The Uniting Church believes in the protection of people’s freedom to express their religious faith. So where this legislation seeks to strengthen and protect that we support it, but we don’t support a bill which may undermine the human rights of other people.”

Dr Palmer said that while Christians were not persecuted in pursuing their faith in Australia, the experience of religious minorities particularly in the Muslim and Jewish communities could be better protected.

She went on to warn against “narratives of harm” in certain interpretations of scripture that had marginalised women, the LGBTIQ community and First Peoples.

(from Uniting Church in Australia Assembly news item, https://assembly.uca.org.au/news/item/3134-rights-and-wrongs-and-religio..., accessed 29/02/2020)

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St Andrew's service to be lead by Ngun T Lian in January and February 2020

Ngun T Lian, a ministry candidate from the Uniting Church's Centre for Theology and Mission, will be leading the 9.30am St Andrew's worship services in January and February 2020. We are very grateful to Lian for conducting the services during this time. Thank you very much, Lian, and welcome!

Uniting Vic.Tas 2020 Bushfire Appeal

Please read below below for an important message from Browyn Pike (CEO of Uniting) regarding the Uniting Bushfire Appeal.
For details on how to donate, go to  https://www.vt.uniting.org/uniting-vic-tas-2020-bushfire-appeal/ .
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Supporting communities affected by bushfires

The bushfire events over the New Year have affected all of us deeply.

These are our communities. Many of us live and work there, have family in these areas, or have other personal connections. We have a long history together of building the capacity of individuals and families and being a source of support at difficult times, across Victoria and Tasmania and into New South Wales.

We are already part of the local community response in many areas, providing material aid in association with local partners through our existing emergency relief services. This disaster, like many before it, will take its toll on the most vulnerable in our communities. Not only are they selflessly supporting those directly affected. They will also have to deal with the compounding effects of disadvantage immediately and into the future.

The overall community response has been wonderful, but we are aware that there are gaps or unmet needs emerging in material aid. For example, it became clear over the weekend in Gippsland there were plenty of toiletries for women, but not the right things for men, and children and young people required underwear. To help cover these gaps, we have launched a Uniting Bushfire Appeal.

As these local needs will be very different across the fire-affected areas and will continue to change, we are encouraging people to donate money that we can then use to quickly respond to whatever is needed.

The impact of these bushfires and the devastation they have caused will be felt in these communities for years. We will be working locally in the coming weeks and months to understand how best we can support recovery in these communities once the immediate crisis is over. That is why our appeal is also calling for donations to support longer term relief and recovery efforts.

We are committed to working with communities to heal after these traumatic events. We will be there long after the cameras have moved on to the next issue, to make sure that people receive the support they need to recover, however long that takes.

Bronwyn Pike

Chief Executive Officer

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