Queensland Synod News

During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2010, Christians throughout the world will be listening together to the promise and commission that are part of Christ’s final words before his ascension: "You are witnesses of these things." Traditionally celebrated between 18 and 25 January (in the northern hemisphere) or at Pentecost (in the southern hemisphere), the Week of Prayer ...

 Frances S. Smith, a former editor of the Ecumenical Press Service – the predecessor of Ecumenical News International – has died at her home in Claremont, California, aged 87. "Frances was one of the most respected of church journalists for her accuracy and her objectivity," said journalist Betty Thompson in a tribute quoted by the United Methodist News Service, where ...

Mary Daly, a self-described post-Christian, radical feminist theologian known for pioneering women’s studies and battling administrators at Boston College, has died aged 81. Daly’s death on 3 January was announced by Mary E. Hunt, director of the Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual, in the Journal of Feminist Studies of Religion. Hunt said that Daly had "been in poor ...

The Moderator of the Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod, Rev Bruce Johnson and the management of the Good Samaritan Ministry Centre have thanked those involved in re-accommodating people temporarily staying at the Good Samaritan site in Cairns. “We are pleased that all who have been staying at the Good Samaritan site have been found alternative accommodation,” Rev Johnson said. ...

As the excitement of the Copenhagen climate change talks subside, the time for matching reality with expectations has begun. From the perspective of the World Council of Churches (WCC) the outcome of the negotiations unfortunately did not match expectations. “With a lack of transparency, the agreement reached this past week by some countries was negotiated without consensus but rather in ...

Faith groups have expressed disappointment and anger over the outcome of the United Nations talks on climate change that have ended in Copenhagen, pledging to continue to press for climate justice. "With a lack of transparency, the agreement reached this past week by some countries was negotiated without consensus but rather in secret among the powerful nations of the world," ...

Hampers brimming with Christmas treats are being wrapped this week to help brighten the lives of 12 elderly people living on the Gold Coast. Blue Care Gold Coast Allied Health Manager Sue McGuire said Christmas could be a lonely time of year for some, which is why staff at Blue Care’s Elanora and Southport offices have teamed up with local ...

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has invited the submission of workshop proposals for the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC) to take place in Jamaica in May 2011. Proposals must be submitted by 31 March 2010. The International Ecumenical Peace Convocation will mark the conclusion of the WCC Decade to Overcome Violence. It will be both the harvest festival of ...

The Moderator of the Queensland Synod of the Uniting Church in Australia Rev Bruce Johnson has expressed sadness over the necessary closure of some buildings at the former Good Samaritan facility in Cairns. The site has been used on a temporary basis by the services of the Good Samaritan Ministries, however the facility needs extensive upgrading to meet building compliance ...

The massacre that unfolded recently in the Philippines highlights how important peace building programs are in areas experiencing internal conflict. Ongoing tensions both between and within communities throughout Asia and the Pacific are continuing to create conditions where development efforts are slowed or ineffective. As a response to the growing need for peacemaking programs, UnitingWorld has launched the People for ...