UnitingCare Australia's National Director, Lin Hatfield Dodds said the Coalition's decision to cut the Income Support Bonus, should it form government after the Federal election in September, will deliver a significant blow to low income Australians including people on Newstart, Youth Allowance and Parenting payments.

Speaking shortly after the Budget reply speech in Canberra last night, Ms Hatfield Dodds said the budget must not return to surplus on the backs of the most vulnerable people.

"At less than the cost of a cup of coffee per week, the Income Support Bonus is paid twice a year to some of the poorest Australians to help with life's basics," Ms Hatfield Dodds said.

"Federal budgets are about choices and priorities.

"Australia is doing well by international standards.

"This commitment to cut back on meagre support for our poorest citizens does not bode well for Australian families should the Coalition form government at the September election.

"We welcome the Coalition's support of historic disability insurance reforms.

"We think there is some merit in revisiting tax reform, and we look forward to ongoing dialogue with the Coalition in relation to important public policy issues in the lead up to the Federal election," Ms Hatfield Dodds said.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3776

I read the carer feature in the May Journey.

am a member of the Bribie Uniting Church.

I became a little emotional when I read it.

I do not feel I am someone special.

I had twelve years caring for my mother.

She had diabetes, epilepsy, mini strokes, urinary tract infections, macular degeneration, incontinence both with bowels and bladder and at last, kidney failure.

I took on each problem as it came along.

Learnt what I could.

And dealt with problems as they came up.

Mum made it to eighty-eight years only a few weeks in the nursing home.

After mum passed my church family and Rev Nev Surwohld was a great help for me.

Grief and loss knocked me around a lot.

I felt so guilty and a bit depressed.

It took just over a year to overcome it.

Learning to live with it and accepting it.

But it was a good experience, now I know how to help others.

I made regular visits to mums old nursing home, yarning with the residents, having a bit of a laugh.

They are high care and to me they are the "special ones".

Staff have told me they enjoy my visits (it's sad when they pass away).

I also helped out the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Respite Centre in reaching their history and helping people.

I learnt a bit more about my Aboriginal culture as well.

To me I am still a bit of a carer.

But I believe "carers need all the help they can get".

I know from experience it is a most stressful job.

There's not much help except for Blue Care.

They were wonderful to me and supported me so much.

This knowledge helped me deal with life and death situations.

I feel most strongly for carers.

All the best.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3775

During National Volunteer Week Frontier Services is looking for more people to lend a hand in the bush through its volunteer program, Outback Links.

Each year up to 600 Outback Links volunteers travel to rural and remote parts of Australia to lighten the load and fill the gaps for people in the outback.

With farmers across the country facing worsening drought, the need for extra support in remote communities is greater than ever before.

"The helping hand of an Outback Links volunteer makes an enormous difference to people in isolated locations who cannot easily access support," said Outback Links Coordinator Davida Melksham.

"The practical help, as well as the goodwill the volunteers bring with them is invaluable."

Mrs Melksham said that Outback Links responded to the changing needs of people in the bush, filling the gaps for people in a variety of situations.

"Often, simply providing an extra set of hands helps ease the pressure and allows people to catch up on the jobs that otherwise would get pushed aside.

"With tough economic conditions on the land, at least a third of the families we support have been forced to find work off property to supplement their income.

"This leaves a big gap in the work that needs to get done on the station, and usually it is just one or two people carrying the whole workload."

"Having a volunteer come and stay and pitch in where needed helps people keep going."

The Outback Links workforce is extremely diverse. Volunteers include retired people, city professionals, young families and university students, among others.

Each volunteer placement is different but the jobs they do range from feeding animals to mustering cattle, minding children, undertaking repairs inside and outside the home, plumbing, painting and assisting with computers, right through to performing general household duties and gardening.

Louise Salmon recently had volunteers Ian and Fay Laurie assist with flood repairs on her station near Monto, QLD.

My Salmon said "we had almost given up, but the volunteers restored our hope."

Ian and Fay said it's the opportunity to share life and form new friendships that they find rewarding.

"We appreciate the opportunity to become a family friend and support them in their ongoing life."

Mrs Melksham said "It is a really different way of volunteering, allowing our participants to experience and better understand life for people in the outback.

"They come away with a whole new appreciation for life in rural and remote Australia and become advocates for the outback and its people."

"As for the families we support, just knowing that someone cares enough to come and lend a hand means so much to them."

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3774

If you've grown up around churches or with some kind of spiritual heritage, you're probably uncomfortable with the idea of wanting more.

It sounds greedy—and who wants that when you're trying to walk in the footsteps of the one who recommended giving away even the shirt from your own back?

Is it ever okay to want more?

Yes, it is.

As the agency of the Uniting Church with a mandate to work with overseas partners, here at UnitingWorld we constantly find ourselves in situations where we want more.

It's a life-giving more. We want more opportunities for children to attend school in India.

We want more loans to provide incomes for families in West Timor, where creative entrepreneurs are already transforming their communities.

We want more midwives in South Sudan, where 10 000 mothers die in childbirth every year.

Our vision is to work alongside those both here in Australia and oversees so that those who are without can take their place in a world where there's more than enough to go around.

We believe this is God's heart for all people.

Every year the Australian government, through AusAID, provides us with a real opportunity to Do More Together.

The AusAID-NGO Co-operation Program (ANCP) is a Matching Grant Scheme that helps individual gifts to NGOs go further.

But it requires us to raise some money first.

For every $5 AusAID provides UnitingWorld, we must raise at least $1 to reap the full benefit.

"Access to ANCP funding each year makes a huge difference to how much we can do alongside our partners around the world," says Livelihood Manager, Africa, Peter Keegan.

"Donating to the Matching Gift Fund is one of the most effective ways to make sure your individual gift goes further toward providing all the things that not only allow people to survive, but to thrive: clean water, good healthcare and hope for the future."

When Peter visited South Sudan recently he met newly-trained midwives eager to serve their communities, protecting the lives of mothers and babies.

Teresa, a midwife who has been through a training program funded by UnitingWorld and our partner in South Sudan, the Presbyterian Relief and Development Agency told him, "When you get an education that can change a life, you share it with everybody. I will take this knowledge and be there for the women in my community."

Teresa's determination certainly keeps us inspired and motivated here at UnitingWorld, but Teresa is one of less than 200 midwives in a nation that needs thousands.

Here, surely, is a situation where it's more than just okay to want more. It's essential.

We've just launched our "Do More Together" appeal at http://www.unitingworld.org.au/domoretogether/. With the support of AusAID, it's one of the most effective ways to make a lasting difference and connect communities for life. Call 1800 998 122 to donate.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3772

"I warmly welcome the decision to fully fund DisabilityCare Australia and the support it will extend to people of disability, their families and carers," said Dr Dutney.

"This is an important spiritual landmark in the history of our country and in our commitment to those who need help."

However Dr Dutney expressed concern about the Federal Government's continued punitive approach to asylum seekers and its decision to postpone its promise to increase aid to countries not as lucky as Australia.

"My greatest concern tonight is not the national deficit, but the deficit of justice and compassion in a number of policies – particularly in relation to asylum seekers."

"As we hear how Australia's wealth among nations continues to grow, we should be ashamed of our commitment to immigration detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island, and of stripping the dignity away from asylum seekers by curtailing their working rights.

"In this Budget, additional funding to offshore processing, just on its own, amounts to more than 10 times the funding for onshore processing.

"This shows how our national lack of compassion for asylum seekers is distorting our priorities.

"The Budget confirms that expenses for irregular maritime arrivals will be capped.

"This is another punitive measure unworthy of such a wealthy nation."

The Uniting Church has long advocated for asylum seekers to be accorded the dignity they deserve as human beings, and supports community-based detention models and the right to work for asylum seekers on bridging visas.

Dr Dutney nevertheless welcomed the overall increase to humanitarian visas to 20,000 people.

The Uniting Church in Australia's international relief and development agency, UnitingWorld, has expressed disappointment that the Government will not honour its commitment to increase overseas aid.

"We are disappointed that the Government has again broken its promise to the world's poorest people.

"Every year of delay in funding impoverishes the people who need it most," said Dr Sureka Goringe, Chair of UnitingWorld's Relief and Development National Committee.

"Equally, last year's unprecedented diversion of $375 million to domestic asylum seeker processing threw so many excellent programs into doubt and disrupted the sustainable planning of future projects."

"We cannot underestimate the impact that those cuts and diversions have had on vulnerable communities, many of whom are Australia's closest neighbours.

"The tragedy is, we know sustainable development works.

"In 1990, 40% of the world lived in extreme poverty.

"That figure is now less than 20%. Sustainable aid has also halved the number of children who die each year before their fifth birthday.

"We are on the brink of a fairer, more just world.

"We must continue to demand that our government keeps its promises to the world's poorest people.

"Australia is currently the third largest recipient of its own aid – that is not poverty alleviation.

"That is not the way forward."

The Uniting Church in Australia has also welcomed an additional $1.6 billion in funding to continue closing the gap on indigenous disadvantage.

"The new funding for National Partnership Agreements to improve the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians is great news," said Dr Dutney.

"Reconciliation between Australia's First and Second Peoples can only occur when the clear disadvantages faced by indigenous Australians are greatly reduced."

"Funding for an Indigenous Languages Support program to support the revival and maintenance of traditional languages is also a welcome and important step in the right direction."

Dr Dutney said he was also encouraged by the continued move towards constitutional recognition of Indigenous people in Australia's Constitution – a move the Uniting Church in Australia has already enacted across its national and state councils.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3773

2013

Reviewed by David Weddell.

Based on the best-selling book of the same title and funded by the donations of thousands of fans, Blue Like Jazz is not a stereotypical Christian movie, and that's a big part of what makes it great.

Rated M, this semi-biographical movie is edgy because it is realistic.

The plot firmly grabs your attention, partially because most of it actually happened to co-writer Donald Miller, but mostly because, like real life, what happens next is unpredictable.

It's the story of Donald, a Texas Baptist boy who leaves home and faces a confronting new world as he enters college and has to figure out what his life and faith are all about.

Everything is different to how it was back home, and Donald's church upbringing seems to be incompatible with the pressure to fit in, be popular and make friends.

In this compelling journey, an often-confused Donald makes his fair share of mistakes as he struggles with working out his faith.

What does he really believe, and what is merely culture?

What does it mean to authentically follow God?

Amongst the chaos of the college experience, there are deep and moving interactions between characters.

A graveyard, a bicycle workshop and a fake confession booth provide the setting for some of the more emotional and pivotal moments of Donald's experience.

The story also contains drinking, churchgoers behaving unethically, non-heterosexual characters and opinions that are critical of religion.

These types of characters and themes aren't often seen in Christian movies, but they are found in real life, which is part of what makes this a powerful movie.

This authenticity also helps make Blue Like Jazz the kind of movie you can watch with non-Christian friends without being embarrassed. It's not a cheesy movie where everyone who follows Jesus has a carefree life with no problems—it's a genuine look at some of the pains, challenges and decisions of life.

It isn't a Christian tract—it's a conversation starter.

As such, it can also be viewed by church groups, and makes for a great starting point for discussion.

Blue Like Jazz is especially relevant for later teens and young adults, but is also worthwhile for older folk.

Download the discussion guides and bible studies can be downloaded from- www.bluelikejazzthemovie.com.au/resources.html

Churches can screen the movie by visiting- www.movieschangepeople.com/flicks/movies.php?id=57

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3769

Franciscan Media, 2012

RRP $23.95

Reviewed by Wendy Scott.

Fools, Liars, Cheaters and Other Bible Heroes is a set of 28 studies, each dealing with the life, background and actions of one of the very flawed personalities God chose to do his will. Some of the chapter headings say much about this book's approach:

· Rebecca: Beautiful Bride to Manipulative Mother.

· Rahab: Liar, Gentile and Prostitute

· Naaman: Arrogant Conqueror

· Nathanael: Outspoken Sceptic, but Sincere Believer

This quote from the introduction says it best: "[T]he story of the Bible is our story, the human story of flawed people grappling with God, responding to his love and searching for him in the providence of our daily lives."

This is not a book for skim reading.

Every word was a joy, and each section is sensitively written, not condemning the characters for their human weaknesses, but illustrating how God uses flawed humans like us to do his divine work. It is an encouragement.

This book could be read on the bus or train each day as a morning focus, used for Bible study, or read just for personal interest.

At the end of each of the sections there are 3-5 points to ponder or discuss with a group.

While it is expensive for a group study book, it has 28 studies, so the relative cost per session is the same.

Alternatively, buy one for the church bookshelf for sharing.

Fools, Liars, Cheaters and Other Bible Heroes is clearly set out, easy to read and understand, but do not let that fool you into thinking it is light-weight. It gets you thinking at a greater depth because it is neither pompous nor dogmatic.

It sneaks up on you whilst you are smiling.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3770

Allen & Unwin 2012
RRP $26.99

Reviewed by David Weddell.

Gittins' Gospel: Religious book or not?

On first glance, the cover picture of an older man in priestly clothes would suggest this is book belongs in Christian bookstores.

On second glance, the subtitle, "The economics of just about everything" and the back cover information that Gittins is an economics journalist would suggest the book is more mainstream.

Having read this 'Gospel', it's a 50/50 call. The subject matter is certainly in the secular arena—interest rates, budgets, gross domestic product and the global financial crisis; but Gittins, the son of a Salvation Army preacher, also brings his own worldview to the topic.

Christian stewardship teaches that if faith affects our heart, it also affects our wallet. Economics talks of individuals making transactions in order to increase fulfilment. Both are saying that our economics reflects the nature of our heart.

This collection of columns from Gittins includes writings that cover a variety of subjects such as the 'sanctification' of selfishness, what really satisfies and motivates us in the workplace, our efforts in caring for creation, why we really like holidays, and why 'cost of living' is what we complain about when there is nothing to complain about.

It's a good read for anyone interested in ethical or moral economics.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3771

Members of the Uniting Church are urged to join with other Christian churches in a week of prayer organised by the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA).

"We invite all of our members to join our brothers and sisters from other churches to celebrate the unity that is ours in Christ," said the President of the Uniting Church Assembly Rev. Professor Andrew Dutney.

The Week of Prayer begins on Sunday 12 May and finishes the following Sunday 19 May.

This year's Week of Prayer theme was developed by members of the Student Christian Movement of India, and draws on the faith and experience of India's Christian Dalit community going back as far as 182 A.D.

The central text of the week is Micah 6:6-8, highlighting the theme 'What does God require of us?'

"By sharing in prayer we renew our commitment to live out God's calling for us, through Micah, to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God," said Rev. Prof. Dutney.

"The Uniting Church's belief, expressed in the Basis of Union, is that all Christians in Australia are called to bear witness to a unity of faith and life in Christ which transcends cultural and economic, national and racial boundaries."

"This is a great week to get past the things that have divided us and seek to work in harmony with other Churches."

The NCCA has prepared biblical and liturgical resources for communities wishing to participate in the Week of Prayer.

Resources available include daily prayers, notes, suggestions for worship leaders and an Order of Worship outline.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0IYAR036xs

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3767

"The starting point for the 2013 Budget is that the economy is performing well, but is vulnerable to weak international conditions.

"While this context does not give the Government a lot of room to move, it highlights the importance of not wasting money on tax concessions that have little merit," Ms Hatfield Dodds said.

"Budgets are all about choices and priorities.

"There are opportunities to fund important programs by scaling back tax concessions that do nothing for everyday Australians.

"New spending on disability insurance and education reforms will help give every Australian a fair go.

"We need to make sure that funding and taxation decisions also support a fair go.

"Past decisions have given too much money to the wealthiest Australians, who do not need this support.

"Over half of the tax support for superannuation goes to the wealthiest five percent of superannuants.

"This is a waste of precious tax dollars.

"Middle class welfare payments such as the baby bonus, the private health insurance rebate and family tax benefits to middle income families could be redistributed to ensure people who are genuinely disadvantaged can get the support they need.

"Choices made in recent years about personal income tax and out of date business tax settings mean we don't have that money to spend on decent welfare payments or adequate funding for essential social services.

"We should also look at closing some business loopholes that would both save money and improve outcomes. Subsidies to fossil fuel use cost $10 billion a year, and should be removed or scaled back.

"If we went back to 2007 personal income tax rates, adjusted for inflation, this year we would have collected an extra $25 billion in tax.

"Most of this money would come from the top 10 percent of households, who received more in tax cuts and enjoyed bigger gains than the bottom 80 per cent where most of us live.

"In this year's budget, UnitingCare Australia will be looking for measures that address the inequity of current superannuation tax concessions and we'll be looking at tax arrangements on family trusts, capital gains tax and negative gearing.

"And we will be looking for changes to welfare payments so people have enough money to live on, while they parent, study, or skill up and search for work.

"Central to the current inequity in welfare payment levels is the absence of funding for a system that adequately sets and indexes income support payments," Ms Hatfield Dodds said.

Lin Hatfield Dodds will be available in the lead up to the Federal Budget to comment on these and other important social and fiscal matters that impact on the well-being of Australian society.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3768

Australian business leaders, aid organisations, churches and the Greens party, as well as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have all highlighted the value in a growing Australian aid program.

"Last week Prime Minister Julia Gillard warned that 'every reasonable option' for cuts is on the table and that the Government would find responsible savings 'even when that means spending less on things that are important and valuable'", said John Beckett, National Coordinator of the Micah Challenge coalition.

"This means overseas aid could be in the firing line again and the world's poorest people could again be asked to sacrifice in order to help balance Australia's books", said Mr Beckett.

In last year's budget, the Government broke its promise to increase aid to 0.5% of Australia's Gross National Income by 2015 by pushing out the timetable by one year.

In December, the Government diverted $375 million away from poverty-reducing programs overseas in order to cover the domestic costs of processing asylum seekers.

"It's obvious that the Government is working on a difficult budget and trying to find cutbacks and savings wherever it can, yet there is a large constituency of Australians who are unwilling to see our books balanced on the backs of the poor", said Mr Beckett.

During the week, over 35 senior Australian business leaders jointly called on the Prime Minister and Treasurer to increase the aid budget in an open letter published by The Financial Review.

The Greens party launched a bill outlining a clear timetable for meeting the international aid target of 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) by 2020 and a comprehensive peer review of Australia's aid program by the OECD urged Australia to meet its commitment to increase aid to 0.5% GNI by 2016.

"We're encouraged by the many voices who are speaking out on foreign aid and particularly heartened by the recent OECD report which has said that Australia is in a very strong economic position to deliver a growing aid budget efficiently and effectively," said Mr Beckett.

Mr Beckett will join Foreign Minister Bob Carr and other agency representatives on a panel discussion about Australia's foreign aid program today in the South Australian electorate of Hindmarsh.

To join Micah Challenge's call on the Government to increase aid in next week's federal budget visit: http://www.micahchallenge.org.au/budget-action.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3766

This edition of Journey is all about celebrating those who put others before themselves. From prison chaplains (page 14) to volunteers who work tirelessly for a cause or organisation they believe in.

The Uniting Church is full of these people.

Sometimes they are up the front urging people to understand the difference we can make in the lives of others; sometimes they are lobbying their local Member of Parliament; and sometimes they go faithfully about their work without drawing attention.

We need all these people.

This month we celebrate Mothers' Day by hearing about the work of Beverley Homel, president of the volunteer organisation Sands (miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death support) Queensland (page 10), and a little shop that is helping women escape the cycle of poverty (page 12).

We reflect on the unpaid carers who enrich the lives of those whom they support (page 6).

In all of these stories the work of the Spirit is clear.

As we celebrate Pentecost (19 May), reflect on what it means to use your gifts and talents in service.

The June edition of Journey will be released on the second Sunday of June to enable us to keep you up-to-date on all the news from the 30th Synod meeting (24 – 28 May).

Keep an eye on JourneyOnline and our Facebook page for news and updates from the meeting. The June issue will also be the first for our new editor, Rohan Salmond.

Talk about a baptism of fire!

Mardi Lumsden, Editor-in-chief.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3764

Exactly two years, two months and two days after the terrible floods of January 2011, the people of Laidley, west of Brisbane, were inundated once again.

But while the flood waters swept away so much, they couldn't take the community's spirit.

Laidley Uniting Church minister Euan McDonald reflects on the months that followed.

Our church still has many reminders of the floods, but with faith in God's help and goodness, and reaching out to neighbours in the community, we are looking forward to a better future.

The community spirit in this town was terrific.

Despite the terrible situation and loss experienced by so many, a great community spirit came to the fore.

Strangers, young and old, turned up to offer a hand, not just for one day but day after day.

Contractors gave their time day after day without charge to shift the mud and debris.

The local fire brigade was boosted by fire crews and trucks from many of the surrounding areas to hose out houses and buildings that had dirty silt and debris in them.

Our church gave out flood packs which consisted of a bucket full of goodies including rubber gloves, chocolates, vouchers and water bottles.

Groups donated goods and clothes and our church has also received various amounts of money for distribution and we are still helping people.

There will be long-term effects with property values decreasing, insurance premiums skyrocketing, and the effects of depression due to long waits for repairs.

Some residents in the area have even taken up the offer of a land swap to the high ground developed at Grantham after the devastation of the 2011 floods.

Moving to a new area without the support of friends and neighbours may be a short-term fix and possibly lead to other social problems.

Rev Euan McDonald, Laidley Uniting Church.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3765

Dianne Jensen looks at the role of carers and their contribution to the fabric of our lives.

Carers are at the heart of our community. They are the folk struggling with wheelchairs at an intersection, waiting for prescriptions at the pharmacy, or grasping the hand of a disabled, frail or confused person as they navigate crowded stores.

Their lives bear daily witness to the power of love lived out through service.

The experiences of the 2.6 million Australians who provide unpaid care and support to family members and friends are rarely in the news, yet they make an invaluable contribution to our social fabric and make a profound difference to the lives of individuals.

Sometimes barely in their teens or themselves quite frail, carers perform tasks ranging from domestic duties and nursing care to medical and legal advocacy.

They provide full or part-time support to people living with disability, medical conditions, alcohol and drug issues, and frailty.

As Carers Queensland Inc notes, caring is a shortterm commitment for some, whilst for others, "it is a role that literally lasts a lifetime".

Although their role may be "just doing what comes naturally", as one woman described caring for her husband, caring is physically and emotionally exhausting.

When the medical condition is degenerative or terminal, the impending loss exacerbates the sheer busyness of caring, says one carer with an elderly parent.

"You become swept along by the rapids, meeting each new crisis.

There is pressure on both partners, an awareness of the changing roles … some people drop the ball."

The road can be challenging, complicated and fraught with angst, "but it is also a time where we can truly cherish life and God's wondrous love," she adds.

The cost of caring

There is little doubt that carers are the glue which keeps the disability and aged-care systems from falling apart, with Deloitte Access Economics (2010) estimating the replacement cost of informal care in Australia at $40.9 billion.

The Australian Government currently provides a Carer Payment (single $733.70, couple $1066.20 per fortnight) and a Carer Allowance ($115.40 per fortnight), depending upon assets.

Some people are eligible for annual supplements and Health Care Card benefits.

If this seems like a paltry amount, Carers Australia, the national peak body, can attest to the fact that carers are often socially isolated, more likely to experience poor health, and inclined to suffer from increased financial and emotional stress.

Some issues have been acknowledged in The National Carer Strategy, delivered in August 2011 as part of the National Carer Recognition Framework.

The six priority areas for action include recognition and respect, information and access, economic security, services for carers, education and training and health and wellbeing.

The first evaluation report will be delivered in 2015.

While welcoming the recognition that these initiatives represent, Carers Australia is concerned that the new National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) may enshrine the current subsidisation of the health, disability and aged care system.

Their 2013–14 federal budget submission, From Recognition to Action noted that "the packages offered under the NDIS will inevitably be built around the amount of unpaid care already provided to many of those covered by the Scheme".

For carers and the persons for whom they care, the current focus on the overarching principles of the national disability system, and the framework which will deliver services, represents an opportunity for generational change.

UnitingCare Australia National Director, Lin Hatfield Dodds, in welcoming the passage of the NDIS, reminded Australians that almost half of all people living with disability live on or close to the poverty line.

"A number of people with disability live isolated, vulnerable lives on the fringes of society … People with a disability who are themselves parents, and the burgeoning number of people with a lifelong disability who are ageing are also increasingly at risk of joining this group."

People in these cohorts often lack the skills to advocate for themselves, she added.

Blessed are the carers and those for whom they care. Let's not let them down.

Marion's story

My father longs to come home where he feels safe and loved.

Marion's father lives in a high-care facility.

After a series of falls and mini-strokes, the onset of dementia and epilepsy, it became impossible for her mother to look after him at home.

For four years, she and her mother have visited almost every day, assisting with his daily needs and spending time with him.

They and other family members focus their energies on normalising his situation, aware that he feels isolated and lonely.

She describes the aged-care system as "both supportive and testing", and says although the staff generally do their best, it is apparent that without a personal advocate many residents receive very little individualised attention.

"He is one of many, part of the assigned carers' routine.

They are often very busy and find it difficult to attend to his needs unless they fit in with this routine." Marion's father still recognises family members.

"The moment he sees any of us, his face lights up and he relaxes.

'Here are special people I love and who love me,' I imagine him thinking.

I tell him I love him every day.

He tells me he loves me and often thanks me. I feel honoured to be his daughter."

Together they share moments of laughter and prayer.

"It is easy to underestimate and dismiss a person with dementia, especially as they do experience lucid moments," Marion says.

"Being in a place where God is in the present moment creates a dynamic approach to communication with those who struggle with memory loss.

When we say the Lord's Prayer together, it is as though it is the first time.

Yet its familiarity comforts him and his faith is affirmed. He reminds me to approach my faith this way."

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3758

Prison chaplains from all over Queensland gathered for their annual conference in April to support each other and to empower, encourage and equip people to work in the field.

UnitingCare Community Prison Ministry coordinator and senior chaplain Beatriz Skippen said the conference was unique, as it was an open forum for everyone who wants to help or understand how to make a difference in the prison ministry context.

"Everyone in our society is affected by crime, not only individuals but our community as a whole," says Ms Skippen.

The 2013 conference was designed for anyone who wanted to learn how to help or work in the area of prison ministry, including legal and health workers, community members, prison chaplains and those affected by crime (including families).

The guest speakers were community worker Dave Andrews, Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice Ross Homel, Trish Jenkins, author and international motivational speaker, and spiritual direction specialist Anne Fry.

Prison chaplain Rev Richard Cassady says he enjoys the challenges of ministry.

"I am being called to all of God's people regardless of their own personal circumstance.

We are embarking on this journey which is in response to God's calling and one's life."

Mr Cassady says one of the benefits of being involved in prison ministry is encountering people from all walks of life. "While we may speak the common language of English we are all from different walks of life.

"Our stories are a different language but we can actually come together for a common cause.

What we do relies heavily on God and the Holy Spirit."

Mr Cassady noted that prison ministry is not just about ministering to the inmates but to their families and their communities.

"It's a holistic way of doing things … thus enabling me to shift my focus and also engage with communities and relevant organisations.

"It can create more work but I think the outcome in the longer term can be quite fruitful."

The issue of 17-year-olds in adult prisons is one the church has been vocal on for many years.

Ms Skippen says it is a complex issue.

"We need community involvement and support to reduce crime.

"One of the ways to provide support is an intentional engagement with young offenders, providing programs, keeping them occupied, resourcing," she says.

"Young offenders, women, Aboriginals, and mentally ill offenders are a priority for the department, and the best outcomes will be achieved by working with Corrective Services."

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3759

The theme of National Volunteer Week from 13 to 19 May is "Thanks a million".

Our profile this month is Beverley Homel, president of the volunteer organisation Sands (miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death support) Queensland. Dianne Jensen reports.

A life, however brief, is still a life, and deserves to be acknowledged and remembered.

These words on the Sands website speak straight to the heart of every parent who has suffered pregnancy or early infant loss.

Over 400 babies die every day in Australia through miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death.

Sands is a grassroots community group which supports families, and advocates for care and understanding of bereaved parents in the health system.

Uniting Church member Beverley Homel, a Brisbane solicitor with four adult children, has been president of Sands Queensland Inc since 2010.

She served an earlier stint as president (from 1993 to 1996) and has been a committee member for many years.

The organisation was established in Western Australia in the early 1980s and in Queensland in 1983.

The state office is in Brisbane, with regional groups in Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, the Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba.

Services are provided through local support groups, newsletters, telephone support, and online, including a burgeoning Facebook community.

As with most members and volunteer parent supporters, Ms Homel is herself a bereaved parent.

"I joined Sands WA after our daughter Rosalie was stillborn in 1989.

For the first nine months after Rosalie died the monthly Sands meetings were my lifeline.

Sands was the only place where I was known as Rosalie's mum, where I could tell her story as often as I needed, hear other people's stories and learn from their experiences."

Newly arrived in Perth, the family of five had left behind friends, extended family, and their supportive church community in Sydney.

Few people knew about their loss, and on the surface, everything was fine.

"I was desperate to talk to other people who had lost a baby, who would understand how I felt – the overwhelming gut-wrenching feeling of loss and longing.

To an outsider I would have appeared to be coping quite well, but I can still remember the relief of being able to let the facade drop at Sands and talk about how I really felt."

Finding a safe place to tell your story, among people who have travelled the same path, is the first step toward healing, she says.

"When you haven't had very long with your baby the memories of that brief time are very precious and any physical reminders of the baby are treasured … Parents want to talk about this huge awful thing which has happened to them, they want to say their child's name and to hold on to the reality of that baby who was gone so soon."

Taking time to grieve

While much has changed from the days when mothers were discouraged from seeing or holding their babies, pregnancy and early infant loss is still minimalised by medical staff, family and friends, she says.

"We are uncomfortable with grief in western society, and we allow bereaved parents very little time and very few opportunities to show their grief," says Ms Homel.

"After the funeral, parents are expected to move on.

"Families often worry about a mother who is crying, looking at her baby's photos, and is disinterested in her usual activities.

"They want her to be 'better' and suggest that she go to a doctor for medication or see a counsellor to get over her grief."

In the dark days which followed Rosalie's death, Beverley Homel says that it was her faith that kept her from despair. She was also sustained by those who prayed for and with her family.

"The teaching of the Westminster catechism, that the chief end of Man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, reminded me that the fundamental purpose of my child's life was not frustrated by her death.

She took only one breath in this world but she will still glorify and enjoy God.

"That was the most wonderful comfort – the darkness does not overcome the light."

She also has a strong sense that God has led her to walk alongside other grieving parents.

"When Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan it was in response to the lawyer's question 'Who is my neighbour?'

The lawyer wanted to confine his obligations – if you define your neighbour, then you can identify your non-neighbours too!

Jesus, though, turned the question around, making the lawyer identify who behaved as a neighbour in the story, and then telling the lawyer to go and do the same – to be a neighbour to others in need.

"Sands is where God is telling me to be a neighbour."

Becoming a volunteer and taking on leadership roles was a natural progression for a woman with a strong sense of civic duty and a willingness to jump in where she sees a need.

"When we moved to Queensland in 1992 I joined Sands Queensland because I wanted to give back, not just to the organisation, but to be able to support other bereaved parents in the way I had been supported.

"Sands has given me so much – hard work, frustrations and never-ending problems to solve, certainly, but also the honour and privilege of sharing so many stories and remembering so many little ones whose parents love them so deeply."

Beverley Homel is a memeber of Indooroopilly Uniting Church, Brisbane.

More information: If you have lost a baby, recently or in the past, or you know someone who has lost a baby, Sands can provide support and resources. Visit sandsqld.com for a list of services including face to face, telephone and online support.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3760

On the eve of Fair Trade Fortnight (4 –19 May) Mardi Lumsden explores the pros and cons of Fair Trade.

Last International Women's Day, the Prime Minister, The Hon Julia Gillard MP announced a new whole-of-government strategy to "reinforce ethical behaviour in procurement so that no firm providing goods or services to the Commonwealth is tainted by slavery or people-trafficking anywhere in the supply chain".

This statement reminds us that the purchases we make in Australia have a ripple effect around the globe as the developed world blatantly takes advantage of those who are trapped in a cycle of poverty.

"We know slavery or people-trafficking are becoming a greater issue as the global economy becomes more interlinked," Ms Gillard went on to say.

"I'd hate to see a single cent of public money go to any entity involved in this vile trade."

In 2012 the International Labour Organisation estimated nearly 21 million people were victims of forced labour across the world, trapped in jobs which they were coerced into and cannot leave.

"The Asia-Pacific region accounts for the largest number of forced labourers in the world – 11.7 million (56 per cent) of the global total, followed by Africa at 3.7 million (18 per cent) and Latin America with 1.8 million victims (9 per cent)," the report says.

Australian shops are flooded with products made by taking advantage of people or the environment.

The most common goods to use forced labour in production include cocoa, bricks, pavers, cotton clothing and fabric, carpets, rice, palm oil, tinned fruit and vegetables, fruit juice, prawns, cat food and embroidered textiles.

Fair Trade on the rise

In recent years organisations like Oxfam have helped educate people on the importance of Fair Trade and in one little shop in the inner Brisbane suburb of Paddington, a group of volunteers works hard to improve the lives of women living in poverty.

Founded in 1995 by the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, The Trading Circle is a not-for-profit ethical Fair Trade organisation directly importing and selling 100 per cent Fair Trade products across Australia and New Zealand.

Brisbane store manager, Chrissie Sayer, is a passionate advocate for Fair Trade being part of everyday life.

"I just think it is the most logical thing to do," she says. "Fair Trade is about making positive changes to our future. "It is respect, it's dignity, it's human rights! Everyone is entitled to the same opportunity.

"I am just very fortunate that I was born in a country that allows me, as a woman, to have an education, to have a job and to have a say and to vote.

"Fair Trade is about giving these people in marginalised communities, and anywhere in the world, the same right to be paid a fair price, to be treated with dignity, not to have to work 14 hours a day, not having to give up an education, not having to sell their children, their souls, or their bodies to make a living.

"We are all about empowering women, abolishing exploitation and trafficking, and treating these women with respect. We all deserve that, irrespective of who we are or where we live."

Information is power

Ms Sayer says educating people on the importance of purchasing Fair Trade products is the biggest challenge, but she has noticed a shift in awareness of the issues over the last 16 years.

She says education will happen by living and breathing the values of Fair Trade.

"It is talking about it over the dinner table.

"It is about talking about it at every opportunity, and not necessarily with placards in the street because people often think, 'there is another protest; there's another petition'. It is in everyday conversation."

One of the common barriers cited for not purchasing Fair Trade is cost.

"Actually it is not a lot more expensive. You are getting a quality product, it is an ethical trade, and it is good for the conscience.

It is knowing that your purchase is doing the right thing by another human being and not crippling the human race or another community in Australia or overseas.

"Economic times are tough at the moment.

"People do think long and hard about what they are buying, why they are buying it and the impact it has on their purse.

"However, the more we talk about social justice issues and human rights issues I think people are starting to think, 'OK, maybe I won't buy six blocks of chocolate; maybe I will just buy two blocks of Fair Trade chocolate because it is better quality, ethical, organic'."

Creating a false economy?

Commodities such as tea, coffee and chocolate are perhaps the most identifiable Fair Trade products because they are regulated by the World Fair Trade Organisation.

Fair Trade accreditation allows use of the Fair Trade logo on approved products.

But that logo comes at a price.

There are those who argue that the cost of accreditation prices many Fair Trade businesses out of the market.

"There is a concern that the growers and producers are having to pay exorbitant fees and charges for their product to be accredited," says Ms Sayer.

"That does concern me and makes me wonder if some people do miss out on the opportunity to sell their product because they can't afford to go through the accreditation process.

"Having said that though, to be accredited means that you go through a monitoring process and if I am going to buy a Fair Trade product I need to know that it is ethical.

"I need to know there is a watchdog out there, but does the watchdog need to charge the price it does is my question."

The Fair Trade logo we see on consumables like chocolate, does not extend to other products like clothes, giftware and homewares.

"The system is just not set up for that. It is just too difficult.

"However the producers themselves will be an accredited producer of that product, so there is a monitoring process to ensure their workers are treated fairly, with dignity, and within the guidelines of certain working hours and conditions."

Empowering consumer research

Ms Sayer encourages people to do the research into their favourite products and to ask companies about their production processes.

"Googling is man's best friend these days to do the research and ask the questions when you are shopping.

"Don't be afraid to ask the retailer how ethical that purchase and their business actually is.

"They [retailers] will highlight when it is a Fair Trade, ethical product or an organic process so if it is not highlighted, you need to assume that it is not."

Hopes for Australia's commitment to Fair Trade

"Australia is changing.

"It is a slow process but what I have seen in the last 16 years has really been quite remarkable and very positive.

"The school system is really embracing the social awareness of Fair Trade and ethical trade," says Ms Sayer.

"I'd like to see universities and more corporates take it on board; I'd like to see the government talk about Fair Trade and ethical trade.

"I'd like to see more Fair Trade goods in the major retailers [like Myer and David Jones], even if it is just an area that is dedicated.

"Once they see that customers will shop with them, and the difference it does make, I believe they will see the importance of it in their business."

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3761

Song for Marion

Stars: Gemma Arterton, Christopher Eccleston, Terence Stamp

Rated: PG

Reviewed by Sue and Kate Hutchinson mother and daughter.

Song for Marion is a genuinely affecting story of love, friendship, heartache, persistence, hope and redemption.

For fans of Quartet, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Calendar Girls, this warm-hearted movie, even if predictable, will delight and move you. Marion (Vanessa Redgrave) is a lively grandmother, thoroughly enjoying every opportunity life brings.

Her grumpy husband Arthur (Terrence Stamp) is the opposite: desperate to hold onto life as he knows it.

Marion and Arthur's life is a story of enduring love and respect.

Marion adores her husband and loves him as he is, while holding strongly on to what is important to her – the joy of singing and participating.

Arthur is devoted to his wife, ultimately doing everything in his power to make her happy, even if he has to be manoeuvred and pushed into doing it.

At the local community centre a group of old-age pensioners come together under the voluntary directorship of Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton).

An assorted collection of wonderful characters, they sing, dance and enjoy themselves.

Elizabeth chooses varied and unexpected styles of music, frequently with hilarious results.

When the opportunity to enter a national choir competition comes up, Marion is determined to take part, despite her increasing frailty.

Arthur does not understand her outlook on life and is most reluctant to support this.

Elizabeth, the young choir director, finds being involved in this venture is very much a two-way street.

She remains patient and persistent with Arthur, putting up with his cantankerous outbursts and building trust between them.

When heartbreak strikes, Arthur has to rethink his approach to life and relationships in general.

Eventually he realises it is never too late to change and reaches out to the son he pushed away for many years.

Watch out for the granddaughter, whose love and admiration for her grandfather are straightforward and encouraging.

Director Paul Williams loosely based the characters Marion and Arthur on his grandparents.

He wrote the script after the death of his grandmother from cancer. Rated PG, Song for Marion bridges the generation gap.

We thoroughly enjoyed the movie and found it touched themes in our own lives. A word of warning is necessary: don't forget your tissues!

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3762

Mining touches the lives of rural people in a very different way to those in cities. Katie Lewis reports on an organisation bringing the two groups together.

Bridging the Divide is a non-profit organisation established late last year to create communication and support networks amongst rural, regional and urban communities impacted by coal and coal seam gas mining.

Founder, Annette Hutchins, says she envisaged the Bridging the Divide project as playing a broad role in improving the wellbeing of all Australians through greater urban-rural understanding.

The project organises bus tours to areas touched by coal and coal seam gas mining such as Cameby, Wandoan, Tara, Rosewood, and Acland to provide an opportunity for people to see what is happening and hear people's stories.

With collaboration from professionals, academics, residents, farmers, and community groups Ms Hutchins has expanded the project to include facilitating, organising and fundraising for independent health and environmental testing programs in the Western Downs region.

Ms Hutchins hopes to extend the project to include other areas such as organising social and sporting events (urban-rural "mixers") and Expert Advice Resource (EAR) and buddy systems (professional support) between farmers and people with specialist skills in areas such as health, environmental science and law.

Arnold Rieck, Green Officer for Bremer Brisbane Presbytery and chair of the Rosewood Development Protection Organisation, says it is vital that people in the city should hear about what is happening in rural communities.

He says there are many coal developments west of Ipswich and across Queensland and the information doesn't always reach people in the cities.

As a Bridging the Divide tour guide for the Rosewood area, Mr Reick is passionate about mining issues.

"Our land is precious; we cannot afford to have open cut and coal seam gas mining in the South East corner," he says.

There are many Uniting Church members living in rural areas of Queensland who are being significantly impacted by mining.

Rev Brian Kickbusch, minister with the West Moreton Group (Fernvale-Lowood, Ipswich North, Haigslea, Rosewood and Walloon), says there is a real need for people in the Uniting Church to hear the voices and stories of those affected by the resources boom.

"Those who are affected need encouragement that the rest of the Uniting Church is standing with them," he said.

Katie Lewis Uniting Communications Research Officer

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3763

The President of the Uniting Church in Australia's national Assembly, Rev Professor Andrew Dutney has condemned the kidnapping in which a deacon was killed, and urged Church members to join in prayer for their safe release.

"The Uniting Church in Australia deplores this senseless act of violence against our Christian brothers carrying out their ministry," said Rev Prof Dutney.

"Our prayers and our deepest sympathies are with the deacon who was killed, his family and colleagues."

"We pray to God for the safety and security of Archbishop Ibrahim and Archbishop Yazigi for their congregations and for the people of Syria,"

"We pray also for peace in Syria and the liberation of clergy and people held captive there and in other parts of the world."

The Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo, Yohanna Ibrahim, and the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Aleppo, Paul Yazigi were kidnapped, and a deacon driving them was killed, while they were undertaking a joint humanitarian mission near the Turkish border north of Aleppo.

The murdered driver has been identified as Fatha' Allah Kabboud, a deacon in the Syriac Orthodox Church.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack and the whereabouts of the two men remain unclear.

"I urge Uniting Church members to remember their Christian brothers and sisters in Syria in their intercessions in the days and weeks ahead," said Rev Prof Dutney.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3754

Four of the 23 men who were ordained in 1953 into the ministries of the three uniting churches (becoming ministers in the Uniting Church in 1977) gathered in March to mark the 60th anniversary of their ordination.

Revs Brian Lee, Ron Smith, Ron Elvery and Dr Lewis Born were joined by Babs McIntyre (widow of Ron McIntyre), and greetings were received from Jean Moore, Val Painton and Beryl Willson.

Those unable to be present included Revs Gordon Robinson, Owen Marks, Richmond Kenyon, Neville Ross and Fred Webber.

The Moderator Rev Kaye Ronalds preached at the short Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving. Also present was newly ordained Rev Fa Ngaluafe.

Her presence was a symbol of "the fellowship of the ministry across generations and cultures, and the continuity of God's gifts for and call to Ministry," says Rev Ron Elvery.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3755

Senator Penny Wong, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate and Minister for Finance and Deregulation, has released details of new legislation aimed at safeguarding the right of the not-for-profit sector to advocate in the interests of the community.

Senator Wong addressed representatives from Queensland non-profit community service providers at a forum on 4 March hosted by UnitingCare Queensland.

In addition to UnitingCare Queensland service groups Blue Care and UnitingCare Community, these included Red Cross, St Vincent de Paul, Churches of Christ Care, QCOSS, Queensland Shelter and other leading community organisations based in Queensland.

The Not-for-Profit Sector Freedom to Advocate Bill will be introduced during the next sitting of Federal Parliament.

Senator Wong told the forum "… we are safeguarding the right of the not-for-profit sector to advocate in the interests of the community … It will protect the voice of your sector, banning gag clauses from all Commonwealth contracts.

"We recognise the not-for-profit sector as partners, and in doing so we recognise your right to have your own voice ... a strong voice to advocate in the best interests of those who you represent."

The minister advised that she was writing to all States and Territories calling on premiers to match the federal initiative.

The Queensland Government has inserted gag clauses into Queensland Health service agreements.

Senator Wong also introduced the new Commonwealth Grant Guidelines which establish requirements and key principles that will apply to all Commonwealth grants.

The guidelines are aimed at improving government interaction with the not-for-profit sector and reducing red tape.

Also speaking at the forum was Lin Hatfield Dodds, National Director of UnitingCare Australia, who spoke about insights and lessons for Australian social and economic policy gained during her recent United Kingdom study tour.

In outlining the key similarities between the Australia and the UK, Ms Hatfield Dodds said that both countries share an aversion to public debt and deficit spending.

"This makes sense in the UK where the Eurozone crisis and their own structural deficit have combined to result in genuine fiscal crisis.

"However, in Australia our public debt position — the ratio of public debt to GDP — is strong.

"Australia is one of only five countries worldwide with a triple A rating and positive outlooks with all four major international credit rating agencies," she said.

She said that a key insight from Europe was that economies are stabilised in the bad times not by cutting "soft" social programs, but by staying committed to a strong, stabilising core of such programs.

"Social cohesion requires long term investment in people and communities; investment of the right intensity and duration to be transformative," she said.

For more information see Wong speech and Hatfield Dodds speech

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3756

The research was undertaken in response to concerns expressed by staff and through them, clients and patients.

Although only preliminary research, the report makes compelling reading and also flags the need for further investigation.

One positive outcome from the research has been the building of collaborative networks with other NGO partners.

This group has applied for an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant to understand the socioeconomic impacts of mineral resources development on people who are vulnerable, and the implications for human services providers.

The report is based on more than 100 interviews and surveys conducted with UnitingCare Queensland staff and stakeholders in 2012.

Interviewees included Blue Care staff, UnitingCare Community staff, Uniting Church ministers and members of the broader Uniting Church family, and staff from Frontier Services.

Through these interviews contacts were made to secure interviews and meetings with representatives from other local service providers, community organisations, local government representatives, resource companies, social impact consultants, public servants and accommodation providers.

Analysis of interviews and surveys suggests the mining and gas resources boom exerts high pressure on the human services industry.

Initial findings indicate mining and gas operations increase costs of living, force employees and clients into insecure rental accommodation, change the nature of communities, reduce the supply of volunteers and create higher staff turnover rates.

UnitingCare Community Manager and Gladstone resident Leanne Montgomery was one of those interviewed.

She said that all of her staff have been directly affected in some way from the growth and development in Gladstone and asks how some of the less visible impacts can be measured.

"We have diagnostic tools in which we can measure levels of stress, anxiety and depression.

"But how do measure the other impacts that are less visible?

"How can we measure the loss of sense of community?

"How can we measure the loss of sense of security?

"I have school-aged children and I, along with many others, am very hesitant to allow them to walk home from school alone, even though I live less than 800 meters from the school."

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3757

A day after calling on the New South Wales Government to act to protect farming land, water resources and conservation areas from mining, the church's Synod of New South Wales and the ACT has determined as a matter of policy that it should divest from corporations engaged in the extraction of fossil fuels.

The Synod, meeting at Knox Grammar School, Sydney, also required all Synod bodies whose investments are not managed by its Treasury and Investment Services to implement the policy.

The General Secretary of the Synod will write to other Uniting Church synods and its national Assembly advocating that they also join a divestment campaign.

At previous meetings the Synod had called for creation care to be integrated into all aspects of the church's worship, witness and service, saying the threat of climate change was not being adequately addressed by state and federal governments or the international community.

It said that rapid expansion of fossil fuel mining (particularly coal and coal seam gas) in Australia was directly threatening agricultural land, human health and biodiversity.

Its Ethical Investment Principles call for divestment from companies whose activities "involve substantial change to the environment, which is not or proposed to be made good at the conclusion of the activity".

One member of Synod, Zac Hatfield Dodds, said the church was well past the point of wondering whether it was ethical to invest in climate change.

Synod requested the Ethical Investments Monitoring Committee to identify the companies affected by the new policy, issues that arise from divesting from those companies and how the policy could be carried out.

Alternative investments in renewable energy are to be pursued.

The proposal was brought to Synod by Justin Whelan, Mission Development Manager at Paddington Uniting Church, and Dr Miriam Pepper, a founding member of the church's ecology network, Uniting Earthweb.

They wanted the church's "commitment to ecological sustainability" to be expressed not only in words or pronouncements but also by embodying those words in its life and actions.

The proposal sought to align the church's professed commitment to ecological sustainability with its actions in the world.

Synod heard that Australia had one of the highest per-capita carbon footprints in the world and that 74 per cent of domestic emissions could be traced back to burning fossil fuels.

Australia contributed further to climate change by exporting coal to other countries and was in the midst of massive increase in fossil fuel extraction.

If the proposed Galilee Basin mines were fully developed, the annual carbon dioxide emissions caused by burning their coal alone would exceed those of the United Kingdom or Canada.

Likewise, the rate of expansion of coal seam gas extraction, mainly in south-eastern Queensland and northern New South Wales, was astonishing. The implications of such unfettered expansion, not only for the global climate, but also locally for farmland, forests, human health and aquatic life, were severe.

Synod was told that the destructive impacts of climate change were already being experienced, with only 0.8 degrees Celsius increase in global temperature. The future outlook was bleak, with global emissions rising faster than the "worst case scenario" projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Research by the Carbon Tracker Initiative has found that 80 per cent of known fossil fuel reserves must stay in the ground or sea if exceeding a 2 degree rise in global temperatures is to be avoided.

Mr Whelan said, "This means the basic purpose of fossil fuel companies is now a threat to humanity."

The proposal was part of the global "Go Fossil Free" campaign of divestment from fossil fuel companies.

Article originally printed in Insights Magazine.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3752

The Synod of News South Wales and the ACT has called on the New South Wales Government to act to protect farming land, water resources and conservation areas from mining.

The Synod said the Government should amend the NSW Strategic Regional Land Use Plan so that it identifies and protects from coal mining and coal seam gas exploration and mining:

· areas which should be kept strictly for sustainable agriculture and food production;

· irreplaceable water resources including underground aquifers; and

· high conservation value areas including forests and wilderness areas.

Synod, meeting on April 15 at Knox Grammar School, Sydney, heard how the New South Wales Government had moved recently to protect certain areas including residential areas, wineries and horse studs from CSG exploration and mining.

However, valuable farmland, forests and aquifers in the New England and North West remained unprotected from CSG and coal mining threats.

Synod was told that those agricultural areas and aquifers would be irreplaceable if damaged and the long-term economic cost to New South Wales, Australia and the world would far outweigh the short-term benefits derived from coal and CSG.

Speaking to the proposal, the Rev. Simon Hansford and the Rev. Robert Buchan, from New England North West Presbytery, said, "From the Hunter Valley, through Werris Creek, Quirindi and Gunnedah on the Liverpool Plains, through Boggabri, Narrabri and Moree on the black soil plains of the north west, the coal seam runs.

"Black soil is the ground which crops and farmers love; it holds the moisture long after a fall of rain, and is the heart of the food bowl in the Liverpool Plains and the north west.

"Let us leave for the moment the questions of social impact. Let us leave aside the issues of Fly In-Fly Out and Drive In-Drive Out miners, with the personal costs and stresses on families of twelve day shifts, let us leave aside the huge increase in alcohol and drug use for those who are working those shifts in isolated communities.

The country south, west and north-west of Tamworth is at environmental risk with the mining of coal seam gas.

The aquifer of the Artesian Basin runs a phenomenal way, to Papua New Guinea, and the risks of damage to the aquifer from fracking are considerable.

"The consequences of cracks in the aquifer and poisoned water supplies are disastrous."

They said the decision of the State Government to protect wineries and horse studs from the impacts of coal seam gas exploration was a minimal response to the issue and ignored the realities and implications for those who provided food to much of Australia and to the rest of the world.

"Political allegiances are being realigned over this issue, as the impotence of the Labor, Liberal and National parties is compared by farmers and rural communities to the action and support of Independents and the Greens, not their traditional party of choice."

They said, "The role of the church in this process is not simply to approve this proposal and move on. The role of the church is to be engaged in the conversation, offering mediation in the heat of the debate, offering a voice for those who appear to have none, in the face of the politics and the power of the mining industry."

In their rationale, Mr Bob Minton and Mr Nick Heagney said, "For generations, farmers of our district have produced food for the wider Australian and international communities.

"They have adapted their practices to ensure that future families can also live from and with the land.

"With a growing world population, we believe it is important to protect land that has a history of sustainable food production and which has provided homes and livelihoods for farmers and their employees for generations.

"As a church we should stand in solidarity with those farmers who fear for their security, health and future way of life at this time.

"Similarly, valuable forest and conservation areas, which include the habitats of some rare and endangered species are at risk of irrevocable damage. Caring for creation is a strong part of Christian tradition.

"We are called to be wise stewards of the earth. In terms of our fragile planet, we are facing an ecological crisis. Respect for nature and ecological responsibility are key parts of our faith."

This article was originally printed in Insights Magazine.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3753

Dianne Jensen reports on a central Queensland congregation that is shining a light on effective home-grown mission.

The congregation at Proserpine Whitsunday Uniting Church are firm believers that when local folk get inspired, they can undertake mission projects which will transform themselves, their local community, and the world.

This is the home of Compassion candles and Chappy sticks (lip balm), a thriving business run by volunteers out of St James, Proserpine church hall.

The hand-made product line includes glass-jar candles, Advent candles, and presentation items such as wedding and baptismal candles.

The Chappy sticks are made on-site as well, to a private recipe.

Income from the candles supports sponsor children through Project Compassion, and the Mwandi Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) project through Uniting World and Christian band Remember Seven.

The Chappy sticks support school chaplaincy across Queensland.

Rev Wayne McHugh says it all started with the idea of finding a creative outlet for young people.

"Candle making was simply an idea without a purpose.

The idea of selling them to support sponsor children, and later to support children's mission, was born soon afterwards."

Over four and a half years, the Proserpine Whitsunday venture has sold $15 000 worth of stock.

With no rental or labour costs, expenses are limited to materials and equipment.

The project works because it ticks all the right boxes, says Mr McHugh.

"It is win, win, win — create something that works for the team, create the high-quality product that works for the customer, and create something that has a purpose that works for someone beyond ourselves," he says.

"The people involved get inspired, and the people who buy the product get inspired."

And as a congregation-based initiative, the project supports the Together on the way, enriching community vision for locally fuelled ventures that will help Synod into mission, he adds.

What is a church doing in the business world?

"We do it as an activity of the local church, not as a business," says Mr McHugh.

"Our church has run an annual flower show for the last 70 years, and runs two jumble sales a year.

I grew up with lamington drives and street stalls in my local church — both business activities.

This is just more continuous, which allows us to get better at it and reach a wider market."

The candles and lip balm are sold locally and online, and through Revs Peter Taubner (Isis) and Russell Reynoldson (Forest Lake) who are partners and distributors.

Both men are now putting their own value-add onto the pre-made candles, allowing them to generate funds for mission projects of their choice.

For product distribution enquiries contact: pwuc@comcen.com.au or rev.russell@bigpond.com

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3748

Burleigh Heads Uniting Church is known locally as 'the church on the hill' and is situated on the outskirts of the busy Gold Coast region. Tara Burton spoke to co-founder of the Burleigh Heads Never Alone Friendship Centre, Neville Free.

Who makes up your congregation?

Burleigh Heads Uniting Church is a worshipping and caring congregation of 260 members.

It is fair to say that we have a congregation of mature-aged people who are young in mind and heart.

As tourism is a big part of the local economy, we have visitors at each service from all around Australia and from different parts of the globe.

We are entering into a partnership agreement with the Tallebudgera Uniting Church which although in the early stages will no doubt lead to two strong congregations.

How are you enriching your community?

In recent years and under the ministry of Rev Colin Batt, who is also police chaplain for the Tweed District, the church has striven to reach out to the community.

Leading this is the Never Alone Friendship Centre which began in September 2010.

This ministry aims to reach lonely and isolated people in the community.

From a humble beginning of 12 guests, we now have 53 people registered, along with 27 volunteers.

Each Christmas the centre provides Christmas Day lunch for those in the community who would otherwise spend it alone.

Last Christmas we catered for 212 people including 70 volunteers.

We have assisted our sister churches at Nerang and Southport to open similar programs.

Because of our location and the transience of society, we have a heavy call to support homeless and needy people and those who are not coping with life.

Four members of our congregation have been presented with Community Service Awards honouring their commitment to the local community.

What is your vision for the future?

We have adopted the Synod's Together on the way, enriching community plan, and are working towards where we will be in 2020.

We want to see a vital and re-invigorated church, serving Christ and the community of all ages.

We are in the process of assessing the needs of our locality, and planning to build a service that will meet these needs with professional and suitably trained staff.

We are looking at attracting young families and youth through the Family@5 program. This is a new initiative aimed at offering an alternative worship service to cater for those who require a late afternoon family service rather than the traditional morning service. The afternoon includes a spiritual message, family fun and a barbecue.

Fast Facts:

Community:

· population 9188, 52.2 per cent female

· average age 40 years

· a mix of holiday apartments, permanent rental accommodation and private residential blocks, including the Burleigh Cove Community

· five aged-care/retirement facilities.

Mission focus:

· to be faithful to the call of our Lord, both within the congregation and the wider community

· to create a caring community in Christ.

What's new:

· RE ministry to three schools

· support for school chaplaincy

· community chaplain

· programs include indoor bowls, walking group, Art Attack, and the Never Alone Friendship Centre

· volunteers assist with on-site playgroups.

Social media:

· Facebook

· Website: burleighheadsuniting.com.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3749

Talking about ethics: Negotiating the maze

Acorn Press, 2011

RRP $14.95

Reviewed by ethicist Trevor Jordan.

It is often said that "ethics is a conversation", but as Justin Denholm points out in his helpful study guide, we need conversations that go beyond a mere sharing of opinions or disagreements.

Talking about ethics is a good place to start for Christians interested in becoming part of the ethics discussion.

Dr Justin Denholm has directed the Centre for Applied Christian Ethics at Ridley College Melbourne since 2008.

He provides succinct introductions to common approaches to ethics — principle, utility and character (virtues).

Perhaps that latter could have been fruitfully expanded, as it often is, to include the feminist ethics-of-care approach, particularly as Denholm is otherwise careful to explain how ethical approaches are shaped by our worldviews; that is, our interlocking beliefs and attitudes about the physical world and the human condition.

For Denholm, the best way to study Christian ethics is in conversation with other Christians.

He offers practical and clear guidance about the relationship between Christian ethics and other approaches, and how to encourage ethical reflection both in the church and in the wider community.

Denholm offers advice on using the Bible in ethics, recognising that there is no reliable index for ethical issues in Scripture that could save us from the necessity of interpreting passages both in the light of Jesus prioritising love as the great commandment, and the realities of modern life.

For example, there would be no entry under "F" for Facebook, a current site of ethical concerns.

A strong emphasis is placed on first understanding the viewpoints of others, and then offering a Christian alternative, if need be, in a reasonable and constructive way.

Even within the church there are differences of opinion on ethical issues, so creating a safe environment for ethics discussion is important.

This is achieved primarily by encouraging each other to "play the ball and not the player". Using stories as tools in ethics discussions will lead to a greater appreciation that ethical decisions are embedded in relationships, rather than being free-floating intellectual calculations.

Recommended for groups wanting to start talking about ethics.

Trevor Jordan is the founder of Encouraging Ethics .

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3750

Dreaming a New Earth: Raimon Pannikar and Indigenous Spiritualities

Mosaic Press 2012

RRP $39.95

Reviewed by David Pitman.

This is a book about indigenous spiritualities, with particular reference to Australia, Korea, Japan and New Zealand. It is a collection of articles, written by authors from around the world, that offer a strong affirmation of the integrity and authenticity of indigenous spiritualities and the way in which they gather up and interpret every dimension of life for those who are born into them.

We have come quite late in Australia to an appreciation of the deep, abiding spirituality of our own indigenous people, and the realisation of just how much harm was inflicted by those who sought to deprecate and suppress it in every way possible for nearly 200 years.

Anyone who still has doubts about just how badly indigenous people in this country were treated (and still are being treated in many respects) should read Richard Trudgen's book, Why Warriors Lie Down and Die, and the compelling Rainbow Spirit Theology, written by a group of Australian Christian Aboriginals.

The various contributions in Dreaming a New Earth are all informed by the work of Raimon Pannikar (1918-2010). His mother was a Spanish Catholic and his father an Indian Hindu.

He was a committed Christian, an ordained Roman Catholic priest, a theologian who wrote prolifically (more than 40 books and 400 journal articles) and he devoted most of his adult life to interfaith and intercultural dialogue.

Pannikar had a deep respect for indigenous spirituality.

Pannikar used the term "cosmotheandric" in order to argue that the reality we experience every day is comprised of three inter-related elements: the cosmic, the divine and the human.

He argued that we can think about each of these dimensions of reality individually, but we can't separate them without doing damage to the way in which that reality is experienced.

He was convinced that many in western thought endeavour to separate them for the purpose of study and discussion, but that indigenous spiritualities understand how they properly exist only in a vibrant unity with each other.

Pannikar was convinced that true spirituality takes seriously the presence of God in the whole of creation, the vital need to build community in the midst of diversity, and the individual search to discover meaning in life.

He found all three of these elements, alive and dynamically inter-related, in the indigenous spiritualities that he encountered through his work.

He was deeply respectful of the spirituality of indigenous Australians.

Anyone interested in indigenous spirituality will find this book interesting and provocative.

It also offers an introduction to one particular aspect of Pannikar's immense contribution to the field of religious studies and inter-religious conversation.

Rev Dr David Pitman is the Past Moderator of the Uniting Church in Queensland

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3751

For many of us Easter is an opportunity to engage and reflect on the significance of the sacrifice on the Cross and the power God has over death and the resurrection of Christ.

But for many, it is also a time of loud music, large crowds and a weekend away at Easterfest.

Every year, the Darling Downs city of Toowoomba swells as thousands of people meet for Australia's largest Christian music festival Easterfest.

An independent study done by QUT after last year's festival showed the festival injects around 12 million dollars into the local community every year.

This was enough evidence for the QLD government to this year give Easterfest funding through the significant regional events funding program, ensuring major event status for the festival over the next 3 years.

Seventeen year old Mikala from Emmanuel Uniting Church says "it's about the spirit of everyone coming together.

"Everyone is here to share this amazing time of year in the Christian calendar.

"The bands the friends everything...it's the perfect atmosphere".

Headline artists included Peter Furler, Paul Colman, New World Son and Audio Adrenaline and they rocked crowds on main stage each night, despite a wet muddy experience Sunday night after heavy rain.

Away from the main stage, four Queens Park stages and multiple venues across Toowoomba City saw smaller independent artists and a variety of popular CCM performers entertain nearly continuously over the three days.

Bremer Brisbane Presbytery youth resource minister Rev Josie Nottle said that the Easterfest weekend is very special.

"We had about 80 in our group, most of them are youth grouped but not necessarily churched, but they love it and it's something about the community and the vibe they love.

"I was reluctant because Easterfest doesn't really disciple the young people but then as I became open to the idea again I realised that we can disciple them throughout Easterfest if we are intentional.

"I try to be intentional about how we promote the Easter story, we had daily community time where we walked through the story of Easter which culminated in communion on Sunday" she recalls.

In an effort to keep things fresh, organisers also introduced a continuous worship venue over the entire weekend in the former church adjacent to the Empire Theatre, a Jazz Supper Club on Saturday night in The Palace featuring Sharny Russell, perennial favourites SCAT, and Trumpet Maestro James Morrison accompanied by vocalist Emma Pask; a Rockwiz style comedy quiz show on Sunday afternoon with comedian/radio host Luke Holt, former Alabaster Box lead Singer Naarah Seagrot and Brisbane singer Bec Laughton were amongst the talent.

There was also a variety of low key gospel in the city events in CBD churches culminating in a special 90 minute performance by James Morrison, Emma Pask and band on Sunday afternoon at the Empire theatre.

For the first time this year there was a variety of stages able to be streamed live on the internet on Easterfest TV and a simulcast of the main stage on Sunday night across the country on Christian radio network Vision Radio and some affiliate stations.

Festival Director Dave Schenk paid tribute to his entire team in making the event come alive and commented that the wet weather did have an impact on final numbers for the festival.

"Numbers were down on Sunday, but the other days had similar numbers to last year" he says.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3745

I visited Alex a few times after I had conducted his wife's funeral. He recalled being in school one hot afternoon in Rockhampton when a man came running through the grounds announcing, "The war is over! The war is over!" The man continued on his way, jumping over fences and running through back yards to let everyone know that the long dark night was over.

That was the Second World War, the one that followed the "war to end all wars".

From time to time I have sat in churches and read through the names on the honour rolls and looked at the stained-glass windows dedicated to the memory of the fallen.

Across Queensland there are all kinds of memorials — cenotaphs, community halls, churches, swimming pools and on the road between Brooweena and Woolooga, a bridge.

These constructions were small compensation to the communities that had farewelled their men yet they did serve as a reminder of the shocking loss and futility of war.

By the time the Uniting Church was formed in 1977 Australia had grown weary of military solutions to conflict.

In our Statement to the Nation we announced: "We pledge ourselves to hope and work for a nation whose goals are not guided by self-interest alone, but by concern for the welfare of all persons everywhere — the family of the One God — the God made known in Jesus of Nazareth, the One who gave His life for others."

In 1983 the Third Assembly passed a resolution on militarism and disarmament which began by acknowledging the crucified and risen Christ's call to Christians to be peacemakers; to save life, to heal and to love their neighbours.

The testing of nuclear weapons at that time plus the threat of nuclear war contributed to a deep concern about the potential for catastrophe.

Uniting Church members were urged to become educated about these issues and to participate in study groups to discuss alternative means for settling disputes.

Each time the Church made such resolutions it expressed support for the work of Defence Force chaplains and the men and women in the Defence Force.

As an Army Reserve chaplain I am proud to have been part of the history of the Royal Australian Army Chaplains Department but I suspect that at times military chaplains have walked a lonely path to do their duty.

Perhaps this is even more acute for those active Christians who have chosen a military career.

Whenever I sing the chorus based on Isaiah 52:7, about how welcome are the feet of those who bring good news and announce peace, I think of Alex, and I remember the relief of his community when the war was over.

I wonder how, as disciples of Jesus, we might equip ourselves to become brokers of peace in our families, our nation and even to the ends of the earth.

Rev Kaye Ronalds, Queensland Synod Moderator

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The Year of Discipleship is part of the Uniting Church in Queensland's Vision 2020, focusing on the call to form active and accountable disciples of all ages. Mel Perkins reminds us that we are all 'works in progress' on the discipleship journey.

Life throws up many challenges that get us thinking about faith, and sometimes being a disciple is hard. How are we to tell of the Good News of Christ amongst a world so full of pain and suffering?

I remember having conversations with folk (in Brisbane) after the attacks on the World Trade Centre in America in 2001 — many spoke of how their whole world view had shifted; they no longer felt safe and they wondered how God fitted into it all.

In pastoral ministry I have come across many people expressing the same questions after the loss of a loved one, particularly if the person was young or the loss was unexpected, or during natural disasters.

Where is God in all of this? Did God cause/send the illness/accident?

How could God allow this to happen? Does God even care that they are suffering?

When my husband died at age 40 from cancer, I found myself asking much the same questions.

Under a great burden of grief and pain, my faith in God suffered a major blow.

Thankfully for me I was surrounded by a community of believers, a number of whom had engaged in theological study.

Their questioning and informed faith helped me to begin to build a new framework in which to understand God, which was strengthened further by my own theological study (which began a few years later).

I found great relief in knowing that others had questioned and grappled before me — for over 2000 years!

I was reassured to find that revelation from God could come through Scripture, tradition, experience and reason (from John Wesley's writings).

At Pilgrim Learning Community, we believe that we are all "works in progress" on a journey; staff, lecturers and students.

As lecturers we aim to encourage students to love God with all their heart, soul, strength and mind (Mark 12:30) as we teach from Scripture and 2000 years of Christian scholarship.

We seek to give students opportunities to understand how church scholars have grappled with the biblical text and matters of doctrine and theology in various ways since the time of Jesus and back into the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).

Some find themselves excited by what they learn and others fi nd their faith in God deeply challenged.

Part of our role as lecturers is to walk alongside our students as they engage and grapple with what they are learning — to encourage them to allow conversation between their studies, their lives and God.

We pray that the learning opportunities we offer will inform and deepen their faith and their love for this amazing Triune God — the One who invites us into God's own life, to be fashioned as disciples for a hurting world.

Rev Mel Perkins Christian Education Lecturer for Pilgrim Learning Community.

www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=3747