National Conferences
The Uniting Church National Conferences provide opportunities for people of the same culture to meet together for worship, fellowship and development.
National Conferences:
- Facilitate networking and cooperative discussion nationally enabling our multicultural communities to address issues and celebrate good news within the life of congregations and its people.
- Provide opportunities to learn and reflect on how to engage and develop ministry and mission within the life of their congregations and the broader Uniting Church.
- Develop the next generation and nurture the young people in leadership and growth.
The National Conferences enable the voices of different multicultural communities to be heard and to make a distinctive contribution to the life of the Uniting Church.
In 1987, the Tongan National Conference became the first national conference. In 2019 we welcomed the formation of our newest National Conference, the Ibero-Latino National Conference.
There are now 13 National Conferences: Tongan, Samoan, Fijian, Indonesian, Korean, Tamil, Chinese, South Sudanese, Filipino, Niuean, Vietnamese, Middle East and Ibero-Latino. The conferences vary in size and each conference decides when and how often they will meet.
Contact details and meeting dates of each National Conference are listed below.
Tongan National Conference: meets every second year, with an annual youth gathering. The next Conference will be in 2021. The Second Generation team will lead a youth rally in 2020 in Melbourne.
Chair: Rev. Feke Kamitoni
Email: f.kamitoni@gmail.com
Website: http://www.tongannationalconference.com/
Fijian National Conference: meets every three years. The Conference last met in February 2020 in Adelaide.
Chair: Jone Lotu
Email: jonlotu@gmail.com
Website: https://www.facebook.com/UCA-Fiji-National-Conference-115593036509464/
Indonesian National Conference: meets every two years. The Conference last met on 5-7 April 2019, in Melbourne.
Chair: Rev. Ajub Jahja
Email: ayubyahya22@gmail.com
Samoan National Conference: meets every three years with leaders meeting annually. The next Conference will be in Sydney in October 2020.
Chair: Rev. Kili Mafaufau
Email: uilisonemf@gmail.com
Vietnamese National Conference: meets every two years.
Filipino National Conference: meets every three years.
Chair: Rev. Berlin Guerrero
Email: berlin_guerrero@yahoo.com
Chinese National Conference: meets every two years. The conference last met in March 2019 in Melbourne.
Chair: Rev Zhu Enshuo
Email: ministry.az@gmail.com
Secretary: Rev Enshuo Zhu
email: enshuo21@hotmail.com
Korean National Conference: meets nationally every two years with a Ministers' retreat on the alternate year.
The next meeting will be in 2023 in Melbourne, Victoria.
Chair: Rev. Seung Jae Yeon
Secretary: Rev Gil Young Park
Email: ucaknc@gmail.com
Facebook page: Korean National Conference
Niue National Conference: meets every year.
Chair: Ps Kenni Nelisi
Email: kenni.nelisi@hotmail.com
South Sudanese National Conference: meets every three years.
Chair: Rev. Amel Manyon
Email: manyon.amel@yahoo.com.au
Middle East National Conference: meets annually.
Secretary: Levon Kardashian
Email: levon@kps-press.com
Ibero-Latino National Conference (Portuguese/Spanish): meets annually.
Chair: Rev. Esteban Lievano
Email: este.lievano@hotmail.com
Tamil National Conference: Currently no scheduled meetings.