eNews – September 2016

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Balloons Have Changed the World

By Executive Director Rev Dr Jenny Byrnes

From an early morning radio program I learnt of balloons and how they had changed the world. It was truly fascinating. One of the main characteristics of balloon technology was that it was available to all and sundry – it was not simply for elite engineers and scientists. The interviewee indicated that right from the start of learning the simple balloon was available for students with which to experiment and innovate.

The discussion covered external balloons and internal balloons – ‘football pitch’ size balloons currently being inflated far above the earth and the intricate balloons inserted intravenously to mend a baby’s heart valve – both highly dependent on precise technology and calculations yet reliant on the same basic technology of the humble experiments in the backyard or the local school science lab – which start such amazing journeys of discovery.

It was the accessibility of such learning and discovery that captured my attention – from the one just commencing the learning to the sophistication of application as the learning progressed. A continuum of growth and discovery. I hope you find in the events and programs below such opportunities no matter where you are on the journey of life. I’ll never blow up a balloon in the same off-hand way again!

Living Leadership – Leadership in an Inter-cultural Church

September 14 10am-3pm Parkville

Hosted by the Centre for Theology and Ministry, this one-day workshop will explore Leadership in an Inter-cultural Church through three key questions:

What do we mean by an “inter-cultural” Church?
What is distinctive about leadership in different cultures?
Leadership in hybrid contexts: “Uniting Church” leadership + cultural expectations of leadership =???

This event has the potential to be a significant event in the life of the church, feel free to encourage as many other people as possible to attend this unique opportunity with you.

Registration is via this link – Intercultural Leadership – with registration prior to September 7 especially appreciated.

Bible and ecology: Reading scripture through ecological eyes

Monday 19 September 10.30am to 5.30pm

In recent years, in the context of growing ecological awareness, biblical scholars have been working to move beyond human-focused perspectives and read the Bible with a deliberate sympathy for the wider Earth community. In this full-day webinar, we will hear from scholars around the country about reading the Bible through “ecological eyes”, and will practise applying such lenses to scripture.

Free full day national webinar, join a hub at the CTM Parkville or from your own home.

Registration and more information

Early Church Understandings of Jesus as the Female Divine

Rev Dr Sally Douglas explores the imaging and celebration of Jesus as the female divine – Woman Wisdom – in a series of four Bible studies delivered at the 2016 Synod meeting.

Videos of the four studies are now available online for personal learning or group discussion. Handouts for each study include quotes from early Christian sources and suggested discussion questions.

Sally’s book “Early Church Understandings of Jesus as the Female Divine, The Scandal of the Scandal of Particularity” (2016) has recently been published by Bloomsbury.

See https://ctm.uca.edu.au/lay-ministries/woman-wisdom-bible-studies/ for these learning resources hosted by the Centre for Theology and Ministry.

Details of the artwork starting from the top right: Corinne Morgan, ‘Pineapple Picture’; Corinne Morgan, ‘Butterfly in the Garden’; David Buller, ‘Hi’; Claudio Matteucci, ‘Illumination’; Paul DeLosa, ‘Spring Blossoms’; Shane McInerney, ‘Indigenous Australia’

Upcoming Events

September 2016

2-4	Recapturing Our Soul Conference
11	Radiate – September
14	Living Leadership – Intercultural Leadership

19	Bible and Ecology: Reading scripture through ecological eyes

October 2016

8	Make It Messy! Conference

November 2016

2, 16, 23, 30	Art of Story
11	Thesis Boot Camp
20	Radiate 2016

Pilgrim College – Intensive Units

These are available as academic credits or audits.

3, 10, 17 September: Effective Christian Leadership and Ministry
21-28 September: The Wisdom of St Benedict
23-25, 28-30 November: The Nurture and Spiritual Guidance of Children

For further information, please contact Fotini Toso

Make it Messy! Victorian Messy Church Training Day

Make it Messy! will assist those already engaged in Messy Church, churches contemplating beginning a Messy Church and people genuinely curious about the Messy Church phenomenon take the next step in their messy journey. Join with others from churches across the state for a day of active engagement, stimulating discussions, encouraging stories and helpful electives that will empower your ministry in your local context.

Electives on offer include…

Information and registration: Make it Messy! 2016

Introducing Messy Church
Messy Church as “church”
Teenagers and Messy Church
Messy Church and discipleship
Maximising messy craft
Multi-age messy worship
Feeding your Messy Church
Follow-up of messy families
Starting a Messy Church
Getting the most out of Get Messy! resources
Building on the beginning (for Messy Churches up to 4 years old)
Keeping up the energy (for Messy Churches over 4 years old)

What does the UCA look like?

A reflection on the past 10 years as Young Adults Discipleship Educator by Adrian (Age) Greenwood.

Exclusion and Embrace Exhibition

Artists living with disabilities were invited to submit artworks on the theme ‘Exclusion and Embrace’. The works were exhibited at the national conference Exclusion and Embrace: Disability, Justice and Spirituality in Melbourne 21 to 23 August and a selection are now on exhibition in the Centre for Theology and Ministry until 22 September.

Here are some of the prompts we gave: “When you experience exclusion what thoughts and feelings arise? What are the shapes, colours, textures of exclusion? What does embrace feel like to you?”

A People’s Choice Award was made to Larissa MacFarlane, for her work entitled ‘Crossings and Excursions: All tracks lead to somewhere’.

Most of the artworks are available for purchase. We encourage you to make time to view the exhibition and ask yourself the final question we posed to the artists, “What would a world where all people are truly embraced look like?”