Apil 2024

If you're a first language English speaker, you will never have had to wonder what it feels like to only be able to read God's word in your second, third, or even fourth language. For many of our First Nations brothers and sisters, however, this is not something they have had to wonder about - it is their reality. In fact, of the 120+ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages in Australia still spoken today, only one has a full Bible translation.

At our April Greenhouse Gathering, Amy Cruickshanks shared her experiences as a translation consultant with the Bible Society Australia, working with Aboriginal Christians around the country to translate the Bible into their heart languages. She talked to us about why this work was important, how it preserved languages at risk of being lost, and how it was a way for us to love our Indigenous brothers and sisters. And she shared some great stories about the people she had met and partnered with, and some amazing things she had learned about language along the way!

April 2024

Women have played a vital role in the Christian story – they were, as Dorothy Sayers so eloquently pointed out, “the first at the cradle and the last at the cross”. However, we often don’t know much about their lives; they were extraordinary teachers, evangelists, pastoral carers, disciples, mothers, and sisters. Countless women have contributed to their churches and their communities, and hearing their stories is a wonderful way to broaden our eyes to the work God has done and is doing in the world, and to be encouraged to serve him and his people in our own context, just as they did.

March 2024

As Christians, we spend a great deal of time thinking about spiritual maturity, and working on strategies to become more mature in our faith. But what does it mean to be emotionally mature, and how should we think about emotional maturity as Christian people? How might growing in our emotional maturity impact how we work, how we connect with our families and friends, or how we approach the ministries we’re involved in? And how can we grow in our emotional maturity?

At our March Greenhouse Gathering, Lauren Errington, social worker and Director of the Family Systems Institute, will help us think through why emotional maturity is important, how it is different to and intersects with spiritual maturity, and how being Christian impacts how we think about this area of life. She’ll offer examples of how growing in our emotional maturity can benefit not only ourselves but those around us, particularly as it impacts our work, our ministry and our relationships. And she’ll give us concrete and practical tips on how to grow in our emotional maturity in 2024.

February 2024

Christians throughout the history of the church have engaged in many and varied ways to help them live for Jesus. Many of these spiritual practices have been forgotten or misunderstood, but they provide us with a rich heritage of spiritual disciplines that help aim our love and desire towards God.

At our February Greenhouse Gathering, Di Morgan will introduce us to some of these forgotten practices, helping us explore and consider what practices might be most valuable for each of us in living wisely and faithfully in our responsibilities and relationships this year, aware of the challenges in doing so.

Our hope is that this evening will inspire us all to take realistic steps towards developing regular life practices that will help us to keep our fixed eyes on Jesus in 2024.

February 2024

Have you written a book, but you have no idea where to start when it comes to getting it published? Or you have an idea for a book, and would love to get some great advice on whether it’s worth writing? Or you’re just interested in learning more about how the publishing industry works, behind the scenes? At our first Greenhouse event for 2024, you’ll have an opportunity to meet two women working at Acorn Press, Head of Publishing Susannah McFarlane and Managing and Commissioning Editor Kris Argall. They will share their experience about how to go from an idea to a published book, and answer any questions you have about the process.

Kris Argall has a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Sydney and originally worked as a research scientist. Through a series of events that were a surprise to Kris but not to God, she moved into book publishing. With over eighteen years of experience in editing, Kris is currently the Managing and Commissioning Editor at Bible Society Australia.

Susannah McFarlane is the award-winning author, creator, and publisher of over 80 books and some of Australia’s most successful children’s book series. Susannah has worked as a Publishing Director, a Marketing Director, and a Managing Director in Australia and in the UK. Susannah is currently the head of publishing at Bible Society Australia.

November 2023

Books are often described as mirrors or windows - they can help us see our own lives reflected in the pages, or allow us a view of lives and stories that are different from our own. This is just as true for kids as they read as it is for adults, which is why reading is such a powerful experience for young people. But how can we, as the adults in their lives, have helpful input into what and how they read? In particular, how can we be equipping our kids to be readers who bring their faith to the windows and mirrors of the books they read?

Penny Reeve is an award-winning Australian children's author who loves thinking about how faith and children’s literature intersect, and in particular how children’s books help kids grown in their faith. At our November Greenhouse Gathering, she'll be sharing her experiences of writing books for children that encourage spiritual growth and questioning, and will help us think about how as adults we can both model and equip our kids to read in ways that will nurture their faith. She will share some strategies for tackling books that have perspectives we might not agree with, and how to choose books that encourage our kids to grow in their love of Christ and their care and empathy for others.

October 2023

We have all experienced the power of a good story. Whether fictional stories in novels, TV shows and movies, or true stories in biographies or the news, a good story has the power to not just entertain and inform us, but to shape us, to move us emotionally, and to empower us to think and live differently. As Christians, we are people of story - it's how God communicates with us, through telling us his story through his word.

Rebecca Abbott and Penny Mulvey have been storytellers for as long as they can remember, as professional writers and journalists and in their personal lives. At our October Greenhouse Gathering, they will be sharing with us their own stories, including the story of how and why they began their award-winning podcast, Run Like A Woman, to tell the stories of other Australian Christian Women. They'll give us some insights into how media organisations use stories and how we can read them well. And they'll help us think about how we can be using our own life stories to grow God's Kingdom, both in the media and in our relationships.

September 2023

What do you need to turn your idea into reality?

Imagine having an idea that could make a meaningful impact on the world, but not knowing where to start or how to bring it to life. So many women have ideas for starting a new business or developing a new ministry but these ideas often fail to take shape. Getting from a great idea to a tangible reality often takes time, energy, commitment and financial resources.

Madeleine Galea works for a private philanthropic trust committed to providing support to turn innovative ideas into reality. At our Greenhouse Gathering this September, she will share why Christian women, like you, should consider asking for funding to get your ideas off the ground. You will gain insights into how to write compelling grant applications that effectively communicate your ideas.

August 2023

So many of us women these days feel exhausted, don't we? We're constantly giving - to our families, our workplaces, our churches, our communities. Often we spend so much time caring for others, that our hearts grow weary. We know as Christians that we are saved by grace, but so often we try to live our day-to-day lives by our own strength. How can we instead learn to sustain ourselves by grace?

Hebrews 13:9 has been a great inspiration to our August guest speaker, Sarah Condie: "it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace." At this gathering, Sarah will share with us the story of Katherine Gell, a Puritan woman living in the 17th century, a woman who was committed to giving, to serving, and to the social good. And she'll share her own story of being a Christian woman in our times, and how she has learned to strengthen her own heart through the practice of Biblical meditation. Sarah will explain what Biblical meditation is, how to practice it, and why she thinks it's a key to spiritual wellbeing in our busy and demanding lives.

July 2023

If we just look around us, here in Australia or in the Western world, it is easy to conclude that Christianity is in decline. What we often fail to see, is how quickly the gospel is spreading and the church is growing in Africa, Asia and Latin America, along with Eastern Europe, Russia and the Middle East. In Asia alone, Christianity is growing at twice the rate of population growth. Historically, the Western Church has put great time and resources into overseas missions and evangelism, but the rapid growth of the church has created a critical shortage of Biblical leaders and resources in the Majority World. As a result, tens of millions of believers are struggling to grow in Christ.

The Langham Partnership, established by John Stott in the 1970s, seeks to address this shortage. They walk with the global church to biblically equip leaders and pastors to multiply disciples, believing that this is best accomplished as God’s people understand and apply God’s word. It is a vitally important ministry, with long-term impacts, as local Christians are raised up and trained to serve their communities.

At our July Greenhouse Gathering, Jill McGilvray, Chair of the Langham Partnership International Council, will be sharing more of what Langham does, why it does it, and how it is impacting our Christian brothers and sisters in the Majority World. She’ll share about extraordinary people she’s met, inspirational stories she’s heard, and how we can be praying well for this mission. And she’ll introduce us to a Langham Scholar studying here in Australia, who has been sponsored by Langham to complete her PhD to strengthen and equip the church in her home country in Asia.

June 2023

We're all increasingly aware that we need to be talking to young people about sex, consent, porn and a whole host of other things that sound pretty stressful, to be honest. These conversations, though necessary, seem incredibly complicated and very high-stakes. What if we don't feel equipped? How do we work out what we want to say? Isn’t it going to be super awkward? Emma has spent the last twenty years pushing through the awkward and grappling with these conundrums with the high school students she teaches and with younger kids in her own parenting. She is passionate about inspiring and empowering parents and significant adults to wade into these tricky spaces and have these essential conversations with the young people we love and care for.

At our June Greenhouse Gathering Emma will speak about how desperate the kids and teens in our lives are for us to overcome our discomfort and start having these conversations. She’ll provide some insights, suggest some ways in and help us talk through the obstacles and the rewards.

May 2023

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” The words spoken by God to Joshua as he appointed him leader of the Israelites have proven both challenging and comforting for many Christians stepping into a new role. And particularly for those leading people and organisations through the last few difficult years, the knowledge that God is with them has been foundational to their capacity to continue through the hardships and the stress.

At our May Greenhouse Gathering, Clare Steele will be sharing her experience of serving as CEO of Compassion Australia through a global pandemic. She will help us understand what Compassion is seeking to do in the world, her vision for the organisation and the people it cares for and empowers, and her experience of being a female Christian leader in the aid and development space. Along the way she'll share some wisdom on leadership, some encouragement and inspiration, and some great stories about the places she's been and the people she's met.

EVENT POSTPONED

If you’re a first language English speaker, you will never have had to wonder what it feels like to only be able to read God’s word in your second, third, or even fourth language. For many of our First Nations brothers and sisters, however, this is not something they have had to wonder about – it is their reality. In fact, of the 120+ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages in Australia still spoken today, only one has a full Bible translation.

At our April Greenhouse Gathering, Amy Cruickshanks will share her experiences as a translation consultant with the Bible Society Australia, working with Aboriginal Christians around the country to translate the Bible into their heart languages. She’ll talk to us about why this work is important, how it is preserving languages at risk of being lost, and how it is a way for us to love our Indigenous brothers and sisters. And she’ll share some great stories about the people she’s met and partnered with, and some amazing things she’s learnt about language, along the way! If you’re interested in hearing what God is doing to bring his word into the lives of people right here in Australia, this is an evening you won’t want to miss.

March 2023

Podcasts have been around for almost twenty years, but for many of us, the form has only become a regular part of our lives much more recently. We listen to podcasts to be informed, to be entertained, to be challenged, and to be comforted. But how should we think about podcasts as Christian women, and how can we sort through the thousands of podcasts available to make the most of our listening time? And for those of us looking for something new to listen to, perhaps something to encourage and support us in our faith, what are some good podcast suggestions for the new(ish) year?

At our March Greenhouse Gathering, we will have a panel of three women who are involved in very different podcasts. Kara Martin, Laurel Moffatt and Justine Toh will be sharing why they love podcasts, what they believe the value of the format is, how podcasts seek to identify and reach different audiences, and what they are hoping their podcasts will bring to their listeners. We'll also spend some time recommending different podcasts, and why they're worth listening to, for those of us who are constantly on the listen for new shows!

February 2023

Many of us come to a new year with big goals for the twelve months ahead. But by February, so many of those plans will have gone awry. We know that we cannot control everything, but could having a well-ordered life, where we deliberately plan what we can, make us more effective in meeting our goals, and using our gifts and opportunities to bring God's blessing to bear on our world? Could being rightly ordered in our personal and work lives give us a taste of shalom, of everything being in right relationship, instead of chaos?

At our February Greenhouse Gathering, people and project manager Jessica Carroll Smith will help us think through how both setting goals and having a plan to achieve them can bring peace to our lives and make us more effective in serving others and using our gifts.

November 2022

Summer is approaching fast! Are you someone who looks forward to the summer because it means more time to read, and needs some great book recommendations? Or someone who feels like they should read more, but isn't sure where to start - or even where reading fits into the Christian life?

At our November Greenhouse Gathering, Natasha Moore, author, reader and general book-nerd, will talk about why Christians are people who read, how to develop a reading habit, and share some of her favourite books from 2022. Come along and think through with us why 17th-Century Puritan author Richard Baxter once declared, "Good books are a very great mercy to the world." And share your own suggestions for what others might like to read!

October 2022

Christmas is coming! Have you just found out it's your year to host, and you're already feeling overwhelmed? Or have you been thinking for years about how you'd love to use Christmas as an excuse to meet your neighbours, or strengthen connections with people in your community, but you're just not quite sure how do go about doing that?

At our October Greenhouse Gathering, Louisa Raggatt, a woman who is passionate about the good that can come from Christians being hospitable, wherever and however they can, will share some practical tips and encouragement for how to build community through hospitality - and how it doesn't need to be perfect, or expensive, or enormous, to make a real impact on the people around you.

September 2022

When we ask Christian women what sort of support they need to thrive as Christians in their workplaces, families, churches and communities, many women mention mentoring as something they'd love to be involved in - either as a mentor or a mentee. But many aren't sure where to start to make that happen, or are not sure they have the right skills and experience to help younger Christian women to thrive.

Come along to our September Greenhouse Gathering to hear Lily Strachan share her experiences of mentoring young women through her work as a campus worker with the Christian Union at Macquarie University and as Chaplain at Robert Menzies College. Lily will share what she loves about walking alongside women, what is challenging about mentoring, and what sorts of issues young women are facing.

August 2022

Feeling tired all the time? You’re not alone. Many of the Christian women we’ve been talking to have expressed feelings of tiredness and exhaustion as they manage many responsibilities. And then on top of that comes 'pandemic fatigue'. How can we make sure we are getting the rest we need?

At our first ever Greenhouse Gathering, clinical psychologist and burnout expert Valerie Ling Shared practical tips and encouragement for how to manage your health and mental health during this ongoing season of fatigue and stress.

Attendees also connected with other Christian women, enjoyed some delicious food, and heard more about what The Greenhouse has to offer to women in different industries, workplaces, churches and stages of life.