CTIPP’s overall purpose is to help churches work together for reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The geographical focus is Queensland.
CTIPP endeavours to:
In February 1998, the member churches of Queensland Churches Together made an historic commitment to work towards partnership with Indigenous peoples of Australia. In so doing they acknowledged the injustices which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had been facing for over 200 years.
It was not, however, simply a recognition of inequities in Australian society. The commitment showed that the integrity of the Christian faith in Australia required the pursuit of a genuine partnership between Indigenous and other communities across the land. As an ecumenical council, QCT acknowledged that there could not be true unity between the churches without reconciliation between the different peoples of this land.
How did QCT’s member churches arrive at this point?
In 1992, after ten years of consultation and collaboration, the High Court of Australia granted Native Title Rights to the Meriam people.
It was this decision, along with the vision of reconciliation and the death in custody of Daniel Yock in 1993, that led a small ecumenical group to come together as the Churches Together Mabo Group.
Initially the group was concerned with raising awareness within the Church of the need for reconciliation and a better understanding of the issues surrounding Native Title, deaths in custody, racism and social justice.
The role of the Churches Together Mabo Group was to bring churches into contact with justice issues that affected the ‘way of life’ of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Where possible the group also aimed to act as a conduit between the churches of Australia and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It sought to collaborate with other organizations in the pursuit of justice.
The group saw the need to employ an Indigenous person to co-ordinate the group’s activities and to ensure that church leadership was informed of the impacts of Government policy and intervention on Indigenous communities. Funding was sought to this end. The Roman Catholic Church provided some seed funding, and other member churches of Queensland Churches Together (QCT) later followed suit. Joan Hendriks became the first Coordinator of CTIPP.
The Churches Together Mabo Group was officially constituted as a commission of QCT and adopted the name of Churches Together Aboriginal Partnership (CTAP). CTAP later became CTIPP – Churches Together Indigenous People’s Partnership – to reflect the inclusion of Torres Strait Islander people and history in the program.
CTIPP is currently funded through contributions from the Anglican, Catholic, Uniting and Lutheran Churches as well as by small grants. Additional funding is being sought – and donations are very welcome (see Support QCT).
The activities of CTIPP are designed to promote reconciliation within the Christian churches in Queensland and to help them become agents of reconciliation in the wider community. Up to now, the focus has been on workshops held by the Coordinator and volunteer resource worker of CTIPP in church communities. Many people have heard the stories of Indigenous people, stories of injustice but also of resilience. The listeners learn to connect these with their own stories. In a non-threatening atmosphere, participants reflect on the separate and shared histories of the different peoples of Australia.
CTIPP facilitators always emphasize the contribution Indigenous people make and have made to many walks of life in Australia, including the churches.
The workshops and other measures help non-Indigenous people to:
In 2006 and 2007 CTIPP and others in QCT organized an ecumenical service in inner city churches of Brisbane during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which overlapped with Reconciliation Week. In 2008 there was not this overlap, but in 2009 the dates will be linked again.
On 20 October 2007 QCT-CTIPP held a forum on the topic of "Make Indigenous Poverty History". Prominent Indigenous leaders and various other interested people from church and community discussed background and strategies to help fulfill the goal that formed the title of the event.
The CTIPP Coordinator collaborates with other community organizations with similar aims. This may mean, for example, helping to organize a community commemoration on Sorry Day (26th May) or joining in with celebrations for NAIDOC Week.
CTIPP works closely with NATSIEC, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Council, which is part of the National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA).
Joan Hendriks served CTIPP and QCT for many years, retiring in 2005. She was followed by Paula Coghill. Paula left QCT at the end of 2006. We maintain links to both Joan and Paula. Currently the position of CTIPP Coordinator is vacant.
For many years Sister Joan Murphy of the Good Shepherd Sisters has been working as a volunteer with CTIPP, providing administrative support, doing research and presenting some parts of the workshops. Sr Joan continues to serve CTIPP in this way.
The CTIPP Committee is an advisory body made up of Indigenous and non-Indigenous representatives of several of QCT’s member bodies. The Committee meets every two months, with sub-groups helping to plan particular activities. The Committee members support the CTIPP staff person and help shape policy for the program within the overall framework of QCT. Currently the Chair of the CTIPP Committee is Peter Arndt, who is Executive Officer of the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.
For current and planned events related to the work of CTIPP and partner organizations, see What's on.
