14 July 2026

National Update

Your snapshot of the Uniting Church in Australia

Featured Story

Standing with the nation of Tuvalu

For the people of the small Polynesian nation of Tuvalu, rising seas are more than an environmental challenge. They threaten homes, livelihoods, culture and identity. In Tuvalu, land is inseparable from faith, ancestry and belonging. As coastlines erode, so too does a way of life nurtured for generations.

During a visit to Tuvalu in late May, a Uniting Church delegation witnessed both the significant challenges facing the Pacific nation and the extraordinary faith, resilience and hope of its people. The visit also included the renewal of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Uniting Church and the Ekalesia Kelisiano Tuvalu (EKT Church), reaffirming a shared commitment to discipleship, justice and partnership.

We are pleased to share this special video exploring the profound connection between land, faith and identity for the people of Tuvalu. It invites us as the Church to respond with more than prayer alone. It is a call to faithful action: to advocate, to care for God’s creation and to stand alongside our Pacific neighbours in hope and solidarity.

Watch the video

LEARNING

School of Discipleship inspires deeper discipleship and community

Last month, School of Discipleship 2026 brought together young adults, ministers, families and children for a weekend of worship, learning and community centred on the theme ‘Lost in Translation: Reclaiming Discipleship and the Foundations of Faith’.

Rev Adrian Sukumar-White reflects on how the gathering challenged participants to rediscover the heart of Christian discipleship and inspired a renewed commitment to following Jesus in everyday life.

CELEBRATION

Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday is this weekend!

This Sunday 19 July, Uniting Churches across Australia are invited to celebrate Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday (INS), a national celebration that honours the rich diversity of cultures and languages within the body of Christ.

Established following a decision of the 16th Assembly in 2022, INS encourages us to deepen our understanding of what it means to live and grow together as an intercultural Church. It also invites congregations to build meaningful relationships with culturally diverse communities in their neighbourhoods and participate in what God is already doing among them.

Worship resources, including a full service, prayer and practical ideas for involvement, are now available. If you haven’t done so already, we encourage you to download these as you prepare for this special occasion.

OUR CHURCH

Broome Uniting: Celebrating 100 years and more in the Kimberley

Next month, Broome Uniting Church celebrates a century of worship in its historic church building, a recognised landmark in the town’s pearling district overlooking Roebuck Bay. While the current building marks its centenary, the church’s presence in Broome dates back to 1910, when the Presbyterian Church of Western Australia established an outpost in the north-west Australian town.

Today, Broome Uniting continues to be a welcoming place of worship and community. Wendy Hendry recently visited and wrote a feature on this wonderful church and its people.

COVENANTING

Anniversary of the Covenant Statement

Last Friday marked 32 years since the signing of the Covenant between the Uniting Church in Australia and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress – a historic commitment to walk together as First and Second Peoples in Christ.

Signed on 10 July 1994, the Covenant calls us into a relationship grounded in truth, justice, mutual respect and reconciliation. It acknowledges the sovereignty of First Peoples, commits the Church to listening and learning, and challenges us to work together for healing and a more just future.

As we give thanks for this enduring Covenant, may we continue to live it out in our congregations, communities and daily lives – walking together in faith and the love of Christ.

In honour of the anniversary and to celebrate NAIDOC Week, Uniting Church President Rev Charissa Suli penned this message and prayer.

LEARNING

May Macleod Lecture coming up later this month

This year’s May Macleod Lecture will be hosted by UTC on Thursday 30 July at the United Theological College in Sydney.

The lecture will be presented by Rev Dr Kuzipa Nalwamba, ‘From Memory to Healing: Engaging Justice, Reconciliation and Unity in a Wounded World’. Rev Dr Nalwamba is Programme Director for Unity, Mission and Ecumenical Formation.

Ashfield Uniting Church has unveiled a new Indigenous Stations of the Cross, offering one of Christianity’s longstanding traditions through a First Nations lens.
This year’s Justice and International Mission Convention will be delving into what it means to be a peacemaking Church. Speakers include Dr Nida Shoughry, Dr Tsameret Levy-Daphny and Dr Matt Anslow. It’s on 25 July at the CTM in Melbourne.
The Uniting Church’s Gospel Hall Melbourne – home to the oldest Chinese church in Australia – was recently featured in The Age and will be a site of the upcoming Open House Melbourne festival.
The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) has reaffirmed its commitment to Christian unity through a series of ecumenical partnership visits in Switzerland last week.
ICYMI: The Assembly’s Liturgical Renewal Project has launched a new Substack to share updates, reflections and resources as the project unfolds. Subscribe to have new posts delivered straight to your inbox and stay connected with this important work.

July
19 Intercultural Neighbouring Sunday

August

4 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day
30 Frontier Services Sunday

September
1 Season of Creation (until 4 Oct)

Click here for the Uniting Church Assembly 2026 calendar.

ACT: Registered Nurse - Uniting Mirinjani

NSW: Lecturer in Global Christianity - United Theological College

NSW: Presbytery Minister - Northern Presbytery

NSW: Young Adults Resource Worker - Eastwood UC

NSW: Store Manager - Alpine UC Op Shop

NT: Minister - Alice Springs UC

NT: Shop Supervisor - Darwin Memorial UC Op Shop

NT: Minister - Living Water UC

QLD: Reception & Bookings Admin - Alexandra Park Conference Centre

QLD: Associate Director of Mission (Integration, Formation & Church Partnerships) -UnitingCare QLD

QLD: Residential Service Manager - Pinangba

SA: Outback Links Volunteer - Frontier Services

SA: Family Connections Coordinator - Clare UC

VIC: Minister/Deacon - Living Faith Church Greensborough

VIC: Minister/Pastor - Echuca Moama UC

TAS: Minister/Pastor - Hobart Scots Memorial UC

TAS: Home Care Worker - Uniting AgeWell

WA: Marketing Coordinator - Uniting WA

WA: Pilbara Patrol Remote Area Bush Chaplain - Synod of WA

WA: Minister - Wagin Group of Congregations

Have a role you’d like us to advertise? Send us the details!

Join us in prayer for...

The nation of Tuvalu. May we as a Church be led to act, to advocate and to stand alongside our global neighbours.
those who attended School of Discipleship 2026. May they continue to grow deeper in their faith.
Eritrea and Ethiopia as part of the WCC Ecumenical Prayer Cycle.