Darren Wright

Books/Resources

December 24, 2020 by Darren Wright

There are some great books that are helpful in sermon & Worship preparation and in helping people think about preaching and teaching, here are a few.

God Be In My Mouth by Doug Gay is a great book on preaching and worship, highly recommended. I have 5 copies on my desk in the GUC office if you’d like to read it alone or with friends.

Preaching God’s Transforming Justice is a three book series of sermons and reflections on the Revised Common Lectionary. Darren has a copy of all three, the one for Year B is on his desk. Feel free to borrow.

Twelve Months Of Sundays by Tom Wright is a great collection of short reflections by scholar NT Wright. Darren has a copy of Year A, B & C in the office (it’s in one book) and available to borrow.

Connections is a resource that includes a variety of voices, all exploring the scripture readings from the RCL. They release them Avery few months to stay ahead of the lectionary. Available on Kindle and as a printed resource. It can be expensive, but really useful.

A Preacher’s Guide to Lectionary Sermon Series – Volume 1: Thematic Plans for Years A, B, and C comes highly reccomended and is a collection of sermons edited by Amy Butler.

Barefoot followers is a project of Mark Beresford from Mosaic Baptist Church in Gungahlin and Darren Wright of Gungahlin Uniting Church. Mark & Darren have been friends for many years now, and find themselves living and working near each other.

We’re using the project as an excuse to see more of each other, and, as we get better at it we’ll put the conversations out as a podcast. For now though you can access our conversations on the weekly texts of the Revised Common Lectionary here:

Have a Very Merry Roadtripping Christmas

December 10, 2020 by Darren Wright

Are you going away for Christmas? Is it a long drive? Will you be away from your worshipping community for the celebration of Christmas?

Here are a couple great ideas for your road trip to help you share the story together as you’re on the road this year.

A Road Tripping Playlist

For those of you travelling, how about you put together a playlist of your favourite Christmas songs? If you can’t put one together yourself here’s one we’ve put together on Spotify for your listening pleasure. I’ve tried to make sure its an Australian Christmas, no winter, no snow…

Send us through some suggestions.

The Strange New World Podcast

This is a new podcast by the SALT Project and it kicked off with four spectacular episodes on Christmas. Well produced and scripted the host invites us into the story of Christmas and to reflect on it from a very different perspective. This is a great road trip podcast, check it out here.

A Christmas Story You’ve Never Heard by Gordon Atkinson

Gordon Atkinson used to write under the blog “Real Live Preacher,” he was always thought provoking, inspiring, inquisitive and an amazing writer. He wrote and recorded two Christmas stories before he brought his blog to an end. They now are on iTunes, Audible and Spotify for people to hear. These are AMAZING stories and beautifully told, awesome, inspiring, wonderful prose that will give you something to smile and cry to as you drive together. Great for a family road trip.

A Christmas Story, The Shepherds’ Story by Gordon Atkinson

A Christmas Story You’ve Never Heard by Gordon Atkinson

The CIVID19 Grinch Who Couldn’t Steal Christmas

The people of Springwood Uniting Church have created their own christmas story this year, in several parts you’re invited to join them in hearing the story of the COVID19 Grinch here.

Advent Resources

November 20, 2020 by Darren Wright

Advent Reflections / Devotions

“Unto Us A Child Is Born”

Ranjini Rebera has developed a number of Advent reflections for GUC over the last few years, this year’s reflections are titled “Unto Us A Child Is Born” and can be accessed as a hard copy (available via the church office) or online here.

Songs From A Strange Land by Celia Kemp

Scripture readings, quotes, photographs, poems, cartoons and songs take you from Advent to Epiphany with a particular emphasis on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christianity, the Australian landscape and Creation theology.

This resource is available as a book and also as a phone app (both Android and iPhone)

Waiting, Accepting, Journeying, Birthing by Sarah Bessey

Guided by the Carmelite themes of Waiting, Accepting, Journeying, and Birthing, this devotional offers readers prayers, scripture, essays, and reflection questions for each candle of Advent as we journey towards Christmas.

Available as a pdf and epub file

Advent Calendars

Tabletop Advent Calendar

For the last couple of years we’ve created an Advent calendar for our families for them to use over the journey through to Christmas Day.

This year’s calendar is a collection of simple, creative, communal conversation starters, videos, crafts and bible readings that anyone can use. Print them out, cut them up, place them at the centre of your table and allow each action to assist you on your Advent journey.

Link: Tabletop Advent Calendar (pdf)

Illustrated Ministry

This particular resource is great for parents and children. Illustrated Ministry is a great group of people in the US who create illustrated art works for people to use in devotion, prayer, meditation and mindfulness. Their Advent Calendar is designed to engage people in actions and

*We have a number of these available in the foyer for people to take home with them and journey through Advent together with family and friends. If you’re interested and from another congregation have a chat with your minister about this, or look into buying a single copy for your household.

Link: An Illustrated Advent for Families: Do Not Be Afraid (pdf)

Busted Halo #AdventJolt

Busted Halo are back this year with another great Advent Calendar which you can access online. Their daily #AdventJolt series will be on their Facebook page daily, or on their website: https://advent.bustedhalo.com

Musical Advent Calendar

A couple years ago we curated an Advent Soundtrack, 26 songs to help you travel towards the birth of Jesus. The soundtrack is a public playlist on Youtube now, you can access it here. Perhaps yo might like to listen to one song per day, or create your own playlist and listen to it throughout the season.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtel2h_jV0YIl1ELs1IwgYbnzKgkpNDdb

Advent Photo Challenge

There are a number of great photo challenges throughout Advent, each selecting a word per day and inviting people to participate by adding a photo to their instagram or facebook account that links with the word.

There are a number of Advent Photo Challenges this year, here are three:

Busted Halo’s Photo Advent Calendar

Advent Word 2020

Advent Photo A Day

*Let me know if you’re interested in doing one of these and I can give you access to GUC’s Instagram account for Advent

Generosity During Advent

November 20, 2020 by Darren Wright

Christmas means shopping…

We know it’s not true, but still…

We do spend a lot of time shopping as we prepare for Christmas, food, gifts, decorations…

Here’s a few ideas for people who would like to find a way to give back this year, why not buy someone you love a goat, or fresh water, or support a town’s education or health? These ideas are great ways to give with compassion, intentionality, hope and joy.

Everything In Common

Everything in Common is UnitingWorld’s ethical gifts catalogue. Each gift represents a life-changing project that is helping people across the Pacific, Asia and Africa break the cycle of poverty and step towards a life of dignity.
Your gift is more than a goat or chicken, it’s real impact! For example, the goat you give comes wrapped in a project; with training in livestock care, business and financial planning so a family can earn a sustainable income.

Link: https://everythingincommon.com.au

Christmas Bowl

For decades, through the Christmas Bowl, Australian churches across denominations have been instrumental in responding to some of the most urgent crises of our time.
Last year, 1,200 churches celebrated the Christmas Bowl by bringing much needed shelter and medical care to communities affected by conflict and disaster around the globe.
This year, for our brothers and sisters in urgent need around the world, those already struggling as a result of conflict and disaster, the effects of the coronavirus pandemic are catastrophic.
Through this year’s Christmas Bowl we are actively responding to this crisis; coming together to stand alongside these vulnerable communities through this pandemic – and towards a more secure future – by providing vital food, medical care and support.
Your gift will support local partners around the world to both meet urgent need and create change that lasts. You can stand alongside local communities through this pandemic – and towards a more secure future – by providing vital food, medical care and support.

Link: https://christmasbowl.actforpeace.org.au

Useful Gift Catalogue

Choose a gift. Send a card. Fight poverty!
Every item in Tearfund’s Gift Catalogue represents a contribution to a long-term poverty-fighting project run by one of Tearfund’s Christian partners. Each project is tailored to that community’s needs, helping people gain the skills and resources they need to address local problems and come up with sustainable solutions.

Link: https://www.usefulgifts.org

Companion House

If you’d like to give to a local organisation that’s doing amazing work then why not give to Companion House this year?

Companion House is a non government community based organisation. We work with adults and children who have sought safety in Australia from persecution, torture and war related trauma. We believe that people who have survived torture, trauma and human rights violations should have access to services that respect, empower and promote recovery.

Link: https://www.companionhouse.org.au