Hitorical Development of ministry.

Below is part of the original proposal that was put before the Emmanuel UCA Church council so that they may prayerfully consider and discern God's leading into relation to this particular new minstiry.

Extract from Minutes of the May 2007 Church Council Meeting.

Rev. Irinale Tadulala: Possibility of sponsorship for him for 3 years.... Need for a job description. Possibility of furthering the mission at Good Samaritan reaching out to poorer communities and Aboriginal people. QUESTION “Are we willing to provide a platform for that ministry?” He is willing to work for free. He is used to supporting himself financially. Possibility of sharing him with Calvary Presbytery. Determine what the work is. Prayerful consideration. Proposal to come before Church Council.

Background

Emmanuel Uniting Church - Mission Statement:

"To worship God, grow in faith and reach out with His love to others"

Emmanuel Uniting Church is a multicultural congregation made up of people from the Aboriginal peoples of Australia, America, Canada, PNG, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Torres Strait, Korea, Malaysia and so on. Emmanuel, as part of its mission and outreach to the community, shares its property with a large number of other congregations and smaller Christian groups. These congregations and groups include: the Cairns Korean Uniting Church, the Cook Island Christian Fellowship Church (who are seeking to become a Uniting Church congregation), two Torres Strait Islander Christian Groups, The New Independent World Church (another Aboriginal & Islander group), as well as an AOG Congregation (New Hope Multicultural Fellowship).

It has been our aim in the last three years, not just to provide a space for these individual congregations to do their own ministry, but to be intentional in trying to develop and grow in our relationships with one another, through such activities as combined worship services and other cultural activities, so that we might better understand what it means to share and participate together (as the one community of faith) in the mission of Christ into the world through the power of the Holy Spirit.The establishment of the “Good Samaritan Ministry Centre” in 2006 (a low cost short term accommodation facility within the old Good Samaritan Nursing Home) has greatly fostered this multicultural vision of the church by working together with other congregations and organisations to provide, not just a physical place for people to come and stay, but to accompany this with an active Christian community of people (on site) who are there to genuinely love and care for one another.Through the Good Samaritan Ministry Centre, the church is able to provide a holistic style of ministry, meeting not just peoples physical needs, but their mental and spiritual needs as well through such programs as bible studies, discipleship training, social activities, and individual pastoral care. Individuals staying at the centre are encouraged to participate in the running and maintenance of the facilities as well as developing the spiritual life of the community by loving and caring for one another.

The strength of the Good Samaritan ministry centre is that there is a strong connection between the centre and the life of the congregation as a whole. That is, the Good Samaritan ministry centre is not an independent ministry from the church, but one that operates within the context of the Emmanuel Congregation. As we have prayed to God to continue to guide us in the direction we are going as a multicultural church with a vision to truly ‘reach out with his love to others’, God has blessed our congregation with the presence of Rev. Irinale Tadulala who has recently (December 2006) completed a 13 year placement as the minister on Mornington Island through Congress (UAICC). In the last 6 months Irinale has been praying to God to give him direction in relation to a placement. However, during this time there have been no full time placements made available. It has been during this period of 6 months of struggling financially and emotionally that Irinale has felt that God has now ‘called’ him into ministry in Cairns through the Emmanuel Uniting Church. Irinale understands that the Emmanuel Uniting church is unable to financially support two Ministers of the Word in Cairns, but nevertheless still feels that God has a plan for him in Cairns.

Irinale has become a regular part of the worship life of our church as well as recently becoming part of the ‘Mission and Outreach Team’, and is currently working together with us through this team to further develop God’s plan for our multicultural congregation. Irinale brings to our congregation a wealth of gifts, skills, experience, expertise, humility, love, patients, faith and wisdom that will greatly enhance and foster the mission of the church locally, nationally and internationally.

Crime rates and social problems are rising in the city, and the media are pointing not just to indigenous peoples but to other migrant ethnic people as well, e.g. PNG, Solomon’s, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines etc. Family break-ups, domestic violence as well as problems with migrant ethnic children at school are also a major problem in the community. How can the gospel of Jesus Christ be used to bring light into these situations?

Loss of Culture – reaching out to second generation Australians.

Most of these communities have lost touch with their roots and culture, especially children who were born in Australia. They are often caught between two cultures and are not sure which to identify with. This new generation of Australians need to be supported and given a holistic style of education so that they are not only taught western culture but that they are also taught something of their own traditional cultures and the importance of valuing and understanding their roots as making up their God given identity as a person.

The Urban drift

The Urban drift from the Gulf and Cape communities due to the (AMP) Alcohol Management Plan has partly contributed to these social issues. When the Government imposed these new laws in early 2000, they were not aware of the negative side affects that this will cause. There is therefore a need to develop a holistic program to reach out to support these families.

A Challenge for the church - “A Statement of Commitment by the Churches on the Fortieth Anniversary of the 1967 Referendum.

Forty years have passed since the referendum in which Australians voted overwhelmingly to recognize Indigenous people as citizens and empowered the Commonwealth to make laws on their behalf. This historic vote was cause for great celebration. It gave rise to new hope that the pain of dispossession and countless acts of prejudice and discrimination by both governments and individuals could begin to be healed. Yet today, despite many worthwhile initiatives on the part of governments, business, various community organisations and churches, not to mention the tireless efforts of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and individuals, the first peoples of Australia remain highly marginalized.

The health standards of many Indigenous Australians are as poor as those of the poorest people in the poorest nations on Earth. Indigenous life expectancy is 17 years lower on average than that of non-Indigenous Australians. Similarly, education standards, incarceration rates, unemployment levels, housing standards and poverty rates compare unfavourably with those of non-Indigenous Australians. Important inquiries such as the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the Bringing Them Home Report have recounted sad stories of the dreadful injustices experienced by Indigenous people and the far-reaching and ongoing consequences of their mistreatment. Yet most of the recommendations of these inquiries have not been implemented.

We call upon Christians of all backgrounds to renew their efforts to vigorously challenge this sad reality and work to change it for the better.

On this Pentecost Sunday, we fervently pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire a new commitment to reconciliation in us, the people of God who proclaim Jesus Christ as Good News for the poor and oppressed. May the Spirit who filled the disciples with the faith and courage to proclaim the mighty acts of God to all the world also give us the faith and courage to walk together to bring justice and healing in our land.

Community and Spiritual Development Ministires:

This particular new ministry that the Emmanuel UCA has now embarked on is what we believe God is calling and inspiring us to do, to recommit oursleves to the reconciliation of the people of God who proclaim Jesus Christ as the Good News for the poor and oppressed in our local communities in Cairns.