On Friday, the 27th of May, the National Council of Churches will hold an Assembly featuring Rev. James Bhagwan. He will provide an insightful update from the Pacific Ecumenical Community.
Rev. James is an ordained minister of the Methodist Church of Fiji and is the General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC), a role he has held since 2018. Throughout his ministry, Rev. James has advocated for climate justice, with particular emphasis on the ties of the people of the Pacific with the ocean, and for ecumenism and interreligious dialogue.
Rev. James has spoken regularly about the role of Christians in advocating for environmental issues and uncovering practical solutions to environmental challenges. This includes everything from speaking truth to power at the international level to the changes every individual can make in their own homes, workplaces and churches.
The title of this Assembly refers to the South Pacific storytelling tradition called ‘talanoa’, a process of sharing and listening with others that helps build consensus and inspire decision-making. The goal of talanoa is to provide an inclusive and participatory setting for everyone to share knowledge and experience, leading to mutual understanding and better decision making.
Recently, the talanoa approach to dialogue has been employed internationally. The Talanoa Dialogue was announced in 2018 following the COP23 climate conference as an international process of discussion and conversation designed to integrate all parties in decision making towards combating climate change. Delegates worldwide used this traditional South Pacific approach in 2018 to break down barriers and facilitate discussion and action on climate change, especially for the nations and peoples most under threat.
The Assembly will proceed both online and in-person, beginning at 11 am in the St James Parish Hall in the Sydney CBD. Booking is essential to assist with numbers and to receive the Zoom link.
For more information, follow this link.