Features

Jigsaw Queensland President Dr Trevor Jordan knows from experience that secrecy casts a long shadow. Dianne Jensen reports. Now semi-retired from his role as an academic and consultant in professional and public ethics, Dr Trevor Jordan devotes much of his time to the Queensland branch of Jigsaw, the volunteer organisation providing a range of services to those affected by adoption. ...

In the wake of 2013’s year of discipleship, the Queensland Synod continues to invest in the spiritual life of the church by designating 2014 the year of growing faith. Rohan Salmond explores what it means to have faith and how faith can grow in the face of adversity. “My faith really is a Paul on the road to Damascus-type experience,” ...

The image of the 77-year-old Bundaberg Uniting Church awash with 60 cm of putrid water was a symbol for many of the devastation wrought by the January floods. It was the end of September before the congregation gathered in the refurbished church for worship, writes Dianne Jensen. The damage to the Bundaberg church property was extensive. As well as flooding the church, ...

As Bundaberg Uniting Church members begin the familiar Advent journey, many will reflect on a year of working and waiting for a new beginning. Dianne Jensen reports. The people of Bundaberg and the nearby towns in the Wide Bay Burnett region had their lives turned upside down by the floods caused by cyclone Oswald last January. An estimated 9000 houses ...

Human trafficking is usually associated with the sex trade, but it forms a key part of the textile industry as well. On a recent Women of Strength trip to India, Bindy Taylor saw first-hand the working conditions experienced by the people who make our clothes. The connection between clothing production and human trafficking is one of the world’s best-kept secrets. ...

UnitingCare Community Prison Ministry coordinator and senior chaplain Beatriz Skippen talks to Dianne Jensen about her life behind bars. Beatriz Skippen talks quietly on Monday mornings. As UnitingCare Community Prison Ministry coordinator and senior chaplain, her Sundays are spent either speaking in churches or preaching in prisons, sometimes participating in between four and six services a day. Her day has ...

The Holy Land is stitched into the fabric of the Christmas story. Could Mary and Joseph make their way to Bethlehem in today’s conflict-ridden West Bank? Mardi Lumsden explores hopes for peace in Israel and Palestine. From its beginning, Jerusalem has been a city in conflict, and the regions around have been conquered and fought over for centuries. Despite this, people of ...

Pull out the popcorn, it’s time for the sermon. Dianne Jensen explores how preaching styles have changed, and why good preaching still matters. When comedian George Burns suggested that the secret of a fine sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending, with the two as close together as possible, he could not have imagined the entertainment ...

Worldwide reports confirm the reality of child sacrifice in northern Africa. Ashley Goetze speaks to Peter Sewakiryanga about Uganda’s modern affliction. In Uganda, children are routinely kidnapped and their body parts cut off for ritual sacrifice. In pursuit of wealth, clients visit witchdoctors on a weekly basis delivering hearts, livers and blood to be consumed by spirits. Pastor Peter Sewakiryanga is the Director of Kyampisi ...

Emerging Indigenous leaders and elders from across Australia are forging new partnerships through the Grasstree Gathering. Dianne Jensen reports. “Preaching in your own skin” is a catchphrase that sums up the cultural and spiritual empowerment of a people, and it resounded at the National Grasstree Gathering Emerging Indigenous Christian Leaders Conference in Brisbane. The Grasstree event in early October followed the inaugural ...