Christies Beach Baptist Church has adopted an Acknowledgement of Country that includes the desire to see the Uluru Statement from the Heart adopted into the Australian Constitution. This expresses our desire to be good neighbours to our First Nation brothers and sisters. We do not instruct our members on how to vote in referendums or elections, but we do encourage our church and its networks to give prayerful consideration to what is required of all Australians to be truly neighbourly in 2023.
CBBC acknowledges that we live on the traditional land of the Kaurna people. We recognise, respect, and will listen to the spiritual experiences of their relationship with country, land, sky, and waters. We respect the strength and richness of Aboriginal culture and their elders, past, present, and emerging. We commit to be allies on a journey of healing towards true Reconciliation and unity in our future together, including seeing the Uluru Statement from the Heart adopted into the Australian constitution.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an invitation from First Nations people to all Australians to walk together towards a better future. The Commonwealth Government has announced its intention to hold a referendum in 2023 on one of the Statement’s key proposals, a Voice to Parliament.
In September 2022, the National Council of Australian Baptist Ministries released a statement encouraging Baptist churches and agencies across the nation to familiarise themselves with the Uluru Statement and to prayerfully consider how we can respond to its invitation for action. The Assembly Board of Baptist Churches of South Australia has adopted ABM’s statement (see here).
Information on What is Indigenous Constitutional Recognition? What is a Voice to Parliament? And, Why is a Referendum Needed? can be found at the YES 23 national website.
ABC News has published a 13-minute video explaining “All you need to know about the Voice”; watch it here.