Facebook and the Internet are flooded with resources and ideas for church communities in ‘non-contact’ times. Here you will find resources selected by the UCA leaders in Tasmania, for live-stream worship, alternative activities, ways to remain connected, and to ensure effective pastoral care.
Online church: broadcast worship, live streaming, and other digital worship options
- Cradle Coast Uniting Church:
- Hobart North Uniting Church: YouTube channel
- Kingston Uniting Church: YouTube channel
- Launceston Pilgrim Uniting Church: YouTube channel
- Virtual Visiting: visit another Uniting Church congregation somewhere else! Lists of Uniting Church worship services and online churches include VicTas (with about a dozen ‘online churches’), NSW.ACT, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Synod, and the Assembly also lists some places you might like to go, or perhaps visit another denomination!
- By The Well Podcast – A weekly UCA podcast where a Minister (Rev Fran Barber), a Biblical scholar (Rev Dr Robyn Whitaker), and a guest explore one of the lectionary texts to equip preachers to proclaim the Word. Listen to the podcast and reflect or talk around these questions: What did I connect with? What was challenging? What was new?
- Begin an online Small Group or online Learning Group. A resource for conversation and learning is a series Bill Loader is presenting. Watch the video presentation and then come together to talk about what you learnt. Use these questions to help discussion: What did I connect with? What was challenging? What was new?
At Home
Create a space where you can place something that reminds you of the community of faith to which you belong – a bible, a cross or another symbol. If you don’t have a cross, you might like to draw one for your space. Each day write out a favourite verse from the Bible and leave it present as you go throughout life in your daily living.
- Godly Play You Tube channel has many of the Godly Play stories available. We would encourage your household to listen and be attentive to the story as it is shared. Then together make a response in your home, with whatever you have. Perhaps you could make a journal, recycling paper as you go. Draw, write, take some pictures and add them into the journal. Perhaps your response is to cook a special meal together, write a letter to some, or email or ring them. You might think about connecting with someone who is struggling in this time.
- Service – think about how your house hold might offer an act of service for friends or neighbours. Perhaps baking a cake with care, a surprise gift voucher in their letter box, a card with some encouragement.
- Devotions/Reflections – a collection for our spiritual nurturing from leaders across our church. What Sustain Us
Printable Resources
These resources are available as easy to print documents to share around as paper copies for your congregation or community.
- Empty Plate Empty Cup Litany
- Sacred Space Postcards May
- Season of Easter April – 3 May Sacred Space Postcards
- Daily Prayer Guide May 2020 print
Pastoral Care
Some helpful tools for your community to care for one another are also available:
Zoom license info
- With the help of other Synods, the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania has negotiated a special deal with video conferencing platform Zoom. You can now obtain a licence for just $7.95 a month. If your presbytery or congregation is interested, contact Shweta Paliwal with the number of licences required, and your contact information (including email address).
- Youtube video: Joining a Zoom Call for the First Time; Fun and Easy Online Connection
- Kelly Skilton’s very simple intro to Zoom
Links to (many) other resources
- Synod of Victoria and Tasmania news pages
- Illustrated Ministry – please contact Denise Savage for access to downloadable PDFs to use in your community.
- Busselton Uniting Church provides Home Church resources: words you can pray, and links for input message.
Communications from Uniting Church leadership
1 Corinthians 13:8 ff (ed.) Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part … For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
