What We Believe

THE CONGRESS SYMBOL

The Congress Symbol has four main components.

The dove, drawn in the Aboriginal way, is a sign of the Holy Spirit.

Important Aboriginal leaders used the fighting stick to stop people fighting. It is a sign of peace, reconciliation and friendship.

The cross is made of two message sticks. The horizontal stick is a message stick used to pass messages from one clan to another. Here it symbolises the word or "message" of God that brings life.

The symbol of the hands was first used during the revival that swept through many Aboriginal communities around the time of the birth of Congress. The hands indicate that all people belong in the body of Christ. They are a sign that the Congress does not want separation; nor does it want to practise racial discrimination.

At the inaugral meeting of Congress at Galiwin'Ku clan totems were brought out and placed before the congregation with the cross of Christ the Saviour in their midst, a sign of commitment to Christ.

Congress is part of the Uniting Church.