Help spark gracious conversations for change in your community and host a ‘Listen to the Heart’ event at your church!
We are inviting churches to organise and host community events after NAIDOC Week, throughout July - September 2023, in the lead up to the referendum later this year.
These events are an important opportunity to engage your congregation and broader community in deeply listening and holding gracious conversations around the importance of a YES vote at the upcoming referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
We believe the best way of encouraging our neighbours to listen to the gracious call of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and support the referendum is by engaging in respectful conversations with people they trust - that is, with friends, family, and church.
These events can take whatever format suits your church community best. We have a range of ideas to help get you started in your planning in our ‘Church Event Guide’, which Common Grace will have available to download by the end of April.
As an overview, we suggest these events are structured around three key components:
- Hearing: A Listen to the Heart Church event will be a place where your community hears a compelling case by our Aboriginal Christian Leaders for voting Yes at the referendum and the significance of this vote for the flourishing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and all of Australia.
- Feeling: A Listen to the Heart Church event will create space for your community to reflect on what it is that they have heard and how it makes them feel.
- Committing: A Listen to the Heart Church event will invite your community to commit to becoming advocates for justice themselves and equip them to host their own Table Conversation about the need to vote YES.
Common Grace is developing a range of resources, including Acknowledgement of Country, prayers, video messages by Aboriginal Christian Leaders, a creative action, promotional material, playlists and more to support churches across Australia in hosting events. All final resources will be made available to registered churches by June 2023.
Register your event today!
If you're not a church leader, but you’re interested in your church hosting an event, make sure you start a conversation with your church leaders today. We are happy to help with any questions - please get in touch at [email protected]
We would also love to help promote your church event so make sure you let us know as you sign up if you are happy to have your event shared publicly with the Common Grace community (across web, email and social media).
Thank you for joining in speaking out for Voice & Justice in 2023!
___
Please Note: In signing up, you may receive occasional updates from Common Grace, in accordance with our privacy policy.
