INITIALLY I dreamed of churches filled with worshipping families, that all generations may know the joy and the reality of Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Times change, structures and strategies change, we change and communities change, but God is our constant. I hope that the Uniting Church in Australia embraces these changes, seeing them as opportunities to listen and discern ...

Rev Dr Samuel Kobia sounded notes of hope as he delivered his final address as general secretary to the World Council of Churches central committee on 26 August. “I hope it is unnecessary to emphasize that the ‘courage to hope’ has been a central theme of my personal ecumenical journey,” Dr Kobia said. “Holding together cross and resurrection, the sinful ...

THIS YEAR’S National Reconciliation Week held in June marked its 13th anniversary with the theme, ‘See the person, not the stereotype’. The event offers an opportunity for all Australians to focus on reconciliation and celebrate the rich culture and history of Indigenous Australians. It is a time to reflect on achievements and to renew commitments to reconciliation. Journey asked the following people ...

17-YEAR-OLDS have no place in adult prisons, the Queensland Synod reminded the Queensland Government in May 2007, but still no action has been taken to implement a policy recommended in the landmark Fitzgerald Report twenty years ago this month. UnitingCare Queensland Director Anne Cross, and former Synod Social Justice Advocate Andrew Johnson, told the 2007 Synod that keeping 17-year-olds in ...

THE CRYSTAL Creek campus of Shalom College is getting a makeover. The campus, used for Indigenous young people disengaged from mainstream education, is an outdoor education centre half way between Townsville and Ingham. The main campus of Shalom College, a K-12 boarding and day school supported by the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress, is located in the western suburbs ...

Closing the 17 year Indigenous life expectancy gap through community transformation, empowerment and confidence are just some of the outcomes of the (UAICC) national conference being held in Perth until the 9 July 2009. The theme of the Conference, “Determining Tomorrow’s Communities’ is focused on the holistic measures required to improve the prosperity, health and wellbeing of Indigenous communities, many ...

BRISBANE LORD Mayor Campbell Newman commended the church for its role in assisting his council to create an inclusive and harmonious environment in the city last month during his annual prayer breakfast at City Hall. The breakfast was packed with representatives from churches and Christian ministries and organisations. “The churches particularly are the social glue holding our city together,” Councillor ...

Last night the Treasurer brought down a difficult budget for difficult times. The budget delivered on jobs creation, major infrastructure investment, and a welcome increase in payment rates for some pensioners. The historic commitment to paid parenting leave, long overdue in this country, is also welcome and will make a huge difference to young families. But the difficult times will ...

SOUTH ROCKHAMPTON Uniting Church is proud to offer a special home to young people – and not just any home.The church’s HOME or House of Mission and Evangelism is an initiative where young people are challenged and supported to live in a sustainable Christian community. While at HOME, they receive training, mentoring, and encouragement for ministry practice in the church ...

The Uniting General Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches has put up a new website that focuses on the activities that will occur before, during and after the creation of new Reformed Church body that will represent some 75 million Christians around the world. The website – www.reformedchurches.org – will permit churches and interested individuals to access information ...