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Retiring President
1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 It has been a great privilege to serve as President of the Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia. It has provided me with great opportunities to serve the Church. It has enabled participation in some of the highest moments in our Church's life; deepening of close working relationships with church leaders of various denominations; opportunities to influence Australia's social and political processes; and cooperation with the world church, especially through the World Council of Churches, the Christian Conference of Asia, the Pacific Conference of Churches, the World Methodist Council, and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.
2.1 The theme of the Ninth Assembly in Adelaide was: "Here we are...+...send us!" It was a theme that pushed us to look to Australian society and also to outwards, both to Australian society and overseas. A great number of overseas guests, particularly from Asia and the Pacific, moved us by their witness to Christ in their situations. At the same time, we dealt with a number of issues the primary focus of which for us was internal to the life of our Church, including sexuality. In dealing with them we faced considerable difficulty. 2.2 It thus seemed to me that after the Ninth Assembly we needed to set our eyes broadly outwards to recapture our sense of mission. At that particular point in our history, it seemed to me, God was calling us to look widely. For the primary mission of God, or Missio Dei, is the action of the Triune God who chooses to be God in serious solidarity with sinners. Sinners primarily are defined as that expression of humanity that finds its self-identity solely in, and of, itself without any reference to God. The church is called to exist solely through the solidarity of Jesus Christ with those who are alienated from God. This occurs by Christ going into the extremes of alienation on our behalf, so that we might through him come close to God. It seemed to me that, after the Ninth Assembly, we were being called to participate in this broad definition of the mission of God in the world. I have sought to impart and be faithful to this vision during these years that I have served as President of the Assembly.
3.1 We have entered the new millennium with great disillusionment. Though this new era had appeared to have so much promise, nevertheless we have seen the new century begin with bloodshed and violence. The violence has occurred both of itself and as the prime way of settling human difference across the planet. The issues that I, as President, have sought to face, have been largely in response to the incidence of violence in our international community and the task of contributing to a more Christlike world. They have been as follows: - 3.2 The Unfolding Situation in Indonesia The violent upheaval in Indonesia, stimulated by the East Asia economic meltdown of 1998/1999, had already manifested itself at the time of the Ninth Assembly. Since then there has been continued violence, particularly in the Moluccas (Maluku), in Sulawesi, in Papua (formerly Irian Jaya) and in Aceh. In January 2001, I was the first foreigner permitted to travel throughout the North Moluccas and spent over a week journeying around Halmahera, the main island of the area. For part of the time I had military and police protection. The results of the violence that I encountered, even for one hardened by the atrocities in Northern Ireland, were almost overwhelming. Village upon village, where once there had been Christian community as pure as any I have ever seen anywhere in the world, had been razed to the ground. Women and men whom I had trained for ordination, women and men whom I had ordained, young people whom I had confirmed or baptised or led to faith, had been shot or hacked to death or drowned at sea as they fled the terror. A former student, a man of brilliance, grace and charm, caught in the violence in the parish church where he was minister, asked if he might put on his preaching gown and bands and kneel in prayer in front of the pulpit before being beheaded. His wish was granted. 3.3 In this situation, along with the staff of Unity and International Mission (UIM), I decided that it was essential that I put part of my energies into working with the situation in Indonesia, partially because of my knowledge of the region. Indonesia is Australia’s closest neighbour in the Asia-Pacific Region. Primarily I did so because of the strategic importance of Christianity in Indonesia, particularly in relation to Islam. Here we have a Church whose membership far exceeds the entire population of Australia in terms of numbers, and yet which is a minority (albeit a large minority) in the world's most populous Muslim nation. Moreover, it was apparent that the Indonesian churches looked to the Uniting Church in Australia as their prime linkage overseas. It was indeed a tough call on us, but one that we could not ignore. In this situation we supplied what material aid we could through UIM. We lobbied for aid from the Federal Government, and it was granted. We advocated, or organised advocacy, for our Indonesian partner churches to, among other places: the Australian Government and Opposition (on a continuous basis); the British House of Commons (where two Adjournment Debates were organized, one on the day before President Abdurrahman Wahid visited London); to the United Nations (UN) in New York and Geneva (where Ms. Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees at the time, received a Report sent via us from the Indonesian Churches); to the United States Joint Senate and House Committee on Foreign Relations (where we sent Protestant and Catholic leaders from the Moluccas); and the European Commission in Brussels. Since February 2002 I have been a part of the group of Moderators of the Eastern Indonesian Synods meeting to protect the situation of these churches. Discussion from this group has taken place with President Megawati Soekarnoputri. At the Church of Scotland General Assembly in Edinburgh in 2002 I was asked to speak on these issues. 3.4 I felt a duty to advocate on behalf of our partner churches in Indonesia. The presence of the Laskar Jihad had produced overwhelming terror in Eastern Indonesia. However, I was very conscious that there had been atrocities emanating from both sides, Christian and Muslim. For that reason, the work of reconciliation between Christians and Muslims took on a central place. Thanks to good leadership from both sides in most areas, much has been achieved since mid-2001. I visited the North Moluccas again in January 2002, and took part in the reconciliation process. Appalling atrocities had taken place again on both sides, including forced conversions of Christians to Islam. Nevertheless, I was deeply impressed by the speed of reconciliation between the two sides. UIM's Young Ambassadors for Peace programme in Ambon has played an important part in this. Related to this, during 2001 I lectured on reconciliation and Muslim-Christian relations at the State Islamic University at Malang in East Java, and was warmly received by representatives of the largest Indonesian Muslim organisation in Indonesia (NU). My wife and I were guests at the State Dinner in Government House in Canberra for the Visit of President Abdurrahman Wahid of Indonesia to Australia, and I also took part in the discussions between President Wahid and Australian religious leaders at that time. 3.5 Indonesia is slowly and painfully emerging as a democracy. It is essential that Australia truly interacts with Indonesia, rather that seeing it as an object, the relations with which need to be carefully managed. It is also essential that the Uniting Church in Australia continues to be truly involved with the Indonesian churches, as this is one of the key places around the world where the major issues of evangelism, social justice and inter-faith dialogue are being worked out in the crucible of terror and hope. 3.6 The Emergence of the Democratic Republic of East Timor However, in this threatening environment there was good news. On 20 May 2002 the Democratic Republic of East Timor (or Timor Leste or Timor Lorosae) was established. I was privileged, along with my wife, to attend the Official Independence Celebrations in Dili, and I had the honour of preaching at the Ecumenical Independence Service. I was able to represent the hopes and aspirations of so many of our people in the Uniting Church in Australia and the nation as a whole for the realisation of freedom for this deeply traumatised nation. On a beautiful, balmy, tropical night, under a clear, starlit sky, the international community finally, and belatedly, demonstrated its solidarity with the people of East Timor at this most important hour. It joined thousands of hopeful East Timorese in remembering the fallen and the abused of their land, in pledging themselves under President Xanana Gusmao to a life of mutual care and development, and in seeking reconciliation with the new Indonesia, represented in this painful moment by President Megawati Soekarnoputri. I preached from Hebrews 12: 1 - 2, reminding those present that East Timor too was surrounded by a "great cloud of witnesses", the one-quarter of their citizens who had perished. These witnesses could also be their inspiration for the days ahead. At the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in Columbus, Ohio in 2002 I was asked to speak on East Timor and Indonesia. 3.7 A World of Terrorism Since 11 September 2001 a profound sense of disillusionment and fear has come over the world. The Twin Towers Attacks and the Bali Bombings on 10 October 2002 have had an immense impact in this country. As Christians, the issues of human existence, and of the hope of the Gospel, have become starkly real to us. I was involved in the two National Memorial services in Parliament House in Canberra, one in the aftermath of September 11, and the other after the Bali Bombings, for the victims and their families. A prayer that I wrote for our congregations was subsequently used at the services around the country for the deployment of Australian Defence Force (ADF) troops to deal with terrorism. The prayer not only interceded for the people of Australia and the ADF, but also for the people of Afghanistan. In November 2002 I also spoke at the Ecumenical Christian Service in Bali, asking God to grant newness of life to the island after the bombings. 3.8 The War in Iraq For the first time in Australia's history a war overseas with Australian involvement began without the support of much of the Australian people and, significantly, without the support of the Australian churches. Although there was support and prayers for the personnel of the Australian Defence Force deployed overseas, the churches both individually and ecumenically through the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) expressed great sadness and concern about the action of deploying troops to this war. This unanimous view of the member churches of the NCCA, which had been galvanised by September 11, was quite remarkable.
4.1 Against the background of the international situation, I believed that it was very important to keep up the ties with our partner churches during this period of very difficult international relations. To the north of Australia there has been an Arc of Instability, running from Sulawesi on the west, through the Molucca Islands, Papua, Papua New Guinea to the Solomon Islands on the east. Throughout this Arc the main churches are all partner churches of our Uniting Church. During the three years I concentrated on visiting our Partner Churches in Asia and the Pacific, in addition to some other Churches. I visited our partner churches in East Timor, Fiji, Indonesia (Bali, Halmahera, Minahasa, Papua, Sumba, and Timor), Korea, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, The Cook Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. 4.2 In 2001, through the initiative of the late President of the Methodist Church of Samoa, Rev. Fatoese Auva’a, a group involving the Uniting Church and the Pacific Churches set up the Methodist Consultative Council of the Pacific (MCCP), which now includes the Methodist Churches in Aotearoa New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, the Uniting Church in Australia, the United Church in Papua New Guinea and the United Church in the Solomon Islands, and which meets annually. This initiative aimed to address some of the unfinished business of our own union in Australia, that is, that upon the incorporation of the previous Methodist Conference of Australasia into the Uniting Church the Methodist Conferences of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga had felt a loss of contact with each other and with Australia most keenly. The MCCP is producing effective local initiatives in mission, evangelism, church and society matters and Christian education.
5.1 I have maintained a strong priority on making a contribution towards the life of the Uniting Church throughout Australia. I have had the privilege of traveling a great deal around the country, to congregations, presbyteries, synods, schools, colleges, hospitals, community service centres, and all kinds of outreach centres. I have greatly enjoyed hosting many President's Tables in all our Synods. Finance raised from them has supported many projects, both in Australia and overseas. I have preached at least once on almost every Sunday since I became President, including also taking part in services for the opening and dedication of new buildings and in many memorable anniversaries. These have included the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Uniting Church in Australia, the Ninetieth Anniversary of Frontier Services in Alice Springs, the One Hundred and Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of the Hobart Congregations, the One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of Scots Church, Adelaide, and the Centenary of the Adelaide Central Mission. At the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Uniting Church for Victoria and Tasmania, held interactively between Melbourne and Launceston, I also had the privilege of inaugurating the new Synod of Victoria and Tasmania. In this ministry around our country I have noted the following trends in our Church:- 5.2 The situation of indigenous Australians The work of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) continues to develop. In 2001 I had the immense privilege of traveling to many of the Aboriginal communities, including a number of homelands, around Arnhem Land. I found this journey most encouraging. The dignified sense of pride and high self-esteem, and deep Christian spirituality, in places like Langara moved me greatly. The situation of Aboriginal communities close to the non-aboriginal population is problematic, and needs our prayer and support. The Shalom developments in Townsville, where largely indigenous-run educational and community care institutions have been so successfully integrated with each other, have been a great beacon of hope to the people of the North Australian community. Two matters have been much on my mind. First, in relation to ministry among Aboriginal communities, we as a national church need to hear what God is saying to us all through the Congress. New styles of ministry among indigenous people have developed, and need to continue to develop. Second, I was appalled at the standards of some non-indigenous personnel (for example, British casual staff, with no background in Aboriginal cultures) working on contracts in Aboriginal communities, as a result of difficulty in acquiring staff. I call on members of the Uniting Church, suitably qualified, to consider offering themselves for service on contracts in Aboriginal and Islander communities, to express our solidarity with indigenous Australians in the development of their communities. 5.3 The growth of the migrant-ethnic congregations The migrant-ethnic congregations are growing in both number and size, and their presence now is in both the metropolitan capitals and in the regional centres. Many are very vibrant in their communal life. In the Uniting Church in Australia we now use over forty languages each Sunday in worship (including Aboriginal languages, migrant-ethnic languages, and English, including English as it is used by the Irish!), and the largest number of these languages are the migrant-ethnic languages. If language is a measure of culture, then the Uniting Church in Australia must be near to being the most multi-cultural church in the world. That is a bold claim, but it must be close to reality, as no European or North American Church comes close in numbers of languages to the Uniting Church in Australia. 5.4 What are the theological implications of this trend for our Church? First, the changed composition of our Church has implications for its ethos. Twenty-five years after our own union, we may resemble the situation of the early church approximately twenty-five years after the Day of Pentecost, when it met in the church's first council in Jerusalem (Acts 15). The question the church faced then was: what must be required of the Gentile converts to Christianity? What must be laid upon them? So for us. How can we "translate" (in the broadest sense) our regulations into appropriate cultural forms for each migrant-ethnic group, preserving the essence of our faith, life and polity but sitting light to the Anglo forms appropriate to Anglo culture? These issues we are facing and must continue to face, particularly in order to avoid the temptation towards cultural imperialism. Second, and absolutely fundamental, what is God saying to us in these trends in relation to questions of Christian unity? Are we being called to be the model of a great multi-cultural church in the Great Southern Land of the Holy Spirit, while in many other Anglo nations there has been disintegration into a plethora of small migrant-ethnic denominations? If we are being called by God, as I believe we are, to be this great multi-cultural church, then for the future all of our policies and practices must reflect that fact. 5.5 The growth of faith communities. Faith communities are growing in many places around the country. Some are formed through the fellowship of Uniting Church people, often with people of other denominations and no church affiliation. Others relate to our schools, colleges, hospitals and community service institutions and activities. Some are at the cutting-edge of evangelism and outreach, in all kinds of forms of faith-sharing. Many are ecumenical, and these we in the Uniting Church must of course encourage due to our commitment to ecumenism. The growth of the regional congregations is very significant; but so is the growth of faith communities. We need to continue our work on how we see the relationship of faith communities to congregations and the wider church. We must not do anything that might quench the Spirit (as if, ultimately, we could!), and yet we must draw such communities into the ordered liberty of the wider fellowship of the church.
Our work in community service and social welfare around the country is one of the most significant areas of work of the Uniting Church in Australia. The Uniting Church in Australia is the largest provider of community services in this country. One million Australians access our services week by week. Our operation in this area is enormous in size, and is a national leader in terms of quality and of policy formation. The work of UnitingCare Australia, and the related Synod bodies, and of the Missions Network, and of Frontier Services in this area has been outstanding, and their co-operation with each other most impressive. Such a massive operation is not for the faint-hearted. Any person can easily point to a fault somewhere in the system, when one operates such a huge organisation. However, our community services remain by far our largest interface between the Uniting Church and the community. Professionals direct, manage and carry out its daily work in all its variety, and volunteers are increasingly involved in its many boards and activities. My experience suggests to me that, because of our vast commitment in this area, we will need to focus the attention of specific ministers and members to its work. Otherwise it could totally consume the attention of all of our people, particularly in rural areas, to the detriment of other work. 5.7 The situation of the missionary church. All over the western world churches define and redefine "mission". In their search for a working definition, they often try to address their perceived cultural marginalisation. At times they feel compelled to integrate themselves as far as possible into the dominant cultural trends of their time and place, so as to advocate for the Gospel and to make it acceptable to the community. At other times they stand strongly counter-culture to the dominant culture they face. Normally there are elements of both these postures in the lives of western churches. Most painful for the mainline Australian churches is the apparent invisibility of young adults in the church. To face this issue, I continued the programme begun in the previous triennium and ran a President's Young Leaders' Conference in 2002. A marvelous group of young leaders in our Church, from every Synod, State and Territory, traveled with me and four other mentors over 2200 kilometres through Queensland and Northern New South Wales, to look at, and to engage with, projects, and reflect on our common calling in Christ. Since the Conference the group have remained in contact with each other through an e-mail chat-room. This networking, and the faith communities related to it, are at least a part of the answer to the place of young adults in the church. 5.8 In our current mission context a further issue is that of the self-identity of many church members, particularly ministers. In relation to that I ran two President's Forums on Mission, one in Victoria and one in South Australia, with the aim of reinvigorating Trinitarian perspectives on mission, and so stimulating once again the great vision of the Basis of Union of our Church to enhance ministry and mission. A very helpful day in this area was held in conjunction with the celebration of the Twentieth-Fifth Anniversary of the Uniting Church by the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania in Melbourne.
6.1 There have been two main areas of work as President that I have pursued vigorously: ecumenism and representation of the Church to government and the media:- 6.2 The continuing call to ecumenical leadership in Australia There is no doubt that there is movement ecumenically throughout the world at present. There is no doubt too that there is ecumenical creativity here in Australia. However, in post-modern cultures of western societies, structured forms of ecumenical progress, that is, formal dialogues toward organic union face difficulties. Nevertheless, there are signs of advance, both pragmatically in the bush and existentially for many young people. All dialogues are important. However, at this time it is the future of our dialogues with the Anglican Church of Australia, the Lutheran Church of Australia, and the Churches of Christ in Australia that are critical. In times favourable and unfavourable we in the Uniting Church must press ahead as far as we are able. 6.3 Since November 2000 I have served as Chairperson of the National Heads of Churches Meeting. This is an important gathering of the national heads of Australian churches, which is wider than the membership of the National Council of Churches in Australia. It has been quite remarkable how much unanimity has come about in this gathering. 6.4 Since 2000 I have been a member of the Executive of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA). I presented the daily Bible Studies too at the 2001 Forum of the NCCA in Melbourne. In 2002 the NCCA appointed a new General Secretary, Rev. John Henderson of the Lutheran Church, to succeed Rev. David Gill of our Church. David Gill developed his vocation in the world-wide ecumenical movement, has been an outstanding ecumenical thinker and leader, and we are deeply proud of his contribution to this movement. 6.5 During the three years I spoke at the General Convention of the Synod of the Lutheran Church of Australia in 2000, and that year also attended the International Convention of the Churches of Christ/Disciples of Christ, which was held in Brisbane. I attended, and was most warmly greeted at, the Centenary General Assembly celebrated by the Presbyterian Church of Australia in Sydney on 24 July 2001. On that same day, 24 July 2001, I was also present at the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia, and on that day the Anglican Church - Uniting Church Dialogue proposals, For the Sake of the Gospel, were presented to the Anglican General Synod. On that very day, one hundred years earlier, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Australia had been formed, in the presence of leaders of other major denominations, with the hope that it would work toward the vision of “one great Protestant Church in Australia”, a union that was realized, in part, in the inauguration Uniting Church in Australia. In the original union proposals, it had been hoped that the union would also include the membership of the Anglican Church of Australia. I also preached at the Opening and Closing Services of the triennial General Synod of the Anglican Church of Australia, and presented the daily Bible Studies at the General Synod. I have also been the Co-Chair of the Roman Catholic Church - Uniting Church Dialogue since 1992, and in 2001 and 2002 took part in the Greek Orthodox Church - Uniting Church Dialogue as well. Since 2002 I have been a member of the World Methodist Council - Roman Catholic Church International Dialogue. 6.6 The relationship of the Church with government and media The public role of the Uniting Church has been a significant priority for me as President. This goes to the heart of the Reformed tradition in its constructive critique of society and to the heart of the Evangelical tradition in its desire to mould the lives of individuals into a vision of the Kingdom of God. For our tradition, probably more than any other Christian tradition in this country, this is a non-negotiable activity. In Australia, parliamentarians and public servants at the federal level have in recent years often been very open to discussion and interaction with church leaders. At other times it has been necessary for me, as President, to articulate the decisions of the Assembly or the Assembly Standing Committee to parliamentarians or in the public arena. I have made representations, alone or with other members of the Church, on a range of issues, including the Commonwealth's response to the Northern Territory's "Three Strike" legislation, refugee and asylum seeker matters including the "Tampa Affair", issues relating to the Federal general election, poverty matters, the situation in Indonesia (particularly Sulawesi, the Moluccas and Papua), East Timor and the Speight Coup in Fiji and its aftermath. Again, I have become involved in discussion of these and many other public issues in the print and electronic media (TV and radio). I believe that, although unpredictable, these are evangelical and apologetic opportunities for the church.
7.1 I have spent considerable time on the Presidential Rulings that on request I have made, and which were subsequently confirmed by the Assembly Standing Committee. For assistance with these Rulings I have been most grateful to the Legal Reference Committee in Sydney and to the Church Polity Committee in Melbourne. Both of these committees have outstanding expertise and great devotion to the Uniting Church. On other occasions I have declined to make Presidential Rulings, and have sought to deal with the issues in pastoral and other ways. 7.2 I have concern at the trend in the Uniting Church to use legal means, as in a Presidential Ruling, to resolve issues that should be resolved by theological debate in the Church's councils (congregation, presbytery, synod or assembly) or by pastoral means. Although sometimes Presidential Rulings are needed, I do hope that this trend does not develop into a regular a practice. In councils, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, people and not just pieces of paper, meet. Here, in these councils, in prayer and in debate, in the fear of the Lord and in the fear of no human, we can often best find the way forward, with help of the Constitution and the Regulations. This, in fact, is the way in which we are called, through the Basis of Union, primarily to interact with one another.
8.1 I wish to thank many people around our Church and overseas for their friendship and support. In particular I wish to thank my wife Mary and our children Julia and Miriam, my Chaplains Christine Digby and Gordon Watson, my secretary Alice Foo, my colleagues in the Faculty and Staff of Trinity College, Brisbane, the other Assembly Officers (Ex-President John Mavor, President-Elect Dean Drayton and the two General Secretaries who served with me, Gregor Henderson and Terence Corkin), my media officers Kim Cain and Nick Kerr, the members of the Assembly Standing Committee, the members of the Ninth Assembly, the Assembly staff, and the Moderators and Synod Secretaries. 8.2 Most of all I am thankful to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for guiding and protecting us in this Uniting Church down these years, for loving us against the odds, and for using us to share in the risen life of Christ. For myself, I am primarily thankful that I have been enabled to proclaim the gospel in this ministry as President of the Assembly, and that in this ministry too I have been enabled to see more clearly the wonder of God's grace. 8.3 We live in a deeply ambivalent age, an age of high technology and of mediaeval conflict, an age as strangely confident of the saving powers of the market-place as a previous age was strangely confident of the saving powers of collectivism. In this age we in the church are called to speak of, and live out, the wonder of God's condescension, in the intention of God's solidarity with sinners, that is, with those who find their self-identity solely within themselves, and find their self-justification and sole solace in that. God calls such sinners to God's very self. God chooses to be in solidarity with us. God does not wish to be alone in celebrating the wonder of God's inexpressible love for humanity. God in Christ calls into existence an earthly Body of his Son, in order that humanity may rejoice with God in the harmony and peace that God has given. We are called to a life of praise, that embraces all of our personal and social life, in all its practical, ethical, religious, political and intellectual aspects. It is a praise which stands counter-culture, over against the idolatrous self-worship of individuals and nations in our time. In our time especially we are called to stand against that self-worship, to the true praise of God alone, the praise of all our life, in public and in private. This is the heart of the Uniting Church. We can do no other.
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