Download it here:WE SHALL LIVE IN THE SPIRIT – Final (PDF)

Head for the facebook discussion here: http://www.facebook.com/UCAHobart2020

Connect with your local Uniting Church congregation, agency or faith community in greater Hobart for the opportunity to discuss the report and your response to it.

Download the full UA2020 – How then shall we live – Final report here (pdf format).

Download a two page summary of the Uniting Alive Report (again in pdf format) here.

The report asks four key questions:

1. Where are we as a church in greater Hobart in 2010?
2. Where do we hope or imagine we might be in 2020 and beyond?
3. How might we make this journey or transition from 2010-2020
4. What do we need to do now to respond to this report?

It’s a report that attempts to paint a vision for us as a church, and invites a response from congregations, faith communities and agencies.

How then shall we live? describes a church that is far more concerned with participating in the mission of God, with serving in the wider community, and with being a people of God than with its own survival. The Uniting Church of greater Hobart will dream imaginatively, risk freely and resource courageously as it follows the way of Jesus. The report offers an invitation to the congregations, faith communities and agencies of the Uniting Church in greater Hobart to enter into collaborative missional partnerships as together we live out the gospel in this city.

How can you participate in responding to this report?

Firstly, can we encourage you to download and read the report. Preferably the whole report.  It’s 38 pages in length which, as one person noted, makes it much shorter than the average newspaper. It’s also much more interesting, contains no advertising, and not a hint of election campaign content!

Secondly, enter into discussion with others at your congregation, faith community or agency about what you read, how you respond, and what kind of future you imagine for the Uniting Church, and the communities of which we are a part.  Formal presentations and conversations will take place at most UCA Hobart congregations, faith communities and agencies over the next couple of months.

Thirdly, head over to the UCA Tasmania blog tasmission and enter in to discussion and by posting your comments there. Hit this page in particular for a chance to discuss with others what you find.

Fourthly, join our Facebook page for more information and further opportunities to discuss the report in an online/electronic format.  Find the facebook page here.

A little over 300 gathered on a cold, wet, windy day in the gym at Newtown High School.  It was an enjoyable, energetic, positive gathering, and one that I hope is repeated again in the future.

For those interested, you can find a power point collection of images here: Advent worshiip – Greater Hobart 09 – part 1 (be warned, it’s 6mb in size).

Some of the words and statements used in the gathering were powerful, and significant in the life of the church in the region.

Carol Bennett’s reflection delivered during the service is in full here at tasmission.

The opening prayer was:

We gather in the presence of your Spirit, God of life, in this time of Advent; this time which invites us into ever-deepening experience, reflection and stories of your coming among us.

We come as people of God: part of the body of Christ in this place and beyond, claiming our place in your story of life and faithfulness.

We come as people who share in the identity of the Uniting Church in Australia, conscious of its history, its success, its failings and its potential.

People in congregations and faith communities, people in missions and agencies, people of UnitingCare, Uniting Aged Care gather together in worship in this place where Mouheneene people have lived for countless generations.

We come with respect for their traditions, and honour the life and ministry of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress in Tasmania

We come with the challenges of our future all around us.  From climate and environmental challenges, to economic difficulty shared the world over.  We come as part of the global village that tries and fails to live peacefully and protect those who are most at risk.

We come to name some of that which we understand as our calling, in a changing society.

We come to ponder together the shape of things to come, the possibilities that lie before us, and the ways in which together we might proclaim Jesus, embrace your Spirit, and live your way of love for the people of our communities.

We come as people who know we don’t have all the answers, but for whom the questions and the journey are important.

We come to worship, Spirit-God, not only by our words, but by our lives, not only by our thoughts, but by our actions.

May the things we see, hear, speak and do together today deepen our faith and inspire our life as people of God in greater Hobart.                     Amen

Later in the service, we used the following prayers:

Our prayers today invite us into reflection on who we are as a church looking forward. Our stories remind us that God’s future builds on the past and the present, honouring what has been by moving on the energy of God’s Spirit.

Each part begins with us asking together the question “How then shall we live…?”

“How then shall we live…?”

We shall live as people of hope, as people entrusted with a part in God’s future: in churches and agencies uniting in vision and purpose, and giving expression to these in diverse ways.

“How then shall we live…?”

We shall live in small groups and large communities, with hospitality and grace-filled conversation,

exploring faith and living faith together, growing as followers of Jesus in the life of the community around us.

“How then shall we live…?”

We shall live as best we can in our calling as Christian people, as wise and faithful stewards of life and stories,

of wealth and property: open to new opportunities, with vision and courage.

“How then shall we live…?”

We shall live with the reality of brokenness, but always believing it need not be the final word. Where there are barriers between us, where relationships are fractured, we will look for healing, and will work towards reconciliation.

“How then shall we live…?”

In the strength of your Spirit, God, may we be faithful and courageous. May we live with open eyes and ears, with open minds and imagination, with open hearts and hands.

“How then shall we live…?”

We shall live, as people called, blessed and sent out, in the way of Jesus. AMEN

The gathering will provide an opportunity for us to join as one community, to share and hear stories from across the city, and to worship together.

The UNiTiNG ALiVe: HoBaRT 2020 team have asked a small group to plan the event, and will release more information soon, including time and venue details.

Stay tuned!

We regularly participate in the National Church Life Survey process which runs nationwide every 5 years or so.

The reasons we’re asking congregations to do this special one-off survey is to give us a clear insight into the current state of Uniting Church congregations in great Hobart – and to give us a baseline we’ll be able to use for comparison purposes when next we participate in NCLS (due 2011 I think).

Completing the survey will take about 20 minutes.  Let us encourage you to take that time in order that we might gather useful and reliable insights.

As the results come back, we’ll post them here.

The task group will now go to work on digging into the conversation records to find common themes, dreams and questions.

For those who made it along to one of the sessions, thank you. Your time, insights and contributions are valuable.
For those not able to join us, why not drop as an e-mail or letter with your thoughts, or contact us if you’d like to meet face to face.

We’ll be working to develop further meetings with particular groups of people both inside the church and out, to ensure that we listen widely and well to people’s thoughts on the future shape of the Uniting Church in greater Hobart.

Your answers to these questions might well shape the future of our church in this city.  The Uniting Alive: Hobart 2020 Task Group invite you to spend time talking together, sharing your thoughts, and learning from others in the Time of Listening.

The Time of Listening includes an interactive gathering. Each gathering is open to all, whether the venue is a church building, an aged care facility or public place. There are options in different parts of the city, and at different times of the week.  Choose the time and venue most suitable to you.  Gatherings will take place between July 27th and August 9th 2009.

You are welcome and your contribution will be valued.  Each gathering will include light refreshments.  Full details of times, venues and addresses are listed on the Time of listening flyer.

In addition the Uniting Alive: Hobart 2020 task group want to work with you to ensure we hear your thoughts and dreams.  If the dates and venues listed on the flyer don’t suit, let’s negotiate a suitable time for us to meet together with you and your existing group.  Contact Scott Guyatt for more information.

This is a process that depends heavily on your contribution to it. The task group is ready to listen carefully and closely to all that you have to offer.

Fundamental in this process will be a two week intensive time of listening, from July 27th to August 9th. During that period there will be opportunities in all parts of the city for you to meet with the task group and to share your images for the future of our Church.

Full details will be announced here in the coming weeks.