How can you stand with Congress into the future?

“In the Covenant we committed to walking together, we confessed our failings both past and present, and we committed to seeking justice for First Nations people together. This work remains unfinished.” Rev Sharon Hollis, outgoing President of the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA). 

Earlier this year, our country marked National Reconciliation Week with the theme Now More Than Ever, recognising the heightened and immediate need for justice and rights for First Nations people. As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Covenant between the UCA and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC), we are reminded that now more than ever, the wider church must stand with Congress and walk together as First and Second Peoples. 

“[The Covenant anniversary is] a significant milestone that for 30 years as a Church we’ve been trying to be in a relationship with Congress that attempts to be a truth-telling relationship, an honest relationship, and a relationship that addresses both the past and the present impacts of colonisation in ways that might help to enable us to be a more whole Church, a more truthful Church, and a Church capable of walking together on the basis of that,” Uniting Church President Rev Sharon Hollis recently told Crosslight Magazine. “But for me there is a deep sense of lament at the lack of progress made, both within our Church and our nation. At the reconvened Assembly in May 2022 we renewed the Covenant and it was a stark reminder that much of what we were lamenting 30 years ago we’ve really not moved the dial on.” 

In her recent message for the 47th anniversary of the inauguration of the Uniting Church, Rev Hollis acknowledged: “First of all, in this year in which we are celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Covenant and the 15th Anniversary of the Preamble, we need to give thanks for the life and ministry of Congress. We are blessed by their presence in our Church, and I know for myself I have been deeply encouraged as I have learnt and been taught by Congress leaders across the country. But the Covenant remains unfinished business for us. We must not lose sight of the fact that we are not yet fully living into that Covenant. We still have work to do to walk together as equals, First and Second peoples, and the question of justice, reparation and reconciliation for First Nations peoples in this land remains work to be done. So even as we mark these anniversaries, let us commit to being a Church that continues to ask ourselves, what does it mean to be a Covenant keeping Church?” 

Congress leaders have shared their vision for the future of the Covenant and First Nations self-determination within the church. One way you can accept the call of the Covenant is by Living the Covenant Locally. This grassroots movement within the Uniting Church provides resources to equip individuals, congregations and faith communities to embed the Covenant relationship within their life of faith. These resources are a helpful guide to Listen and Learn, for Going Deeper and taking Action for justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  

Rev Peter Morel, Moderator of South Australia, calls the non-Indigenous church to not shy away from discomfort when seeking to learn from First Peoples: “The Covenant for me is about relationship. It's about the people with whom and between whom Covenant is made. It is very much about shared commitments and understanding. It's about learning . . . At times it's about sitting in uncomfortable spaces, particularly as a white person . . . being in a place where I'm willing for Aboriginal people to be my teachers, but without me being a burden to them, but taking responsibility for my own learning.” 

He reinforced the need for the Covenant relationship to be at the forefront of church decision-making by “taking the awareness of Covenant from something that sits possibly in the back of our mind to the very front of our mind. It's about the position in our own framework of thinking as to when we think of Covenant or Preamble, rather than being, ‘Oh, but what does it mean?’ at the end of our conversation, [instead] that Covenant comes at the very heartbeat and the beginning of what we are discussing.” 

As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Covenant, there is no better opportunity to engage with the Covenant’s history and seek to live out this relationship into the future. You can access the Covenant Anniversary resources here, including an interactive timeline exploring the Covenant relationship thus far. These resources can be used by individuals, in worship services and for Bible study small groups. We hope you will accept the invitation from Congress to go on the journey of embodying the Covenant as a core mission of the Uniting Church. 

Rev Mark Kickett, Chair of the UAICC, shared:

A proposal from UAICC will be tabled at the 17th Assembly meeting which proposes the development of a Covenant Revival Working Group.