Kogarah Uniting Church

30/07/2026

The World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is observed each year on 30 July. This day serves as a reminder that there is still much to be done in the work of eliminating human trafficking and slavery. There are approximately 50 million people trapped in slavery in our world. 71% are girls and women and one third are children. And yes, slavery happens in Australia with the latest statistics suggesting 41,000 men, women and children are trapped in various types of modern slavery.

Today, we invite you to join us in praying for an end to what Pope Francis called the "open sore" of human trafficking and for the women and men who work tirelessly to support those who are trafficked and raise awareness of their plight. We remember particulary the staff at Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH) who do such wonderful work here in Australia. https://acrath.org.au/

God of justice,
from the beginning of time you have called your people to free those who are downtrodden and oppressed.
Be with all those who are forced and sold into slavery by virtue of their poverty and powerlessness.

Open the hearts of all who profit on the backs of forced labour.

Open our minds to our purchasing power.

Open our hands in friendship to those exploited in our own land in domestic labour, agricultural and manufacturing industries and sexual exploitation.

May our prayer, reflection and action bring hope to our world.
Amen

This powerful image is by Canadian sculptor, Timothy Schmalz -Let the Oppressed Go Free. To watch a short video on the making of this sculpture go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfXrkQO6B1g

29/07/2026

Meet Satara Uthayakumaran.

At just 23, the North Ryde Uniting Church member is already making an impact on the global stage as Australia’s Youth Representative to the United Nations. But her passion for justice was first nurtured much closer to home – through her faith, her family and a church community that taught her to listen deeply, lead with compassion and recognise the God-given dignity in every person.

In the latest instalment of our ‘Humans of the Uniting Church series’, Satara reflects on the experiences that have shaped her journey, the role her faith continues to play, and why she believes hope begins with listening.

Read her inspiring story via the link in the Comments below.

09/07/2026

As we mark NAIDOC Week across our nation’s history, I find myself giving thanks once again for the gift of Covenant.

The Covenant between the Uniting Church in Australia and the UAICC - Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress is one of the greatest gifts God has given our Church. It is far more than an agreement between councils. It is a living relationship that continues to shape who we are as the Body of Christ and calls us to deeper discipleship, humility and right relationship with one another.

During my master’s research, I spent considerable time reflecting on our Covenant with Congress. I came to understand more deeply that the Covenant is not simply something we affirm. It is a way of being Church. It shapes how we listen, lead, discern God’s future together, and understand what it means to belong to one another in Christ.

As someone shaped by my Pacific heritage and called to lead a multicultural Church, I have come to appreciate more deeply that Covenant has something to teach each of us. First Peoples are not merely part of our Church. Their wisdom, spirituality and leadership continue to shape who we are becoming together. As we walk together, we come to understand more fully what it means to be the Body of Christ.

Covenant reminds us that we cannot speak of being one Church while walking separate paths. God continually calls us back into relationship with one another because reconciliation is not merely our mission – it is God’s work, revealed in Jesus Christ and entrusted to the Church.

NAIDOC Week is an opportunity to give thanks for the enduring faith, wisdom and leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. It is also an invitation to renew our commitment to walking together in Covenant – with honesty, humility, courage and hope.

My prayer is that we will continue to learn from one another, deepen our relationships, and bear witness together to Christ’s reconciling love. May God keep weaving us together into the Church we are called to be.

“𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦… 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺.” (Ephesians 2:14)
𝗔 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗔𝗜𝗗𝗢𝗖 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸

Creator God,

We give you thanks for the First Peoples of this land, who have cared for Country for countless generations, and whose cultures, languages and wisdom continue to enrich the life of our nation and of your Church.

We thank you for the faithful witness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christians, for their courage, resilience and enduring hope, and for how they continue to lead us to a deeper understanding of your love and justice.

As we mark NAIDOC Week, renew us in our Covenant together. Grant us hearts willing to listen, spirits open to learn, and the courage to walk alongside one another with humility and grace.

Strengthen the Elders who carry wisdom, the leaders who guide your people, the young people shaping the future, and the communities who continue to bear witness to your love in every part of this land.

Teach us to honour one another as members of one Body, to receive one another’s gifts with gratitude, and to seek your Kingdom together.

May your Holy Spirit continue to lead the Uniting Church as we walk together in faith, hope, and love. May our life together reflect Christ's reconciling love, so that all people may know they are welcomed, valued, and that they belong.

We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who calls us to walk together in peace.

Amen.

𝗥𝗲𝘃 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗮 𝗦𝘂𝗹𝗶
𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮

22/01/2026

Today, on this national Day of Mourning, we come alongside all who grieve the devastating attack at Bondi Beach on 14 December 2025. We pause to remember those who lost their lives on that tragic day:

Matilda
Edith Brutman
Dan Elkayam
Boris and Sofia Gurman
Alexander Kleytman
Rabbi Yaakov Levitan
Peter Meagher
Reuven Morrison
Marika Pogany
Rabbi Eli Schlanger
Adam Smyth
Boris Tetleroyd
Tania Tretiak
Tibor Weitzen

We continue to pray for God’s comfort for their families and friends, and we stand in solidarity with all who mourn, particularly members of the Australian Jewish community.

We encourage the Church to pause tonight at 7.01pm, to light a candle and to ask God to reinvigorate Christ's love in us so that we can shine for Him in this world.

11/01/2026

We are in the Church/Liturgical Season of After Epiphany.Epiphany from Greek for "manifestation," is a holy day of light, showing Jesus as God's Son revealed to all people, not just Jews. The Day of Ephiany was last Tuesday, January 6th.

An epiphany is a sudden, profound realization or manifestation or a moment of deep insight. May our work / our liturgy in this season be opening ourselves more to the work of God in us as individuals and as a congregation/community.

Traditionally, in the Sundays of After Epiphany we focus an some significant narratives from the Gospels.

In remembering the visit of the Magi, let us follow the signs we see to discover the one who is to be king for us. What gifts will we bear to honour the one we seek?

In remembering Jesus's baptism by John the Baptist. Let us remember the meaning of our baptism, and in remembering that we have been plunged into the faith and family of Jesus, let us look to giving better and truer expression to this. We can do this by being more intentional about our discipleship. We can seek to step out in faith more as we live out our gifts in service to God by to embody God’s love to others.

In remembering the call of the disciples, let us reflect on what do we seek from Jesus, and what Jesus seeks from us? Let us also think on how following Jesus changes us and changes how others know us.

As we hear of Jesus and his proclamation of metanoia, that changing of heart, mind and being, because the Kingdom of God has come nea, what might we repent of, especially in this time of new resolutions?

When we hear Jesus teaching on a mountain let us listen to the radical nature of his teaching and seek to be open to coming to understanding of what this means for us in our lives and in our living?

As we hear Jesus proclaiming that those he was speaking to are salt of the Earth and light for the world, let us look to the incarnation of that light , in Jesus, the anointed one, the Christ, who is the Word of God and who is God and who is the true light who had come into the world, the true light that enlightens everyone. Let us look to That light in us and seek to allow God to incarnate that light in us. For God is present with us and within us as Holy Spirit, and our baptism is a calling into action.

Let us not just gather to remember by gathering and ritual, but let us do the work of inspiring each other towards love and good works as we work to join God in God’s mission and work.

After Epiphany gives us a lot to think about.

God bless.

- Jon

06/01/2026

In this time of uncertainty and change,
we hold before God the people of Venezuela –
those who are celebrating,
those who are fearful,
those who are grieving,
and those who long for peace, dignity, and a future shaped by hope.
We pray especially for Venezuelan communities here in Australia,
for families living with distance, anxiety, and deep love for home.
May God’s peace surround all who suffer.
May wisdom guide leaders.
May justice be pursued without violence.
And may the voices of ordinary people be heard and honoured.
We join our prayers with those offered across the global church, trusting in God’s promise of peace, restoration and life.
Amen.

𝐀 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐯 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐒𝐮𝐥𝐢

In this time of uncertainty and change,
we hold before God the people of Venezuela –
those who are celebrating,
those who are fearful,
those who are grieving,
and those who long for peace, dignity, and a future shaped by hope.

We pray especially for Venezuelan communities here in Australia,
for families living with distance, anxiety, and deep love for home.

May God’s peace surround all who suffer.
May wisdom guide leaders.
May justice be pursued without violence.
And may the voices of ordinary people be heard and honoured.

We join our prayers with those offered across the global church, trusting in God’s promise of peace, restoration and life.

Amen.

03/01/2026

For you, for this new year: a blessing that welcomes you in. Oh, my friends, may the house of this year meet you with health and peace and grace of the most beautifully ordinary kind.

THE YEAR AS A HOUSE

Think of the year
as a house:
door flung wide
in welcome,
threshold swept
and waiting,
a graced spaciousness
opening and offering itself
to you.

Let it be blessed
in every room.
Let it be hallowed
in every corner.
Let every nook
be a refuge
and every object
set to holy use.

Let it be here
that safety will rest.
Let it be here
that health will make its home.
Let it be here
that peace will show its face.
Let it be here
that love will find its way.

Here
let the weary come
let the aching come
let the lost come
let the sorrowing come.

Here
let them find their rest
and let them find their soothing
and let them find their place
and let them find their delight.

And may it be
in this house of a year
that the seasons will spin in beauty,
and may it be
in these turning days
that time will spiral with joy.
And may it be
that its rooms will fill
with ordinary grace
and light spill from every window
to welcome the stranger home.

—Jan Richardson
from How the Stars Get in Your Bones: A Book of Blessings
janrichardson.com/books

Image: “Many Rooms”
© Jan Richardson
janrichardsonimages.com

31/12/2025

A prayer we carry into the new year. Not rushing. Not striving. Just trusting God to meet us day by day. If you’re stepping into this year with hope, uncertainty, or quiet faith... you’re not alone. He is already there.

24/12/2025

Christmas morning arrives softly... Light glows, hearts awaken, and grace lingers in every quiet corner of the home. Today we pause to remember the greatest gift ever given. Jesus, our hope wrapped in love, our peace born into the world, our light shining gently through every moment. May this day be filled with gratitude, warmth, and a deep knowing that God is near.
Merry Christmas 🤍

16/12/2025

Even a Christmas tree teaches us, to stand tall after we fall, to shine even in the darkest corners, and to bring joy just by being present. May we all sparkle a little brighter this season and never forget, it’s perfectly okay to be a little tilted sometimes. ❤️