The Church is called to embody the gospel through active reconciliation. Gymea Baptist’s partnership with Nungalinya College shows how to move from theory to unity.
As we mark National Reconciliation Week (27 May - 3 June), the call to go 'All In' for reconciliation is a call that should be particularly close to the heart of the Church. Restored and harmonious relationships find their beginnings in Jesus, and as John 13:35 states, should be evident in the life of every disciple. Yet the Church in Australia has not always walked the journey of reconciliation with First Peoples well. Birripi man Pastor William Dumas explains that he often hears reconciliation spoken about as theory: “It can be used as a very intellectual word, but we need to remember that at the grassroot level reconciliation is about how we are to treat each other the way that Jesus showed us to.”
The Church's efforts towards reconciliation must not be contained to one week of the year. Every day holds the invitation to wholeheartedly commit to reconciliation – moving toward genuine relationship and connection where we can rejoice and mourn with First Nations people not from a distance, but as one body.
Gymea Baptist Church in southern Sydney is doing just that, as part of their deep desire to join in God’s work through wholehearted prayer and support. Every May, they hold Missions Month, a season where their community rallies to support projects and organisations bringing restoration and renewal to those experiencing the impacts of poverty and injustice. For almost 30 years, Gymea Baptist Church has partnered with Tearfund and, most recently, they have embarked on a significant journey alongside Tearfund partner Nungalinya College, supporting their Certificate II in Faith and Family Wellbeing.
Nungalinya College, located in the Northern Territory, is a Combined Churches Training College for Indigenous Australians. It equips men and women for leadership roles in churches and communities. Since 2020, Tearfund has partnered with Nungalinya College to develop a course for First Nations Christian leaders from remote communities in the Northern Territory. This course, called Faith and Family Wellbeing, was a response to the experiences of students living in their communities and the challenges they face living as Christians and leaders. It addresses violence prevention, building family wellbeing, and healing from trauma, grief and loss.
It is through Gymea’s partnership with Nungalinya that they have begun to connect with the work of Australia’s First People, honoring the journey of students at the college. Tearfund spoke to Senior Pastor at Gymea Baptist, Marc Radar, about how the gospel constantly points towards reconciliation and the Church’s role in stewarding this important mission.
One of the implications of the church being the body of Christ is that we ought to be engaged in the work of Jesus in the world. This must go beyond the proclamation of the good news to the embodiment of the good news. There are many ways we embody the good news, but justice is a critical area.
We are preaching through this letter over the course of 2026 and are following Scot McKnight’s premise of ‘reading Romans backwards’ in which the pastoral situation Paul is addressing - tensions and disunity between Jewish and Gentile believers - provides the starting point for understanding the epistle rather than a somewhat secondary set of teachings that Paul appends to the doctrinal masterpiece of Romans 1-11. This ‘backwards’ approach has highlighted how important unity and reconciliation is to the gospel - it is critical.
If we take the example in Romans, it is through a deeper appreciation of the reconciling power of the gospel! That’s Paul’s strategy - he is not ashamed of the power of the gospel, for it is the power that saves both Jews and Gentiles. Adopting attitudes of love and humility invites us to a greater willingness to listen to our First Nations brothers and sisters and to participate in reconciliation work.
So much of our public life is politicised, making our engagement more complex. There is, I believe, an invitation to consider how we can insulate our discussions and actions about justice and reconciliation from the wider political climate. I say ‘insulate’ rather than ‘de-couple’ because justice and reconciliation require political will. We would, however, benefit from not immediately casting a particular action as part of a political whole; giving ourselves some space to consider them apart from the wider, quite polarised, political environment. I think we would also benefit from more localised and personal acts of justice that do not hold the same political weight.
Tearfund is grateful for the partnership it shares with Gymea Baptist Church and their journey to engage in reconciliatory ministry. If you would like to begin a journey of reconciliation, working towards a future where First Nations People live in a just and equitable society, Tearfund has plenty of resources to support you.
Tearfund provides support for Australia's First Peoples through programs led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian leaders. Together, we mobilise Australian Christians for a more just and equitable society for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
