A report proposing major changes in non-ordained specified ministries, a major agenda item for the Uniting Church’s 11th Assembly, were discussed in working groups on Saturday afternoon, July 8. From time to time and place to place, the report from the Specified Ministries Task Group appointed after the 2003 Assembly, points to the Basis of Union’s call for the Uniting ...

The new president of the Uniting Church in Australia, the Rev. Gregor Henderson, hopes the theme “God’s Word, God’s World” will call members of the church’s 11th Assembly back to the basics of their faith. The Assembly — the church’s national council — is meeting in Brisbane from July 5 to 11. “Our primary calling is to be a church ...

The new President of the Uniting Church has challenged local congregations across the country to get on with mission — finding new ways to connect with the 80 per cent of Australians who no longer have regular contact with the church. The Rev. Gregor Henderson was installed as the 11th President of the Uniting Church in Australia during the opening ...

UNITING CHURCH National Assembly meetings are often accused of being remote from congregational life but this year Assembly and local Uniting Church people will meet together to celebrate being church. Uniting Church congregations and people in South-East Queensland are invited to worship with the Assembly when it meets to celebrate on Sunday evening, 9 July in City Hall in Brisbane. ...

GENERAL SECRETARY of the National Assembly Rev Terence Corkin points out that in the last few years there has been much discussion about the way in which the Uniting Church determines the will of God on important matters and, in particular, the place that the Bible is given in the life of the Uniting Church. Mr Corkin said the task ...

NEXT WEEK the National Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia will convene in Brisbane. An Assembly is much more than you may think, much more than a meeting, not least because people gather from across the nation and from every part of the church. The membership of the Assembly reflects that rich and exciting diversity that helps make the ...

THE ASSEMBLY is the national council of the Uniting Church in Australia and, like other councils such as presbyteries, synods, and church councils, it has its own special role to play. The Assembly has specific responsibilities in matters of doctrine, worship, government and discipline and also sets national policy and promotes the Church’s mission in the world. It also establishes ...

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has voted to allow flexibility in deciding whether to ordain non-celibate homosexuals as clergy, something that was previously banned outright by the denomination. "With the vote today, we have not altered the fundamentals; we have the same standards as before," said the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, the denomination’s stated clerk (chief executive), after the 20 June decision ...

Journey, the Queensland Uniting Church Synod’s newspaper, has published another free set of studies in the July edition. The five studies, based on the Ephesians lectionary readings for July 16 – August 15, focus on the theme of Community in Christ and can be used at any time of year. The material has been prepared by the Queensland Synod Theology ...

AS THE 10th Assembly approach-es, it is apparent that the issue of living with diversity in the church will again be the focus of considerable attention and reflection, not least because further debate on sexuality and leadership will be a major item on the agenda. How much diversity is a good thing? When we look at the world around us, ...