Gungahlin Uniting Church

Welcoming of the stranger. Inclusive of all people. Sharing the faith journey together. Informal and friendly Christian community..

Sharing the faith journey together. Informal and friendly Christian community.

God with Humanity – PREPARATION

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God sent the angel Gabriel to the town of Nazareth in Galilee with a message for a virgin named Mary.

”The Holy Spirit will come down to you, and God’s power will come over you. So your child will be called the holy Son of God. Your relative Elizabeth is also going to have a son, even though she is old. No one thought she could ever have a baby, but in three months she will have a son. Nothing is impossible with God!”
Luke 1:26, 35 – 37

Reflect on the word ADVENT for a few moments.

Does Advent get lost as we prepare for celebrating Christmas? Why does Advent not become a priority in churches as they prepare for Christmas celebrations? We prepare lists of things to do, things to buy, names for sending greeting cards. We prepare to decorate our homes, trim a tree, plan a Christmas dinner. We spend hours of time in preparation.

Preparation is also a time for anticipation. What went through Mary’s mind as she anticipated the months ahead while waiting for her baby to be born?

A pregnant young woman standing at a bus stop – how is she preparing for the birth of her baby? A family struggling to make ends meet since the wage-earner was retrenched months ago and Mum is expecting her third child any day – do they dread these months when signs of celebrations are everywhere?

Advent is a time for waiting, for preparing and for anticipation. Do I have time to wait in quietness to hear God’s voice? In the noise and activity around me, where would I find stillness and silence, to wait?

God of my quiet-times, you know how difficult it is to be still when I am busy preparing for the celebration of Christ’s birth. May I have the will to create quiet spaces every day, as my days get busier.

© Ranjini Wickramaratne-Rebera

For a number of years, our dear friend Ranjini Rebera wrote Biblical reflections for the use of Gungahlin Uniting Church and others, usually for Advent and Lent. We were privileged to receive these, as Ranjini had a working history of writing and teaching on a global stage. Each time she completed the considerable work on one of these studies for us she would announce firmly, ‘That’s it. That is the last one I’m writing. No more. End of story!’ But as Advent or Lent came around again she would start hinting that she’d had an idea for a reflection – and she would write another one.

When she completed a Reflection for Lent 2021, we were not to know that this really was the last one. Ranjini died on 13 October 2021. We miss her intellect, her leadership, her vivid personality, her artistic gifts, her deep faith and her pastoral heart. We have lost some colour from our world.

The Gungahlin Uniting Church Worship Team, where Ranjini served for several years, offers Ranjini’s study material, first produced in 2015, as we give thanks for her life shared among us.

Girls Brigade

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Girls’ Brigade is an international, uniformed, achievement based organisation operating around the globe through local churches. Girls and Leaders are challenged weekly in building relationships with God and others, learning new things and in service to their community. We welcome girls from all walks of life from ages 5-18 years to engage in new experiences and find new opportunities to achieve their full potential.

Girls’ Brigade Australia exists to glorify God through equipping the girls and young women of Australia with life skills and community awareness, enabling them to build their Christian faith in a safe and secure environment.

Gungahlin Girls Brigade has a long history. Before moving to Gungahlin Uniting, it was under the temporary care and oversight of Wattle Park Uniting Church for nearly 20 years, as 16th Canberra Girls’ Brigade. With the move to Gungahlin Uniting Church came a new name, Gungahlin Girls’ Brigade.

We have girls from many walks of life attending Gungahlin Girls’ Brigade. Some attend a church, some don’t, they come from many different places around Australia and the world. Their parents consider Girls’ Brigade such an important place for their daughters they bring them back week after week.

Our leaders also come from many places week after week. They attend a mix of our own church, other churches in Gungahlin, or other churches around Canberra. Some attend on company nights while others work for our girls in other ways. All are volunteering their own time. All are committed to working with the girls to bring them into a relationship with Christ and with each other. They hold WWVP cards and are given training in Girls’ Brigade leadership, ChildSafe leadership and are responsible to the Gungahlin Uniting Church and to Girls’ Brigade Australia.

While Girls’ Brigade is a not for profit organisation, there are costs involved. We are a uniformed organisation, and each child is expected to have the simple uniform of a t-shirt and sash, once they are ready to commit to coming to Girls’ Brigade. There are also fees which cover insurance, equipment, rent, and consumables.

For more information, check us out on Facebook, call or email us, or pop in on a Wednesday night during school terms, 6:30 to 8pm at the Salvation Army, 104 The Valley Way, Gungahlin (right next door to Gungahlin Uniting Church). We meet at the same time at Gungahlin Boys’ Brigade. Try us for a few weeks, obligation free.

Elizabeth Warren
Gungahlin Girls’ Brigade Coordinator
0439 879 339
girls.brigade@gungahlinuniting.org

Everything in Common Stall

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An opportunity to buy gifts and cards that support ministries and development in Asia and the Pacific through Uniting World Everything in Common.

If you need any cards or gift cards before 4th December, speak to Margaret Reeson.

God with Humanity

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These meditations create a reflective journey from Advent to the end of the year. They have been written to help the reader slow down for a few minutes each day and find a time for silence and reflection.

The centuries old pattern for guided meditations known as “Lectio Divina” meaning “Divine Reading” forms the frame for the meditations. They follow the four stages for silent meditation: Reading the Text; Reflecting on a key word or sentence; Responding with mind and heart to the written reflection; Praying “God & I”.

Each meditation takes about 10 minutes out of a 24 hour day (which has 1440 minutes in it). Clear a little space each day and let silence flow through as you reflect. Although the meditations are seasonal the reflections raise issues that we encounter throughout the year. Therefore there is no reason as to why they cannot be used out of season as well.

The meditations can also be used at group meetings. By following the same process a group can become centered in quietness before a main activity begins. Members of the group may take turns to read aloud the Scripture portion, the reflections and the prayer. They may be encouraged to share some of their insights or thoughts that were triggered by the reflective segments.

The Bible passages used are from the Contemporary English Version (CEV). The language is user-friendly and can be understood by readers and speakers of English as well as by those to whom English is a second learned language.

© Ranjini Wickramaratne-Rebera

For a number of years, our dear friend Ranjini Rebera wrote Biblical reflections for the use of Gungahlin Uniting Church and others, usually for Advent and Lent. We were privileged to receive these, as Ranjini had a working history of writing and teaching on a global stage. Each time she completed the considerable work on one of these studies for us she would announce firmly, ‘That’s it. That is the last one I’m writing. No more. End of story!’ But as Advent or Lent came around again she would start hinting that she’d had an idea for a reflection – and she would write another one.

When she completed a Reflection for Lent 2021, we were not to know that this really was the last one. Ranjini died on 13 October 2021. We miss her intellect, her leadership, her vivid personality, her artistic gifts, her deep faith and her pastoral heart. We have lost some colour from our world.

The Gungahlin Uniting Church Worship Team, where Ranjini served for several years, offers Ranjini’s study material, first produced in 2015, as we give thanks for her life shared among us.

God with Humanity – Advent Meditations – Complete

RSS feed: Bible Gateway’s Verse of the Day Bible Gateway’s Verse of the Day

  • Psalm 143:10
    “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”

About GUC

We are a community on a journey. We’ve grown from a small faith community planted in Ngunnawal in the early years of Gungahlin’s development to a thriving intergenerational and multicultural community located near the Gungahlin town centre.

Gungahlin Uniting Church is an open and inclusive community.  You are welcome to join us and participate in the life of our community as we experience life, God and seek to follow the way of Christ.

Find out more…

Worship With Us

Every Sunday, 9:30am
Gungahlin Uniting Church and Community Centre
108 The Valley Avenue
Gungahlin, ACT, 2913

Worship is for all ages, (0 to 93!) and seeks to be meaningful in different ways for us all.

In Jesus Christ we see how he drew near to each and all and so we hope our worship expresses this nearness too.

Finding us

We worship at the Gungahlin Uniting Church & Community Centre.
Find us on Google Maps here

Car
Free parking is available in our on-site car park.

Light Rail
We are less than a 5 minute walk from the Gungahlin Place Light Rail Station.

Bus
The ACT has a number of bus options for people travelling around, or to Gungahlin. Timetables available here.