NOTE — No Haven programme on Sunday 29th of June!

Hey everyone,

Just a reminder that there is NO Haven programme on the 29th of June 2025.

We are keeping the ‘extra’ fifth Sundays of the month as a gift for you to use!

Use that weekend as you need: 

    — Plan in that: “We must catch up one day!” catch up!
    — Chat with the neighbours!
    — Go out for a leisurely lunch with the family!
    — Have along slow coffee with a friend!
    — Curl up with a book!
    — Maybe just lie on the lawn and watch the clouds and rest up!

We’ll be back on for 5:00pm-6:30pm Sunday 6th of July for a meal together — Food of all nations! Bring a plate of something to share from your fav cuisine as we enjoy conversation together & discuss some more hard questions. 

Details to come soon.

Haven | 4:30pm-5:30pm | Sunday 22nd of June 2025

 Come prepared to consider further the ideas we all shared a few weeks back 

You can refresh you memory here  

Some of the things were talked about then were these:

What have we noticed about our community:

 1.⁠ ⁠Lonely people

 2.⁠ ⁠Language barriers

 3.⁠ ⁠Connection (through Food and language)

 4.⁠ ⁠Needing to work =  means limited time for other things

 5.⁠ ⁠limited knowledge of neighbours

 6.⁠ ⁠Lack of weekend access to community engagement activities 

What can we do:

 1.⁠ ⁠Safe, welcoming environment

 2.⁠ ⁠Join in community festivals

 3.⁠ ⁠Open mic nights

 4.⁠ ⁠Community gardens

 5.⁠ ⁠Chess club and similar 

 6.⁠ ⁠Music and Art classes

 7.⁠ ⁠Grandpa/ma groups

 8.⁠ ⁠Games club

 9.⁠ ⁠Dog walking group

10.⁠ ⁠Kids Hope (key mentors for kids who would benefit at school)

11.⁠ ⁠Tutoring (All educational levels)

12.⁠ ⁠Free exercise groups

13.⁠ ⁠Parenting support

14.⁠ ⁠Youth intervention

15.⁠ ⁠Life skills (cooking. writing, budgeting, simple car)

4:30pm-5:30pm  Sunday 22nd of June 2025

PART 2 of our discussion about outreach 

“Lord, make me an instrument of your Peace…” 

Workshop: How can Haven serve our Community? 

=====================

Revised Haven schedule June - August 2025

Note: Some of these activities will take place at the Social Support Centre, Activity Room:3, 70 Mernda Village Drive, Mernda.

Haven | 4:30pm-5:30pm | Sunday 15th of June 2025

 
4:30pm-5:30pm Sunday 15 June 2025

The Lord’s Prayer #3 

“Give us this day our daily bread."

What does it mean to petition God? 

Video & discussion around the “Prayer Course.” 

Light refreshments

UCA, 97 Schotters Rd, Mernda

If you want to watch this week’s video or — download some of the resources — they are all on this page:  HERE  

Haven | 4:00pm-5:30pm | Sunday 8th of June 2025

 

4:00pm-5:30pm  Sunday 8th of June

This is the King’s Birthday weekend. A number of our crew will be away for a break!

If you’re free, come round for a chat, drink tea & to watch a short, inspiring award-winning film “The Butterfly Circus.” 

For more information: HERE

At M&E’s 13 Kylie Place Montmorency

(Note: 4.00pm this week rather than 4.30pm and there's no meeting this afternoon at the Mernda Uniting Church this week!)

Worship stations

 Hi everyone! 

This week at Haven  we had a worship focus with a difference.

We wandered around our space and spent time in quiet contemplation around

four stations. Some of the stations included quiet worshipful music.

The Communion Table to pause and contemplate anew the bread and there cup.

"... While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take it; this is my body.'   Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it." 

The Prayer Wall, to pause and pray, adding our own requests to the Wall for others to join in praying for.

The Thankyou Table, a large sheet of blank paper with crayons and texts on hand to write or draw that for which we are grateful.

A Praise Table containing items that represent the beauty and awesomeness of God in creation.  It is good to sit in silence and ponder the greatness of God as seen all around us!

Haven | 4:30pm-5:30pm | Sunday 1st of June 2025

 

Hi everyone! 

This week at Haven  we have a worship focus.

Gather around for a time of quiet contemplation.  

There will be a number of ‘stations’ for you to engage. 

4:30pm-5:30pm Sunday 25th of May 2025 

Includes light refreshments. Venue: UCA, 97 Schotters Rd, Mernda 

. 

Grace and peace

Martin

Haven | 4:30pm-5:30pm | Sunday 25th of May 2025

There are three ingredients to Haven. You could

call them: “Up, In and Out” or maybe “Gospel, Church, 
and Culture.” We’ve borrowed language from Aristotle and we call them: “Ethos, Pathos and Logos”

Ethos: is about who we are as individuals and community. It’s who we are and the attitudes that shape how we relate to others in the world. It’s not just about our world-view and our values but about virtues. That’s why taste-testing the ancient ways and wisdom of Jesus together is a priority.

Logos: Means engaging in life-giving conversation around meaning and identity. How can we construct a biblical faith-based framework for living ethically and lovingly in a multiverse of cultures? How do we live consistently but also respect those who view life through different lenses? We want Haven to be a space where we can have those conversations together over as many strong coffees as are needed!

Pathos: the third ingredient, is about empathy - focussing outwards to love others. St. Francis, one of the best loved saints of history, was known for his ministry to the poor and underprivileged, his care for nature and animals, and founding the Franciscan order.  The well known Peace Prayer, often attributed to St Francis encapsulates what it means to live out the first part of the Lord’s prayer: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy. 

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive, 

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, 

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen. 

Acting as instruments of peace in our community means viewing our neighbourhoods, workplaces, homes and sporting clubs through Jesus’ lenses. “What would the reign of Jesus look like in that setting or for that person?” “If Jesus were here now, how would we imagine his love or grace or justice would speak to this neighbourhood?”

We want to learn to ask ourselves the questions: “What is the Spirit of Jesus up to in our neighbourhood?” :How do we partner with the Spirit to bring wholeness and health?"

This week at Haven we want to consider together how we can serve our broader community? What does it mean to pray: “Lord, make me an instrument of your Peace…”

4:30pm-5:30pm Sunday 25th of May 2025 

Includes light refreshments. Venue: UCA, 97 Schotters Rd, Mernda 

Week 2 of the Prayer course ADORATION (18/5)

 Today at Haven we watched session 2 of the Prayer Course.

The theme is "Adoration" -- In this session we explored how we can enjoy God’s presence in praise and worship.

If you want to watch the video of read some of the notes of download some of the resources - they are all on this page: 

 ... HERE ...