UCA Anniversary message
Uniting Church President Rev Sharon Hollis shares this message marking 46 years of the Uniting Church in Australia
June 15, 2023
President Rev Sharon Hollis has shared this video message to mark the anniversary of the Uniting Church in Australia next week on 22 June.
“At this moment, we must listen anew to the invitation to find ourselves in God's story and speak in fresh ways about who we are and where we are going. "
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.
This year, the anniversary also marks the conclusion of Uniting in Prayer - a time of prayer nationally across the Church as part of the Act2 project, as we consider the future shape of the Uniting Church.
Recalling the courageous journey we embarked on 46 years ago, the President invites us to listen anew to the invitation to find ourselves in God's story, asking...
What is God's new thing for us today?
Are we willing to courageously answer Christ's call in this time and place?
The President considers the particular call this year to support an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament. She reflects on the call to be shaped by God's inclusive life and to receive with joy the gifts of the LGBTIQA+ community. She invites us to seek to be allies of those on the margins and to stand against racism and exclusion.
In our own life as a Church, the President asks if we can commit anew to sharing with others what it means to have new life in Christ, and to forge a future of faithful innovation, discipleship and community.
The beginning of the video features Rev Dr Davis McCaughey, inaugural President of the Uniting Church, preaching at the Uniting Church service of inauguration at Sydney Town Hall on 22 June 1977.
The video message is available now to download and play in your worship service or to share with your community.
More news
Standing for Justice
Standing for JusticeThe Uniting Church’s Submission to the Racism InquiryBy Michael ZewdieOn 8 May 2026, the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) and the Uniting Church in Australia made a joint submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, which is conducting an inquiry into racism, hatred and violence…
A Weekend of Welcome: The Assembly Pride Circle Gathers for the First Time
By Rev Greer HudsonResponding to both our commitment to being a loving, safe and inclusive Church and the long history of struggle and marginalization of LGBTIQA+ members within the UCA, and guided by resolutions from the 15th,16th and 17th Assemblies, the Assembly Standing Committee resolved to form an Assembly Circle of Interest for LGBTIQA+ members and…
For the Love of Our Neighbours: The UCA's Call to End Fossil Fuels
By UCA minister Rev. Meredith WilliamsThe Uniting Church in Australia has always understood that faith without action is incomplete. Our Assembly Strategy 2026–31 calls us to use our voice and our actions to confront injustice — not just within our own borders, but across the world. Nowhere is that prophetic call more urgent than in…
Breaking Every Yoke: A Reflection from AEYA 2026
Breaking Every Yoke: A Reflection from AEYA 2026By UCA Assembly, Amelia Lavaki and Christian ConolIn May 2026, four young leaders from the Uniting Church in Australia travelled to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to take part in the Fifth Asian Ecumenical Youth Assembly (AEYA 2026) — a gathering of young Christians from across Asia united…
A Reflection on the Life of Rev Professor Dr Jione Havea
By President Rev Charissa SuliAll the Scriptures for this week have resonated with us differently today. As the Uniting Church in Australia, we mourn the passing of Jione Havea—a husband, father, brother, colleague, mentor, theologian, and faithful servant of the Church. There’s something about this moment that feels both heavy and sacred.In Acts, we hear of…
Meet Paul Wallbank
By Michael ZewdieThe Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia is pleased to welcome Mr Paul Wallbank as its incoming National Manager, Media and Communications — a significant appointment as the church continues to deepen its public witness and strengthen how it tells its story to the nation. Paul joins the Assembly from a career that…
Assembly Job Alerts
The Uniting Church in Australia Assembly is recruiting for four senior leadership positions that will shape the national life of the Church for years to come. The roles — Director, Faith & Theology; Director, Identity & Mission; Director, Advocacy & Justice; and Associate General Secretary, Strategy & Governance — each carry significant responsibility for advancing…