We gather in community to remember and nurture our connection to that great presence of love and life some call God, others The Spirit, The Universe, Mystery, The Divine, The Sacred. We acknowledge and celebrate the variety of language to express spirituality. With stories of the radical love of Jesus and from other traditions, with music, images, art and silence, we ground our lives in grace and compassion.
SPIRITUALITY
Nurturing connection within, between and beyond
Still Point (Wed, 5.30pm) followed by Community Meal at 6.15pm
We gather at 5.30pm each Wednesday for community prayers in a contemplative style. This is followed by a community meal at about 6.15pm. This gathering deepens our friendships and gives many of us a still point in the busy week- and best of all, the evening meal is put on the table for us to enjoy in good company. Feel free to just come for the meal at 6.15pm, or arrive at 5.30pm for the prayers.
The meal is ‘by donation’.
Sunday Gatherings (1st Sun 10am + 3rd Sun 10am)
On the first and third Sundays of the month, we meet at the traditional time of 10am for a celebratory service. The services include special occasions, such as Harvest Festival and our Pets Blessing service (Blessing of the Animals and All Wildlife).
Our Sunday services have a focus on teaching, stories, creativity and reflective times and a focus on special celebrations. Key elements of the gospel are interpreted for the current day with an emphasis on progressive and missional thought.
Questions Too Big For Answers (4th Sun 10am)
4th Sundays at 10am, we gather together to ponder those questions too big for answers. We start (and finish!) with coffee/tea and cake.
Friday Lunch and Communion (3rd Fri, 12 noon)
Friday Lunch is held at Kirks Place and is an opportunity for us to gather our older folk with others who enjoy a meal in a relaxed space. We are joined by friends from Arcare each month. A team of dedicated people take responsibility for transport, and others joyfully handle the catering aspects with care and panache. The occasions begin with a simple communion service. Everyone is welcome.
Festive Gatherings
Blessing for the New Year – first Sunday in January. Pets Blessing -first Sunday in October. “Sacred Time, Sacred Place” with Queenscliff Music Festival, last weekend in November. Easter Dawn Service (on the beach at Point Lonsdale).
Funerals
Celebrating Life and Holding our Sadness with Care. Our ministers are able to work closely with you to create a thoughtful, personal and spiritually caring tribute to farewell your loved one. We work closely with the various funeral directors on the Bellarine Peninsula and Geelong. We are also very pleased to be able to host your post service refreshments in the Bay Room or Hall. We can provide a variety of teas and brewed coffee, serving of food, set up and clean up. We ask for a $300 donation for this service. You will need to organise caterers for food.
Holy Week and Easter 2024
Holy Week and Easter 2024:
Still Point Tenebrae & Meal, 5.30pm Wed 27 March
Good Friday, 10am Fri 29 March
Community Dawn Service Point Lonsdale Front Beach, 7.15am Sun 31 March
Easter Service Celebration Unitingqueenscliff, 10am Sun 31 March
Weddings
We are delighted to be able to affirm the equal love of the LGBTIQA+ Community by offering them marriage in our church, by our ministers.
The Uniting Church liturgy allows flexibility in fashioning a marriage service that is sacred, personal and meaningful. Here in Queenscliff, we endeavor to establish a good rapport with each couple, so that the service can be sensitive to your spirituality and have personal significance for your family and friends.
Marriage preparation normally involves three sessions using the materials “Prepare” as a basis for discussion. Prepare helps you to examine your relationship in a personal way, helping you to explore the in-depth issues that arise in a normal healthy relationship.
The church at Queenscliff has a long history, yet recent improvements make it a flexible and intimate space for family and friends to celebrate this special occasion together. We will help you to capture a sacred sense of occasion that is appropriate for your wedding ceremony.
The ministers are available to conduct services at other locations.
Costs for weddings are as follows:
- Minister’s fee: $350
- Prepare Marriage Course $45 online
- Church $250
- Organist or Pianist (if required) $150
Baptisms
The rite of Baptism is a way of bringing a person into the heart of the community as they begin their faith journey. The Uniting Church practises both child and adult baptism as an initiatory rite into the community of faith, and we welcome any who wish to take this step in our Queenscliff community.
At Unitingqueenscliff
We see the sacred in all aspects of life, and invite you to participate and find your spiritual home through any of our activities. Our doors are open to all; everyone is considered as part of our community no matter what their level of participation.
We have a strong focus on the connection of prayer to justice and compassion. Our understanding might be considered progressive in character, contemplative in style.
We hold dearly the people of the First Nations, and we actively support the Refugee Community through our activities. We have a deep concern for the environment, and strive to minimise our carbon footprint. We are also strongly supportive of the LGBTIQA+ community, and practice equal marriage as an affirmation of human love.
Spiritual Care Ministry Team
Oversees the spiritual life and the pastoral care of the community. This ministry team coordinates our spiritual gatherings, initiates special services and events such as the Blessing of Pets, as well as maintaining the network of pastoral connection throughout the wider Unitingqueenscliff Community.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE (updated 2019):
The Spiritual Care Ministry Team facilitates:
- The weaving of a spiritual dimension through all aspects of our Community’s life. Imaginative and inspiring communal worship that speaks to our diversity and is open to new perspectives in spiritual practices.
- A ministry of friendship and care within and by those in our Community.
- A welcoming atmosphere and openness to new people.
- Opportunities, including artistic installations and special events, for the wider community to engage the sacred.
