Jul 8

For the latest happenings from the Balkara Parish and the St. David’s Oakleigh congregation, check out our online copy of the July newsletter.

Parish News – July (pdf 135kB)


Jun 27

Community lunchThe St. David’s Uniting church had cause to celebrate yesterday as the Wednesday community luncheon turned 15.

The luncheon has been running every Wednesday between February and December for the past 15 years, aimed at being a place of gathering and community for local residents. Good and cheap food, entertainment, and a place of belonging are all features of the weekly gathering at 154 Drummond St., Oakleigh.

The community lunch costs a mere $3 and all are welcome to come and enjoy. Lunch begins at 12:30 pm every Wednesday, and there is also an invitation to come early for a brief service of worship in the church beginning at noon.


Jun 12

Archaeologists in Jordan have unearthed what they claim is the world’s first church, dating back almost 2,000 years, The Jordan Times reported on Tuesday.

“We have uncovered what we believe to be the first church in the world, dating from 33 AD to 70 AD,” Jordan Rihab Centre for Archaeological Studies spokesman Abdul Qader al-Husan said.

He said it was uncovered under Saint Georgeous Church, which itself dates back to 230 AD, in Rihab in northern Jordan near the Syrian border.

“We have evidence to believe this church sheltered the early Christians – the 70 disciples of Jesus Christ,” Mr Husan said.

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Jun 11

Peter Garrett

Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett will today launch a project to make church and non-government organisations more greenhouse-friendly and water-efficient.

The Greening Communities program will start with environmental audits to assess how anything from a church hall to a school can become more efficient.

Father Michael Kelly from the Catholic Church charitable trust Church Resources says the buying power of about 18,000 church and non-government organisations is then leveraged to make the technologies more affordable.

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May 26

If you want to know what is happening around and about the Uniting Church in these parts, you are invited to immerse yourself in Crosslight. 

Crosslight is the publication for the Uniting Church in Austraia, Synod of Victoria and tasmania. Published 11 times a year, it is now also a blogsite which updates Uniting Church web visitors on the activities and life of the church community.


May 20

Corruption reportMelbourne, Australia (ENI). Rich nations are the real beneficiaries of the “boom industry” of global corruption that is making the world’s poor even poorer. 

That is the central finding of a new report, “From Corruption to Good Governance”, about global bribery and malpractice, by the Uniting Church in Australia. 

The report calls for an all-out attack on tax havens that, it asserts, help wealthy individuals and businesses prosper at the expense of the poor.

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May 5

World youth day

The Armidale diocese of the Catholic Church says it is expecting about 1,000 pilgrims from overseas to visit the region in the lead up to World Youth Day.

World Youth Day (WYD) is the largest youth event in the world and will be held in Sydney from Tuesday 15 to Sunday 20 July 2008.

Organised by the Catholic Church, WYD brings together young people from around the globe to celebrate and learn about their faith on a more regular basis.

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Apr 18

For the latest happenings from the Balkara Parish and the St. David’s Oakleigh congregation, check out the online copy of the April newsletter.Parish News April 2008 (pdf 121 kB)


Apr 15

Chimney stackA new report on climate change has found that most people want urgent action to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The Climate Institute has released its second annual report on Australians’ attitudes towards climate change.

It found that three-quarters of Australians believe that any new electricity generation should come from clean energy.

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Apr 2

Fth HellerMichael Heller, a Polish Roman Catholic priest and cosmologist whose intellectual and religious life has been grounded in the insights of both science and religion, has won the 2008 Templeton Prize, believed to be the largest yearly monetary award given to a single individual. Heller, 72, who teaches at the Pontifical Academy of Theology in Cracow, was awarded the prize for his work in connecting the realms of physics, cosmology, theology and philosophy.

Heller reiterated his belief that the oft-described “two worlds” of religion and science are not at odds, in an interview the day before the 12 March announcement, saying that without the meaning afforded by religion, “science would be meaningless”.

Read more>>Â