News from Uniting Church SA
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Tuesday 7 October 2025
Renew event – Closes this weekend!
We've had an overwhelming response to Renew. Registrations close first thing
(9 am sharp) on this coming Monday 13 October, so book now to avoid missing out and to help us organise catering and arrangements.
Register now using the button below!
Renew Grant
Exclusive to attendees at Renew, Synod will be offering a new one-off grant for innovative projects flowing from the Renew event, thanks to the support of UCInvest.
Marking 7 years of the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
On 22 October 2018, former Prime Minister Scott Morrison delivered an historic National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse. This year marks the seventh anniversary of this National Apology.
The Uniting Church in Australia acknowledges and laments the role of the Uniting Church and its predecessor churches in causing harm to children. It is fully committed to growing a culture of safety across the whole Church and creating communities where all people can flourish in safety and security.
To mark the anniversary, the Uniting Church in Australia Assembly has released a worship liturgy and a statement which you can access below.
2025–2026 Uniting Church Lectionary – Available now
The Assembly has released the 2025–2026 Uniting Church Lectionary (Year A), a key resource for preaching and worship leading in the ‘Year of Matthew’. It begins at the start of Advent, which is November 30 this year.
The Lectionary is now available to download from the Assembly website, and hard copies are available to order from Wayzgoose, the online store for Uniting Church resources.
This year's lectionary continues with the new-look poster format for easy reference. It includes listings of special days officially adopted by the Assembly.
UnitingWorld needs your help this Christmas!
In the lead-up to Christmas, Uniting Churches across Australia host gift stalls to promote poverty-fighting gifts from UnitingWorld’s Everything in Common catalogue. It’s a powerful way to turn generosity into practical support for people working hard to overcome poverty, injustice and the impacts of climate change.
Every card sold represents a life-changing gift: goats, clean water, solar lights, food gardens, seedlings, small business support and more!
Register for a stall and UnitingWorld will send you everything you need.
AED order update
Thank you to all congregations who placed and paid for their AED orders promptly.
This is an update to confirm the Synod is still experiencing significant delays with the processing and delivery of AEDs orders. This is due to unexpected import delays beyond the Synod’s or our supplier’s control.
AEDs have begun to be delivered, with our first batch of 50 almost complete, however there is now a backlog of orders affecting a number of organisations, including the Uniting Church.
We are working with our supplier to ensure all orders are fulfilled as soon as possible and apologise for any inconvenience. Thank you for your ongoing patience.
Red Dove Café – Grant applications open
Each year, proceeds raised through the Red Dove Café at the Adelaide Royal Show go towards mission activities of the wider Church in South Australia.
One such avenue is through the Red Dove Grant, available to projects that respond to the needs of ‘the least of these’, which is so central to the mission of the Red Dove Café.
Applications for the 2025 Red Dove Grant are now open and close on October 31, 2025. To apply, please complete the form below.
Sally Stamp is always looking for your unwanted stamps
We urgently need your stamps and collections to keep volunteers busy until the middle of December 2025. Please put notices in your church newsletters. Pick-up can be arranged in the metro area.
Maxine Haines – Convenor – UCA Stamp Group Email: jimmax.haines@bigpond.com or mobile phone 0427 972417
Events
Understanding the Israel and Palestine conflict – Rev Tim Costello
Malvern Uniting Church invites you to an evening with Rev Tim Costello AO on Saturday 11 October 2025, from 7 pm to 9 pm. The event, Understanding the Israel and Palestine Conflict: A Christian Response, will explore the complexities of the conflict and offer reflections from a faith perspective.
Cost is $10 per person, with tea and coffee provided.
Please register online and for more information, contact admin@malvernuc.com
The Polkinghorne Oration – 16 Oct 2025
The Polkinghorne Oration will be held on 16 October 2025 at Adelaide West Uniting Church, 312 Sir Donald Bradman Drive, Brooklyn Park. The event will begin at 7 pm, with doors opening at 6:15 pm.
This year’s guest speaker is Rev Tim Costello AO, who will address the theme, “The Challenge of Our Times: Climate Change in the Context of a Culture in Crisis”.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for concession. A livestream link will be available to all registrants.
Loss and hope – Naming the reality and moving into the future
All Uniting Church members are warmly invited to the morning session of the Presbytery of Southern SA AGM on Saturday 1 November, 9.00 am–1.00 pm at The Corner Uniting Church.
Guest preacher and presenter Professor Liz Boase, a Hebrew Bible scholar and Dean of Graduate Research at the University of Divinity, will speak on the themes of trauma, lament, anger, judgement, and hope through the lens of the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations, and their relevance for the Church today.
Enquiries: Beth Seaman – southern.prc@sa.uca.org.au
Yeelanna UC 70th Anniversary
– 2 November 2025
All community members, including past and present attendees, families, and former ministers, are warmly invited to attend the 70th Anniversary Celebration of the Yeelanna Uniting Church. The service will be held on Sunday, 2 November at 10:00 am at the Yeelanna Uniting Church.
Following the service, a barbecue lunch will be provided, and the Yeelanna Museum will be open for visitors. RSVPs are appreciated for catering purposes and should be directed to Ashley Lawrie on 0429 855 360 by 27 October.
Upcoming events
October
11 – Mitcham Village UC community garden open day
11 – Connect Women's Conference
11 – Understanding the Israel and Palestine Conflict with Rev Dr Tim Costello
12 – Maitland UC 150th Celebration – Quiz Night, Car Boot Sale and Service
12 – The Kym Purling Trio in concert
16 – Polkinghorne Oration with Rev Dr Tim Costello
17–18 – Renew synod resourcing event
18 – Stillpoint guided retreat
19 – Live Arts at Newland – Victor Harbor
19 – 150th Anniversary of Clarendon Uniting Church
19 – A Gathering of Allies in South Australia
News from the Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia this week includes:
Reflection of the week
Redefining Security
[The rich man] said, “I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”
—Luke 12:18–19
This man epitomizes the confidence and narcissism of a civilization ... He talks to himself about himself, and neither listens to nor thinks of anyone else ... He asks himself what to do to maintain stability, to keep the system going, to keep the growth in GDP flowing, so he can take it easy, party, and chill. He tells himself the answer (wealth is the ultimate echo chamber): Grow! Build bigger barns to hoard more stuff ...
Father Richard Rohr
Prayer for the week
A prayer for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees
Jesus was always on the move, too,
Stirring up dust on the roads, swaying to the swells of the sea.
I like to picture how far the wind has blown since then,
Across these thousands of years and millions of miles,
Carrying the dirt he tread upon all around the globe,
Whisking the waves he sailed in to every corner of the world.
Migrants and refugees who seek new work, new homes
Carry with them, perhaps, a grain of sand that Jesus touched,
A drop of water that held him aloft.
But they carry much more than that –
One cannot gaze upon them without seeing
Millions of perfect permutations of the image of God.
By land or by sea, every journey is a sacred one.
Holy the hush of feet across the desert,
Blessed the boats that traverse the oceans.
Jesus, they say, had no home, no place to rest his head.
May these precious ones find rest, find welcome,
Find mercy on our shores.
Amen.
Written by Cameron Bellm
Resources to help people worship and pray together as a gathered community or at home. These resources are generously prepared by Rev Cheryl Wilson.
Positions and placements
Activity Facilitator – Beyond Limits Outdoor Education – Open now
Centre Manager, Tarooki – Robe – Closes 12 October
Lead Activity Facilitator – Beyond Limits Outdoor Education – Closes 13 October
Maintenance Hand – Adare Camp and Caravan Park – Closes 13 October
Program Coordinator – Beyond Limits Outdoor Education – Closes 15 October
Children and Family Pastoral Coordinator – Meadows Uniting Church – Closes 15 October
UC eNews is the weekly email newsletter of the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of South Australia. If you’d like to include content in UC eNews or on the Synod of South Australia website, please submit it by COB Mondays.
