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A week in the life of …

From administrative work to hosting aged care worship, and everything in between, a week in the life of Rev Michele Lees is always busy.

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Game, set and match

Uniting Church Minister Will Nicholas and equipping Leadership for Mission team member Kelly Skilton share a love of gaming and the possibilities it opens up along the faith journey.
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Life, love and laughter

Uniting AgeWell volunteer Tracy Barron has known difficult times, but a positive attitude has been a constant companion on her journey.
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New take on old songs

Former Moderator Rod Horsfield's book 'Songs in Season' offers new words for some well-known songs of faith.
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Reflections on Christmas

As Christmas Day nears and we reflect on what that means to us as Christians, some Uniting Church leaders have offered their perspective on what the birth of Jesus represents to them.
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A week in the life of …

As a Senior Prison Chaplain, Rev Craig Madden's normal week is a busy one, as he offers chaplaincy support to prisoners around Melbourne.
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Salesi set to step up

Moderator-elect Rev Salesi Faupula is passionate about multicultural ministry, a passion which will guide much of his work when he becomes Moderator from mid-2025.
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Write stuff for academics

Pilgrim Theological College academics Rev Dr Sally Douglas and Rev Associate Professor Robyn Whitaker discuss their respective books published earlier this year.
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History at her fingertips

Wesley Hobart Museum offers a wonderful slice of Tasmania's history, and co-ordinator Rev Karen Woolford is in the perfect place to appreciate it all.
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Our faithful servant retires

Associate General Secretary Isabel Thomas Dobson, who will retire on September 30, reflects on a long and distinguished period of service with the Uniting Church in Tasmania and Victoria.
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Strength from adversity

From a childhood spent in a Kenyan refugee camp to being honoured for outstanding humanitarian work as an adult, faith has been a constant companion on Dr Jacob Atem’s remarkable journey.
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A week in the life of …

Rev Fiona Morrison, Resource Minister across the Cradle Coast Cluster in Tasmania, shares what makes up a busy week in the role.
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Marion makes a difference

Manningham UC member Marion Bailes is strongly committed to helping refugees and asylum seekers make a home for themselves in their adopted country.
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Power to the people

Uniting Church member Claire Harvey is backing the battle against climate change in her role with sustainable energy provider CoPower.
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A week in the life of a Minister

Wonthaggi and Inverloch Minister Rev Deacon Wendy Elson shared with Crosslight magazine what's involved in the busy week of a Uniting Church Minister.
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Let’s talk about death

New Testament Professor Dr Greg Carey writes about that most perplexing of questions: what awaits us when we die?
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Ten days and counting

The Synod's Justice and International Mission cluster is driving a campaign to ensure NDIS patients receive the support and accommodation they need as quickly as possible.
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Stephen pays it forward

Tasmanian UC member Stephen Ives is passing on the traits of empathy and selflessness in his work helping small-scale farmers in Vietnam.
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Talkin’ about my generation

A new role for Murrumbeena UC's Kelly Skilton means she can continue to ensure young voices are heard within the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania.
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Taking the helm at eLM

Duncan Macleod brings a wealth of wisdom and life experience – good and tragically sad – to his new role as equipping Leadership for Mission’s executive officer.
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On the side of the underdog

Heathmont Minister Brendan Byrne believes the fight against inequality in society is a cause that must be taken up by us all.
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Let’s stick together

Sandy Boyce brings a wealth of experience gained in the Uniting Church to her role as Victorian Council of Churches executive officer.
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Shore thing for tireless Beryl

George Town Uniting Church member Beryl Osborne is also the stalwart of Bell Bay's Seafarers Mission, on Tasmania's north-east coast.
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Voice for the marginalised

Pilgrim Theological College Rev Associate Professor Monica Melanchthon has a strong commitment to those people who sometimes don't have a voice in society.
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Meet the Moderator

Shortly after being installed as Moderator, David Fotheringham sat down to answer some questions for Crosslight magazine about his life so far and the journey ahead.
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Program feeds real need

A Uniting Vic.Tas program in Ballarat is helping fill bellies and keep young people in the region like Tom connected to their community and loved ones.
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Pride and prejudice

Indigenous theologian and activist Dr Anne Pattel-Gray has spent a lifetime advocating for a better world for our First Nations people.
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Presence of mine pays off

One of the world's favourite video games is helping Banyule Network of Uniting Churches Minister Sandy Brodine drive a different form of online connection and worship.
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Man for all seasons

Seasonal workers from Pacific Island countries who arrive in Tasmania to work are getting a helping hand thanks to the Synod's Community Connections Worker Taua Ritiata.
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Reflections on Christmas

From North Essendon to the Solomon Islands, Uniting Church members take the opportunity to reflect on what Christmas means to them.
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Aid to Z from John and Jenny

Melbourne couple John and Jenny Preston are celebrating 25 years of selfless service to Zambia's poor.
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Minister all over the shops

A Melbourne shopping centre has become a 'mobile ministry' for Plenty Valley UC Minister Rev Dhirendra Narayan.
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No bucks? No worries

How do you feed 300 people with just $300? Nobucks community meals service in Hobart shows how it can be done through the goodness of hearts like yours.
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Vote of thanks for Jessie

The vital role a Tasmanian pioneer played in promoting the right of women to vote has been recognised, thanks to an extensive restoration project.
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Rod’s role of honour

Retired Minister Rod Horsfield refuses to let the memory fade of those who drowned in the SIEV-X maritime disaster 20 years ago.
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Novel approach to religion

Retired Uniting Church Minister Bob Faser has written a ripping murder-mystery novel which also poses a few interesting questions around the issue of faith.
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Mery promises to serve

Evangelical Church of Timor's first female Moderator, Rev Mery Kolimon, is committed to leading a church helping transform every aspect of the society it serves.
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Sharon takes up the challenge

As she takes her first steps in the role, new President Sharon Hollis says UCA must continue to engage with First Peoples and embrace its multicultural communities.
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Church is home for Laurenne and family

Ballarat's Laurenne Robertson and her family share a special relationship with the city's Neil Street Uniting Church.
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It’s time First Peoples’ voices were heard

As Australians celebrate their national day, two outstanding men are leading the fight to ensure Aboriginal voices are heard loud and clear.
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Getting to know the Bethel Centre – Julie McDonald Q&A

Julie McDonald says seeking help doesn’t imply there is a flaw in a person’s faith. “Nobody’s relationship to their faith is perfect all the time. We all fall and we all have challenges.”
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Double Take: Robyn Whitaker and Fran Barber

Rev Dr Robyn Whitaker and Rev Fran Barber have been friends for 25 years. In that time they have shared a lot of things – including a wedding dress. They now share a podcast to help resource people in ministry.
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Heather Ackland retires after 36 years

Heather Ackland started her career juggling figures and ended it trying to figure out ways to help congregations with their missional work.
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Double Take: Steven Bernaudo and Rev Ron Rosinsky

How do you reconcile God and guns? Serving Australian Defence Force reservists Steven Bernaudo, 33, and Rev Ron Rosinsky, 52, talk about being Christians in the military.
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Double Take: Ian Brain and William Clark

Uniting Housing provides affordable accommodation to vulnerable people. We speak with outgoing CEO Ian Brain and grateful tenant, William Clark.
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Double Take: Frank and Wendy Johnston

Manningham Uniting Church members and serial volunteers Frank and Wendy Johnston talk about giving back and living life to the full.
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Double Take: Anne Warren and Alison Overeem

Kingston Uniting Church member Anne Warren and Leprena Centre Manager Alison Overeem talk about their friendship and walking together as First and Second Peoples.
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Samuel Manhom: How I survived war, famine and crocodiles

Samuel Manhom spent his first 24 years surrounded by civil war. But the former Lost Boy has finally found a place to call home.
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Joan Wright Howie’s SWell art of spiritual expression

If you’re religious you’re spiritual, but the reverse doesn’t necessarily apply. Joan Wright Howie is interested in the space that overlaps.
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Laura Mazza: I won’t let depression defeat me

Depression can strike anyone, any time, anywhere – something Laura Mazza knows only too well. But this mother of three is determined to fight back.
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Abuse survivor Holly Taylor’s long mental health struggle

Holly Taylor is a high-flying bio-medicine student with a brilliantly bright future but only a few years ago she was such a danger to herself that she couldn't shower without being watched.
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Former TV reporter Jane Phelan takes it one step at a time

When Jane Phelan woke from a stroke she had lost the ability to walk or talk. But then she found God – again – and hasn’t looked back.
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How Sally Goldner found the freedom to be herself

Imagine being born into the wrong body. Imagine spending 30 years not knowing who you really are. Only then can you start to understand Sally Goldner’s strength.
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Pilgrim student Audrey Larsen back in class at age 97

Pilgrim student Audrey Larsen is proof that age is just a number. At 97 she's an audit student living out her mantra "while you’re alive, you’ve got to live”.
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Rod Dungan joins pitched battle for the ‘Grey Ashes’

As Australia takes on England for the Ashes another, slightly older, group is also padding up with grey expectations.
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Double Take: Salesi and Siotame Faupula

Like father, like son? For Doubletake we asked Canterbury Balwyn Road Uniting Church minister Rev Salesi Faupula and his son Siotame to talk about family, faith and finding yourself.
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Coralie Ling enjoys her purple patch stage of life

Coralie Ling is the first woman to have been ordained a Methodist minister in Victoria. She recently made her theatre debut, starring in the Gasworks Theatre stage show Beachside Stories.
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Julie Perrin’s kind of revelations in her new book Tender

Everyone has a story to tell. Or, in Julie Perrin’s case, lots of stories. And some of them are very close to home.
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Meredith Lake’s award-winning soul focus on history

Historian and radio presenter Dr Meredith Lake explains why, to move ahead, it often doesn’t hurt to have a look behind.
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Uniting Winter Appeal helps bring hope from the ashes

A fire robbed Felicity of her home, her health and her will to live. Five years on, she’s back on her feet and ‘in a really good place’ – literally and figuratively.
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Idil Ali talks poetic justice at Sacrededge

Idil Ali knows the struggles of the silent minority. She sees it and lives it every day. It’s why she speaks for those who struggle to be heard.
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Double Take: Joy Han and Jiny Lee

Joy Han and Jiny Lee talk about NYALC and worshipping at Cornerstone Ministry, a Korean Church in Melbourne.
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Tim Matton Johnson – first and foremost

Rev Tim Matton Johnson has retired after more than 30 years of ordained ministry during which he played a prominent leadership role in helping the Uniting Church live out a Covenant relationship between First and Second Peoples.
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Double Take: Will and Amanda Nicholas

Amanda and Will Nicholas are Uniting Church ministers. And they’ve also been married for 22 years – which is quite remarkable when you take into account Will’s fruit-testing technique.
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Andrew McDonough: drawing from scripture

Children's author Andrew McDonough reflects on his career, a journey he embarked on nearly 30 years ago.
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A matter of principal

Wesley College Principal Dr Helen Drennen reflects on her teaching career, as her time at the helm comes to an end.
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Ray’s 60 years of spreading the gospel

Ray Averill OAM announces he is "hanging up his preaching boots" after more than 60 years as lay preacher.
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Habit forming

Amna Iqbal shared how a Catholic nun helped form her Islamic faith at Ormond Uniting Church as part of Multi-faith October.
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Changing course into a storm

When Rev Dr David Gushee called for full inclusion of LGBTI people in his book Changing Our Mind, the response from the mainstream evangelical community was brutally swift.
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Going the extra mile

Olympian Eloise Wellings talks about discovering her faith and purpose.
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Q&A with Tai Alphred

We asked Murrumbeena Uniting Church’s family ministry coordinator Tai Alphred to tell us a bit about herself and ministry.
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Meredith an inspirational type

“The message to all the young people who use alternative and augmentative communication is that if you have the opportunity to be educated, take it,” says Meredith Allan