Social Justice
WVUC encourages its members to become active in social justice activities as it lives out its goal to be:
Fearless in advocacy and energetic in action in support of social justice, reconciliation, peace and wise environmental stewardship, locally, nationally and globally.
While WVUC does not run programs as such, its members are actively involved in many aspects of social justice and environmental activism.
This year members of the Woden Valley Uniting Church participated in the Canberra Wave as part of the Rising Tide 2024 blockade.
We are asked the question of the Prime Minister, “When will you stop new coal and gas?”
Refugees and Asylum Seekers: WVUC strongly supports the work of Canberra Refugee Support and Companion House, as well as the Palm Sunday Rally in support of Refugees and Asylum Seekers and other protests from time to time.
Climate Change: WVUC, and the Uniting Church in Australia as a whole, endorses the need for climate action now. It applauds its school age members for participating in the Student Strike for Climate Change and members of all ages active in the Uniting Climate Action Network. The recent Season of Creation provided an opportunity to think more deeply about care for the whole of creation.
Poverty: WVUC members have supported the campaign to increase unemployment and student payments to above the poverty line.
Gaza: WVUC members have been involved in working for peace and justice in Palestine.
You will find information on activities on the Against the Wind page and some good theological reflection on our Growing in Faith page.
Several people from WVUC are members of the Canberra Presbytery Social Justice Group, a major area of interest of which is drug law reform. The group has played a part in the development of the Uniting Church NSW/ACT and Uniting’s Fair Treatment Campaign which seeks safer, fairer laws and policies.
https://www.fairtreatment.org/
A new initiative of members of WVUC and people concerned with justice is Against the Wind. Two of the objectives of Against the Wind are to advocate for:
- Fairer and non-exploitative Australian legislation at all tiers of government
- Issues that are getting little support in Government or for which there are few advocates.
Read more at the Against the Wind page.
WVUC has a commitment to understanding its actions for social justice in a theological context. See for example Rev John Squires' article in the August 2021 issue of Viewpoint magazine (see link below) on the overriding importance of justice, and a theology of advocacy article.
Other reading:
The Spring 2021 issue of the Canberra Region Presbytery magazine, Viewpoint, focused on the question of Advocacy
Anglican Board of Mission, 2020 study: 'Climate for Change'
Cry of the Earth Cry of the Poor, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Social Justice Statement 2021-22
A new website blog, So That We Remember, offering short articles about the dispossession of Australia's indigenous population in the colonisation of Australia.
Links to organisations:
Australian Religious Response to Climate Change
Canberra Refugee Action Committee Facebook page
Christians for an Ethical Society (a Canberra based ecumenical forum)