Our November cover image features Achala, a young Sri Lankan refugee who lives in a camp in Tamil Nadu, India, and her grandmother (and carer) Praveena. Diagnosed with leukaemia in 2015, for the next two years, Achala was in and out of hospital in Chennai for monthly chemotherapy treatments. The Organisation for Eelam Refugee’s Rehabilitation (OfERR) ...
THE Uniting Church in Australia is a denomination born of ecumenical engagement between the Congregationalists, Methodists and Presbyterians.
The authors of the UCA’s founding document, the Basis of Union, clearly expected more denominations to enter the Uniting fold – as evidenced by the name ‘Uniting’ rather than ‘United’, the name adopted by other merged ...
DAVID SOUTHWELL
When Coming Home art exhibition organiser Gordon Traill returned to Australia from Iraq, he was unaware that he was yet to suffer the real toll of six months spent in an urban warzone.
“When I came back I thought everything’s fine, of course,” Mr Traill said.
“There’s nothing wrong with me.”
Book | Educating for Purposeful Living in a Post- Traditional Age | Philip Hughes
One of the fundamental pillars of wellbeing is the feeling that we matter, that our very existence and our contributions have made a positive difference in this world. In the field of positive psychology this is labelled as ...
Care for all
I was saddened by the letter to the editor entitled ‘Chaplain Disappointment’ in the September Crosslight.
As a hospital chaplain I feel it is a great privilege to care for patients, families and staff. However, I am aware that many patients do not receive a visit.
One night recently, as I was preparing to go to bed, I listened to the news. One of the news items was about the genocide currently taking place in Myanmar targeting the Rohingya people.
The report told of the army moving into villages, shooting men in front of their loved ones, of women being sexually assaulted and ...
Book | Richard Nixon: The Life | John A. Farrell
Richard Nixon remains a relevant political figure. Much of our present distrust of politicians, and culture wars between right and left, can be traced back to his era. His story reminds us that we need to keep a watchful eye on both what ...
Speaking up against oppression and injustice is not optional for a Christian, the head of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe says.
“You cannot say you are preaching the Gospel if social justice is not part of your work,” Presiding Bishop Solomon Zwana said while in Melbourne last month.
Together with other key components of the Synod’s Strategic Framework, the 10 Statements of Intent seek to spark helpful conversations within our gathered communities – conversations focused on our community life as participants in the mission of God.
Our new Synod Standing Committee has begun to weave these Statements into their conversations.
In his recent book Die Wise, Stephen Jenkinson makes the point that, “Dying is not what happens to you, it is something that you do.” In other words, dying is an action, a process that calls forth our participation and considered decision-making.
In the light of the proposed assisted dying legislation, which the Victorian state ...
15 June 1940 to 16 September 2017
Russ Rechner passed away aged 77 in Toorak Victoria. He was a dedicated family man who enjoyed a distinguished career across retail and banking sectors and made a major contribution to the Presbyterian and later Uniting Church.
THE Royal Commission has revealed a greatly reduced reported number of allegations of child sexual abuse within the Uniting Church than was indicated by previously released data.
At the request of the commission, the six Uniting Church synods have analysed and reclassified data to come to a tally of 430 allegations made since union in 1977. This compares to ...
