If you are looking for educational resources on …, what might be worth looking at?
General
You may also get help on some of the topics below from:
Christian Resource Specialties
Bible study
With Love to the World offers a daily Bible reading, linked to the readings for the following Sunday, plus a brief commentary and prayer suggestions.
Disciple (from the United Methodist Church, USA) is designed to develop strong Christian leaders through in-depth study of the Scriptures.
Approaches to Scripture by Bill Loader - an on-line paper.
The New Testament with Imagination by Bill Loader. A book published by Eerdmans in 2007.
How to Read the Bible for all its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart is a guide to understanding the Bible from a more conservative perspective.
Another book worth reading is Walter Wink’s Transforming Bible Study (Abingdon).
Bookstores
Vision Books, Broadwater Rd Uniting Church, Mt Gravatt, Brisbane, (07) 3849 8548 9 am to 2 pm weekdays
Email vision.books at iinet.net.au.
Kentigern Books. Christian bookstore in NSW
Amazon USA
Amazon UK
Children
Youth and Children’s Ministry Unit of the Queensland Synod offers a range of resources and helpful advice: .
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Godly Play.
Raising Smarter Children. USA Department of Education free resources.
Conflict resolution
See the “Healthy Church” site, which is accessed through the Queensland Synod of the Uniting Church site. Pilgrim can provide the login and password on request.
Covenanting with Indigenous people
Building Partnerships: A Guide to Covenant Renewal with Indigenous People throughout the Uniting Church in Australia, Uniting Church Assembly, 2007. This is a very useful booklet with some suggestions for group discussion.
Cross Cultural Theologies
Charles Sturt University offers a Master of Arts (Cross Cultural Theologies).
Eldership
Coolamon College has a course on Eldership in the Uniting Church (see links).
Evangelism / Faith sharing / Making disciples / Conversion
Becoming Disciples process. This is a four step process for helping people to move from inquiry to learning about the faith, to spiritual formation, to life-long discipleship.
Gossiping the Gospel. This useful resource book is available from the Alan Walker College of Evangelism. .
Graham and Annette Whybird offer seminars and workshops on faith sharing, personal and spiritual development. Contact them on (07) 4065 6308, 0427 651 204 or 0418 269 905.
Alan Walker College of Evangelism is based in Parramatta, NSW but offers its services widely. .
Health and well-being
Real Age Do your own free health check-up and get an estimate of your real age, compared to your chronological age. . You can also sign up for useful weekly tips. There is also a healthy recipe section on this site.
The Obesity Society. You may like to start with the section General Information. There are also tips for healthy eating.
Mental Health Council of Australia
Leadership
Leadership Institute, NSW.
Lenten studies
The Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane each year produces superb resources. They are generally very suitable for non-Catholics also. See the website.
Mental Health
Angels and Demons, Enough Rope. An excellent DVD produced by Andrew Denton with ABC.
Multicultural Ministry
Assembly’s Multi-Cross-cultural Ministry agency
Queensland Synod Multi/Cross Cultural Site
Parenting
What Kids Really Need from their Dads. An excellent 21 minute Australian DVD with great practical suggestions. Available from thefatheringproject.org. This might just be the best gift for your husband or adult son. Show it to everyone in your congregation. Organise a men’s breakfast, show the DVD and arrange for table group discussions. For those who want to go deeper into this topic, see the book Fathering From the Fast Lane.
Positive parenting. Growing thriving families. Lots of practical tips. Contact Stephen Kersnovske: stevek at dovenetq.net.au
Peacemaking
Pace e Bene. An organisation committed to training people in the spirituality and practices of non-violence
Alan Walker College of Evangelism
Pacific Peacebuilding Initiatives
Period of Discernment
A free 40 page manual is available here (pdf file, 2.93 MB). This has been produced by the ELM Centre, NSW Synod.
Public theology
Charles Sturt University offers a Master of Arts (Public Theology).
Religious Education in Schools
The book Religious Education: Guidelines for the Religious Life of the School published by Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Brisbane in 2008, is an excellent resource. Contact the Brisbane office for information about obtaining a copy.
Resourcing lay leaders
Master of Ministry in Resource Ministry. The Adelaide College of Divinity offers a Master of Ministry and Graduate Diploma in Resource Ministry.
Retreat Centres
Santa Teresa Archdiocesean Spirituality Centre, 267 Wellington St, Ormiston.
Rural Ministry
Rural Mission and Evangelism, NSW Synod
International Rural Churches Association