Welcome to the Summer issue of The New Age and the articles and society reports running through it. It is the issue that comes out around Christmas and this is reflected several times. Whatever else Christmas is, it is certainly a busy period, so we hope that you will find time at some point to enjoy reading this issue. And we wish you a lovely Christmas celebration and a safe passage through 2016.

A considerable amount of this issue is taken up with one article by Joe Vandermeer. Its called ‘Swedenborg, Afterlife Witness’ and it was written because one Australian national magazine called ‘New Dawn’ which is widely read by people interested in the spiritual, the alternative, the remedies and the environment approached the Swedenborg Centre and said that they were producing an issue wholly looking at the Afterlife. This is because of the 2nd Afterlife Conference which will be in Melbourne at the end of January 2016.

They asked for an article on Swedenborg and the Afterlife. Joe wrote one and it is there in their current issue. It has also appeared elsewhere, but we are giving it to you in The New Age as it is an excellent and wide-ranging article and a great read. It would be very suitable to pass on to other people too, so feel able to do so.

Another piece is by Robin Wooldridge who lives in Birmingham England. Robin has been studying theology with the Australian New Church College and he will be ordained during 2016. His article is on Ordination, but it is written more as a developing personal journey.

We have a good number of Society Reports and our thanks to those who put them together. So with these, and a Christmas sermon from overseas plus information about the camp in January and the national Assembly in May, in Greenhills, Canberra, we believe this is a good and significant issue for you.