Submerge – a mission formation year

Who’s it for?

It is for those who want to go deeper to in living, loving and learning with Christ in a hurting world and prepare for a deeper and more meaning life. The course takes up to 15 people who are serious about going deeper in living, learning and loving with Christ among the urban poor. Marrieds, families and singles are welcome. Adults 18 and over are welcome to apply.

What’s Submerge all about?

A year-long, live-in, Christian community mission formation course that aims to:

  • Provide an intense community mission experience that can infect you with the passions, ideas and actions of Jesus
  • Build foundations so your life can mean something for Christ in a world facing poverty and injustice
  • Give a lived experience of UNOH’s ethos through community living, serving the poor, mentoring and action/reflection-orientated training
  • Help discern if serving with UNOH in a long-term, full-time vocation is something you want to pursue
  • Prepare you for a 5-month UNOH apprenticeship or placement that enables a further 5 years of service with a UNOH chapter, in Melbourne, Sydney or Bangkok. In the future, UNOH chapters may be in Auckland, Brisbane, Timor, Burma and Jakarta.

Submerge 2010: it keeps getting better and better!

Essentially Submerge is one year of full-time live-in study and practical experience with UNOH.

In 2009 people doing the course come to Melbourne Australia, and join the UNOH community here that is spread over three neighbouring suburbs (Dandenong, Noble Park and Springvale), and join in with both formal studies and lots of practical work. Students tend to live together in a couple of student houses. Marrieds might have a single person share house with them. And singles might congregate together in same gender houses.

Half way through the year, there is a discernment retreat and everyone decides what they will do for the 2nd half of the year. There are two main options (both great):

1)      The first option is to apply to become a UNOH apprentice and finish the year in that capacity: still doing the practical work and still a submerge student, but also preparing to continue to work with UNOH after the year is over.

2)      The 2nd option is to not be an apprentice but to realize that God wants other things of you in the following year. So the 2nd half of the year is completed as a submerge student, but not apprentice, and after the year is over the student will venture into other pathways (study, job, move… whatever). Whatever the Lord makes clear to them to do. And that is good too! If we help create more people in “other vocations” who love the poor and want to be more engaged with the marginalized, then that is a worthwhile goal too!

Exciting new options for 2010:

There will be some extra options for 2010 as well. For example, a person will have 3 choices as to where to do Submerge for the year:

(1) Melbourne, with the UNOH team there, or

(2) Sydney with the UNOH team there, or

(3) Bangkok with the UNOH team there.

Whichever location is chosen, all Submerge students will do some things together.

For example, we are planning to have the first “module” of study done in Bangkok together. We will get all the new submerge students to go to Thailand, and spend 2 or 3 weeks together, both studying and experiencing practical work with UNOH Bangkok. Then, after that first module, all will go their separate ways to their 3 destinations, and continue their submerge work from either Sydney, Melbourne or Bangkok. For the 5th module of work, all students will meet in Melbourne for an intensive module, and reconnect to share stories and time together again. That will lead into the discernment retreat time as well.

The five subjects that are covered:

In 2009 these were the five in class subjects:

1) Radical Discipleship

2) Theology and Practice of Community Living

3) Rebuilding at risk lives and communities

4) Introduction to the Scriptures

5) Spirituality and Justice

And then there is also the on-going all year long, Practical work.

At the end of the study experience, if you have successfully completed all work requirements, you earn a Certificate IV in Ministry and Theology that is accredited under Tabor Victoria.

Please ring or email, and ask any questions or make any comments:

Jim Reiher. UNOH training coordinator.  jim@unoh.org; 0425-752358 or UNOH: 03-97017114.