Dear Friends In my experience, nothing stirs the Sunday lunch conversation, among the women anyway, like a sermon on Mary and Martha! “Belinda,” I heard last week, “It doesn’t matter what people say, someone has to be Martha and do the work!” Or, “I still don’t get that story. It Read more
Dear Friends This week is NAIDOC Week, a week to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. The theme for NAIDOC Week 2019 is Voice. Treaty. Truth. and Read more
Dear Friends The three synoptic Gospels record that, prior to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, he was led (or as Mark writes, driven) into the wilderness where the emphasis focuses around Jesus’ temptation. But we are not sure what this really means. Is it about formation? Is it about identity Read more
Dear Friends, Refugee Week has come to an end, but the challenge of refugees, and the challenges faced by refugees, continue around the world. The UNHCR’s 2018 Global Trends report released this week shows that the number of refugees and people seeking asylum increased by 1 million during 2018 to Read more
Fifty-six years after the first airing of the 7 Up documentary, 12 of the 14 men and women first seen as seven-year old children in 1964 in the UK have returned to share the story of their lives. They have been interviewed every seven years and this recent screening on Read more
Dear friends, Last Thursday, the Pray-as-you-go app (the one Bev Galloway introduced to us during the Soul Feast series) was based on Acts 1:1-11 as last Thursday was the Feast of the Ascension. This time, between the Ascension and Easter, was, as the writer of Acts says, a time when Read more
Dear Friends It is National Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June) which blends beautifully with what Belinda wrote about last week in reference to the BBC program ‘The Repair Shop’ particularly in regard to connections made with the past and the idea to ‘live by mending’. Last Monday was Read more
Dear Friends There is no place like home! It is wonderful to be home with your children, to pat your dogs, to be able to go into your kitchen and put on your own kettle! It is also wonderful to be back at church, worshipping again with so many dear Read more
So, we have all carried out our duty and voted! And possibly as you read this Pastor’s Note the decision of how Australia voted will have been made known. But, what is interesting for me, is how Christians form an opinion about who to vote for: were they guided, for Read more
Dear Friends I love alliterations, and this week accords me a little literary pleasure. Last week we celebrated the beginning of the Month of May, a Month when we intentionally focus on overseas Missions. Last week we celebrated May 4th which is otherwise known as: ‘May the force be with Read more