Features

By Scott Guyatt, Synod Project Officer We’re talking a lot about renewal at the moment in the hallowed halls of the Uniting Church. Renewal of congregations and faith communities. Renewal of our approaches to discipleship and mission. Even renewal in our systems and structures. When we talk about renewal, it seems to me we’re talking about new life, new energy, ...

By Paul Wetzig, Synod Project Officer Do you like watching renovation rescue shows or shows about home makeovers? I’ve watched a few episodes in my time and discovered that the last thing that usually gets done on such a show, creating the most tension, is the garden. There are always people running around like ants, laying grass, potting flowers, sweeping ...

By Rebecca Riggs, Synod Communications Manager Some days are hard—the tasks we have set for ourselves, the good intentions, the plans we have made, the effort we have put in, and it feels like we can’t get through it all by ourselves. And that’s okay. We were created to ask for help and to help others. Hebrews 4:16 reminds us ...

By Andrew McKaysmith, Synod Writer and content creator Seventy congregations applied for grants in 2023, and the prospects for 2024 appear even more promising, with 21 applications throughout the first few months of this year. Vanessa Griffiths serves as the Synod’s Fundraising Support Manager. She has played a role in helping many of these congregations complete the grant application form. ...

By Rev David MacGregor Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. These words of praise begin and end Psalm 118. The wonder of this praise is that the celebrations concern an unexpected treasure – “the stone the builders rejected”. This rejection becomes the basis for praise and celebration. Unexpected. Foretells Jesus’ eventual rejection on ...

by Pastor Phil Smith, BELLS Faith Community. There’s a barber shop in the old city of Jerusalem – at least, I hope Ahmed is still there. It’s in the Arab quarter. When we walked in (me, my wife, and two other travelling companions) it didn’t occur to me that very few women would have been in that shop. However, the ...

Elanora Uniting Church secured a Disaster Recovery Grant from the Synod to aid their food pantry initiative, ensuring access to food for those in need. Over a year ago, the congregation observed the struggle of many individuals in the area to meet their financial needs, prompting them to establish an outlet providing groceries at significantly reduced prices. Andrew Koczanowski, a ...

By Kath Ruhle, the Families Pastor at The Gap Uniting Church.  In our first year of marriage, my husband and I moved to a new town and found ourselves living in a large rental house. We had very little furniture, so family members gave us their unwanted furniture. We instantly fell in love with a large table we’d been given. ...

By Andrew McKaysmith, Synod Writer and Content Creator, with content supplied by the Wild Hive team Alex Park is a conference and camp facility amongst the rainforest in the heart of the Sunshine Coast, near the beach at Alexandra Headland. For generations of Queenslanders, Alex Park has been instrumental in creating lasting memories through school camps, family holidays, outdoor adventures, ...

By Shirley Sargeant My restoration story began quite a few years ago with a marriage that collapsed. I had floated along in it, never thinking anything was wrong. I discovered how bad things were when my husband made it clear that, in his words, he was doing his own thing. Divorce followed. Our relationship could not be repaired. For the ...