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 ...
By Andrew Humphries
St Mark’s Uniting Church (Mornington) member Dr Theo Read fulfilled a long-time dream earlier this year with the publication of three important secondary school Earth Science textbooks.
It was a project he began almost 35 years ago and one which faced more than a few setbacks along the way.
Theo is convinced, though, that divine inspiration, when it was most needed, smoothed his path towards the project’s eventual success.
What has been your journey with, and connection to, the Uniting Church?
I wasn’t born into the Uniting Church. Indirectly, my first connection would be through youth group in Port Augusta, the remote town in South Australia where I grew up. Youth group was an ecumenical affair, and I remember running around the Aboriginal Christian Congress as a nupirti yakarti (‘naughty child’ in ...
By Andrew Humphries
When Younger Generations Education and Strategy Coordinator Rev Sandy Brodine kicked off a new podcast at the end of June, it was easy to settle on a name for it.
With the aim of encouraging growth within Uniting Church congregations, the title of ‘Thriving’ seemed most appropriate.
“The purpose of the podcast is to showcase ways in which we can grow ...
By Andrew Humphries
When Dr Ros Harris first walked into Pilgrim Uniting Church in Yarraville, she felt immediately at home.
Seventeen years later, she feels just as comfortable there, and is giving back to a congregation, and wider Church, that has given her so much.
Ros completed a lay preaching course through Pilgrim Theological College at the end of last year and is now conducting services ...
By Dr Mark Zirnsak
“If a fellow believer hurts you, go and tell him-work it out between the two of you. If he listens, you’ve made a friend. If he won’t listen, take one or two others along so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try again.” Matthew 18:15-16
Every so often, God allows us to step into a moment where our own story and the Church’s story meet.
Last month, I returned to Tonga as one of three invited guests from the Uniting Church in Australia to celebrate the bicentenary of Christianity in Tonga. Our President, Rev Charissa Suli, the Moderator of the NSW/ACT Synod, Rev Faa’imata Hiliau, ...
By Andrew Humphries
From worship services suited to neurodivergent people to social gatherings for those with intellectual disabilities, Victorian and Tasmanian congregations are answering the call to improve disability access.
With one in five Australians living with disability, every congregation is almost certainly home to people navigating obstacles others may not notice, says the Synod’s Disability Inclusion Advocate Elga Rodriguez.
...
Monday
Like many in ministry I have Mondays off. There are different things I enjoy doing, but it is always good fun taking my greyhound Roy to the Strathdale dog park or Kennington Reservoir and then having a coffee. They say it’s great socialising for a dog, but it is also fantastic socialising for me as well.
Tuesday
By Andrew Humphries
As he gets ready for his weekly volunteer shift, retired Uniting Church minister Rev Lynden Broadstock admits to feeling like a small child in a lolly shop.
For the lifelong reader, his volunteer role at the Dalton McCaughey Library in Parkville is about as good as it gets.
By Marina Williams
Kate Thompson was driving when she first heard about an attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 14 last year.
“I was a bit shell-shocked,” says Kate, who has Jewish heritage.
Two gunmen had opened fire on a public gathering marking the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, allegedly killing 15 people, including a 10-year-old child.
By Marina Williams
When Sione Hehepoto returned from the Christian Conference of Asia’s Asian Ecumenical Youth Assembly (AEYA) in Chiang Mai, Thailand, he brought back more than memories of the five-day gathering.
From April 17–21, the assembly drew together young Christian leaders from across the Asia Pacific, expanding Sione’s understanding of faith and reshaping his sense of what ministry might ...