Reflection from the President: persevere in our witness

Being at the General Council reminded me how remarkably fortunate we are in the Uniting Church in Australia, and how far we have come as a pilgrim people. We are not perfect, yet we have grown in how we hold space for difficult conversations, honour women’s leadership and ordination, deepen our covenantal relationship with the First Peoples of this land, and continue to wrestle faithfully with questions of justice and renewal in our common life. We have cultivated consensus decision-making as a spiritual discipline of listening and discernment, and we have worked to amplify the voices of young people, recognising them as vital witnesses to Christ’s future among us. We have come a long way, yet our journey continues — shaped by the Spirit who calls us to deeper faith, courage, and grace.

Through it all, I was reminded again of our calling to weave threads of love across cultures and boundaries — to see in our diversity the beauty of God’s communion. I am deeply grateful for the formation I have received through the life of the Uniting Church, which has prepared me to listen, learn, and lead in such spaces with humility and hope.

Serving on the Public Issues Committee gave me a front-row seat to the cries for justice across the world — from Madagascar to Palestine, from the Pacific to the Caribbean. Together we wrestled with ecological and climate justice, self-determination, and gender equity. What emerged was clear: to be the Church is to be public — to stand where Christ stands, among the poor, the displaced, and the earth itself, groaning for renewal.

In one of the Bible studies, Palestinian pastor Munther Isaac reminded us:

“The One who transformed Saul into Paul is still transforming lives today. We need Christ today more than ever — the Christ who meets us on the road and confronts our blindness, who transforms our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh.”

His words still echo in me. They call the Church — including our own — to face where we have grown blind: to the suffering of others, to the pain within our own community, and to the threads of love we sometimes unravel through pride, apathy, or ideology. Transformation begins not in power, but in repentance; not in maintaining the past, but in trusting the Spirit who makes all things new.

At the closing worship, the newly elected WCRC President, Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, reminded us that the call to prophetic witness is not easy: “The call to follow Jesus is the way of costly discipleship.” That truth resonates deeply with me as President of the Uniting Church. To lead in such a time is to walk the costly path of love — to speak when silence feels safer, to stand with those the world overlooks, and to trust that God’s future will emerge even through our imperfections.

Now that we are home, may the witness of the global Church continue to stir our hearts and renew our hope. And may we persevere — not in weariness, but in faith, humility, and grace.