Hobart develops its future faith mission

A report has been released providing an alternative vision of the church’s mission for the greater Hobart region over the next decade.

The How Then Shall We Live? report follows nine months of research from the Uniting Alive: Hobart 2020 taskforce and describes a church focused on outward development rather than the necessary continuation of the church.

The report says the Uniting Church of greater Hobart should dream imaginatively, risk freely and resource courageously as it follows a path of social justice centricity. It says the church’s growth will create a network of congregations, faith communities and fresh expressions of church and agencies.

Read the report at the Uniting Church Vic Tas Media Room.

SWAC applications called for

Applications for the Uniting Church’s 2010 Schoolies With a Cause (SWAC) scheme close on 30 April.

SWAC is a Commission For Mission (CFM) initiative which offers an experiential ‘Schoolies’ alternative, placing students in different cultures and contexts at home and abroad.

The 2010 SWAC programs focus on the environment (at the Grampians National Park), cultural interaction in Indonesia, and Indigenous Australia at Cape York.

For more information, visit www.schoolieswithacause.org.

Proof of miracle needed for sainthood?

Australia - described in the 19th century by a Scottish church minister as "the most Godless place under heaven" - will get its first saint when Sister Mary MacKillop is canonised by Pope Benedict XVI later in the year.

Some Protestant church leaders have, however, raised questions about the need to find "proof of a miracle" in order for her sainthood to be confirmed.

Read the full story here at the Uniting Church Vic Tas Media Room
.

Latest aged care project begins at Noble Park

A next generation $17.6 million residential and community services project in Noble Park is the latest move by Uniting Aged Care Victoria & Tasmania (UACV&T) to provide for the current and future needs of the local community.

The development at UACV&T’s Trewint site at Noble Park is the organisation’s third announced in the last four months. It follows a $10.2 million development for 50 units throughout Tasmania and a $36.2 million continuing-care retirement community in Melbourne’s Kingsville.

Read the full story here at the Uniting Church Vic & Tas Media Room.

UC pursues climate change policies

Despite the hype of a global resolve at the Copenhagen climate change negotiations, the result is viewed by the Uniting Church as disappointing.

The final agreement, which is known as the Copenhagen Accord, supports keeping the global average temperature increase below 2oC, but has failed to make any commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

However, the UC is continuing to push the Australian Government to take greater action and to increase its greenhouse gas reduction target.

Read the full story here at the Uniting Church Vic Tas Media Room.