In solidarity with West PapuaThe Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) Assembly has sought to highlight concerns about ongoing violence and oppression of the indigenous peoples of West Papua.Responding to an appeal from the West Papua Council of Churches, UCA President Dr Deidre Palmer has written to Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and the Indonesian Ambassador […]
A Covenantal Vision Written by Stuart McMillan, Assembly Consultant CovenantingThe Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC or Congress) – First Peoples, nurtured and sustained by God before colonisation, are celebrated at the very heart of what it means to be the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA).This is the core commitment and vision encompassed by […]
A safe home for all refugeesBy Rob Floyd, Assembly Associate General Secretary and Chairperson of the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce What’s in a number? Sometimes numbers are needed to fully understand how troubling a situation can be. This is especially true for the numbers surrounding Australia’s offshore processing regime. Remember, each number is a real […]
Adding our voice: National strategy to prevent abuseIdeas and concerns from across the Uniting Church have formed part of a UCA submission to the Australian Government as part of final consultations towards a nationwide strategy to prevent child abuse.“As a Church, we are committed to keeping children safe and creating safe, nurturing and welcoming spaces […]
Pacific Churches in CommunionWritten by Dr Deidre Palmer, President Uniting Church in Australia Church leaders from across the Pacific Region gathered online to share on a number of aspects of our life and mission at the Pacific Church Leaders Forum on 14 April. I joined 20 other participants in discussing the current situation with COVID-19 […]
Earth Day 2021 #RestoreOurEarthWritten by Rev Dr Ji Zhang 张骥, Assembly Theologian-in-ResidenceEarth Day 2021: linking environmental stewardship and the Easter faithApril 22, 1970 was the first Earth Day. 20 million Americans took to the streets and demonstrated for a sustainable environment. It was the time that large industry belched out smoke, Americans and Australians loved […]
Worsening Human Rights in the PhilippinesPresident of the Uniting Church in Australia Dr Deidre Palmer has expressed concern at the worsening human rights situation in the Philippines.Echoing the words of Bishop Reuel Norman O. Marigza, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), Dr Palmer said the Uniting Church was deeply […]
Time to end deaths in custodyOn the 30-year anniversary of the report of Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) and Uniting Church in Australia have called on all levels of government to commit to systemic and lasting change to reduce the nation’s alarmingly high incarceration rates […]
The mission of Woollahra — Double Bay Uniting ChurchWritten by Bethany BroadstockWhat does Innovation look like in the Uniting Church?For Rev Vanessa Williams-Henke and Uniting Heart and Soul in Sydney’s Double Bay and Woollahra, there are two key ingredients: an openness to take risks, and embracing a “radically honest” approach to ministry.Rev Vanessa Williams-Henke took […]
A plan to transform aged careThe Uniting Church’s national agency for community services, UnitingCare Australia, has released its response to the Aged Care Royal Commission, as a member of the Australian Aged Care Collaboration. “With the Federal Budget now just 4 weeks away, we urge the Government to consider our 15-point plan to overhaul the […]