HORIZONS: Churches, Women, Families, Pandemics

A conversation with Janice McRandal and Sharon Hollis

Wednesday 19th August, 2020

12 – 1.30pm, via Zoom

Event Details

Revd Sharon Hollis has been declared President-elect of the Uniting Church in Australia. Revd Hollis is the first ordained woman and the third woman to serve as President-elect, previously the Moderator of Uniting Church Victoria & Tasmania, and currently serving as a resourcing minister to promote a culture of safety for vulnerable people throughout the Synod.

The many lives of women have been profoundly affected by life in a pandemic. You are invited to join our conversation as we discuss just a few of the worrying dynamics unfolding around us, within our churches, at our Universities, and from our Government.

“In liminal spaces our first instinct is always to re-set the status quo as quickly as we can, and it’s a natural instinct in all of us, and we shouldn’t be ashamed of it, we shouldn’t judge people for that first instinct. But when that continues to be our instinct we need to be having a critical conversation as a church, as a community of feminist theologians, as a nation. How do we acknowledge our anxiety, name it, own it, talk about it, so that we can respond in ways that aren’t driven by it unthinkingly and uncritically.”

Sharon Hollis

Recommended Resources  

TOPIC 1: Zoom Worship and Heteronormative Performativity 

TOPIC 2: Feminist Humanities and the closing doors of Universities  

TOPIC 3:  Pandemic Governance and the war on Women 

Here are some First Nations women and couple of organisations I think are worth a follow on Twitter. Some of them are also likely on FB I just don’t follow them there. All very subjective, just some women I’ve been informed and challenged by:

  • Celeste Liddle Where blackfeministranter tweets. Arrernte, Unionist @EurekaStreet columnist, freelance commentator @Utopiana
  • Jacynta Krakouer Noongar academic and social worker @JacyntaKrakouer
  • Claire G. Coleman  Wirlomin Noogar Black&White Indigenous Writing Fellow Novelist @clairegcoleman
  • Amy Thunig Gamilaroi education Academic, Writer Podcast @blacademia @AmyThunig
  • Naomi Wolfe academic, history tragic, Aboriginal @NaomiWolfeAU
  • Prof Dr M Davis constitutional law professor, expert member and Vice-chair @UN_HRC @mdavisqlder
  • Nakkiah Lui First Nations hedonist, more produced than Shakespeare actor, writer, producer @nakkiahlui
  • Larisa Behrendt Legal academic, film maker, writer, host of Speaking Out on ABC RN (@abcspeakingout) @LarissaBehrendt
  • Amy McQurie Darumbal/South Sea PhD candidate-UQ Curtain Podcast @amymcquire
  • Brooke Prentis CEO Common Grace @bprentis
  • Meriki Onus -Gunai Gunditijmara WAR member @MerikiKO
  • Laura Murphy-Oates Ngiyampaa Wailwan women, journalist @laruamoates
  • @IndigenousX has a different indigenous person tweet with their handle each week. It’s great way to see the diversity of Indigenous voices.
  • Koorie Mail The only National Indigenous newspaper  @kooriemailnews
  • And for some beauty which is also important… APY Arts Centre Collective -11 Indigenous owned and governed Arts Centres @apyacc