October 2022 Newsletter

Welcome to October. October is mental health month. 

This newsletter is also available on the Coburg Uniting website and Facebook page. 

Coburg Uniting Church Melbourne: Tree with visible roots and sun shining through branches and leaves on the Our Philosophy page

 

Minister’s Message

World Mental Health Day is on Saturday 10 October, and the whole of October is Mental Health Month. That means you can plan 31 days of activities to look after your mental health and wellbeing. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, prioritising mental health and wellbeing has been more important than ever. – From LGBTIQ+ Health Australia 

Coburg-Uniting-Church-Melbourne-Minister-Ron-Rosinsky

 

 

Rev. Ron Rosinsky

 

 

 

 

Looking back: from September’s Sunday services

‘Don’t walk through this relationship graveyard: anxious attachment’

 

“A woman from the crowd spoke up and said to Jesus,  

“How fortunate is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 

But he said, “How fortunate, rather, are those who listen to God’s teaching and observe it!” 

-Luke 11: 27-28 (Originally from the Q Gospel) 

 

  • A woman declares Mary blessed because of Jesus, presuming, in Mediterranean first century fashion, that a woman’s greatness derives from mothering a famous son. 
  • But Jesus confronted such thinking; women were equal to men. And be it a system of domination controlling members of a family, a nation, or a church- Jesus overturned it. Jesus spoke and fought for a blessedness open to anyone who wants it and embodies it, without distinction of sex or gender, infertility or maternity. 
  • Jesus’ ideal group is one open and equally accessible to all under God; and your ‘family’ members are those who love you into being, and don’t live at your expense. They take your well-being at least as important as their own. Jesus was way ahead of his time; way ahead of our time.  
  • Without healthy relationships of absolute equality and care, we may go through life too anxious to stand alone, and to dependent to be in a respectful relationship. Sometimes out of sheer anxiety we sabotage the relationship for fear that our partner will abandon us. 

 

 

Looking forward: from October’s Sunday services

‘Freedom begins in head and heart; claim the courage to be or be subjugated’

  • “In the midst of marital discord few of us have the courage to consider that the beliefs and practices we share with many other couples are the source of our misery…If you’re well-adjusted to ill-fitting beliefs that permeate society, you’re going to have trouble. ”
  • “And, we’ve ignored how taking care of your own feelings is an integral part of maintaining a relationship and how it fuels attachment and self- direction.”  

-David Schnarch, PhD 

I’m a psychologist – and I believe we’ve been told devastating lies about mental health | Sanah Ahsan | The Guardian

October Worship Topic

‘Trauma then. Poor mental health now. Befriend your soul- discover liberation’

November Worship Topic

Citizen or consumer? Awaken abundance and cooperation over consumption and competition

  • First Sunday 2 October: Celebration of Communion, featuring music by Josh Cake
  • Second Sunday 9 October: Featuring Ruth Sandy and the Coburg Singers
  • Third Sunday 16 October: Featuring music by Keith Hoffmann
  • Fourth Sunday 23 October: Featuring music by Keith Hoffmann and the Coburg band
  • Fifth Sunday 30 October: Featuring music by Lucas Rosinsky

 

Special Services

  • Sunday 16 October: The baptism of Charlotte Francis Farrugia, daughter of Michael and Rachelle

 

Spiritual Growth Programs

October Topic for Men’s Group and Soul Group: “A bright sadness; the importance of stumbling over life’s stumbling stones”, Chapters 4 and 5  from Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr

  • Men’s Group: Saturday 5 November 6pm-9pm. Dinner and discussion.
  • Soul Group: Sunday 6 November, 11:45am-1pm. Discussion, mindfulness, spiritual formation.
  • Meditation and spiritual practices group: Sunday 16 October, 11.45am-12.30pm.

 

Belonging Programs

  • Social Board Games Night: Thursday 13 October and Thursday 27 October September (2nd and 4th Thursdays), 7:30-10pm in the front room at church
  • The Fourth Sunday lunch: Sunday 23 October 11.45am.
  • Coffee Chat and Play: Playgroup every Friday 10:30am-12pm during school term
  • Coburg Common: located behind Coburg Uniting Church. Come and garden, or buy a plant, or have a chat

 

Coburg Uniting Church
Fighting against sexism and homophobia. Fighting for the planet.
We live and worship on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We pay our respects to their elders past and present. Sovereignty was never ceded. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

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