The Uniting Church in Australia will appoint a person of colour as its leader for the first time on July 11. Reverend Charissa Suli is a mother of four and the daughter of Tongan migrants. She says she will bring a vision to empower diverse and marginalised voices, borne out of personal experience.
The strength of a community reflected in song - as the Tongan Choir of the Uniting Church in Australia rehearses.
The 41-year-old mother of four will be the youngest ever person to lead the Uniting Church in Australia, and the first person of colour, after being elected President of the church's National Assembly."The way that Jesus connected to people, he connected to the people on the margins, he connected to the women and the unnamed women. And so, there's something there about hearing the voices of those that often don't get to have the microphone.
But Reverend Suli's journey to this point has been a winding road marked by challenges, including the stigma of teenage motherhood after she got pregnant at the age of 16.
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