By Andrew Humphries
St Michael’s Uniting Church on Collins Street in Melbourne’s CBD has a long and proud history, calling people to worship for almost 160 years.
An extensive revitalisation project, which was marked with an official opening in August, means the church is now set up perfectly for another 160 years.
Church Council Chair Laura Beckett says the revitalisation ...
By Marina Williams
When nine Christian leaders and students interrupted a morning service at Waitangi in 1983, they were challenging more than a government ceremony.
The service had been planned as a celebration of national unity. The activists argued Waitangi should instead be a day of repentance – and a time for Pākehā New Zealanders to learn about the country’s ...
Rev Salesi Faupula
Moderator, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania
Why is it important that Uniting Church members over 18 cast an informed vote in November?
For me, voting is about relationship. None of us live in isolation, and the decisions we make affect people we may never meet. My upbringing taught me that who we are is deeply connected to ...
By Marina Williams
D’Arcy Wood and Bruce Barber met at Wesley College in Melbourne in 1948, when D’Arcy was 11 and Bruce 10.
When the form teacher read out Bruce’s surname, D’Arcy wondered if his new classmate was the son of Rev Professor Calvert Barber, who taught theology at Queen’s College.
The Faithful Futures Project is a collaboration across Victoria and Tasmania’s Synod, presbyteries and congregations to discern priorities, direct resources and ensure the Church is equipped for the challenges and opportunities ahead.
The project is shaped around five shared goals: Respecting Country, Coordinated Ministries, Intercultural Leadership, All-age Growth and New Communities of Faith.
By Andrew Humphries
When some books in a library date back to the early 1500s, it’s obviously important that they are looked after properly.
Books of that vintage require housing in a specially controlled environment, ensuring that they can still be viewed for many years to come.
With that in mind, August 18 proved to be an important date for ...
By Dr Mark Zirnsak
As a film buff, I have been fascinated by the increased inclusion of Christianity in films and series in recent times, and by how they portray Christian theology. Two contrasting films recently caught my attention for their themes of rehabilitation and transformation: the French film ‘Jean Valjean’ and Hugh Jackman’s ‘The Death of Robin Hood’.
...
I have described myself as a “colourful mess”.
It is probably the simplest way to describe an identity that has never fitted neatly into one box. Born in Tonga, raised for the first 10 years among Yolngu people in north-east Arnhem Land, and then growing up on the northern beaches of Sydney.
A celebration service last month offered a chance for St Luke’s Uniting Church congregation members in Morwell, and the wider community, to recognise an important milestone.
The July 12 service and ribbon cutting celebrated the completion of a major refurbishment of the Zoe Flats, a 50-year-old building with a long connection to the Morwell community and the Uniting Church.
By Meg Hocking
Right now, as you read this, one in five Australians are skipping meals or whole days of eating just to get by. This is what a national food security crisis looks like. With living costs climbing, wages stalled, and housing and energy bills out of control, food is often the first thing to give.
By Marina Williams
St Paul’s Uniting Church in Ballan is marking 160 years with a renewed sense of purpose as a place of worship, welcome and community connection.
At its April anniversary celebration, the milestone carried more than historical significance. Less than three years earlier, the stone church, with its arched windows, red door and tall spire, had faced the ...
By Marina Williams
At Sophia’s Spring, the shape of worship reflects the shape of the community.
There is no pulpit, raised platform or single voice set apart. Each Sunday at CERES in Brunswick, chairs are arranged in a circle around a central table carrying symbols connected to the gathering’s theme, season and natural world outside. At a recent Pentecost service, ...