Uniting Network gathering: Daring Statement, Sydney, June, 2004

Uniting Network
Daring 2004
A statement from the Uniting Network

14 June 2004

As the people of the Uniting Network – the lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and gay people of the Uniting Church, with our families and friends – we gathered in Sydney in June 2004. Our theme was “One Body in Christ: daring to embrace diversity”.

We dare to believe in a grander God whose creation shines forth with a diversity far beyond our imagining.

We dare to embrace this diversity in faith, even as we confront our own struggles to make this real among ourselves and in the life of the wider Church.

We dare to face our pain, to stay with the hard questions and to travel together towards the promised goal.

We dare to confidently claim our place as daughters and sons, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews – people born into the beauty of human families.

We dare to be quiet, to listen, to wait.

We dare to live abundantly, to have the “courage to be” (Paul Tillich).

We dare to call the church to relationships of mutual respect, honesty and integrity as we tread this road together towards equality and justice.

We long to be a Church which dares to live the fullness of the Gospel, moving to new adventures of faith, and holding open to new truth in Scriptures, in our shared life and in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

We commit ourselves to work with others in our church, even those who might reject us, as servants of the living God. In this we call our leaders to ensure the good order of the Church, by the creation of a safe place where we are protected from lies, abuse and vilification.

We pray that the church will indeed know the great hope to which it is called in Jesus Christ and that it will hold open to Christ’s power to reconcile us to each other and to God.

Uniting Network
Sydney
14th June, 2004.

This statement is to be copied and displayed in its entirety