ATTENTION: Cancellation Reminder

The Robin Mann concert which was scheduled for Thursday 6th August has unfortunately been cancelled.

We are hoping that this event may take place at some time in the future.

All About Our Op Shop!

The Wangaratta Uniting Church operates a very active Op Shop at 39 Vincent Road.  We are open from 10 am to 4 pm weekdays and 9am to 12.00 pm on Saturdays.

It began with humble beginnings in a small shop in Vincent Road, Yarrunga, before

renting this single fronted shop at 39 Vincent Road.  In later years we were able to purchase this, and the shop next door as well.  Extensions have been built at the rear as well as the side to give us more room in the shop and in the working area.   

The Op Shop provides high quality children's clothes and babies wear, mens' and ladies' clothing, accessories and manchester.  Books, toys and a wide variety of household goods are also available.

Two persons are on duty on the counter at a time and there are two shifts each day.  For many people this is all they know about the Op Shop.  The total number of volunteers on roster for counter duty is 54.  In addition to this there are another 40 or so who work behind the scenes.  We are especially grateful for all those who are not members of this church who help us in this important ministry. However, many people are not aware of all that goes on beyond the op shop floor.

We have two bins, one behind our old Appin Street Church and the other beside the shop. The Appin Street bin is cleared twice a week and the one beside the shop is cleared every day the shop is open. High quality goods are greatly appreciated but damaged or dirty goods and items such as furniture, electrical and computer goods cannot be accepted.

We are often overwhelmed by the amount of goods received from the bins and goods that are brought into the shop.  On Tuesdays and Fridays two teams sort out all these clothes and goods.  The things suitable for sale are sorted into their different categories and given to the relevant leaders of the different sections for further attention.  The other team packs all the clothes, shoes and bags that are not suitable for sale into 12 kilogram bags which are then stored for the carrier to pick up and take to Melbourne for rags and other uses.

The Op Shop is actually a small business operated by a local Management Committee who meet with the leaders of each section on a regular basis.  The Section Leaders, who work behind the scenes, are responsible for the final sorting, pricing and arranging of goods in the shop.  

There are others who work behind the scenes assisting with maintenance, collection of metals, and on “changeover” days twice a year, when stock from one season is changed over for the next.

So what are the requirements for volunteers to work in the Op Shop?  Commitment, Cheerfulness, Camaraderie and partnership, humour and harmony are the real characteristics of this important aspect of our church life.

The Op shop provides good quality goods at affordable prices.  It also honours vouchers from Loaves and Fishes - Christians Caring and provides clothes and other necessities free of charge to those who have no way of paying for them.  In addition to this it makes a considerable contribution to the finances of the Wangaratta Parish. 

Over and above and beyond all this, this Shop provides the church with an opportunity to provide a compassionate presence, a kind word and an attentive listening ear to people in our community, hopefully, for many years to come.

- by Rev Carl Clayden

Another Textile Yarn by Jim Gregory

As many people know, I spent my working life as a Spinner of Yarns that were either Worsted or Woollen.  Production of yarn began at Wangaratta Woollen Mills in March 1923 and with that anniversary as a trigger, I present the following textile story, gleaned from the Yorkshire Post.

Let me begin by setting the scene.  The story takes place in Swaledale, one of the northernmost dales (valleys) in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and is the dale of the River Swale.

A meeting, held in Muker’s sole pub, the Farmers Arms, in the early 1970s was called to discuss the problem of unemployment.  Muker, with a population of 309, is one of the villages dotting the landscape of Swaledale.  The meeting decided that ladies could try hand-knitting garments in their own homes, capitalising on the dominant local resource; sheep.

The tradition of hand-knitting in Swaledale goes back hundreds of years to the time when Queen Elizabeth I set a new trend by wearing knitted stockings.  In the 19^th century even men used to knit on their way to work in the lead mines.

Sheep had been domesticated in the Yorkshire Dales since the Bronze Age (3 – 200 BC) and knitting, as a cottage industry, began in the 16^th century.  It is thought to hold the record for the longest domestic knitting industry in England.  The Yorkshire Dales is one of the five major regions in the British Isles that has developed its own distinctive traditional designs.

In Muker’s pub it was a David Morris and his wife Grizel, who were driving the proposal of reviving their cottage industry by hand-knitting traditional designs.  David had some garments made and hung on a wall in the main street.  They were bought by walkers passing through and the thing just escalated from there.

A shop was soon needed where visitors from many parts of Europe, along with America and even some from Australia, came to buy.  Prince Charles had visited the shop several times and in 2004 he came on a formal visit.  He bought gloves and placed an order for more.  When Camilla was seen wearing Charles’ gloves, the villagers made her a pair in her own size.  Prince Charles thinks highly of the traditional skills evident in Swaledale Woollens.  Today the 35 knitters use wool mainly from Swaledale sheep, but with some from Wensleydale and Welsh breeds for additional colour and texture.

vvv

Winter woollies now available at the Uniting Church Op Shop!

We now have all our winter stock in comprising coats and winter woollies!  We also have a new section for buttons sold in small, individual bags.  If anyone has any buttons they do not need, please drop them in to the op shop in Vincent Road.  For address and contact number, please click here.

Many thanks, 

Lyn Hammond.

GROUPS WITHIN THE WANGARATTA UNITING CHURCH

Our Parish consists of Eldorado, Greta/Moyhu and Rowan Street, Wangaratta. On a sad note we recently closed both the Milawa and the Whitfield churches due to maintenance issues and declining congregations. Milawa congregation now mainly worship in Wangaratta and Whitfield are now meeting in a private home.

We have 2 study groups that meet in private homes on a regular basis and these increase in number to 4 or 5 groups around Lent.

PALS is a group whose initials PALS stands for People Alone Lending Support, and which was introduced by Rev. Pam Riessen during her time in Wangaratta. This group meets monthly under the leadership of Rosemary Steele and is a gathering of quite a few ladies and men who enjoy the fellowship.

A program for Mums and children is Coffee, Craft and Childcare is an outreach group which runs for one day a week for 3 weeks each quarter. Up to 35 attend and enjoy, as the name suggests, a cup of coffee and the opportunity to learn some new crafts.

The Op Shop is manned by members of the church and assisted by volunteers with no religious connections and is an invaluable financial resource which contributes financially to Parish funds as well as being one of our important outreach programs.

UCAF, the Uniting Care Adult Fellowship meets monthly and aims to have a varied program. Around 30 people support this popular group and enjoy the fellowship that it provides.

Music is a very big part of Uniting Church worship and we are very lucky to have a large pool of musicians to lead morning worship. These include half a dozen pianists and a small but enthusiastic 4-piece band.

Many of our older members find it difficult to sit through a long church communion service so we provide an alternative – afternoon communion – to which up to 20 people attend.

A Preaching Plan is an important part of church life and each quarter the planners sit down and prepare a preaching plan, which, with Rev. Ron’s departure, is not an easy task from the pool that we have. However we usually get by with the help of a number of lay preachers to provide meaningful worship services.

The Catering Committee is often called upon to provide refreshments and meals for church functions, funeral services and special fund raising events. Our new kitchen has helped us to cater much more efficiently and our catering expertise is greatly appreciated by one and all.

A retiring offering is taken up after each month’s Communion service, the proceeds of which is used to provide food vouchers for the needy.

A basket in the foyer is used for the collection of items for the Loaves and Fishes facility which also provides food for needy people. We have a person on the management committee and volunteers assist on a regular basis.

Other areas where the church is involved include a knitting group, fundraising events (a recent one was to help farmers whose fences were destroyed in the bushfires), supporting Frontier Services, working bees to maintain our property and much more. We are also involved in the Samaritan’s Purse project which assists children in Third World countries and our monthly contributions are directed towards SHARE.

A big part of our outreach program is our participation in the annual Wangaratta Festival of Jazz where we combine with a number of other denominations to present the Jazz Praise on Reid open air worship service which is always well received.

As far as the day-to-day running of the church and its programmes is concerned, many more people are involved. Church Council looks after the important day-to-day running of the parish, including financial matters while the Local Committee’s task is to ensure that maintenance is kept up to date A large body of people make up the church Elders who are responsible for supporting the ministry team, providing spiritual oversight spiritual oversight and supporting Christians to grow in their faith.

A very important part of the Uniting Church parish is Uniting Care which occupies the building next door after outgrowing its original building in Murdoch Road. The Parish has a church member on the Uniting Care board who reports back to Church Council monthly.

As you can see there are all sorts of ways that the Uniting Church is involved with its own programs and those involving the wider community.  

If you would like more info about any of these groups, you are most welcome to contact one of the ministry team or the church office using the contact details HERE.

South Camberwell Uniting Church Reunion Story by Robyn Hodder

In April I attended a Reunion at the South Camberwell Uniting Church, which is now the Chinese Uniting Church.  It was for those who had participated in church activities in the sixties and seventies.  I had been involved from age 4 until I married in 1962.  The Chinese allowed us to use the present day hall which was built in the fifties.  It was very pleasing to see that the plaque of the praying hands was still in place.  We had placed it there in memory of one of our friends who had died in a car accident in England in 1964.

There were about one hundred people there with some coming from Adelaide, Tasmania,

Queensland New South Wales, Country Victoria and Melbourne.  We had a large youth group with many romances and marriages.

During the afternoon a list of fifteen names of people who had died, was read out and we joined in a minutes silence in memory of these friends.

There was much talking and catching up took place during a delicious afternoon tea. I met up with some friends who I had not seen for over fifty years, with friends like this you talk as though you had seen them recently.

There were a couple of computers running non-stop with photos taken during those years.

We all looked quite fit for our ages with very few with walking sticks and frames. Must have been the healthy diets, not many cars (walked to most places) and no junk food.

It is a small world. Our minister Rev Christine Thomson was at South Camberwell Uniting Church from 1989 and knew my Mother who was still able to attend Church.  The Chinese took over the Church in 1995.

I also met Ellie Black in Melbourne. We were both District Chief Rays for different areas in Melbourne.  Rays were girls aged between 9 and 15.

Rev Goldsmith was the minister here when I came to the North East and I had been at many services that he had taken at South Camberwell.

It seemed fitting to have our reunion at this time as the Church is 150 years old this year.

- Robyn Hodder

Milawa ‘St. Andrews’ Uniting Church Decommissioning Service - Sunday March 22nd, 2015

A closing Service of Thanksgiving  and Decommissioning  for the Milawa Uniting Church after 148 years of continuous service to Milawa and district was held on March 22^nd, 2015.  This decision was not an easy one but we were down to six regulars of which only two were truly local.

This lovely old mud and brick church served its community well over many generations.  The Milawa Uniting Church celebrated new life through baptism, love celebrated in marriage and as a place to say farewell to loved ones at the end of their lives.  It brought comfort and solace to those  who were sorrowing, fellowship and hope for those who came and an opportunity to support and embrace the Christian faith. This enabled us to be challenged and supported to care for the wider community as Jesus would have us do as we looked to God, the Holy spirit, for guidance and reassurance.

The special service prepared by Rev. Christine Thomson was moving and sensitive to the needs of the congregation as we grieved for this sacred space, but we were thrilled to have so many people join us.  The church overflowed with visitors from across the parish and from Presbytery which also helped us celebrate the life of this church.  Following the service a sumptuous morning tea was held.

Special thanks to Rev. Christine and Fred Jungwirth for the time and effort you put in to make this a very special occasion for the dwindling Milawa Congregation and for all the visitors who came and sang like angels which contributed greatly to the atmosphere on the day.

- by Joan Cochrane

Article from the Wangaratta Chronicle reporting on the closure of St. Andrew's -

The Milawa Congregation –  Back Row:  Joy Johnson, Isabel Foote, Merilyn Stephens, JennyShearer Stephen Shearer, Shirley Carter and Arthur Meyers.  Front Row: Marg Gibb, Melva Lynes and Ruby Mickan 

The Johnson Family

Joy Johnson and Shirley Johnson

Robert and Eve Kerr

Lyn and David Turner & Ian and Julie Hempel

Jenny and Steve Shearer

Arthur Meyers

Melva Lynes and her sister Tim Raison

Colin and Rev Christine Thomson

Shirley Carter, Jenny Shearer and Marg Gibb 

Arthur Meyers and Joan Cochrane-Meyers 

Stuart McAliece and Rex Allen

Verna Nugent, Kay Gamze
and John Nugent

Jan Hooper, Valda Watson, Kath Finger and Heather Newth

Carl and Myra Clayden & Lyn Finger 

Gladys and Graeme Wilson & Fran Doig

Melva Lynes and Helen Twitt

Rosie Bennett and Jan Morris

Jim and Mary Gregory

Elizabeth Hildebrand and Joan Hilderbrand

Eve Kerr, Lyn Turner & Enid Yelland

Joan Martin

Wyn Airey 

Allan Raison and Arthur Meyers

Enid Yelland and Alan Wood

Merilyn Stephens and Colin Thomson

Ian and Mary Simpson

Melva Lynes and Merilyn Stephens

Heather Newth, John Yelland & Lyn Hammond