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The Uniting Church and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress have jointly submitted to the Federal Parliament's inquiry into racism, hatred and violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. The submission draws on strong evidence — including data showing 54% of First Nations people experienced racism in 2024, up from 39% a decade ago — to argue what is lacking is not knowledge or roadmaps, but political courage and sustained investment. Our ten recommendations span the full scope of structural change: funding and implementing the National Anti-Racism Framework; an urgent First Nations-led national youth justice summit; legislative action on child poverty; tackling Rheumatic Heart Disease through housing and infrastructure; strengthening regulation of online hate; and embedding the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into law and policy. As our President, Rev. Charissa Suli, has said: reconciliation is not symbolic — it must be lived through action. This submission is that commitment made public. |
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Guided by resolutions from the 15th, 16th and 17th Assemblies, the Assembly Pride Circle — a Circle of Interest for LGBTIQA+ members and allies — held its first face-to-face meeting in Sydney last weekend. Gathering at Pilgrim House and worshipping together at Pitt Street Uniting Church, the group set priorities across liturgy, resources, policy and cultural inclusion, with a long-term vision that includes a queer faith conference.
A visit to QTOPIA, Sydney's museum of queer history, grounded the weekend in the stories and sacrifices that made this work possible. If this is an area where you'd like to contribute, reach out to the Pride Circle at PrideCircle@nat.uca.org.au. Read the full article to hear more about the weekend and the road ahead. |
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Rev. Fa Matangi brings something distinctive to the life of the Uniting Church: a lived ability to move between worlds — between generations, between cultures, and between inherited traditions of faith and the emerging questions of a new generation. As a minister, a second-generation Tongan Australian, and a passionate advocate for young people, Fa's approach to mission is relational, honest, and refreshingly grounded. Read her story in Insights and be encouraged by a vision of the Church that is wider, deeper, and more alive than we sometimes dare to imagine. |
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In this heartfelt Pentecost reflection, Rev. Malcolm Scanlan — a second-generation New Zealand-born Samoan of Irish descent who now calls Australia home — draws on Acts 2:17 and his own experience of holding multiple cultural identities to explore what it truly means to be an Intercultural Church. For Rev. Scanlan, the promise that God will pour out the Spirit on all people is not a distant hope but a living reality, one that calls the Uniting Church to walk together across its First Peoples, CALD, and long-established congregations as companions on a shared pilgrim journey, where every voice is honoured, difference is received as gift, and constant prayer keeps us open, humble, and grounded in the Spirit's renewing work. |
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In a personal reflection shared following his participation in the Pacific Churches Leaders Meeting in Suva, Fiji, UCA WA Moderator Rev David Jackson — who attended alongside President Rev Charissa Suli and a Uniting Church delegation — describes an urgent gathering of Pacific church leaders around the themes of climate justice, community wellbeing, and regional solidarity. From coastlines eroding to rising seas, to Pacific workers on Australia's PALM scheme navigating isolation and vulnerability far from home, Rev Jackson's account is a powerful reminder that our commitment to justice extends across the Pacific — and that the call to walk alongside our neighbours with courage and care has never been more pressing. |
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Assembly Net Zero Emissions |
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The Uniting Church in Australia is on a journey toward net zero emissions by 2040 — and you're invited to be part of it. This year, the Assembly Net Zero Emissions Steering Group is hosting a series of online Roundtable gatherings designed to inform, equip and inspire climate action across our communities. The first session, Roundtable 1 – The Advocacy Calling of the Uniting Church for Climate Justice, takes place on Thursday 21 May at 2pm AEST via Zoom, and will explore how you and your community can engage in advocacy and connect with wider Uniting Church initiatives working for climate justice. Each session runs for two hours and is open to all members of our Church. Register here — we'd love to see you there. |
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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 the Assembly's strategy and strengthening the Church's theological culture, public witness, missional identity and governance. Together, these positions form a leadership cohort committed to a Church that is faithful, united and active in God's mission across Australia and beyond. |
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UnitingCare Australia has welcomed Federal Budget measures supporting older Australians — but is clear that welcome alone isn't enough. While some funding increases are a step in the right direction, our UnitingCare Australia colleagues are sounding a firm and faithful warning: costs continue to outpace what providers receive, and a system shaped by the capacity to pay rather than by need runs counter to everything we stand for as a church. Read the full media release here. |
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UnitingWorld is looking for its next Board Chair — an experienced Christian leader with a heart for global justice and the governance skills to match. As an agency of the Uniting Church in Australia, UnitingWorld partners with churches across 15 countries to address poverty, injustice, and violence through community-led development. If you're motivated by purpose and ready to help shape the strategic direction of an organisation that consistently punches above its weight, expressions of interest are open until 30 May 2026. |
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Uniting Church Agency Good Sammy Enterprises has been recognised at the 2026 WA Disability Support Awards for their Pathways to Employment Pilot program, winning in the category of Excellence in Supporting Employment Outcomes.
Over 350 hand-knitted angels flew out of Woodville Uniting Church in 2025 — landing in hospital wards, op shops, and the hands of people who needed them most. Nestled next to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the Woodville community has quietly built a ministry of warmth and care, one stitch at a time. Each angel carries a tag letting recipients know it was made with love — and the stories coming back are nothing short of beautiful. Read their stories on the New Times latest edition.
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| May
31 Trinity Sunday June
14-20 Refugee Week
16 Net Zero Roundtable #2
22 49th Anniversary of the Uniting Church in Australia
28 UnitingWorld Sunday
July
5-12NAIDOC Week
10Anniversary of the UCA-UAICC Covenant
16Net Zero Roundtable #3
19Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday Click here for the Uniting Church Assembly 2026 calendar. |
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Join us in prayer for... the elderly in need of care, families stretched beyond their means, and communities far from the centres of power. Where the decisions made fall short of what people need. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka as part of the WCC Ecumenical Prayer Cycle.
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