Opinion

IN A WIDE variety of life situations, our ministers and members are frequently in contact with people who have no regular relationship with a local congregation or any other activity of the church. Such interaction often occurs in response to personal, family or community crisis and offers a special opportunity to share the good news of God’s love and grace ...

Parents, with one simple proposition in mind, make a move from home to Church. “We want our baby done”. The Church, a specialty business, acts with the facility of a convenience store. It is not a question of exploring needs, but a repetition of “I want”. No refusal, and no fee. Hundreds knock on church doors each year, a busy ...

As a little two week old adopted baby from Sri Lanka cried and cried in her crib, her tremendously loving and amazing parents would play music through the night so she could dance herself to sleep. When shopping for shoes, it didn’t matter what colour they were or how many bows were on them…all that mattered was the sound they ...

Throughout my adolescent and adult life I have observed the continuing tension between traditional and contemporary styles of music. There is not always obvious hostility, but one doesn’t have to dig too deep to realise that everyone has their own strong opinion about what makes the best formula for worship. We are essentially creatures of habit. We like the hymns ...

A GREAT DEAL of information regarding the recent Assembly has already been distributed and you will find more at www.journeyonline.com.au. As you will see elsewhere, the whole week was notable for the quite superb planning and organisation provided by members of the local Planning Team, worship leaders, light and sound technicians, Synod staff, and a not-so-small army of volunteers from ...

In Christ there is no east or west, In Him no south or north; But one great fellowship of love Throughout the whole wide earth. I haven’t sung this hymn for years but I remember the words from my childhood and it has haunted me as we put this edition of Journey together. For over fifty years those who had ...

NEXT WEEK the National Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia will convene in Brisbane. An Assembly is much more than you may think, much more than a meeting, not least because people gather from across the nation and from every part of the church. The membership of the Assembly reflects that rich and exciting diversity that helps make the ...

Greg Brown writes to explore why evangelicals should not just walk away from the UCA. Some (and we need to remember, not all) parts of the UCA have been in great pain since the 2003 Assembly. The furore over what has been incorrectly termed the ‘ordination of homosexuals’ decision caught many evangelicals in the church by surprise, and it is ...

During the hundred years of legislated Religious Education in Queensland State Schools the changes in our community have been astounding. The increasingly multi-cultural, multi-faith and secular aspects of our society have continued to put pressure on our churches’ “right of entry” to schools and now Christian Religious Education is just one of many options available to parents when their children ...

AS THE 10th Assembly approach-es, it is apparent that the issue of living with diversity in the church will again be the focus of considerable attention and reflection, not least because further debate on sexuality and leadership will be a major item on the agenda. How much diversity is a good thing? When we look at the world around us, ...