Picture of congregation
Picture of worship outside
Picture of lunch

Sunday Service: Worship: Community

Picture of sand and candle

We gather at 10am on Sunday Mornings.

We intentionally gather around the Jesus Story.

We open ourselves to listen for the Good News of Jesus of Nazareth

We are seeking to follow the Jesus Way.

We worship together as all ages.

We sing, we pray, we listen to Scripture, poetry and story: we talk with one another, listen to each other and go into our daily living with love.

communion table with book

I wonder if you have grown up in the church, or if attending a church service is totally new to you?

In a church service we firstly Acknowledge Country.  The Uniting Church recognises that the Spirit was already alive in this land before the Colonisation.

We open in prayer, sing together, listen to The Gospel; we ponder in reflection upon its wisdom and stories: we pray for the world and each other.  We send one another into the day with a blessing.

We'd like to think that all these things, or maybe one element might just help us connect with the Sense of Spirit that draws us to living the way of Jesus.

Theology...or being conscious of how we think about God

Picture of cross with Aboriginal imagery
We do engage with theology as a community, that is; how might we humans think about God or that sense of Spirit we share.
We, as a community hold different ideas on these things.
Many of us come from different perspectives and have different life stories that have shaped how we experience the Divine.
Often there is difference in how we think or feel together.
Thank God for that!
There is space for diversity here.
There is space to explore Spirituality.
It’s not so much, ‘Do we have the right theology’ as ‘What theology might help us in this moment, with these questions’ as we live the Jesus Way.
We dance with tradition, emerging theologies, eco-theology, progressive theology, liberation theology, feminist theology, Queer theology.
We do a fair bit of wondering together.
We like to learn.
We like to see how the Spirit is moving in each others lives.
Oh, and we do like to laugh, talk together, make art and create together... and don't get me started on our favourite cafes in Station Street!

Who is in the Congregation?

Our local Federal member visited us during the run up to the Voice Referendum.
We come from the many expressions of the Christian faith.  Some have grown up in the Uniting Church (or the churches from which it grew).
Most of us bring the other many and varied denominations we may have grown up with.
Others have found this community without having a church background at all.
One of the things that brings us together is that, in some way we are all attending to and seeking that sense of Spirit that dwells within each of us, and is an expression of God.
We cover nearly every age group from birth to the elderly: and on any Sunday morning there’s about 50 of us: so enough people to hide amongst!!!  (there's about 80 on the role, but your know, life gets busy...)
Some of us are home-makers, some are single: some are in full time work, or part-time: some of us are not working.  Some travel great distances to be here.  Skye to Sunbury!  And we're of all genders... of course!

Youth Group

YUCU Youth Group

Fairfield Uniting Youth join in with other youth from Brunswick and Richmond Uniting Church communities.  We meet during the school terms, usually every second week.  We meet either at Brunswick Uniting or here at Fairfield.

We hang out.

We have made our own CLEUDO night, celebrated birthdays, do movie nights, dress up, play games, go on treasure hunts, discuss life together.  And we have snacks.

It's called YUCY, which is an an acronym for Youth of the Uniting Church... but I just can't recall what the final Y is...

On-Line Chuch

We did a fair bit of On-Line church during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We haven’t as yet recommenced on-line offerings yet.
You can keep up-to-date via our facebook page as to weekly services.
 
Often, On-Line content can help us stay connected when we can’t get to a face-to-face service regularly.  This is a work in progress for Church Council.

Communion, Baptims and Confirmation

communnion elements

Communion

Communion, the Eucharist, The Lord's Prayer: all different names to describe the breaking of the bread together and the sharing of the wine together.  An element in a Sunday Service where we remember Jesus; his life, his teachings and the Events of Easter as a community.

We celebrate Communion usually on the First Sunday of each month: and this is just tradition.

We use Gluten Free Bread and Alcohol Free Grape Juice.  We do this so that as many people who would like to, can join in.

Communion is special.  Sometimes you just have to join in to discover its' meaning.

the baptismal font reflects the living water

Baptism

Baptism is a sacred ceremony of welcome into the Grace and Love of God, in Jesus Christ.
It is a step in life-long discipleship.
It is a welcome into the world-wide community of the church.
Baptism in the Uniting Church is recognised by the World Council of Churches.
In some traditions, babies and Children are baptised, and later in their maturing, they do a Confirmation - a service affirming the promises made on their behalf by their parents, guardians or family.
In other Christian traditions Baptisms are only conducted when the individual is of conscious mind and make a decision to follow Jesus for their lives.  This is sometimes called believers baptism.
The Uniting Church encompasses both traditions.
Sometimes the desire to Baptise a baby is actually a desire to have a Naming Ceremony- a Service of Thanksgiving service for the blessing of this child in its family.
our resident wombat sits with the Christ candle and the Bible

Confirmation

When baptism was conducted when a person was a baby or a child, Confirmation is a ceremony where the individual affirms the promises of Jesus in their own life.

Confirmation classes and confirmation preparation take place at your request.

It’s a great way to deepen your understanding of what your believe and what the Church believes: to go deeper in your faith and sense of Spirit.

You can go on a choose your own adventure: learning, researching and pondering what Jesus is all about: and the pathway of following him; and have a mentor along the way as you prepare for the Service.

Weddings and Funerals

Bluey Figures

Weddings

The Uniting Church welcomes all people to be Married here in the church, or in a venue of your choice.  All the world is Sacred!
Weddings are a celebration of love and family.  God is love: and when we share in love, we are in God.
The Uniting Church has two Liturgies (services and the words we say).
One liturgy is traditional.
The other liturgy is contemporary.
Both services give you options for Vows: and because we are a creative church, we work with you to craft the service together.
…and YES! (fanfare please) SAME GENDER couples can marry in the Church! (YAY!)
the communion table with bible and flowers

Funerals

The honouring of a life is important.
The grief that visits us can be over whelming.
We would be delighted to help create a Funeral Service or Service of Thanksgiving with you.
We come with skills, imagination, ideas and deep listening, so that together we can create a service that honours the life of the deceased.
Our Church can be used as a venue: or you may have a venue with the undertaker of your choice: or we can simply meet at  the grave side and conduct a service there.

Spiritual Direction

the bottle brush is in full bloom and is near our garden discussion table
The gentle art of being listened to.
The careful practice of speaking from the heart.
Spiritual Direction is an ancient Christian discipline; of two people meeting intentionally to speak and listen for the movements of the Spirit in our lives.
Katharine Rankin and Rev Joan Wright-Howie operate from our two consulting rooms here at the Church.  The consulting rooms, which we call Nook 1 and Nook 2, are discretely located on site: and accessed through our private meditation garden. Go to the 'coracle page'.