REBECCA BEISLER
When Gai Kur Akuei arrived at Brisbane Airport for the Uniting Church’s South Sudanese National Conference he was greeted by members of Nuer Faith Community. It was the first time he had spoken to a Nuer person since war erupted in South Sudan in December 2013.
A power struggle between the president of South Sudan and ...
The Food Justice Truck is a familiar sight to many pedestrians in the Melbourne CBD. Every Wednesday, the truck stops outside Wesley Uniting Church on Lonsdale Street from 11:30am to 2pm, transforming the front of the church into a fresh food market.
Its mission is to support asylum seekers in the Victorian community by offering access to ...
For many older people, the decision to move into residential care can trigger stress, sadness and fear. ‘Downsizing’ means people may mourn the loss of physical possessions such as the family home and personal belongings; some will also mourn the perceived loss of independence.
Recent research studies by LaTrobe University and organisations such as BeyondBlue have ...
By John Emmett
Church properties. We drive past, stand in front, meet outside, are gathered into and dismissed from them. They become familiar, loved places. What is our understanding of church properties – places where worship, formation, witness and service have often been associated with Godly encounters? Sometimes, the spaces and architecture of Church property, together with memories ...
Fresh from a successful Melbourne concert at Haileybury College on 12 September, the Sri Lanka Harmony Choir, ConChord, was a huge hit in Sydney one week later.
Singing in English, Tamil, Sinhalese and even Welsh, the choir brought the 350 strong audience in Sydney to its feet with a finale of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujiah’. A vibrant encore ...
Momentum is building for the People’s Climate March gatherings happening throughout Australia over the weekend of 27 to 29 November. This is the weekend just prior to the UN meetings on climate change which will take place in Paris.
Our climate is changing. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, September received about one -third of its normal rainfall this ...
The Uniting Church Chelsea parish is engaging its local community in conversations about climate change through a series of colourful yarn art installations.
The public displays are part of the 2015 Longbeach Storybook Yarn Art Trail, a community project involving local schools, community centres, nursing homes and churches.
Every October, yarn art is installed at various locations in the Chelsea and ...
The word ‘missionary’ may conjure an image of old-world, and perhaps outdated, Christian missional work in developing countries.
However missionary placements are often a matter of practical and professional support for partner Church communities throughout the world.
Rev John Bottomley and Margaret Neith are certainly not your ‘traditional’ missionaries.
Recent media reports have highlighted shocking instances of foreign worker exploitation in various Australian industries, particularly in relation to labour hire companies.
The ABC reported a Victorian man, operating as a labour hire business, was under investigation over allegations he had exploited migrant farm workers. Workers were allegedly paid as little as 60 cents an hour for 22-hour working days.
...Few issues cause more angst within the church community then the issue of property. Many people feel property can take over and even determine church life. Recognising this dilemma, the synod’s Property Services unit has developed a Property for Mission Workbook to assist congregations as they discern the best use of property.
A call for radical changes to Victoria’s out-of-home care system and a push towards more kinship care have been welcomed by community welfare organisation Kildonan UnitingCare.
It has backed the call to move forward “in a pro-active child-focused manner” by Victorian Commissioner for Children and Young People, Bernie Geary, in the wake of the Commission’s recent report into the sexual ...
The synod People and Culture team has recently updated policies and processes around managing volunteers.
Stephen Mullen, director of the synod’s People and Culture unit, said the amended policies particularly relate to congregations working with vulnerable individuals.
“We’ve updated volunteer processes with a significant focus for when our congregations are working with people who are in a special-needs category,” he said.
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