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Heritage
'to be
shared'
People entering the Uniting
Church in Australia were not for
getting their heritage but would
share .it with others, the secretary
of the church, the Reverend
Winston O'Reilly, safd last night.
He was speaking at the inaugural
servicc of the Canberra Presbytery in
the auditorium of the Canberra School
of Music.
About 1,400 people attended, includ
ing representatives of the Continuing
Presbycrian Church, which comprises
people who would not join the new
church.
There were also representatives of
the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Luther
an and Baptist Churches, the Salvation
Army and Churches of Christ.
There were a number of references
during the service to the need for the
Uniting Church to maintain friendships
with other denominations and to estab
lish new friendships.
In one of the prayers it was said, "Let
us give thanks for the friendship and
witness of other Christians. Father, we
pray for your whole Church ... for the
members of the churches from which
we come, who are unable to share, for
conscience sake, in the Uniting Church;
for those churches with whom we share
warm fraternity; and for those we do
not know so well".
In his address Mr O'Reilly said that
those entering the Uniting Church were
not forgetting their heritage which "is
a great part of what wc are". In the
Uniting Church the richness and
wealth of all of its members would be
shared.
His own heritage dated to 980 in
Ireland, and he said in an aside to
Bishop Morgan, Auxiliary Bishop in
the Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra
and Goulburn, that some of his fore
bears had been archbishops in the
Catholic Church. "I went astray", he
said.
Canberra members of the Uniting Church in Australia release balloons of the new church's colours, red, white and black, yesterday to mark the joining of three churches. The celebration was at the Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest, formerly the Methodist National Memorial Church. Help
Canberra members of the Uniting Church in Australia release balloons of the new
church's colours, red, white and black, yesterday to mark the joining of three churches.
The celebration was at the Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest, formerly the Methodist
National Memorial Church.
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