Tanya (Qld) - unexpected ministry in Bali prison

Tanya Richards (pictured left with a friend in Bali)served for several months as a Uniting Church volunteer with GKPB in Bali. The following is an extract from an article in Journey, a publication of the Uniting Church in Queensland.

"Eating Christmas lunch with Australian prisoners in Bali was typical of the challenging experiences Uniting Church Deacon Intern Tanya Richards encountered during her recent five and half months of volunteer work with Bali Protestant Church.“As we sat together and ate food that reminded us of home, true emotions came out as we once again realised where we were and what that meant for some of the people in that room,” Ms Richards said. Prison ministry was not an involvement Ms Richards had expected when she headed for Bali but it became one of her major focuses. After attending a daily Indonesian church service in Kerobokan Prison, Ms Richards noticed Australian prisoners sitting in the service but not understanding the language. She approached the prisoners, including those known as the Bali Nine about doing a Bible study. “They all jumped at the chance,” she said. “I spent two days a week in the Prison leading a Bible study, visiting and pastorally caring for both Indonesian and Australian prisoners. “It was in this experience that I saw the power of God really working in the lives of people who were and still are experiencing things beyond my belief.”

The full text can be read at:
http://www.journeyonline.com.au/showArticle.php?articleId=867

For more information about the People in Mission program for volunteers in Asia, Africa and the Pacific, contact Kathy Periera, People in Mission Coordinator, kathyp@nat.uca.org.au, Ph (02) 8267 4230.

What do PIM returnees do?

Neil (WA) - second from right - spent several months in 2005 as a volunteer in the Diocese of Madras, South India, helping out in a boys' hostel and in the local school. He returned to Australia and amongst other things started theological study and a period of discernment. More recently he has been working as a Project Officer with a property lobby group, working on submissions and policy documents. Mel (pictured on the right) also spent several months in 2005 as a volunteer in the Diocese of Madras, based part time in a girls hostel at Kollagunta and part time in Pannur pre-school for children in a remote, poor village. She returned to Australia 12 months ago, and completed TESOL course in 2006. She is currently in Melbourne completing a course at Wycliffe with the aim for a placement in Africa working alongside Bible translators at some stage in the future.

To find out more about being a volunteer through People in Mission, contact Kathy Periera, People in Mission Coordinator, 02 8267 4230, kathyp@nat.uca.org.au

East Timor

Christine and David (SA) are preparing to serve as volunteers in a placement in East Timor with the Protestant Church of East Timor. Christine will offer support as a nurse educator/trainer to remote village clinics. The main clinic has as many as 200 patients a day to treat so there is a vital need for the placement. Christine and David are committed to work for change in the living circumstances of people in East Timor and are preparing for a 2-3 year placement. It will be a costly exercise and the Uniting Church in Australia is seeking to raise adequate funds to support David and Christine in their placement as volunteers. If you or your congregation is interested in supporting this project, please contact Rev John Barr, jbarr@nat.uca.org.au, for more information.

East Timor continues to face enormous social, political and economic problems including the IDF camps (Internally Displaced People). Geert and Grietje from the Netherlands have been working in East Timor since November 2004. Geert is working as an advisor to the development agency of the Protestant Church of East Timor, Yasona, in the capital Dili. They write: 'A question heard many times in the last months, is: “why don’t people return to their homes?” People are not going back, because their houses were burnt down or looted, or because people are not welcome anymore in their neighbourhood. They had to go away because of the East-West conflict in this country. It has worsened in the past months. Written messages on the walls of houses say: “Easterners are not welcome” and in different variations. Nowadays there are still many people in the camps. The exact number is not known, but approximately there are 40,000 people. Four out of 15 camps will have problems when the rain starts. But these people cannot be forced (based on international law) to leave. One of the camps will surely have at least half a metre of water. People do know it, but are still waiting, maybe thinking and wondering, whether the government will do something for them'.

Please remember people in East Timor, struggling with economic hardship, social upheaval and political uncertainty.

Philippines reflections - memorable highlights

(on left: mining activity in North Luzon, often carried out to the detriment of locals who work the land for agriculture)

Participants on the recent Philippines Short Term Exposure Trip spent time considering their most memorable highlights. Here are some of them:

· Hope and happiness for the future that is displayed so openly
· People’s fight for justice, despite situations
· Fun and down times had as a group with local people/churches
· Building up relationships inside and outside of the group
· “We Shall Overcome” sang in Palawan following the discussion on Pastor Raul Domingo’s death
· New Years’ Eve celebrations: those who didn’t know us at all welcomed us into their homes and treated us like family
· Visiting family home in Baguio who were mining victims/protestors
· Empowered voices we have heard
· Talking about issues, even when at the risk of persecution etc.
· How much faith Filipino people have in God
· Youth in Palawan – so open and inviting us to their Church and lives. Still advocating for their lives and rights despite death of Ptr. Raul
· Wonderful welcome and strength of character
· Knowledge and strength of Filipino people
· Incredible signs of hope
. Political awareness of everyone, but particularly the young people
· Strength and willingness of UCCP people – to maintain human dignity and their commitment to standing up for the Gospel
· Several speakers and their experiences have give so much wisdom and insight, which allows us to go home with eyes open much wider, and will hopefully lead to more fruitful action etc. at home
· Love that Filipinos have for everything – families, friends, the things they do have. Can still smile and “beam” with love
· Kaleidoscope of all the different cultural influences that make up the Philippines

If you want to find out more about Short Term Exposure Trips, contact Kathy Periera, People in Mission Coordinator, kathyp@nat.uca.org.au, Ph 02 8267 4230.

Val (Vic) and Philippines STET

Val (Vic) was a participant on the Philippines Short Term Exposure Trip. She reflects on the experience:

'The wonderful Filipino people gave us a warm welcome. The pastors, project workers and social workers informed us on many issues. I was disturbed about political killings of innocent victims, about human rights abuses, land rights and the applications by international mining companies to mine large areas of Northern Luzon.
We were introduced to many cultural aspects of Filipino life and met a wide range of people.
Various types of accommodation gave us further insights into life in that country. Linda, our local guide and caterer at Baguio, was brilliant.
Thank you for making the trip possible - it was a great experience'.
(February 07)
For more information about 2007 STET programs contact Kathy Periera, People in Mission Coordinator, kathyp@nat.uca.org.au, Ph 02 8267 4230

Danny enjoying Sydney

Rev Danny Paulraj, a pastor from the Church of South India, is undertaking post-grad studies at United Theological College (UTC) in Sydney. He has also had the opportunity to enjoy a visit to a conservation park to come face to face with the open jaws of a crocodile, and friendly kangaroos.

Trevor and Maureen (SA) - Sai Mai project (Bangkok)

(left: typical suburban development in the suburbs around Bangkok, and in the Sai Mai area).
Maureen and Trevor (SA) have returned for a second volunteers placement in Sai Mai in the suburbs of Bangkok, teaching English.

'We have settled in well and it has been great to meet many friends here again. They have given us a great welcome. The congregation have provided a house for us which is only six houses down from the church. It is 2 storied with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms (1 without water). The church has stepped out in faith in renting the house for 12 months for volunteer teachers.
Our teaching program began soon after we arrived. We are teaching 4 lessons on 3 mornings at the local school, 2 evenings in community houses, about 30 mins away, 2 nights at the church and also Saturday and Sunday afternoons at the church. We have Mondays off. The classes are bigger than last year with over 70 attending. We have plently of resources. The previous teacher left some good books. Most of the students are new and some of the classes are full with people being turned away.
Last Sunday's service was 2 1/2hours but today Trevor preached and it was only 1 1/2 hours. Trevor spends some mornings helping the Pastor with his English.
The Good News New Testaments we brought over for use in the church are a great hit. Everyone who reads English wants one and there are not enough.

For information on this and other People in Mission placements, contact Kathy Periera, People in Mission Coordinator, Ph 02 8267 4230, kathyp@nat.uca.org.au

The Transit Lounge - Time to Look outside our backyard

http://www.thetransitlounge.com.au/international/
its_time_to_look_outside_our_backyard


The Uniting Church has launched an e-magazine, Transit Lounge, with heaps of online articles. It's intended for travellers in general and hopes to reach a wide reading audience. One of the articles in the February edition is 'It's time to look outside our backyard', and features brief interviews with Jeff and Jan Hudson - Volunteers in Mission in Thailand, and Jason Bray, who recently led a short term exposure trip to the Philippines. Here's some of the article. The link is at the top if you want to check out the full article, or other stories in The Transit Lounge.

For Jason Bray, a 34 year old from Brisbane, overseas travel has allowed him to gain an appreciation of how the majority of the world’s population lives.“So many young Aussies are hot-footing it over to London for a year, but that represents how the minority of the world’s population lives – we really need to see how the majority of people live to get a real worldview.“We in the west live in a bubble of ignorance; when we choose only to explore those [western] places we perpetuate that bubble.”
Jason helped lead a Short Term Exposure Trip to Manilla for three weeks just after Christmas. As the name suggests, these trips are not work parties but open people’s minds to another reality that holidaying can only hope to touch on.“We hoped that by going, we’d see some sort of reaction from those who went, to get them to engage in some sort of mission in response to what they had seen, whether that be overseas or in their own backyard.”In a country where human rights abuses are still common, and one third of the population live below the poverty, the group was confronted with some tough situations.Like the visit to Smoky Mountain — a garbage dump in Manilla where 30,000 people live and work and where toxic fires can often be seen burning in the distance. Or being in the blue light district hearing stories of young girls who’d been forced into prostitution to feed their families — at a bar owned and operated by an Australian. “I asked people at the end of the day, when we got back to our air conditioned hotel rooms in a state of shock, if they would rather be a prostitute like some of the people in Manilla suffering abject poverty or work on Smokey Mountain. Faced with such a bleak choice, most of them said they would rather be a prostitute.”
It’s this sense of context that churches and non-governmentorganisations (NGOs) hope to foster through the many overseas mission and exposure trips they facilitate.
These trips are as much about debunking myths and challenging the prior understandings of participants as they are about assisting people in the country you are traveling to. After all Jesus spent much of his time inviting those who would listen to step outside their boundaries.
Overseas Mission and exposure trips are a perfect way for people to step outside their own personal boundaries and take a much broader view of the world.

For information on these short term exposure trips and other volunteer opportunities, contact Kathy Periera, People in Mission Coordinator, kathyp@nat.uca.org.au, 02 8267 4230.

A prayer for ourselves - and the world

Give us, O Lord, churches in our societies that will be

more courageous than cautious,
that will not merely “comfort the afflicted”
but “afflict the comfortable”,
that will not only love the world
but also judge the world,
that will not only pursue peace
but also demand justice,
that will not remain silent when people are calling for a voice,
that will not pass by on the other side

when wounded humanity is waiting to be healed,
that not only calls us to worship
but also sends us out to witness,
that will follow Christ even when the way points to a cross.
Christian Conference of Asia

The Christian Face of Bali - 'taste and see'

(left: Rev Brian & Lorraine Niblock in a GKPB church)

THE CHRISTIAN FACE OF BALI
Join a fully escorted 10 day tour to Bali. Visit Christian churches, schools, orphanages and villages. Learn of the contextualization of the church in a Hindu culture. Stay at the church-owned beach resort on the sea at Seminyak for 7 nights, 1 night homestay at a Christian village, 2 nights at a beach resort on the north coast of Bali. Plenty of free time available for private shopping or sightseeing etc. Price - approx AU$ 2000 pp - which includes accommodation, air fares, taxes, transport and most meals. Tour leaves Melbourne August 3rd and returns August 14th. Expressions of interest to Brian and Lorraine Niblock by end of March. Phone (03) 5981-8716, email lb.niblock@optusnet.com.au

About the leaders:
Rev Brian and Lorraine Niblock have had three placements as volunteers in Bali with the Protestant Christian Church in Bali, a partner church of the Uniting Church in Australia, and are returning again this year. The church has 72 congregations, 2 are English Speaking. Ministers come from USA, Canada and Australia on a 4 monthly volunteer basis to pastor these two churches. The congregations include tourists, ex-pats and Indonesians. The worship is contemporary and vibrant. Most church members have very little material wealth, but their attitude is one of gratefulness to God. A number of people have been baptized, both Hindu and Moslems, as they convert to Christianity. The church has a dynamic ministry to the very poor. 7 orphanages care for and educate 350 children. Poor farmers are given a cow, pig or chickens to raise and sell, or low interest loans to start cottage industries. To minister in Bali is to receive a great blessing from the people.

'Seven Days' - a film about Mwandi village

In December 2005, Russell Brown, a filmmaker from Western Australia, and Jason Bray, a youth worker from Queensland, went to Mwandi village to film a documentary, with a particular focus on the work of Fiona Dixon-Thompson, a Uniting Church volunteer who has been in Mwandi for several years. There are significant numbers of orphans and semi-orphans in the village whose parents have died from HIV/AIDS. The Mwandi project includes a pre-school, drop in centre, feeding program, vegetable garden etc. It is a remarkable story of courage, vision and endurance, and has been captured in Russell's documentary, “Seven Days”. The fantastic news is that it has been officially selected into the Swansea Bay Film Festival in Wales in the Best Documentary category. Winners will be announced on June 8. As well, “Seven Days” has been nominated for Best Documentary at the WA Screen Awards. Winners are announced on March 23. Congratulations to Russell for highlighting both Fiona's work in Mwandi, and the challenges and joys of working in a small village in Zambia.
Fiona is a Volunteer in Mission with the Uniting Church in Australia. Some photos from Mwandi are featured on http://www.flickr.com/photos/peopleinmission.
For more information on the People in Mission program, contact Kathy Periera, People in Mission Coordinator, kathyp@nat.uca.org.au, Ph 02 8267 4230

Children's Ministry in Krishna-Godavari Diocese

Children's Ministry is a priority in the Diocese of Krishna-Godavari, Church of South India. Rev George Cornelius (left) and Sujit Paul (3rd from left) provide key leadership in this ministry area. They are pictured here with Rev Sandy Boyce, People in Mission Coordinator, and other children's leaders in the Diocese at the Bishop's residence, Machillipatnum. George and Sujit identify, train and resource Sunday School leaders and those working with children throughout the Diocese including remote rural villages. They are especially needing resources to assist them in this ministry, and this need has been promoted in KUCA (Kids of the Uniting Church in Australia) News. Congregations, groups and individuals are invited to contribute Sunday School resources, craft books, and other children's publications including music resources to help establish a children's ministry library in the Diocese.

For information on this project and opportunities to serve through People in Mission, contact Kathy Periera, People in Mission Coordinator, kathyp@nat.uca.org.au, Ph 02 8267 4230. (Note: Rev Sandy Boyce (pictured in this photo) has now concluded her role and is working in the area of youth and young adults in the Uniting Church in Australia, http://www.nyyam.org.

The Sunday School program in the Krishna-Godavari Diocese is a project financially supported by the Uniting Church in Australia, www.uim.uca.org.au.