Toorak Uniting Church – Update – Pentecost 10

2 August 2015

Still thinking
At the University of Toronto I shared an office with a futurologist. Gavin was a post-doctoral student who was writing a book on, the "Technological Structures of the Future." I can’t remember much about our conversations and his writings, but I do remember he was an avid fan of "Star Trek" and that he was always irritated when someone would say, "Oh well, nobody knows the future." For Gavin that wasn’t true. He believed that people could know the future if they just paid attention to the present. For him the seeds of the future where clearly evidenced in what we see around us today. Just look and learn!

I don’t think he is right. There is a sense that brand new things do appear in our lives and the life of the world that cannot be understood just by considering the present. An example of this is Albert Einstein’s statement, "You can never solve a problem on the level on which it was created." We often need something new to deal with the messes we have created in the present. Nevertheless, if we pay no attention to the present then we are sure to create problems in the future.

So where does that leave us with the future? The future, as a place within our minds is important because we live as if there is a tomorrow, a next week and a next year. Is that guaranteed? No it is not! But how we live in the present will influence and determine much about the future, but not everything. As much as we try we cannot control or predict what will happen next month. Nevertheless, we need not have anxiety about that. I think there are three simple principles we can all live by, which will shape us and our future. They are:

Live fully in the present. When we are tempted to indulge our fantasies about the future, whether they are catastrophic or blissful, we must draw back into the present and to Jesus’ words, "I have come that you may have life, life in all its fullness." John 10:10

Commit yourself to change. Life is about letting go, it may not be easy but it is necessary. The prophet Isaiah was not timid about the future, "For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland." Isaiah 43:19

Trust in the source of Life and Love in the Universe. It is all about faith and trust. It’s about living with confidence - not necessarily certainty - that I am held in the arms of a loving God. Again from the words of John’s gospel, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you…Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." John 14:27

The 19th century preacher and theologian Henry Ward Beecher got it right when he said, "Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or with the handle of faith."

Christopher Page

Welcome to Toorak Uniting Church

Diary Dates

Thank you to Brian Clough
for taking the TUC choir for the month of July, contributing to the whole TUC music ministry and bringing the TUC choir much fun, laughter and joy.
Welcome back Jennifer!

In our Thoughts and Prayers:
We think of Lois Walker, as she mourns the death of her sister last Saturday.

Reverend David Hodges
There will be a Dedication of the Reverend David Hodges Memorial following the 10:15 service next Sunday, 9th August in Kinross House. It will include morning tea. Please RSVP to Nina Mumford for catering purposes on 9505 6775 or nina.mumford@optusnet.com.au

John Macrae Centre
A special mid-winter Christmas dinner will be held at the Centre on Sunday August 2nd at 12.30 pm. Come and enjoy a convivial feast - entree, roast turkey, and plum pud with hard sauce. Our guest speaker, Patricia Begg, will inspire us with her discoveries during a recent trip to Russia – "Opulent Moscow".
Please ring the JMC office on 9829 0320 for bookings. $40 per person. Everyone is most welcome to attend.

Toorak Op Shop
still needs winter clothing donations. 143 Canterbury Rd, Toorak. Ph: 9827 3172.

The Future of Religion, Jesus, & Christianity
The Progressive Christian Network of Victoria & Common Dreams on the Road present a Lecture & Symposium by Dr David Galston.

Funeral planning
Are you interested in lodging a funeral plan with the TUC Office? It can give as little information as the hymns that you would like sung, or be as detailed and elaborate as you like. If you would like to investigate the possibilities, please contact the office on 9829 0300 or email us: ToorakUC@bigpond.net.au

Wanted to borrow
If anyone has a trailer they could lend Anne Page for a couple of hours on Wednesday 12 August, she would very much appreciate it. Please contact Anne on 0411 097 531.

Master Class in Asset Based Community Development with Cormac Russel
The relationship between organisations and communities is changing and this change is going to require a fundamental shift in behaviour from both officers in organisations and residents in communities. In this stretching and refreshing master class, Cormac Russell, who is a thought and practice leader in Asset Based Community Development, will provide participants with the opportunity to look at three fundamental questions for creating sustainable and resilient communities:

• What can communities do that organisations cannot?
• What can organisations do that communities cannot?
• What can communities do with organisations that neither can do alone?

• Share the fundamental principles of Asset Based Community Development.
• Share practical tools and techniques that participants can utilise in their own organisations.
• Share his experiences of working across the world using asset based community development to grow communities in the most challenging of circumstances.
• Give participants the opportunity to work through some of the challenges that they are currently facing and apply what they have heard.

News from Kinross Arts & Spirituality Centre

Sunday, 9 August to Friday, 11 September	Snowball Effect – Anne Cuming Artist statement Metaphorically speaking a 'snowball effect' starts from an initial state of small significance and builds upon itself, becoming larger and more momentous. A common example of this is a ball of snow rolling down a snow-covered mountain. As it rolls the ball picks up more snow and momentum it grows in mass to arrive at the bottom of the mountain in a different, more noteworthy form. This exhibition explores the notion that the snowball effect applies to our lives. Every life comprises of a diverse range of complex emotions and experiences which contribute to our individual perceptions and reactions. As the snowball rolls down the hill, its path may be altered by inclines and obstructions, and so our lives change from what we may have first anticipated. No matter which path we choose our experiences will continue to contribute to our lives and affect the momentum at which we travel toward our individual destinies. I believe that these thoughts are relevant to the event that I am thrilled to be part of during my exhibition at Kinross Arts Centre - the naming of 'Hodges Gallery'. It all began with an idea the Uniting Church Minister, Reverend David Hodges, had many years ago about the arts at Toorak Uniting Church, which 'snowballed' into the wonderful reality of Kinross which supports a wide array of artists and affords them the opportunity to exhibit in such a beautiful and historic place. This exhibition is a collection of emotive paintings from 2008 to 2015. Through use of colour, composition and subject matter my artwork seeks to connect with the viewer through the portrayal of sentiments including happiness, loneliness, reflection and contentment. For more information about Anne Cumming please visit www.annecumingart.com.au
Thursday 13 August to Sunday, 23 August	GLOW Winter Festival This event is delivered in partnership with the GLOW Winter Arts Festival Proudly supported by the City of Stonnington.
Sunday, 23 August 3 to 4pm	From the Orient and the Middle East – Kinross Poetry Readings Readings will include: Amichai, Basho, Gilgamesh, Poetry from the Old Testament, including from Job and the Psalms, Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (translated by Robert Graves), Rumi, Rabindranath Tagore and Tao Te Ching The Readers Henry Dobson and Lawrie Groom are passionate about poetry. Both writers, Henry has a deep interest in philosophy and existentialism, while Lawrie's interests include painting and public policy. Both enjoy good conversation and chess. We greatly appreciate Henry Bucks on Collins St for their generous sponsorship of the 2015 Kinross Poetry Readings. Entry: gold coin donation. Wine, cheese and biscuits will be provided. For all enquiries, please call Henry 0478 712 881 or Lyndel Wischer at Kinross Arts Centre 9829 0340, email: uat@toorak.unitingchurch.org.au

Lectionary Readings for 9 August 2015, Pentecost 11
2 Samuel 18: 5 – 9, 15, 31 – 33;     Psalm 130;     Ephesians 4: 25 to 5: 2;     John 6: 35, 41 – 51
The liturgical colour for Pentecost is green.