ABOUT US

 

Sight Magazine is an editorially independent, Australian-based website covering local and global news and issues from a Christian perspective.


Our mission is simple - "to open the eyes" of people not only in Australia but around the globe to how Jesus Christ is actively moving among his church today and to encourage Christians from all denominations to share how God is moving in their midst.


DAVID ADAMS, editor

 

A freelance journalist, David has written for national news publications in both Australia and the United Kingdom. Married to Linda with two wonderful children - Kyle and Clare - David lives in Geelong, Victoria.


LLOYD HARKNESS, associate editor

 

Lloyd is a teacher and father of four.


JAMES CROOK, webmaster/columnist

 

James is a freelance web designer and developer who also teaches multimedia part-time at a local Tafe. He enjoys writing restaurant reviews, doing techie things with Sight and also contributing the occasional article. For more info see the website of his Geelong website-design business Chocolate Chip multimedia.


ANN WOJCZUK, graphic artist/blogger

 

Ann is your average human being, who loves Jesus, and is interested in everyone and just about everything. She is happily married with two kids and sometimes gets to do web art for Sight.

 

      ACTIVE CONTRIBUTORS/COLUMNISTS

KRIS BATHER

 

Kris lives in Perth and in a constant state of amazement. God and pop culture are two of his passions and he makes sure not to separate the two. He also loves coffee, chocloate, cheap XBOX 360 games and free
food. He has worked as a DJ on community radio, sold mobile phones when they were bricks and has generally made a fool of himself to make others laugh in his various short films. The former comics books editor at Infuze, Kris also writes for Broken Frontier and is the creator of Extra Sequential, a new free on-line mag devoted to the wonders of comics. He likes to think that he is the geekiest person in the room. Usually, he's right.

 

CHOE BRERETON

 

Choe is a biological scientist by trade who has worked in forensics and more recently with many of the top scientists in the field of HIV research. Her writing career sprouted wings after she kicked science to the curb in August 2006 and fast-tracked a diploma in creative writing. She has since written for a number of publications. Married and living in New South Wales, she hopes to soon embark on a masters degree in journalism or communications. For every good thing that she has, she gives all glory to God.

 

CHRISSI ELLANKOON

 

Chrissi has recently discovered the secret joy of writing. She is passionate about seeing people equipped in order achieve the potential that God has placed in them. She is also actively invovled in a young adult ministry focused on 26-35 year olds and is also enjoying a career in the financial industry.


MAL FLETCHER

 

Mal is a TV and radio broadcaster, social commentator and author whose books have been translated into five languages. He is also an internationally acclaimed speaker and lecturer who equips leaders and major organisations to deal with change in a proactive way. He appears regularly in various media and speaks to audiences around the world. Mal is the founder/director of Next Wave International, a Christian mission to Europe, based in London. His EDGES TV programmes are seen around the world. For much more, constantly updated material, go to nextwaveonline.com and edges.tv.


NICK HODGSON

 

Nick is a 1990 Chiropractic graduate of the Phillip Institute of
Technology (now RMIT University). He has been practicing full-time in Ocean Grove for the last fifteen years and runs the longest established and largest natural health practice on the Bellarine Peninsula. Nick is a Fellow of the Holder Research Institute (F.H.R.I.), and is a member of the Chiropractors' Association of Australia (CAA) and the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA), and sits on the WCA's International Board of Governors, and the WCA Council on Addictions and Compulsive Disorders. Nick has also been actively involved in leadership roles at the Ocean Grove Baptist Church; leading small study groups including Alpha, singing in the worship team, and coordinating the church-wide "40 Days of Purpose" spiritual growth campaign.


SALLY HOLT

 

Sally has been a journalist for over 20 years, working in both print and radio. Married with three adult children, she is now a communications writer for the university sector and has recently completed a Masters degree in Professional Communication.


ADAM KELSALL

 

A former youth worker at Youth For Christ, Adam is studying youth work and doing a masters in wilderness therapy. He is passionate about communication and the fuzziness between what we say and what people hear. Adam likes climbing rocks and eating food provided by multinational burger and sandwich chains.

 

JUSTIN MICHAEL

 

Justin fills a number of roles - his current fulltime gig is as a music director/worship pastor at Kardinia Christian Church in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Justin performs with the Aussie band Compliments of Gus - check www.complimentsofgus.com - and somehow, has found himself doing solo stuff - www.justinmichael.com - as well as singing with the Melbourne Gospel Choir over the past few years. He is married to the very beautiful Jodi and they have a spectacular little man named Noah who keeps them busy. Justin says it's fun being a muso and that it’s crazy being all of the above things, but he wouldn’t have it any other way!


CHRIS PIPER

 

Chris originally hails from England so has that Tony Blair-type accent, and met his wife, Marilyn (who is a Geelong gal) in Somalia. He teaches part time at Deakin University on their graduate International & Community Development program, and also runs his own overseas aid consultancy, TorqAid. Chris & Marilyn live in Torquay, and have four children.'


DEAN RANKINE

 

Dean has been branded a heretic but he's trying not to take it personally. He likes Indian food, coffee and watching kung-fu movies. His dislikes include making small talk, roller-blading and being eaten by sharks. He works part-time as a community development worker with a needle and syringe program and part-time as a cartoonist. His comics have been published worldwide. You can see more of his work at HOLY COW! Christian Comics.



PHIL SMITH

 

Phil is a graduate in journalism and media from Central Queensland University. An award-winning journalist, he has filed radio and television stories from throughout South East Asia, Australia's "Top End" and the South Pacific. His credits include an ABC TV documentary on the rebuilding of East Timor. He hosts the ANZAC Day telecast from Brisbane each year. As a recipient of the Prince of Wales Award, Phil worked in San Francisco as Associate Producer at KGO, the top rating talk station in the US. The owner of Spun Yarns, Phil has covered matters of faith and Christian events for a wide range of faith-based and secular media, including the History Makers radio programme. As a guest speaker, Phil can draw on experiences as a Squadron Leader in the RAAF Specialist Reserve. He has served as a Peace Keeper in East Timor and Bougainville. He's also been operational in Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Indonesia. His stories include aircraft carriers and the Aceh tsunami, providing insight for teens to management teams. Married to Kayleen and father of Rebeccah and Jessica, Phil is involved with his local community through Pine Rivers Uniting Church. He lives near Lake Samsonvale and is writing an eco-thriller under the working title Slick. Phil's website is www.philsmith.com.au.


RUSSELL STUBBINGS

 

Russell is a church planter, teacher, and Bible college lecturer with a keen interest in exploring the place and function of the church, as a missional yet Biblically faithful entity, in contemporary society. Russell is beginning studies in the counselling field in an effort to be more effective as a pastor and develop a life coaching approach from a Christian perspective. He enjoys all things sporting and has had extensive involvement in the coaching field. Possibly his greatest achievement has been maintaining his sanity whilst raising teenage children with his wife Rhonda, to whom he has been happily married for 20 years.

 

CORAL VASS

 

Coral has a background in journalism and media. She currently lives in Tokyo Japan with her husband Tim and their four children.

 

NILS VON KALM

 

Nils is a born-and-bred Melbournite with a passion for making the Gospel relevant to the everyday person. Married to Nell, he has an honours degree in sociology as well as an accounting degree. During the week he works as a grant coordinator at World Vision. Currently a deacon at St Martin's Community Church in Collingwood, Nils regularly writes articles for the church bulletin and preaches occasionally. An avid reader, Nils' interests are early Christianity, the person of Jesus, the question of God and apologetics, and communicating how Jesus and the Gospels relate to every aspect of life. He has recently launched his own website called Soul Thoughts.


BRUCE C. WEARNE

 

A doctoral graduate from LaTrobe University (1986), Bruce lives and works from Point Lonsdale. He is currently working on a Christian sociological study of what it means to walk, as part of what it means to live as those who follow Jesus in this world. He thus also does a lot of walking along the coast to stimulate his research which also includes theoretical sociology and the production of stories explaining Christian life for children which are composed to be read with profit by their parents. He is married to a social policy researcher and has two grown up sons.


SIU FUNG WU

 

Originally from Hong Kong, Siu Fung has been in Melbourne since 1989. He was a pastor, and is a visiting lecturer at two theological colleges. Siu Fung studied computer science, economics and transport planning, and worked in IT for years. But his passion is the Bible and its relevance to the world today. After completing a degree at a Pentecostal college, he went to an Anglican college in England to do an MPhil in Biblical studies. Having grown up in a working class family, Siu Fung knows first hand what it means to be poor and powerless. He works part time as global education officer at World Vision, and seeks to encourage the church to embody the Gospel in
every sphere of life.


FORMER CONTRIBUTORS

TANYA BENNETTS

 

Tanya’s background, predominantly in the NGO sector, ranges from communications, marketing and PR through to sponsorship and fundraising, in both Australia and South Africa with organisations such as the Heart Foundation of Australia, World Vision South Africa and the Cancer Association of South Africa. She has an incredible passion for people and currently works full time for a multi-national corporation. Tanya, her husband Grant and their two children, Bryce and Kendra, live in Johannesburg, South Africa.


GAVIN BOX

 

Gavin is a journalist based in Geelong, Australia. He and wife Jenny have two young children.  At 40, he says his wife and children keep him young, although his receding hairline begs to differ.


JO HOPPING

 

Jo enjoys living vicariously through other people’s adventures while editing manuscripts and other bits of paper. Married to Rod, they have four daughters who keep the ‘mountain of wonder’ topped up in the laundry and spend too much time chasing their overgrown German Shepherd puppy out of the neighbour’s yard. Luckily there’s lots of space for shouting at him in their paddock on the Sunshine Coast. Grammatically-challenged readers can contact her via www.editonline.com.au.

 

JOE MONTAGUE

 

Joe is an internationally published writer and photographer whose work has appeared in Europe, Australia and the United States. His articles and reviews regularly appear in Christian publications and mainstream music magazines. He currently resides in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Joe’s writing is dedicated to the memory of his late son Kent Montague who died suddenly at the age of 18. Joe is also the publisher of Riveting Riffs, www.rivetingriffs.com.

 

JIM REIHER

 

Jim is a husband, a father of four, and a grandfather of four (but soon to be six). Since finishing high school in 1974, he has been an ambulance officer (four years), a highschool teacher (eight years), and a Bible college lecturer (12 years: five years at Harvest Bible College in Melbourne, and seven years at Tabor, Victoria). Jim teaches church history and New Testament studies. He began the Berwick campus for Tabor, Victoria, and currently lectures there and in the Ringwood North campus. Jim is also a keen writer with published books including The Eye of the Needle: Discipleship and Wealth and Women, Leadership and the Church. Jim has a Bachelor of Arts, with a double major in history, a Diploma in Education, and a Masters in Theology with honours. He is actively involved in politics, and stood as a candidate in the 2004 Federal Election, and more recently in the 2006 Victorian State election.



 

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THEY SAID IT

 

 

"We've just learned Michael Jackson has died."

 

- US-based website TMZ breaking the news at 4pm on June 25th that Michael Jackson had passed away. For previous 'They said it'... | more... |

 

 

THIS WEEK ON THE WEB

 

 

1st July, 2009

Following the disputed presidential election in Iran on 12th June, authorities have detained hundreds of people. There have also been some deaths. The Guardian newspaper in the UK is compiling a list of people detained or killed and is asking for help in identifying them. You can see the list here...

For previous 'This week on the web'... | more... |

 

 

DID YOU KNOW? NEWS BRIEFS

 

 

THE STATISTIC

Percentage of over 65s in Australia who have incomes below the OECD poverty threshold:

26.9 per cent

Source: OECD

| more... |

• Women in Japan and men in San Marino top life expectancy list... | more... |

• Twelve per cent of bird species threatened with extinction...  | more... |

• Millions of children suffering malnutrition in Bangladesh...  | more... |

| MORE NEWS BRIEFS... |

 

WORLDVIEW

 

 

WORLD MEETING PLEDGES URGENT SOCIAL SUPPORT FOR HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS

The European Union and dozens of countries have pledged to speed up social support for Holocaust survivors and the search for art and other items that were stolen during World War II by the Nazis.

     At a meeting in Prague, they agreed to establish a special European institute to deal with these issues and education. As the number of survivors of the Nazi Holocaust rapidly declines, there is a sense of urgency among delegates that the world must provide them with adequate social assistance and compensation for stolen goods.

     The five-day meeting - attended by Holocaust survivors, members of Jewish organisations and delegates from nearly 50 nations - was a follow-up to a conference more than a decade ago in Washington that led to agreements on recovering art looted by the Nazis.

STEFAN J. BOS reports...  | more... |

 

 

THE WORD EXPLAINED

 

 

Old Covenant

(The) Magnificat

(The) Transfiguration


| more... |

Visit our new forum on The Word to have Your Say on our definitions...

 

 

SPOTLIGHT

 

 

One year after Cyclone Nargis devastated communities in Burma (Myanmar), how is the recovery progressing?

 

Mia Marina, of World Vision, answers...

| more...|


 

RECENT FORUM DISCUSSION

 

Click here to go to the forums to have your say...


 

FORUMS THIS WEEK

 

 

SHARK ATTACKS IN AUSTRALIA
Following the third shark attack in the waters off Sydney in three weeks, the NSW Government has released a number of new proposals to prevent such attacks from happening - including a new shark tagging program and the use of GPS to monitor shark nets. What do you think? Are sharks a problem in Australia and, if so, what can be done to prevent future attacks?

THE WORD

Our new space to discuss our definitions from The Word Explained. This week's definition is 'Pentateuch'...

GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS

The world's economic markets have been shaken in recent weeks as the US experiences what some are saying is the worst economic crisis to face the nation since the Great Depression. How has it affected you? Are governments doing enough?

SIGHTPOLL: SHOULD THE DATE OF AUSTRALIA DAY BE CHANGED?

Click here to go to the forums to have your say...


 

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BLOGS

 

 

THOUGHTS ON LIFE: MEANING AND WELL-BEING IN THE RAT RACE

As I waited at the bus stop one morning last week, watching both school kids and adults waiting to go to their places of education or work to spend the day, I was once again struck by the thought of meaning in life.

The kids were waiting there to go to school to work out what they want to do with their lives, what career path they want to follow. Then there were the adults who had gone through it all years before. It was the expressionless or just plain unhappy looks on the faces of the adults - who used to be just like the school kids next to them - that hit me.

NILS VON KALM'S blog on faith, life and how it all might fit together...  | more... |

 

STRANGESIGHTS: 'BRING YOUR GUN TO CHURCH DAY', THE VUVUZELA DISPUTE, AND A HOUSE THAT TWEETS...
‘Bring your gun to church day’ probably isn’t the sort of idea that will catch hold in Australia but in the US, a pastor did ask his flock to do just that. Pastor Ken Pagano, of New Bethel Church in Louisville, as people to bring their guns - in holsters, mind - to church to celebrate the Second Amendment (that’s the bit in the US Constitution that guarantees the right to bear arms)

DAVID ADAMS writes about the odder side of life... | more... |

 

Just Been ThinkingJUST BEEN THINKING: NOTE TO SELF ...
Note to self: Inheritance has already been received, not in it’s final entirety of course, but definitely in terms of freedom, authority and identity.

Note to self: Spend it wisely, confidently and with thankfulness. It’s a big one.

ANN WOJCZUK's blog about life, the universe and possibly everything...  | more... |

FOR SIGHT'S BLOG LINKS, HEAD TO OUR BLOGSPOT PAGE...    


 

SIGHT PODCASTING

 

 

WEEKLY UPDATE:

24th September, 2008: Hear DAVID ADAMS speaking to GURYEL ALI, of 96.3 Rhema FM in Geelong, talking about some of the stories featured on Sight...  | more... |

For our archived podcasts...

Podcast page...


 

 

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WE NEED YOU AT SIGHT!

We're looking for journalists, writers, illustrators and photographers to join the Sight team (please note that all Sight contributors are presently volunteers) - use the feedback form here to tell us about how you'd like to be involved...