Assembly '97 News Home page Documents next story		Assembly should be 'truly multicultural' on sexuality Thursday, July 10 A statement from 16 migrant-ethnic representatives is calling for "no major decisions" on sexuality at the Eighth Assembly, but culture rather than caution is behind the move. "A truly multicultural church should act in a multicultural way," says the statement, after commenting that the task group on sexuality "was not successful in involving migrant-ethnic people to any extent in their deliberations". Rev James Latu, secretary of the Tongan National Conference of the UCA, said: "We can appreciate their difficulties in not knowing how to go about engaging the ethnic communities, but they didn't seek advice." The task group had used very Western ways of doing its work, and "failed to explore how ethnic communities can go about arriving at a decision," he said. Rev Myung-Hwa Park, from the Korean UCA community, said: "Having represented us doesn't mean dealing with us in multicultural ways. What about Asian ways? Multicultural procedures have to be explored to go about [an inquiry into] such a fundamental question as sexuality." The representatives have rejected suggestions that migrant-ethnic communities are not interested in the issue of sexuality or that it's not important to them. "Some people look at sexuality as a way of life [and ask], so what's the fuss?" said Mr Latu. "But for us it's a question of faith. That's why it's so central." They acknowledge that some migrant-ethnic congregations may withdraw from the Uniting Church. Others are said to have found it hard to reach out to members of their wider ethnic community when their UCA base is known by its association with the sexuality report. The statement recommends no major decisions on sexuality so as to allow more time for prayer, reflection and discussion of the issue. "The Western desire for quick decisions may cause damage in this instance." Other communities represented in the statement are Fijian, Samoan, Indonesian and Sri Lankan.

"The Uniting Church affirms that it belongs to the people of GOD on the way to the promised end." Basis of Union, Revised edition published 1992