2023 Assembly Calendar of Dates

Welcome to the 2023 Assembly Calendar

On this page you will find the 2023 dates for the key days we mark together as a national Uniting Church, events held around the Uniting Church that are open to all, key liturgical dates, key ecumenical dates and events, and various dates that are marked socially/culturally that you may like to mark in your local community.

This calendar is intended as a resource to help Uniting Church communities consider the shape of the year and plan their participation. Further dates will be added as we become aware of them.

Could this calendar be more helpful, or have we missed an event the national Uniting Church should know about? Email us to let us know.

Asterisk* = for this date, a worship or other resource is normally provided by the Uniting Church Assembly or Uniting Church agencies.

Red = national Uniting Church date or Uniting Church resource

January

28 National Young Adult Leaders Conference (Online)

February

13 Anniversary of the Apology to Stolen Generations

22 Ash Wednesday

22 Lent begins (until 6 April)

20-26 Harmony Week (including International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination)

22 March-20 April Ramadan (Assembly-hosted Building Harmony Iftar Dinner on 28 March)

April

7-9 Holy Weekend* – President’s Easter Message

12-19 National Conference - Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress

25 ANZAC Day* - resource from the Uniting Church Defence Force Chaplains Committee

May

7 UnitingWorld Sunday

18-28 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

27 May-3 June National Reconciliation Week

28 Pentecost

28 May – 22 June Uniting in Prayer* (Act2 national prayer event) - resources available from the Act2 Project Unit

June

18-24 Refugee Week

21-24 Synod meeting - Synod of South Australia

22 Uniting Church Anniversary* - President’s Anniversary Message

July

2-9 NAIDOC Week

16 Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday* - resources to come from the Assembly

26-30 President’s Conference (Brisbane) - this event will take place in two parts: 26-28 July for ministers in placement, 28-30 July open to the whole Church

August

4 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day

4-8 National Conference of Lay Preachers, Sunshine Coast

18-20 50th Anniversary Celebrations, Nungalinya College, Darwin

24-27 4th Biennial History Conference, Darwin - UC National History Society

September

1 September-4 October Season of Creation

3 Child Safe Sunday (UCA Child Safe Week)* - resources to come from the National Safe Church Unit

8-10 Synod meeting - Synod of Western Australia

14-17 Synod meeting - Synod of NSW/ACT

October

1 Uniting Church Older Persons Sunday* - resource to come from Uniting Friends of Ageing (UnitingCare Australia)

20-24 Synod meeting - Synod of Queensland

22 Anniversary - National Apology to Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse* - resources to come from UCA Redress

November

1-3 Preachfest (Synod of NSW/ACT but open nationally)

16-21 Synod meeting - Synod of VIC/TAS

25 Nov-10 Dec 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence

30 Act2 National Prayer Gathering

December

3-24 Advent

25 Christmas Day* – President’s Christmas Message

January 2024

22 Day of Mourning* - resource to come from the Assembly

Recurring

Every Thursday we mark Thursdays in Black, as part of the long-running campaign led by the World Council of Churches for a world free of rape and violence. Read about our participation.

Every fortnight the Act2 Project Unit hosts Zoom Drop-Ins, a relaxed opportunity for people to meet the Act2 team and learn more about this national project and how to get involved. Open to all. Find current dates here.

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