We join Voices for Change in congratulating and recognising Michael Mayne for his dedication and leadership in disability and justice self-advocacy.
Michael was presented with his award at the Fitzroy Town Hall on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, when Voices of Change celebrated four years of disability and justice self-advocacy.
Voices for Change is a self-advocacy group for people with acquired brain injury and experience of the justice system. It exists to support people with acquired brain injury and justice system experience in developing confidence and skills to speak up and have their voices heard.
An acquired brain injury is any injury to the brain after birth and has many causes, including a stroke, an infection, accidents, family violence, brain tumours, drug overdose and long-term alcohol or drug use.
An acquired brain injury has many effects on people, from physical to cognitive and emotional. It affects people’s lives in many different ways.
Voices for Change states that 42% of men and 33% of women in Victoria’s prisons have an acquired brain injury, compared to 2% in the general Australian community.
Robert and Nola MacDonald are members of Living Faith Church and met Michael over 5 years ago through the work of Friends of Dismas, a multi-faith, nondenominational organisation that welcomes everyone regardless of criminal convictions. Their love for others is infectious, and they continue to see and support Michael weekly.
Michael and his supportive partner Sarda come regularly to Living Faith Church.
To learn more about Voices for Change please visit their website or Facebook page.
https://voices-for-change.org
https://www.facebook.com/voicesforchangeaustralia/?ref=embed_page
To learn more about Friends of Dismas please visit their website.
http://www.friendsofdismas.com
We are excited to welcome Ellen Grabner to the Living Faith Church Ministry Team!
Ellen joins us after a long tenure with Doncaster Church of Christ, a community we at LFC have some close connections to. At Doncaster, her role was focused on community building initiatives, and she is excited to bring her passion and expertise for inter-generational ministry to Living Faith.
Please join us in welcoming Ellen into our community.
Easter is almost upon us, and we've got a variety of Easter Services planned, both in person and online.
Maundy Thursday, 28th of March
- 6:30PM — Quiet Meditation from 6:30PM
- 7:30PM — Pascal Dinner
Good Friday, 29th of March
- 9:30AM — Worship Service (This service will be live streamed to our YouTube channel)
Easter Sunday, 31st of March
- 5:30AM — Sunrise Vigil
- 10:00AM — Worship Service
All are welcome to join us at any of these events, whether you are a regular attendee or a brand new face! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at admin@livingfaithchurch.com.au
After more than 14 years as Uniting Church minister of the Living Faith Church (LFC) Greensborough, Reverend Graeme Harrison is retiring on December 17.
Terms are usually around 10 years, but according to Council chair, Alistair Clough: “Reverend Graeme has been such a strong and innovative leader that the church wanted to hang on to such a good leader as long as we could.”
Reverend Graeme says one reason he came to this church was that it is a cooperating church, between the Uniting Church and the Church of Christ, which is rare in Australia. He says he loves celebrating and respecting the differences as well as working in a team.
He was also on a Uniting Church Synod (church assembly) task group that reviewed and modernised the structure across Victoria and Tasmania.
But as Reverend Graeme’s Synod work finished, Covid struck. He says it was a steep learning curve to produce services on-line for people at home. Sadly, funerals during this time were reduced to handfuls of people plus those who could watch online.
One positive of this time was his use of Lego to create mini movies that delighted the children (and older members!) of the congregation.
Reverend Graeme’s time at LFC has been packed with activities that have enriched many lives:
- The church’s support for the Vanuatu Prevention of Blindness Project has grown including exchange visits to Vanuatu.
- The monthly Tucker Club, supplied meals and conversation to people in hardship. But Covid stopped this and it is not known if it will resume.
- Church members regularly visited asylum seekers in permanent detention at a Detention Centre (which has since closed) and the church organised annual fundraisers.
- Responding to Global warming, solar roof panels were installed and the church plans to stop using gas within a year.
- Regular Alpha courses that introduce people to the Christian faith continue to meet a need in the wider community and weekly Bible studies.
- Annual Families Camps are very popular.
- LFC has provided Working with Children training to help ensure a safe environment.
- The church takes part in the annual Safe Water September campaign to fund new wells in developing countries.
Reverend Graeme was also on the joint church committee that funded a secular role for a pastoral care person to connect with isolated people at the Greensborough Plaza. This helped reduce loneliness, and people were directed to services for further help. However that stopped with Covid and the Plaza Management no longer supports it, says Reverend Graeme.
The Chinese speaking Agape Church has been welcomed into Greensborough and shares the LFC building on Sunday afternoons.
Reverend Graeme has a passion for praising God through contemporary music. He introduced much new music for church services and regularly leads communal singing with his guitar.
So what next for Reverend Graeme?
He says - first a break to reassess his future and then a season of writing resources and maybe even a book.
Marguerite Marshall
Exploring the big questions in life is important. Have you explored life, faith and meaning?
Alpha is an environment for anyone and everyone who wants to explore life and the Christian faith, ask questions, and share their point of view. Alpha is free and everyone is welcome.
No question is too big or too small to explore.
Everyone's welcome - You're invited, no matter your background or beliefs.
Starting soon ... Friday 28 July at Living faith Church Greensborough at 7pm
To find out more call Bruce 0402 839 145
Or to RSVP for yourself and if you are bringing someone along to help with organising the catering admin@livingfaithchurch.org.au
Explore other Alpha times and venues: https://www.alpha.org.au/try
Vic's final day at Living Faith Church was on Sunday, the 18th December. On leaving, Vic wanted to share a message with the Living Faith Church community.
Well, well, well, that was a rapid couple of years! After an unusual pandemic start, I have really enjoyed my time at Living Faith Church. You guys are a warm and welcoming community and that is your strength. Looking back, it was unique to be doing pre-recorded messages from my shed which is something new for the ministry resume, but it did provide some insight into my interests and passions as a bloke who likes to tinker. I find it very therapeutic. The wonderful ministerial service role of preaching, leading and presiding over communion is always an honour and privilege. The experience has blessed me as much as (I hope) it has blessed all of you who make up the wonderful Living Faith Church folk.
We want to thank Vic for his wonderful ministry, support and friendship shared with our LFC Community.
For 18 years, Living Faith Church has supported Don and Meg MacRaild develop the Vanuatu Prevention of Blindness Program (VPBP). Vanuatu is the poorest nation in the pacific, and the people just don't have access to the level of medical care and diagnosis that we do in Australia. VPBP helps in identifying and treating preventable and treatable blindness, and has been doing so since it's inception. Through our support of this project, among other trips and connections, our relationship with the Church in Vanuatu has grown deeper and deeper.
This year, we learned that the aid money that provided the wages for the eight trained workers employed by VPBP was cut completely by the Australian Government. Aussie Aid is now at its lowest since World War 2!
Because of this, a number of Australian churches, including ours, have been invited to provide a month’s income for all eight specialists. This is only $5,000 Australian dollars! LFC Church Council was delighted to provide one months’s support on behalf of it’s members. It is hoped that new glasses making machinery will make this health service self-sufficient within 6-8 months.
To date, another church has provided another month. We will keep you informed about developments.
You can find out more about the Vanuatu Prevention of Blindness Program here!
Here at Living Faith Church, we are keen to find ways to help our children and our families experience what it looks like to follow Jesus. While it is important to learn about Jesus, we recognise that his own disciples developed their faith not only by listening to Jesus and his Godly wisdom, but by watching and copying the things He did.
Right now, we're looking at Here 2 Stay, and using their framework and resources to inform our process. Here 2 Stay is aware of how the world has changed, and continues to change, and looks to provide us with ways to keep engaging with young people and young families. Our hope is that we can use these ideas and resources to make our Church a place where young families and young people can find support, mentorship, community, and above all, God.
Just like the disciples, we are all a work in progress. We discover new ways in which to walk in Jesus' footsteps as we go along. There are a number of important aspects to this – learning to love and know God, learning to love and know one another, learning to serve the world in his name. We do this through active participation and worship. We do this through spending time together as families. We do this through finding ways to love our neighbours, our community, and the world.