From Rev Alex Sangster, a telling of the nativity story (great to share with your children and grandchildren):
Grief and Loss seminars
Lockdown has been hard! After nearly two years of unrest, and a constant shifting of the goal posts, many of us will have unresolved grief and loss issues that have been ‘on-hold’ during the lockdown, and others may be somewhat ambivalent about the security of the roadmap ahead and the continuing presence of Covid cases.
The Presbytery of Port Phillip West is offering two on-line seminars that seek to offer an opportunity to name the grief and loss impact that Covid-19 (and the lockdowns) have had on each of us, as well as provide a pathway for dealing with our unresolved concerns.
Each session will be 2 ½ hours in length and will be offered for either a morning or an evening session Wed evenings or Friday mornings.
Grief and Loss Seminar 1 – Understanding the Stages of Grief
17 Nov – Wed evening, 7-9:30pm, or
19 Nov – Friday morning, 10am -12:30pm
Grief and Loss Seminar 2 – Understanding the Different Types of Grief and Loss
1 Dec – Wed evening, 7-9:30pm, or
3 Dec – Friday morning, 10am -12:30pm
To register for any of these sessions, please go to Trybooking site: https://www.trybooking.com/BVCAP
Preparing for Advent Wednesdays Nov 10, 17, 24
Looking for Advent ideas? Keen to be a bit more creative this Advent season?
If so, this FREE 3-session Preparing for Advent series is for you!
Suitable for anyone – including, but not limited to, ministers, pastors and lay preachers – multiple sessions of one hour in duration will be offered each day (Nov 10, 17, 24). To register your interest and indicate your preferred timeslots, go to 2021 Preparing for Advent.
For more information e-mail chris.barnett@victas.uca.org.au.
Advent: Something is Coming!
NEW Resource Something is Coming! is a fresh way to engage households, small groups and whole communities throughout Advent.
This new, FREE resource encourages us to pray, reflect, grieve and rejoice as we draw nearer to Christmas. Available as a downloadable resource, Something is Coming! includes beautiful printable characters to use in making your own Nativity scene and ideas for fostering engagement amongst those
you gather with.
May Something is Coming! be a special part of your Advent 2021 experience!
Check out and download Advent: Something is Coming! for FREE here: Advent: Something is Coming!
Workshop: Building Intercultural Skills for Ministry
Register here:
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/navigating-the-landscape-building-intercultural-communities-tickets-162630264499
Pastoral Care training for caring people
Pastoral Care as we ride the waves of a Pandemic
The Presbytery of Port Phillip West is pleased to offer training in how to deal pastorally with our current “Covid/Semi Post-Covid/Back into Lockdown” on-going experiences. How and why do people drop out of church and activities?
What practical things can we do to help people as they consider returning to church?
We are running two three-hour seminars:
Pastoral Care as we ride the waves of a Pandemic – Part 1 and Part 2 –
These seminars will contain the following material and is based on the study and training developed by Rev Dr John Savage, a United Methodist Minister from the USA.
Part 1 Seminar:
- Identifying inclusion and exclusion experiences
- Understanding the track that leads to on-going attendance or no further attendance (relevant to church and any other group life)
- Identifying the implications for our own setting
- Coming back after Covid
- How to care for people who have stopped attending
Part 2 Seminar:
- Enabling tracks to return to church/group life.
- Entry/Re-entry process and the readiness grid
- Visiting inactive members and closure in a visit
- What keeps active members active?
- “Why are you still a Christian?” a module from Makes you Wonder.
There will be two time slots for each seminar to cater for as many people as possible.
Pastoral Care as we ride the waves of a Pandemic – Part 1.
Aug 12, Thursday 6.00 pm – 9.00 pm Zoom only
Aug 20, Friday 9.30 am – 12.30 pm Zoom or in person at Hoppers Crossing UC.
Pastoral Care as we ride the waves of a Pandemic – Part 2.
Aug 26, Thursday 6.00 pm – 9.00 pm Zoom only
Sept 3, Friday 9.30 am – 12.30 pm Zoom or in person at Hoppers Crossing UC.
This training is offered free as a gift from the Presbytery of Port Phillip West.
It is open and would be of benefit to ministers, pastors, chaplains, people involved in pastoral care, welcomers and church councillors.
You need to register through the following link https://www.trybooking.com/BSEGF
Pastoral Care Seminars
We have had over 200 people attend our previous pastoral care seminars with very positive feedback. The interactive nature and the ability to become more aware of how and why we listen have been common threads from the participants.
We are repeating our initial Pastoral Care Seminar 1 on the following dates and you can register here for this seminar https://www.trybooking.com/BRJHY
- July 16 Friday 9.30 – 12.30pm Zoom and in person at Hoppers Crossing
- July 21 Wednesday 6.00pm – 9.00pm Zoom only
- Sept 14 Tuesday 6.00pm – 9.00pm Zoom only
This seminar teaches you about active listening, communication, and the specific listening skills of paraphrase and perception checks. This session is a pre-requisite for other sessions of the Pastoral Care Seminars being run later in the year.
Seminar 7 “Dealing with Criticism, fogging and listening conversation”
September 16 or Sept 24
Seminar 8 “Neuro Linguistic Programming and listening conversations”
Oct 7 or Oct 22
You can register for these seminars here https://www.trybooking.com/BSFZS
Blessings
Jeanne and Narelle
Presbytery Ministers
Presbytery of Port Phillip West
Red Ochre Theology: Northey Lecture 2021 – on Zoom!
So many wonderful events in Melbourne are now available to us through the option to attend via Zoom! Pilgrim Theological College is where our ordained and lay people undertake their training for ministry and ongoing professional development and formation in the Uniting Church in Victoria.
“The first Northey Lecture for 2021 will offer the theological viewpoint of an Australian First Nations theologian who has spent the past two decades decolonising biblical narratives and constructing a theology that draws on Australia First Nations creation stories (Ancestral Narratives) and our understanding of the Creator’s actions and interactions through our Spirit Ancestors in the creation of our world, humanity, customs, laws, ceremonies, songs, rituals, connection to land, water and sea; language, cosmology, worldview and philosophy – this being the basis to the formation of First Nations identity, faith and Spirituality.”
Dr. Anne Pattel-Gray is an Aboriginal woman who is a descendant of the Bidjara/ Kari Kari people in Queensland and she is a recognised Aboriginal leader within Australia – nationally and internationally. She has dedicated her life to the struggle of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and she is a strong campaigner and lobbyist and deeply committed to seeking justice, equity and equal representation for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people. She is very proud of her Aboriginal culture and heritage and is a strong advocate for Aboriginal women, children, families and community regarding our Cultural and basic Human Rights. She has developed a leadership quality that promotes and builds a deeper sense of community and participation that brings a greater Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and cultural identity and cohesion with the broader community that leads to beneficial partnerships, engagement and reconciliation.
You can read more and register here:
Lectionary Year B 2020-21
Hell friends,
For those of you who like to keep track of the lectionary readings, you can download a PDF copy here:
Lenten Reflection Opportunities
In all of the change that happens around us, one of the constant aspects of our faith journey at St Luke’s is the annual cycle of the liturgical calendar, marking the seasons of Jesus’ journey on earth.
Tomorrow we commence the period of Lent – 40 days of reflection and sacrifice as we imagine the time spent by Jesus in the desert, grappling with fears and temptations.
If you are looking for some resources to use as part of your devotional time during Lent, here are some suggestions:
Common Grace
Every year at Easter, Common Grace brings a Lent series based on the central teachings of Jesus. In 2021 they’ve put together a compilation series from Christian teachers, who show us what it looks like when justice overflows from following Jesus.
To sign up to their weekly Lenten emails, click here.
Uniting World’s Lent Event
UnitingWorld is the part of the Uniting Church with the privilege of nurturing relationships with our global church family, and we love the season of Lent! Through Lent Event, we provide a Bible Study series to help you think through what it means to be a global neighbour, and encourage you to take action with a 40-day challenge to give or take up something that helps make the world a better place. With stories that show how your prayers and gifts are building hope and ending poverty around the world, we aim to cultivate generosity, compassion and awareness of others.
If you’re ready to take a new look at Lent, go for a deep dive online to find resources, and check out www.lentevent.com.au for simple ways to get involved.
Messy Church in 2021
From Barbara and the Messy Church Team:
Welcome Back to Face-to Face Messy Church at St Luke’s Highton!
We really can’t wait to see you all again as it has been a while since we met in person and had fun at Messy Church! We are starting cautiously due to the ever-changing COVID restrictions regarding numbers allowed inside.
So ….here are our plans so far…………
Messy Church in February
Friday 19th February 5-7pm At Drewan Park
CANCELLED DUE TO COVID RESTRICTIONS
Our first meeting will be outside at Drewan Park, City View Drive, Wandana Heights – just up the hill from St Luke’s and where we had our picnic last Sunday. It’s a great park with a good view and plenty of facilities.
Theme: The Good Samaritan- we will be planning our usual bundle of fun Messy Church activities outside amongst nature. BYO food and chairs.
Here’s a kid-friendly version of the story:
And here’s a perspective on the Good Samaritan parable from one of the First Nations Christian Leaders – Brooke Prentice of Common Grace – and where she sees the situation of Aboriginal people in this story.
Messy Church Dates for the remainder of 2021 – put these in your diary!
Friday 19th March– Back at St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm- Easter themes including a Labyrinth and New Life activities- sounds intriguing! Stay tuned!
Friday 16th April -St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm
Friday 21st May -St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm
Friday 18th June -St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm
Friday 16th July -St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm
Friday 20th August -St Luke’s Church , 5-7pm
Friday 17th September – St Luke’s Church, 5-7pm
Friday 15th October -St Luke’s Church, 5-7pm
Friday 19th November– St Luke’s Church, 5-7pm
See you soon!
Love from your Messy Church Team: Judy, Shaghek, Paul, Barbara, Jean and Robyn xxxxx
Upcoming Webinar: The Grandparenting Effect
Join author Trevecca Okholm as she shares about
The Grandparenting Effect and it’s implications for the Church and Intergenerational Connections
February 10th, 2021
10am-11:30am
Whatever life gives you and wherever life takes you, there is always a story. Life and relationships all begin and are sustained in the context of a story. This is not a how-to-do-it-right book as much as it is a book of stories–personal stories from the author, biblical stories, and stories of ordinary grandparents and grandchildren who have been willing to share their own stories with which you may be able to identify and be encouraged in your own adventures of grandparenting.
This is a book for everyone that either has biological grandchildren or has the potential to influence the lives of non-biological youth and children in the role of grandparenting. This is also a book for churches to consider while planning for ministry to bring generations together in meaningful interactions, and in doing so, to create space for generations to share their stories and share in God’s overarching Story of reconciling the world . . . one story at a time.
