Guest AuthorOn Friday 6th February 2026, the Christian Research Association (CRA) released data through a series of papers prepared and presented by members of the team of researchers on Communities of Meaning. We have been delighted with the rich conversations we have had. Each story was different, but each significant in helping us understanding social connections and meaning-making among retired people in Australia.
Those presentations are now available for viewing via the website of the Christian Research Association. Alternatively, you can view the individual presentations directly through YouTube, using the links below.
The presentations are:
Assoc Prof Robyn Wrigley-Carr (Whitley College, University of Divinity): Escaping Loneliness in Retirement
Dr Fleur Creed (Alphacrucis University College and St Francis College, University of Divinity): Transition to Retirement.
Dr Stephen Reid (Christian Research Association and the National Centre for Pastoral Research): Keeping Active for an Enriching Retirement
Dr Enqi Weng (Deakin University): Continuum of (Dis) Connection Digital Participation and Meaning-Making among Older Australians
Rev Em Prof Philip Hughes (Pilgrim College, University of Divinity and Christian Research Association): Contributions of Organisations to Meaning Making.
The research team, which also includes Prof Johannes Luetz (Alphacrucis University College), who was not able to be with us on 6th February 2026, is continuing to work on the material and preparing papers for academic journals around the world. We have also started writing a more popular book which we hope will be useful for people who are retiring and for those who care for them and who run the organisations for retired people. We hope the book will be released early in 2027.
Our primary goal was to discover what attracted retirees to become involved in organisations and how organisations contributed to their sense of wellbeing and meaning. If you are someone who is nearing retirement, or early in this transition; or a community organisation or service provider of activities or services to this age group, you will find these recordings have a lot to offer a lot to your thinking and practice.
What can our churches and community organisations be doing to help those ageing to find
meaning and purpose from their participation?
What steps should we take as we age to bridge
the transition between work and retirement?
How can we ensure all are valued as they age and able to
meaningfully share their knowledge and skills?
If you would like to be involved or contribute to the research on Communities of Meaning, please email: admin@cra.org.au.
Our thanks to the University of Divinity for the Research Grant that made this event possible.
Watch
University of Divinity
Pilgrim Theological College
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