President’s Reflection: Threads of Love in Griffith and Across the Outback

by Rev Charissa Suli, President of the Uniting Church in Australia

In late November I travelled to NSW country town of Griffith to spend time with our Frontier Services team, local congregations, and community partners who are faithfully serving in some of the most rural and remote parts of our nation. It was a visit that reminded me again of the heart of the Uniting Church – communities quietly weaving hope, dignity and compassion into places that rarely make the headlines, but are central to who we are called to be as Christ’s people.

Honouring Country and First Peoples

Our time together unfolded on Wiradjuri Country, grounding our visit in a deeper story – one held by the First Peoples who have cared for this land since time immemorial. To walk, listen and serve on Wiradjuri land is to enter a sacred relationship with place. It teaches us that ministry is not abstract but embodied – rooted in soil, story and the wisdom of those who have always known this Country.

Connecting ourselves to Country invites us to slow down, pay attention and recognise the Creator’s presence woven through land and community. This is a truth the rural Church holds deeply, and one the wider Church is continually invited to learn.

A Church present at the edges

In Griffith, I witnessed the steady and courageous work of our Outback Links volunteers, Frontier Services staff and Bush Chaplains, who walk alongside individuals and families facing isolation, economic hardship, natural disasters, and the daily challenges of life far from major centres. Their ministry of presence – turning up, staying with, and standing alongside others – echoes the heart of the gospel.

Our rural and remote communities have so much to teach us: resilience born from hardship, generosity that flows without condition, practical neighbourliness, and a hope that holds firm even in uncertainty. Their witness reminds the whole church that faithfulness is not measured by size or resources but by the love we embody in ordinary acts of care.

A New Initiative Taking Shape

This visit marked a new initiative emerging from conversations between the President’s Office and the Frontier Services National Director, exploring fresh pathways for young adults – especially from our growing migrant and cross-cultural communities – to learn about Frontier Services’ mission and discover how their gifts can be offered in worship, service and witness.

As part of this initiative, five young adults from the Fijian, Tongan and Samoan National Conferences – together with young adults from Griffith Uniting Church – simply said “yes”, not knowing what they were walking into. Yet they offered their full selves to learn, listen, build, and plant whatever was needed on Dianne’s farm in Coleambally. Their humility, strength and willingness became a living sign of God’s love.

The impact was profound. Dianne was deeply moved, saying: “I have faith in humanity again… there is still good in this world”. Their presence rekindled hope. And the farmer who worked alongside them was so touched that he asked if he could attend worship at Griffith Uniting Church that Sunday. What happened in the paddock spilled naturally into relationship, belonging, and renewed connection with faith.

This partnership seeks to open doors for diverse young leaders to connect with rural communities and some of the most remote parts of Australia—nurturing discipleship shaped by intercultural awareness, empathy, and practical service.

One Model Among Many

What unfolded in Griffith is just one model of how the local congregation, presbytery, Assembly, and Frontier Services can partner together to lend a hand in the bush. It showed the strength of our interconciliar model, where every council of the Church contributed its unique gifts toward a shared mission purpose.

There are many ways congregations can support Frontier Services: through prayer, volunteering, advocacy, financial support, storytelling, and long-term relationships with rural communities. Frontier Services invites us to step beyond the familiar and discover the transforming power of partnership.

Blessing the Community and Giving Thanks

I offer deep gratitude to Rev Kepueli Vaka and the people of Griffith Uniting Church for their generosity in hosting our delegation. They ensured we were fed, supported and blessed – and welcomed us with a warmth that reflects Christ’s heart.

For Frontier Services staff and Bush Chaplains, this was an intercultural encounter – an opportunity to experience a thriving Pacific congregation whose hospitality, spirituality, and way of welcome enriched us all. This is the kind of mutual learning the whole Church needs. When we allow the margins to lead us, ministry begins to stretch our imagination and deepen our discipleship.

What God Revealed to Me

Throughout this visit, I sensed God saying: “Do not forget the edges. It is at the margins where the Spirit is renewing the Church.”

Frontier Services remains a vital expression of the Uniting Church’s mission – serving without judgement, advocating for equity, and nurturing relationships rooted in dignity and love. Griffith revealed once again how these threads of love strengthen our national identity as a Church committed to compassion and justice.

A Church Weaving Hope Across Distance

In this season of the triennium, I continue to reflect on my theme, “Threads of Love – Weaving Christ’s Love Across Cultures and Boundaries”. Griffith showed me what happens when those threads reach across vast landscapes and bind us to communities whose resilience inspires us all.

My hope is that what we witnessed in Griffith becomes a sign of what God is doing across our Church – renewing our imagination, deepening our relationships and calling us again to the places where hope is fragile and love is most needed. I pray that the threads woven there will continue to ripple outward, shaping a Church that listens deeply, serves humbly, and allows itself to be transformed by the wisdom and strength found at the margins.

I give thanks to Frontier Services, the Griffith congregation, Outback Links volunteers, our Bush Chaplains, and every person who welcomed us so warmly. May we continue to weave Christ’s love with courage and creativity – so that no community, no family, no person stands alone.