Pastoral Letter from the Moderator | Pausing, Remembering, and Standing Together

As Australia approaches 26 January, I write to you as your Moderator with a pastoral invitation to pause.

This is a season that carries many meanings and deep emotions across our nation and within our Church. For some it is a day of celebration; for others it is a day marked by grief, loss, and unresolved pain. As followers of Jesus, we are called not to rush past complexity, but to stand prayerfully, honestly, and compassionately in the midst of it.
Each year, on the Sunday before 26 January, the Uniting Church gathers to mark the Day of Mourning. This is not simply an observance. It is a spiritual discipline and a covenant commitment.
In 2015, at the request of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC), the Assembly called the whole Church to pause and remember the ongoing impacts of invasion, dispossession, and injustice experienced by First Nations peoples. In doing so, Congress invited us to walk more faithfully in the promises we made in 1994 when we entered into Covenant together.

That Covenant named the pain caused when the Church failed to listen deeply to the wisdom, spirituality, and leadership of First Peoples. It confessed the harm that occurred when the gospel of Jesus Christ was confused with colonising ways. And it committed us to a different path - one shaped by humility, truth-telling, justice, and life-giving relationship.
As we gather today, we are invited once again to live into that promise — not for one day only, but as part of an ongoing journey of covenant faithfulness for our whole Church.
I recognise that congregations come to this day carrying different histories, emotions, and understandings. Some come with deep sorrow, some with uncertainty, others with a longing to do better. Wherever we find ourselves on this journey, we are held by the same God whose love continually calls us into deeper relationship.

We extend our deep appreciation to the many First Nations Peoples who serve across the Uniting Church in Queensland — in our schools, colleges, institutions, and congregations and faith communities. You are seen, valued, and loved. On this day, we hold your stories and your hurt close to our hearts, that we might more faithfully continue to learn how to walk with you on the long road of truth-telling, reconciliation, peace, and healing.

The scriptures appointed for this day speak powerfully into our shared story. Isaiah proclaims that “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” — a light that does not deny the darkness but transforms it from within. In the gospel, Jesus calls ordinary people to leave old patterns behind and follow him into a new way of life grounded in justice, compassion, and shared purpose. Paul urges the church to be “knit together” despite difference — a vision that resonates deeply for us as First and Second Peoples seeking a shared life marked by respect, equity, and reconciliation. I encourage you to find out more in our 2026 Day of Mourning resources, and be guided with our Walking Together Toolkit.

May the Holy Spirit guide us as we weave threads of love across this land. And may we trust that the Holy Spirit is at work - restoring, renewing, and reconciling all creation.
Grace and peace to you,

Rev Bruce Moore
Moderator
Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod