Alyson Campbell and a group of 10 friends are passionate about helping ladies living thousands of kilometres away, in rural and remote areas.

The group meets monthly to create Pamper Packs – hand-sewn bags filled with toiletries, body lotions, diaries and stationery.

“We thought remote and rural chaplains would appreciate having packs to hand out to women in need. It’s to give ladies a little ‘pick-me-up’ or help those who are doing it tough because of drought conditions,” Alyson explains.

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With Christmas coming, the topic of ‘generosity’ will be hovering around the edges of our collective consciousness. On one hand, we’ll be looking forward to all the new, shiny things coming our way, but also trying to not get too carried away with it all. We’ll stumble towards Christmas Day, with our hearts and minds considering what we’re actually celebrating, and what values come with the season.

Generosity is a virtue closely associated with Christmas. In moments of serious yuletide reflection, we are reminded of Jesus – ‘God with us’ – who makes a way to a better life at great expense to himself. These reflections encourage some to follow in his footsteps, considering how their lives might offer up a ‘better way’ for others. (more…)

He overcame an alleged assault in November 2006 that left him near death, with severe brain and spinal cord injuries that resulted in paraplegia.

Despite his difficult path to recovery, this incredible father placed his children’s needs above his own.

Meet Andrew Butwell… father to four, paraplegic, and the 2014 Queensland Father of the Year.

Andrew returned to work within six months of his assault, and in 2012, he earned his Masters of Mental Health Nursing. He is on the board of directors for Mantle Housing, which provides permanent, safe and affordable homes for people living with mental illness.

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I love being a dad. I’ve got two young boys and I really want to be a great dad to them.

For much of the time, it’s easy for me – watching cartoons, reading kid’s books, playing Lego, talking nonsense and trying to get the boys to roll their eyes at me. But it’s not all fun and games. Sometimes I’m tired and brush the kids off or I’m frustrated and snap at them when I could have been gentler.

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This year’s National Families Week – from 15th to 21st May – is themed ‘Stronger Families, Stronger Communities’.

It highlights the relationship between families and communities – families play an important role in shaping communities, and community wellbeing is enhanced by family wellbeing.

We asked Ruth Limkin – Executive Officer to the Speaker of Queensland Parliament; author; former Courier-Mail social commentator; and SU QLD Board Member – to share her thoughts about how chaplains help families and communities:

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SU QLD supporter Dennis Scanlon is a published poet, who has put pen to paper to write a beautiful ode to school chaplaincy. “My great joy is sharing the gift of word and music – there can be nothing better, than giving back – sharing – something that has brought us joy,” Dennis says. (more…)

I’m always encouraged when my teens bring a friend home, mainly because it says they’re happy to introduce the family and feel comfortable with the fact that their dad tells ‘dad jokes’ and their mum asks too many questions.

That’s not to say they’re immune to their parents’ overzealous enthusiasm. “Dad, please don’t act all funny when they come – just be normal”, is the plea.  My youngest has also been known to announce to us all: “Please can the house look nice.” The first time he admonished us, I found it amusing. The second time I showed him the vacuum cleaner and asked if he’d had a good look at the state of his bedroom lately.

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