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Features

Not drowning, waving: Singles and the church

Single stick men and women. Graphic by Holly Jewell.

Singles make up more than half of the people in churches, yet they are often sidelined when it comes to ministry and outreach. Dianne Jensen asks singles how we can change things. Many people go to church alone. While some have a spouse tucked up in bed with the Sunday paper or doing the soccer run, others attend by themselves ...

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Shadows from an ugly past: The rise of racism in post-apartheid South Africa

South African flag. Graphic by Holly Jewell.

White South Africans continue to leave their home country in droves, many unwilling to share their stories as the pain of leaving lingers on. Ashley Thompson talks with three South Africans about how they have been affected by escalating tensions in the post-apartheid nation. As first-hand observations of race-based university protests fill my Facebook newsfeed with statements like “cloudy with ...

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Everald: Larger than life

Aspley Uniting Church elder Everald Compton. Photo taken by Journey.

As one of Australia’s largest providers of aged care services, the Uniting Church has a huge investment in ageing … and rightly so, given our demographic profile. John Harrison talks to an 84-year-old Uniting Church elder out to make a difference. His febrile Twitter handle says it all: @EVERALDATLARGE. At 84 years of age, Aspley Uniting Church elder Everald Compton ...

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When script meets scripture

Easter in the words of the Hollywood sign. Graphic: Holly Jewell

Blatantly biblical or subtly current—Easter themes of sacrificial love, redemption and resurrection are being told and retold in modern cinema. Ashley Thompson explores. Undertones, analogies and parables—not all Biblical retellings of the Easter story are as obvious as The Passion of the Christ (2004) or The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005). In fact, if evangelism is the goal, ...

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From the kitchen to the pulpit

Fijian-Australian women’s advocate Lisa Meo in Brisbane. Photo: Holly Jewell

Pacific Island women are challenging a culture which excludes them from leadership in church and society. Dianne Jensen talks to education advocate Lisa Meo. Fijian-Australian Lisa Meo has been knocking on the doors of the male-dominated Pacific Island churches for a long time. The retired educator and academic has been a leading voice in challenging the theological and cultural institutions ...

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Let them stay with us

Uniting Church president Stuart McMillan at the rally outside Lady Cilento hopsital, South Brisbane. Photo: Holly Jewell

Churches across the country grabbed headlines around the world last month by offering sanctuary to 267 asylum seekers threatened with deportation to Nauru. What does it mean, and why did they do it? Rohan Salmond reports. Baby Asha had no idea the problem she was causing the Australian government. Asha was a healthy one-year-old baby—fully recovered from burns accidentally sustained ...

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Music for the soul

Photo of singer/songwriter Robin Mann with music sheets.

Robin Mann has been a familiar name to churchgoers for more than 40 years. Dianne Jensen talks to one of Australia’s most successful and prolific songwriters. Contemporary Australian worship owes much to Robin Mann. From the enduring popularity of “Father welcomes all his children” (1973), written for the baptism of his first child, to the haunting “Sorrowing song” (1986), his ...

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Hey! Good news!

Illustration of Mary Magdalene by Kaitlyn D’Arcy.

Telling others about the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection is a vital part of mission and discipleship, but it can be difficult—even intimidating. Rohan Salmond looks at how to overcome some of the challenges to evangelism. When Jesus was betrayed and crucified, the movement which had built up around him was shattered and immediately went underground. The eleven ...

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Our 30-year journey

A few of our favourite covers: Journey’s first edition (February 1986); Christmas cover (December 2006); and our most recent award-winning cover (April 2013).

This edition marks 30 years of Journey magazine. Mardi Lumsden explores the past, present and future of church communications. Leafing through newsprint is a fast-disappearing luxury. The dusty 30-year-old pages of the Journey archives are filled with stories of the church at work in the world, calling out injustice and celebrating global, national and local milestones. This is a record ...

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Bringing in the sheaves: Church community gardens take root

Diane Kelly, Mudgeeraba Uniting Church garden manager. Sylvia Pitt and Con Janduris planting rosella bushes at Sunnybank Uniting Church community garden.

There’s something deeply rewarding about growing and eating your own food, and what better way to get your hands dirty than in a community garden? Dianne Jensen talks to Uniting Church congregations who are digging deep in search of connection. As backyards shrink or disappear and our memories of home-grown produce fade, a quiet revolution is taking place across Australia. ...

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