At time of writing, I’m sitting on the veranda of the Mornington Island manse with the sound of carpentry tools in the background. The carpentry work is the complete renovation of the Mornington Island church. The renovations are costing approximately $700 000. Most of this comes from funds the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress in Queensland—the Calvary Presbytery—has accumulated over ...
Read More »Tag Archives: Uniting Church in Queensland
Pokémon GO: Western suburb Uniting Church’s transform into Pokémon gyms
Released in July 2016, free-to-play augmented reality mobile game “Pokémon GO” has taken the streets of Brisbane (and world) by storm. If you find a crowd of teenagers to thirty-somethings loitering on your church property staring at their phone, you may be amused to find your church has become a “Pokéstop” or “Pokémon gym”. A Uniting Church teenager has named Indooroopilly, ...
Read More »Queensland’s leading lady passes the baton
Rev Kaye Ronalds will finish her three-year term as Moderator at this month’s 31st Queensland Synod meeting. Mardi Lumsden explores what others appreciated about Kaye’s time in the role. Kaye’s term as Moderator can be characterised by a comment she made at her induction service: “We need to become better at working together and remembering that there are many kinds ...
Read More »Journey wins international awards
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 ...
Read More »Generosity meets mission
The call for humans to care for creation—to be good stewards—goes back to Adam and Eve. As the Queensland Synod marks Stewardship Sunday (5 October), Mardi Lumsden explores how the modern church is living generously. So often, the word stewardship is underpinned by the need to fix the church roof or upgrade technology. Queensland Synod Moderator-elect Rev David Baker says ...
Read More »Moderator’s Community Service Medal: the search is on
The search is on for nominations for the 2014 Moderator’s Community Service Medal. Successful nominees will have the opportunity to be presented with their medal during the Uniting Church in Queensland’s 31st Synod meeting at Alexandra Park Conference Centre 10-15 October. Colleen Geyer, Director of Mission, UnitingCare Queensland and member of the judging panel, said the Moderator’s Medal is a ...
Read More »Storing up treasures for good
Investing ethically is all well and good, but the realities of it are more complex than you may think. Mardi Lumsden explores. Prior to the last Queensland Synod meeting in May 2013 the New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory Synod in Session resolved to divest from stocks and shares in corporations engaged in the extraction of fossil fuels and to redirect ...
Read More »Courageous faith paves the way
We interviewed Betty about her life and faith on Friday 27 June and sadly advise that since this article was written and went to print Betty has passed away. We have been informed that Betty did have the opportunity to read the article before her passing. She died on Wednesday 6 August 2014 after a short illness. How does a self-described shy ...
Read More »Mixing money and morals
The first cash I remember earning was the money we earned as children by picking ginger on the neighbour’s farm. It involved sitting all day in the sun snapping off the green stalks and the ropey roots from the tuber. By the end of the week we had some money that we could use any way we chose. It seemed ...
Read More »Australia loses credible climate voice
The repeal of the carbon tax will reportedly reduce household electricity bills by up to 50c per day, but is the long-term cost worth it? Rohan Salmond reports. Bucking global trends, Australia became the first nation to repeal its carbon price legislation when bills cleared the Senate in July. In a joint media release, Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Minister ...
Read More »