Opinion

I REMEMBER sitting in a music class at university having a vibrant discussion about what the definition of music was. Everyone agreed that playing, singing or improvising constituted music. But what about a bird singing? Was that music? Of course! So our thinking expanded. Could street sounds, noises that were unintentionally created, also be called music? At this point we ...

This year Journey explores questions from the pews, namely from a (fictitious) person exploring faith and the Uniting Church. This month our (fictitious) church goer, Nova B. Lever, asks: Can I get baptised again?MY 12-YEAR-OLD and I feel we’ve connected with God and his people since we’ve been coming to church and we do like those shiny Uniting Church name ...

Rev David Gill, 1985 Assembly General Secretary, statement to the 4th Assembly (1985) A COMMUNITY defined by the miracle of grace. Lose sight of that miracle … and you are left with boredom in worship, triviality in doctrine, self-righteous wowserism in morality, self-justifying ideology in social ethics, piety that has no place for humour and churchmanship that is devoid of ...

The 28th Synod affirmed a five line Call for the Uniting Church in Queensland in discerning the future of the Church. This edition we look at the fourth phrase: Witnessing in faith. IN MY current ministry role I am working to make connections between our church and a growing suburb on the south side of Brisbane. The first day I visited the ...

“IT’S JUST like a war zone.” That was the comment I kept hearing from people in the aftermath of the Queensland floods. If this is the most confronting, terrifying natural disaster to happen in Queensland in our lifetime we are very lucky. Driving through flood-ravaged Fairfield and Moggill (in Brisbane) it was hard to comprehend how high the water rose. ...

The first creation story in Hebrew Bible tells us: “God saw everything that he had made and indeed, it was very good.” (Gen 1:31) . Yet the creation was not good for the people who died in Toowoomba, the Lockyer Valley and elsewhere, or for the people who were friends and relatives of those who died. Nor was it good ...

WHERE WILL the hope come from? We are currently faced with the greatest natural disaster that Queensland has ever faced. The loss of life, destruction of property, farming and grazing land, the inundation of homes and businesses has destroyed many dreams, livelihoods and shattered families. How we respond to this event is a major challenge to all of us. It ...

This year Journey explores questions from the pews, namely from a (fictitious) person exploring faith and the Uniting Church. This month our (fictitious) church goer, Nova B. Lever, asks: Why do men wear dresses? HI, MY NAME is Nova B. Lever. I attend a Uniting Church after twenty years of not doing church. At 36, a tertiary educated single mum, ...

It began for Brisbane on a wet, rainy Monday as a wall of water tore through Toowoomba to the west of the capital. There were forecasts that Brisbane may experience flooding so immediately we went into preparation mode. According to predictions based on earlier floods the ground floor of my house was going to be inundated, so all our worldies ...

Dear friends, In response to the devastation caused by the flooding in Queensland, a National Appeal has been launched by the Assembly in co-operation with the Queensland Synod and Lifeline Queensland to enable the UCA to play its part in the care and recovery of affected communities, families and individuals. UCA members have always shown extraordinary generosity in supporting our ...