If you came to worship at Kingston Uniting Church on Sunday August 26 you may have been a little surprised by what you saw and heard.
The communion table was decorated with some red satin, on which sat a large loaf of damper, and a very well used, rusty billy. A little later, an imaginary campfire was laid by the children, as they gathered to view slides of churches in isolated places, one in a cave, and some with no walls or ceiling, and were asked to think about the question “Is God in all these places?”
We heard some wonderful stories about life in the outback, about isolation and loneliness, about adventure, and about trying new and different experiences. These took people a long way from home, and out of their comfort zone, but were rich and rewarding.
Heather recounted how, as a young girl she had met John Flynn, and was later inspired to hitch hike, with a friend, from Sydney to Alice Springs, where she saw the John Flynn church being built. She has been passionate in wanting to help Frontier Services ever since.
Anne talked about working at Santa Teresa, and as a governess out west of Winton, and of her love of the beauty of the inland, particularly Ormiston Gorge and the red centre, but also of the hardships of living in such remote areas.
We shared the damper as we celebrated communion together, and then adjourned for a barbecue lunch followed by ice creams. A simple meal that raised $500 for the continuing work of Frontier Services, both in Tasmania, and beyond. We were heartened to hear from Rohan Pryor, who happened to be visiting, of the plans to hopefully expand Frontier Services in Tasmania, beyond the Midlands Patrol, and again have a Bush Chaplain on the West Coast.
Our worship was facilitated by resources provided by Frontier Services, and available on their web site https://frontierservices.org There are some beautiful images as well as words in a power point presentation. Why don’t you organise a gathering for those living and working in rural and remote areas? Your event can be registered with Frontier Services.
From FS website and Rev Bob Faser