Later this month some 350 people of the Uniting Church in this state will gather at Alexandra Park Conference Centre for the 32nd Synod in Session. The word “synod” comes from the Greek language: “syn”, meaning together, and “hodos”, meaning a way, a road. So a synod really is about “together on the way”. Archbishop Mark Coleridge, in talking about ...

Singles make up more than half of the people in churches, yet they are often sidelined when it comes to ministry and outreach. Dianne Jensen asks singles how we can change things. Many people go to church alone. While some have a spouse tucked up in bed with the Sunday paper or doing the soccer run, others attend by themselves ...

Conveying the meaning of Easter to people unfamiliar with the story is a job for all Christians, but it can be a challenge. Rev Matt O’Donoghue explores. Easter is my favourite part of the church calendar. It’s just so rich in ways to express ourselves in worship. Everything from a sombre Tenebrae service on Maundy Thursday through to joyous messy ...

Pacific Island women are challenging a culture which excludes them from leadership in church and society. Dianne Jensen talks to education advocate Lisa Meo. Fijian-Australian Lisa Meo has been knocking on the doors of the male-dominated Pacific Island churches for a long time. The retired educator and academic has been a leading voice in challenging the theological and cultural institutions ...

Churches across the country grabbed headlines around the world last month by offering sanctuary to 267 asylum seekers threatened with deportation to Nauru. What does it mean, and why did they do it? Rohan Salmond reports. Baby Asha had no idea the problem she was causing the Australian government. Asha was a healthy one-year-old baby—fully recovered from burns accidentally sustained ...

Robin Mann has been a familiar name to churchgoers for more than 40 years. Dianne Jensen talks to one of Australia’s most successful and prolific songwriters. Contemporary Australian worship owes much to Robin Mann. From the enduring popularity of “Father welcomes all his children” (1973), written for the baptism of his first child, to the haunting “Sorrowing song” (1986), his ...

Greetings for the new year; I trust and pray that you will know God’s leading and blessing in it. There are some articles on leadership in this month’s Journey. Leadership is one of those constant, big buzzwords. It seems, in the West, everyone is crying out for it, yet those who are in positions of authority across many of the ...

Young leaders talk about faith Four emerging leaders in the Uniting Church talk to Journey about their passion for living out the gospel. Stephen Longbottom, 29, lives in Toowong, Brisbane and has a background in corporate accounting and finance. At Toowong Uniting Church I participate in a leadership residency program, coordinate our English as a Second Language program and help ...

I remember over the years hearing older folk, being confronted with new challenges and disturbing news, saying, “Would you bring a child into this world?” At this time of year we move into Advent on the journey to Christmas, and the readings of the lectionary for our worship and devotion may evoke the same response. The gospel readings are about ...

When the joy of Advent seems to mock the darkness in our hearts, Blue Christmas is a reminder that the light of God still illuminates the path. Dianne Jensen talks to Rev David MacGregor. Like every congregation, the people at Wellers Hill–Tarragindi Uniting Church, Brisbane have experienced their share of grief and struggle during the year. Some will take the ...