Uniting Church Western Australia

21/10/2026

A place to rest and reflect 💜
Last month St Aidan’s Uniting Church in Claremont dedicated a new purple park bench, located under a shady tree in the open courtyard of the church grounds.
The purple bench stands as a commemoration for victims of domestic homicide and provides an opportunity to sit and reflect on the impact of family and domestic violence.

Read more about St Aidan's Purple Bench project here - https://unitingchurchwa.org.au/news/st-aidans-purple-bench/

20/10/2026

NEWS AND NOTES - OUT NOW!
Catch up with the latest news and stories from the Uniting Church WA and beyond.
This week in News and Notes we share a prayer for Dr Helen Haines MP from Uniting Church in Australia President Rev Charissa Suli, there's an overview of our Synod and Presbytery strategic priorities, learn about St Aidan's Uniting Church's new purple bench, and the Assembly reflects on the eighth anniversary of the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse.
Plus news, stories and events from our Uniting Church community.

Check your inbox, or click the link in the comments for this weeks news.

If you'd like to receive News and Notes straight to your inbox every Tuesday afternoon, subscribe here - https://bit.ly/ucwanews or send us an email - [email protected]

19/10/2026

As President, I invite the Uniting Church across Australia to pray for Helen Haines, the independent Federal Member for Indi, following a serious incident outside her electorate office in Wangaratta on Monday afternoon.

We hold Helen, her family, friends, staff and the wider Indi community in our prayers at this distressing time. We pray for her healing and recovery, for wisdom and skill for those providing her medical care, and for comfort and strength for all who have been affected by this incident.

As people of faith, we affirm the dignity of every person and reject violence in all its forms. We give thanks for the members of the community who acted quickly to assist and support Helen in the immediate aftermath of the incident.

At this difficult time, may we resist speculation, hold one another with kindness, and continue to uphold compassion, respect and peace in our communities and public life.

May God’s healing presence surround Helen, may God’s peace be with her loved ones, and may God’s love sustain all those who are worried and concerned.

- Rev Charissa Suli, President of the Uniting Church in Australia.

19/10/2026

Great to see our congregations and agencies learning from each other. Uniting WA Co-CEO's Jen Park and Michael Chester visited Margaret River Uniting Church on the weekend, sharing stories of their vital work supporting vulnerable people in the community.

15/10/2026

Juniper's Royal Commission Report Card, released on the eighth anniversary of the establishment of a Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, shows older Australians are still waiting for the change they were promised.

https://www.juniper.org.au/news/junipers-royal-commission-report-card-shows-older-australians-still-waiting-for-the-change-they-were-promised

Eight years ago, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety was established to transform a system that was failing older Australians.

Today, on the eighth anniversary of the establishment of the Royal Commission on 8 October 2018, Juniper is asking a simple question: has reform delivered the outcomes older Australians were promised?

The question was inspired by a challenge from former Inspector-General of Aged Care Natalie Siegel-Brown, who urged the sector to judge reform not by what has been promised, but by what has been achieved.

Our new Royal Commission Report Card looks at the progress made by successive governments and assesses whether reform is making a meaningful difference in the lives of older Australians.

While significant reforms have been introduced, including the new Aged Care Act on 1 November, Juniper has awarded the Government an overall grade of C-, finding the changes have not yet translated into meaningful improvements for many older Australians.

Juniper CEO Russell Bricknell said The Royal Commission called for an aged care system where older people could live with dignity, choice, independence and connection and that those outcomes need to be the measure of whether reform is working.

“The Royal Commission gave Australia a roadmap for change,” he said. “Our focus must now be on making sure we reach the right destination.”

Take a look at the report card and let us know what you think. Does our assessment reflect your experience, or have we been too generous?

https://shorturl.at/UKxlq

15/10/2026

C A M P F I R E 2 0 2 6 ⛺🔥
Another fantastic CampFIRE over the September long weekend, and 20 years on it’s showing no signs of slowing down!
Participants gathered at Lake Yealering for a weekend of faith, community and fireside chats. They shared, ate, sang, and listened to some great talks, including an all-ages interactive telling of Noah’s Ark (complete with puppets!). And of course, there was plenty of time to sit around the fire and just relax.
Thanks to the CampFIRE organising team, and to everyone who came along and made it such a great weekend. Here’s to the next 20!

📸 Andy Broadbent

14/10/2026

Catch up with the latest news and stories from the Uniting Church WA and beyond.
This week in News and Notes we feature news from the recent UCA Fijian National Conference, you can read the Moderator's speech standing with our Pacific neighbours calling for climate action, and an invitation from Uniting WA to attend their upcoming Annual Public Meeting.

News and Notes 13 October 2026 - https://bit.ly/4B2Gh8t

If you'd like to receive News and Notes straight to your inbox every Tuesday, subscribe here - https://bit.ly/ucwanews or send us an email - [email protected]

13/10/2026

“For many Australians, climate breakdown can feel like a future problem. For many Pacific peoples, it is already a present reality.”

On Tuesday 6 October the Moderator Rev David Jackson stood alongside other faith leaders and supporters outside Wesley Uniting Church in Perth as part of a national action led by the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC) standing with our Pacific neighbours calling for climate action.

As a speaker at the Perth action along with along other local faith leaders, Rev Jackson shared from his personal experiences of a recent visit to Fiji for the World Council of Churches (WCC) Pacific Churches Leaders Meeting where the Pacific Ecumenical Decade of Climate Justice Action was launched.
Only a few days earlier he was attending the UCA Fijian National Conference held in Fremantle where more than 700 members of the Fijian National Conference joined their voices in a powerful call for climate justice.

Read the Moderator's speech on our website - https://unitingchurchwa.org.au/news/moderator-stands-with-our-pacific-neighbours/

WA Australian Religious Response to Climate Change - ARRCC WA
UCA Fiji National Conference

12/10/2026

During his recent visit to Perth to attend the UCA Fijian National Conference, President-elect Rev Paul Goh preached at the Perth Woori Korean Uniting Church reflecting on the first Christian community in Acts 2 and inviting us to rediscover the love at the heart of our life together - God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.

“Let’s paddle together, renewed by our first love.”

What does it mean to be the Church today?

Preaching at Perth Woori Korean Uniting Church, President-elect Rev Paul Goh reflected on the first Christian community in Acts 2 and invited us to rediscover the love at the heart of our life together: God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.

Drawing on the church’s five core values of Welcome, Worship, Words, Works and Wow, Paul encouraged us to be communities that welcome generously, worship faithfully, are transformed by God’s Word, serve those who are hurting and vulnerable, and live with wonder at what God is doing among us.

“We love because God first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

Like a canoe moving forward as people paddle together and the wind fills its sail, the Uniting Church is called to journey together across cultures and generations, trusting the Spirit to lead us towards God’s promised future.

May we keep paddling together in faith, hope and love.

09/10/2026

If you visit Northam Uniting Church you will find a colourful framed woven tapestry displayed alongside the Christ candle.
Ann Barnes, Secretary of the Northam Uniting Church Council shared the story of this woven artwork with us recently, which you will also find in the latest Dovetales.

"On Sunday 21st June at our monthly Café Fellowship service, the Northam Uniting Church celebrated the 49th Anniversary of the Uniting Church in Australia. Our theme for the service was the President of the Uniting Church in Australia Rev Charissa Suli’s chosen theme for her term as President,
“Threads of Love: Weaving Christ’s love across cultures and boundaries”
We also shared prayers from the 'Uniting in Prayer 2026' season of national prayer,
throughout the service.

During our time together, each table shared over a cuppa, their thoughts on the question:
“What does it mean to be woven together in Christ’s love across cultures and boundaries?”

As we talked with each other, everyone was invited to choose from our basket of colourful ribbons and threads and weave it across our simple frame made from an old picture frame.
And here is the wonderful result of our combined effort at weaving together, symbolising “Threads of Love: Weaving Christ’s love across cultures and boundaries” and now on display alongside the Christ candle reminding us each time we meet of these words."'

Thanks to Ann for sharing this story with us.
Does your congregation have a story to share? Get in touch via [email protected]

📷 Rev Claire Pickering