The wider Church has been good at talking to young people but arguably not so good at listening to them – an underlying focus for three Converge/Your Story conferences attended by 200 people and 86 organizations in Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane in Australia early last month, November 2024.
Empathizing deeply with Bible characters helps us understand life better. Mary didn't really know. She had faith and some hints, but did not know where it would all lead. This Christmas ask yourself if you are really saying yes to God. The path of faith twists and turns but the destination is always good.
Habakkuk's prophecy powerfully speaks to our current global crisis, providing a way to understand how God can use empire as a tool for his purposes. As we long for the return of our Lord we can find comfort in the song of Habakkuk with blessed Mary singing harmony.
What if our deep ability and the world’s deep need meet, but we don’t enjoy doing what we are so good at? When should we say yes to preference, even though more purposeful options are within our reach? A pastor considers the dilemma of duty.
Life can be difficult for some people to bear. The Church should not make it even more difficult for them or those caring for them. Suicide is an extreme response to those difficulties. We need to appreciate better how complex that issue is and respond with greater pastoral sensitivity.
Recent data by Statista Research Department confirms previously published figures showing a decline in Australians identifying with the Christian faith - but churches are still motivated to reach the nation with the gospel.
Jesus began his ministry by discipling ordinary people, Rev. Dale Stephenson emphasizes during a morning plenary at the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Incheon, Korea. The senior pastor at Crossway Baptist Church outside Melbourne, Australia then offered an evangelism approach focused on 'mobilizing' people.
In an open letter, child protection and anti-slavery organizations have urged the Australian Government and technology companies to take stronger action to stop ongoing child sex abuse online – meanwhile Christians have been called upon to support the fight for children’s rights to be safe. The open joint letter was sent to Michelle Rowland MP, Minister of Communications for the Australian Government, earlier this month, (September, 2024). It has been sent in time for the government’s review of
Jude Simion grew up during the civil war in Sri Lanka and migrated to Australia in 2007, where he founded Philoi Global to support refugees, working in 11 countries to date and helping at least 2,000 individuals. “Philoi” means “friend” in Greek and reflects Simion’s vision to walk in friendship with forcibly displaced Christians and minority groups. He is particularly concerned about finding solutions to accommodating forcibly displaced people.
The Bible Society-New Zealand is planning to distribute 5,000 Bibles and New Testaments in 70 languages to chaplaincies in the country to help people in prisons and hospitals. “Together, we bring the Bible to individuals who may have never encountered it before.”
1-in-10 teenagers surveyed had experienced homelessness in Australia in the past year, according to a 2023 youth survey by Mission Australia, a national Christian charity that revealed the stark figures for its ‘The Unfair Divide’ youth homelessness report published on August 1.
A video circulating on social media depicted a Christmas tree engulfed in flames in the central square of Suqaylabiyah, a predominantly Christian town in central Syria, according to media reports. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the primary Islamist faction responsible for overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad, stated that foreign fighters had been detained in connection with the incident. Representatives of HTS have vowed to protect the rights and freedoms of Syria's religious and ethnic minoritie
