Worship paints perfect picture

By Andrew Humphries

When Banyule Network of Uniting Churches members decided to sit down and investigate new ways of engaging with the community, inspiration came from an unlikely source.

It meant some thinking outside of the box had to take place, but Mission Development Facilitator David Landis-Morse is so glad that it did.

Inspiration came after a meeting between David ...

SERFing a better climate future

Croydon Uniting Church

Funding from the Synod Emissions Reduction Fund was critical in enabling the congregation to install solar panels sooner than anticipated.

While we had long held a desire for such a project, this funding helped accelerate it.

We worked with Senior Social Justice Advocate Mark Zirnsak to choose an ethically produced system, manufactured without slave or forced ...

Hidden networks and inequality

By Marina Williams 

In the winter of 2021, Sydney’s Covid-19 lockdown laid bare a stark divide.

Families in disadvantaged suburbs managed home schooling while holding low-paid essential jobs, yet students at elite schools were granted exemptions for ski camps and outdoor education.

At the same time, wealthy travellers bypassed quarantine on private jets while thousands of Australians remained stranded ...

Entranced by the manse

By Andrew Humphries

Tasmanian businesswoman Clare Dean loves restoring old things.

That’s probably just as well, because in restoring the manse in the central Tasmanian town of Oatlands she has quite a challenging job on her hands.

But it’s a job she is proud to tackle, as she pays homage to her ancestor, George Wilson, who built the manse in ...

The nature of prayer

By Rev Dr Sally Douglas

At church we often say “let us pray”, we say prayers together, and over morning tea we might offer to pray for someone who is going through a difficult time.

However, in churches often we do not talk about what prayer is for, what prayer achieves or does not achieve, and what to do when ...

Walking together as one

By Marina Williams

In 1985, Rev Charles Harris founded the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress as a voice for justice and a space for Aboriginal and Islander Christians to live out faith in their own way.

Forty years on, Congress continues to shape the life of the Uniting Church, calling it into deeper covenant and relationship with First Peoples.

...

Spotlight on social justice

Synod meetings are an opportunity for members across the Synod to discern important directions forward for the life of the Synod, including in the area of social justice.

The Justice and International Mission Cluster requested that the Synod consider proposals on five areas, and assisted in formulating a proposal responding to the recommendations of the Yoorrook Justice Commission.

The Yoorrook ...

Together on the journey

When I was installed as Moderator of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, I wore the robe of my late father.

The fabric is worn and the stitching frayed, yet as I put it on, I felt the weight of memory, of sacrifice, of faith passed from one generation to the next.

It reminded me that my story is not ...

Curtain closes on Synod 2025

Synod 2025 has come to an end following four full days of deep discussion, discernment, engagement, connection and community at Box Hill Town Hall.

From Saturday morning’s Opening Worship to today’s Closing Eucharist, Uniting Church members from Victoria and Tasmania have bonded over their faith and a shared desire to discern the best possible future for the Church.

Saturday’s opening ...

Consensus on some proposals

Members discussed and were able to reach consensus on a number of proposals during Synod 2025’s final day.

While consensus had been reached earlier in the meeting on proposals relating to the Faithful Futures Project, a response to the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s recommendations, and a change to the frequency of Synod meetings, further proposals dominated discussion, and debate, today.

In ...

Faithful debate bears fruit

Day three of Synod 2025 has ended, with past, and ongoing, injustices suffered by indigenous Victorians, and the Faithful Futures Project, dominating discussion today.

As members resolved today to take the first step towards exploring options for offering redress for historic injustices suffered by Victoria’s First Peoples, they were given a powerful reminder of why the issue is so important ...

Synod told why Treaty matters

As Uniting Church members at Synod 2025 today resolved to take the first step towards exploring options for offering redress for historic injustices suffered by Victoria’s First Peoples, they were given a powerful reminder of why the issue is so important to indigenous Victorians.

The reminder came from Aunty Esme Bamblett from the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, who outlined ...