The Social Justice Forum
The Social Justice Forum (SJF) is one way the tradition of prophetic ministry and social justice advocacy continues within the Synod of NSW and the ACT.
The Forum was established in 2009 to strengthen collaboration and to encourage capacity building in community advocacy through campaigns and training.
It’s made up of senior leaders within the Synod and its community services agencies.
The Social Justice Team
The work of the SJF is supported by a small team within Uniting. Meet Jon, Stafford and Alex, below.
We've recently been pleased to welcome Jason John and Jessica Morthorpe from Uniting Earth Ministry into our team. We look forward to introducing them and their work on climate and environmental advocacy soon. You can visit the Uniting Earth Web site and the Uniting Earth Ministry page for more info. Watch this space!
Jon O’Brien, Head of the Social Justice Forum
Jon has worked in the area of social justice and advocacy for the past 23 years, 16 of those with Uniting. Prior to that he was a Uniting Church youth worker. He’s part of the Northmead Uniting Church community.
Stafford Sanders, Campaigns Coordinator
Stafford worked for many years in journalism, public and community radio before moving into successful public health advocacy and the building of effective alliances for change. He’s also a veteran writer and performer.
Alex Hogan, Advocacy Officer
After completing studies in Communications and International Studies, Alex worked for food relief organisation, Foodbank Australia. She is skilled in communications and social media and has a genuine commitment to a more just and compassionate society.
It aims to encourage individuals, Congregations and Presbyteries to be informed and to take action on social issues as an expression of their faith.
The Social Justice Forum:
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Recommends action and advocacy initiatives for the Synod. Currently the SJF has three main campaign priorities, The Give Hope: Uniting for Asylum Seekers campaign, the Uniting Affordable Housing campaign and the Drug Law Reform campaign. As we welcome Jason John and Jessica Morthorpe of Uniting Earth Ministry to the SJF team, we will also be working on issues around climate and the environment.
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Encourages and supports all parts of the church to engage in social justice activity. This happens through provision of information and other resources, including an advocacy training package and guidance on meeting with MPs.
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Shares information about social justice work happening around the Synod through the SJF Facebook pages, E-news, Synod's Insights and other means.
Jon O’Brien Head of SJF (02) 9407 3225 joobrien@uniting.org
Stafford Sanders Campaigns Coordinator (02) 9407 3204 ssanders@uniting.org
Alex Hogan Advocacy Officer (02) 9407 3230 ahogan@uniting.org
Jessica Morthorpe Uniting Earth Advocate (02) 9768 6897 jmorthorpe@uniting.org
Jason John Uniting Earth Advocate jjohn@uniting.org
SJF email: socialjustice@uniting.org
The SJF team is located on Level 1, War Memorial Building, 13 Blackwood Place, North Parramatta NSW 2150.
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For resources and further reading, go to our resources page.