Uniting Church Logo
17th ASSEMBLY
Donate

lament in lent: on country, with country, for country

Aunty Alison Overeem and Rev Alex Sangster invite the Uniting Church community to show solidarity with creation through the lament in lent vigil, being held on country in Tasmania

March 18, 2025

This Lent, come and stand with mob on Country to support our ancient forests!

Proud Palawa woman Aunty Alison Overeem and Rev Alex Sangster invite you to join them on Country for this ‘lament in lent’, as they hold vigil amongst the Giant Styx - the ancient trees of Tasmania.

The Styx forests are centuries old tall eucalyptus forests with hollow bearing trunks and branches, upon which many species of animals and birds depend. They are under existential threat from logging.

Join us for this vigil as we stand in solidarity with our native forests and with creation, in partnership with the Bob Brown Foundation and the 'I Stand with Uncle Jim' movement. Uncle Jim Everett is a loved and respected Elder leading the fight for Tasmania's forests. He has been arrested on numerous occasions across a lifetime of unapologetic activism for Country.

"Used for export woodchips, the logging of these world heritage value forests is wasteful vandalism and it is wrong," said Erik Hayward, Campaigner for the Bob Brown Foundation. "Today, the logger’s machines must be evicted, not the citizens who are defending the remaining forests that can still be saved."

"Rainforests gullies with ancient sassafras, forests that are full of wildlife and buffers from bushfires, the remaining forests in this Styx logging coupe and all remaining native forests must be protected to avoid dangerous climate change and wildlife extinctions."

When: Thursday 3 April from 10.30am-2.30pm AEDT

Where: Approx. 1.5 hours west of Hobart (exact location on request)

Contact: Rev Alexandra Sangster – 0411292273 (Some financial assistance is available to help First Nations peoples in Tasmania attend. Contact Alex for information.)

The vigil will be filmed and made available to the Uniting Church community following the event.

Click below to download the flyer.

If you want to get the latest news from the Uniting Church in Australia then subscribe to our weekly newsletter delivered to your inbox.

Photo Campaign #IStandWithUncJim

In the lead up to the event, express your support for Uncle Jim and the movement to protect Country by snapping a photo in front of a tree holding a sign: 'I stand with Uncle Jim'.

Post them to your socials using the hashtag #IStandWithUncJim or send them to us: comms@nat.uca.org.au.

More news from the Assembly

Energy Policy Forum

Energy policy: what are the options? A pre-election forum to be hosted by the Assembly and Uniting Climate with input from the Nature Conservation Council of NSWUnderstanding Energy Policy: What are the options? A Uniting Church conversation Confused about energy and its costs? This online forum can help! Uniting Climate and the Uniting Church National…

President's Conference 2025

President’s Conference 2025 President Rev Charissa Suli has announced a President’s Conference to take place from 6-9 November in TongaPresident’s Conference 2025 6-9 November Nuku’alofa, Tonga Uniting Church President Rev Charissa Suli has announced a President’s Conference will be held from 6-9 November 2025 at the Tanoa International Dateline Hotel, Nuku’alofa, Tonga. Program and registration…

President's Letter to the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand

“What a powerful witness your ordinations will be” President Rev Charissa Suli has written a letter of prayerful solidarity and support to Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand Bishop Paul Smith, as the Church prepares to ordain its first women Pastors Image: Maria Rudolph (left) and Sue Westhorp (right) are set to become the…

President's Easter Message 2025

“Do not linger in the shadows of fear and despair” Uniting Church Easter messages 2025 Easter messages from the President and Moderators of the Uniting Church in AustraliaThe 2025 Easter message from Uniting Church in Australia President Rev Charissa Suli is now here to give hope and inspiration to your Easter season! Inspired by the…

Constitutional Court ruling in South Korea

President’s statement on Constitutional Court of Korea ruling Uniting Church President Rev Charissa Suli has shared a statement and prayer after the Constitutional Court of Korea upheld the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol A Pastoral Statement on the Constitutional Court’s Ruling in South Korea Rev Charissa Suli, President of the Uniting Church in…

Joint Statement: 2025 Federal Election

Joint Statement: 2025 Federal Election Leaders in the Uniting Church Assembly, UnitingCare Australia, UnitingWorld and Frontier Services have joined together to welcome the upcoming Federal Election and announce the launch of Uniting Church justice resource Our Vision for a Just AustraliaJoint Statement Uniting Church Assembly, UnitingCare Australia, UnitingWorld and Frontier Services Welcoming the announcement of…

Prayers for earthquake recovery in Myanmar

Prayers rising for Myanmar following magnitude 7.7 earthquake President Rev Charissa Suli has shared this message and prayer following a magnitude 7.7 earthquake which killed over 1,700 people in central Myanmar and injured thousands of othersRev Charissa Suli, President of the Uniting Church in Australia, has shared this pastoral message and prayer with the Church…

ASC meets in March

Assembly Standing Committee meets for first time in 2025 The ASC met in Sydney over the weekend of 14-16 March to continue its governance and oversight of the Uniting Church Assembly written by Andrew Johnson, Assembly General Secretary On the weekend of 14-16 March the Assembly Standing Committee (ASC) met together at Mary MacKillop Place…