Features

As we continue to celebrate our 40th anniversary year with reflections on the church’s storied past, Rev Duncan Harrison reminds us of the importance of remembering the Basis of Union, the tensions around union, and the leadership team who guided the new church. Moses on Mt Moriah challenged Israel after their 40 years of wandering, “Remember your bondage in Egypt ...

Cyclone Debbie may have vanished from the news but the work of rebuilding and strengthening local communities is gaining traction, thanks to Synod appeal funds from donors nationwide. Dianne Jensen reports. When Cyclone Debbie let loose its fury on the north Queensland town of Bowen, Uniting Church minister Rev Tevita Mone and his five children took refuge in the church ...

Our standard vision of poverty is often restricted to images of people lacking all the necessities but as Cath Taylor discovered in West Timor, our preconceptions can get in the way of facilitating change. The moment I spot the mobile phone I flash an eyebrow at our photographer. It says, “Uh-oh, can we get that out of there? If not ...

Correctional centres aren’t exactly the first place in which most people would want to volunteer but for volunteer chaplain Fotuika Ruiz it’s a place where she feels called to serve. Ben Tupou reports. The last line of the service promise for UnitingCare Community Prison Ministry reads, “Our strength, our resources, our blessings and our growth are all found in Him”. ...

St Petersburg in Russia has seen thousands protesting against the return of the Cathedral of St Isaac to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) since January this year. How much influence does the church now have in modern Russia and how much do we really know about its leader, Patriarch Kirill? John Harrison investigates. St Isaac’s Cathedral is the largest Orthodox ...

As the conflict continues to unfold in northern Iraq, volunteers are at the heart of the humanitarian services delivering aid. Dianne Jensen talks to members of Operation Hope, a group of Uniting Church people bringing hope to shattered lives. Monday: I worked in a small container today just inside the entrance to the U2 camp … Three doctors, three interpreters, ...

“We really need to wrestle with how we engage with and understand human suffering.” Stem cell biologist Dr Nathan Palpant talks to Dianne Jensen about the nexus between Christian faith and his cutting-edge research using human stem cells to understand disease and develop new therapies. Most of us never forget that first look through the microscope at a pin prick ...

While the Basis of Union is the foundational document of the Uniting Church, another key text from 1977—the Statement to the Nation—provided a vision for how the newly formed church would respond to the Australian society in which it belonged. Rev Dr John Squires, director of education and formation at the Western Australian Synod, explores the 1977 statement and its ...

A 40th birthday is a time for getting out the family photos and telling stories. Dianne Jensen explores why preserving our church history is vital to the future of the Uniting Church in Australia. There’s treasure to be found in the nooks and crannies of our churches. Scrapbooks from the Great War, photographs of the church that was sold before ...

As the Uniting Church celebrates its 40th birthday the question of who will lead the church in the decades ahead has become increasingly urgent. Journey reports on the Next Gen Arise initiative, which may just hold the answer. It’s Saturday afternoon at Kangaroo Point Uniting Church, and inside the talk is of faith and leadership as Mike Hands from Newlife ...