Friday 12th September

5:45 – 7:30 pm

in the church

Grades 4 – 6

Cost: $2 plus a snack to share

Bring a friend and enjoy

your game together

We will all be aware of the horrific actions of the extremist group ISIL. Their ideology and actions are to be condemned.

What I – and many Australian Christians – have found disturbing is the way the media has seemed to lump ISIL and the Muslims living in Australia all under the same umbrella. As if every Muslim in Australia shares ISIL’s perverted ideology. This is not just unfair, but it polarises the various groups who make up this wonderful country and makes the situation even more likely for disaffected people to join terrorist groups.

I don’t pretend to have simple answers for this complex problem, but as people of God, we are called to bring light and love to the world. And we are called to prayer.

Please pray for our world leaders at this time – both political and in the various religious groups.

You might also like to look at the response from the Uniting Church in Australia (sent to me this week). I include it below.

A message from Rev.Elenie Poulos,

Acting General Secretary

Uniting Church in Australia Assembly

National Director | Uniting Justice Australia

Dear Friends,

In response to the massive front page headline that ran in The Australian last week, ‘We’ll Fight Islam 100 years’, Welcome to Australia has initiated a national faith leaders statement.

This statement has already been signed by most UCA Moderators, some synod General Secretaries, justice staff and others, and endorsed by the Assembly Relations with Other Faiths Committee. Please consider signing and promoting this to your networks.

The website with the letter and the facility for sign-on is: http://www.lovefor100years.com

The Assembly media release is available from our website: http://assembly.uca.org.au/news/item/1583-we-ll-love-muslims-100-years

The President and I will be at the Sydney launch at Lakemba mosque this afternoon.

Also, yesterday The Australian asked for a statement from the President on the situation in Iraq and Syria. The journalist has selectively quoted from that statement (and no doubt others) and it has been given an inflammatory headline.

The President’s statement in full is on the Assembly website and copied below

https://assembly.uca.org.au/news/item/1582-statement-to-the-australian

“The Uniting Church in Australia is deeply concerned at the continuing persecution of Christian minorities throughout the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria. These communities are being impacted by war or directly persecuted to the point of annihilation.

Our concern is not just that Christian communities that trace their origins right back to the First Century are at risk of disappearing altogether in the Middle East, but that these are our sisters and brothers in the body of Christ. In this body when one member suffers, every member suffers with it (I Corinthians 12:26).

We condemn the horrific acts of brutality, most recently and tragically against journalists who’ve bravely sought to ensure the world does not look away from those who are suffering.

We ask our members to continue to pray for peace in the Middle East and support ecumenical efforts for assistance through the National Council of Churches in Australia.

At the same time we acknowledge that the violence and values of extremists of the Islamic State are not representative of the vast majority of Muslim Australians, whom we recognise for their commitment to peace, community and mutual respect.”

Grace and peace,

Elenie

Saturday 6^th September 2014, starts 9.30am

Theme: “ Are you thirsty for God?”

Guest Speaker: Kathy Hoopmann

Kathy Hoopmann, a former Lutheran teacher, is an author who writes extensively on Aspergers Syndrome and is just starting to write Christian literature. She currently resides in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, where she has lived for 11 years. She is very involved in the church life in this vibrant Muslim city which grants freedom of religion in the midst of the Arabian Peninsula, an area of the world that is most unreached by the Gospel. She will share stories of the thirst people have for Jesus and the excitement they feel when they find Him,. She will challenge any perceived notion that Christianity is a middle class, white man’s faith and show how the thirst for Christ today can be reignited and fulfilled.

Check out LWQ’s website for other exciting events.

The photos can be collected from Junior School reception.