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, ...
By Rev Associate Professor Robyn Whitaker
My first ministry placement as a newly ordained 24-year-old was in a Victorian rural town. I was one of only two female clergy for quite some distance and something strange started to happen a year or so into that placement.
Women started seeking me out, coming to speak to me about things they weren’t comfortable sharing with ...
By Marina Williams
When winter settles in, a church hall can become more than a place of worship. For someone sleeping rough, it can mean a warm bed, a hot meal, a shower, conversation and a night without having to search for somewhere safe to sleep.
North Ringwood Uniting Church and St Andrew’s Uniting Church in Sunbury are just two ...
A week in the life of Paola Rojas
Program Officer, Faithful Futures and schools engagement
Monday
The week begins with an early touch base with the Faithful Futures Project Lead Karen Roberts to review key milestones and finalise preparations for the Secretariat SMO meeting, where Faithful Futures was invited to present a brief update to all the Secretariat team.
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 guided by five shared goals: Respecting Country, Coordinated Ministries, Intercultural Leadership, All-age Growth and New Communities of Faith. Each goal has a corresponding Goal Group that will help to shape the implementation of the goal ...
Initially, Brendan Byrne didn’t think he had what it took to be a university chaplain. But ministering to younger adults in congregations eventually prompted a move toward chaplaincy – and a whole new perspective.
“It’s been transformative, reshaping my ministerial identity in ways I never previously imagined,” he says. “I now have a new understanding of what it means to ...