The Uniting Church Assembly Standing Committee has rejected a request from the Reforming Alliance that it make a joint approach to a court for a determination on the validity of the decisions of the 10th and 11th Assemblies about sexuality and leadership. The legal advice given to the Assembly Standing Committee denied the validity of claims made by the Reforming ...

WHILE OFTEN regarded as a “second” strand of ministry and not as central to the church’s life, the kinds of ministry that Chaplains offer to the sick, the poor and prisoners were of particular concern for Jesus. Many Chaplains claim the ministry in which they find themselves is closer to the New Testament patterns than are the ministries typically exercised ...

The steady increase in the movement of people around the globe is one of the main features in today’s world and is having a deep impact on churches, the main governing body of the World Council of Churches has heard. "The Waldensian [Protestant] Church in Italy now has many more African members than Italian ones as a result of a ...

There seems to be no limit to the places where Chaplains serve. Journey asked some of the 100 Queensland Uniting Church Chaplains to share their stories. Aged care chaplaincy Rev Pam Batson, a Chaplain with Blue Care aged care facilities, invited us to go with her into the room of a dying resident. “There is much that can happen at ...

Animism: Respecting the Living World Graham Harvey Wakefield Press RRP $29.95 Although I had previously understood animism to mean those religions that worship animals, that was never what the word meant. The word animism is used to describe that which all religions have in common, the belief in souls or spirits but became associated with Indigenous religions thought to represent ...

With a critical shortage of ministers available to serve in congregational placements and over 100 chaplains serving in the Queensland Synod, Journey asks, “Is this the best way to do the church’s work?” Once seen as ministry in the army, hospitals or schools chaplains now serve in a vast range of settings including universities, prisons, colleges, aged care facilities, police, emergency ...

IN A WIDE variety of life situations, our ministers and members are frequently in contact with people who have no regular relationship with a local congregation or any other activity of the church. Such interaction often occurs in response to personal, family or community crisis and offers a special opportunity to share the good news of God’s love and grace ...

The International press freedom body, Reporters Without Borders, is calling on Chinese authorities to release a journalist detained after posting an online report about a church demolition. Zan Ai-zong, the Hangzhou bureau of Beijing-based China Ocean News, who is said to be a Christian, was arrested on 11 August, the day after being sacked by the news outlet. "This new ...

Parents, with one simple proposition in mind, make a move from home to Church. “We want our baby done”. The Church, a specialty business, acts with the facility of a convenience store. It is not a question of exploring needs, but a repetition of “I want”. No refusal, and no fee. Hundreds knock on church doors each year, a busy ...

Mighty to Save Hillsong RRP CD $29.95 DVD $39.95 Leading over 10,000 worshippers at the Sydney Entertainment Centre with what must be the world’s best behaved mosh-pit Darlene Zschech and the Hillsong team present 14 songs that will be the benchmark for much of Australian worship music for the next 12 months. Mighty To Save, the latest live worship album ...