If anyone ever needed an excuse not to be a generous financial supporter of their church, the front page of last month's Southern Cross may have inadvertently provided that. Most unfortunate were, firstly, the way the story did not do justice to our relative wealth, and secondly, the title – especially when the opposite is true. We can afford church!

The gospel has always informed Christians in the way they interact with society.

The Bible has nothing relevant to say to non-Christians about ethics – or does it? asks ANDREW CAMERON

There are lots of reasons why the secular media usually doesn't get it right when covering Christianity. Some of those reasons are more obvious (uninformed journalists, mistakes in church public relations, etc), but there is a spiritual battle that cuts to the heart of the problem.

It's no secret that the secular media's coverage of religious affairs is not what Christans might hope. But the solution is not to bury our heads in the sand and hope it goes away, writes GEOFF ROBSON.

Up until the mid-80's, Narellan was a small village that served local dairy farmers and coal miners. Sydney's urban sprawl has put an end to that ‘quiet country village' scenario. According to Narellan's rector, Michael Blake, the current population will double in the next decade. Narellan is set to become a city comprising in excess of 60,000 people.

There is a new face in the Georges River region this month. The Rev Matthew Yeo, until recently associate minister at St Luke's, Miranda, takes up the reins as rector of St Aidan's, Hurstville Grove.

A handful of millimetres of rain a year; dry; hot; high pollution levels; one of the highest densities of people per square kilometre in the world; driving a car is like being in the chariot race in Ben Hur! This is the wonderful city of Cairo.