Part of worship is bringing before the Lord our lives and our world. It is important that our prayers and our singing relate to the issues that face our society. Consequently we have included a number of prayers which you may use in worship or which may simply provide you with ideas for the development of your own prayers.

We have also provided a number of suggestions as to what your church might sing when considering the forthcoming federal election. Here are ten hymns with a social conscience found in ‘Together in Song’ (HarperCollins) which are suitable for worship as they focuse on issues related to the federal election. They have been collated by hymn-lover Graeme Cross, a member of the Uniting Church’s Synod Music Committee. He also works for the Evangelical Alliance insurance project. He provides information on the content of the hymns and the appropriate tunes to use. A number of these hymns are traditional in style and others are quite recent, but if a more contemporary nstyle is what your church has then try these fifteen contemporary hymns and songs for a federal election which Lucy Graham has selected. They too can be used in worship when reflecting on issues related to the federal election. They come from a variety of sources. Lucy has made comments on when they are appropriate to use. Lucy is the Contemporary Music Network Coordinator of the Christian Education & Congregational Mission Unit of the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania. Or, if you use a different style you can use the contemporary worship songs by people like Matt Redman, as suggested by Chris Gale of Yarra Valley Vineyard church.