In July 2012 in Adelaide, the members of the 13th Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia listened to members of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) tell stories about the effects of the Federal Stronger legislation (and before that) on their lives and the lives of their communities.
Assembly members were responded by adopting resolution calling on the church to engage in a week of prayer and fasting for justice for the First Peoples, including a public prayer vigil outside Parliament House in Canberra to be led by UAICC Chairperson and the President, and include representatives of every Uniting Church presbytery. Representatives from other Christian denominations and other faiths will also to be invited to join the vigil.
That week has been set as the week of Monday Sunday 23 March 2014. Through this pilgrimage of prayer and fasting the Uniting Church seeks to express grief at the continued injustice experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples; express our hope that justice will prevail for Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders; and act in solidarity and bear witness to reconciliation and the genuine transformation of relationship that is s love in Christ.
Prayer and information resources will be produced so that presbyteries and congregations can hold local vigils during the week and special services on the Sunday, and individuals, small groups and congregations can exercise the daily practice of prayer and fasting throughout the course of the week.