Addressing this cultural moment: Our statement about unequal justice

11th Jun 2020

in Australia, Community, Current Events, Justice + Mercy

Addressing this cultural moment: Our statement about unequal justice

For our team leadership at YWAM Sydney Newtown there is no controversy when it comes to the equal right of justice for all people. We stand with our Aboriginal, Torres Straight Islander, and Black and Brown friends and communities and support all non-violent demands for equality and justice in our nation for all people of colour.

As a mission community made up of peoples from many nations and denominations, we recognise our unique responsibility to practice what we preach and ensure that our beliefs are outworked in our structures, theologies, and practices right here in our own local context. Being “diverse” and committed to celebrating culture in and of itself doesn’t make us anti-racist. It’s a good start but we believe there’s more work to be done in listening, learning, examining, and acting justly.

It’s our ambition and intention to see and affirm the imago Dei—the image of God—in all individuals in our teams, training schools, leadership structures, and community involvement and outreach. Jesus knows the pain of injustice intimately and our hope is that we will always be found in his footsteps joining in solidarity with the marginalised and oppressed, doing our part to see “Kingdom Come” on earth as it is in heaven. We believe Aboriginal and Black lives matter, just as we believe all life matters, and it’s our intention to live and serve in such a way that our light will shine in order to glorify God (Mt 5:3-16) as we “Know God and Make Him Known” with joy through love, generosity, faithfulness, and the pursuit of justice which leads to peace.

May we be a people of both prayer and action, and may we live and walk softly on these Gadigal Lands we find ourselves so privileged to call our home.

With respect we acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the traditional custodians of the land in which we live, and pay our respects to the Elders past, present, and emerging.

Featured image by @fostertype displaying our many First Nations Peoples in the lands now called Australia.

About
Latest Posts

Adriel Booker

Adriel Booker is a writer, speaker, and mentor with a passion to help people connect with Jesus, find their place in the world, and usher in the Kingdom. Adriel and her husband co-lead YWAM Sydney Newtown and—together with their three children—they enjoy cultivating community in their beautiful city by the sea. She also leads the Love A Mama Collective, serving women in the developing world through maternal health initiatives. Adriel's latest book is Grace Like Scarlett and she can be found writing regularly at www.adrielbooker.com.