Representatives from Christian Churches and organisations across Australia joined an online roundtable to explore new areas of collaboration among Churches in a faith-led response to sustainability and climate change.

The virtual forum was coordinated by the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) on 29 July recognising the common and deep calling among Christians of all denominations to care for God’s creation.

Rev. Tim Matton-Johnson, from the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) in Tasmania, was the opening speaker for the roundtable offering a First Nations perspective on how we might respond to climate change.

The President of the Uniting Church in Australia Assembly Dr Deidre Palmer has welcomed principles developed by five national governments to help organisations combat the sexual abuse of children online.

The Voluntary Principles to Counter Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse for online platforms and services seek to stop the viewing and sharing of child sexual abuse materials, the grooming of children online and the livestreaming of child sexual abuse.

The principles were developed by the “Five Country” Ministers (Ministers for Home Affairs, Interior, Security and Immigration) from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States in collaboration with digital industry representatives.

The Assembly Standing Committee met online on 18-19 July 2020.

President Dr Deidre Palmer led opening worship, reflecting on Jesus' words in the Gospel of Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest," noting the fatigue that many people are carrying as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Prayers of intercession were offered for those in Victoria and parts of NSW where a second wave of infections has broken out.

The Australian Government’s Pacific Step-Up initiative aims to change the way Australia engages in the Pacific region, strengthening partnerships and enhancing commitments to help address the challenges facing Pacific people.

UnitingWorld has been consulting with Pacific partners and the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) on recommendations to guide genuine engagement and listening.

Uniting Church members with sewing skills are stepping up to meet the looming demand for face masks in the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.

Maxine Gray and her friends from Tuggeranong Uniting Church in Canberra’s south are among the first to answer an urgent call from Uniting community service agencies in Victoria.

The Uniting Church Assembly in partnership with the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) will host an online interfaith service on 6 August marking 75 years since the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

The horrific explosions resulted in more than 200,000 deaths and countless injuries. The impacts are still felt today, with many survivors requiring ongoing care. 

Around 100 people across the Uniting Church participated in the first in a series of webinars looking at how COVID-19 has challenged and changed us as the church.

Presented by the Assembly Resourcing Unit and the Being a Multicultural Church Circle, the webinar on 9 July explored the topic “Church Post-Covid-19: Ecclesiological, Missiological, Historical and CALD Perspectives”. You can find the recording below. 

An invitation from the ARU team to join us on Zoom.

NEW DATES FOR AUGUST + SEPTEMBER

 COVID-19 has impacted us all differently, but for many in ministry across the Church it’s been a challenging time, and it’s not over yet.

On 10 July 1994, the 7th Assembly of the Uniting Church formally entered into a binding covenant relationship with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress.

Why was this necessary, given the Church had recognised the UAICC in 1985?

That very year, 1985 the same Assembly meeting that recognised the UAICC reversed a promise of the previous Assembly in 1982 to not support Australia's Bicentennial celebrations in 1988 if there had not been significant advancement in land rights and justice for First Peoples.

On the 26 January 1988 Rev Charles Harris with other First Nations leaders led a Bicentennial protest rally and march calling for Justice for First Nations Peoples.

Uniting Church members are encouraged to support a campaign urging the Federal Government to ensure children seeking asylum in Australia are not left homeless and hungry by the impacts of COVID-19.

In Australia there are around 16,000 children in families seeking protection. For many of those children, their parents or carers have lost work as a result of the pandemic and have been left with no income and no support.

Assembly Associate General Secretary Rob Floyd, Chairperson of the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce (ACRT) encouraged Uniting Church members to join others around the country calling on the Government to step in and offer support.

“This week, as we face the awful news of Melbourne returning to lockdown, we are reminded that going back to work is just not possible for many Australians. For many the financial impact will continue to be devastating and long lasting,” said Mr Floyd.