Strengthening connections with South East Asia partners

“It was a joy to be there in person and to meet with overseas partners and hear about the work they’re doing, share their joys and their sorrows, and share in the good news of the gospel together,” said Rev Hollis.

Conference delegates also got the chance to visit several community development programs run by host partner, Gereja Kristen Protestan di Bali (GKPB, the Protestant Christian Church in Bali). Rev Hollis met with program participants in rural Bali who were helped to start goat and chicken-breeding businesses and was touched by their stories.

Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) President Rev Sharon Hollis met with church partners from across South East Asia recently. While she was there, she got to see the fruits of UnitingWorld’s work in partnership with local churches and the power that Everything in Common gifts can have.

On the invitation of UnitingWorld, Rev Hollis joined our South East Asia partners conference in Bali, which brought together partners from Bali, Maluku, Timor-Leste, East Nusa Tenggara (West Timor), Papua and West Papua and Sulawesi.

As well as leading opening worship for the four-day conference, Rev Hollis led a session on the Biblical imperative for safeguarding and gave a UCA perspective on how we seek to be a ‘safe church’.

It sparked a lively and honest discussion about the historic failings of churches to protect people, as well as the cultural challenges of gender equality that our partners are working to shift in their communities.

The workshop sessions were predominantly led by partners, and Rev Hollis loved hearing more about the work they are doing with the support of UnitingWorld to develop their communities and share the good news.