A small group of Seventh-day Adventist church members joined Christians from across Australia at the national Parliament in Canberra on November 3, 2025, to advocate on Indigenous justice and climate issues during the “Let Justice Flow” conference organized by Common Grace, a nationwide Christian justice network.

Participants, many lobbying for the first time, received briefings on the policy topics, met in “yarning circles” (facilitated dialogue rooted in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural practice) with Indigenous Christian leaders, prepared talking points, and spent time in worship and prayer before meeting lawmakers.

“I was blown away by the deep Christian conviction and dedicated cooperation of the group in achieving the weekend’s goals,” reflected Gwen Wilkinson, a retired academic from Cooranbong. With her husband Steve Sleight, she said she found the weekend program in Canberra “invigorating.”

The Common Grace group, comprising 140 Christians from around Australia, held meetings with approximately 40 Members of Parliament and Senators, national legislators, focusing on two key issues: raising the age of criminal responsibility in Australia’s states and territories, particularly as this issue disproportionately affects Indigenous young people, and the need for greater climate action.

“The politicians met us with curiosity and grace, finding points of commonality and appreciating our Christian perspective that went beyond the statistics with which they are already familiar,” reported Paul Johanson, a medical doctor from Brisbane. “But the Let Justice Flow conference also gave me a unique experience of the Body of Christ.”  

Common Grace is a network of more than 50,000 Christians and churches around Australia, “pursuing justice together for the flourishing of all people and all creation.”

The original article was published on the South Pacific Division news site, Adventist Record.