Each week we release a video for our children and familes to help them start to explore the reading for the coming Sunday. You can see this above. We also send out some faith resources on the Monday to start these conversations. You can find these linked on the left side of the page.
We have a number of activities across Southside for young people. You can find out details about each of them in the tabs at the bottom of the page. Here are some photos to help you see some of these groups.
JAFFA - (grade 1-5)
Girls Brigade - (prep - year 12)
Boys Brigade - (prep - year 12)
Unite Youth Group - (grade 6-12)
Richard Moors works with an amazing team of volunteers to oversee all of the activities we do with young people. If you would like to know any more details he would love to chat with you.
All our volunteers with young people are screened and commit to adhering to the Safe Ministry With Children policy.
Advent Everyday Devotional Booklet
To access an online version of our Advent Everyday Devotional Booklet, please click on the pdf link on the left hand side.
Message from the Editor
We have been blessed since 2021 to have thoughtful, honest, and encouraging reflections for our spiritual nourishment in the season of Advent. 25 people reflected on readings from exilic and post-exilic prophets, and from Luke’s gospel. Seven authors were first-time contributors to Advent Everyday, some newer to Southside including our Senior Minister, Rev Andrew Gunton. We are also grateful to receive a contribution from recently inducted Presbytery Minister, Rev Catherine Solomon. These readings are guided by the Narrative Lectionary, and give us the context within which the expectations, lament, and hope arise within a people looking for God’s transforming work.
Each week of Advent will focus on readings from the following:
First Week Daniel
Second Week Joel, Ezra & Nehemiah
Third Week Isaiah & the prophets
Fourth Week Luke
The theme, ‘God’s invitation to transformation’ was developed across the entire breadth of readings during Advent. Transformation is not easy work. It requires an openness to ‘letting go,’ ‘moving on,’ and ‘laying down’ things that no longer serve. For this reason I chose the caterpillar for the front page image. The caterpillar may believe ‘life is just fine, thank you very much!’ It may not see the need to become a butterfly. But the caterpillar is not meant to live it’s whole life in this first form. It must undergo a transformative process through a necessary death. Only then can it born again and live. What if Advent, the coming of the Christ-child, was seen through this lens? What if God’s coming amongst us in Christ is itself an invitation to come around the manger, to kneel and worship, and to be transformed?
We are grateful to include original artwork from previous years by Peter Kennedy, Narelle Richardson, and Flora Woodward. Other images included are sourced from UnSplash and used by permission.
To those making use of this resource in other parts of Australia and the world, we would love to hear your reflections and stories along the way. Get in touch, hello@ssuc.org.au
About Advent
The word ‘Advent’ is derived from the Latin word adventus which means ‘coming’. During the season of Advent, the church remembers and welcomes again the coming of the Christ-child into the world. Jesus lived to heal, save, reconcile, and give birth to God’s new life for all. The life of the Christ-child continues to heal, save, reconcile, and give birth to God’s new life in all of life throughout the world through the Spirit of God.
Thanks to all the authors and artists for their contributions, and to the team making the arrangements for the launch event of this resource.
Rev Jock Dunbar
December 2024
Spiritual Growth covers key elements of the life of the Christian Church, including discipleship, bible studies, developing spiritual leaders and identifying people who have a calling on their lives for future ministry and mission engagement. As One Congregation in multiple locations, Southside seeks to build our unified identity through our spiritual commitment, by developing ourselves to discipleship we can find out more about our identity in Christ and as members of this unique community in the life of our church.
To find out more about Spiritual Growth in Southside Uniting Church or to express your interest in joining a Small Group, please contact the church office.
Jesus tells us that the church "is the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14).
Southside Uniting Church takes seriously this charge to be active in sharing Christ's love locally, nationally and internationally.
For more information on our Outreach Groups please contact the church office.
As one church in multiple locations, we are keenly aware of the importance of pastoral care, since caring for each other is intrinsic to authentic Christian community and the heart and character of God. Christ proclaims in John 13:34-35 “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Networks of care are established in each of our communities, so that we may live out our motto of pastoral care being for everyone, by everyone.
How does the church engage in mission with the local community today?
This question receives many different responses for one simple reason: it is not a simple question.
Simple problems have simple solutions. The question of the church engaging in ethical, effective, authentic and compassionate ways with its local community is one that must begin with this honest acknowledgement: "We don't know."
"I don't know" is a powerful statement. It carries the potential to awaken curiosity.
When we are curious the probability of moving past our assumptions and irrelevant knowledge increases; our mind and heart opens to possibilities for new learning, asking questions, listening to people's stories, leading to adapt our practices and try new things.
The ministry area of New Missions, particularly through our established Mission Experiment Group (MEG), is our attempt to ask questions, learn, experiment, and reflect on Christian engagement with the local community in our part of the world today. Through this framework, we hope to faithfully participate in God’s action and thereby join God in the unfolding work of God’s new creation of hope, peace, compassion, and justice for all in Christ.
Watch this short video from Tod Bolsinger, as he illustrates the challenge the church is facing today.
"New Friends" Coming Soon!
We are excited to announce a new group "New Friends".
This group is being led by the Mission Experiment Group (MEG) and the focus will be to develop meaningful relationships with CALD women who are socially isolated so that God's love might flourish.
This new group is borne out of a year long discernment process where a small group of people at Southside carefully and deliberately researched various aspects of the local community and identified gaps where we could both be of service to and also significantly learn from others in our community.
Southside Uniting Church is committed to moving into God’s missional future. As part of this we will try new approaches to our worship, witness and service. A missional church for the 21st century will respect the tradition of the church whilst it seeks to engage a new generation in with the transforming message of Jesus Christ.
Our underpinning values for worship
· Christ centred
· Missional
· Inclusive of all people, including ethnicities and ages
· Community building
God has richly blessed our congregation with resources of property and finance to support our mission and ministry. Faithful discipleship requires that we act as good stewards of what we have.
The Resources Ministry Area attends to:
- property maintenance
- finance
- risk management
- Blue Card compliance
- rostering
We'd love for you to be involved
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7
We are gifted for the privilege of serving God and others
We believe we don’t have to do this, we get to do this. Jesus gave His life for us and left us a powerful example when He washed His disciples’ feet. His overwhelming grace in our lives makes no job too insignificant when it comes to lifting up the name of Jesus and loving His people. We serve because we want to follow in His footsteps. We serve excellently because He deserves nothing less. We serve together because this is His church, and this is our church.
So please get involved by joining a team to serve. .
Knowing our spiritual gifts is a key to be used by God to serve him and others. If you don't already know your gifts, or if you'd like to know if other gifts have been released for a season, you can follow this link to take a spiritual gifts test.