REFLECTION: By Faith...Conversion That Changes Communities

Reflection by Rev Dr Peter Armstrong, Director of Mission, UnitingCare.

Sixty-two years ago, Rev Sir Allan Walker wrote:

“If there is anything the church needs… it is a recovery of faith in conversion… faith in how Christians are made.”

Today, the word ‘conversion’ can feel loaded. But in the Gospel, it’s not just a single moment—it’s the Spirit’s ongoing work, transforming lives and communities through healing, reconciliation, hope, and renewal.

Moments of faith are beautiful, but conversion without lasting change, without impact on others, is incomplete.

This August, we remember the birth of Blue Nursing—now BlueCare. In 1953, Rev Arthur Preston, Sister Olive Smith (Crombie), a young in-training Rev Bryan Gilmour, and a team of church members stepped into the community, bringing God’s healing love through in-home nursing care.

From UnitingCare Queensland’s 2024 Annual Report, BlueCare has:

• 54,876 community clients
• 3,076,222 home visits

These numbers seem a long way from a congregation’s serving their local community.

Where is faith and transformation in these? It’s there—in Chaplains and Connect100+ Connectors, in staff who serve out of faith, and in the everyday compassion of people who love others without even realising they are touching the heart of God.

As Jesus said in Matthew 25: “When you did it to the least of these… you were doing it to me.”

Service is not an optional extra—it’s part of God’s transformation of the world. The challenge for us is clear: will we, as the Church, partner with the Spirit’s work in our own communities, as Rev Arthur’s congregation did when Sister Olive went out?

If you want to explore how you can step into this work locally, contact connect100@ucareqld.com.au.

Pictured are Rev Arthur Preston, and Sister Olive Smith (Crombie)