Driven young leaders

There’s a bus seat to Adelaide and financial assistance waiting for those wanting to attend a transformative event for young UCA leaders in January.

The National Young Adult Leaders Conference (NYALC) is being held from 17-20 January in Adelaide and the theme is LEAD – Live. Embrace. Act. Disciple.

The four-day program will encourage leadership formation and explore ...

Too close to home

DEB BENNETT

Wendy Austin wants you to know that family violence is not about other people.

Manningham Uniting Church member Wendy has worked to combat family violence for more than 40 years, including being CEO and manager of Brenda House Domestic Violence service.

She is a founder, long-time board member and now consultant with peak ...

Cross party politics

DAVID SOUTHWELL

While many Australians might say they are losing faith in politics among our political leaders faith is not in short supply.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been very upfront about his Pentecostal beliefs. In his maiden parliamentary speech he drew on Bible references and quoted Abraham Lincoln about how being on God’s side was ...

Being part of a new story

I was honoured to be part of a strong Tasmanian delegation invited to attend the Council of Australian Government (COAG) National Summit to Reduce Violence against Women and Children in Adelaide recently.

The purpose of the summit was to provide advice and direction on the COAG fourth Family Violence Action Plan.

At Leprena, the ...

Giving it all in the Pacific

UCA President Dr Deidre Palmer didn’t shy away from the big issues of women’s equality, the devastating impact of changing climate and domestic violence during recent trips to Bali, Fiji and Vanuatu.

“It doesn’t matter where we live, we all face issues and we all have hopes for who we might become,” Deidre said.

“The experience of meeting with ...

PM’s Jerusalem plan ‘erases Palestinians’

Relocating Australia’s Israeli embassy to Jerusalem would be a “dangerous decision” that could destabilise peace in the Holy Land, a Palestinian Christian has warned.

Areej Masoud, who is visiting churches throughout Australia in October as part of a Palestine Israel Ecumenical Network speaking tour, said moving the embassy would have devastating consequences for the Palestinian people.

“For us Palestinians, ...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR – NOVEMBER 2018

Standard of proof

I am curious after reading Bill Norquay’s letter (October, Crosslight). Bill and his Friday discussion group appear to reject anything that is not known to science. Specifically they regard a virgin birth as an impossibility even though the only reason it is not commonplace is a gene behaviour issue.

But here is the curiosity: they claim to ...

Habit forming

TIM LAM

A crucifix-wearing Catholic nun was the unlikely catalyst for reconnecting Amna Iqbal to her Islamic faith.

Before she moved to Melbourne, Amna grew up in the UK where she attended a Catholic school.

“A lot of my love for interfaith is because it is familiar to me – the hymns, the verses, the ...

Hope floats

Artist Denise Keele-bedford’s installation A Gold Boat for a Gold Coin will be displayed at the Adrift Red Gallery exhibition in Fitzroy North this month. In exchange for a gold coin visitors can take home a golden origami boat. Proceeds will go to the Uniting Lentara Vic.Tas Asylum Seeker Project (ASP).

In the ...

Osgood and the art of hospitality

 

TANYA WALKER

In late May, as our family were farewelled from our church in Benalla, the minister, Rev Kel Hodge, presented us with Osgood, a soft toy from his spare room.

We had a mission to take pictures of Osgood to share with our home church while on our journey to experience something of this huge ...

Schooled in real Christian examples

BETH DONNELLY

“Didn’t Jesus speak English?”

“Are you a Christian or a Catholic?”

“Ooh I know! We’re the one with the bird!”

Working with 450 children and teenagers features daily moments of wisdom, insight, and facepalms as I learn how little of the church and the Christian faith they know, despite some attending schools associated ...