This is a book and a resource kit exploring the beatitudes, in everyday language for an everyday response. Author of Plan Be, Dave Andrews, will be our guest speaker at the Synod & Presbytery meeting on 27 February, 2010.

This resource is recommended to congregations as a study resource for 2010.

Click below for information on ordering the kit.

In England, during the early part of the fifteenth century, the priory for the religious order known as The Star of Bethlehem, started taking in a few patients. In time it became known as Bethlehem Hospital. The patients that it took in were those who would today be classed as mental health patients. Bethlehem Hospital became the first Lunatic Asylum, as they were then known. Over the years, so the story goes, the name became slurred from Bethlehem to Bedlam. And so a new word entered the language. A word associated with confusion, uproar and unruliness. From Bethlehem to Bedlam.*

In a sense isn’t that what can so often happen at Christmas? We look forward to celebrating the events that occurred 2000 years ago in Bethlehem, a place and time of wonder, glory, peace, and mystery. Instead, we often seem to find ourselves in Bedlam, a place of commotion, confusion and agitation. We don’t mean to, we have every intention that this year it will be different, but inevitably we are caught in the rush.

So much so that Christmas has its own nickname; the silly season. What a name for Christmas, a time we like to associate with peace, joy, hope and love. Yet often we experience quite the opposite.

Our KCO and SAYCO Events Officer, Jo Watts, has suggested a link between the message featured on the 2009 Uniting Church Christmas postcard and the need for craft volunteers at the 2010 Kid’s Camp Out (KCO) event to be held at the Barossa Valley Tourist Park on March 13-14. The legend reads “There’s no time like the present and no present like your time”.

KCO is designed for 7-12 year olds and craft activities are traditionally a very important and popular component of the program. However, there is still a need for more volunteers to help in this area for Saturday 13 March in the 2010 event. “If craft-wise people could offer us their time for Saturday 13 March it would be a great help, a really useful Christmas present”, comments Maureen Howland, one of the busy KCO craft coordinators.

You can read details in Jo’s article “Calling all crafties to KCO” in the December issue of New Times by clicking here. 

If you would like to find out more about volunteering for the craft activities please feel free to contact one of the craft coordinators Maureen Howland ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or Anne Headland ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ). If you cannot attend but would like to help, a variety of recyclables (small screw top jars, plastic jar kids, CDs etc.) are always welcomed. 

If craftwork is not your strong suit, then there are other ways that you can assist at KCO, for example by helping to run one of the many fun activities that serve to provide a carnival type atmosphere for the young people who attend (contact Bec Honey on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for details).

The 2010 KCO program takes participants on an imaginary intergalactic adventure to KCOnia United, a place where young people discover a universe of faith, fun and friendship. If you know of any 7-12 year olds who would like to attend, please contact your local church and encourage them to register.

For more details about KCO and KCOnia United check out the KCO website.