Waranga Uniting Churches in Tatura, Victoria | Church

Waranga Uniting Churches

Locality: Tatura, Victoria

Phone: +61 400 274 482

Address: 7 Thomson Street 3616 Tatura, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.warangaunitingchurches.net.au

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24.01.2022 Funeral Service for Ethel Jackson The funeral for Ethel Jackson will be held at Rushworth Cemetery on Friday 14th August at 11.00am. Due to restrictions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic attendance is limited to just 10 people. The service will be streamed via Zoom and Facebook for Ethel’s many friends and extended family. Born in Rushworth, Ethel was a long-term resident of Colbinabbin and lived next door to the General Store for many years. She was an active member of the... community and was involved in the school Mother's Club, Red Cross, Scouting, Carpet Bowls and the Uniting Church Women's Guild. Ethel was 93 years old. THE LINK FOR THE SERVICE ON ZOOM OR FACEBOOK CAN BE FOUND ON THE WARANGA UNITING CHURCHES WEBSITE. WWW.WARANGAUNITINGCHURCHES.NET.AU . See more

24.01.2022 Whatever, wherever, God is with us.

21.01.2022 Here we go again! Waranga Churches are Online Following an announcement from Premier Daniel Andrews, from 11.59 pm Wednesday 5th August regional Victoria has moved to Stage 3 Stay at Home restrictions which amongst many things means travel outside of the home is only permitted for one of the four permitted reasons, shopping for food and essential items, care and care giving, daily exercise and work or study if it cannot be performed from your home. Church attendance is not o...ne of these reasons. Here we go again! These changes will be in place for at least the next 6 weeks, face coverings are essential for all Victorians if they are do have to be out. Online services will continue on Zoom and Facebook. This new period of lock-down will be challenging to say the least. During this new lockdown period we want to assure you that the Waranga Uniting Churches in collaboration with the Presbytery of North East Victoria will continue to support our members and the wider community through every means possible. You are not forgotten. We will continue to reach out to our community, to shut-ins and to people further afield with a message of hope, faith and grace. Our online services will continue on Zoom and on Facebook. We will seek ways to engage in pastoral care, prayer and fellowship by every means possible. Wherever you are from, and whatever your tradition, you are welcome to join us. Our church buildings at Colbinabbin, Murchison, Rushworth and Tatura will be closed, but the church goes on! Please contact our Minister Brian Spencer or one of the elders of your congregation if you have any questions or need any advice and guidance through this challenging time.

21.01.2022 With Melbourne experiencing Stage 4 Lockdown and regional Victoria moving to Stage 3 restrictions, determination to lower case numbers and deaths is balanced in part by observations that hospitals will not be able to cope with increased numbers of cases, and by suggestions that hopes for a vaccine may never be satisfied. Careful observance of the restrictions on one hand, and a tendency to flout them on the other, are signs of stormy waters metaphorically speaking in our... society. Do the Lectionary readings speak to this situation? A stormy sea in Matthew 14:22-33 depicts Jesus walking on wild waves and Peter wanting to do so. Why would Peter want to walk on water? Why have people, including Leonardo da Vinci, tried to do so? Many ancient cultures have a sea-walking theme, the Greek god Orion and kings Xerxes and Alexander being examples, although the kings’ claims to walk on water were rejected as regal arrogance. A little research will reveal the ‘magic’ behind recent attempts to walk on water, and the ‘Liquid Mountaineering’ of 2010. How do these differ from Matthew 14? ‘You can walk on water’, and ‘Three ways you are walking on water’ are listed as titles of sermons. Our explorations of Matthew 14 will lead us to two different aspects of the story and whether followers of Jesus are actually meant to walk on water. And we’ll be reminded that Jesus walks towards us, whatever the storms of life toss up for us. That’s good news!

20.01.2022 THIS SUNDAY 23rd AUGUST- LIVE ON ZOOM AND ON FACEBOOK WHO AM I? - Recognition and identity in a world of shifting meanings. The question Who Jesus Christ is?, is a basic question that every Christian has to wrestle with. The New Testament had dealt with this question in a direct way. It was Jesus Christ himself who raised with his disciples the question of his identity: Who do you say I am? [Mt. 16:15; Mk. 8:29; Lk. 9:20]. Simon Peter who was the more impulsive and outsp...oken among the disciples, had a classic answer. He said: You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. This became Peter’s declaration about Jesus Christ. It became a classic declaration, remembered and repeated by every Christian for almost twenty centuries. "Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." (Matt 16:21-28) Sometimes we get the words right, but the meaning wrong. Simon Peter had the right word, but what he meant by Messiah was poles apart from what Jesus meant by it. And yet it was a declaration that changed Simon Peter too. As he named Jesus Messiah, Jesus named him Peter- the rock giving him a new identity and future. Identity is a tricky thing these days. Most of us have multiple identities and they change over time. What does it mean to identify oneself as something? To identify oneself is to claim a name for oneself, to claim that a certain description is deeply true of me. What does it mean to identify as a Christian, a follower of Jesus? Join us this Sunday as we consider Recognition and identity in a world of shifting meanings The live Zoom service will start at 9.30am with the room open for you to log-in to from 9.00am. Log-in, chat to others, be the church! Click on the link below to join the Waranga Cluster Zoom Church Service or watch it on Facebook https://zoom.us/j/93296678964 The link above should work without the need for a password, but if it doesn’t you can use the meeting id and password below. Meeting ID: 932 9667 8964 Password: 491339 Hope to see you there, Brian

20.01.2022 THIS SUNDAY 19th JULY- LIVE AND REAL: ON ZOOM AND ON FACEBOOK , . (Genesis 28:10 to 19a) A thin place is a place where the distance between God and the people is very small and the normal thickness between creation and Creator is much depleted. In the Christian tradition the people have places where they feel close to God. In traditional times these thin places were mountains, remote places, islands off the coast (Sk...elligs) . Travel to thin places does not necessarily lead to anything as grandiose as a spiritual breakthrough, but it may, visiting these places does disorient. It confuses. We lose our bearings, and may find new ones. Either way, we are jolted out of old ways of seeing the world. Thin places may be in the journey. As they struggle to achieve the climb. God is there on the journey and shares in the success. There are several of these journeys in Spain for example the Camino de Santiago known in English as the Way of St. James, many follow its routes as a form of spiritual path or retreat for their spiritual growth. Thin places may be the building or island. Where there is reflection and the prayer of the faithful ,God allows the people to connect in these holy places. Thin places may be where you go with a purpose to connect with God, probably even depend on God. The Skelligs off the coast of Ireland were a place of reflection, food was supplied when the weather was good, the monks stayed there 2 weeks or until the weather allowed a pickup. Join us this Sunday at 9.30 am with Rev Richard Franklin as we explore them together, as we consider the thin places in our lives. The live Zoom service will start at 9.30am with the room open for you to log-in to from 9.00am. Log-in, chat to others, be the church! Click on the link below to join the Waranga Cluster Zoom Church Service or watch it on Facebook https://zoom.us/j/93296678964 The link above should work without the need for a password, but if it doesn’t you can use the meeting id and password below. Meeting ID: 932 9667 8964 Password: 491339 Hope to see you there, Brian

17.01.2022 Be that person!

16.01.2022 THIS SUNDAY 26th JULY- LIVE AND REAL: ON ZOOM AND ON FACEBOOK FIVE WAYS TO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN led by Joan McRae This week, we have more parables of the Kingdom! This is the third Sunday we’ve been exploring the Kingdom of God through parables in Matthew 13. Surely we know what the Kingdom, or Reign of God is! Something about where we go after we die? Something about being ‘saved’ now and later going to heaven But that’s actually not what Jesus is talking ab...out in Matthew 13: he says the Kingdom is at hand; it has come near. In other words, the Reign of God on earth has begun! More surprisingly, God is at work in the world round us; is at work in us. The Kingdom of God is an experience of the creative, redemptive power of God. This is fairly straightforward, until we read this week’s parables of the Kingdom! They come at us sideways. The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed yeast hidden treasure one hugely valuable pearl a net thrown into the sea How can these ordinary, everyday things be signs of God’s Kingdom? How can the actions of a sower, a woman, a traveller, a merchant and a fisherman be signs of the Kingdom? But there’s an even more important question: if the Kingdom is at hand, among us, can we see signs of it in our world? What would we expect to see? Where might we expect to find it? So we will be exploring where we have seen God’s Kingdom breaking in during this week. We might choose to write our own parables of the Kingdom: The Kingdom of heaven is like Join us this Sunday at 9.30 am with Joan McRae as we sing, pray and share together, and watch for signs of the Kingdom! The live Zoom service will start at 9.30am with the room open for you to log-in to from 9.00am. Log-in, chat to others, be the church! Click on the link below to join the Waranga Cluster Zoom Church Service or watch it on Facebook https://zoom.us/j/93296678964 The link above should work without the need for a password, but if it doesn’t you can use the meeting id and password below. Meeting ID: 932 9667 8964 Password: 491339 Hope to see you there,

15.01.2022 COMMUNION SERVICE THIS SUNDAY 2nd AUGUST- LIVE AND REAL: FACE-TO-FACE, ON ZOOM AND ON FACEBOOK WHEN A LITTLE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH This Sunday we consider how to act compassionately and with faith when the task before us looks insurmountable. Here in Victoria the Covid-19 pandemic is continuing to thwart the best effort of the authorities. This is not because the restrictions and control measures are not correct, but because too many (a few?) refuse to act in solidarity with t...Continue reading

15.01.2022 Parish Service- Morning Tea and Harbingers of Spring The 5th Sunday of the month is traditionally a Parish service where the four congregations come together for a combined service. This is a little redundant in these Covid-19 times when every Sunday is a combined service, and with many more than just people from our four little towns. But one of the things we have missed is having morning tea together. This Sunday after the service plan to hang around a bit longer and share ...Continue reading

11.01.2022 WHEN A LITTLE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH This Sunday we consider how to act compassionately and with faith when the task before us looks insurmountable. Here in Victoria the Covid-19 pandemic is continuing to thwart the best effort of the authorities. This is not because the restrictions and control measures are not correct, but because too many (a few?) refuse to act in solidarity with the whole community. It will take a community acting together as one for the common good to suppr...ess or eliminate this virus. It is said that selfishness and wilful disobedience led to the fall of humankind and our expulsion from Eden. These human failings remain very evident today. Our gospel reading this week (Matthew 14:13-21) describes a scene that could not happen on our Covid-19 times: a crowd gathering together. Five thousand men (plus women and children) have gathered to listen to Jesus preach and have him heal their sick. It’s an isolated spot not far from the Sea of Galilee. Jesus and his disciples were trying to take some time off to rest, but when Jesus saw the people, he had compassion for them and cured their sick. Late in the day, Jesus’ weary (and hungry) disciples made a recommendation to the Teacher: Send the crowds away so that they can buy food in the nearby farms and villages. But Jesus had another plan: They need not go away; you give them something to eat. As we enter the sixth month of practicing physical distancing, increased hygiene and restricting our travel and our gathering so that we can curtail the spread of COVID-19 in our community, we should not be surprised by the weariness so many of us feel. Has any aspect of our lives remained unscathed by the pandemic? Work, worship, weddings, births, funerals, school, sports, socializing, shopping, graduations, all have been impacted. We are tired, yet we know that we have work to do. This is true for you. This is also true for me. It is true for all of us. The story of the five loaves and two fish still speaks to our needs. We are called to continue to do what we can in the face of a seemingly insurmountable problem so we seek God’s blessing on our efforts. For it is in such acts that miracles can happen. Join us this Sunday at 9.30 am with Brian Spencer as we sing, pray and share together. May our inadequacy meet the abundance of Jesus. This will be a communion service, so if you are joining us at home, please prepare some wine or juice and some bread to share. See more

10.01.2022 , . A thin place is a place where the distance between God and the people is very small and the normal thickness between creation and Creator is much depleted. In the book of Genesis Jacob has a profound experience of God presence at Bethel. We read, "Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this placeand I did not know it!’ And he was afraid, and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none ...other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’ (Genesis 28: 16-17) In the Christian tradition the people have places where they feel close to God. In traditional times these thin places were mountains, remote places, islands off the coast (Skelligs) . Travel to thin places does not necessarily lead to anything as grandiose as a spiritual breakthrough, but it may, visiting these places does disorient. It confuses. We lose our bearings, and may find new ones. Either way, we are jolted out of old ways of seeing the world. Thin places may be in the journey. As they struggle to achieve the climb. God is there on the journey and shares in the success. There are several of these journeys in Spain for example the Camino de Santiago known in English as the Way of St. James, many follow its routes as a form of spiritual path or retreat for their spiritual growth. Thin places may be the building or island. Where there is reflection and the prayer of the faithful ,God allows the people to connect in these holy places. Thin places may be where you go with a purpose to connect with God, probably even depend on God. The Skelligs off the coast of Ireland were a place of reflection, food was supplied when the weather was good, the monks stayed there 2 weeks or until the weather allowed a pickup. Join us this Sunday at 9.30 am with Rev Richard Franklin as we explore them together, as we consider the thin places in our lives. See more

07.01.2022 THIS SUNDAY 16th AUGUST- LIVE ON ZOOM AND ON FACEBOOK Flexibility and Focus staying on track in a world of diversions. As the Covid-19 crisis ebbs and flows, so many people are working from home. Working from home has some special challenges particularly if we do not have a separate office and end up working from the kitchen table. For parents of young who are now home schooling or unable to attend childcare it is incredibly difficult. It has become difficult for working pa...rents to juggle full-time with kids and working from home while trying to have as much efficiency as possible. During the initial days, many working parents approached the situation like a vacation, with little or no structure of schedule or timings. For obvious reasons this quickly turned into a very frustrating situation for everyone. Parents were not meeting the deadlines, they were constantly worried about their kids, their entertainment time, their meals, etc. All the time anxiously watching the daily reports of Coronavirus numbers and locations. We need structure, we need boundaries and we need goals to survive in a world or distractions and diversions. I often hear people comment that Coronavirus has just accentuated the problems that were there all along. In our Gospel reading this Sunday, Jesus finally draws the line between his sense of mission and the urgent and compassionate distractions to that mission; and then he gives in and acts with compassion anyway. I can almost hear him say, But this is the last time! Join us this Sunday as we sing, pray and share together and consider staying on track in a world of diversions. The live Zoom service will start at 9.30am with the room open for you to log-in to from 9.00am. Log-in, chat to others, be the church! Click on the link below to join the Waranga Cluster Zoom Church Service or watch it on Facebook https://zoom.us/j/93296678964 The link above should work without the need for a password, but if it doesn’t you can use the meeting id and password below. Meeting ID: 932 9667 8964 Password: 491339 Hope to see you there, Brian

07.01.2022 THIS SUNDAY 9th AUGUST- LIVE ON ZOOM AND ON FACEBOOK MIRACLES AND MAGIC, FEAR AND FAITH: REFLECTIONS FROM A STORM With Melbourne experiencing Stage 4 Lockdown and regional Victoria moving to Stage 3 restrictions, determination to lower case numbers and deaths is balanced in part by observations that hospitals will not be able to cope with increased numbers of cases, and by suggestions that hopes for a vaccine may never be satisfied. Careful observance of the restrictions on ...one hand, and a tendency to flout them on the other, are signs of stormy waters metaphorically speaking in our society. Do the Lectionary readings speak to this situation? A stormy sea in Matthew 14:22-33 depicts Jesus walking on wild waves and Peter wanting to do so. Why would Peter want to walk on water? Why have people, including Leonardo da Vinci, tried to do so? Many ancient cultures have a sea-walking theme, the Greek god Orion and kings Xerxes and Alexander being examples, although the kings’ claims to walk on water were rejected as regal arrogance. A little research will reveal the ‘magic’ behind recent attempts to walk on water, and the ‘Liquid Mountaineering’ of 2010. How do these differ from Matthew 14? ‘You can walk on water’, and ‘Three ways you are walking on water’ are listed as titles of sermons. Our explorations of Matthew 14 will lead us to two different aspects of the story and whether followers of Jesus are actually meant to walk on water. And we’ll be reminded that Jesus walks towards us, whatever the storms of life toss up for us. That’s good news! Join us this Sunday at 9.30 am with Joan McRae as we sing, pray and share together. The live Zoom service will start at 9.30am with the room open for you to log-in to from 9.00am. Log-in, chat to others, be the church! Click on the link below to join the Waranga Cluster Zoom Church Service or watch it on Facebook https://zoom.us/j/93296678964 The link above should work without the need for a password, but if it doesn’t you can use the meeting id and password below. Meeting ID: 932 9667 8964 Password: 491339 Hope to see you there,

02.01.2022 This is one of my favourite Bruce Springsteen songs. It seemed to be saying something to me during this Covid-19 Pandemic. The message that we need to support each other and wait for each other seems very relevant as different states and countries make progress at different times and sometimes we fall behind, as we have here in Victoria. [ 39 more words ] https://www.warangaunitingchurches.net.au//if-i-fall-behi/

01.01.2022 Separated but not separate. It’s now more than six months since our congregations started meeting via Zoom and Facebook in response to the restrictions on public meetings. You can say what you will about Facebook, or other forms of social media, but these platforms are what’s holding us together right now. And who would have thought we could do it? Let’s be frank, most of our people are in the old dogs category and it can be hard picking up new tricks. But every week people... in their eighties and nineties get on Zoom where we all can talk to each other, see each other, worship together, sing together, pray for each other, and have Church as we normally do. We’ve even managed to work out a way to have holy communion together! During an event such as the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be easy to be overwhelmed. People we know and love could/will/have succumbed to the virus. Fear and anger battle for supremacy of our attention as isolation increases. The news seems ever grim. In spite of this, we seek as a community to celebrate that God is truly everywhere, we hang on to Jesus’ promise that where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. (Matt 18:20) Covid-19 has torn apart the fabric of our world. Our responses have shown us to be more creative, more resilient, more able to learn, and more capable of finding new ways to connect than we dreamed possible just a few short months ago. Old dogs have learned new tricks! It has also taught us that God continues to surprise us by breaking into our lives when we least expect him to. My point is, we are finding ways to support one another through this terrible time. We may be separated, but we are not separate. We may be solitary, but we are not alone. And one way or another, God is with us and we will find our way to the other side of this thing. Jesus said, Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matt 28:20 Join us this Sunday as we reflect on what it is to know the presence of God in our socially distanced times. The live Zoom service will start at 9.30am with the room open for you to log-in to from 9.00am. Log-in, chat to others, be the church! Click on the link below to join the Waranga Cluster Zoom Church Service or watch it on Facebook https://zoom.us/j/93296678964 The link above should work without the need for a password, but if it doesn’t you can use the meeting id and password below. Meeting ID: 932 9667 8964 Password: 491339 Hope to see you there, Brian