New Times - May 2012 - Uniting Church in Australia

Issue 31, No 4 May 2012
May 2012
Toil and time
Volunteers share their stories
Ethical investments
Getting the story straight p. 5
Ageless devotion
80 years of age and a life of volunteering p. 13

Wellbeing of mind, body and spirit
Chaplaincy is an integral and important part of
the services offered to residents at Resthaven.
Volunteer Chaplain’s Assistants support the
Coordinating Chaplains as they:
• conduct ecumenical worship services and chat forums
• work with the Lifestyle Team
• engage in events such as Christmas and Easter
• sit with people in reflective silence, as preferred
• provide a listening ear, prayer and support.
If you would like to be involved in providing pastoral
support, please contact:
Stacey Thompson, Coordinator, Volunteer Resources,
telephone 8206 0102 or email:
sthompson@resthaven.asn.au
Alternatively, visit the Volunteering page on our website
for details about opportunities and how to apply:
www.resthaven.asn.au
Thank you... for spreading the word.
iStock refs: Cover delihayat p. 20-21 [filmstrip graphic] Gordan1
Contents
FEATURES
Ethical Investment 5
A lot of love at Red Dove 9
Dreaming of new volunteers 10–11
Ageless devotion 13
Fair Trade: a road out of poverty 15
REGULAR PAGES
Moderator’s Comment 4
Mission Resourcing 17
Diary 18
Reviews 22–23
Editor
Caryn Rogers
p. 8236 4230
e. crogers@sa.uca.org.au
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Loan Leane
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m. 0404 089 762
e. advertising.newtimes@sa.uca.org.au
Enquiries
e. newtimes@sa.uca.org.au
ISSN 0726-2612
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Why do conversations about stewardship get pewsitters
pale-faced and clutching at their pockets?
Money, money, money – it’s never funny, even in a
rich man’s world.

We, actually, love to help
“Young people are lazy...” “We need
volunteers for our ______ team, and youth
aren’t willing to help...” “All the older
people are carrying the load...”
These are common gripes that, having
been in or around churches for most of
my life, I have heard ad nauseum. You
may have heard them yourself. Heck. You
may have even said them yourself.
But a current study by the Australian
Bureau of Statistics has noted that 27.1
per cent of young adults are involved
in volunteer work. It might not be within
your church walls, or even related
to church activities, but it is an
impressive figure.
It might seem obvious, but there
are numerous great volunteering
opportunities outside of church
buildings. Planting trees with Trees for
Life, coaching a junior sports team,
tutoring a student whose English skills
are struggling and so on. As society
continues to pull away from a mandatory
Sunday ritual of church attendance,
so too are young people finding fulfilling
volunteer options elsewhere, very much
as part of their growing experience
of faith.
This is not to say that churches don’t
offer great opportunities also – there
are many. What I am saying is that just
because young adults aren’t serving in
your church, it doesn’t mean that they
are lazy, unwilling or happy to watch “the
oldies” do all the work.
For many young people, they are
expanding their own wings of faith
as they step out from their inherited
parental worldview. They will certainly
be wrestling with their beliefs amongst
the marketplace of philosophies
and ideologies at university or in the
workplace. They will also be learning
how to make their own choices on a
multiplicity of issues – religion, sex,
relationships, life paths etc – with both
positive and negative results.
And while they’re forming their
own sense of self in light of new
faith understandings, they often find
themselves at odds with the church.
They’re not serving enough. They’re
not doing enough. They are simply, not
enough.
For those who enjoyed youth group,
they’re often asked to be part of the
youth leadership team. Ditto for kids
ministry. For the musicians, there’s the
worship team. For the others, there’s
hospitality or welcoming. While for
many this is a mutually beneficial
arrangement, for others it’s a matter of
being a square peg in a round hole.
This, in turn, creates a chasm
between service, natural passions,
giftings and faith. Faith becomes all
about doing not being, and as long as
one volunteers in church – that person
has a place. When they can’t help or
don’t want to, they lose their sense of
belonging. And then often they leave the
church altogether.
I think Mardi, in her blurb in last
June’s New Times which focused on
young adults, put it so well:
“I did leave the church for
some time, not because I lost
faith, but because I moved and
couldn’t find a new church. As
one of very few young people
at my home congregation I was
exhausted from running youth
groups and worship leading.
I wanted a break. I love that the
Uniting Church appreciates us,
but we [as young people] still
have a lot to learn. Sometimes
that learning is best done slowly
and not from the front of the
church.”
Perhaps we just need a little time.
Perhaps we’re not interested. Perhaps
we’re lazy. But when we say yes, let it
be yes, and when we say no – let us say
no, without judgment or disappointed
“love”.
Young people love to help others. It
just might not mean helping in the way
that has been traditionally expected.
03
e d

m o d
The number of volunteers in Australia
has doubled in recent times, from 3.2
million in 1995 to 6.4 million in 2010
(ABS). Yes, volunteering is alive and well,
in our Church and our wider community.
Volunteering Australia defines
volunteering as: ‘an activity which takes
place through not-for-profit organisations
to be:
of benefit to the community and
the volunteer;
of the volunteer’s own free will
and without coercion;
for no financial payment; and
in designated volunteer positions
only.’
04
Within our Uniting Church family there
are many and various opportunities to be
a volunteer.
In September last year, I shared in the
60th Anniversary Celebrations of our
Red Dove Cafe within the Royal Adelaide
Showgrounds. The cafe is staffed by
volunteers and has provided high quality
food and drinks to show staff, exhibitors
and the general public throughout that
time.
Recently, in conversation with Lin
Hatfield Dodds, National Director of
UnitingCare Australia, I discovered that,
in addition to the tens of thousands of
paid staff, 24,000 people volunteer with
UnitingCare across Australia.
My experience within local
congregations is that they couldn’t exist
without committed volunteers. Just
take a look at the numerous rosters
most congregations have, as well as
the numbers who serve on the councils
of our Church, and you’ll see what I
mean. They are populated by people
willing to share their time and skills to
enrich the experiences of others in their
congregation – and to express their
devotion and love to the God who has
equipped them for service.
It’s one thing to know that there are
people volunteering in your church and
your community. It’s another to honour
what they do and to actually say “thank
you”.
National Volunteer Week is being
celebrated from Monday 14 - Sunday 20
May this year, with the Queen’s Birthday
Public Holiday (Monday 11 June) a
shared observance with Volunteers Day in
South Australia.
I encourage you to consider ways in
which you might honour and thank those
within your congregation for the service
and time they give to enrich your life and
the life of your congregation. Perhaps
this could take place in your worship
service on Sunday 20 May?
As I sign off, I want to say a big thank
you to all you volunteers who give your
time, energy and skills to enrich the
Uniting Church in South Australia.
Thank you!
Rev Rob WIlliams

Ethical Investment
Caryn Rogers
Since the October Presbytery and Synod
(P&S) meeting last year, one issue has
continued to create dialogue: Ethical
Investments, and what the Uniting
Church in South Australia should, and
shouldn’t be investing in.
While the discussion in New Times and
at P&S meetings has mostly focused on
the investment policies of UC Invest, the
Ethical Investment Policy (EIP), which UC
Invest follows, is actually a policy of the
Uniting Church Presbytery and Synod of
South Australia.
The current EIP operates on what
is known as a Negative Screen Basis;
it highlights the companies that the
Uniting Church avoids investing in. To
make the policy practicable, the Uniting
Church names industries which it does
not believe provide ethical products
or services including armaments,
uranium, gambling, alcohol, tobacco and
pornography.
All other companies which pass
this negative screen are classified as
“neutral” in relation to their ethical
status, until it is decided that further
tests contained within the EIP make it an
unethical company.
“Having an EIP is absolutely crucial for
any investment organisation with a social
conscience,” Barry Atwell, Executive
Officer, Resources Board. “The church
has an imperative to invest ethically.
“To judge the ethics of a company is a
difficult and complex question for at least
three reasons though. Firstly a decision
about the ethics of anything requires
a personal value judgment. Secondly,
the EIP requires that the Church makes
judgments about companies that have
complex structures. Thirdly, there will
often be conflicting social, economic and
environment factors to consider in any
investment decision.
“These are complex economic and
social questions and, in most cases,
the resulting assessments are likely
to be subjective. There would be few
companies in the manufacturing
and mining sectors that have 100%
community benefit outcomes with
no ethical issues arising from their
operational processes.”
Sarah Williamson, Solidarity & Justice
Officer, Mission Resourcing SA, agrees
that the issue is complex and adds that
“what is important for the church is to
be actively seeking to make ethical and
sustainable investment choices, whilst
recognising the complexity.
“The Synod of Victoria and Tasmania
include a positive bias (alongside the
negative) in their policy which states that
they seek to invest in companies ‘which
promote human welfare, dignity and
respect, and for the general good’.
“Financial returns can be competitive
when combined with environmental and
social considerations.”
CORRECTION: ‘Ethical Uniting Church
Investments’ which appeared in the P&S
e-update on March 2, 2012 and page 7 of
April New Times - there is currently no UC
Invest Dividend Income Fund. UC Invest are
in the process of opening a new Australian
share fund that, when established, will
not be available to individuals but only to
congregations, agencies of Uniting Church
SA and Synod bodies.
05
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n e w s
What’s it like to listen?
It seems how to put together a good
sermon is still up for much debate.
With recent Letters to the Editor
highlighting some parishioners’
dissatisfaction with their sermon
fare, Rev Tony Eldridge has stepped
in to open the conversation up to
new opportunities over the next few
months in New Times.
Listening to a sermon can have our spirit
soaring, stretching, consoling or sleeping.
A few principles are important when
engaging the listener.
Firstly – and it seems obvious –
preaching is an oral event, mouth to ear.
With this being the case, the preacher
needs to keep firmly in mind the question
of ‘what does the listener need to help
hear this sermon?’
As an oral event the sermon material
needs to be engaging and connect with
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06
the listener. Sermons that are crafted like
an essay will sound like an essay. The
sermon may have rich, fulsome content
but we run the risk of the listener tuning
out. Having good input is not enough. We
must also take some hints from rhetoric
and storytelling such as: disciplined
use of repetition, alliteration, climax,
metaphor and the like.
Voice plays a huge part in how a
sermon is heard, with changes in pitch,
pace, volume and dramatic pauses
aiding specific points and illustrations
to stand out from surrounding material.
An underlying principle is not only what
the preacher wants to say but what the
person in the pew needs to help them
hear.
Choice is an important feature of
sermon preparation. Sometimes we need
to make tough decisions to leave things
out rather than put in all our thoughts
and research. The decision of whether
certain illustrations, points, verses,
images etc serve the sermon and the
listener better than others is an important
and often difficult choice.
Coming back to a clear and concise
purpose and intent, along with being
aware of the congregation and its context,
can help at this point. The context cannot
be underestimated. The age range,
historical factors of the congregation,
dominant theological disposition, sociodemographic
considerations to name a
few, all shape the choices we make in the
construction of our sermons.
Breaking down theologically dense
words and phrases is critical. We are
helped in our preaching if we remember
that the brain needs five to seven seconds
to hear and register a word and begin to
process it. Therefore, three or four big
words in a sentence runs the risk of being
lost for the listener hears the first and,
while processing that, loses the next. The
same is true for complicated phrases.
There is a balancing act in place as
the preacher wants the listener to feel
something. Being sensitive to God,
the scripture text and the needs of the
congregation can enable a significant
‘God-moment’ for the congregation. The
balance is tipped when emotional input
and illustrations are overused leaving
the listener or congregation feeling
manipulated and potentially tuning out.
Just because the listener is emotional
does not necessarily mean it has been a
helpful ‘God-moment’.
It is a privileged and challenging task
to step into the sermon space. The
preacher puts a lot of work into sermon
preparation and desires the congregation
to experience the Word in engaging ways.
Making a sermon accessible is about how
the listener hears, and there is more to
hearing than just listening.
Rev Tony Eldridge is a member of the
Adjunct Faculty of Uniting College for
Leadership & Theology as the Lecturer in
Worship & Preaching. He is currently the
Minister at Westbourne Park Uniting Church.

Aged Care in Focus - Part 2:
Choosing the Move
Leaving home for the first
time is a new adventure.
But during old age, moving
out may not be a choice,
bringing with it a minefield
of questions. Can I stay with
my partner? Where will I go?
There are lots of unknowns
in the big move. In part two
of our guide to navigating
aged care systems, Louise
Heinrich sets out to discover
just how to make the change.
The expression ‘home is where the
heart is’ implies that the home is
portable. But it’s a little more complex
than that. For some, it can be tough
to leave a house filled with memories
but a relief to no longer be a burden
for family; for others, downgrading to a
sensible, smaller place is a simple and
wise decision.
Fred Johnson has been in an
Independent Living unit for over
five years. The very definition of a
gentleman, he has a deliberately
charming humour and is quite astute.
Over a cuppa and chocolate biscuits,
Fred relates the story of he and his wife
June.
“We realised that we were getting
older. Both June and I were still active,
but we were navigating for our future.
We were mindful that we needed to
have a place in an alternative style of
living.
“So we put ourselves on the waiting
list, and after a while, it was a surprise
when we were offered a home here.”
Fred’s unit is situated in a quiet culde-sac
that is attached to a residential
aged care building, close to where he
had lived with June most of his life.
Most people are concerned about
their new residence’s vicinity to the
geographical location of their former
home. For many it is important to
be close to family and friends, and
to be familiar with the surrounding
community.
“We’ve only moved four streets – the
only thing that changed in my life is
where we go to sleep at night.”
Several months ago, Fred’s wife
June moved from their unit into the
residential care facility a minute’s walk
away.
“June is just so quietly fantastic,”
Fred reflects warmly. “She is six years
into Parkinsons. Just before Christmas,
a social worker suggested June apply
for low-care.”
Those living in Independent Living
units have priority of place for
vacancies if there is an associated
residential facility. The couple was
assessed by an Aged Care Assessment
Team (ACAT) in their home, and several
months later, she was offered a room.
“The level of quality of care is
infinitely better than what I can
provide,” Fred says frankly. “It’s not
easy but it’s just another day.”
As well as attending a philosophy
class, riding his bike to the beach
and volunteering for charities, Fred
now visits June twice a day, takes
her to appointments and joins her in
meetings.
If individuals have special needs,
staff will do their best to accommodate
them. Gayle McClimont, Coordinating
Chaplain at Helping Hand Aged Care,
says that chaplains are involved in the
process of advocating for people with
special requests.
“It can happen that one person
requires high care, and the other
doesn’t qualify,” says Gayle. “We
do have double rooms for married
couples, and in any way possible, we
strive to meet the needs of anyone
staying here.”
Information about aged care villages
and residences can be accessed by
ringing the numbers at the end of
this article.. Individuals can apply for
many homes, and there may be waiting
lists. Waiting lists can take only a
matter of months, but are often longer.
Sometimes this can be distressing,
especially if there is urgency to receive
a higher level of care.
For more information about different
types of care, to book an ACAT, or
anything else aged care, call:
Government Aged Care Hotline:
1800 200 422;
w. agedcareaustralia.gov.au
OR Aged Care Alternatives
p: 8271 3888
Next month, we’ll take a peek into daily life
in aged care.
Fred Johnson has been in an Independent
Living unit for over five years.
07
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n e w s
08
Placements news: Grants of goodwill
Placements finalised since the last
edition of New Times:
• Rob Morgan to Southern Yorke
Peninsula Brentwood, Corny
Point, Curramulka, Edithburgh,
Koolywurtie, Minlaton, Port
Vincent, Stansbury, Warooka,
Yorketown from 1 January 2013
Commencement services:
Robyn Trudinger (Ministry of Pastor)
Resthaven, Marion and Bellevue
Heights
15 May 2012, 2.00 pm
Uniting Foundation (UF) is a key provider of funding for the mission and ministry
of the Uniting Church in South Australia.
There has been some restructuring of UF to better enable the funding process.
The UF Board has been discharged and its duties redeployed to two different
governing bodies. The Uniting Church Foundation Grants Committee has been
established to promote UF and manage the grant processes, payments and
other financial matters. Capital funds management will now be handled by the
Resources Board.
In 2012, Uniting Foundation will make $180,000 available to congregations or
individuals for suitable projects which further enhance the mission of the Uniting
Church in their community. Further criterion for eligibility includes the status of
past/existing grants and Mission & Service Fund contributions. Applications for
2012 grants close on 30 June.
More information and application forms are available online, or from Malcolm
Wilson:
p. 8236 4206
e. mwilson@sa.uca.org.au
e. grants@sa.uca.org.au
w. sa.uca.org.au/uniting-foundation

There are many ways that Uniting Church people share their time for the betterment of others – gratis. While
the tasks these volunteers undertake are accompanied by a non-existent pay packet, their work ethic is often
the envy of million-dollar corporations.
A lot of love at Red Dove
Bindy Taylor
The Uniting Church in South Australia
seeks to be an inspiring place. One
source of inspiration that truly embodies
the spirit and the ethos of Uniting
Church SA’s ‘Uniting People’ focus is the
award-winning Red Dove Cafe.
Since 1951, the Red Dove Cafe has
served home-style food for the entire
ten day period of the Royal Adelaide
Show, building a reputation around its
traditional, hearty offerings. In its 61
years of service, the cafe has raised over
$3 million (in today’s terms) for mission
volunteering
projects throughout South Australia.
Open from 7.30am until 8pm every
day, the cafe is tirelessly supported by
over 400 volunteers that cover over 500
shifts.
The success of this enterprise can
be attributed to the volunteers, and the
wider Uniting Church support network.
Congregational Uniting Church fellowship
groups across the state generously
donate around $8,000 annually of the
required finances to start up the cafe
each year. But it’s not just money; there
is also the ‘love’ that goes into it.
Moderator Rev Rob Williams, in his
foreword to a booklet marking the 60th
anniversary of the Red Dove, reflected,
“It’s a privilege to acknowledge the
dedication of all who have worked as
committee members and volunteers
for the Methodist Home Mission
Department Cafeteria as well as those
whose committee work and volunteer
service has been through the Red Dove
Cafe.”
Red Dove has a special purpose.
Amongst regular showgoers, the cafe
caters to the many workers from
sideshow alley who return every year. It
is seen as a “resting place”, somewhere
that offers “the right words at the
right time”. Over the years, Red Dove
volunteers have witnessed families
grow and new generations of sideshow
workers make the cafe their favourite
eatery.
The cafe has evolved over time, as has
its menu, which now includes coeliac
and vegetarian options with the cafe
branching out to serve vegetarian lasagne,
hamburgers, egg and bacon toasties and
a mix of other delectable and commonly
desired eats. This modern-day menu is
mixed in with old traditional favourites
such as grandma’s trifle, scones and fruit
salad - which never seem to lose their
popularity.
Each year, the cafe seeks volunteers
to help out at show time. An injection of
youth has been welcomed over recent
years, with younger volunteers from many
different parts of the Uniting Church
offering to help out.
One such volunteer is Ben Howland of
Athelstone Uniting.
“One of the best experiences I’ve had
as a volunteer was at the Red Dove Cafe,”
reflects Ben. “It’s not long-term, everyone
is a volunteer and very welcoming. There
are busy and not so busy times, so you’re
able to get to know others around you -
it’s a good balance.”
The tireless support of many
volunteers who have been helping at the
cafe for decades is still underpinning
the cafe’s ability to operate. So why not
help this exciting outreach activity of
the Uniting Church, give back to the
community through the various projects it
funds and share in the love of the dove!
Interested in volunteering? Contact
Volunteering Coordinator, Lesley Williams:
p. 8261 3843
e. ljwilliams36@gmail.com
Aside from the compulsory hairnet, Ben
Howland from Athelstone Uniting thoroughly
enjoyed his volunteering stint with Red Dove
Cafe at last year’s Royal Adelaide Show.
09

volunteering Dreaming of
10
new volunteers
Most congregations are
vaguely aware that they
share their pews with some
fairly exceptional business
minds and entrepreneurs.
In her first piece as the
new Communications
Officer for Uniting Church
SA, Jenny Fleming shares
of one these magnanimous
jewels from her own
church’s turf – Catriona
Byrne.
Many at Westbourne Park
Uniting Church know Catriona
Byrne as a great singer,
pianist, and Musical Elder.
While she is all these things,
there’s more to her story.
Catriona was responsible
for the recruitment and
coordination of the entire
workforce for the Sydney
Olympic Games, including
50,000 volunteers, 2,500
staff and 10,000 contractors.
Her role as Employee
Relations and Workforce
Communications for the
2000 Sydney Olympic Games
and Paralympics has given
Catriona great insight into
the challenges, issues and
motivators that organisations
face when recruiting and
working with volunteers.
Catriona coined a phrase,
‘dream currency’, which
summed up the marketing
strategy to recruit volunteers
and staff to the Olympic
Games. Dream currency is
what attracts volunteers to
the specific work. For her, the
Olympic event dream currency
was working at a once in a life
time opportunity – a chance
of a life time, or to be able to
say “I was there”.
Catriona believes that
volunteers have a unique
and important role in our
churches: “They build
communities through
developing friendships and
relationships. To them, it’s not
about getting the job done, it’s
in the being.”
Developing and promoting
your own ‘dream currency’
is a challenge she gives all
churches.
“Find out what draws
volunteers to your church. It
might be that they want to
belong or be part of an event
or activity,” says Catriona.
Catriona Byrne’s role as Employee Relations
and Workforce Communications for the 2000
Sydney Olympic and Paralympic Games gave
her great insight into the challenges, issues
and motivators that organisations face when
recruiting and working with volunteers.

Congregational members
might not even recognise
that their role in the morning
tea roster after the Sunday
service, or helping out with
Kidslife is volunteering.
Acknowledgement of
contribution is vital in
supporting and maintaining
volunteers - no matter how
small.
Recruiting volunteers
is one thing, but keeping
them is another. Burn
out, disenchantment and
disappointment can lead
to a drop off in volunteer
numbers. Here’s a few
tips from Catriona to help
create positive volunteering
experiences in your church:
• Communicate and
collaborate. Take every
opportunity to talk to your
volunteers and see how
they are going in their role.
Make time for regular and
informal catch ups, perhaps
over a coffee. Build network
groups of volunteers, get
them talking and sharing their
knowledge and experience
with each other over a meal.
• Develop supporting
structures and policy.
Volunteers need sound
organisational processes
and procedures - just as paid
staff do. Be upfront with all
requirements of a volunteer
position. Provide a written
job or work description,
documents that outline work
expectations, orientation
processes, grievance
procedures, communication
process, and a personal
contact point within the
church (see Coordination
Role).
• Coordination Role. Seek
an individual in your church
who has skills in mentoring
and relationship development,
people and communication
skills, planning, delegation
and problem solving skills
to act as a coordinator or
resource for volunteers in your
church.
• Time limits on
volunteering positions. Some
volunteers will prefer a short
term position over a longer
one. See if you can make
some of the volunteering
roles in your church discrete
project activities with short
time frames. Where this is not
appropriate, try a fixed tenure,
eg two years. Consider a three
to six month review process
on volunteer positions. This
will be a chance for volunteers
to provide feedback early
on in the role about any
improvements to the position,
ideas or issues they may have.
• Allocate Funds. Even
minimal funding should
be considered for certain
volunteering roles eg funding
for ‘acknowledgement of
service’ rewards (cards,
movie tickets, flowers, etc)
or reimbursement of travel
expenses. Volunteers need
to know up front what will be
reimbursed and what won’t.
With National Volunteer
Week beginning on 14
May, the challenge is to get
together with colleagues
to explore what the ‘dream
currency’ might be for your
church. You could recruit
some volunteers - today!
11
volunteering

volunteering
Voluntourism? Let’s try partnerships
Cath Taylor, UnitingWorld
‘Voluntourism’, as it has become known,
is becoming increasingly popular with
Australian travellers of all ages. Uni
students on gap years, older people
taking advantage of the buoyant Aussie
dollar, even families hoping to show their
children another way of life are all looking
for a way to combine globetrotting with
‘giving something back’. But in a world
where inequality seems rife and the
opportunities to ‘help’ are endless, is this
the best way to engage?
In Zimbabwe Anthea, Grant, Bridie,
Clare and Abbey are sitting down to eat a
meal alongside the children of Matthew
Rusike House. They’ll be living here for
the next twelve months. The family of five,
from Tasmania, have taken a year out to
work alongside a community in Epworth,
Harare at the request of UnitingWorld’s
Partner, the Methodist Church of
Zimbabwe. The program here includes
a school, HIV/AIDS clinic and provides
support for children orphaned by AIDS.
“It’s going really well so far,” says
Anthea. “The girls have adapted incredibly
well – they’ve made some beautiful
12
friends. Grant has been playing his guitar
everywhere at people’s request and is
being mentored by Reverend Tadzaushe.
They talk theology and Christian
worldviews at every opportunity.”
The Maynards were invited to be
volunteers at Matthew Rusike House not
just because of the skills they bring to the
project, where Anthea is working alongside
the clinic and Grant is supporting the
children in the school. They also wanted
to learn from UnitingWorld’s partners in
Zimbabwe.
“At UnitingWorld we provide not only
volunteering opportunities, but short
term InSolidarity Exposure Visits,” says
UnitingWorld’s Kathy Pereira, Associate
Director of the Experience Program.
“These are opportunities designed with
our overseas partners for them to share
their knowledge, skills and abilities with
us. As volunteers and visitors we go not as
the experts but as the learners.”
It’s an approach that tackles head-on
some of the problems inherent in the
voluntourism experience. Not least of
these is the idea that, as well-meaning
Volunteer Sue Kaldor works alongside
women at Matthew Rusike house,
Zimbabwe
white people, we can waltz into a complex
situation and within a matter of days or
weeks transform the lives of the people
there.
“The mission of God is built on
relationships,” Kathy says. “When people
experience first hand the dignity and
expertise of people in our international
churches, they return to their own
communities changed. And they become
agents of change themselves.”
A number of South Australians who
are part of UnitingWorld’s Experience
Program are good examples. Paul
Clayton has been teaching English at the
newly established Christian University
in Denpasar and will soon be due to
visit for the third time. Paul has helped
three other South Australian volunteers
take part in similar placements. Each
of these is blossoming in its own way,
with a school visit planned and further
volunteering opportunities opening up.
“This is the strength of the
Partnerships model of volunteering,”
says UnitingWorld’s Projects and
Administration Officer Roz Elkington.
“Through a network of contacts, working
respectfully, we can achieve so much
more together than we could alone.”
For information on the Experience
Programs at UnitingWorld, which
include Volunteering and Short
Term InSolidarity Exposure
Visits, contact Roz Elkington at
UnitingWorld on 02 8267 4269.

Ageless devotion
Sport coaches. Church cleaners. Homework tutors. We all know someone who gives their time for
free and loves it. Louise Heinrich catches up with one of South Australia’s most faithful volunteers,
Connie Oakey, and learns about the passion that motivates a lifetime of unpaid work.
Connie Oakey has the courage of a lioness. Remembering her
heart bypass in 1994, she shares her triumph over illness.
“They gave me seven years if I looked after myself, but that
was 18 years ago. I’m past my use-by-date!” chuckles Connie.
Instead of covering up what could be a reminder of agony
and uncertainty, her scar descends hauntingly from between
her collarbones, like a nonchalant badge of her strength and
God’s provision.
Speaking with quiet confidence, Connie does not look (or
act!) her age. Maybe it’s her dark hair or maybe it’s the electric
vibrancy that defies her age, as she chats calmly to customers
and floats around Goods @ Gertrude (G@G) fixing displays.
The local Port Pirie op-shop, formerly Goodwill, supports local
UnitingCare initiatives. Over the years the shop has seen three
different locations, hundreds of volunteers, and tonnes of
donations – with Connie part of it all.
Celebrating her 80th year in February, Connie marked
another milestone: over four decades volunteering at G@G.
Every week, once a week, you’ll find her here at G@G, that is,
when she’s not working as a “listener” as a member of Carers
Association, cultivating her big garden and being active in her
church.
A life-long volunteer, Connie was involved with different
initiatives before participating in G@G. She taught Sunday
school before getting married, and helped out in canteens
through both her children’s primary and high school
educations.
“When a friend suggested it, I started working at Goodwill
two weeks after it opened up. I love it!”
But this capable woman does more than volunteer. In 1946,
she was employed at the local post office, remaining the sole
female worker for many years. Between taking time off to
have two children, she worked at the post office for almost five
decades until she retired at 61. In the 1970s, she was a wellknown
caterer and flower arranger, at one point cooking for 700
people at a local event.
According to Connie, the motivation for contributing
to a local community boils down to being connected to a
surrounding social group. This seems to be more common in
regional parts of Australia.
“Country people are friendlier. Here, you live your whole life in
one place – and everyone sees you and your children grow up.”
In 2010, the ABS reported that 41% of people outside
of capital cities volunteered regularly compared to 34% of
those living in cities. This outlines a substantial difference in
participation between urban and rural areas.
“City people are more wary of others,” Connie smiles.
Not only compassionate and vivacious, she is quietly
tenacious. At a stage where many of similar age are slowing
down, one could wonder why she does not live a quieter life.
But this octogenarian has no plans of decelerating. The
inspiration to her active pace can be seen as she encounters
customers in the op-shop – this superwoman thrives on
personal interaction.
“Age isn’t a barrier when it comes to being with people,” she
muses. Connie regards her role at G@G as an opportunity to
create a welcoming place for all secondhand shoppers.
“Sometimes people are lonely and come in and have a
conversation. My greatest love is first my family, and then
people in general. I volunteer because I love people.”
13
volunteering

volunteering
Buildings, barcodes and Baguio City
Enid Ninnes
The Ecumenical Theological
Seminary (ETS) was formed
in Baguio City, Philippines,
16 years ago. The teaching
facility was birthed by a group
of students and lecturers
from an existing seminary in
the Philippines which failed to
meet their needs.
ETS developed a curriculum
and style which had a strong
social justice focus and a
strong practical component.
Students were divided into
four groups, with each group
spending one week at the
seminary for classes and
reflection, then three weeks in
a church placement.
Though now boasting
around 300 students, the
seminary started in the
basement of the church
office next door to the present
building with only a few
students and some unpaid
staff.
The current two-story
building is designed to
house students, guests, the
principal, dining and kitchen
facilities, the library, offices,
lecture and meeting rooms.
Despite the minimal facilities,
the seminary is a lively and
progressive place.
The reality of funding cuts
hits visitors immediately
14
when seeing the half-finished
building. While some lecture
rooms, staff, student and
guest accommodation
had been established and
the library filled the damp
basement, the rest of the
seminary was “open-air”.
Amongst these building
needs, the principal’s wife, one
of three permanent teaching
staff, has taken charge of their
present library. Though eager
to excel, she was untrained
in librarianship and wanted
to catalogue the resources
according to the Dewey
Decimal System.
After hearing of this specific
need for library support I, as
a trained teacher librarian,
and my husband Alan decided
that we would visit ETS for two
weeks and assist where we
could.
During our two week stay
we sorted donated books,
set up a cataloguing system
and processed materials. Our
visit meant two weeks of hard
work. It also meant two weeks
of new found friends and
fellowship, two weeks of new
foods, two weeks of sharing
what it means to be the
church today, and two weeks
of beginning to see a beautiful
country and understand the
Enid and Alan Ninnes spent two weeks in the Philippines helping the
Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Baguio City to organise its library.
needs of our partners. It
was a never-to-be-forgotten
experience.
There is still much to be
done to help this seminary
function at its full capacity.
Currently, a movement within
the United Church of Christ
in the Philippines is calling
to merge all seminaries as
one unit with a number of
campuses. This will mean,
among other things, the
development of a quality
library suitable to support
doctoral level students.
To help fulfil the needs
of this seminary, through
financial support or librarian
skills, please contact Christa
Megaw:
p. (08) 8236 4203
e. cmegaw@sa.uca.org.au
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ask for “By The Sea” to view “online” details and photos.

Fair Trade:
A road out of poverty
Louise Heinrich sits down with hardworking volunteer Bec Taylor to talk coffee, campaigning and certification before
Fair Trade Fortnight kicks off, 5 – 20 May
Not many people would come to uni
on their day off, but Bec Taylor is the
essence of commitment. Meeting me
in the back room of the University of
Adelaide Union’s HQ, she chats while
packing resources leftover from the
WOMAD Festival Fair Trade stall.
When Bec decided she wanted to
change things, no one else was acting
- so she began campaigning. In 2008,
Bec became a member of the Oxfam
Club and the Young Greens. She tucks a
strand of honey-blonde hair behind her
ear as she describes the beginning of her
volunteering career.
“I talked to the Oxfam group, and
was persuaded into applying to being
Adelaide Uni’s Social Justice Officer in
2010. I was elected unopposed.”
After many late nights, banner
painting, bureaucratic meetings and long
hours of (wo)manning stalls, Bec played
a big part in persuading the University
of Adelaide to become a Fair Trade
University. The first in the state to do so,
the University of Adelaide now actively
promotes Fairtrade TM Certified products,
such as coffee, tea, chocolate and sugar,
across all campuses.
“It’s exhausting, but definitely worth it.
You change some people.”
Known around campus as ‘the Fair
Trade girl’, Bec always sports a broad
smile as she speaks with students in her
roles as Social Justice Officer and Fair
Trade Collective Convener.
“Fair Trade Fortnight is about
awareness,” says Bec. “It prompts people
to think about Fair Trade, and consider
living a fairer life.
“The motto for this year will be ‘every
choice matters’, which is a very powerful
statement. It’s exactly what ethical
consumerism is about.
“This year, the big event that we are
promoting is a Fair Trade breakfast or
morning tea, as tea and coffee are
the most readily available Fairtrade TM
products. Simon Bryant will be hosting
a cooking demonstration for a Fair
Trade brunch in the Central Markets on
Saturday 5 May.
“As well as this, we’re partnering
with Splash Adelaide (an Adelaide City
Council program that is revitalising the
city) to have a Fairtrade TM Coffee Cart
on North Terrace.”
“I had a calling to join things I cared
about,” she says. After seeing a poster
promoting optional Fair Trade coffee
in a Uni cafe, she thought, “Why isn’t
every coffee Fair Trade?”
“It made me angry to realise I buy a
coffee every single day, and the people
making it are living in crap conditions.”
She stops shuffling through
brochures and looks me in the eye.
“We go to uni, and we choose to
study; many coffee growers don’t have
a choice to be educated. Fair Trade
empowers people to make their own
choices, instead of having the choice
made for them by poverty.”
Go to fta.org.au to find out how
you can get involved with Fair Trade
Fortnight 2012.
Fairtrade Certification
When a product is certified as Fairtrade, producers have met
labour standards which include a fair wage and fair working
standards. Certification also means that the company buying
the produce has paid a ‘Fairtrade premium’ to farmers,
in order to invest in social, environmental or economic
development projects in the area.
15
volunteering

volunteering
Here to help
Bindy Taylor
When Terry King and the late Beth Arnold first established the
Emergency Assistance Outreach Program located in the foyer of
Enfield Uniting Church two and a half years ago, Terry didn’t expect
Valentines Day cards, but that is exactly what he received from one of
the many grateful clients he has helped with emergency assistance.
Terry and his small, hard working team of four volunteers will
undertake their 1000th client interview this month facilitating
requests for food, welfare advice, budget counselling and a myriad of
other support services which Terry elaborates on.
“We interview people from a wide variety of life situations,”
comments Terry. “These range from victims of domestic violence to
individuals requiring mental health support and people newly released
from remand. We aim to help them get back on their feet and learn
how to budget welfare payments for the future.”
Terry and Beth were also co-authors of the booklet ‘I Like Paying
Bills!’ which featured in the December 2011 New Times edition,
providing low income households with a basic bill paying guide.
The Enfield Uniting Church Emergency Assistance Outreach Centre
is open from 10am until 1pm every Tuesday and Wednesday. While
the centre is supported by UnitingCare Adelaide East, now Uniting
Communities, it is always in need of non-perishable food donations.
Contact Sue or Terry regarding donations or to obtain the free
booklet ‘I Like Paying Bills!’ via email: enfield.church@internode.
on.net or phone (08) 8344 7857.
Picture L to R: Sue Moore (Enfield Uniting Church Office Coordinator),
Helen Munro (Emergency Assistance Counsellor), Judith Duval (Emergency
Assistance Receptionist), Terry King (Emergency Assistance Counsellor)
Absent: Helen Bridges (Emergency Assistance Receptionist)

Rev Rod Dyson Christa Megaw Katrina Levi
A volunteering spirit
I am writing this article on Maundy
Thursday. As I began to think about
volunteering, Rom 5:6-8 came to mind:
you see, at just the right time, when
we were still powerless, Christ died
for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone
die for a righteous person, though for a
good person someone might possibly
dare to die. But God demonstrates his
own love for us in this: While we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.
This passage’s significance runs deeper
than the Easter story. Christ volunteered to
die for us, and by doing so taught us many
things about offering ourselves up for the
work of God.
We deeply value the contribution of
particular gifts and skills, none more so
than when those skills are really needed.
These verses also hint at the fact that
volunteers are not to serve for ever. Their
gift has a time frame and in the church we
need to discern that time frame and then
celebrate what a person has offered before
releasing them for their next role.
The motivation for volunteering is love. It
is not duty or even a presenting need. It is
about our particular gifts and abilities and
God’s call upon our lives to serve in that
way. It is done out of love and in that is joy.
Volunteering is particular. It is not just
our own will that dictates how we offer our
time, but our distinctive talents that will
bring us to the right place. Our faith is one
where Christ is unique and only he could
die for the world.
Finally, volunteerism is about the
reconciliation of the whole creation. It is an
act of service within the mission of God. It
is certainly something we offer but doing
God’s will is a gift just as great.
Happy (and blessed) volunteering!
Rev Rod Dyson
Getting to know...
International Mission Officer Christa Megaw is partial to Asian food, and loves to
explore perspectives of faith through the arts and different cultures. Together with her
husband and friends, she is planning to walk the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail
in northern Spain later this year.
Family: Married to Phil with two daughters in their twenties.
Church: Blackwood Uniting
Background: Growing up at Colonel Light Gardens, I was very involved in the Lower
Mitcham Uniting Church youth group. After training as a teacher, I worked in Pt
Augusta at a primary school and at the TAFE College, teaching Aboriginal adults.
I also taught for many years in a multicultural primary school in Adelaide’s
western suburbs. While coordinating a Circles of Friends group and supporting
asylum seekers at Baxter Detention Centre, I gradually discerned a call to
ministry and became ordained as a deacon last year.
Hopes for the role: I am looking forward to developing relationships with our partner
churches overseas, as well as working with my fellow UnitingWorld colleague,
Adam Tretheway, to resource local congregations in engaging in local and global
mission through UnitingWorld.
Three words to sum you up: Compassionate, questioning, and positive change.
Favourite book: A standout is The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, a novel
which reveals the importance of the local context in considering the expression
of faith and mission.
Live Life Loud in the Local
Katrina Levi
Hundreds of young people across SA will be gathering together on Friday 15 June for
state youth event: Live Life Loud (LLL). LLL unites young people together in community,
builds friendships, has inspirational teaching and hopes for youth to encounter God.
This year LLL will be happening in three locations with three talented local speakers –
all on the same night.
We endeavour to resource LLL to run in the local settings so that local strengths,
talents, gifts and resources can be identified and developed, giving more opportunities
to local preachers, musicians, hosts and youth ministries to bless churches in their
geographical area.
We have a vision to help unite local churches together in mission and see young people
become agents of change in their local community, state and world. We hope to see
more LLL events running across the state into the future.
Event details
Live Life Loud 2012 is on Friday 15 June, 7-10pm
Regional: Balaklava @ Horizon Christian School.
Speaker: Pete Riggs.
South: Seeds @ Seeds Uniting. Speaker: Mike Wardrop.
North: The Journey @ The Journey Uniting Church (in Pedare Christian
College). Speaker Katie Iles.
For more details contact Katrina Levi 8236 4266
or klevi@sa.uca.org.au or visit livelifeloud.org.au
17
Mission Resourcing SA

diary
Pilgrim Uniting
celebrates 175 years
Both Pirie Street Methodist Church and Stow Memorial Congregational
Church were established in 1837, and were the “mother” churches of their
denominations in South Australia. These churches formed a United Parish on
1 June 1969, and since Church Union on 22 June 1977 have been known as
Pilgrim Uniting Church.
Both churches began their work in Adelaide just south of the River Torrens,
between King William Street and West Terrace.
South Australia was proclaimed a Province on 28 December 1836, the first
migrants having arrived in the “Duke of York” at Kingscote on 27 July 1836.
Colonel William Light completed his survey of Adelaide by 10 March 1837
which provided for 1042 one acre blocks in Adelaide. On 23 March 1837 the
preliminary purchasers made their choice of blocks, enabling more permanent
structures to be erected.
The following 175th Anniversary Celebrations are planned to commemorate
175 years of continual worship in Adelaide:
• Service at Pilgrim Uniting Church on Sunday 20 May 2012 at 10.30am at
which the Moderator (Rev Rob Williams) will be the preacher.
18
• Guided tours of former church sites. Sunday 24 June 2012 at 1.30pm and
Tuesday 6 November 2012 at 6.30pm. Meet at the rear of Pilgrim Uniting
Church.
• Guided tour of West Terrace Cemetery to view graves of early Ministers,
Saturday 21 July 2012 at 2pm. Tour includes brief service marking the
150th Anniversary of the death of the Rev T Q Stow on 19 July 1862.
• Guided tour of West Terrace Cemetery to view graves of early Ministers and
Lay people, Friday 12 October 2012 at 6.30pm. For both Cemetery Tours,
meet and park in Cemetery, main gate is opposite Sturt Street.
Plains Community
Churches annual
camp
Members of the Plains Community
Churches* enjoyed their third annual camp
on the last weekend of March – this time
at Port Broughton. Campers from Hamley
Bridge, Owen and Windsor were joined by
friends from Mallala, Two Wells, and Port
Pirie, as well as and Pastor Grant and Lin
Jewell, who organised previous camps
while they were stationed in the parish.
“Caring” was the theme for the weekend
which included a discussion time, BBQ
lunch, visit to the local Heritage Centre,
dinner at the hotel and attending the local
church service. The locals were so friendly
that they joined the campers for an old
fashioned outdoor hymnfest in the park
on Sunday evening. There was still plenty
of time for quiet chats, motorbike rides,
walks, swimming and go-cart drives.
All were impressed with the high quality
of the park and its managers, as well as
the well-kept town. It certainly was a camp
to remember.
*This is a newly formed group of churches, namely
Hamley Bridge, Owen & Windsor who previously
were part of Adelaide Plains, now disbanded.
VARIETY CONCERT - supporting PNG partnership. A great night of entertainment for all ages - including the Northgate Community
Choir, violinists, thrilling voice of Michelle Threadgold, young people’s item, funny skits and lots, lots more will be held at Dernancourt
Uniting Church, Cnr Balmoral Road & Vingara Drive on Friday 11 May, 7.30pm-9.30pm. Admission: Adult $10; Child $5; Family
$25; children under 5 years free (includes light supper). All proceeds to support Dernancourt Uniting’s partnership with the Gaulim
Teachers’ College (Papua New Guinea) and sponsoring student teacher, Samuel Edoni. For further information about the Variety
Concert, please contact Erica Turner ph: 8263 9565 or ptee95@yahoo.com.au.
KADINA WESLEY UNITING CHURCH. Celebration of 50 years of Worship in “New” Church and 150 years of Methodism/Uniting
Church in Kadina. Service of Praise and Thanksgiving on 13 May at 10am. Preacher: Moderator Rev Rob Williams to be followed by
lunch in adjoining hall. PSA Concert at 2.00pm in Church featuring Metropolitan Male Choir. Cost $10.00. All past members welcome.
STATE MISSION FELLOWSHIP. Tuesday 22 May, 10.30 am at Scots Church. Speaker Rev. Nita West, recently returned volunteer to
East New Britain, PNG. Morning tea and lunch available. All welcome.
SEAFORD UNITING/CHURCH OF CHRIST COMBINED CONGREGATION extend an invitation to attend a Musical Afternoon on
Pentecost Sunday 27 May at 2.00pm. Featuring Anthea and Graeme Butler on Piano and Organ and Noel Skillicorn compere and
Soloist. Admission: $10.00 (including afternoon tea). Proceeds to aid Beds for India - a congregation Project to provide 50 beds for
men with disabilities at the St Ignatius Charity Men’s Home in Kendram, India.
SHORT COURSE IN MAKING A DIFFERENCE. You are invited to participate in a “Master Class in Public Ministry: Turning Spirituality
Inside Out to Make a Faithful Difference in the World” at Pilgrim Church. Popular preacher, writer and minister at Judson Memorial
Church (NYC), Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper helps people connect faith and practice. Events on 14, 16 and 18 June. Contact Rev. Jana
Norman norman@pilgrim.org.au or visit http://www.masterclassinpublicministry.net
To have your upcoming event or message published here, email diary@sa.uca.org.au with ‘Diary’ in the subject line.

UNHELPFUL COVER ART
I reply to your article and front cover for the Easter News item,
March 2012. I have found a copy looking at me on magazine
shelves at every turn when I am in the Uniting Church. It seems
to me few people have found it possible to touch let alone take
home and read.
I believe there is so much ugliness in our society and it is the
responsibility of people to portray suffering and pain with
sensitivity.
Is this too simple a message for you to print at Easter? I
certainly can’t find this portrayal in hues of red as an art piece
worthy of commendation other than a frightened, cowardly
warrior with a decorative head piece.
I frequently hear the cry to parishioners for assistance and
ideas to increase attendance in our church. I wonder if a lot
of people with responsible positions empowered in senior
positions are assisting in this plea.
F. Bartlett,
Adelaide
LINKS WITH qUESTIONABLE CHRISTIANS
I was concerned, when following up links that appeared in
the UC E-News Weekly Email of 25 March, to see that there
were several Uniting Churches in this State that support the
Progressive Christianity Network (PCNetSA).
Debate of our Christian beliefs is important but when the
PCNetSA encourages us NOT to believe that Jesus is THE
Son of God, crucified dead and buried but then rose from the
grave, we have no foundation for our Christian faith.
What do members of the PCNetSA do at Easter time?
Disregard these ‘holy days’ and continue with their normal
activities (as it would be hypocritical for them as ‘Christians’
to have holidays when they have nothing to commemorate and
celebrate)?
They should read (and note!) what Paul said in his Second
Letter to Timothy, 4:3-4.
K. Moore
Coromandel Valley
Send your letters to:
newtimes@sa.uca.org.au
or PO Box 2145,
Adelaide 5001.
Be topical, be brief, be timely.
Letters over 150 words will be edited; responses to previous letters
/articles will be considered within two months of the original item’s
publication only.
All letters are published at the editorial team’s discretion.
PLEASE, GIVE US BACK THE PRESByTERIES
When I left SA in 2003 to take up a placement in England,
movements had begun to replace Presbyteries with
Networks. By the time I arrived back in SA as a retired
minister, Networks appeared well established. I write to
plead for the return to Presbyteries.
Since retiring I have stood at a distance from the
government of the church but my distinct impression is
that the Uniting Church in SA is no longer a church but a
group of theological ghettoes. This impression became
stronger when our congregation entered the Placements
Procedures.
During the course of my ministry, I grew in theological
thinking and in gifts and graces required when I had to
relate to those with whom I disagreed or from whom I
differed in personality type. So how is the church going
to grow in gifts and graces and theological thinking if we
are going to be grouped, and encouraged to relate to, only
those of like mind?
J. Maddern,
Fulham Gardens
positionsvacant.sa.uca.org.au
19
letter s to ed

m a g a z i n e
Kids, camping and organised chaos
No matter what region you hail from in South Australia, it’s likely that your quiet weekend was disturbed by the raucous
sounds of Kids Camp Out. Here’s the wrap-up of the three KCO events of 2012.
20
A World of Wonder
Melissa Neumann
On March 24–25, around 1700 people from 55 churches descended on
Barossa Valley Caravan Park for the 35th annual Kids Camp Out (KCO).
As anticipated, there were the staple favourites, animal farm fun and
carnival games, KCO Radio and live entertainment on Saturday, right
through into the evening.
Bedding down for the night, the sound of excited children chattering
about their day could be heard, amongst the many, increasingly-stern
“reminders” from leaders that it was time to go to sleep!
On Sunday morning, campers gathered for church – KCO-style. That
meant, rainbow-coloured hot air balloons, tug-of-war, charades, leddevotions,
drama, prayers for the world and sharing wealth with others in
need through the offering.
This year’s KCO offering was $3140.75, half of which will go to
Mwandi Orphans and the Vulnerable Children Project’s Blanket Appeal.
On behalf of the Synod, I’d like to say thanks to all the leaders, cooks,
group coordinators and the KCO Team working hard for months before
and for long hours across the weekend. HUGE thanks! It wouldn’t be
possible without you!
We played totem tennis. With numb fingers
and wet toes it was time for play on the main
oval. After praying and praying for good
weather KCO was beginning to look cold, but
as we kept the faith the sun peeped out from
behind the clouds!
Elyse, Parafield Gardens Uniting Church
Soaked in the
South East
David Hogarth
On 25-26 February, 230 primary schoolchildren
from Naracoorte, Mt Gambier, Padthaway and
Kingston gathered for the South East KCO
(SEKCO), ready for fun.
The theme “Wet, Wild and Wonderful” was
indicative of the many water activities offered
to campers of swimming, canoeing, the
dunking tank and ice blocking, as well as drier
challenges of box hockey, craft, biscuit icing and
face painting.
Two roving clowns, armed with Super
Soakers, provided entertainment by day and
security overnight.
The evening program of lively songs and
challenging dramas and sketches opened the
way for quality discussion and sharing. During
this, an offering was collected which totalled
$1300. This money went towards the CAT Scan
project for Naracoorte Hospital, a service which
will benefit people across the mid-Southeast.
This year’s SEKCO has been the most
spiritually rewarding event held so far, where
many children acknowledged they knew Jesus.
The 130 volunteers included people from
nearly all churches in Naracoorte, as well as
further support from primary schools and
community groups from Naracoorte and
beyond - Kingston, Mt Gambier, and Padthaway.
All were grateful for their tireless efforts as
they worked together as leaders, instructors,
musicians, tent riggers, cooks and infrastructure
providers.

Eyre Peninsula Kids Camp Out
Barb Richardson
On 31 March-1 April, we were all invited to a party – and what a
party Eyre Peninsula KCO (EPKCO) was! Leaders, volunteers and 86
children gathered at the picturesque Thuruna campsite for a party
theme: the Great Banquet.
An initiative of the Cummins Uniting Church XRoad Kids’ Club,
EPKCO was for children aged 7-12 with attendees from Kimba, Driver
River, Tumby Bay, Port Lincoln, Cummins and Lock.
We were blessed with sensational autumn weather for the entire
weekend. Rev Benji Callum from Pt Lincoln Uniting and wife Nicole
led this camp in creative ways – enthralling children with bible-based
skits, singing, crafts, bouncy castles, and all of us were well fed by
cook Tim Richardson and his kitchen staff.
One of the most exciting times of the weekend for us leaders was
when numerous children responded to Jesus’ invitation to them.
It was a great party, and in the words of one of the EPKCO kids
said, “Our party rocked!”
We were at the carnival when we saw the massive
jumping castle Titanic slide! We got very excited and
were allowed 3 goes. We slid down together and had
a very fun time. Except I hurt my elbow.
Samantha and Annie,
Parafield Gardens Uniting Church
Helen Morgan has been teaching us about love by
creating art. We have been searching the Bible to
find out about God’s kind of Love – Great.
Matilda, Berri Uniting Church
8261 8211
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21
m a g a z i n e

ev i e w s
A satire of western culture
Louise Heinrich reviews popular new movie, The Hunger Games, currently playing in cinemas worldwide.
In a not-too-distant future, adolescents
fight to the death. Based on a young adult
trilogy of novels by Suzanne Collins, The
Hunger Games is set in Panem, a postapocalyptic
dystopia which is divided into
twelve districts. Ruled by a totalitarian
regime in the Capitol, the centre of wealth
and power, the surrounding districts live
in oppression and grey poverty.
At an annual event, two teenage
tributes are picked from each district, to
fight to the death in the Hunger Games,
which is televised to the whole country.
The broadcast of the bloodbath is a
reminder of the Capitol’s power and
control, and is very familiar to the reality
shows that are on our televisions now.
Jennifer Lawrence plays the resilient
seventeen-year-old protagonist, Katniss
Everdeen, who hunts in the forbidden
woods to feed her family. Katniss
volunteers for the Hunger Games in place
of her preteen sister, and is swept off to
the colourful decadence of the Capitol
before being thrown into the man-made
arena with twenty-three other contestants.
Visually, this film is impressive.
The Capitol is a technicolour feast of
outrageous and bizarre fashion, which
contrasts severely with the muted browns
of the surrounding poor nation. A shaky
hand-held camera style evokes feelings
of terror and chaos in moments of action
and murder.
Beyond impressive production design
and a riveting plot, The Hunger Games
evokes powerful themes which question
facets of our culture. The habits of
excessive glamour and endless feasting
on rich food in luxurious settings seen in
the Capitol are made to seem vacuous
and irrelevant when juxtaposed with the
miserable starvation in Katniss’s home,
District 12. It’s as if a horde of runway
models wearing next season’s Balenciaga
paraded through a West African famine,
chattering inanely about the colour of
their eye shadow. The Hunger Games
therefore questions the nature of the
22
Western world’s preoccupation with
appearance and consumption, in light of
worldwide poverty.
The media mechanisms surrounding
the annual Hunger Games is a fantastic
satire of reality TV, in which agony and
drama are packaged neatly for the
shallow entertainment of the masses.
Regular commentary between styled
hosts is interspersed with the tension of
scenes in the arena. In order to attain
‘sponsors’ who will send medicines and
food when needed, Katniss and male
District 12 tribute Peeta pretend to
be in love for the camera. The Capitol
audience, costumed in enormous
eyelashes and a kaleidoscope of
lavender, mauve, powder blue and gold,
scream in worship of the star-crossed
lovers. It’s a similar premise to many
reality TV shows, and echoes Big Brother
and Survivor.
Standouts of the cast were Stanley
Tucci as the ostentatious blue-haired
Caesar Flickerman, and Elizabeth
Banks as the prim, wackily-dressed
Effie Trinket. Lawrence shines, not
only because she successfully displays
Katniss’s inner conflict, but because she
pulls off her role as a strong and fierce
woman. As this is a representation
of women that is not often seen in
Hollywood, many are hopeful that
this new breed of female lead will be
replicated in more big-budget films.
Don’t not see this film because it
sounds violent. Despite a gruesome
premise, The Hunger Games is not a
film that revels in gore, but remains
decidedly un-graphic in all scenes.
The film remains true to the age of the
original readers of the books.
A compelling experience, this movie
juxtaposes glamour and poverty, and
sharply satirises modern entertainment.
Would you watch a reality TV show
of Hunger Games if it appeared on
your TV?

Author: Dale Hanson Bourke
Recommended for: people
with questions in need of
answers
In short: An overview of
global poverty and what
needs to be done to fix it.
Available from: Amazon
RRP: $24.95
Passing fad or paradigm shift?
Book: The Road to Missional
Author: Michael Frost
Recommended for: anyone willing to
deconstruct church buzzwords, themes,
ideas and background.
In short: Urgent and crucial questions for
all churchgoers.
Available from: Uniting Church SA
Resource Centre
RRP: $18.95
‘Missional’ has become an
‘in’ word. Michael Frost,
Australian author, teacher and
mission practitioner, registers
an anxiety, though, that many
churches are understanding
missional as merely the latest
add-on to church.
In this provocative but
readable, well-written book,
Frost argues that mission
describes “the task of alerting
people to the reign of God
through Christ and which
can never be reduced to the
recruitment of new attendees
to our meetings.”
Frost uses memorable images
skilfully. A helpful metaphor
compares missional church to
a movie trailer. “If it does its
A white wristband view
The Skeptic’s Guide to Global Poverty
According to Matthew’s preacher on The Mount, the poor are to be envied; but Dale
Hanson Bourke does not share this view. She asks and answers questions about what
global poverty is, how it is caused, and why the Church in the West (read USA) should
do more to alleviate it.
This book reads more like a draft essay with dot point paragraphs, margin notes, colour
photographs, charts and graphs illustrating Bourke’s case. It is deliberately targeted
at a North American audience since that is Bourke’s home culture, and the one best
resourced to respond to her call for change. It also works in an Australian setting
though, asking questions such as, “Why don’t Africans just have fewer babies?” and
showing that the politics of scepticism are universal. Other questions like, “What does
‘per capita income’ mean?” indicate a serious attempt to educate those who don’t know
as well as those who don’t appear to care.
I enjoyed Bourke’s honest and firm responses to generalised scepticism and have
passed my copy on to a colleague who teaches geography in the hope that he might
raise some of these issues with his senior classes. The coloured photos make this an
attractive book to share with teenagers, and the content is appropriate to school-based
ethics and politics studies.
- Damien Tann
job well, people will see what it
does and say, ‘I want to see the
world they come from.’”
Much of this book focuses on
the question of how might we
effectively, and with integrity,
alert people to the reign
of God. That is an ongoing
question and challenge for all
of us.
How might mission become
the organising principle? What
would that look like in your
context?
- Alan Dutton
Character lessons from
romantic literature
Book: Becoming your best
Author: Ronald W. Richardson
Recommended for: Jane Austen fans and
those interested in relationship building.
In short: Self-help for thinking people.
Available from: Amazon
RRP: $14.99
Ronald W. Richardson makes
use of Jane Austen’s novels
to present a how-to book on
forming and keeping good
relationships. Austen wrote just
six novels, but the interest in
her writing has never waned,
spawning many spin-offs. Other
modern novelists have also
attempted to emulate Austen’s
style in the genre of Regency
and romantic literature.
Richardson claims the
characters we meet in the
popular novels illustrate how we
can become good people.
Elizabeth Bennet, probably
the better-known and arguably
the most popular female
Austen character, provides
much material. For instance, in
attempting to understand Darcy,
Elizabeth acknowledges that
she has not fully understood
herself. The author considers
self-knowledge to be essential
to understanding the character
of those with whom we interact.
The topic is well-researched and
rich in detail; not judgmental or
moralistic.
Becoming your Best engages the
reader’s attention in a rewarding
way, encouraging a practical
application of the suggestions.
The device of referencing Jane
Austin’s literature saves it from
becoming a dry, academic, and
esoteric text book.
- Linda Sutton
23
r ev i e w s

Every year the Uniting Church calendar highlights story of
encouragement and challenge from within our mission and
ministry. We only see a short snippet of those stories in the
calendar, so New Times will be sharing a little more with
you over in each month of the coming year.
Growing a dream
Filmmaker George Lucas said, “Dreams are extremely
important. You can’t do it unless you imagine it.” Teresa
Bol had the guts to imagine a hospital in the war-torn Abyei
region of Sudan, and began fundraising when she was just
14. Louise Heinrich finds out what’s been happening with the
star of our May calendar photo, and her vision for the future.
Kenyan-born Teresa Bol and her family moved to Australia
when she was nine, due to unrest in the region. The Bol family
has roots in Abyei, an oil-rich area on the border between
Sudan and South Sudan, which both countries continue to
struggle over.
Several years ago, her mother got in touch with relatives
still living in Abyei in an effort to find Teresa’s father, who had
disappeared in the civil conflict.
Not only do residents deal with troops and the threat of
landmines, but much infrastructure has been destroyed,
making medicine and up-to-date equipment hard to come by.
“We started contacting family members to find out what
happened,” Teresa says. “We found out my mother’s brother
broke his knee in a car accident, but the nearest hospital was
very far. His leg became infected; he had a heart attack and
died.
“My Auntie needed a blood transfusion, but the place where
she had it done gave her the wrong type and she also passed
away.”
“Here, if I need anything, an ambulance would come in five
minutes. But in Sudan, there is no such thing. Someone has
to take [patients] a long way to medical attention, and the
hospitals aren’t very good.”
Teresa, who is just shy of 18, speaks plainly about these
injustices and is obviously passionate for change. With the
help of Enfield Uniting Church members, she established
Hope for Abyei as a charity in 2009, to build a hospital in her
former home-town, when Teresa was just 14.
“When I started this, I was very young and optimistic. Now,
I am figuring out how to do this seriously.”
Although much of her adolescent naivety has faded,
Teresa is determined to continue with her venture, confirming
that youthful passion and ethics can blossom into adult
understanding of difficulties and responsibilities.
Currently studying Health Sciences, and planning to move
into medicine, Teresa is preparing for a lifetime of helping
others.
“My degree will give me more knowledge with what I can do
with Hope for Abyei. I don’t want to just build the hospital and
come back to Australia. I want to help build it and work there
and keep it running healthily.
“God has helped me, and in response I will help others.”