June 2025 News Update

A world in need of radical love 

My daughter turned two this week, a milestone she's been proudly broadcasting to anyone within earshot. She's fierce (sometimes terrifyingly so), full of life, laughter, and boundless joy. Like children so often are, she’s also a powerful, constant reminder of why our work matters - why we keep showing up, keep raising our voices, and keep praying and acting for a world where all children, all people, and all creation can flourish as God intends.

Because right now, that better world feels urgently needed.

In recent weeks, we've witnessed intensifying violence in the Middle East, including U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure - actions taken without the backing of the international community, international law or demonstrated evidence of their need. These actions have sat alongside deepening crises in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, Sudan, and beyond. These aren’t isolated tragedies; they’re symptoms of a world unraveling, struggling to uphold even the most basic principles of peace, accountability, and restraint. At a time when the need for a just, rules-based international order has never been clearer, it is instead being undermined - and often by countries that Australia considers its allies. At the same time, the climate crisis continues to unfold with growing ferocity, and more people than ever before are being displaced, crying out for refuge, safety, and welcome.

Journeying through National Reconciliation Week and into NAIDOC Week here in Australia has been uplifting, but also a reminder that as a nation there is so much work we need to do to reconcile our modern national story with the ancient truths of this land.

In each of these crises, it feels that children too often bear the deepest scars.

The need to be a people who heed the call of Jesus, and inspire others to do the same, feels as crucial as it ever has. In the face of the temptation to give in to fear, to believe that might is more important than mercy, to demonise others while sanctifying ourselves, Jesus calls us to view all people through the lens of His radical love. A love that reaches across the boundaries of kinship, country, and comfort. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), Jesus shatters the idea that neighbourliness can be limited by ethnicity or allegiance. In the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46), He reminds us to see His face in the face of anyone in need.

Every person is created with divine worth. Every person is worthy of love—even those we might be tempted to consider our enemies.

This is the love we are called to live out - not just personally, but politically. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Justice is love correcting everything that stands against love.” Or as Cornel West puts it, “Justice is what love looks like in public.”

At Common Grace, we believe this kind of love can shape a better future. Thank you for being part of this movement - shaped by Christ, centred in love, grounded by hope and acting for justice and a world where all people and all creation can flourish as God intends.

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June 2025 Updates

NAIDOC Week (6–13 July) is a powerful celebration of First Nations culture, resilience, and leadership. Marking 50 years, this year’s theme - the Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy - invites us to reflect on the legacy of those who came before, to champion the strength of emerging young leaders, and to look to the future with active hope. Find resources to help you engage in NAIDOC week here

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We are excited to announce our new campaign, #End the Waiting, in partnership with the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce. For over a decade, thousands of refugees have been trapped in legal limbo in Australia — stuck on short-term visas, without certainty, stability, or a path forward. These are people who fled danger, sought safety, and have now spent up to 12 years unable to rebuild their lives. From August 1st 2025, we’re holding 100 Vigils in 100 Electorates over 100 Days to call on the Australian Government to provide a pathway to permanent protection for these people. Find out more about how you can join in this prayerful, public, and persistent witness.

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Save the Date - Season of Creation. From September 1 - October 4, Christians across the world come together in a time to reflect on the wonderful gift of God’s precious and beautiful creation. Common Grace has developed a range of resources to help you and your church engage meaningfully in Season of Creation 2025. Head to our website to find the 2025 toolkit, bible studies and conversation guides.

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Common Grace is proud to stand alongside Wesley Mission and others organisations calling for urgent poker machine reform in NSW through their Put Pokies in their Place campaign. While problem gambling does not directly cause intimate partner violence, research shows it reinforces the gendered drivers of violence to intensify its frequency and severity. We long for communities where all people can enjoy safety, freedom and flourishing, and we believe gambling reform is part of this redemptive work. 

To continue learning about Domestic and Family Violence, join Ellaina Welsman, Common Grace’s Domestic and Family Violence Coordinator, at the Faith, Hope, Love Conference in Naarm/Melbourne. Register here for Early Bird Tickets by 10 July.

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Thank you for joining us as we walk together pursuing truth, justice and grace.

With deep gratitude,
Gershon Nimbalker

Common Grace National Director