Pitt Street Uniting Church E-News

Pitt Street Uniting Church E-News
A progressive faith community of justice-seeking friends in the heart of Sydney
Thursday 26 March 2015
Dear Pitt Street Community,
THIS WEEK AT PITT STREET
Lent is drawing to a close. This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the beginning of
Holy Week.
Sunday 29 March
10am Sunday Gathering
- Palm Sunday
Morning tea
The season of Easter draws us back to the central story of Jesus and the
impact of his life and death on his friends, and on those who have told
his stories in the generations since he died.
Next week moves in a time-honoured pattern, the conflicted Palm
Sunday Parade, Maundy Thursday when we remember Jesus’ last meal
with his friends, to the bitterness of Good Friday, and the re-imagining of
hope that is at the heart of Easter Sunday.
There’s a lot to deconstruct in what the church has taught about Jesus’
death as a payment for the price of human sin. At Pitt Street, we are not
comfortable with the character of God in this interpretation. Our liturgy
will not claim that Jesus died for us. Instead we will honour Jesus’ living
and dying in ways that revealed the centrality of what it means to be
human, pointing us toward a God-energy who is the source of love and
who holds us in all our imperfections and enables us to know ourselves as
loved and included in the beloved community. A God who is with us in
injustice and suffering, working with and through us to transform what is
broken into wholeness and new life.
Tuesday 24 March
5.30pm –6.45pm
Sydney Sings
Good Friday 3 April
9am Gathering
Sunday 5 April
10am Sunday Gathering
- Easter Sunday Communion
Morning tea
We hope that you will join us in this journey and in the celebration of
community that seeks for love and justice.
Peace, Margaret
Pitt Street Uniting is a congregation of the Uniting Church in Australia. The gathering at 10 am on Sunday is
the heart of our community life but we are also a place of welcome and hospitality for the wider community of
Sydney for spirituality, justice, arts, music, meetings and events.
Notices and Coming Events
STABAT MATER
Radhika Sukumar-White and Claire Wright, candidates for ministry from the Sydney North
Presbytery, will be offering a series of liturgical performances during Holy Week, at which
they will be singing Giovanni Battista Pergolesi's seminal work, Stabat Mater, along with
selected works from John Rutter's Requiem. 8pm Mon 30 March, St Andrew’s Chapel, UTC,
Nth Parramatta; 7.30pm Tues 31 March, West Epping Uniting Church, Cnr Carlingford Rd &
Orchard St, Epping; 7.30pm Thurs 2 April, St Matthew’s Uniting Church, Cnr. Charles & Edgar
Sts, Baulkham Hills – non-ticketed; 2pm Fri 3 April, St Andrew’s Uniting Church, Cnr Kenneth &
Christina Sts, Longueville; 8pm Fri 3 April, MCC Sydney, 96 Crystal St, Petersham. Tickets at the
door: $15. All proceeds going towards causes nominated by each venue.
RESONANCE CONCERT – THE LOVE OF A POET
Resonance second programme for 2015 at Pitt Street Uniting Church will feature Australia’s
leading young baritone, Alexander Knight, in Schumann’s romantic masterpiece,
‘Dichterliebe’ (A poet’s love), accompanied by Christ Cartner on the piano. 7-8pm
Wednesday, 1 April. Tickets $25/$20 concession. Invite your family and friends to this
wonderful concert. See www.resonance.net.au for more information.
UNIQUE GOOD FRIDAY - ANZAC SERVICE
A simple Good Friday Evensong which will include Anzac hymns and prayers for peace (no sermon) – an
Australian first? will be held at 2pm Friday April 3, at the historic Old St Thomas Chapel, Narellan. Voluntary
donation for Syrian Christian refugees (though Chaldean Catholic Church). For more information contact:
Chaplain John Bunyan, [email protected] 02 4627 2586.
Saturday 4 April, 12 pm
17 Sydney Rd. Manly
(outside PM Tony
Abbott’s office, in the
mall)
(note: this is a public
prayer vigil, not a civil
disobedience action)
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND LUNCH
The congregation’s Annual Meeting will be held after church on Sunday 19 April. We will review the annual
report and plan for the future. Reports will be available at the meeting. Reserve the date in your diaries. A
Quarterly Celebration catered “recovery lunch” will follow the meeting. BYO beverages. Cost and
registration information coming soon.
WELCOME REFUGEES - RALLY AND MARCH
Close Manus Island, close Nauru, peace, no racism: Sunday 19 April at 1pm in
Belmore Park, Sydney, near Central Station. For further information contact
Ian Rintoul 0417 275 713, Peter Murphy 0418 312 301or Penny Howard
0402 355 205.
INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH ON ATTITUDES TO ASYLUM SEEKERS
Message from UNE master’s student. “I’ve been asked to collect data for a study about
the effect of media documentaries on public perception and opinion as part of my course
at UNE, and I’m hoping you might participate in it. Below, you will find a link to a website
where you will find information about the study, and which tells you all about what you will
be asked to do. Once you have read the information, if you’re still interested you can then
participate in the study. The study has two sessions, with the first (main) session around 30
minutes in duration, and the second around 10 minutes. Your participation in the research is completely
anonymous.” http://tinyurl.com/PSYC200-2015
Notices and Coming Events
WEEKLY AT PITT STREET
AA City Group
Meets weekdays, 12.00 – 2.00pm in the Community Room, Level 2, Pilgrim House.
AlAnon at lunchtime
AlAnon meets weekly on Tuesday in the Fellowship Room 12.30pm – 2 pm.
Sydney Sings! Tuesdays 5.30pm – 7pm
All comers community choir.
Buddhist Meditation
Weekly lunchtime meditation, 1pm – 2pm Wednesdays. Led by the Mahasiddha Buddhist Centre.
Co-Dependents Anonymous
Meets weekly at 5.30pm – 7.00pm on Thursdays in the Community Room, Level 2, Pilgrim House.
MONTHLY AT PITT STREET
Interfaith Sydney – 3rd Sundays at 3 pm
Spiritually inclusive services led by Rev Dr Stephanie Dowrick.
Non Smokers
Meet on first Tuesday of the month, 6.00pm - 8.00pm in the Fellowship Room.
‘THE WORK OF THE PEOPLE’
Ministry
This Week
Palm Sunday
Good Friday
1st Reading
2nd Reading
Gospel
Isaiah 50: 4-9
Contemporary Reading
Mark 11: 1 -11
Contemporary Reading
John 18:1 - 19:42
Liturgist
Robyn Floyd
John Thorpe
Reflection
Margaret Mayman
Margaret Mayman
Reader 1
Reader 2
Sarah/Louisa
John Cox
Warren Talbot
Gillian Hunt
Liturgy Curator
Margaret Mayman
Margaret Mayman
Children’s story
Margaret Mayman
Margaret Mayman
Welcomers (Stewards)
Valwyn Edwards-Wishart
Naseer Ahmed
Susan Nicholson
Vera Tibbertsma
Organist
John Aitchison
Peter Bennett
Flowers
No flowers
No flowers
Set up/put away
Naseer Ahmed
Elizabeth Hill
Valerie May
Des Perry
John Probhudan
Rod Smith
Lyle White
Worship Coordinators
John Floyd
Larry Keenan
John Floyd
Lyn Corby
Notices and Coming Events
Ministry
Easter Sunday
1st Reading
2nd Reading
Gospel
Acts 10: 34-43
Contemporary Reading
Mark 16: 1-8
John 20: 19-31
Liturgist
Clare Brockett
Helen Boerma
Reflection
Margaret Mayman
Margaret Mayman
Reader 1
Reader 2
Jolyon Bromley
Warwick Tate
Sheila Walkerden
Pam Batkin
Liturgy Curator
Margaret Mayman
Margaret Mayman
Children’s story
Margaret Mayman
Margaret Mayman
Welcomers (Stewards)
Lynne Lancaster
Cameron Duncan
Liz Groves
Jude Rosonakis
Organist
Ross Johnston
Ross Johnston
Flowers
Dawn Robson & John Thorpe
Robyn Floyd
Set up/put away
Naseer Ahmed
Rebecca Bishop
Lyn Corby
David Fernon
Larry Keenan
Dawn Robson
Lionel Robson
Jeanette Williams
Naseer Ahmed
Jane Barnes
Martin Barnes
John Cox
Annie Howes
Susan leech
Abdul Quyaum
Cathy Williamson
Jon Williamson
Worship Coordinators
Sue Gehrig
Sydney Cole
Elizabeth Watson
Ben Skerman
Communion
Trina Hodgson
David Fernon
Office:
Office Secretary:
Minister in Placement:
Church Council chair:
Elders Chair:
Minister Emerita:
Next Week
Easter 2
264 Pitt Street, Sydney 2000, Tues to Fri 9:30 am to 5 pm.
Ilona Day email: [email protected]
Phone: 02 9267 3614 Fax: 02 9238 2068
Rev Dr Margaret Mayman
0408 690 800
[email protected]
(day off Friday)
John Floyd
02 9569 7218
Ron Brown
0411 411 127
Rev Dorothy McRae-McMahon