The following statement is from the Uniting Church SA Moderator, Rev Sue Ellis, and CEO/General Secretary Rev Nigel Rogers.
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
As the Presbytery and Synod meeting nears, reports, papers, proposals and correspondence have been communicated to the wider Presbytery and Synod in South Australia.
The correspondence of 21 letters and emails to the Presbytery and Synod about the issue of same-gender marriage*, from individuals and congregations, was shared as a document online, alongside proposals and papers, in the lead up to the upcoming meeting.
Some of the content contained in the correspondence has caused deep hurt and pain for members of our Uniting Church community. We are deeply sorry for the hurt caused as a result of the document being published online. The document has since been removed from the Uniting Church SA website.
The Business Committee will meet tomorrow to review the process for communicating correspondence and to determine a suitable response and path forward. Another update will be released tomorrow to inform members of the Presbytery and Synod of the outcome of that meeting.
At the upcoming Presbytery and Synod meeting, we will be welcoming the national leaders of our Uniting Church to facilitate the Assembly work on same-gender marriage. The Assembly Standing Committee has invited input from all Synods, including ours. Small groups have been asked to respond to three questions outlined below:
1. Share your hopes and concerns about our conversation on marriage.
2. In what mutually respectful ways could we move together as a Church that reflects the breadth of who we are as the Uniting Church in Australia?
3. What matters would you like the Assembly Standing Committee to consider as it prepares for a discussion on this matter at the 15th Assembly?
We remind the South Australian Presbytery and Synod that discussion on sexuality affects the whole Uniting Church. Our gathering together as the Uniting Church in Australia, Presbytery and Synod of the South Australia, is to be a time of joy, as we are fully together as Christians. It offers a time where we can worship and pray together, bear one another’s burdens and together discern the voice of Jesus for our mission.
We will be focussing on Jesus and his Way. In the kingdom of heaven that Jesus continues to grow through the Church, all people are welcomed, valued and respected. Our time together will be a safe place for all people, and each member of the Presbytery and Synod will make that happen through their Christian love and respectful behaviour towards one another, particularly when differing opinions prevail. We will love one another, just as God loves us.
Please pray for this week’s meeting of the Presbytery and Synod. Pray that respectful conversations occur and people feel acknowledged, respected and heard, especially where there are differing opinions. Pray for compassion and grace for all those attending. And, dear sisters and brothers, please pray for both of us as we chair and support the meeting of the Presbytery and Synod in South Australia.
Grace and peace,
Rev Sue Ellis Rev Nigel Rogers
Moderator CEO/General Secretary
Uniting Church SA Uniting Church SA
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*Same-gender marriage is the term used by the Uniting Church in Australia Assembly, a decision made in response to the difficulties of translating the more common term of same-sex marriage for some Indigenous and CALD communities. Please see 3.2 in the Assembly Report here.