Moving forward with postponed AGM · endurance and prayer from the Letter of James, a servant of...

Issue 69 August/September 2020

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

1. Moving forward

2. The season of crea on

3. From our Minister’s Pen

4‐5. Church Council report, thanks to Adri

6. Children’s address with Monty

7. Uni ng, Safe Shelter for Ballarat

8‐9. Our church family

10‐11. News and ac vi es

12‐13. The Parable of the Sower in poetry

14. Chairperson’s pastoral le er

15. Finding grace

16. Rosters

A big thankyou to all of the contributors who provided ar -cles and photographs for this edi-

on of BCUN. They are very much appreciated.

If you would like to contribute to the next BCUN in any way, please email me, Leanne Keem, at:

[email protected]

Please note, items for the Octo‐ber/November edi on of BCUN, to be published on Sunday, Octo‐ber 4, will be due on Sunday, September 27.

This beautiful image of our church surrounded by a rainbow was taken by Emma Burnham who sent it to Lauleti recently.

Moving forward with postponed AGM Dear Friends, The Annual General Mee ng (AGM) of the congrega on to consider the Annual Report for 2019 was sched-uled for Sunday, April 19, but post-

poned owing to the covid-19 pan-demic and subsequent restric ons imposed on face-to-face mee ngs. Fortunately we were able to conduct the elec on of Elders, Church Council

members and Congrega onal Repre-senta ves to Presbytery in mid-March prior to the covid-19 ‘shutdown’.

Con nued p14


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CELEBRATING THE SEASON OF CREATION 2020 September 1 Crea on Day September 6 1st Sunday in Crea on – Forest Sunday September 13 2nd Sunday in Crea on – Land Sunday September 20 3rd Sunday in Crea on – Wilderness/Outback Sunday September 27 4th Sunday in Crea on – River Sunday October 4 St Francis of Assisi Day – Blessings of the Animals

This ar cle below about the beginning of “Season of Crea on” is taken from: h ps://seasonofcrea on.com/about/the-season-of-crea on-story/

The Season of Crea on Story: An Australian Story Norman Habel

We celebrate the season of Advent before Christ-mas. We celebrate the season of Lent before Easter. When do we celebrate the season of Crea on? And where did this season begin?

This new season of the church year is celebrated during the four Sundays of September that precede St Francis of Assisi Day (October 4).

Around the world, churches are becoming acutely aware of the environmental crisis. Our precious planet is at risk. In response, many congrega ons in the Western world have celebrated Earth Day, World Environment Day or St Francis of Assisi Day.

The season of Crea on begins as an Australian sto-ry.

I, like many in our Lutheran Church in Australia, grew up in the bush. I climbed every tree within miles. I felt close to crea on: the soil, the streams and the sounds of the bush. Celebra ng the crea-on I love has long been one of my dreams.

In 2000, at St Stephen’s Lutheran Church, Adelaide, South Australia, we decided to celebrate crea on. For four weeks we relived the great crea on stories in the Bible. The children loved it. We also con-fessed what we have done to crea on and how God is working to renew crea on. It was an exci ng be-ginning!

From 2001 to 2003 I worked with the Uni ng Church Commission for Mission in Melbourne, Vic-toria. A er a series of workshops, their leaders agreed to explore the idea of a season of Crea on. The idea was a genuine local dream, not a product from abroad.

In 2003 and 2004 the Uni ng Church in Melbourne provided the funds to develop the resources need-ed to celebrate the season of Crea on. In Septem-ber 2004 the season was trialled in about fi y con-grega ons in Melbourne and Adelaide. My thanks to the Uni ng Church for taking the risk to support this Australian venture of faith.

In 2005 the season of Crea on is an op on for con-grega ons across Australia. But not only Australia! Lutheran churches and the Na onal Council of Churches in USA are planning to introduce the sea-son of Crea on in 2005. People in Europe and New Zealand are also interested. In Australia, mission departments of the Lutheran Church have endorsed the project.

The season of Crea on offers an opportunity for churches to introduce new visual elements into their worship and to be ecumenical and connected with crea on in a par cular context.

The Sundays of the first year in the three-year cycle of Crea on are called Forest Sunday, Land Sunday, Outback/Wilderness Sunday and River Sunday. Con-grega ons can turn the sanctuary into a vibrant part of crea on as they celebrate with crea on.

The Season of Crea on is now celebrated in many countries around the world and in 2012 the website had more than 10,000 hits.

https://seasonofcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/liturgy-forest-sunday-1.pdf�

https://seasonofcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/liturgy-land-sunday-1.pdf�

https://seasonofcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/liturgy-outback-sunday-1.pdf�

https://seasonofcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/liturgy-river-sunday-1.pdf�

https://seasonofcreation.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/liturgy-blessing-of-animals-sunday-1.doc�

https://seasonofcreation.com/about/the-season-of-creation-story/�










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Uniting in endurance and prayer! In the midst of this Covid-19 pan-demic and the second wave of in-fections and restrictions in Victo-ria, I greet you with the encourag-ing and the comforting word for endurance and prayer from the Letter of James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. James wrote to the twelve tribes dis-persed outside of Israel to encour-age them.

2 My brothers and sis‐ters, whenever you face tri‐als of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3 because you know that the tes ng of your faith produces endur‐ance; 4 and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. 5 If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and un‐grudgingly, and it will be given you. (James 1:2‐5)

James is reminding his frineds and us that we need our rela onship with God and with each other to be unwavering and solid that we may withstand the tes ng me. And when we lack wisdom or anything, ask God! I believe that worshipping God is very crucial in mes of pandemic. We con nue our weekly Livestream Worship at 10 a.m. via YouTube with

up to 20 people allowed in the church. But we don’t know how

long we can do this for. We started livestream worship on March 29 from the manse and con-nued back in the church on April

19. We now have 134 subscribers to our You Tube account and we have been allocated a permanent link to our livestream worship. Members and visitors can also go back to watch these services or share them with family and friends. We have an IT Team that lead us in this technological journey and is consisted of Ben Daniel, Tevita Topui, Rod Devenish, Sabine Han-dreck and myself. We hope to con-nue livestreaming our worship ser-

vices when we are allowed back to worship in the church. Ballarat Regional Healthcare Chap-laincy (BRHC) has also used our livestream equipment to pre-record their Chapel Service for the Agecare and Healthcare venues. BRHC and BCUC are working in partnership in the development and produc on of a mid-week Service of Worship that will be livestreamed over YouTube and begin on Wednesday, July 29, at 2 pm. This service of worship will be led by members of BCUC and BRHC and coordinated by Andrew Shearer-Cox (BRHC) and myself. The wor-ship would be accessible not only to residents and pa ents at Agecare and Healthcare venues but also to members of the church community. Those who want to a end this wor-ship will have to click on the same link for Sunday Livestream Worship in our church website and facebook page. Our Taize Worship Service on the 1st Sunday of the month at 7 p.m. and Family Service on the 4th Sunday of the month at 5 p.m. are also livestreamed via Zoom. The Sudanese community bi-monthly worship is s ll deferred as their leader, Kuong is overseas. They are currently linking to their own weekly livestream worship in Nuer language.

We plan to open our church one day during the week for “Prayer, Reflec-on and Conversa on” when we are

allowed back to worship in the church again. We had weddings during restric ons of Marc Henderson and Lute Finau on April 29 in the church which was also livestreamed on Zoom; Maree McKelvie and Walter Jordan on June 16 at Black Hill Reserve and the Same Gender Marriage of Tom Hodgson and Jy Drowley in the church on Tuesday, July 7, and Rev Rosemary Carter presided in that same-gender wedding. Eileen Devenish and Alice Bha were invited to share their experi-ences as mother/grandmother and first- me mother in our Mother’s Day worship and celebra on on May 10. The worship on Sunday, June 7, was led by Rod Devenish with online Holy Communion conducted by Rev Trevor Basse as I was having my quarterly Sunday off. The worship on Sunday, June 21, 2020 was also included the UCA 43rd Anniversary celebra on and Rev David Leach delivered the message. We will celebrate the 2020 Chap-laincy Sunday on August 23. Andrew Shearer-Cox and his chaplaincy team has been invited to lead our worship at BCUC. Share Sunday, organize by Uni ng VicTas, for August 30 this year, will focus on Youth Homelessness. We will also include the issue of “Homelessness in Ballarat” on that Share Sunday and draw the aware‐ness of our congrega on and the community to this pressing need that warrants ac ons in our city. I hope and pray that we will con n-ue to unite, endure and pray togeth-er during this challenging and un-precendended me of Covid-19 cri-sis trus ng in God who is ever-present, all-knowing, and all reveal-ing! Keep well and safe! Blessings to all. Laule

From our Minister’s Pen


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The March Council mee ng was can-celled at the last minute because of covid related numbers restric ons. The Execu ve and Finance Commi ee held the fort un l this past week when a zoom Council mee ng was held be-cause Office Bearers are elected annu-ally at the July mee ng.

This mee ng warmly welcomed the new elders elected in March, Karen Coad, Trevor Coad, Miriam Peck and Geoff Le Marshall. Manesty Brown was re-elected so her con nua on was warmly welcomed too. Karen and Tre-vor served on Council in our early days, so we were glad to see them return. The contribu ons of all these members will be much appreciated.

Laule reported to Council on the health of the congrega on, the ser-vices that are being shared by live streaming at 10 am on a Sunday morn-ing and about to start at 2pm on Wednesdays in conjunc on with Balla-rat Chaplaincy Services, the zooming smaller services for Taize, Young Fami-lies and Youth Group and now Messy Church material from Andy and KUCA ac vi es from Marg Li lehales by email and website. Rod told us of the calling (mostly by phone but some-mes in person) by Ross and Naomi

and the other Care Callers and of the great support by all the people who ensure the casserole bank is supplied to meet the greatly increased need that has developed.

Ron Harris – It was with great regret that Council accepted the resigna on of Ron Harris from the posi on of Sec-retary of the Property Commi ee. We are aware that, since Janet’s accident, Ron is not able to spend the usual hours each day looking a er the church and we noted a Minute of Ap-precia on. Ron’s dedicated service has been enormous and will be appropri-ately recognised when we are able to gather together again. Ron will con n-ue as a member of the Exec and Fi-nance Commi ee and as the Steward-ship Convener. He will be greatly

missed but a major bonus is that Ron also found his own replacement – Geoff LeMarshall and his appointment was gladly confirmed.

The other resigna on present-ed to Council was that of the treasurer, Ben Mata, a young accountant in the congrega on, who was appointed in March last year. Ben has been very capable but frequently found it impos-sible to a end mee ngs as well as maintaining the other aspects of the role with a change in his work environ-ment and a growing young family. Each me we appoint a new treasurer we

have been concerned about the work-load of that posi on and we have dis-cussed the possibility of outsourcing some of the work. This me we had discussions with Sabine, our Adminis-trator, who has been doing most of the day to day book keeping already and she is happy to take on the role of Fi-nance Manager with the help of a few training sessions by an accountant who has helped in that way before. We s ll need a Treasurer who can present the reports she prepares to Council and provide the necessary insight in deci-sions involving finance. David Pra was in that role for Ben but communica on was not always adequate, he offered to do it again with Sabine, who is a me c-ulous communicator, and his offer was accepted unanimously.

Financially, for the first half of the year, we are in deficit but with the jobkeeper support, we are only approx. $6,000 greater in deficit that our planned budget deficit of $20,000. This reflects a reduc on of $21,600 in planned giving and open plate and an income loss from property of $46,000 for the 6 months. We have had to post-pone our planned giving renewal pro-gram again, because we feel it is really important to get together in person for that but we urge people to reconsider their giving. July does mark the begin‐ning of a new program, even if it is only a rollover of the exis ng one and we ask you to consider the possibility of increasing your weekly gi . There will be those for whom life has sudden-ly become a whole lot more difficult but there will be others who have not been affected financially by the pan-demic and who may be glad to increase

their sharing, with the congrega on or with Uni ng or other carers on the ground. Think about it.

Synod has postponed the Syn-od-in –Council mee ng un l February 2021. Synod has also sent a le er about their plans for a review of their direct services because of serious fi-nancial difficul es. This will also affect Presbytery which will be mee ng by zoom from regional hubs (one in the Peart Wing) on August 22. Andrew Boatman is being most suppor ve as Chairperson of Presbytery – his wise le ers are much appreciated too.

Because we have significant investments, Exec and then Council decided that we should not reduce our annual giving of $35,000 to the Synod Mission and Service Fund this year and $17,500 of that was paid in June.

The day a er the Council mee ng Laule , Rod, Mary and I had a very exci ng zoom mee ng with An-drew Phillips (Admin Person for Pres-bytery) and Senior representa ves of Uni ng for Ballarat to discuss the pos-sibility of a joint project on our shared site to do something about homeless-ness and the emergency support ser-vices in Ballarat. We began with look-ing at the old manse and our share of the proceeds of sale of St Andrew’s but then thought there might be a big-ger picture, very early days but ex-ci ng.

Uni ng in Ballarat has been going through difficult mes. Wendy Ferguson re red from to the posi on of Ac ng Execu ve Officer in May. Wendy had been with Uni ng for many years and was the Senior Manager, Wellbeing Services when she took on the EO posi on as well. She made an enormous contribu on to Uni ng Care over the years and will be much missed.

Currently there is no ac ng EO but the Senior Managers, Ivan Thorne, Cathryn Ryan and Warrick Davison are holding the fort, partly from home but also seeing some clients at the Dana St site. Dana Street is open from 9 to 5, Breezeway is opera ng daily with take-away hot meals and a sandwich pack, and Emergency Relief is offered

Church Council Report

Adri S ckland

August 2020

Continued p5


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through provision of food, essen als and vouchers Tues-Frid. Housing Entry point is opera ng at Dana Street and seeing 20+ requests per day. Lifeline is taking 784 calls a month and a new class of 22 volunteers for counsellor has just started. The Breezeway reloca-on project is well on the way and an-cipated to be open late August.

The last item on the Agenda was the elec on of office‐bearers and I have to tell you that I did not stand for

re-elec on. A er 12 years it was me for me to re re. I am very happy to hand the baton on to Rod Devenish who was elected unanimously. Rod will do a fantas c job, in fact he has been largely doing it already since the lock-down began. Anita Hinton was re‐elected as Secretary and I must say here how very grateful I am for the years she has supported me – it is a thankless job and you rarely get a chance to par cipate in the discussion because you are too busy scribbling what someone else has said. Mary Hol‐

lick will con nue as Deputy Chairper-son and David Pra ’s offer to con nue as the Treasurer on Council was gladly accepted earlier in the evening.

Thank you to all with whom I have worked on Council over the years, par cularly the Ministers, Kate Tierney, John Rowland, David Leach and now Laule , all the elders and Councillors, the congrega onal chairpersons and everybody in the congrega on, it has been a privilege.

‐ Adri S ckland

Deep thanks and gra tude to Adri A er 12 years as Chair of Parish Coun-cil at Ballarat Central Uni ng Church, our amazing Adri S ckland is re ring from the role. Adri credited her ap-pointment in 2008 to three things: she was a woman, a lay person and had no allegiance with either Lydiard St or St Andrew’s at a me when a number of congrega ons in Ballarat were working to invoke the word ‘uni ng’ to free up people power and combine resources to enable the uni ng church in Ballarat to carry out its mission to move into the wider community with a church structure relevant to the current gen-era on. She worked relessly as a member of the uni ng steering com-mi ee to support others in accep ng the decision to center worship life at Lydiard St. in 2009.

A review of past issues of BCUN cover-ing Adri’s contribu on could fill this issue and so it is intended that we will have a more fulsome acknowledge-ment when we physically meet again as a congrega on. It is interes ng to note that in 2010 church council re-ports ran to a quarter of a page!

One of Adri’s most taxing and difficult challenges involved the nego a on, chairing of commi ees and gruelling footwork – not to men on her own grieving – over the sale of St Andrew’s church. A er making the difficult deci-sion in 2013 the sale was only realised in 2019 a er many expressions of in-terest which came to nought. A be-

loved church building but one that was sadly too expensive to maintain and develop with precious reserves needed for church work and mission.

Adri has been very involved as chair of the Future Development Commi ee and in the Mission and Outreach Com-mi ee always with a strategic eye to the church’s future. In all her dealings with individuals and organisa ons in carrying out her roles Adri is been con-sistently thorough, professional and posi ve: at all mes a delight to work with. We will miss her guiding hand and sage advice a er such a long com-mitment.

We wish Adri every blessing and more me to enjoy her own pursuits and

when able, to indulge in travel without having to consider council mee ng dates!

We congratulate Rod Devenish to whom the baton now passes and thank him for so willingly accep ng the role. We know that Rod can be assured of the full support of the congrega on in con nuing the work and mission of Ballarat Central Uni ng.

- Mary Hollick, with thanks to Rev Kate Tierney for her archival work on past issues of BCUN!

From p4


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Rev Trevor Bassett, with the help of his friend Monty, delivered a very timely children’s address on Sunday, June 7, following the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests. At the end of the children’s address, which is reproduced here, he and Rod Devenish knelt in solidarity.

Monty has had a good time in iso!

He has been making and eating chocolate cake at a huge rate!

This might explain the shortage of flour in supermarkets.

Monty suspects he could be guilty.

Monty reckons that his chocolate cake production has meant that the world has been saved from other inferior cakes…like orange cake! Everyone knows orange cake and orange cake eaters are inferior!

I am shocked. Monty is a mouse. Monty knows well what it is to get poorly treated because he’s a mouse.

Today we are going to hear one of the stories of creation. How God made a beautiful world and filled it with beautiful things. Lots of different beautiful creatures to share the world with. Lots of different beautiful things to look at and care for. Lots of different people, all of us made beautiful and wonderful however we are: all with different personalities, different hair, different skin, different eyes.

God made gave us a wonderful world full of wonderful things!

Monty is a mouse, he is part of God’s wonderful world.

Orange cake and chocolate cake…all cakes, are a part of God’s wonderful world.

In our world today, we are not treating each other the way God intended. Black lives Matter has been a strong social action focus both over seas and here in Australia. While this action started with the death of George Floyd, it has also shone a light on the issues and treatment of the indigenous people of Australia.

Sometimes we can take a simple action that indicates our solidarity and support of a cause. On this Trinity Sunday it is interesting to note that in some traditions, when the Trinity is spoken, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; people make a sign of the cross over themselves. A physical action that reinforces the blessing of God.

One simple action has been adopted by many people to say they agree that we should all treat each other the same, however our hair is, our eye colour….or our skin colour. Then simply take a moment to kneel on one knee.

I’m going to do

this now….

maybe we could

all think of

something

like this….

maybe we could

even put a photo

of ourselves on

Social media

doing this?


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Share Sunday

Resources

2020

‘A place to

call home’.

During the COVID-19 lockdowns of re-cent months, ‘home’ has become the sole domain from which we have con-ducted almost every facet of our lives. This rather intense experience of the centrality of home has come with its challenges and frustra ons alongside many blessings. Like many, you may well be feeling the pull to escape far too familiar surround-ings. One pressing issue that the very intensi-ty, and necessity, of the COVID-19 isola-on requirement has brought into sharp

focus is how profoundly challenging it must be for those in our communi es without safe and secure housing or with-out a place to call home. The UCA and your community services organisa on Uni ng Vic.Tas share a con-nuing commitment to Making Housing

A Priority. Never has this seemed more mely or more urgent. This year our worship resources for Share Sunday focus in par cular on Youth Homelessness with the theme ‘A place to call home’. The sad reality is that two in every five

people who experience homelessness are under the age of 25. The promise of a home, or homeland, belongs to the founda onal stories of our faith. This year we will reflect on how that promise calls, claims and challenges us to hope for and respond to those young people so desperately in need of a place to call home like Bronte (pictured above), who reached out to Uni ng Vic.Tas services when she experienced youth homelessness three years ago. In the coming weeks, a selec on of re-sources will be available for your congre-ga on to lead a Share Sunday service. The chosen date for the service is 30 August 2020, but you can use the re-sources at any me. The links to the 2020 Share Sunday Wor-ship Resources will be distributed through the Synod eNews for download. You can also contact the Mission Team Admin: [email protected] ng.org Or you can visit our website: www.uni ngvictas.org.au/congrega ons

Safe Shelter for Ballarat Hello everyone! It seems such a long me since we were all able to worship

together in person and pass the peace. Will we ever be able to do this without hand sani sing I wonder, or share our warm and cosy morning teas? Despite the calendar, winter arrived early in Ballarat and we have shivered. However we have warm houses to go home to, warm beds and warm tum‐mies. There are currently 63 rough sleepers in Ballarat who do not, 3 more in tem‐porary and 180 homeless people in temporary, crisis accommoda on. What can we do to help these people? A group of concerned people in the ACT have developed a response called Safe Shelter which provides safe, warm church halls for people such as these. Thinking, planning and praying began at St Columbus, Uni ng Church. The Salva on Army joined as did the Angli‐can church to work as a team. It has taken up to 7 years to get a basic, workable system established. If you would like to see the very im‐pressive 2019 Annual Report of Safe Shelter, a hard copy can be provided by Greta 53327009 or an emailed copy from Mary: [email protected]. This response is true Chris an hospital‐ity and a key element of our faith. With God’s blessing upon all who are

part of our congrega on at this chal‐

lenging me.

‐ Greta Chris e

Safe Shelter for Ballarat —

update following July mee ng Considerable progress has been made on Safe Shelter for Bal-larat with Parish Council suppor ng the project and Rev Lau-le commi ng our me and resources to its implementa on. This will be a combined church and community project to pro-vide free, basic, warm emergency overnight shelter, ini ally for adult men who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. It will specifically address the needs of those who simply need a safe night’s rest. At a mee ng convened by Compassionate Ballarat in the Peart wing on July 24 and a ended by representa ves of Uni ng,

Centacare, St Vincent de Paul Society, the Soup Bus, Bendigo Bank, Victoria Police, concerned residents and Compassionate Ballarat commi ee members there was enthusiasm and sup-port for the project. Ballarat Central Uni ng, Uni ng Ballarat, St Ma hews Wendouree and St Patricks Cathedral parish have agreed to support the project while a number of a endees have commi ed to meet and form a working party to under-take the necessary planning and ac on to bring this into being by May 2021. If you are interested in ge ng involved please see Greta or myself. To read more about the ACT program on which the Ballarat program will be based go to: h ps://www.safeshelteract.org.au/

‐ Mary Hollick

https://www.safeshelteract.org.au/�





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Worship time for Margaret and Wynnie

Evening service tech support


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Who is the lady in the frame? For more than 100 years you would regularly find photos of military servicemen and women in Aus-tralian homes. Mostly were un-named as the family knew their history. Likewise, similar photos are dis-played in RSL’s, schools, halls and generally are named.

A servicewoman’s portrait photo in a 22x30 cm free standing white frame had been in the small hall at St Andrew’s for many years. Ron Fleming first noticed it during his time as part of the St Andrew’s congre-gation in the early 1990s and wondered who she was.

In the final clearance of the St Andrew’s complex, he collected the photo and set a challenge to estab-lish her identity. The photographers name is on the photo but nothing on the back of the frame or print.

The photo indicates that she was a commissioned officer with the rank of Second Lieutenant in the Women’s Royal Australian Army Corps (WRAAC), and most likely one of the early officers in this new corps. Time of the photo is estimated 1951-52.

She is wearing the uniform of the Australian Wom-en’s Army Service (AWAS), disbanded in 1947, while waiting issue of the new highland green WRAAC uniform and corps badge.

Possibilities of a link to the St Andrew’s congrega-tion. She had been a congregation member before enlistment. The daughter or relative of a member.

Someone found her photo in an opportunity shop, purchased it and gave her “a home” at St Andrew’s.

Unfortunately many such photos find their way into these shops, markets and garage sales, are purchased for the frame and the photo destroyed.

Ron is seeking any information that may put a name to her photo.

Vale – Nita Miriam Bartle October 10, 1921 ‐ June 29, 2020 ‐ in her 99th year

Nita was the eldest of the Bartle family, born in 1921, followed by Verna (Mrs Black) born 1923 and Graeme born

1928. Nita went to Mount Pleasant State School, Ballarat High School, then the School of Mines. Nita then worked

in the family general corner store at the corner of Cobden and Barkly Sts for over 20 years un l her father died in

1957, and the store was sold. Nita then went into secretarial work in Morshead’s and Messer and Opie’s stores in

Bridge Street. Nita was a member of the Hor cultural Society and enjoyed plan ng flowers and vegies and reaping

the produce. Nita was also an enthusias c member of the Cornish Society. Nita loved travelling both around Victo-

ria and overseas. Nita was a companion and willing carer to her mother who died in 1989 at the age of 93. Nita had

6 nieces and nephews, 11 grand nieces, great, great nieces and nephews and on everyone’s birthday each received

a gree ng card with her local news. Nita’s was a member of the Mt Pleasant Methodist Church in Morton Street

where she was a choir member for over 60 years, a Sunday School teacher, a keeper of church records, founder of

the church newsle er the Moun e Gaze e – secretary of the parish commi ee. A er the closure of Mt Pleasant,

Nita joined our Skipton St Congrega on and the choir. Nita, thank you so much for your contribu on to the Mt

Pleasant and Skipton St Congrega ons,, Ballarat South Parish and the Methodist and Uni ng church . You have

touched all of us with your faith, your enthusiasm, your loyalty and your friendship. If anyone would like a copy of

Nita Bartle’s funeral you can contact Sabine in the church Office.


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Camps Commi ee members sought

The Presbytery Camps Commit-tee (PCC) is looking for more members with gifts and skills in Camping Property and Educa-tion. The Committee's primary function is to advise and assist (Synod's) UC Camping in the operation of the campsites within the bounds of the Presbytery: Norval and Acacia (at Halls Gap) and Adeka-te (near Creswick). An understanding of the needs of potential user groups (especially schools and Service Clubs) would be beneficial, as is the abil-ity to advocate within those mar-kets. PCC has members in the Northern regions of the Presby-tery and would welcome some members from other places. Cur-rently PCC meets by Zoom. You DON’T have to be a member of Presbytery to join this commit-tee. For more information or to sign up, please contact Andrew Boatman: [email protected] or 0407 388 728.

In answer to the question "What are you doing in this unprecedent-ed time?" Graeme Sutton said there have been a number of oc-casions when words and music seemed to come to mind and he needed to write them down. “On May 24th when David Leach was leading prayers and he re-ferred to the particular date which is recognised as the conversion day of John Welsey, (Charles having had a similar experience three days previously!) something in me clicked and so I spent the afternoon writing the following”: May 24th Tune MHB 356 – Sovereignty How, when on bended knee I try to pray For the world, for myself, and for all my kin? How can my faltering heart be stilled, A heart to be fed by grace within? A heart that’s set free from death and sin?

O that my heart be strangely warmed To trust in Christ, in Christ alone (God’s grace in me, so lovingly, from sin, ev’n mine, He set me free) Assurance blessed, salvation’s mine. Lures of the world lead us to turn away And to trust in ourselves, and our subjective right. Seeking security in selfish good Whilst dominating others by pow-er and might, Whilst walking in a dark we per-ceive as light. There is a righteousness: the faith of Christ By whose blood we’re redeemed, justified by grace: Life-changing blessedness, in-dwelling peace, Atoning sacrifice condemned in our place; To reconcile God with the human race. © Graeme R Sutton, May 2020

Music in unprecedented times

Congratula ons

To Mary Bukjiok who has

launched her new catering busi-

ness which offers great African

food.

To Jan and George Jenkyn who

will celebrate their 60th Wedding

Anniversary on August 6.

Wise words Lesley Lyons writes: Some wise words found amongst my late mother’s treasures. She was born in1898. Life with Christ is an endless hope; without Him it is a hopeless end. Forget yourself for others and oth‐ers will never forget you. You cannot successfully walk with God while running with the devil. He who cannot forgive others,

breaks the bridge over which he must pass. There was also a 3 ingredient recipe for Yummy Banana Pan‐cakes. 4 eggs; 2 bananas; ½ cup rolled oats. Vitamise to a smooth ba er. If your troubles are long standing and deep seated – try kneeling. Many a man who is “puffed up” with conceit, mistakenly thinks he is a “swell guy” Our work is to Cast Care. It is God’s work to Take Care. There are two parts to the gospel

– Believing it and Behaving it!

Thank you To the many caring people who have helped fill our food bank we say our grateful thanks. This is an unending need for so many peo-ple who truly are thankful for this. It is great to see the joy on their

faces when they receive the food that has been provided by so many beau ful people. I hope it is not too much to ask for you to keep up this great service to so many grateful people. God bless to you all. ‐ Naomi James and Ross Jones

Wednesday walkers Despite Covid 19 restric ons, some BCUC members are enjoying mee ng at Pipers about 10.30am each Wednesday. The walkers leave at 9.30 - some for a short, slower walk and others to circle the lake. Others join into line up for a takeaway drink 1.5m apart to then sit or stand respec ully apart to catch up on church news. PS Piper’s will now allow us to avoid ‘throwaways’ in this me of such waste, by bringing our own clean cup. - Jan Souter


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In his children’s address on July 12 Andy Gault gave us all food for thought with his poe c version of the Parable of the Sower. It is repro‐duced here for you, along with photos of Andy during his other children’s addresses ...

I’ve just been in my garden. Its quite a sight to behold. I’ve not been in it for quite some me,

its just been too wet and cold. The lawn is overrun with weeds, Ivy chokes the tree, there are unknown things grow-ing where unknown things simply shouldn’t be. A tomato plant from yesteryear has reappeared it seems, growing through cracks in the garden deck along with last years beans. Huge plants, shoo ng skywards with just the smallest roots with not a sign of crop on top, no veggies nor no fruits. I’m great it seems at growing, I’m the Costa of Ballarat, as long as those things are moss or weeds, I’m pre y great at that. My garden is a shambles, it’s a mass of weeds and brambles, it looks like I’ve given up out there its true. But amidst the obvious uncaring, There’s a story there worth shar-ing one that Jesus told for folks like me and you.

For Jesus see was ge ng known as quite the story-teller, crowds would come from near and far to listen to this fella. He would enthrall them with his teaching and the parables he told, an earthly story with a heavenly truth fit for young and old. A sower went out sowing throw-ing seed without much knowing, seed here and there and every-where it seems. Some on path, some rocky ground, some amongst the thorn and weed- and others fell on good soil, 25% are we agreed? The seed that fell upon the path wasn’t there too long.

The birds would spy it and just like that GULP! GULP! The seeds were gone. The seed that fell on rocky ground like my tomato plant grew quickly, but with no real root in decent soil quite soon the plant was sickly. Once the midday sun had shown its face the plant got scorched and died. Not a problem here in Ballarat, with wind and rain and sleet and that, my tomatoes have not seen the sun and shine. But I’m fairly sure that given me my toms will wither on the vine and then be just another weed of mine. With no real roots its veggie shoots-okay you pedants-maybe fruits, will simply not stand the test of me.

And the sowers seeds that landed amongst the thorn? ...they soon got choked and died. Much like the tree inside my garden covered in ivy, though quite pre y, not tended to in me will meet its demise. Though it looks good on the outside

No green thumb ...


13

the insides a different show and to save the tree the ivy, well it simply has to go. Some seed lands on good soil, the lucky 25% - It grows and yields a bumper crop a hundredfold. And here is where this story-teller fella Jesus puts his message to us if we will only listen and take in his words so bold. Some will hear but not under-stand are like seed upon a path. Soon what they’ve heard is snatched away just like that. There’s nothing for them to grow on and so pre y soon are are gonners and well yeah that’s pre y much the end for them that’s that. The word landed on stony ground that grows quick with no real roots is like that who hears and gets excited by the teaching is delighted but when the tough gets going simply are not there. Like a house with no founda on in a storm they come a cropper

they can’t withstand the tougher mes ta-ta adieu.

Those landed in the thorn hear the word but can’t be shaken from the world they’ve built themselves shiny and new. They’re too into what the world offers and to Jesus words are scoffers they can’t give up the life they they’ve created, deep in stuff they’re situated, their need for more cannot be sated -toodooloo. A seed landing on good ground is one who hears and understands with deep roots pushing down and taking it all in. When we study what Christ shows us this is the stuff that grows us- its like nutrients and sunshine, it keeps us going through the hard me,

we’ll grow shoots upon the strong vine, with some pruning we’ll be just fine, his words are yours and they are mine. Let’s try to grow our Jesus teach-ing deep within. So, if like me you are no green thumb

and your garden is a wreck at least remember Jesus teaching on the sower Make sure to grow on good soil Avoid the thorn and bramble And make sure you have some petrol in your mower. (addi onal end a er hearing Lau‐le ’s talk) With pa ence, love and a li le toil We can produce a be er soil For seeds to have the best chance of survival Feeling loved and nurtured, cared for one can put down stronger roots And make an ecosystem Fit for a revival. AMEN

The Parable of the sower


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From p1 It is unlikely given the current circumstances that re-stric ons on face-to-face mee ngs will change in the coming months. Church Council decided at its mee ng on Wednesday July 22 that we would hold our AGM in a modified format. As all the mee ng reports were prepared and are availa-ble we will send the Annual Report document as an e-mail a achment to all those for whom we have an e-mail contact address. For other members of the congrega on without an e-mail address you can request a print copy of the Annual Report by contac ng Sabine in the Church Office, and it will be mailed out or delivered to your home address. Usually at the AGM there is opportunity for members of

the congrega on to ask ques ons in rela on to the re-ports. If you have ques ons regarding any of the reports we ask you to direct them in the first instance to Sabine at the Church Office. Depending on the number of ques-ons and the ma ers raised we plan to respond through

the October/November issue of BCUN and/or by holding a live-streamed mee ng where ques ons would be an-swered. We ask that ques ons be sent to Sabine by Wednesday, September 16, so that our plans for responding can be decided at the Church Council mee ng scheduled for the following week and to fit the produc on schedule of BCUN.

‐ Rod Devenish Chairperson of the Congrega on

Moving forward with postponed annual general mee ng

To members of the Presbytery of Western Victoria, and Church Coun‐cil Chairpersons and Secretaries Dear Sisters and Brothers, Gree ngs in the name of Christ. Across the UCA Presbytery of West-ern Victoria, we are learning afresh how to be the church in (and be-yond) physical isola on; worshipping, gathering, and serving our geograph-ic communi es in new ways. Isola-on has been challenging, and our

prayers remain with those in the Metropolitan area who are again in lockdown; even as we wonder if the epidemiology of COVID-19 might mean that gathering restric ons are reimposed in the regions outside the metropolis. From my recent conversa ons with congrega onal leaders and Synod staff members, I know that many are pondering the big ques ons of our me: What are we learning about

ourselves ? What will we carry for-ward with us and what will we leave behind ? What are we learning about what ma ers in global rela onships ? Ought we redefine our no ons of Economy vs. Society ? (Luke 10:29b) As we - hesitantly and somewhat anxiously - begin a new Journey (Exodus-like ?), we must learn how to adapt so that we can welcome new people into discipleship and faith. We need to priori se engagement with marginalised people, within a popula on that will include those of

all ages whose job and career aspira-ons will have been shredded. That

requires us to think laterally. We will have to learn how to make sacrifices with our property and finances in order to resource new ministries within our Presbytery, indeed across our Synod. And that, of course, must be realised in the context of strait-ened mes for VicTas Synod opera-ons. We all have a role to play in

the wise stewardship of the re-sources available to the Church. (I encourage you to read - or reread - the le er about financial sustainabil-ity dated 14 July 2020, signed by the Moderator and General Secretary). There ARE great things happening across the Presbytery. Clayton Brooke (joining us from NSW) has commenced (0.5) as Chaplain at Hop-kins Correc onal Centre and Langi Kal Kal, extension plans have been finalised for Heatherlie Homes (Warrnambool), and building refur-bishment works are underway in Colac. Also, Uni ngHousing is work-ing with the Ballan congrega on to iden fy op ons for social housing development, and Uni ng(Care) is conversing with congrega ons in the Henty Region about expanding its service footprint. Turning to administra ve ma ers: Presbytery Standing Commi ee, at its mee ng last week, has decided that (with regulatory restric ons on mee ng sizes) the August mee ng of Presbytery-in-Council will be held ‘via

Zoom’ (based on, and learning from precedents set in other Presbyteries). We will u lise Zoom Hubs, and also allow for individual home-based ac-cess. Details will be advised - to Pres-bytery members - about a fortnight prior to the 22 August mee ng date. No ng that the Synod-in-Council mee ng has been postponed to Feb-ruary 2021, we will not have to elect Presbytery representa ves. We will, however, have to begin an elec on process for Presbytery Chairperson (refer to my le er dated 04 June). Presbytery Standing Commi ee (SC) has determined that a postal vote is the most suitable op on; and a pro-cess will be outlined, for decision/resolu on on 22 August (with the inten on of the ‘vote’ happening during September). Also, SC has re-solved to hold the 28 November Presbytery mee ng at Halls Gap (Norval); presuming, of course, that we can (legally and comfortably) meet in a ‘50 person workplace’ by then ! We con nue to navigate the unchart-ed space in which we find ourselves in the light, mercy and generosity of God. And, in whatever we face - and in however we respond - may our/your congrega ons and faith communi es be beacons of empathy and love. May the peace of the Lord remain with you,

‐ Andrew Boatman Chairperson

UCA Presbytery of Western Victoria


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Finding grace in the little things by Ellaine Downie From the UCA Vic.Tas website

Remember that old ‘grace’ our children used to sing at church camps? Thank you for the world so sweet Thank you for the food we eat Thank you for the birds that sing Thank you God for everything. I always despised it. It was twee and simplis-tic, designed only for tiny children. Adults like me didn’t relate to it at all. It was clichéd, na-ïve and annoyingly “happy”. Why couldn’t we sing something with a bit more oomph or meaning? Even doing the Superman grace was a step up from this (and that’s saying something).l But at the moment the words of this ittle song keep coming into my mind. As I walk out each day, every day, for miles and miles to while away the hours, I am grad-ually starting to appreciate how important it is to be in the outdoors. To walk down a track surrounded by the scent of lemon gums. To see the stunning colours of camellias bloom-ing in old-fashioned gardens. To look forward to sitting with my take-away coffee on the one seat on this track with a view of a majestic

pale grey eucalpyt – four stories high – silently watching over my little domain. Thank you for the world so sweet. If you are like me you look forward to that major event of the day – a walk to the nearest supermarket or the fruit shop to top up the already overflowing fridge with even more goodies. When we see footage of other coun-tries in lockdown where people have to rely on food being delivered to their homes by chari-ties, online shops or even passing strangers, we realise that we in Australia have never lacked for food. It might be a bit like being in a war, but we have never been starving. Thank you for the food we eat. In lockdown, what do you do to rest and wind down? For me, music has been so important for relaxation. To have music to play – even if alone – has been a key way of coping with these days of deprivation. But now I have discovered another source of

beautiful music. As I do my daily walk to and from the coffee shop, lorikeets, currawongs and magpies are thrilling the air with song. I guess I heard them before, but now I actually listen to them. Their songs have become more beautiful than any virtuoso playing at an over-priced concert, more meaningful than the finest audio recording. A purity, a beauty, a song just given to me, bringing comfort and joy. Thank you for the birds that sing. So in lockdown what am I learning? It feels like I’m being dragged kicking and screaming to finally appreciate incidental things, small things I have so long taken for granted. Things I have walked past for years and never really seen. And these small things remind me of bigger things I have also taken for granted – freedom to move where I want, to visit whom I want, to participate in worthwhile work, to make new friends, to dance, to be part of a worship ser-vice, to share the excitement of crowds. Perhaps all of these had to be put on hold before I was able to see all the little things I never noticed before. When I glimpse these small gifts of grace – these little things I have rarely acknowledged – I can almost bring myself to say: Thank you for the world so sweet Thank you for the food we eat Thank you for the birds that sing Thank you God for everything.

A note of thanks from Wendy Podger I am quite new to Ballarat Central, having moved here from Bairnsdale with my husband Geoff, who has a num-ber of health issues,in September last year. There has been me to join a couple of groups and get to know a few people, but not long enough to make close friends, so I really appreciated the church's prompt ac on in establishing a phone contact service for people who might be in need of support,and pu ng me in touch with the deligh ul Karen Coad. We have a son in Ballarat, and thought we were managing quite well un l our other son quite suddenly became cri cally ill and his life hung in the balance for many days. Seven weeks and ten opera ons later he was well enough to be transferred to a rehab unit, but it has been an anxious me, not made any easier by Geoff needing to be hospitalized at

short no ce. As well as Karen I would like to thank Ross Jones, also Bev Pra and Jan Souter, and Joy Nice, a friend from Wendouree over forty years ago, who all gave us their support. I really love being part of the Sunday morning service; I can imagine I'm there with all the deligh ul people who were so welcoming when I first ar-rived. Hopefully it wont be too long before we can all be together again in real me enjoying our tea and sandwiches! Thank you all and God bless,

‐ Wendy Podger

Amusing music happenings A funny thing happened to me one morning back in the pre-covid days when we had choir and choir prac ces. Before I le for church, I messaged my fellow alto-singer Kathy asking her to photocopy the “Psalm for today please because I didn’t have a copy”. When I arrived at church, I realised I didn’t have

my spectacles either and phoned my husband who was coming later to bring them with him. I hurried into the choir prac ce before the service while s ll wai ng for my glasses to arrive. Kathy handed me the sheet-music of the Psalm. We sang the first verse that we had prac-ced last Thursday and sang it beau ful-

ly. Then suddenly Kathy nudged me and said “that’s the wrong music I’ve given you…. I copied the wrong Psalm, that’s the one for next week”. I hadn’t even no ced. And the words of the Psalm we had just sung? “Be Thou my eyes, that I might see with clarity”. I could just hear God laughing with me! Last week I was looking everywhere for a piece of music. I sent out a text message to friends and family who might be able to find it for me. ‘Do you have Friends in High Places? I’m looking for some sheet music. ‘ I wrote. Andy texted back…” I know a few people who might pull some strings…what is it you need?” Me “Actually that’s the name of the song “Friends in High Places” !

‐ Karen Coad


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Moving forward with postponed AGM · endurance and prayer from the Letter of James, a servant of...

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