In July this year the member churches of Wontulp-Bi-Buya College (Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Uniting Churches in Queensland) were very sad to announce the closure of Wontulp-Bi-Buya College. The college, which recently celebrated its 40^th anniversary, offered courses in Theology and Ministry, Addictions Management, Community Development, and Indigenous Mental Health to hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from across Australia.

The closure became necessary after the discovery of significant amounts owed to the various creditors which meant that the college was insolvent and the finances were beyond repair. It came as a shock to staff, students, board members and supporters of the college.

Please pray for everyone who has been affected by this sad event. Especially for current students who are now facing uncertainty around their studies. Wontulp-Bi-Buya College has influenced the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities all over Australia. You can hear first-hand about the impact of the college in this video https://youtu.be/kk7ubedefVs.

Last month NATSIAC (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anglican Council) met in Cairns where they heard from Bishop of North Queensland, The Right Reverend Dr Keith Joseph about the events which had led to the closure and the efforts underway to find a pathway forward for the college’s students, lecturers and courses. It is hoped that Wontulp courses will be able to resume under the auspices of some new institutional structure. To this end, ABM has worked with the member churches to retain the course material, library, rare books and other intellectual property associated with Wontulp-Bi-Buya.

Wontulp-Bi-Buya College was more than courses or an institutional structure. It was a community of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders deeply committed to equipping leaders with the faith, vision and skills to be effective in building up their people, their churches and their communities. This passion and dedication remains and ABM remains committed to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to support culturally appropriate, contextualised theology, ministry and community development education.

ABM will continue to consult with NATSIAC on future options for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and how to respond to the loss of such an important wellspring for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander theology and mission. Please pray for everyone affected by the closure and for the continuation of Wontulp’s missional work.