Tag Archives: April2017

For the female relatives of Queensland prisoners, it can often feel as if they’re “doing time” with their incarcerated loved ones. Uniting Church members along with those from other denominations are helping to ease the pain with the Kairos Outside program. Ben Rogers reports. Created in North America in the mid-seventies, Kairos prison ministry started as a course in a ...

During the darkest days of World War II, a team of British filmmakers must re-ignite the courage of those on the home front. Dianne Jensen reviews. Those tasked with the job of spinning a dispiriting reality into an uplifting narrative will recognise the dilemma faced by would-be screenwriter Catrin Cole (Gemma Arterton) in Their Finest, Lone Scherfig’s new film set ...

You may have heard the phrase “Christian leadership” within church circles. In the Queensland Synod leadership is one of five priority directions. But what does it actually mean and how much should Jesus inform your understanding of it? Scott Guyatt, the Queensland Synod’s director of mission strategy, offers his perspective. We talk so much these days about leadership, and there ...

Christian refugees from Iraq and Syria come together with local Brisbane church members to celebrate the Easter journey. Sue Hutchinson reports. My Catholic community of Bracken Ridge in north Brisbane has welcomed about 90 families from Iraq and Syria since last May. These Christians were brought to Australia as refugees, fleeing war and persecution in the lands where they have ...

Uniting Church leaders appearing before the Royal Commission into Child Sexual Abuse have pledged to survivors to make the church the safest place it can be for children. Journey reports. President Stuart McMillan assured the Royal Commission hearing in Sydney on 10 March that the Uniting Church would continue to apply the lessons learned from the Commission’s work. “As church ...

US pastor and author Nancy Beach has gained international recognition for her ministry work transforming the relationship between the arts and church, and she is set to visit Australia for the Uniting Leaders conference in August. Bindy Taylor meets Nancy to discuss leadership, gender politics and the importance of having fun. Nancy Beach is a self-confessed optimist. This outlook has ...

Phil Day’s cartoon above highlights the juxtaposition the church in many parts of the west is finding itself in relation to the broader western society. I recently noticed one hotel in Brisbane advertising a family-friendly Easter, with Easter egg hunts, special menus, the whole nine yards. While there are powerful commercial and ideological interests at play now in the Easter ...

In the 21st century what should Christians make of the concept of “sin”? A long-gone relic or a necessary corrective in a society seduced by moral relativism and the cult of victimhood? Simon Gomersall explores sin, Easter and atonement. It is now conventional to assert that the language and concept of sin is irrelevant in both 21st century Australian society ...

It’s that time of the year again when both kids and the bean counters (should that be egg counters?) in confectionery corporations lick their lips at the prospect of huge spikes in chocolate consumption levels. Australians will spend a staggering amount on chocolates (not to mention seafood, fluffy rabbit toys and eggs) during the Easter period but they’ll also give ...

As the Uniting Church celebrates the 40th anniversary of Australia’s first home-grown church, Journey explores three different examples of innovation and renewal in Queensland congregations. Dianne Jensen reports. Ripley Valley: a season to begin A new town is rising in south east Queensland. Ripley Valley will have a bigger downtown area than the nearby Ipswich central business district and house ...