How We Work

The NCCA gathers together Churches and Christian communities which confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the Scriptures. We commit to deepen our relationship with each other and to work together towards the fulfilment of common witness, proclamation and service, to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Gathering for the Talanoa in Pitt St Uniting Church Sydney, Image: N Osora

Hearing the call of Christians across the blue Pacific Ocean of peace

National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) together with Quakers Australia and the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) facilitated a Talanoa in Sydney on Sunday 5 July 2026 at Pitt Street Uniting Church.

Talanoa is a Pacific practice of gathering to share stories, wisdom and discuss questions and challenges.

Speakers included:

  • Rev James Bhagwan, General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches
  • Ms Mere Tuilau, Fiji Nuclear Veterans and Families Association
  • Rev Dr Seforosa Carroll, Acting Principal, United Theological College, UCA Synod NSW/ACT
  • Mr Nathan Tyson, Head of First Peoples Strategy and Engagement, UCA Synod NSW/ACT

The conversation was moderated by Rev Dr Cliff Bird, Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme (PALMS) Mission Consultant with the UCA NSW/ACT Synod.

Falling on the first Sunday of National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Culture (NAIDOC) Week, known as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday across Australia’s Churches, the Talanoa explored three guiding questions:

  1. How does faith turn up for Pacific Islander Christians in their work for peace and self-determination?
  1. What are the connections between Australian First Nations experiences and faith journeys with others in the Pacific?
  1. How can Australians deepen their grounding in our Pacific neighbourhood and join Pacific communities on the path of liberation?

The speakers were followed by a Q&A, which deepened connection and strengthened shared understandings across the gathered faith community.

“As part of the circle of the Talanoa, we were each challenged by the speakers to appreciate our need for conversion and transformation from the empire ‘within’ and the empire ‘without’ and to understand our cultural journeys that have often been lived alongside our faith,” Liz Stone, NCCA General Secretary says.

As one lens on the journey of decolonising spirituality we were invited to use the Indigenous elements of the Kanaky concept of ‘DO KAMO’ (that roughly translates as an ongoing becoming, of being): identity, language, Indigenous wisdom and land – to reflect how this sits with Indigenous cultures, lived Christian faith and God’s revelation. This lens is currently being used to guide the work of the Pacific Conference of Churches.

“From both the Australian First Nations and Pacific Islander experiences shared in the Talanoa, we hear the need for making space for truth telling, repentance and transformation to liberate Indigenous culture from a place outside of ‘a Gospel of power and empire that has produced a system of patriarchy and sexism’. We need our Christian faith with its prophetic and praxis orientation to be integrated with Indigenous wisdom and vice versa (cf Romans 12)”, reflects Liz Stone.

It was a thoughtful and gentle discussion on a wet, wintry afternoon but all present were uplifted with a shared sense of love and hope.

We are appreciative of the warm hospitality and participation in the Talanoa of the members of Pitt Street Uniting Church.

“… where the Holy Spirit is, there is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)