Covenanting
A Guide to the Church in Walking Together as First and Second Peoples – an invitation for 2021 onwards
The Church in Victoria and Tasmania is invited to engage more deeply into this journey of Walking Together.
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 of ensuring that the voices of First Peoples are heard and respected within the leadership of the Church and its Councils.
The Journey of Walking together as First and Second Peoples is our Synod’s expression of the Covenant between the UAICC and the UCA.
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.
Prepared by the Covenanting Action Plan Working Group, under the auspices of the Synod of VicTas.
Resources
Below is a list of general resources you are encouraged to explore and use in your journey in response to the Covenanting Guide.
Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country resources
Uniting Church Assembly Guide. Available here
Aboriginal Victoria Map
Information and maps of local First Nation and language groups in Victoria. Available here
Broader map of Indigenous Australia. Available here
Aboriginal Tasmania Map
Interactive map with stories from Aboriginal Tasmania. Available here
Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, including maps and resources. Available here
Books
‘Why Indigenous Sovereignty Should Matter to Christians’ 2018, Rev Dr Chris Budden.
‘Yarta Wandatha’ 2014, Denise Champion. Available here
‘Your, Mine, Ours: Unravelling the Doctrine of Discovery’ 2016, Intotemak, Mennonite Church Canada. Available here
‘Wrongs to Rights: How Churches can Engage the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’ 2016, Intotemak, Mennonite Church Canada. Available here
‘Dark Emu’ 2014, Bruce Pascoe, Magabala Books. Available here
‘Indigenous Australia and the Unfinished Business of Theology’ 2014, ed. J.Havea, Palgrave Mcmillian.
‘Charles Harris: a struggle for justice’ 2019, William W. Emilsen, MediaCom Education.
NAIDOC Week
NAIDOC Week is a week of observance lasting from the first Sunday in July until the following Sunday. If you would like resources for NAIDOC Week, please visit the website here
National Reconciliation Week
National Reconciliation Week runs annually from 27 May to 3 June, straight after National Sorry day on 26 May. Recourses are available through the Reconciliation Australia website here
For additional Reconciliation Week material intentionally created for a church context, you can also visit the TEAR Australia website here
Narana Cultural Centre
Find information about Narana, its cultural education programmes and other resources, here
UAICC and Covenanting
Uniting Church Assembly Covenanting Resources. Available here
Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian congress. Website under re-development, but available here
2021 UC Vic/Tas Statement from the Heart Study Guide, developed by the Synods Justice and International Mission Cluster. Available here
Covenanting resources on ‘Walking Together’. Available here
Victorian Treaty Process
For information on the Victorian Treaty process, visit First People’s Assembly of Victoria here
Worship Resources
Assembly Doctrine and Liturgy resources that include covenanting are available here
‘Common Grace’ worship resources are available here
Truth Telling: Colonial Frontier Massacres Map
(Warning: Please exercise discretion as the information and content contained is confronting).
The University of Newcastle is currently engaged in a project to identify every known frontier massacre in Central and Eastern Australia between 1788 and 1930 that can be verified with corroborating evidence. For more information on this project, visit the website
To view the interactive map detailing identified massacres in central and Eastern Australian, visit the website
Anglican Church
A Voice in the Wilderness, a response to the Statement from the Heart. Available here