A change is going to come!

“Care for creation is an intrinsic aspect our Christian discipleship. It flows from our understanding of the church’s mission, which is to cooperate with and be agents of God’s great mission of the reconciliation and renewal of all things. The Uniting Church’s long commitment has to be applied in fresh ways in response to the pressing ecological challenges of our time. Meeting those challenges together as the church, is what this conference is about.” – Moderator of NSW/ACT Synod, Rev. Simon Hansford

In 2019, the NSW/ACT Synod meeting initiated the Synod Climate Action Strategy. This grew from the church’s commitment to care for creation and as a church we resolved to:

Advocate to all levels of government for reduced greenhouse gas emissions
Stand with young people in their concerns about climate change
Work to reduce our emissions in all parts of the church

Five task groups have been working to bring this strategy to life in tangible ways. These groups are:

Synod Emissions Task Group

Advocacy Task Group

Congregational and Individual Emissions Task Group

Youth Action Task Group

Climate Anxiety and Pastoral Care Task Group.

“These five groups cover several different aspects of what it means for the Synod to address climate change, ranging from reducing our emissions to the mental health and pastoral care implications that stem from the threat of climate change. They represent a cross section of the Uniting Church.”
Uniting Earth

With the Synod meetings approaching again, it is timely to consider what the priorities of our church should be in the next phase of the Climate Strategy.

On Saturday 20th March, Uniting Earth will be hosting a hybrid Synod Climate Action Conference, focusing on how we can speak and act for the policies and practices needed to meet the significant challenges posed by global warming. This conference will take place from 9am-5pm at the Centre for Ministry and Online.

Along side the attendance of Moderator Rev Simon Hansford and keynote speaker Chris Gambian, Chief Executive National Conservation Council of NSW, there are a bunch of awesome workshops throughout the program including Pacific Perspectives on What it Takes to Address the Climate Crisis, First Nations Perspective and Climate Justice, and Youth Leadership in Climate Action. You can find the full program outline here.

It’s not too late! You can still register NOW for the opportunity to discuss and strategise for the next phase of the Synod Climate Action Strategy.