United in Service

The theme of the 2010 General Assembly of the Church of Christ in Thailand reflected the theme “United in Service”. It was an important choice, since the General Assembly had on its agenda the election of a new leadership team and the tensions which come from such an election.

Rev. Brian and Mrs. Winsome Ball, former missionaries in Thailand as well as Christa Megaw, representing the Uniting Church, attended this Assembly in Bangkok. In the morning Bible study, Rev. Bob Collins who has been a missionary in Thailand for fifty years, talked about ‘The Word made flesh and made his dwelling among us.’ Through his teaching and example, he showed that this impacts on the style of church leadership and the way that the church relates to society. Rev. Collins illustrated his point by inviting two Thai delegates to come out to the front of the room. To stunned silence, he then carefully bent down and cleaned their shoes. This was a powerful moment as by transgressing the cultural rules, he demonstrated that Christian leaders are called to be humble.

Chiang Mai in northern Thailand is a city that has been visited by many Uniting Church guests in recent years. Brian, Winsome and Christa travelled there after Bangkok and met up with many friends. In particular, they met with the team from CAM- the people who have been working with Thai people who have HIV-Aids. Through our partner church, the Church of Christ in Thailand, the Uniting Church in South Australia has been a long term supporter of their ministry. Jan and Jeff Hudson from Burnside UC have volunteered with the CAM ministry and seen what amazing things can happen, when we are ‘united in service.’ Here are some of their photos:

The amazing transformation of Jim, a woman with HIV who has been helped by the medical correct treatment and care given by CAM staff.

Compass corp

We look forward to continuing our partnership with CAM and the inspirational work they do in northern Thailand.

Connecting with Thailand

Uniting Church SA enjoys a longstanding and well-developed partnership with the Church of Christ in Thailand (CCT). Under the umbrella of the national church-to-church partnership between the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) and the CCT, South Australia’s link is with First District Chiang Mai. This partnership is a vibrant expression of mutuality in mission.

At the heart of our partnership has been the Mission Ignition programme of youth exchanges between our two churches, which began in 1994. Young Thai Christians have experienced the hospitality of South Australian congregations and Easter Camps and, in turn, young people from Uniting Church congregations in South Australia have spent 3-4 weeks as guest of First District Chiang Mai. These youth exchanges have built cross –cultural understanding, developed leadership skills and established warm friendships between the individuals involved, across boundaries of race and culture. In particular, Mission Ignition has provided excellent opportunities for young people to reflect on the multiplicity of contexts in which Christian faith is expressed and experienced.

A growing point of engagement between our two churches has been through the CCT’s AIDS Ministry (CAM). Mission Ignition teams from South Australia have visited CAM, volunteers from South Australia have worked with CAM, staff from CAM have come to Adelaide for English language training, and financial support for CAM comes from a significant number of congregations and individuals.

In 2006 Rev Sanan Wutti, the Director of CAM, and Mrs Jaruwan Wutti, the Office Manager, spent six months in Adelaide engaged in English language study. In 2008, Mrs Nawanat Kunasawat (“Goong Lek”) a member of the CAM staff responsible for home visits, spent four months in Adelaide for the same purpose. Each of these visits strengthened the link with CAM. For the three years from 2009-2011, South Australia is supporting a major new initiative by CAM in developing foster care and other support services for children whose parents have died from AIDS or who are too ill to care for them.The challenge for us is to raise around $60,000 over this three year period to ensure that this project is adequately resourced.

Over many years, Philip Worsley from the Tea Tree Gully congregation and Pam Silby from Athelstone UC, have led “Mission Awareness” tours to Thailand.

The Uniting Church’s partnership with Thailand at a national level began in 1970 with the appointment of the Rev Brian Ball to serve in the area of Christian Education. Since that time, a number of South Australians have served in Thailand as long and short term mission co-workers or volunteers.

The Uniting Church here in South Australia continues to be enriched by our Thai partnership.