for the week of 12 January 2020

Uniting Church SA Bushfire Relief Fund
Please read this letter from Bronte Wilson, Moderator of UC SA, regarding the bushfire situation in South Australia. A donation page for the Uniting Church SA Bushfire Relief Fund can be found here. Donations will be used to support local congregations as they serve the people in their fire-affected communities, whether that be through the provision of chaplaincy, extra pastoral support, special events to assist in recovery or practical help in a myriad of ways.

CAP Money volunteer training in Adelaide 29th February
CAP Money is a course that teaches a Biblical approach to financial wellbeing: How to build a budget, make wise spending decisions, and save well. BCUC holds courses each year but we are in need of volunteers to run them. Are you passionate about helping others? Are you free on 29th Feb? Join us for a day’s training and learn more.  For further information contact Gaynor.

HizBiz – a group for men
The Hizbiz new year will begin at BCUC on Tuesday 28th Jan at 6 pm for a seafood, chips and ice cream meal ($15) before viewing “The Genesis Code” at 7 pm. To help plan catering please email or phone Leigh Duffett or Rex King. You will be made welcome when you meet with BCUC men.

Youth & Young Adults Pastor
BCUC is looking to appoint a Youth and Young Adults Pastor, one year contract, 0.4EFT. Job and Person specifications are available from this page on the UCA SA. Enquiries to Stuart at admin@burnsidecityuc.org.au. Closing date for applications : Thursday 23 January.

BCUC Children’s Ministry Team Leader
Church Council is seeking a Children’s Ministry team leader. A Position Description and further information can be obtained from Council Chair Ian Olver. We would like to receive applications by Monday January 13. We ask you to give this your prayerful consideration.

Big Week Out @ BCUC
Once again, BCUC will be hosting the East Base of the Big Week Out youth service event, January 13-17. Big Week Out is about young people putting faith into action by serving their community. Some of our youth will be attending and Benji will be speaking each night from Tuesday through Friday.  The BCUC Women’s Ministry will also be helping with catering.

Thank You! From BCUC Cares and Uniting Care
David from Uniting Care would like to express his deep gratitude to BCUC for their continuity of care and for their  generosity with food and toiletry donations during the Christmas hamper appeal. – Judy Carne on behalf of BCUC Cares.

for the week of 5 January 2020

Youth & Young Adults Pastor for BCUC
BCUC is looking to appoint a Youth and Young Adults Pastor, one year contract, 0.4EFT. Job and Person specifications are found at this link on the UCA SA website. Closing date for applications : Thursday 23rd January.

Seniors Second Sunday Lunch
Next Sunday, January 12th at 12noon. Come and join us for friendship, fun and food. Chicken & Salad plus a fruit platter. Please see Anita Wheaton for more information.

Big Week Out @ BCUC – January 13-17
Once again, BCUC will be hosting the East Base of the Big Week Out youth service event, January 13-17. Big Week Out is about young people putting faith into action by serving their community.  Expect an exciting and jam-packed week with passionate, diverse young people from all over Adelaide. Some of our youth will be attending and Benji will be speaking each night from Tuesday through Friday.  The BCUC Women’s Ministry will also be helping with catering. Its not to late for youth to register at http://www.bigweekout.org.au.

BCUC Children’s Ministry Team Leader
Church Council is seeking a Children’s Ministry team leader. After dedicated and committed leadership, Heather Walraven will be stepping down from this role. We are most grateful for her work which has seen great growth in our children’s ministry. A Position Description and further information can be obtained from Council Chair Ian Olver. We would like to receive applications by Monday January 13. We ask you to give this your prayerful consideration.

for the week of 29 December 2019

BCUC Children’s Ministry Team Leader
Church Council is seeking a Children’s Ministry team leader. After dedicated and committed leadership, Heather Walraven will be stepping down from this role. We are most grateful for her work which has seen great growth in our children’s ministry. A Position Description and further information can be obtained from Council Chair Ian Olver. We would like to receive applications by Monday January 13. We ask you to give this your prayerful consideration.

Junior Church
All Junior Church classes from now until the end of January will be  combined  together for common activities and teaching.

Psalm Booklet
Please collect today, one copy per family. It’s a Christmas gift from BCUC .

Christmas Bowl 2019
Christmas Bowl giving envelopes are available in the foyer.   You may place completed envelopes in the box at the back of the sanctuary through to December 30th.

for the week of 22 December 2019

Junior Church
All Junior Church classes from now until the end of January will be combined together for common activities and teaching.

Big Week Out Help Needed
In January there will be over one hundred high school aged people meeting at BCUC. They will be involved with a variety of activities that assist people in our local community. We have been asked to provide them with a meal. Please consider supporting their efforts by providing some food. More details will be in a future newsletter.

Christmas Bowl 2019
Christmas Bowl giving envelopes are available in the foyer. You may place completed envelopes in the box at the back of the sanctuary through to December 30th.

Christmas at Dr Jon’s Pantry
Select one of our specialities to give to a friend : Tomato relish, Pear & Ginger chutney, Cumquat marmalade, among many others. Taste before you buy !!

Christmas Day Lunch
Christmas is a time for families. If you are going to be on your own on Christmas Day and would like to share Christmas lunch with the church family, please stay on at the end of the 9:30am Christmas service for lunch in the Hall.
Please bring food to share. There will be sign up sheets in the foyer if you would like to let us know that you are coming.

BCUC Cares – Christmas Hamper
Uniting Communities at Clayton Wesley Church appreciates all hamper items donated for families in need. Hamper donations may be placed in the usual marked boxes in the church foyer. Suggested Christmas Hamper items include:

Christmas Cake/Pudding, Coffee, Tea, Milo, Soft Drinks, Longlife Custard,Biscuits/Cracker, Chips/Lollies,Canned Fruit/Vegetables,Canned Tuna, Ham or Turkey,Spreads, Soup, Cereal,Other non-perishable foods, Toys

Summer Events for Children / Youth
CE Camp (ages 14 – 20)
Dec 29 – Jan 2
visit ce.asn.au

Jnr CE Camp (ages 9 – 13)
January 5 – 9
visit ce.asn.au/junior-camp

Big Week Out (high school aged)
January 13-17
visit bigweekout.org.au

for the week of 8 December 2019

Christmas Day Lunch
Christmas is a time for families. If you are going to be on your own on Christmas Day and would like to share Christmas lunch with the church family, please stay on at the end of the 9:30am Christmas service for lunch in the Hall. Please bring food to share. There will be sign up sheets in the foyer if you would like to let us know that you are coming.

Christmas at Dr Jon’s Pantry
Select one of our specialities to give to a friend : Tomato relish, Pear & Ginger chutney, Cumquat marmalade,  among many others. Taste before you buy !! 

Loss of School Chaplaincy Funding
In recent years BICC have supported chaplaincy in 4 local schools. We were informed that there will be no more government funding for 3 of those schools. This year the government has funded 40 hours/week and BICC has funded 36.  The loss of the government contribution is a severe blow. Please pray for a resolution to this problem.

BCUC Cares – Christmas Hamper
Uniting Communities at Clayton Wesley Church appreciates all hamper items donated for families in need. Hamper donations may be placed in the usual marked boxes in the church foyer. Suggested Christmas Hamper items include:

Christmas Cake/Pudding, Coffee, Tea, Milo, Soft Drinks,Longlife Custard,Biscuits/Cracker, Chips/Lollies,Canned Fruit/Vegetables,Canned Tuna, Ham or Turkey,Spreads, Soup, Cereal,Other non-perishable foods, Toys

Summer Events for Children / Youth
CE Camp (ages 14 – 20)
Dec 29 – Jan 2
visit ce.asn.au

Jnr CE Camp (ages 9 – 13)
January 5 – 9
visit ce.asn.au/junior-camp

Big Week Out (high school aged)
January 13-17
visit bigweekout.org.au

 

for the week of 10 November 2019

Presbytery Information Forum – Wednesday Nov. 20th, 7pm @ BCUC
In preparation for the congregation to decide at the Nov 24th AGM whether we will join Generate Presbytery or remain in the default, regional presbytery, we will host an information forum with special guests: Rev. Steph Tai (Secretary of Generate) and Rev. Sue Page (Assoc. Gen. Secretary from the presbytery restructuring task group). They will be available for a Q and A.

BCUC Sat Friendship Club
The Christmas dinner & AGM for the Sat Friendship club will be held on Sat 16th November. Time 6:30pm. The theme is “Bells” & there will be special entertainment. The cost is $35 and pay Peter Foord. Closing date 10th Nov. All church members & friends are invited.

Unwrapping Joy – Wednesday Study Group
As a follow-on from our recent Alpha event, we are holding a five session study series over the next five Wednesday lunch times (12 noon), starting on November 13th. We will use Benji’s book, “Unwrapping Joy”, which focusses on the joy of Jesus’ arrival here on earth, and the joy that we can experience as believers. We will at BCUC and bring our own lunch to eat with others in community. Please feel free to invite anyone else to these sessions, as we look forward in joyful anticipation to Christmas time as a celebration of Jesus’ birth. 

Elder/Church Councillor  Nominees
The nomination period for Elders of Church Council has closed. Names of the nominees (new and renominating) can be seen today on the scrolling notices before service and on the foyer TV screens. Introductory statements from  nominees will be emailed  to the congregation midweek.  Printed copies will be available at service next Sunday.  Voting for Elders will be held at the AGM on November 24th.

AGM
Please join us for our AGM on
Sunday November 24 at 2pm. Reports have been emailed to members and paper copies are now available at the reception desk.

BCUC Cares
Your continued donations of food and toiletries for people in need is greatly appreciated. Please consider donating more toiletries as they are regularly in short supply.

for the week of 3 November 2019

Single Worship Service
Membership Celebration
& Vision Launch

followed by an
International Shared Lunch

10:00am  Sunday November 10

BCUC Youth Group
After a great trial run, we’re having another go. Come along this Friday night 8th November (we plan to run fortnightly). 6pm for worship jam (a combo of band and sports). 7pm bring your friends along for dinner, games, a message, small groups and hangout. Finish between 9-9:30.  All at BCUC. Talk to Tim or Benji.

Monday Day Fellowship
The Bus Trip on November 4th is to a very interesting Gallery collection of Royalty Memorabilia from King William to Queen Elizabeth. There will be a talk on the 7 reigns of South Australia followed by afternoon tea. Meeting at the church at 12.50. The cost will be $22. If you are coming make sure you give your name to Ruth Daws and ensure your have it noted in your diary.

BCUC Sat Friendship Club
The Christmas dinner & AGM for the Sat Friendship club will be held on Sat 16th November. Time 6-30pm. The theme is “Bells” & there will be special entertainment. The cost is $35 and pay Peter Foord. Closing date 10th Nov. All church members & friends are invited.

International Lunch – Help Needed
We are hoping to have a great variety of  representative international and Australian dishes for our shared lunch on Nov. 10. Please contact Joy or Gaynor if you have not done so already to let her know what you can contribute or if you are able to help with clean-up afterwards.

Seeking Pastoral Care Worker (aka “School Chaplain”) Glenunga Intl. High School
Closing date:  10am, Monday 11th November. For details go to:  www.smg.asn.au or see the flyer on  our notice board.

Another Book Give-Away– TODAY
In the foyer, from today. Your chance to own a good Christian book for FREE.

AGM
Please join us for our AGM on
Sunday November 24 at 2pm. Reports will be available from Sunday November 10.

Elder/Church Councillor  Nominees Closing Nov 3
Nominations are open for Elders /Church Councillors. If you feel that God is calling you to serve BCUC in this role, please pick up an information sheet and nomination form at the reception desk. Nominations close TODAY.  Note that term limits for serving on Church Council have been removed and the term for newly elected members is now up to 5 years (in accordance with the UCA Constitution).

Made Man

If you were asked :”WHO IS JESUS?” how would you answer…

Christians hold that Jesus is fully GOD and fully MAN, but what does that actually mean ? How does that work, and does it actually matter ?

The author, CRAIG HAMILTON takes us through the incarnation of Jesus, followed by the history of the early church, grappling to understand what it means and why it matters that God becomes man.

Today, we are standing on the shoulders of all the thinking and debating, heresies and conclusions of the Councils of the Church, to affirm the reality of the Lord Jesus Christ being God in the flesh.

“He is, without qualification and without exaggeration the most Impressive Person to have ever existed.”

Take time to read and digest this book ; it is clearly written and without “theological jargon”.

The book will be on display on the Activities Room ’shelf.

Total Truth

Is religion only a private matter, or does God belong in the public arena?

Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey, in examining this question, follows in the line of, and further develops, Francis Schaeffer’s How Should We Then Live and Charles Colson’s How Now Shall We Live. Both these books are in the Library.

Subtitled Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity, Total Truth presents a readable and insightful challenge to evangelical Christians to understand all of society and life through a Christian (biblical) worldview rather than a secular one that some Christians have adopted. That secular worldview is limited to our culture and binds Christians, who restrict their faith to only the private sphere, leaving it at Church each Sunday.

As our worldview governs our thinking, Pearcey encourages readers to develop and apply a biblical worldview to all of life, arguing that this gives us “a biblically informed perspective on all reality,” – a Total Truth – which enables us to see things more clearly and which we can take into our daily life and the world in which we live, i.e., the public sphere. In this way, Christianity is able to challenge, redeem and renew culture.

Total Truth comprises 4 parts. Part 1 explains how to build a Christian worldview by starting at the beginning – in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth – and the Bible’s teaching that God is the only source of the whole created order, and seeing all of history through Creation, Fall, and Redemption. From here Part 2 examines Creation and science; Part 3 the decline of Christian thought over the ages; and Part 4 how to apply a Christian worldview, and integrate our faith, in all of life and daily living under the Lordship of Christ.

Pearcey shows what this Total Truth means for areas of family, business, public policy, education, arts, science, music, law, politics and Christian involvement in society. She “walk(s) you through practical, workable steps for crafting a Christian worldview in your own life and work” and applying it “to cut through the bewildering maze of ideas and ideologies we encounter in a postmodern world. The purpose …. is nothing less than to liberate Christianity from its cultural captivity, unleashing its power to transform the world.”

Pearcey believes:

“The most effective work …. is done by ordinary Christians fulfilling God’s calling to reform culture within their local spheres of influence – their families, churches, schools, neighbourhoods, workplaces, …. and civic institutions.”

Although written in 2004, Total Truth is a book highly relevant today. The foundation and explanations laid down by Pearcey are most helpful for Christians in the present day to understand that God belongs in the public arena and responds to the push to exclude the Christian faith from the public sphere.

Koorong also has Total Truth available in a Study Guide Edition (paperback and eBook) – https://www.koorong.com – which would be a practical way of reading the book and understanding its message.

They Crossed a Continent – Margaret Somerville

Battle of Australia Medal (1991) – (1912-2014) This is the story of a wartime exodus from Crocker Island to Sydney. Crocker Island is situated off the North West Coast of Arnhem Land and was home to 95 mixed Aboriginal and white blood children who were abandoned by both Aboriginal and white parents and so were then gathered from government institutions and taken into the Methodist home. They were mainly girls, who were the responsibility of missionaries Margaret Somerville and two other white women. Boys were under the care of the male Superintendent.

With the Japanese advancing the War towards the Northern Territory the priority from December 1941 was to evacuate civilians. The three white women were ordered to leave the Island but they refused opting to remain to look after the children. Darwin was bombed and eventually in April 1942 the children and the women were transported from the Island on a small ship the Larrpan to the mainland. From there followed a six week journey living off the land with small supplies of mainly flour and rice, travelling by truck and trekking through heavy bushlands. They eventually arrived at the rail link in Pine Creek (150 Km south of Darwin). From there, they travelled by cattle train to Birdum and on to Katherine by military trucks to Alice Springs. More rail journeys were made to Adelaide, Melbourne, Albury and finally arriving at Oxford Homes in Sydney.

After the war Crocker Homes was renamed Somerville Homes after Margaret and many children returned there. The facility relocated to Darwin in December 1968. Margaret had returned to Sydney in 1965 to care for her aging parents.

Footnote. While many in BCUC may likely be conversant with this amazing story of courage commitment, determination and care, for me, not coming from Australia, this epic journey was unfamiliar until I saw the book on the Church Library shelf. Recommended reading.