Let our faith speak
June 16, 2026
By Dr Sureka Goringe, National Director, UnitingWorld
I recently spent two days at the Christian Conference of Asia, sitting with church leaders who between them carry the hopes of 50 million Christians across this region.
I asked them what keeps them awake. One challenge they spoke about most often was forced migration and statelessness: desperate people crossing borders in search of safety and a livelihood because of climate change, poverty and conflict. Young people leaving because there is no work. Families abandoning traditional land as harvests fail. The same forces, again and again, falling hardest on those least able to absorb them.
And yet, what I heard again and again were stories of people of faith stepping into the breach to love their neighbours, no matter where they came from.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you want to get the latest news from the Uniting Church in Australia then subscribe to our weekly newsletter delivered to your inbox.
In Indonesia, where so many women and young people leave home for work and either never return or, tragically, return in coffins, our church partners in East Nusa Tenggara have built a ‘House of Hope’ for survivors of trafficking. In the Philippines, churches of every denomination shelter and defend migrant workers far from home. And our own Rev Charissa Suli, President of the Uniting Church in Australia, spoke of communities losing their ancestral land to rising seas, reminding us that we cannot separate people's suffering from the forces driving it: climate change, inequality and conflict.
In each case, the answer is the same: standing with church partners to address the causes of forced migration, so people can live, work and sustain their families in the place they call home. It's exactly the work our partners in Sumba are doing right now, helping families hold their ground before hardship forces them to leave (your tax-deductible gift helps this work grow).
It reaffirmed my belief that the only way to overcome what we face is together, through the unity, faith and determination of those of us who follow Jesus.
Our world is desperately in need of people who can love recklessly, speak truth courageously, and labour tirelessly for others. People lit from inside by a fire from out of this world, who share their hope and their bread with all they meet.
We who follow Christ are called to roll up our sleeves and step into a suffering world with good news for the poor, healing for the sick and freedom for the oppressed.
We are called for such a time as this.
Are we ready?
Related news
Defence chaplains find space for reflection, renewal and fellowship
Defence Force Chaplains retreat 2026Finding time to pause, reflect and reconnect is important in any ministry, particularly one shaped by the demands and complexities of military life. For Uniting Church Defence Force chaplains, the annual Faith Group Spiritual Conference held at Holsworthy Barracks’ All Saints’ Chapel last week provided such an opportunity, bringing colleagues together…
New book on the life of Walter Lawry
New book on Walter Lawry, pioneer Wesleyan missionary to TongaA new book exploring the life and legacy of the first Wesleyan missionary to Tonga has been released, bringing fresh insight into an important chapter of the Uniting Church’s shared Methodist heritage and its enduring relationships with the Pacific. Walter Lawry: The First Wesleyan Missionary to…
President's pastoral message following Helen Haines attack
President’s pastoral message following attack In the aftermath of the attack on Helen Haines MP, Rev Charissa Suli has released this message and prayerAs we continue to hold Dr Helen Haines MP, her husband Phil, and their family and the Wangaratta community in our prayers, we recognise the profound suffering caused by this devastating attack…
Eight Years On: Marking the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
Eight Years On: Remembering the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse A liturgy and statement from President Rev Charissa Suli to mark the Anniversary of the historic statement.Eight years after the National Apology to Victims and Survivors of Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, the Uniting Church in Australia joins communities across the…
Waves of Hope: weaving new stories across Oceania
President Rev Charissa Suli has joined theologians, church leaders and practitioners from across Oceania in Fiji for the Association of Practical Theology in Oceania (APTO) Conference last week. Gathered around the theme “Waves of Hope: Storied Theology for the Whole of Life,” the Presidnet delivered an international keynote, “Building Community; Creating a New Story in…
Call for nominations for President-elect and 18th Assembly representatives
The Uniting Church in Australia is beginning an important process of discernment to identify the next President-elect of the Assembly. Ahead of the 18th Assembly, the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC), Presbyteries and Synods have the privilege and opportunity to identify people who may be nominated for election as President-elect (Reg. 3.6.4.1). Nominations…
President’s Prayer for the UN International Day of Peace
President’s Prayer for the United Nations International Day of Peace The United Nations International Day of Peace, commemorated on 21 September, brings people around the world together to reflect on the urgent work of building and sustaining peace. The 2026 theme, “Invest in Peace – For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day” highlights that peace is…
Lay Preachers gather to share in weaving Christ’s love
Lay Preachers gather to share in weaving Christ’s loveMore than 40 Lay Preachers, worship leaders and church members from across Australia gathered in Naarm/Melbourne from 4–6 September for the National Lay Preachers’ Conference. Hosted by the Lay Preachers’ Association of Victoria and Tasmania with Pilgrim Theological College, the triennial conference was…