Yesterday (Thursday 21 September), the leaders of churches based in the City of Melbourne gathered for prayer in St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral. The purpose was to affirm our commitment to saying Yes and to pray for our nation on the path to the Constitutional Referendum on 14 October 2023.

We heard the Uluru Statement from the Heart read aloud. I was reminded that it is an invitation to us all, written with warmth and respect. The hopes for the acceptance of the Statement are clear, as is the intent that Australia will experience a future where all people have a clear and rightful place. 

The concept of ancient sovereignty is explained as a ‘spiritual notion: the ancestral tie between the land, or ‘mother nature’, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’.  There is no claim to ownership of and. There is no fear in affirming these words. 

The Statement includes the following: 

With substantive constitutional change and structural reform, we believe this ancient sovereignty can shine through as a fuller expression of Australia’s nationhood. 

Such words of hope, looking forward to healed and renewed relationships resulting in a fuller sense of our identity as Australians. 

The concluding words:  

In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard. We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country. We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future. 

We are all offered an invitation to journey together and to look to the future with hope and anticipation. This is an invitation from the heart. 

Paul writes to the church in Corinth and says 

We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. In return—I speak as to children—open wide your hearts also. (2 Corinthians 6:11-13) 

My prayer is that the non-indigenous community responds to the invitation with open hearts and knowing that the heart of Australia’s First Peoples is open to us all.

Re-appointment of General Secretary and 11th National Forum

The Board of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) is delighted to announce that Elizabeth Stone, the NCCA General Secretary, has accepted a further three year term from 1 September 2023. Liz has invested in member church relationships and built trust with our neighbours in the Pacific and led the various activities of the NCCA. 

In the coming months much of the focus of the NCCA Secretariat will be preparing for the 11th National Forum to be held in Adelaide in June 2024.  

We are pleased to announce that the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev Prof Dr Jerry Pillay, has accepted our invitation to attend the NCCA’s 11th National Forum. We look forward to him being with us and to his input. The Forum will include a celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the formation of the NCCA and will focus on the direction of the NCCA into the future.

 Rev John Gilmore 

NCCA President

Photo Gallery - 21 September 2023
St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Melbourne

Press Release

Faith Leaders for The Voice | 21 September 2023

Rev John Gilmore, President of National Council of Churches in Australia, and thirteen other attendees affirmed their support for a Yes vote in the upcoming referendum on Constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians through a Voice to Parliament.

Watch the video of the event: on YouTube https://youtu.be/nNS---601gQ?si=SMJ8RMSJozVLi3Vl 

Download:  2023 09 21 FAITH LEADERS FOR THE VOICE Press release