Ever wonder about your place in the ministry of all believers? Wherever you are in life, a Period of Discernment (POD) may be just the ticket for exploring the way ahead. Dianne Jensen reports. “Discernment” is a word that gets a lot of mileage in Uniting Church circles. We use it in meetings (a lot), in spiritual direction (consistently), in ...

Rev Bruce Prewer, Uniting Church minister and nationally acclaimed wordsmith passed away in Sunbury on 11 September at the age of 87 years. Bruce’s passion for writing contemporary, ecumenical liturgy grounded in the Australian context influenced generations of Christians from the 1970s to the present day. For the young Uniting Church, his distinctive voice helped articulate what it meant to ...

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 ...

The Journey team selects stories that got us talking this week.    The devil flows through Celine’s clothes?  The Christian Post has news of a senior Catholic priest/exorcist who sees the devil in Celine Dion’s new gender-neutral kids’ clothing line. Msgr John Esseff who was once the spiritual director to Saint Teresa of Calcutta, spoke to The National Catholic Register about “the way this gender ...

When Centenary Uniting Church, Middle Park in Brisbane’s western suburbs celebrates 25 years on 2 December, the congregation will be reflecting on a journey of faith and witness which began in 1880. The current worship and community centre which was dedicated on 28 November, 1993 has its roots in a humble church constructed by pioneers at Seventeen Mile Rocks. This ...

What’s coming up Empowering people with disability International Day of People with Disability is 3 December. Roughly 15 per cent of our global population or about 1 billion people around the world live with a disability. Resources are available for communities, schools, workplaces etc. to get involved. More ideas are available here. Please remember when you are planning: “Nothing about ...

The Journey team selects stories that got us talking this week.    Texans pray: Send Ghost away Arty metal band Ghost are set to tour Texas and not everyone is that thrilled, according to Consequence of Sound. Numerous members of the Midland, Texas community are gathering for prayers to seek God’s protection against what they see as devilish spiritual forces accompanying the ...

The Journey team selects stories that got us talking this week.  Egos may be bruised: Survey shows evangelicals deeply confused   Christianity Today reports on a new survey by Ligonier Ministries which explores what Americans “believe about God, salvation, ethics, and the Bible”. The results indicate that there’s a deep confusion within the minds of American evangelicals about Christian core doctrines.   “Overall, US adults appear ...

What’s coming up National Carers Week Do you know someone who is a carer? Someone who provides unpaid care and support to family members and friends who have a disability, mental illness, chronic condition, terminal illness, an alcohol or other drug issue or who is frail and aged. Many don’t identify as carers, and don’t realise that there are many ...

The final day of UnitingWomen 2018 featured many highlights, none more so than when Brooke Prentis, Coordinator of the Grasstree Gathering and Aboriginal spokesperson for Common Grace, shared her keynote presentation with Aunty Jean Phillips. Brooke reflected on the NAIDOC Week 2018 theme, “Because of her, we can”. “As we heard the wisdom of Aboriginal women, it was important because ...