May 2017 Crosslight out now


Goorambat Uniting Church is probably the last place you would expect to see original artworks by internationally renowned artist Adnate. But the small country church was recently transformed as it became a canvass for the striking portrait of Sophia, a reminder of the relationship between art and spirituality.

All of the May Crosslight stories are ...

Locked out

By DAVID SOUTHWELL

Youth gangs running amok at public events in central Melbourne, riots and escapes at juvenile jails, terrifying home invasions, armed robberies and carjackings in the suburbs – these stories have played out in nightmarish TV images and on tabloid front pages in Victoria over the past 18 months.

ISSUES of youth crime and justice pose an ...

No longer worlds apart


When Gemma MacMillan, a 24-year-old marketing specialist from Barwon Heads, met Dr Alma Ram, a 67-year-old community health leader from Amritsar, in northwest India, she realised something was lacking in her demanding corporate career – a chance to contribute to meaningful change.

Dr Alma runs the Woman & Child Mobile Health Clinics project in North India, which ...

Spirituality meets street art

TIM LAM

Internationally-acclaimed street artist Adnate has transformed the interior of Goorambat Uniting Church with an artwork of biblical proportions.

The giant mural of Sophia – the personification of divine wisdom in the Old Testament – was created as part of the annual Benalla Wall-to-Wall festival in April. Now in its third year, the festival brings together international and ...

Sexuality debates not new for the Church


NIGEL TAPP

Sexuality debates within the Uniting Church have been around almost as long as the institution itself.

In 1981 – less than five years after the Church came into being – the Assembly Standing Committee (ASC) was asked to consider the ordination of homosexuals by the Presbytery of Yarra Valley after a candidate informed the presbytery ...

Treble tones


The Treble Tones Ladies Choir is set to light up Burwood Uniting Church when they perform their annual concert ‘Don’t Stop the Music’ on Saturday 27 May.

The choir, first formed in 1962, was known as the United Ladies Choir before it changed its name to Treble Tones in 1998. It currently has 29 members who sing ...

Inspirational art

REVIEW BY PENNY MULVEY

EXHIBITION | THE 64TH BLAKE PRIZE

The number of entrants to the 2016-2017 Blake Prize is testament to the ongoing interest in religion and spirituality.

The 64th Blake Prize, Australia’s prestigious religious art prize, received a staggering 594 entries, which the judges whittled down to 80 finalists. Of those, 26 are part of the Casula ...

Carol’s legacy of listening and leadership


NIGEL TAPP

Carol Bennett may not be a Tasmanian by birth or upbringing, but she has certainly established herself as an ardent advocate for the Church in the island state during her eight years as the synod liaison minister (Tasmania).

Carol – who retired from the role last month – has been an important conduit between the ...

Heavenly needlework


Whether it was a match made in heaven or merely a stitch in time, an upcoming exhibit will celebrate the long-running partnership between The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria, and an ‘incorrigible’ collector of ceremonial church garments.

The Holy Stitches exhibition will feature vestments and other church furnishings collected over a period of 20 years by the appropriately named ...

Peter’s kind farewell


When you mention the name Rev Peter Cook to locals in the Hamilton area, the first thing that often comes to mind is his generous support for people in need. So it was fitting that the community honoured his legacy by pledging to perform one kind act for another person.

Last year, community members in Hamilton started ...

Home values



BILL PUGH

Our little weatherboard home was built by a wise man and his wife in the 1950s.

Tools were basic, hammer and nails, and help from Jimmy over the road, an odd job man supplying practical skill and a garage of handy items. A small bank loan was obtained and work proceeded as wages ...

Cause to celebrate


PENNY MULVEY

Next month is the Uniting Church in Australia’s 40th birthday. What memories are conjured up for you as you look back to 22nd June 1977? I was a student at a Methodist girls’ school in Sydney. I had no understanding of the many years of prayer and negotiation, heartache and theological debate that led to ...