Friday 12th August 2022
International Youth Day
Saturday 13th August, 12-4pm
‘The transforming power of Scripture in the language of the people’ (A free symposium marking 500 years of Martin Luther’s September Testament 1522)
In this afternoon symposium, theologians from Melbourne and overseas will assess the impact of vernacular translations of the Scriptures. Presenters include: Ashley Null (keynote lecturer), Peter Adam OAM, Rhys Bezzant, Bob Derrenbacker, Katherine Firth, Andreas Loewe, Dorothy Lee FAHA and Andreas Stegmann.
Venue: Barbara Darling Room, St Paul’s Cathedral
209 Flinders Lane Melbourne VIC 300
Information & Bookings: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/372573827347
The Symposium will be live-streamed and posted on St. Paul’s Cathedral YouTube channel.
Sunday August 14 – Prayers for reunification of Korea
Each year, the World Council of Churches and the World Communion of Reformed Churches call member churches to pray for peace and unity in Korea, and peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula. Romans 14:19: “Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” The prayer is traditionally used on the Sunday before 15th August each year.
(August 15 is Liberation Day in both South and North Korea. It marks the date in 1945 when Korea gained independence from Japanese colonial oppression. Sadly and ironically, the 15th of August also marks the day Korea divided into two countries. The Korean Peninsula remains divided and without a formal peace agreement more than 70 years after the end of World War II)
VCC media resource here with information, reflection and prayer.
Worship resources here.
Prayer by 2nd Gen Korean migrant & young UCA leader Joy Han here.
Wednesday 17th August 12-2pm
Victorian Church Leaders Network gathering
Thursday 18th August, 5.30-7.15pm
The Problem of Evil, and Jesus: An Answer I Can Live With.
The 2022 Leon Morris Lecture with Rev. Dr Graham Cole.
In person at Ridley College and online Livestream. Cost: Free.
Register here.
Sunday August 21, 3.30-4.30pm
Ecumenical Anniversary Service
St Patrick’s Cathedral will host an Ecumenical Anniversary Service to mark the 175th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. This coincides with the establishment of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne on 25 June 1847 – the day Melbourne was proclaimed a city.
As part of the ongoing joint celebrations this year, St Patrick’s Cathedral Choir and Singers will be joined by St Paul’s Cathedral Choir. Music by Palestrina and Duruflé and a new hymn specially written for this anniversary year, ‘Come Down to Earth, Our God of Wisdom’, with lyrics by Katherine Firth and music by Christopher Willcock.
Venue: St Patrick’s Cathedral 2 Cathedral Pl, East Melbourne 3002
World Water Week, 23 August – 1 September 2022
Theme: Seeing the Unseen: The Value of Water
Within the observable universe, our planet is astonishingly rare in having a coating of water. The groundwater and surface water, oceans and atmosphere, create an environment on which all life depends, but which itself is described by so many astronauts as looking impossibly fragile. For the first time in our planet’s history, one life-form – humankind – now has the power to affect that water environment for better or for worse. Understanding, valuing and caring for water in all its forms will be essential for humankind’s survival. Perhaps congregations might like to include a focus on water on Sunday 28th August? Some worship resources for ‘water’ can be found here.
23rd August International Day For The Remembrance Of The Slave Trade And Its Abolition
More here.
Tuesday 30th August 2022, 9.30am-5pm
Research Symposium: ‘Gender, Sexuality and the Christian Clergy’
MEMS (IRCI) in association with the Gender & Women’s History Research Centre (IHSS)
Venue: Level 4, 250 Victoria Pde, East Melbourne (opposite main campus) Room: 460.4.28
This is a face to face symposium only
To register: julie.carpenter@acu.edu.au
31st August – 8th September
11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches
Karlsruhe, Germany
‘Christ’s love leads the world to reconciliation and unity’
Friday 2 September 2022, 5.30-6.30pm
The Anglican Institute Lecture
Reforming and Renewing Anglicanism: A Way Forward
Speaker: Rev Dr Peter Adam
This lecture organised by the Anglican Institute will acknowledge the crisis in the national church, and ask how a plan for a future can be imagined where structures and theology are fit for purpose, and outline how we might work for such a vision.
In person and online livestream. Registration here.
Saturday 3 September 2022, 7 pm Taize Service
Chalice (Northcote Uniting Church) hold a Taize service on the first Saturday each month.
Venue: 251 High St, Northcote
(Bring $10 towards pizza and wine – but not essential)
See Facebook page here.
Sunday 4th September, 2-3pm
Melbourne Writers Festival – Tampa: 20 years on
Abbas Nazari is a proud Afghan-Kiwi and Fulbright scholar and the author of After the Tampa, a memoir of his family’s journey of fleeing Afghanistan as refugees, being rescued by the Tampa in 2001. He will be in conversation with Michael Green about the life he has since built in New Zealand and the power of hope.
Venue: The Wheeler Centre, Performance Space
Cost: $25/$20
More information and bookings here.
(Note: a forum has been planned with Abbas while he is in Australia, to be held on Saturday 10th September, 2-3.15pm. The planning team is Australian Refugee Action Network, Victorian Council of Churches and Academics for Refugees. Hosted by St Paul’s Cathedral. See information below for more details).
4th-10th September 2022
Child Protection Week (first week in Sept every year)
2022 theme: ‘Every child in every community needs a fair go’
Organised by NAPCAN
For liturgical resources could check out Child Protection Week
Sunday 5th September – Week 1 of Season of Creation
(continues through Sundays in September)
Season of Creation is the annual ecumenical celebration that unites the world’s 2.4 billion Christians in prayer and action for our common home. The 2022 Season of Creation theme reflects on the need for all Christians to truly “Listen to the Voice of Creation”. God’s creation moans ever louder and suffers more every day amidst the ongoing climate emergency and biodiversity crisis.
All Christians are encouraged to embrace the ecumenical Season of Creation and recognize how as one global Christian family united for our common home, we can be a force for so much good.
Father Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam, Coordinator of the Sector of Ecology and Creation at the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development reflects, “Creation speaks to us eloquently of the glory of God but we fail to contemplate, to listen. The root cause is probably we don’t have the right attitude. That is the basic perspective we need to recover. Recover creation as a temple… as a holy place.”
Launch of 2022 Season of Creation information here.
Season of Creation homepage here.
Worship resources here.
Also, the Crying Out resource could be helpful given the focus on the Statement of the Heart, and relating it to Care for the Environment. Crying Out – A Response to Exploring the Statement from the Heart and Care for the Environment
(Roman Catholic and Uniting Church dialogue in South Australia)
Downloadable resources.
Saturday September 10th, 10am-1pm
Preventing Violence in Families and Homes – building greater awareness, learning how to respond, access help and become better allies.
Venue: St Paul’s Cathedral, Education and Ministry Centre
206 Flinders St, Melbourne
The workshop will be led by Canon Jane Window, Canon Pastor of St Paul’s Cathedral and Kerryn Lewis, Program Manager, Prevention of Violence Against Women, Diocese of Melbourne
The Prevention of Violence against Women Program (PVAW) is an initiative of the Diocese of Melbourne to support and equip church leaders and communities to respond to and help to prevent violence against women. To find our more about its work and to access further materials, please visit: www.melbourneanglican.org.au/pvaw/
10 September 1.30pm
Refugee Forum with Abbas Nazari, author of ‘After the Tampa’
Venue: St Paul’s Cathedral, 206 Flinders St, Melbourne
September 11th & 18th 2022 SAVE THE DATE
2-5.30pm
Planning is underway for the JCMA 2022 online conference which will be exploring the meaning of the theme WISDOM in our 3 Abrahamic traditions. There will be a range of speakers who will explore this theme and there will be opportunities for conference participants to add to the many discussions around wisdom.
More information and how to register is coming up.
Contact:
David Schutz – david.schutz@bigpond.com
Ginette Everest – executiveofficer@jcma.org.au
Sunday 11th September 2022
21st anniversary of 9/11. Focus on prayers for peace.
Resources here.
September 15-22, 2022
World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel
Theme: “Faith, Hope and Love in Action: Towards Justice in Israel Palestine.”
World Council of Churches (WCC) invites people and churches all over the world to pray, advocate, and stand in solidarity with people in the Holy Land during the World Week for Peace in Palestine and Israel. This year, the theme is anchored in active hope and in striving for a better future with no occupation.
Worship resources and information here.
11th October 2o22
International Day of the Girl Child
12th October 2022
20th anniversary of Bali bombings
16-20th October 2022
Anti-Poverty Week
(17th of October is the United Nations Day for the Eradication of Poverty)
Wednesday 26th October, 7.30pm
Maroondah Winter Shelter Advocacy Group is hosting a Housing Forum at North Ringwood Uniting Church, 14 Dickson Crescent, North Ringwood prior to the Victorian State Election which will be on November 26th, 2022.
Contact and more information: minister@nruc.org.au
1st November 2022
All Saints Day
20th November 2022
World Children’s Day
Wednesday 23rd November 2022
Go Home on Time Day
This is an initiative of the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work, and serves as an accessible way to start conversations about work-life balance and the enormous unpaid contributions staff make to their workplaces. ‘Time Theft‘
25th November: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
The day raises awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence. Learn and pray in your church Sunday 20 or 27 November, or revisit the Common Grace 16 Days of Prayer series here.
The annual Holding the Light Service will be held at Eastern Hill Anglican Church.
25 November to 10 December 2022
The United Nation’s international campaign 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, takes place each year from 25 November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) until 10 December (International Human Rights Day). The 2022 theme is ‘Respect Women: Call It Out (Respect Is)’.
‘Safe and Equal’ website here.
Blessing of the Nativity (date in mid Dec to be advised)
The annual ‘Blessing of the Nativity scene‘, with representatives of the City and the inner city churches, will take place at Federation Square (corner of Swanston Street & Flinders Street).
JCMA On-line Monthly Discussion Group
(Jewish Christian Muslim Association)
Scriptural Reasoning Three Part Discussion Series:
‘Cosmos, Creation, Life & Death’
Part 1 – Cosmos & Creation (9th August)
Part 2 and 3 – dates tbc
More information and registration here.
Zoom link will be sent to those who register nearer the event time.
People are welcome to bring along any piece of writing they have found helpful for understanding the concept of ‘Creation’ or ‘Creator’ in their religious tradition.
As always, the JCMA Discussion Group is not a ‘presentation’, but a joint conversation about pieces of writing in which we find something of our faith reflected, and which we would like to share with others in JCMA.
ARCHIVED EVENTS here
Other dates for First Nations people here
Key dates 2023
9th August
United Nations International Day of World’s Indigenous People
10th August International Prisoners’ Justice Day
Prisoners’ Justice Day is a solidarity movement that takes place annually on August 10 in support of prisoners’ rights and to remember all the people who have died of unnatural deaths while incarcerated. Plenty to think about with Aboriginal deaths in custody, and refugees who have died in detention.
Resources (prayers and information) here.