INIDA IS a country that overwhelms the senses. Visitors describe it as vibrant, expressive, hectic, hot, confronting, charming and spiritual. But amongst the romance sits a dark reality where vulnerable children living in poverty come face to face with the realities of sex trafficking and child labour. With Nepal to the north, Sri Lanka to the south, China and Bangladesh to ...

IN RECENT months Zimbabwe has only hit Australian news headlines for the politics of cricket or conflict, but Mr Astonishment Mapurisa has arrived in this country with good news of an effective long-term partnership between UnitingWorld and a number of projects near Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. For five years Mr Mapurisa has served as the Director of the Matthew Rusike Children’s ...

WITH HARMONIOUS singing and stories of life back home, a group of West Papuan students recently visited the congregation of the Brisbane Valley Uniting Church. West Papua, once known as Irian Jaya, lies to the west of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and is part of Indonesia. The students were in Brisbane to further their English studies. For the last two ...

Members of the Synod heard news of ecumenical endeavours on day one. Members were told of the joint Uniting and Catholic church Unity College, inCaloundra, and UnitingWorld now have a partnership with the Church of North India. This has also provided a link between the schools in India with the Catholic Church which that have previously not had. Angus McKay ...

ANDREW LEE, a farmer in Fernlees, near Emerald, is one of the stars of Mission Stories, the Queensland Synod’s new DVD discussion resource. Mr Lee takes us behind the scenes of a three week trip to Papua New Guinea with teenagers and their parents. On returning to Queensland after a two year stint in Papua New Guinea, working alongside local ...

UnitingWorld has heard from the Pacific Conference of Churches, Fiji, as the country braces for what is predicted to be the worst cyclone to have hit the South Pacific nation in recent history. A nation wide curfew was in place yesterday, but has now been lifted temporarily in order to allow residents time to prepare their homes and families and ...

Last Thursday a state of disaster was declared on the island of Aitutaki in the Cook Islands after it was struck by Tropical Cyclone Pat. The cyclone cut power and phone lines on the small resort island and ripped off roofs. Reports indicate in some villages 90 per cent of homes were damaged but there was no loss of life. ...

WHAT’S THE similarity between marriage and mowing the lawn? There are catches in both, but sometimes both are done out of love and some days they’re chores. Twenty-seven years ago a youth worker told a young man considering marriage not to always expect to feel “in love”. “There will be days when you wake up and you won’t feel all ...

WHILE AFTERSHOCKS continue to jolt the people of Haiti into the terrible reality of an ever-increasing death toll after the massive earthquake on 12 January, Christians around the world have been called into prayer for the nation. Uniting Church in Australia President Rev Alistair Macrae has offered prayers and support for the Haitian community. “Our prayers are with the people ...

FOR MANY people, the start of a new year provides time to reflect on life, get priorities in order, and begin life’s journey afresh. The annual Assembly-run Lent Event will kick-start 2010 in the right direction starting 17 February. With 199 Uniting Church congregations from Queensland signed up to take action against poverty it looks like being another strong year ...