A Covenant Relationship

A leading edge in our justice work is the Uniting Church’s efforts to bring Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians together and to support First Peoples primarily through our covenant relationship with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC).

On July 10 1994, a covenant was signed by the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) and the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) National Assembly [1].

The covenant recognises that strengthening this relationship is not the responsibility of one or the other, but is an agreement that both the Uniting Church and Congress will work together to bring about justice and forgiveness [1].  Read more about Covenanting in the Uniting Church 

Further information on Our Commitment to First peoples in the Synod of WA can be found on the Uniting Church WA website – Social Justice – First Peoples  

Congregation Covenanting Guide

The Uniting Church in Western Australia is inviting congregations to engage more deeply in the journey of covenanting. The key aspects of this journey are reflected in: deep listening, creating and broadening of relationships between First and Second Peoples, taking responsibility for justice and truth telling, and ensuring that the voices of First Peoples are heard and respected within the leadership of the Church and its Councils.
This journey of walking together as First and Second Peoples is our Synod’s expression of the Covenant between the UAICC
and the UCA.  The Congregation Covenanting Guide is designed for use by congregations,

In the resource you will find various activities that you and your community could undertake to deepen your Covenant journey. Some of these activities you will be able to complete within your own community, others will invite you to seek out the First Peoples of your area and listen to what they have to tell you.
Some actions will encourage a change in the way you approach certain activities within your worship, congregational or agency life. Other suggestions will invite you to step out into the public life of our state and nation and take a stand on matters of justice for the First Peoples of this land.
The purpose of this Guide is…
● to continue to encourage one another and the Councils of the UCA to affirm and re-commit to the Covenant with the UAICC,
● to continue to encourage the building of relationships with local First Peoples communities where our Congregations, Presbyteries and Synod are located,
● to continue to educate the Church,
● to continue to encourage the Church to engage and deepen relationships between First and Second Peoples,
● to continue to inspire the Church to take action, make commitments and instigate change.