The President of the Uniting Church in Australia, Rev Prof Andrew Dutney, and a delegation of Uniting Church leaders attended a historic series of meetings with leaders from the China Christian Council (CCC) in four Chinese cities from 16–24 September.
In July 2012 in Adelaide, the members of the 13th Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia listened to members of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) tell stories about the effects of the Federal Stronger legislation (and before that) on their lives and the lives of their communities.
Since the appearance of the building has changed a fair bit, last editions’ mystery photo was a hard one to crack. Laura Fox, however, from Northam Uniting Church, has come through with the goods, sharing that the building was in fact the St Pauls Presbyterian Church, Northam.
The Swan View Community Garden, at the local Uniting Church, was one of two recipients of a community grant in the Open Garden Scheme, being awarded the grant for Best Community Garden.
The President of the Uniting Church in Australia, Rev Prof Andrew Dutney, has launched a national appeal to support those facing loss and hardship from bushfires that devastated parts of New South Wales in late October.
From all over Australia, Uniting Church Adult Fellowship (UCAF) members and guests gathered at the Esplanade River Suites Como for the eagerly awaited UCAF National Celebration 2013. It is 15 years since the celebration was held in WA.
As a boy I would spend much of the summer holidays staying with my grandparents. It was always a splendid time. I would sit with my grandfather early in the morning and drink morning Camp Coffee while he smoked his pipe. I still remember the smell of the Condor Tobacco as he told me stories of his life. In some way I think telling his story was about beginning to write my story.
When I told people I was going to the Holy Land, those who had already been there told me I would never be the same again. In Israel, I was where Jesus was – where he was born, walked, talked, taught, healed, preached, died and rose again. The experience was real and surreal: collapsing 2000 years of history from Jesus’ human life on this earth into 21st century Israel.
At the last Synod meeting for the Uniting Church in New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), a bold decision was made to divest in companies involved in the extraction of fossil fuels (coal and coal seam gas) as they seek to invest, instead, in renewable energy. It was a big step for the Synod, and a decision that wasn’t taken lightly.
But what is ethical investing, and why should we be thinking about it?
When money is invested into an account, the financial institution’s role is to make the most out of it they can, by buying and selling shares – this is where ethics comes in. Without doing the research, you could unknowingly be buying shares in companies involved in weapons, gambling or tobacco, just to name a few.
Building community with – not for – young people is one of the main principles of the First Third concept. The idea being that people feel more connected and included while breaking down the ‘us and them’ paradigm that so often exists between the generations.
In the Metro West Region, Jessica Morthorpe, First Third specialist, is trialling a new path for the region, moving on from the old youth group model and encouraging mentorship through participation in small interest groups.