Diocese of the Northern Territory

Support Aboriginal communities in the Diocese of the Northern Territory to strengthen their churches and give them a voice in the diocese, so that their needs and aspirations are recognised and implemented.

Nearly half of the parish centres in the Diocese of the NT are in remote Aboriginal communities in the north-east of the Territory. The churches in these six places, with a further three smaller homelands are led by Aboriginal clergy and lay people. They worship in their own Aboriginal languages. The church is one of the few organisations that are run by local Aboriginal people.

Given the strategic importance of these Aboriginal churches within the Diocese, ABM raises support for these churches to be strengthened to have a voice in the Diocese so that their needs and aspirations are recognised and implemented.

In late 2021 a new initiative was launched: WALK – a group of Aboriginal church leaders, selected by their parishes to provide a forum for discussing matters that affect the Aboriginal churches and Aboriginal people within the wider Diocese, so that the views of Aboriginal Anglicans are an integral and strong voice into diocesan structures and decision-making processes.

The name WALK captures two aspects of the forum’s hopes and prayers. The letters W-A-L-K represent the word for “word/story” in each of the four Aboriginal languages spoken in Anglican churches in the Northern Territory: wed (Kriol); ayakwa (Anindilyakwa); lhaawu (Wubuy); and kunwok (Kunwinjku). The forum will enable Aboriginal Christians to talk together in their own culturally safe space and be a voice to the non-Aboriginal members of the Diocese. Secondly, the word WALK expresses the vision that God calls all Christians to walk together, despite their differences of culture and background, so that the unity of the body of Christ is a reality.

Your support for the Diocese of the Northern Territory enables the regular meetings of the WALK forum, through the provision of the considerable travel, accommodation, and support costs. It also provides for other projects and initiatives which support Aboriginal Anglican ministry, including church-strengthening initiatives such as leadership training, children’s ministry support, and gathering for other diocesan events.