Jordan Sumner

Jordan Sumner is a Ngarrindjeri man from Raukkan in South Australia and a member of the Uniting Aboriginal & Islander Christian Congress. He is currently the Vice-Chairperson of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress in South Australia and the Chairperson of the Murraylands Faith Community in the Presbytery of Southern SA. 

Growing up in the Uniting Church and Congress, he has served on the UAICC National Youth Committee for many years and now the National Executive of the UAICC.  

Jordan comes from an Aboriginal Health and Community Development background. He is the former Chief Executive Officer of the Raukkan Community Council Inc. and is currently employed with the largest Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service in South Australia within their Culture Care Connect program. 

“My hope for the 17th Assembly and moving forward together as the Uniting Church on these lands that we now call Australia, is that of the theme weaving Christ’s love across cultures and boundaries.” 

Embracing the many Cultures within our church, particularly the many Aboriginal Cultures and Indigenous Theology teachings throughout these lands and waterways, our connection to our beautiful country through our creation stories and the knowledge that God was here before colonisation, my hope is that we can weave together the love of Christ throughout these beautiful lands and waterways. "

Rev Dr Monica Melanchthon

Rev Dr Monica Melanchthon is Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible at the Pilgrim Theological College, University of Divinity. She is a Lutheran theologian from the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church in India. She has contributed to various study projects of the Lutheran World Federation and has participated regionally and internationally in various programs related to gender, interfaith dialogue, Bible, mission, theology, development, and theological education initiated by the LWF, the World Council of Churches, Council of World Mission, Christian Conference of Asia, and Asian women’s resource centre for culture and theology. 

In 2022 she was a recipient of the Society of Biblical Literature’s (SBL) Outstanding Mentor Award. The SBL and its Committee on Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the Profession (CUREMP) established this award in 2020 to honour scholars of colour who provide exceptional mentorship to other scholars/students of colour.

"My hope is to be able to accompany the President-elect and be of assistance to her as and when needed. I hope to draw on my experiences of church life, and the insights gained from my role as a theological educator and mentor, especially in the areas of scriptural interpretation and theology, issues of gender and context, intercultural and cross-cultural issues."

Rev Seungjae Yeon

Rev. Seung Jae Yeon (연승재) is a migrant Korean male and an Australian-brewed-ordained-minister of the Uniting Church in Australia who practices and lives in the Christ’s value - Love your God and neighbours. He is currently minister at Eastwood Uniting Church in Sydney.

Seungjae's hope for the triennium is to ‘Open up’ new opportunities in the Creator’s love,  to‘Stretch out’ to the fullness of Redeemer’s grace and ‘Be a companion’ of the faith journey in the Advocate’s communion. 

"I have a hope-full vision that these three-fold gifts and insights, which I have already found in Charissa's vocation and her journey till today, will be seen and made visible in the office of the President. The gifts and insights will be as wide and deep as the Pacific Ocean that embraces all lands and islands and receives rivers, providing practical outcomes and being a tangible home for each and every member of the Uniting Church and local communities where their congregations, faith communities and agencies are called to thrive God’s mission in changing times."