The mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse by police and teachers may prevent DoCS from identifying children genuinely at risk. NSW opposition leader John Brogden made these claims to 100 representatives from church and charitable groups last year at the launch of the Coalition's new social policy document, Testing the Heart of our State.

Drawing on five decades of wisdom, Tim Hawkins says genuine leadership, not age, is the key to Christian ministry.

The Glebe Group, the asset management arm of Sydney Diocese, has received the prestigious Ethical Fund of the Year award for 2003. As an ethical fund, this precludes investing in companies that do not promote the best interests of people – such as gambling, pornography, armaments, tobacco, alcohol and uranium mining.

The new Chancellor of the Sydney Anglican Church, Michael Orpwood QC, expects to grapple with questions concerning lay administration of the Lord's Supper, what it means to be part of the Anglican Communion and alternative Episcopal oversight during his first months in office.

Church plant of the month: Assisted by congregation members from St Stephen's, Willoughby, St Basil's, Artarmon recently completed the ten-week evangelistic Alpha program, run on Sunday nights. Attended by up to twenty people, the success of the course has lead to a new, informal Sunday service at 5pm, commencing on January 11.

The NSW Government has listened to the state's religious leaders and agreed to subsidise the salaries of chaplains across major faith groups working in public hospitals.

Isaac Gates is still getting used to the idea of leaving his mum every day, but big sister Olivia is enjoying carrying her navy blue schoolbag and making new friends. The Gates children, from Jamberoo, are like five- and six-year-olds everywhere this February. Both are excited – and a little daunted – at the prospect of that big step called school. And a big step it is, for the siblings have made history as two of the first students of the new $4 million Shellharbour and Wollondilly Anglican Colleges.

He who was rich became poor so that through his poverty those who are poor might become rich. In two ways they wonderfully capture the meaning of Christmas: 1. They remind us to ‘know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.' 2. They encourage us to imitate ‘the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.