Re-discovering the church’s Social Justice voice

When many people think ‘Uniting Church’, they think ‘social justice’ and right from our first Statement to the Nation, expressing God’s love to the world through social justice has been a core element of our identity. In Western Australia, the Social Justice Commission has been an important part of our Synod, leading and resourcing thinking about the important issues of the day.
Article by Dr Alison Atkinson-Phillips and Rev Dr Elaine Ledgerwood, originally published in the April 2025 edition of Revive magazine.

It was back in May 2024, during the ‘Trek for Timor’ event, that former Social Justice Commission member Rev Sophia Lizares mentioned to Alison Atkinson-Phillips her sadness about the demise of the Commission, especially in the context of the ongoing conflict in Palestine. Alison shared Sophia’s concerns and was invited to join a conversation with Rev Dr Elaine Ledgerwood. From this initial group of three, the flame of social justice was reignited.

Alison explains that this approach is both biblical and a way of working that she teaches to Community Development students at Murdoch University.
“The bible tells us that when two or three people are gathered together, God will be there. But it also teaches us that three is a powerful number after all, we worship a God who is three in one. In Community Development practice, we talk about ‘triads’ as a way of working – if you have a stool with two legs it falls over, but add another leg, and you have a stable structure. So as soon as we had three people who were passionate about doing this work, we knew we could move forward.”

Whilst the Presbytery of WA’s commissioning of a resource about the conflict in Gaza was an important start, it was also important to find a way to continue the work of Social Justice with limited resources. A meeting was called of interested people, and a new model of working was developed. Synod 2024 elected a new Commission, with Elaine and Alison as co-chairs. The Commission is a mix of previous members, including Sophia and Dr Bob French, and new members Michael Chester (Co-CEO of Uniting WA) and Darian Partington.

Social justice is not about taking a particular political perspective; it is instead, a combination of practical action and public theology that involves critical thinking about faith, our understanding of God, life, and a conversation with society, particularly with its most vulnerable members. Members of the Commission are from across the theological spectrum and share the passion for speaking God’s love and grace into the wider society.

Synod 2024 also saw the launch of a new idea: the social justice ‘hive’, bringing together all those who are busy working for justice. The idea of the Hive is to connect people who are passionately involved across a range of social justice areas of work, such as homelessness, prison justice or the environment, but who are either too busy or don’t feel called to be part of a committee.

To date, Hive members have resourced the Commission on issues about the environment and Gaza, as well as contributing to the 2025 state election resource “Your faith – your voice – your vote.”

The Commission is also working with our colleagues nationally; we are grateful for the support from other Synods. This currently includes preparing a revised version of Our Vision for a Just Australia for the upcoming federal election.

With the many and varied issues facing our society and our world, it‘s easy to feel overwhelmed by the different needs. Individually, it is true, that we probably cannot do much to change what is happening, but together we can make a greater difference. The Hive invites you to focus on your one (or two) passions and resource the wider church on that issue.

If you are interested in being part of the Hive, email [email protected]

A Prayer of Confusion

by Rev Dr Elaine Ledgerwood

I am confused, God.
I am confused when I look out
at all the beauty of this earth
and see people responding in fear.

I am confused when I grow
through the challenge
of knowing who are different
and see others who respond to difference
with utter contempt and hatred.

I am confused when I look
at all that we have learnt as humanity,
all the improvements
we have done together,
at the ways that we can work together
and achieve far more than any of us
could possibly do on our own,
when I look at all of this and yet
there are those who isolate themselves
and retreat into the past –
into an imagined golden age
that never was.

Or worse, they certainly do retreat,
but they retreat to deny
all those wonderful changes
and instead look back to a time
of hatred, war, and separation.

I am confused
when people who claim
to speak of the Word
call empathy a sin
and see hatred as the way forward.

Take my confusion,
O Word of Life,
help me through it,
call me to embody a new way –
a way that lives out your hope,
your love,
your grace,
your compassion –
until once again
humanity looks to hope
and calls hatred out for what it is.

Remind me again so I have clarity
and understand the compassionate love
that you would have our world know.

Amen.