23/10/2026
๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ช๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ: ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ผ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ
๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐๐น๐ถ, ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ
As we continue to hold Dr Helen Haines MP, her husband Phil, and their family and the Wangaratta community in our prayers, we recognise the profound suffering caused by this devastating attack and the concern it has stirred across our nation.
At a time when many Australians are troubled by hostility, threats and intimidation in public life, we are reminded of our shared responsibility for how we speak about and treat one another. Whatever the motive behind this attack, violence and intimidation have no place in our communities or in public life.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus says, โ๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด, ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ช๐ญ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ฐ๐ฅโ (Matthew 5:9).
These words are both a promise and a call. The peace of Christ is more than the absence of violence or disagreement. It is a gift that calls us to live differently, recognising that every person is created in the image of God and possesses inherent dignity and worth, even when our convictions differ profoundly.
Peacemaking does not mean avoiding difficult conversations or staying silent in the face of injustice. We are called to speak the truth and challenge injustice without resorting to contempt, hostility or dehumanisation. The words we use matter, even within our own Church. We cannot proclaim the peace of Christ while failing to practise it in how we listen, speak and treat one another.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to nurture communities where people can disagree without fear, where justice is upheld, and where compassion and reconciliation shape our way of living together.
This Sunday, I invite congregations and faith communities across the Uniting Church to join in prayer for Helen, Phil, and their family; for those caring for her; and for the Wangaratta community. Let us also pray for those entrusted with public leadership, for peace throughout our nation, and for the courage to live out peace in our own communities.
In these difficult days, may we hold fast to the hope of the risen Christ, who comes to us in our fear with the words, โ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถโ.
May that peace bring comfort to all who are grieving or afraid, sustain those who are suffering, and guide us as we seek to live faithfully together.
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ Charissa Suli
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐, ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ
Read the President's Prayer here: tinyurl.com/uca-pp-oct26
