James O’Callaghan meets Sheena Liley of Toowoomba, recipient of an Order of Australia Medal in 2020.  Sheena Liley of Toowoomba was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for “services to the community of Toowoomba” as part of the annual Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Sheena has spent most of the past 25 years supporting volunteer causes, two of which are particularly close ...

With more people staying at home there has been a renewed focus on activities people can enjoy in the comfort of their house such as cooking, watching movies, playing video games, gardening and jigsaw puzzles. But although we certainly live in the Netflix age, there’s nothing quite like sitting down with a good book and so Nick Mattiske has some ...

Young adult leader within the Uniting Church, Michelle Donaldson describes how the church has shaped who she is as an adult.  There have been a few times when I can pinpoint a moment when my life has changed. Joining the Oxley Uniting Church youth group in 2008 was one of those moments. This introduction to the church provoked a passion for ...

First People storyteller, cultural activist and Uniting Church member Rhanee Jane Tsetsakos reflects on the importance of collaboration in this International Women’s Day reflection.   Warning: This reflection contains the use of a First Peoples name who is deceased.  My book Walking to the Corroboree came out of a relationship with one of my mentors from the Uniting Church.   I was ...

Now in its fifth year, Next Gen Arise (NGA) continues to support young people from all nations in the church to develop leadership, build networks and corporately worship Jesus. Emma Nicholls meets with NGA’s Project Officer Va Tuilovoni to see what her team and their wide network of supporters have planned for the initiative in 2020. Next Gen Arise has ...

Whats coming up Human Rights month There’s still time to learn more about the importance of protecting and promoting human rights this Human Rights Month—finishing on 10 December. The Queensland Human Rights Commission has resources available to help. As of 1 January 2020, Queensland will have the strongest legislated human rights protections in Australia when the second stage of the ...

Leaving a legacy Some of us might shy away from thinking about leaving a legacy as it makes us think about death. But legacy is really about life and living. Thinking about our legacy helps us decide the kind of life we want to live and the kind of world we want to live in. A dictionary would define a ...

Did you get to see any of the ABC’s Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds? Wasn’t it great to see the life that the children brought to the residents, and equally the life that was shared by the residents with the children! You will be interested to know that Blue Care has been doing this for a while. The ...

A passion for learning and a heart for listening Cindy Howie was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. She is currently on leave from her teaching appointment and is studying at Trinity College Queensland. I was in Year 7 when we moved to Brisbane from Africa. The highlight was to be reunited with my beloved grandmother. Nearly every time I go past ...

What’s coming up Solidarity Sit-Down The next Solidarity Sit-down will be held on Friday 29 November from 1–3pm, at Queen’s Gardens, Corner Elizabeth and George Streets in the Brisbane CBD. Attendees will sit shoulder to shoulder and hear from people on the frontline of the climate crisis and donates will be collected to support those impacted by and fighting the ...