Uniting Church in Australia - 17th Assembly Cato Lecture urges the church to leave the 'white Jesus' behind

13 July Day 3 Your daily snapshot of the 17th Assembly meeting

Our Featured Story CATO LECTURE Intersectionality and Love: 2024 Cato Lecture Renowned Korean-American theologian Rev Dr Grace Ji-Sun Kim has delivered her Cato Lecture to the 17th Assembly, issuing a challenge to image God in new ways. Giving her lecture on the theme Intersectionality and Love, Grace began with the framework of intersectionality – a tool for analysing the dynamics of injustice which has become crucial for her as a theologian. “There is no hierarchy of oppressions. Rather, people experience multiple oppressions simultaneously. The call to dismantle one oppression will inevitably lead to the work of dismantling the other oppressions.” “As the Body of Christ, as the Uniting Church, how are we going to harness this tool to overcome the injustice which exists right now in our midst?” Speaking off the back of her most recent book, How God became White, Grace challenged members to reflect on how racism and ‘white-ness’ have shaped images of God for centuries. “We need to challenge ourselves and our assumptions and then liberate Christianity so it will be life-giving to all people.” The Cato Trust was established in 1928 by Methodist philanthropist and lay leader Dr Fred Cato and came into being in 1935. Since then there have been 28 Cato Lecturers. You can watch the lecture in full on the Assembly Facebook page. Read our story ASSEMBLY APPOINTMENT Assembly elects Andrew Johnson as next General Secretary The 17th Assembly has joyfully appointed Mr Andrew Johnson as the new General Secretary of the Uniting Church in Australia Assembly. Andrew is currently the Assembly’s Act2 Project Lead and is an established strategy, change and governance leader in the church, government, international development and not-for-profit contexts. He made a passionate and faith-filled response following the announcement of the ballot result, which was received by acclamation. PROPOSALS A redesign and revival of the Covenant The Assembly has passed two proposals from UAICC which call for a redesign and revival of the Covenant. Speaking to the proposal, UAICC National Chair Rev Mark Kickett said, “We need the church to journey with us, so the groundswell of that is with our people." The Assembly also endorsed and committed to implementing the relevant principles in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). WORSHIP The unique tapestry of God’s love The rich and diverse human tapestry through which God’s love is woven in all of us was the focus of opening worship on Day 3. Presenting the teaching, Joy Han from the Vic/Tas Synod led the Assembly in viewing the text (Acts 10:9-38) through a decolonising lens, upending our assumptions about who really belongs.  PROPOSALS Renewed commitment to Net Zero emissions The work of the Assembly's Net Zero Emissions Steering Group will continue into the next triennium after a decision was passed to continue its mandate to support and encourage the whole church to move towards zero emissions by 2040. In presenting the proposal to the 17th Assembly, Steering Group Convenor Richard Arnold said "the job of reducing emissions is a task for us all." REPORTS Assembly agencies and UCA entities report Also on Day 3, members heard reports and updates from Uniting Church agencies and UCA entities including UnitingCare Australia, UCA Redress Ltd and Mercer Superannuation Trust. Read a summary of each and read the full reports.

Gathering "A fleet of canoes at sea" UnitingWorld hosted an insightful lunchtime panel discussion with visiting partner church leaders from India, Indonesia and Tonga. Members heard leaders speak on issues including faith and climate change, ecumenism, ending poverty and unity in multifaith contexts.  Read the story Photos Highlights from Day 3 Don't miss these great snaps from all the action on Day 3 - morning worship, UnitingWorld's lunch, the business of the meeting and the Cato Lecture. We'd love to see your photos! Post with the official hashtags #threadsoflove #uca2024 #assembly17 See the photos

Coming up on Day 4... Deep dive sessions with Frontier Services, UnitingCare Australia, UnitingWorld, Circles of Interest and Standards for Ministry Youthful members dinner with the President Further discernment on Act2 and Continuing Witness Find the reports, meeting timetable and meeting live-stream.  Connect with us Facebook Instagram 17th Assembly Website Email us Copyright © 2024 Uniting Church in Australia, All rights reserved.