Tag Archives: Ashley Thompson

Meta text Clouds of Sils Maria explores the theme of transformation through the layered looking glass of actresses whose reality is closely related to that of their characters’. For those who have never cared much for Kristen Stewart: watching her in the role of Valentine, a character deeply suited to her monotone decibels and low tolerance for nonsense; brings a ...

Lorna Rickert’s commitment to her local Eastern Downs congregation is so great she has served it almost as long as it has been open. Ashley Thompson writes. Born in Toowoomba hospital the year of the Anzac (1915), Lorna Jane Rickert grew up in the town of Nobby—a community of barely 400 people. “I married my neighbour—that is what kept me ...

Uniting Church emergency aid and relief has begun to arrive in Central Queensland after Tropical Cyclone Marcia tore through the Capricorn Coast in February this year. Ashley Thompson reports. The Queensland Synod’s Risk and Insurance team has been contacted by 14 sites which sustained varying levels of insurable damage from Cyclone Marcia, totalling an estimated insurance cost of $517 000. Those ...

Why do you do the things you do? Ashley Thompson talks to Ashgrove West and Deception Bay Uniting Churches about how to cultivate a mission-orientated church culture. Whether you realise it or not every church has a culture. Framed by the vision, values and systems of its members, this culture is often buried beneath the reflexive answer “That’s just the ...

Years ago you wouldn’t be caught dead in hand-me-down clothes, but today upcycling an old garment is considered both ethically conscious and fashionable. So why isn’t it mainstream? Ashley Thompson explores. Emerging in the early 1900s, “charity shops” or “bazaars” were first set up to give labour opportunities to the disadvantaged and simultaneously fundraise for charities. It wasn’t until the deprivation ...

Ashley Thompson speaks with newly appointed Queensland Synod General Secretary Gary Doyle about his passion for young people and the church. Last December Gary Doyle and his wife Helen uprooted themselves from their home in Townsville and moved to Brisbane—enabling him to become general secretary of the Uniting Church in Queensland. “I don’t really see this job as a promotion; ...

Theology on Tap is a public lecture series held at your local pub. Ashley Thompson explores how an ecumenical group of Brisbane Christians is bringing theology into the public sphere. Co-founded by two American Catholic priests in 1981, Theology on Tap’s (TOT) original purpose revolved around remaining relevant to university-aged young adults who had lost touch with the church. So ...

Representing the Uniting Church in Queensland, Journey magazine won four prizes at the 2014 Australasian Religious Press Association (ARPA) awards in Canberra over the weekend. Judges loved the redesign Journey underwent in 2013, awarding gold for best cover (April 2013) and most improved hard copy publication and silver for overall best design. Special congratulations also go to Ashley Thompson for ...

Art is at the heart of Cooinda Mental Health Service’s vision to normalise mental health experiences within the Sunshine Coast community. Ashley Thompson writes. The Sunshine Coast Private Hospital’s Cooinda Mental Health Service is inviting members of the public to participate in its second annual Mental Health Week art exhibition in October. “Mental health is often misunderstood, or ‘if it ...

You are who you are. Ashley Thompson speaks with New York Times bestselling author Rev Nadia Bolz-Weber about why Christians should be authentic and vulnerable. You’d be forgiven thinking Rev Nadia Bolz- Weber is anti-authoritarian: the short spiky hair, striking tattoos and cynical wit—if it wasn’t for her clerical collar you’d never guess this foul-mouthed, weightlifting, mother of two is ...