September Crosslight now available


Photographer Daniel Etter had been stunned with the response to his image, tweeting “I am overwhelmed by the reaction to this family’s tears of relief. This is why I do what I do.” The image depicts the raw emotion as a family finally reaches the safety of land.  It is a reminder that those desperately seeking safety ...

Blooming marvellous

By Ros Marsden

If you thought Mary Poppins and her finger-snapping solutions were just the fantasy of P L Travers and Walt Disney, think again. Our churches enjoy their own Poppins magic in the form of volunteers who create ‘flower ministries’ every week. Crosslight discovered that the artistic vase arrangements we see on Sundays are the work of dedicated church ...

Reclaiming Jihad

Review by Stefanie Pearce

Book | The Jihad of Jesus: the sacred nonviolent struggle for justice | Dave Andrews

See the word jihad in the title of a book and you guess that it’s likely to be a confronting read. After all, we think of jihad as an Islamic term for ‘holy war’, synonymous with terrorism, abhorrent acts of violence and ...

Cato lecture – Living on the margins

By Dr Lin Manhong

The Cato Lecture is an important feature of the triennial Assembly in the Uniting Church in Australia.

In 1932, successful Victorian businessman Fred Cato established the Cato Lectureship to promote the enhancement of religion and education. The presentation of material of interest to the general body of church members was designed to extend the goodwill and friendly ...

Partnering with Palestinians

For many people, the thought of retirement conjures images of time spent with the grandchildren, cruising the oceans or joining a band of grey nomads chasing the sun.

Few would imagine opting to live in one of the world’s most volatile regions, acting as an eyewitness to abuses of military and political power.

But for Rev Joan Fisher, the ...

Ready for action

This month, the synod will launch its Disability Action Plan 2015 – 2018. Rev Andy Calder, disability inclusion officer, said the plan has been developed over the course of several years as an intentional strategy to ensure people living with a disability are welcomed fully into the Church community.

As Mr Calder explained, the Plan represents one of the ...

“I think that’s enough”

By Bruce Wood

Ron Mason finally said, ‘I think that’s enough’. And with that statement came the end of an era – the end of 64 continuous years as an elder. In 1951, 22- year-old Ron Mason was commissioned as an elder in the West Footscray Presbyterian Church. In 1952 Ron moved to Warragul and again took up the ...

Share’s Winter Appeal sets new record

By Sofi Lawson

Richard was just like any other family man. Happily married with two young daughters, Emma and Hayley, Richard was working five days a week when tragedy struck. His wife died, leaving him widowed and raising his girls alone. Then he suffered a work place injury and had to face a future without any stable income.

To ...

She’s someone

By Penny Mulvey

The St Kilda Gatehouse is a not-for-profit Christian organisation which works alongside those involved in street-based sex work or affected by commercial sexual exploitation as a result of hardship. Its aim is to be a ‘safe haven off the streets’.

Gatehouse CEO, Sally Tonkin, recently spoke at a Christian business people’s breakfast in the Melbourne CBD ...

Eureka moments and transformation

By Christine Sorensen

What are your Eureka moments?

‘Eureka’ was the theme of the recent Wisdom’s Feast in Ballarat, picking up an important moment in Australian history, and the notion of sudden creative discovery. There were times to tell stories of ‘eureka moments’ in our own lives and to think of ways that our faith and lives had been transformed. ...

Interest in funds

This year UCA Funds Management celebrates 30 years as an ethical Fund Manager.

With the increasing focus on ethical investing the Funds Management team are increasingly reaching out to UCA members interested in investing ethically.

More than 200 people recently attended the annual UCA Funds Management investor briefing sessions.

As well as addressing the matter of the capital guarantee, ...

Conversations with Congress

By Dan Wootton

One of my tasks as moderator has been to act as convenor of the Renewing the Covenant Task Group. The task group is attended by representatives of the Victorian and Tasmanian Regional committees of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (Congress) as well as representatives of the synod.

The report of the National Congress to ...