This past weekend was a busy one for us, as it was the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Uniting Church Synod of WA. We brought to the Synod a number of proposals concerning justice for First Peoples, and calling for a generous and compassionate Australia. We're really pleased to announce that the Synod agreed to:
support the 2017 Statement from the Heart, and urge the Commonwealth Government to listen to it and establish a First Nations’ Voice in the Constitution, and the Makarrata Commission;
call on the Commonwealth Government not to expand Cashless Debit Card trials, and instead work with communities on transitioning to a voluntary scheme co-designed with communities that includes holistic and coordinated support services;
call on the Federal Government to begin restoration of overseas aid cuts and commit to achieving the internationally agreed target of 0.7% Gross National Income (GNI) by 2030, beginning with a return to the top half of rich country aid donors by the end of the next parliamentary term;
Maybe we'll also see you at Surrender Conference on Saturday? Bringing together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, the Pastor and CEO of Wayside Chapel, people seeking asylum who are leading in advocacy in WA, Christians who care about climate justice, musicians, pioneers in justice work in WA, social enterprise caterers and MORE - tickets are still available, and it's sure to be a fantastic day!
National Mosque Open Day 10.00am - 4.00pm Saturday 26th October
Masjid Ibrahim - 1526 Leslie St, Southern River
Canning Suleymaniye Mosque - 243 Welshpool Rd, Queens Park
The Uniting Church Synod of Western Australia acknowledges the Wadjuk people of the Noongar nation, on whose land our Synod office stands. We acknowledge their elders past and present, and their people.
At its 7th Assembly the Uniting Church formally entered into a relationship of Covenant with its Indigenous members, recognising and repenting for the Church’s complicity in the injustices perpetrated on Australia’s Indigenous community, and pledging to move forward with a shared future. Congress’ generous response to this statement, among other messages, called upon the broader Church to take up the mission of reconciliation.
The ongoing and continually renewing nature of the Covenant calls the Uniting Church to continually act to remove the systems and structures of discrimination and oppression in Australia.The Uniting Church works for just, inclusive and equal relationships, recognising the place of First Peoples in Australia.
