I am not sure if people are aware that the Uniting Church is currently holding conversations around the nation on its understanding of marriage and whether it should be changed or not. Currently the official position of the church is that marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman but many in the church want this position changed. That is why the conversations are happening. So if you are part of the UCA, keep your eyes and ears open- there may be an event near you when you can have your say on this topic. If you want to know when the conversations are on, contact your synod office.

I am going to the Perth conversation tomorrow afternoon and I certainly hope we are able to listen to each other respectfully. I'll let you know how it goes.

About 40 people attended the Perth conversation which was conducted in a respectful way. We worked in table groups and were asked to answer three questions- What changes in attitudes to marriage did we see happening in society? What was our understanding of Christian marriage? and Did we want any changes to the UCA's understanding of marriage? On my table all participants agreed that we needed to change our understanding of marriage to include same gender couples. There were some people on other tables who are of more conservative theology and no doubt they said something different. All responses from around Australia will now be collated to get a picture of what church members are saying on this issue and then a discussion paper will be produced for further conversation in the church. I am encouraged by a church that can engage in this kind of conversation without abuse or attack of anyone because of their position.