As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person, the interdependent web of all existence, and the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. We respect the diversity of religious traditions and spiritual paths that enrich our world, and celebrate the diversity of beliefs and values that enrich our communities.

Let us collectively aspire to foster a sense of community, understanding, and compassion that will bring us closer together, inspire us to embrace diversity, and empower us to make a positive impact in our local and global communities.

 Please join us for the ANZUUA Shared Worship on July 28th

Revd Rex Hunt and Revd Ralph Catts will jointly lead our ANZUUA service (by ZOOM) on 28th July 2024. The theme will be our Unitarian response to the climate crisis. Please mark your calendars - 28th July at 3 pm New Zealand time, 1 pm Eastern Australian time, 12.30 pm in South Australia and 11 am in Perth.

Climate Crisis Guidelines

The ANZUUA Climate Change Committee developed a Climate Crisis Information Report and Guidelines report, for action by congregations and individuals. These guidelines were the inspiration for the Green Chalice Award initiative and provide the background information on the award categories that congregations or individuals can qualify under.

ANZUUA recognises the need for a spiritual commitment to the sacred and inherent responsibility of all humanity to ensure that future generations can inherit from us a planet in which all sentient beings can prosper. As part of this initiative, all congregations are requested to provide resource materials for worship and for discussion circles. These materials will be included with the ANZUUA statement and guidelines on the ANZUUA web site. The guidelines are in the file share on the ANZUUA website, under this link:
Publications>Fileshare>Climate-Crisis-Guidelines.

Minister's Response to ANZUUA letter on the Gaza conflict

The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs has now responded twice to our correspondence urging a peaceful solution to the conflict in Gaza. ANZUUA is but one small voice calling for a peaceful solution, and we are continuing to make our views heard. In her reply Senator Wong wrote as follows:

A humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza is needed urgently, the catastrophic humanitarian situation must be addressed and Hamas must release all hostages.

ANZUUA has replied, to acknowledge the minister’s advice and to urge the government to ensure that no arms are provided to either side in the conflict.

The on-going conflict continues to result in thousands of women, children, aid workers, journalists and other civilian Palestinians being displaced, wounded and killed. The incredible destruction of infrastructure in Gaza will take decades to restore..

Melbourne UU Fellowship Retreat Report

You could easily miss the turn-off to Loch, a little village of about 600 people on the South Gippsland Highway, about 100 kms from Melbourne.  For the last three years the Melbourne Unitarian Universalist Fellowship has made its way to the tree-lined streets of Loch Village for our annual May retreat at the Old Loch Hospital which, as the name suggests, was the former Bush Nursing Hospital, then later the local aged care home. It does still have a slightly institutional feel and its corridors are decorated with nurses’ uniforms and medical apparatus to reflect its past.  But once you’re in the lounge room, with its comfy couches and large windows overlooking the bowling club, it’s a great space for talking, sharing, preparing food, eating, singing and strengthening the bonds of the group.

We have a roster for each of the vegetarian meals and we go home well-fed and well-watered! There’s a large industrial kitchen for shared food preparation and washing up, and we’re still a small enough group that we can fit around the same table for meals.

Each year our retreat has offered a variety of activities and experiences. This year we were introduced to Taizé and Tai Chi, we watched and discussed videos, we had a round-circle discussion of quirky questions, and we used drawings to depict our own spiritual journey that brought us to Unitarianism. We had a yoga session, some of us walked down to the village and out to the nearby river, and on Saturday night we brought out the ukuleles for a sing-along. On Sunday morning we conducted our Sharing Service: a practice we developed  during Melbourne’s long lock-down, where we each bring a poem, a song, a reading or a reflection based on a specified theme. Our theme this year was ‘Seeking Meaning’ and, as is nearly always the case, our contributions somehow formed a unified whole, woven together with our favourite songs sung with gusto, and bracketed with Carl’s beautifully crafted words for the chalice lighting and extinguishment.

We are still a small group and we conduct our hybrid services once a month, both in person at Kathleen Syme Community Centre in Carlton and on Zoom. Our annual retreat provides an opportunity to bond together as a group, deepening our friendships and filling in the gaps that can sometimes occur in an online environment. This year we were delighted to welcome Paula from Canberra and Jennie from Adelaide. We have already made our booking for next May, and once there’s a hint of log fires in the air, the autumn leaves start turning and a chill sharpens the mornings, we’ll be looking forward to our retreat for another year.

Some of the participants gathered around a poster stating the MUUF ethos statement.
 

Report by Janine Rizzetti

Our NZ and AUS UU Communities

A listing, with links, of the churches and fellowships that make up ANZUUA can be found here: https://www.anzuua.org/findingus. We will share news of a selection of UU communities each month. You are encouraged to send any news from your community that you’d like to share to Lynn at lynnjkelly@gmail.com.

Brisbane UU Fellowship

We have had more interesting and engaging services, with Lynn Kelly leading the 12th May service with the topic of Reflections on the Meaning of Work, while Rev. Tet Gallardo from Negros Island in the Philippines led the service on the 26th May on the topic The Convenience of Contempt.

 BUUF meet twice a month, on the 2nd Sunday and the 4th Sunday of each month at 10am Queensland time. The service on the 4th Sunday of the month is on Zoom only. We provide Zoom links via email (contact us at info@brisbaneuu.org.au) for all our services mid-week before the service, to allow people who are remote or ill to connect. We encourage all who are able, to attend and help build personal connections and community. We typically have around 10 to 20 people in total attend, some local, some sailing on boats, and some connecting from international locations.

Taupo UU Fellowship NZ

On 27th May we held our 2nd new 'zoom room' service on Sacred Activism: Building This World from Love - Zoom has allowed our outreach to people who attended from Tauranga, New Plymouth, Hawkes Bay, West Auckland, and  Ngaruwahia. We featured songs with English as well as Arabic and Hebrew lyrics with musical prayers for peace to the children of Israel and Ishmael, and the children of all the world.

Perth Unitarians

I phoned Kathy Nielsen in Perth to see how things are after Peter Fergusons funeral, and what their plans for the future of the Perth Unitarians are. Kathy is now 88, and the congregation is not large enough to justify renting premises. They are handing back the keys to Drabble House, deregistering the fellowship, and plan to meet in peoples homes from time to time. They hope to keep an annual retreat going, likely located somewhere close to Perth so travel is easy. Kathy said Peter Ferguson is greatly missed, when they visited him in the home he would always ask them to sing "How can I keep from singing", and frequently some of the staff would join in. They played this music at his funeral, as it was definitely Peter's favorite. - James Hills.

If you would like to receive the ANZUUA newsletter directly please subscribe in the box above. If you know Unitarians or Unitarian Universalists, or others who are interested in our faith and principles, please share this newsletter and invite them to subscribe. You can unsubscribe at any time with the link at the end of each email!