Features

The Uniting Church has called for an urgent re-think of Aboriginal policy in Australia by all Governments including the recent trend toward mainstreaming services after a church delegation spent three days in Port Augusta this week. Uniting Church President, Rev Gregor Henderson, who led the five person delegation to Port Augusta, said the visit was a stark reminder that on ...

North Queensland Presbytery Minister Rev Bruce Cornish recently attended the 20th Assembly of the United Church in Papua New Guinea at Lokea Village, West Gulf Region and found the experience of his first trip to Papua New Guinea challenging, encouraging, humbling and disturbing. This is an extract from his report to the Presbytery of North Queensland. I was there for ...

There has been a mixed response from churches, politicians and educators to the Prime Minister’s announcement of the National School Chaplaincy Program offering $90 million over the next three years for government and non-government school communities to engage the services of a chaplain. The Federal Government has established the program to support the contributions that chaplains provide to the spiritual ...

DURING HIS 26 year reign as pontiff, John Paul II canonised 484 saints and beatified a further 1,338 individuals, thus placing them on the slow but sure road to sainthood. His intention, no doubt, was to remind an age now notorious for its moral bankruptcy and ethical amnesia of those beacons of virtue that have illuminated the Church’s path for ...

Both Queensland Premier Peter Beattie and Anglican Archbishop Phillip Aspinall were expecting a cynical response to yesterday’s gathering of 300 people at an ecumenical service to pray for rain at Brisbane’s St John’s Cathedral. But Mr Beattie maintained he was "genuine" in asking churches to pray for rain. "I just ask people who have faith to, in the next week, ...

The band Soulframe has graced stages of numerous festivals (including the Australian Gospel Music Festival and the National Christian Youth Convention), won major song writing awards throughout Australia, have supported some of the big names in the international music industry, just released their second album and had their website declared the most visited band website in Australia (tipping Hi5 off ...

Queensland bands stole the show at the Black Stump Christian music and arts festival held on the NSW Labour Day holiday. Held at Cataract Park, 90 minutes south of Sydney, about 5000 young people gathered together to experience four days of Australia’s best Christian music, arts and teaching. This year Queensland bands led the entertainment front. Brisbane rockers Another Day ...

In a much publicised 5000 word essay in the October issue of The Monthly, Opposition spokesperson on Foreign Affairs Kevin Rudd has pointed to German theologian and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer as the model for Christian involvement in political life. Quoting from Bonhoeffer as well as Jim Wallis, James Woelfel and Stanley Hauerwas, Rudd advocates for an "alternative vision for Australia’s ...

When a fire tore through its headquarters of the Australian franchise coffee chain Gloria Jean’s in 2003 co-founder Nabi Saleh responded with confidence. “That is how life goes. You have to have a dream and it has to be bigger than yourself. When things look challenging, that is when you get help from above.” The business recovered in fine form ...

The recent death of King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV of Tonga has had a huge impact on the Tongan people both those at home and those who are living abroad. Here is a first-hand account from Queenslanders Rev Dr Alan Morrison and his wife Judy who are currently working in Tonga as ‘Assisted Volunteers’ with Uniting International Mission at Sia’atoutai Theological ...