Continue the journey of walking alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by holding an Aboriginal Sunday service in your church or faith community on Sunday 21st January 2024.
Each year, on the Sunday before January 26, the Common Grace movement encourages individual congregations and faith communities to reclaim William Cooper’s Aboriginal Sunday.
Aboriginal Sunday is an opportunity for your church community to go deeper in listening, learning, and being led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian Leaders.
Sign up to receive your free Aboriginal Sunday Church Resources developed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian Leaders.
Once signed up, the Aboriginal Sunday Church Resource Toolkit will be emailed to you by 20th December 2023. These resources will include Bible readings, prayers, sermon materials, video messages from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian leaders (including Uncle Pastor Ray Minniecon, Safina Stewart, and Bianca Manning), worship resources, benediction resources, advocacy resources, and a creative activity to help your congregation engage their faith through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice.
Your Aboriginal Sunday service will inspire and equip your congregation to learn, engage, pray, and take action as a community together.
Aboriginal Sunday is your church’s next step in walking in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters to pursue God’s justice and love for the flourishing of First Nations peoples.
If you are not a church leader but would like to approach your minister or church leadership to encourage them to engage with Aboriginal Sunday 2024, we have developed this template letter to equip you in inviting them to consider hosting an Aboriginal Sunday service.
Find a list of churches across Australia holding an Aboriginal Sunday service near you here.
______________________
What is Aboriginal Sunday?
On January 26 1938, Aboriginal leaders including William Cooper, met for a Day of Mourning, seeking equality and full citizenship (though it would take another 30 years).
The Australian Churches were then asked to set aside the Sunday before January 26 as Aboriginal Sunday (previously called Aborigines' Day), a day for Christians to act in solidarity with Aboriginal peoples and the injustices being experienced.
The first Aboriginal Sunday is is thought to have occurred in 1941, although it was referenced in a letter from William Cooper to John McEwen, Minister for the Interior written on 19 January 1938 and also referenced in the Herald (Melbourne) newspaper on 18 January 1939.
Today, the Common Grace movement encourages individual congregations to reclaim William Cooper’s Aboriginal Sunday and each year provides free Church Resources developed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian Leaders to equip churches and faith communities to act in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the Sunday directly before January 26.
If you would like to get your church or faith community engaged and equipped to mark Aboriginal Sunday in 2024, please sign up on this page so we can send you links to resources.
As we are led by our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian Leaders into this season, would you consider donating to support the work of Common Grace as we pursue justice for the flourishing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities?
Testimonials from churches who took part in Aboriginal Sunday 2023:
At Tathra Uniting Church we began the service with mourning, but as we went deeper in our time together we were lifted by your Common Grace voices to a new place of hope. Jesus is healing this country’s broken heart, and Aboriginal people are leaders in this healing. I think that more and more of us want to be walking together with Aboriginal people.Thanks again!
- Tathra Uniting Church
Our church had a really meaningful Aboriginal Sunday and deeply appreciated the videos and creative justice project. The service gave people opportunity to grieve as well as pray and hope and commit to giving and working towards justice in these lands.
- Central Church, Port Kembla
Thank you for inviting our participation and providing such a wealth of excellent material for our small congregation to use for Aboriginal Sunday just past. Everyone agreed it was a moving and sombre time, more particularly a motivating one. There was a feeling of solidarity with First Nations people.
- Uki Holy Trinity Anglican Church