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.