Two new Deacons in the Uniting Church in Australia

Rev Lyn Leane and Rev Albert Patrizi were ordained as Deacons in the Uniting Church in Australia on September 8th, 2013, in Adelaide. Some Deacons were on hand to congratulate them - Sandy Boyce, Bill Harris, Cogs Smith, Sue Langhans, Naomi Rosenberg, Christa Megaw and Judy Knowling.

Deaconess Meresiana - Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma

Deaconess Meresiana Kuricava

The Conference of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma in August 2013 endorsed Deaconess Meresiana Kuricava as the Administrator of the Deaconess Order of the Methodist Church in Fiji, a role she has held previously. Congratulations, Meresiana! Please continue to pray for the deaconess ministry in Fiji, especially in the challenging physical, social, economic and political context in which ministry is offered.

UMC Peace Conference for Clergy and Lay Women in Manila

Deaconess Emma Cantor (President, DAP) has been part of the group meeting for the UMW Peace Conference in the Philippines attended by 38 Indonesian and Filipino Clergy and Lay Women.
 
There are significant Issues for ministry in Indonesia and the Philippines, and some were discussed at the conference including:

* the Asian situation on peace and migration
* unpeace and peace in Asia
* Ecofeminism and advocacy for a peaceful earth
* sharing of the struggles and joys of women in the ministries of the church
* Biblico theological reflections on the perspectives and resolution of peace and unpeace in the churches
* empowering the churches towards building peaceful communities
* advocacy and engagement for peace in all levels.

As well, there was a separate seminar on early childhood education for the participants as part of engagement to peace and a visit to preschools and poor children's communities.

Please remember these women in your prayers. 

Participants in the UMC Peace Conference in Manila

Meg Evans retiring from ministry

In April, 2013, hundreds gathered in the Midlands of Tasmania on Sunday to farewell Patrol Minister Rev Meg Evans who has finished up after 10 years. Meg’s final service at the Oatlands Uniting Church was a wonderful celebration of her ministry, with many warm wishes extended for her retirement. Meg was the first minister appointed to the Midlands Patrol when it was established in 2003. Extending across the Midlands and Central Highlands of Tasmania, the Patrol covers the small towns of Oatlands, Ross, Bothwell and Campbell Town and the isolated properties in between.

Looking back on her time in the Midlands, Meg reflected on her work as a “ministry of presence”.

Frontier Services family (Left-Right) Judy Knowling (formerly Pilbara Patrol), West Coast Patrol Minister Gay Loftus, Rosemary Young, Colleen Grieve (formerly West Coast Patrol) and Meg Evans.

“As more and more services leave these rural areas, the presence of the church is really significant,” she said. “It’s important just to be there. It has been such a privilege to be a part of people’s lives, to have people trust you, and to share in the hard times and the good times.”

As the Midlands Patrol Minister, Meg has led 114 funerals, 33 weddings and 35 baptisms. She has walked alongside generations of families through their highs and lows. In her final week, she conducted a baptism for a family she had come to know well. Meg buried the grandfather, married the children and now welcomed their grandchildren, touching four generations in one family!

For many, Meg has been more than a church minister. She has been a welcome visitor in isolated places, an advocate for the community and a trusted friend. Always, she has been a visible sign of the church’s presence in the community.

Diakonia Sisterhood in Korea

The Diakonia Sisterhood in Korea has been a member of DIAKONIA World Federation since 1983.

IKADIWA HKBP - Deaconess Association in Indonesia

Board of IKADIWA HKBP

IKADIWA HKBP group photo

IKADIWA HKBP - Indonesia with sisters from Germany and Philippines

IKADIWA HKBP - community building activity

IKADIWA HKBP welcomes 5 new members

DAP Regional Conference 2012

Delegates gathered in Manila in October 2012 for 2012 DAP Regional Conference, organized by the DAP Executive. 

Rev Sandy Boyce (Australia), Deaconess Emma Cantor (Philippines) and Ristua Sirait (Indonesia)

Church's role in the fight against gender based violence

Tuesday 5th March
HONIARA, Solomon Islands
Churches must take active roles in the fight against gender-based violence, a regional workshop has been told. 
Women delegates at the Pacific Conference of Churches 10th General Assembly in Honiara, the Solomon Islands, resolved that all theological colleges in the region must teach students about violence against women and children.
Deaconess Sala Naucabalavu of the Methodist Church in Fiji said training in the ills of gender-based violence must be made compulsory.
“We should also have training in gender equality,” Deaconess Sala said.
“I think men fear the strength of women and they are not opening doors to allow discussions which involve or include women.”
Her comments were part of discussions at a women’s pre-assembly symposium and will form part of submissions to the main meeting at St Barnabas Cathedral beginning today.
PCC Secretariat member Peter Emberson said it was important that children were taught to respect women and children.
“Justice is taught in the home and it is imperative that respect for women is taught in this setting. That is where it all starts,” Emberson said.
“If we can change the dynamics of how men treat women and children we will have taken a huge step towards the elimination of gender-based violence.”
More than 30 women from the Pacific region attended the pre-assembly event.
Asena Naisara of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Suva warned women to learn from the past.
“Some of us have grown up with violence against women in the home and it’s time to break that cycle,” Naisara said.
“If we don’t stop the violence our grandchildren will sit here 30 years from now addressing the same issue.”
Source: http://www.islandsbusiness.com/news/solomon-islands/483/churchs-role-in-the-fight-against-gender-based-vio/

Methodist Church in Fiji

September 2012: 
The Methodist Church in Fiji has finally been allowed to hold its Annual Conference- the first time such a gathering has been permitted by the Interim Government of Fiji since 2008. Strict conditions were imposed upon the meeting regarding time and place, and no political issues were allowed to be discussed. Rev Tuikilakila Waqairatu, the newly elected President of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma, has stated that although the government has closed its doors toward communicating with the church, the church will continue working toward maintaining the relationship. 
Please continue to uphold the work of the Deaconesses in Fiji in your prayers.

DUCA Conference - Deacons in Uniting Church in Australia

The biennial DUCA Conference will be held in the first week of July 2012, in Sydney. The theme is: God is where? There will be workshops, Bible Studies, field visits and an accredited course in public theology for academic credit. A great time of learning is anticipated. The flyer can be downloaded from the DUCA website here.

The blurb:
In a changing time of post-modern culture, there are many questions about how and where we share the Good News that comes to us through the life of Jesus. The ministry of the Diaconate is about listening to the call of God to serve in a changing world. God is working and calling many people to ministry in new and creative ways.
The practice of public theology explores how the Christian faith addresses public issues for the sake of the common good, in a pluralistic, multicultural, multi-faith society. Our hope is that through public theology, the conference will offer a framework to unpack our thinking, hear fro people who have been active in public ministry in creative ways and share our own stories and experiences with insight, enthusiasm and passion.

This conference is open to all those serving in diaconal ministries. We welcome participants from Diaconal Associations in Australia and New Zealand, as well as members of associations in the DAP region (DIAKONIA Asia Pacific).

Floods in Fiji

In January, heavy rains caused floods in Fiji in January. Here's a youtube clip here that shows images of the flooding, and an ABC news story.

Deaconess Salanieta Naveata writes (3 Feb 2012): 

BULA!!!! Thank you for thinking of us!! We have just had a second round of floodings. They are mostly on the western part of Fiji - I went around the island as soon as the first flood hit us and  it was so devastating to see the poor villagers' homes being hit. I raised this concern to the hierarchy of our church here (H.Q. Methodist Church) and they are waiting for reports from the resident ministers of those places that were hit. I am hoping to request the women fellowship groups to donate kitchen utensils. Sala.

Please pray for the work of the Deaconess Association in Fiji, for those affected by the floods, and for the emergency workers.

Lyamungo Secondary HS students - World DIAKONIA Exec meeting

DAP represented at 2011 World DIAKONIA Executive

The World DIAKONIA Executive met in Moshi, Tanzania in July, 2011. Deaconess Emma Cantor (DAP President), Deaconess Ristua Sirait (alternate DAP Vice-President) and Rev Sandy Boyce (English Editor, DIAKONIA News and DAP alternate President) represented DAP on the World DIAKONIA Executive.

Emma and Ristua are in the middle at the front, and Sandy is in front row second from the right.

Denise Champion and Sala Naveata in Johannesburg

The 12th World Assembly of the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women will be held in Johannesburg from 10th to 16th August, 2011, with eleven Australians attending. The conference theme is Bambelela! (‘Never give up!) Christ is our hope!

Around 1000 women from 60 countries will gather for the conference, which includes worship, learning, social action, Bible Study, conversation, music and so much more.  There is an excellent line up of leaders and speakers

Salanieta Naveata, representing the Deaconess Association in Fiji, will be attending, as will Pastor Denise Champion, a Deacon candidate in the Uniting Church in Australia.

Methodist Church in Fiji cancels annual conference

The Methodist Church in Fiji fears there would be more arrests if it went ahead with its annual conference in Rewa this month.

After weeks of defiance against a ban by the interim government on the conference, church leaders have backed down and cancelled the event.

Deputy general secretary Reverend Tevita Banivanua says nine church leaders are currently before the courts and they feared the reaction if the conference was held as planned with ministers from other parts of Fiji in attendance.

Rev Banivanua says the cancellation does not mean the Methodist Church accepts what the interim government is doing, and the church will look at other ways of expressing its opinions.

Copyright © 2009 Radio New Zealand.

Read more here.

The Uniting Church in Australia expresses support and solidarity for the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma. Read the statement here.

Prayers for Fiji

At the World Diakonia Assembly, we prayed for our deaconess sisters from the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma and the increasing tension between the church and the military regime, and in particular for the situation that has led to the arrest of a dozen church leaders who plan to hold the age old (1850's) annual meeting of the Methodist Church at the end of August despite the military regime requesting that it be cancelled because it was deemed 'too political', and would breach Fiji's 'Public Emergency Regulation'. Fiji’s Methodist Church may not be allowed to hold its annual conference for the next five years if it does not comply with Government’s request to wash its hands off politics. It is expected that all members of the Church Standing Committee will be detained and charged. A statement of support to the church leaders was sent from the World Diakonia Assembly. Please remember our brothers and sisters in Fiji at this difficult time and continue to uphold them in prayer.

the outgoing Executive at World Diakonia Assembly

Sala (DAP President, Fiji) and Sabitha (DAP Vice-President, India) were thanked for their work on Executive for the last four years, along with other outgoing members of the Executive.

(Sala in sky blue alongside Sabitha in sari)

Diakonia Asia-Pacific

Diakonia Asia-Pacific (DAP) is one of the regions in the Diakonia World Federation and includes deacon networks in Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan and India. This blogsite has been set up (July 2009) to enable sharing of stories, events and activities in the Asia-Pacific region. Enjoy!

(Photo of some DAP members at World Diakonia Assembly in Atlanta in July 2009)