Opinion

Uniting Church congregations are being asked to hold worship services in January reflecting on Australia’s First Peoples. Past President of the Uniting Church in Australia and Assembly Consultant for Covenanting Stuart McMillan explains why. The observance of a Day of Mourning was endorsed by the 15th Assembly in 2018 at the request of members of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander ...

After encountering online a dilemma from a faithful Christian about finding God, Rodney Eivers explores our perceptions about the Lord and how biblical translations can impact our understanding.  “God” had a big press in Australia in mid-September! This came about from the headline news that Bill Hayden, former Governor-General and a proclaimed atheist, had returned to Roman Catholicism. It has made many ...

I recently had the opportunity to join people from around the country at a Uniting Leaders event featuring Bishop Ric Thorpe (Church of England) and exploring the topic of church planting. The story Ric shared throughout the day was one of the London Anglican Diocese setting an ambitious goal of planting 100 new churches over a five year period. They’re ...

One of the questions I have received from this column relates to the issue of how an older congregation might go about developing the capacity to meaningfully engage with younger generations. Many Uniting churches have lost generations who now have nothing to do with church. We must take responsibility for this. It hasn’t been intentional, but nor has it happened ...

Mid-2018 has been focused on securing tax-deductibility for our donors and creating a public fund that will enable educational outcomes across our state. The Uniting Church in Australia Queensland Synod Scholarship Fund was launched on 1 July 2018 to recognise student leadership in our local communities and to offer a critical bridge for those who lack opportunity. Some of the ...

Rev Richard Cassady reflects on the importance of storytelling within Indigenous culture and his own faith journey working as a prison chaplain and an educator. Most recently, Richard led a Walk on Country with members of the Synod Executive Leadership Team, facilitated by Australians Together. Communicating through story and narrative is part and parcel of my people’s DNA. Tell me ...

Since the 15th assembly in July, many congregations have been holding meetings to discuss their response to the Assembly’s decision on same-gender marriage. South Moreton Presbytery Minister David Busch offers these suggestions on how to conduct effective and graceful conversations on the issue. The Assembly resolved that the church could hold two definitions of marriage, one stating the gender of ...

There are memories of events in our lives that stay with us, or that pop up at times when we don’t expect. It’s also true for the stories of the scriptures that are a part of my memory; I often find myself asking the question, “Why that story, now, what’s it trying to say to me?” It’s a question I ...

This year Dr Steven Nisbet celebrates 40 years as organist and Director of Music at Saint Andrew’s Uniting Church, Brisbane. Steven was president of the Organ Society of Queensland for 26 years. He retired from Griffith University in 2013 as a Senior Lecturer in Mathematics Education. What skills does a church organist need? Firstly, there are the technical skills of ...

This article is brought to you by UnitingWorld. UnitingWorld’s Cath Taylor shines a light on the life-changing results your donations have on communities in Indonesia and how a humble goat can lead to schooling, medicine, food and economic development. Okay look, goats are good for a lot of things, but changing lightbulbs isn’t one of them. Sorry to disappoint. On ...