February 2017 Crosslight now available


Seven-year-old Tyeisha is a key member of the Dusty Feet Mob, a group of Aboriginal young people and children aged between 6-29 years, from South Australia’s Port Augusta. Through music and dance, they seek to educate others about painful stories in Indigenous/white history, such as the Stolen Generation, as well as celebrating what unites. They have been ...

Future proof

More than a thousand people from throughout the Uniting Church community took part in the five days of worship, teaching, fellowship and fun at the National Christian Youth Convention’s Yurora 17 in January at Stanwell Tops south of Sydney.

NCYC has become a beloved tradition of the UCA since 1955. Every two years, young people come together to discuss ...

Top honour for Alistair Macrae

By Penny Mulvey

Congratulations to Rev Alistair Macrae and eight other members of the VicTas synod who have been honoured with awards in today’s Australia Day Honours List.

The former President and Moderator has been named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)  “for distinguished service to the Uniting Church in Australia through executive and ministerial roles at ...

All nations or one nation?

ANTONY MCMULLEN

At the height of the Brexit debate in the UK a politician, Jo Cox, was slain by a man reportedly shouting “Britain first”. During the heat of the US election campaign the now President of the US, Donald Trump called for a halt to immigration from Islamic countries, sentiments echoed by One Nation’s Pauline Hanson on her return ...

Macnab leaves St Michael’s with no regrets

DAVID SOUTHWELL

On Christmas Day, 45 years of high profile, diverse, successful and, at times, controversial ministry came to an end when Rev Dr Francis Macnab gave his final sermon in St Michael’s Uniting Church.

In 2008 Dr Macnab made headlines for promoting a ‘New Faith’. He rewrote the Ten Commandments and, in 2010, became a literally larger-than-life figure ...

United in love

Last year, eight Australians from the Sri Lankan diaspora travelled back to their homeland on a trip organised through the synod’s Uniting Journeys program.

The Uniting Journey for Peace and Reconciliation brought together eight travellers from each of the four strong faiths in Sri Lanka – Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. Together, the group shared their stories and history and ...

The Uniting Church: gestation and birth

D’ARCY WOOD

In June this year the Uniting Church in Australia will celebrate its 40th anniversary. Throughout 2017 Crosslight will bring you stories from the first four decades reflecting the diversity of the church.

But, we will not be just looking back. We will also look to the future and imagine the role the Church, and its institutions, will ...

Faith in work

REVIEW BY STEVEN CRUMP

BOOK SET | THE LABOUR OF LOVE: LENTEN STUDIES ON FOLLOWING CHRIST AT WORK | JOHN BOTTOMLEY

This series of Lenten Studies provides an opportunity to reflect on God’s presence in our daily work – paid or otherwise. Using scripture readings, prayer, quiet reflection and group discussions, it allows the participant to delve deeply into ...

Agenda for change

More than 70 people attended an ‘open space technology’ forum in late November to have their say on major organisational changes underway in the Vic/Tas synod. The same group was invited back to a feedback workshop last month.

As part of the strategy to seek new ways of being church, a resolution was passed at last year’s Synod to form ...

Finding your voice, telling your stories

SWEE ANN KOH

I found my voice in this church only in the recent past. I had become frustrated with the huge gap between the rhetoric (‘the Uniting Church in Australia is a multicultural church’) and my lived experiences.

It’s not easy for some of us to find our voice and tell our stories in a multicultural church, where ...

An object of worship

REVIEW BY NICK MATTISKE

BOOK | THE MARKET AS GOD | HARVEY COX | HARVARD

It’s not much of a revelation to suggest that capitalism has religious overtones, or that the market has godlike qualities. Adam Smith’s famous depiction of ‘the invisible hand’ of the ...

Uniting mission

Rev John Clarke (pictured) has joined the Uniting team in Victoria and Tasmania as the director of mission. Mr Clarke is excited by the potential of the new agency and hopes to deepen the ethos and spiritual heritage of Uniting, as well as further develop links across the Church.

“When the Church listens to God and then speaks with ...

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