Beauty Point Uniting Church

17/06/2026

Sunday, June 21, 10 am
Worship at Beauty Point
Led by Rev’d Sherryl Smith
All are welcome.

17/06/2026

“The Good Samaritan”
“One does not have a neighbor; I make myself someone’s neighbor” -Paul Ricœur
This parable from Luke 10 is considered one of the most well known in the gospels. Like many other Christians, I have heard this story hundreds of times. However, it wasn’t until adulthood a mentor gave me a more significant understanding of this story.
When an expert in religious law, a lawyer, asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”, Jesus answers him with this parable. A man traveling down a well known dangerous road from Jerusalem to Jericho is ambushed by robbers, who steal his possessions, and beat him leaving him “half dead.” Two members of the lawyer’s own religious class pass the man by but the one who does stop is an outsider, a Samaritan, who takes pity on the man, caring for his wounds, and takes him on his donkey to a nearby inn. He is the true neighbor. Jesus tells them to go and do likewise. The Jewish listeners would have winced because at the time Samaritans were considered a member of an excluded group, an ‘other’. Jesus is giving the lawyer a lesson in God’s law of love.

In his short essay on this parable Paul Ricouer notes that the Gospel would completely condemn the modern world. Jesus is telling us that we don’t simply HAVE neighbors. We MAKE ourselves someone’s neighbor. This is a very anti-modern attitude. Through a modern world of fences, borders, screens, social media, ring cameras, automobiles, etc. we are increasingly living in an age of a dehumanized world of abstract, anonymous and distant relationships. Many often using, religion, politics or “the law” to distance themselves from the wounded and most vulnerable people in our communities. Immigrants, refugees, single mothers, the unhoused, and those in prison.

Like all of the parables, Jesus is using this one for the church to imagine the kind of community it is called to be. The parables are meant to be lived. If you want to love your neighbor you are going to have to go make yourself one.

Signed Giclee Prints and Digital Downloads available: kellylatimoreicons.com

14/06/2026

🇵🇸 WCC executive committee affirms steadfast witness of the Palestinian Christians

In a statement, the World Council of Churches executive committee acknowledged the profound challenges affecting the Holy Land, where the Israeli occupation, entry restrictions, conflicts, wars and insecurity have curtailed access to Palestine.

“Yet even amid these challenges, the executive committee wishes first and foremost to affirm the steadfast witness of the Palestinian Christian community, whose presence in the land of Christ's birth, ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection remains a living testimony of faith, hope, and resilience,” the statement reads. “For generations, Palestinian Christians have maintained their commitment to their land, their churches, and their vocation as peacemakers despite occupation, displacement, discrimination, and economic hardship.”

Learn more: https://oikoumene.org/news/wcc-executive-committee-affirms-steadfast-witness-of-the-palestinian-christians

📷Albin Hillert/WCC

08/06/2026

Sunday, June 14 10 am
Worship at Beaconsfield
Led by Frances Seen

04/06/2026

02/06/2026

Sunday, June 7, 10 am
Holy Communion at Beauty Point
Rev’d Peter Grayson-Weeks

31/05/2026

Happy Trinity Sunday!
“God for us, God alongside us, God within us.”

~Fr. Richard Rohr

Designed and Commissioned by Dr. Mark Bozzuti-Jones.

Signed Giclee Prints, Digital Downloads and Prayer Candles: kellylatimoreicons.com

29/05/2026

Very happy with the crowd that attended our first Biggest Morning Tea for the Cancer Council. We are a small congregation and the event was organised at relatively short notice by our little Coffee, Craft and Chat group.

$815 was raised, including prior cash and online donations from people who couldn’t attend.

A big THANK YOU to all who contributed to the success

A special note appreciation to Marcelina for offering men’s clipper cuts.

Also greatly appreciated were the donations of raffle prizes from
The Cupboard Bakery, Beauty Point PO, Newsagency and Grocer, Michelle Brass at The River Cafe at Beauty Point, The Rotary Community Shop and Anna from our Craft Group.