Loving the country

“I really loved seeing the country we came through on the bus”, a young mother told one of the organisers as we walked over to the picnic.

She had arrived in Castlemaine with a group of people who are seeking asylum in Australia, having fled war, persecution and oppression in their home countries.

The picnic was held in the ...

Fair bet

Friday Forum
Your views on the news

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to not let online gambling ads wash over you. They dominate free-to-air and pay TV. The ads themselves are glitzy, blokey, and trying very hard to be clever. They are also filling our public spaces – on backs of taxis, billboards and of course at sporting fixtures.

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Leading the way on interfaith unity


Young people can lead the way towards interfaith unity by showing their elders what an inclusive society looks like.

This was a theme that emerged from the ‘Journeys of Culture and Faith, Stories of Us’ forum that took place at Darebin Intercultural Centre on Wednesday night. It was organised by the synod’s Uniting through Faiths unit, in ...

Introducing the UCA NewsBot


Social media has changed the way people find their news. With a quick Twitter search or a scroll through Facebook, users can tune in to the latest political developments, from breaking news out of Parliament House to updates from the other side of the world.

Many politicians now communicate directly with their followers through social media, bypassing ...

Sharing stories of faith and culture

Young people from diverse faith and cultural backgrounds will share their stories at a forum on Wednesday 22 March.

The ‘Journeys of Culture and Faith, Stories of Us’ forum coincides with Cultural Diversity Week, which runs from 18-26 March. It will be held at Darebin Intercultural Centre and is organised by the synod’s Uniting through Faiths unit, in partnership ...

Unearthing the early life of Victoria


A church carpark has been peeled back to provide a rare and fascinating peek into the lives of Victoria’s early settlers.

The archaeological work at Wesley Church on Lonsdale St is being conducted as part of heritage requirements of the site’s redevelopment.

The carpark excavation has uncovered the lower structural remains of six single-storey terrace houses and ...

Walk for refugees


Vic/Tas moderator Sharon Hollis has described Australia’s treatment of people seeking asylum as a national shame ahead of this year’s Palm Sunday Walk for Justice for Refugees on 9 April.

Ms Hollis will address the crowd as part of an interfaith panel alongside leaders from Australia’s Jewish and Islamic communities. She will then join other faith representatives ...

The face of friendship

DEB BENNETT

Rhanee Tsetsakos (nee Lester) is used to teaching people about her Indigenous culture. Growing up in the Uniting Church, participants in the UCA’s About FACE program were semi-regular guests in her Port Augusta childhood home.

“I remembered how much I enjoyed it when I was a little girl and my parents were involved. I grew up ...

Circles of support

Most people have a network of friends they can call on for support, but for those living with a disability these connections may be harder to foster due to stigma and social isolation.

‘Circles of support’ is a concept that originated in Canada in the 1980s to describe a group of people who gather regularly to support the goals, ...

Mission focused-future

HOW presbyteries will carry out their pastoral ministry of supporting congregations and ministers and encouraging mission is an important issue facing the church.

The Presbytery Transition Team (PTT) is talking with presbytery standing committees and presbytery ministers and office bearers throughout Victoria and Tasmania.

Formed following a resolution of the 2016 Synod meeting, the PTT works with the Strategic Implementation ...

Leading into a time of change

The Synod Standing Committee (SSC) has given the green light to the overarching design of the new mission and ministry unit of the Church. This was one of the recommendations of the Major Strategic Review adopted by Synod 2016 to enable an intentional, coordinated focus on mission. Synod resolved that this focus could be suppported by creating a new Mission ...

Candidates spread their wings

A desire to give candidates for ordained ministry the opportunity to experience life outside of the bubble of metropolitan Melbourne has led to rural ministry placements becoming part of students’ formation experience.

Candidates for ordained ministries within the church must complete two supervised field education placements during their period of formation.

These placements take place in congregations, agencies, schools, hospitals ...