“We’ll face challenging situations when we get home, but we feel filled up from our time together and ready to handle them.”
Indigenous leaders from across Warlpiri, Gurindji and Alyawarre communities gathered for a get together in May. The gathering happened at a campsite to the south of Darwin, on the Elizabeth River, called Riyala. It was a wonderful setting for the conversations and community that was shared.
The gathering brought together leaders from remote communities such as Ali Curung, Lajamanu, Willowra, Kalkarindji, Dagaragu, and Yuendumu, alongside Representatives from Baptist Mission Australia and Baptist Churches SA & NT (BCSANT).
Important conversations took place between leaders about the challenges and opportunities in their churches and communities. And an encouraging time was spent exploring the Psalms and catching up on Baptist family news with Rev Dr Melinda Cousins from BCSANT. The leaders resonated strongly with the words of lament and encouragement from the Psalms and were keen to share their encouragements with their church communities.
Leaders enjoyed times of prayer, song, rich conversation, fun and laughter, with a memorable night spent around the campfire. A sentiment echoed by many leaders was “We’ll face challenging situations when we get home, but we feel filled up from our time together and ready to handle them.”
One significant conversation focused on the importance of investing in the next generation of disciples and leaders, naming the challenges and hopes. It was great to have some of the next generation of leaders at the gathering with us and these leaders also joined in with the Baptist Family Gathering that happened at Casuarina Baptist in Darwin. They were encouraged to connect with the big church family in that way.
This is always a valued time of building relationship and trust with the wider Baptist movement. Some of the leaders also had the opportunity to join Bush Church, in Humpty Doo, for their Sunday morning service, where we were treated with a generous welcome and hospitality.
It was a privilege to witness God at work amongst our Indigenous leaders. These are inspiring people of resilient faith who continue to influence their community in the way of Jesus. Please continue to pray for our Indigenous sisters and brothers across the country.
We’re grateful for the generous support of this gathering from BCSANT as the logistics of travelling to gather from remote communities is costly. If you’d like to help us make this gathering happen into the future, please consider investing in our First Nations Leadership Fund. The fund is set up to support this event and many other initiatives, including investing in the next generation of Indigenous leaders.
