Rhanee Jane Tsetsakos is an Adnyamathanha woman currently living in Port Augusta, SA. She attends the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC). Rhannee’s ministries centre on working with youth and young adults and her ministries model connecting with other young adults in “genuine relationships in order to seek God together, to know their own stories and be part of each other’s stories.”

How does being a Christian and desiring Reconciliation go together for you?

Jesus calls us to be reconciled to God and to each other. Being a Christian draws me into relationships with other people from all walks of life. When we are truly reconciled to one another we are living out the Kingdom God wants for us.

What do you hope for our nation?

My hope for our Nation is to see true peace and Reconciliation. As different and diverse as we are, my hope is that we can learn to live together through all our mistakes, all our indifferences and all the baggage we carry around on a daily. My hope is for true peace and Reconciliation.

When have you seen the broader Australian Church at its best in embodying/living out Reconciliation? What would you like to see?

When the churches acknowledge and prioritise the needs of its First Peoples and goes out of their way to ensure these needs are met.

I would like to see more projects and initiatives setup through church bodies to give hope and self determination to our Aboriginal communities.

You can read more of Rhanee's story here. Rhanee has recently published a children's book.

Reflect, Pray, Think, Act

"God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:19

God has long been on about Reconciliation - putting things right between the world and himself. He calls his people to be the bearers of the great message of Reconciliation. Pray that the churches in this land now called Australia would embody friendship and build meaningful relationships with Aboriginal Christian Leaders and support Aboriginal-led ministries.

Write to your head of church and ask what Aboriginal led ministries they support. Write to your head of church telling them of the work of Common Grace and the Grasstree Gathering. Consider financially supporting Common Grace and the Grasstree Gathering.