Niall Reid shares his enthusiasm for the Founding Assembly of the Sydney Alliance.
As the Founding Assembly for the Sydney Alliance grows closer the Moderator of the Synod of New South Wales and the ACT, the Rev. Niall Reid, says he is encouraged by the ways people from diverse backgrounds are working together for the common good.
“It’s worth recalling why the Uniting Church is committed to the Sydney Alliance,” he said. “We affirm, with St Paul, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Godself.
“Our response to God’s gracious activity is to be a community of reconciliation, and live that in obedient discipleship. Since my first involvement, I have thought that the Sydney Alliance is an opportunity to do just that.”
He said, “In the Sydney Alliance we have been able to meet, learn from and share with people from a range of trade unions, community organisations and other faith groups.
“One of the hallmarks of the Alliance is the way we build relationships with each other — different, I hope, to the politics we read about nearly every day.”
He said the Alliance was working intensively in three research and action areas: community care, health and support; building community harmony (social inclusion); and transport.
“We have been on a journey with the Sydney Alliance now for about four years.
“The Founding Assembly in September will bring that together but will also lay the foundation for our work together in the coming years.”
Mr Reid invited church members to him and others in their commitment to strengthening the bonds of the Sydney community.
The Sydney Alliance Founding Assembly will be held on Thursday, September 15, from 7 pm at theSydneyTown Hall.
The event is free but people need to register in advance by going to www.sydneyalliance.org.au.
Uniting Church members are gathering for food, fellowship and prayer at Pitt Street Uniting. The church will be open from 5 pm on September 15. RSVP to Ilona at pittstuc@bigpond.com.au. At 6.15 pm participants will walk to the Town Hall together.
Why I am passionate about the Sydney Alliance
The Sydney Alliance is a space of hope and possibility for tackling the major issues facing Sydney— and doing it together.
I have worked in the union movement and sometimes felt powerless; but in the Sydney Alliance I have seen the enormous value of unions, faith-based groups and community organisations working together.
At a personal level, I cherish the relationships formed during the training and discernment phases of the Sydney Alliance.
We have been able to find common ground with people from diverse and unlikely backgrounds.
I have worked with a large number of Uniting Church people and have been very taken with the ways in the Uniting Church seeks to relate its faith and spirituality to an active engagement in society.
This is an essential contribution to the Sydney Alliance.
Jennifer Acklinis the Executive Officer of the Sydney Alliance
