Finding Common Ground

Barry Gittins

For two years Mel Jepson has been asked where she saw God that week.

That’s part of the ritual when she meets her friends at Common Ground, an intergenerational faith community that gathers in Heidelberg Scots Church meeting room on 10am Sundays.

The congregation, ranging from a dozen to 30 or ...

Plenty of fun in store for youth group

BARRY GITTINS

Later this year, one lucky Ikea store will be inundated with up to 30 youth. They will scatter around the vast Nordic labyrinth in groups of three or four to fulfil an epic quest – a photo scavenger hunt.

Alanee Hearnshaw is the youth and young adults’ pastor at the Glen Waverley Uniting Church. ...

A youthful Assembly

Speaking up in a room with 300 people can be a daunting prospect. For young people attending Assembly for the first time, it can be a particularly nerve-racking experience.    

At this year’s Assembly at Box Hill Town Hall, one in 10 members will be under the age of 30.

For some, such ...

Not just playing anymore

SOWING the seeds of faith, developing relationships and entrusting people to lead have been key to fostering North Ringwood Uniting Church’s flourishing intergenerational ministry.

Last month, North Ringwood members Trevor and Merry Sweatman told a Stories of Childhood Conference at the Centre for Theology and Ministry how the church was turning a wildly successful ...

Youthful approach

TIM LAM

It’s not just tram zones and hook turns that Bradon French is learning to navigate as he settles into his new Melbourne-based role with the VicTas synod.

One of his first priorities as the new intergenerational ministry youth worker is to meet congregations throughout the synod and get to know their needs and priorities ...

Leading the way

In late April, a group of young adults gathered for the Somers Youth Leadership Conference. The conference equipped young people with leadership skills in preparation for the annual Somers Camp in July. Frankston Uniting Church member Meg Ryan shares her reflections from the weekend.

Last month’s Somers Youth Leadership Conference had a great impact on ...

Putting children first

TIM LAM

Children have been pushed to the margins of the church for too long, according to an expert on children’s spirituality.   

Dr Vivienne Mountain is a member of St Leonard’s Uniting Church Brighton and lectures at the University of Divinity on the nurture and spiritual guidance of children. 

“A lot of churches want the kids ...

Play and pray with Toddler Church

ANN PERRIN

Toddler Church arose as we at Hobart’s Clarence Uniting Church attempted to find ways of including the under fours who are at worship on any given Sunday. We can have up to eight in that age group attending.

We made a commitment to keep them involved because one of our new guiding values is ...

Marlee’s deciding moment

DAVID SOUTHWELL

When Marlene ‘Marlee’ Reid moved to the remote Gippsland town of Swifts Creek from Canada in late 2015 she was in for a shock.

“You blink and you go through the whole town,” Marlee said.

“I kept waiting for the town to start and then we were out of it and I said ...