Victorian Council of Churches

(Source: ABC)

Some significant provisions in the Budget for First Peoples, and indigenous justice.

The budget includes a number of items targeted at improving Indigenous health and education outcomes as well as “a record $99 million invested in First Nations justice”.

Almost $315 million over five years has been pledged to support initiatives aimed at closing the gap for Indigenous Australians’ health and wellbeing, including:

• a $164.3 million investment in modern health clinics in areas with large and growing Indigenous communities
• $54.3 million to deliver up to 500 traineeships in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary health care
• $45 million for 30 new and upgraded dialysis units
• $22.5 million to build a Birthing on Country Centre of Excellence.
  
  The funding for improved Indigenous justice outcomes will primarily go towards initiatives aimed at “addressing the underlying causes of incarceration” and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services.
  
  The government will also spend more than $14 million over the forward estimates to support teaching First Nations language and culture in 60 primary schools.
  
  And, of course, there’s $75.1 million put aside over the next two years for the referendum on enshrining an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the constitution. The vast majority of this amount ($52.6 million) will go to the Australian Electoral Commission and other agencies so they can start preparing.

Tuesday 25 October is Drop the Jargon day. Drop the Jargon Day is an annual campaign hosted by the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity & Health. The aim of this campaign is to reduce health inequalities and improve health outcomes for people from migrant and refugee backgrounds.

While this day is for professionals in Australian health, community services and local government to practice and promote the use of plain, jargon-free language, it’s also a time to pause to reflect on the inordinate amount of ‘jargon’ that happens in ‘church-world’. It’s difficult for the ‘uninitiated’ to navigate insider church-speak, and often involves people developing skills as ‘translators’.

A blogpost by G.W.Smallwood raises some issues. He writes:

Do you really need to be justified in order to work out your sanctification by loving on the kids in Sunday School? Are you feeling led to covet the prayers of others to strengthen your hedge of protection? Does your testimony attest to your stewardship? Are you fully leaning into the words of your Jesus? Are you intentional about doing life with others?

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, then that makes two of us. I just gave you a crash course in one of my pet peeves when it comes to church: jargon. The Oxford Dictionary defines jargon as “words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group of people, and are difficult for others to understand.”

The key to that definition is “difficult to understand”. I think it’s time to retire all of these weird phrases. They do nothing to help people understand what we’re talking about or why Jesus is so awesome. In C. S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters, a demon instructs his protege nephew that:

Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him (referring to his human target) from the Church.

C.S.Lewis

I think this is true. A common set of phrases, slang, and dialect can help strengthen bonds within a community. But when it comes to the church, I think the problems with jargon far outweigh the benefits. People need to be able to understand what we’re talking about in order to feel like they belong. By using language and phrasing that is confusing (even to those of us within the church most of the time) we’re alienating a big portion of those we’re trying to serve.

Get rid of the jargon. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

He goes on to say that the leadership group at his church devotes an entire session to creating an outsider-focused culture. One of the ways that happens is eliminating insider language. Remember, the gospel is good news, of great joy, for ALL people (Luke 2:10). Let’s make sure all people can understand what we’re talking about.

Rev. Becky Zartman, who blogs as the Vicar of H Street, writes:
“if I ever use a church word I define it or explain what it means. Better yet, I don’t use it. I might write an entire reflection on the Incarnation and never use the word. People either don’t know what it means or think they do and they don’t.”

Nadia Bolz-Weber in an online post (language alert) about jargon language in churches and seminaries concludes: “Let’s watch our language out there. The church has some beautiful things to offer. Let’s all speak of God and faith and community in clear and simple language”.

May it be so!!

At this time, we hold in our minds and hearts all those affected by the floods and pouring rain and rising rivers. From suburban Melbourne to regional Victoria – floods this past week have caught residents off-guard as waters inundated homes and properties. Many scrambled to salvage what they could and face an anxious wait to see what will remain when they are allowed to eventually return home.

We pray for
Those whose lives have been devastated,
Those who are feeling vulnerable and weak
Those who are stranded
Those who are facing both long-term and short-term needs
Those who are homeless in this crippling time 

We pray also for all those who are meeting needs at this time:
Volunteers and community workers
Those working to rescue people who are stranded and feed the hungry
Those supplying food, water, equipment, money and urgent supplies
Those working to clear roadways and homes that have been damaged
Police officers, emergency personnel, medical and social welfare responders
Those seeking to offer protection from theft and fraud.

We pray that each of us will play our part in responding to the overwhelming conditions of this time, and particularly in reaching out to those who will be struggling to rebuild their lives.

We pray too, that we will continue to urge the Government to play its part in strengthening structures that will heal our land, restore creation, and relieve those suffering homelessness and poverty.

We make all our prayers in the name of Jesus, who reached out always to those most in need. AMEN.

Adapted from a prayer by Jan Barnett rsj, Josephite Justice Co-ordinator, Josephite Justice Network

This prayer is from the Sisters of St Joseph website.

At about 11pm on 12 October 2002 three bombs were detonated in Bali, two in busy nightspots – the Sari Club and Paddy’s Bar – and one in front of the American consulate. The explosions killed 202 people, 88 of whom were Australian, and wounded hundreds more.
Carried out by terrorist organisation Jemaah Islamiyah, the attacks represent the single largest loss of Australian life due to an act of terror.

Let us lean into peace-making and justice-seeking with more resolve on this 20th anniversary of the Bali bombings. “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

Martin Luther King Jr

Prayer (adapted from a 2022 prayer by Bruce Prewer)

Most loving God,
you are our refuge and strength,
the light in the darkness,
and so with confidence we offer our prayers to you.

As we remember the 20th anniversary of the Bali bombings,
we pray for all who have been victims of this terrorism.
Let your help be with those who continue to mourn the loss of loved ones.
Let your help be with all who have been physically marred for life.
Holy Spirit of consolation, reach down into the soul-depth of the grieving, and bring comfort, hope and peace.

Let your help be with the many who may have physically escaped injury, yet whose minds have been damaged for ever by the horrors they have witnessed.

Let your help be with the gentle people of Bali as they continue to find ways to cope with the outrage perpetrated in the heart of their community, actions in stark contrast to Balinese hospitality, kindness and generosity.

Let your help be with leaders in Australia and Indonesia.
Holy Spirit of light and love, grant them courage and wisdom,
that their actions may be for peace in the region.

Let your help be with world leaders in this time of war and escalating conflict, suspicion and derision, injustice and greed.
Holy Spirit of wisdom, we seek your guidance as we navigate the way forward at a time when so much in our world is fragmented and in disarray.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
(A silence is kept)

Loving Lord, make us instruments of your peace;
where there is hatred let me sow love,
where there is injury let me sow pardon,
where there is doubt, let me sow faith,
where there is despair let me give hope,
where there is darkness let me give light,
where there is sadness let me give joy. (St Francis)

God of light over darkness,
come into our hearts in the moment of now!
Come to transform our sorrow over the lost
into blessings to the living.
Come to reassure us your eternal truth
in the resurrection of Christ Jesus:
Life is always stronger than death. (Rev Dr Ji Zhang)

THIS I DARE BELIEVE

This is God’s world, and it is not aimless.
Time has a purpose and God is its steward.
Loving God, I believe, scatter my unbelief.
It is not possible that greed and injustice are forever.
It is not possible that the meek will stay dispossessed.
It is not possible that peacemakers must inevitably fail.
It is not possible that nations will always make war.
It is not possible that the merciful will be always be scorned.
It is not possible that forgiveness will at last dry up.
It is not possible that the weak are doomed to be down trodden.
It is not possible that the hungry will always go unsatisfied.
It is not possible that sincere hearts will always be exploited.
It is not possible that laughter shall finally be stilled.
It is not possible that fear will always outwit love.
It is not possible that the cynics will always be right.
It is not possible that goodness will have flowered in vain.
It is not possible that death will render all things futile.
It is not possible that Jesus will ever be forgotten.
It is not possible that faith will die out on earth.
Christ holds God’s secret in open, wounded hands,
Christ is our future and all will be redeemed.
Loving God I believe, scatter my unbelief.

FOR THE END OF TERRORISM

Most merciful God, Friend and Saviour, please help this world to rid itself of the obscenity of terrorism, and of the greed and injustice which feeds its roots. In both affluent countries and in the impoverished ones, may your will be done. Among those whose culture is influenced by Islam or Buddhism, or among those who have been taught by Hindu faith or Christianity, let the thirst for justice, compassion and peace prevail over fear and hatred and avarice. Give us minds that are willing to be taught, goals that can be reshaped, desires that are purged, and wills that are toughened to seek the good of all through loving means.
This we can only do with your help; on you we cast our fate. through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!
(Source: Bruce Prewer, “Australian Prayers”, revised edition, P. 123)

2022 Peace Day Theme: End Racism. Build Peace.

The International Day of Peace (“Peace Day”) is observed around the world each year on 21 September. Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace.

Peacemaking doesn’t mean passivity. It is the act of interrupting injustice without mirroring injustice, the act of disarming evil without destroying the evildoer, the act of finding a third way that is neither flight nor fight but the careful, arduous pursuit of reconciliation and justice. It is about a revolution of love that is big enough to set both the oppressed and oppressors free.
(Walter Brueggeman)

Peace to every land that faces stress, crisis, tension, or struggle. Peace to every community that searches for justice, reconciliation, and restoration. Peace to nations suffering from natural disasters and trying to rebuild. Peace in the hearts of leaders who can resolve the divisions between human beings. Peace to those of every faith who pray for peace and work for peace. Peace in the kinship of hope between us all. Peace for our elders and our children. Peace in our minds and in our hearts. Peace to all living things. Peace, we pray, peace. (Source: Bishop Steven Charleston)

Praying for peace and justice when we’re tired – tired of the years of the COVID pandemic, tired of war, tired of corruption, tired of recalcitrance and hesitation in addressing the climate emergency, tired of battles for justice on multiple fronts, tired of racism and all the other ‘isms’. Just tired. This prayer by Laura Jean Truman resonates, and so pertinent on this International Day of Peace.
(Other resources and prayers can be found here)

A Prayer for the Tired , Angry Ones

God,

We’re so tired.

We want to do justice, but work feels endless, and the results look so small in our exhausted hands.

We want to love mercy, but our enemies are relentless, and it feels like foolishness to prioritize gentleness in this unbelievably cruel world.

We want to walk humbly, but self-promotion is seductive, and we are afraid that if we don’t look after ourselves, no one else will.

We want to be kind, but our anger feels insatiable.

Jesus, in this never-ending wilderness, come to us and grant us grace.

Grant us the courage to keep showing up to impossible battles, trusting that it is our commitment to faithfulness, and not our obsession with results that will bring Your shalom.

Grant us the vulnerability to risk loving our difficult and complicated neighbor, rejecting the lie that some people are made more in the image of God than others.

Grant us the humility of a decentered but Beloved self.

As we continue to take the single step that is in front of us, keep us from becoming what we are called to transform. Protect us from using the empire’s violence – for Your kingdom of peace.

Keep our anger from becoming meanness.

Keep our sorrow from collapsing into self-pity.

Keep our hearts soft enough to keep breaking.

Keep our outrage turned toward justice, not cruelty.

Remind us that all of this, every bit of it, is for love.

Keep us fiercely kind.

Amen.

Source: Laura Jean Truman, in “A Rythm of Prayer: A Collection of Meditations for Renewal” edited by Sarah Bessey

It’s always great to hear what’s happening with Inter-Church Councils.

The Chelsea and District Inter-Church Council held its AGM on 24th August, 2022. Elisabeth Crombie was re-elected President. She reported on recent highlights.

In 2021, because of the uncertainty of COVID, the ICC planned a virtual concert. They contacted some of the regular acts and organised for them to video their presentations. The contributions were collated and each of the ICC Ministers screened the result on the weekend on which it would normally be held. (You can view the performances here) Some of the churches had a picnic/BBQ as an attraction for the community. ‘It was a lovely way to let everyone know that the ICC was continuing to do everything in its power to put itself out there in Chelsea and the surrounds.

‘2022 also started off on a positive note. We were determined to keep our presence levels up on a high’.

For ANZAC Day acknowledgement, Elisabeth laid a wreath at the epitaph on behalf of the ICC.

At Easter, the ICC celebrated a Good Friday service at Beeson Reserve, Edithvale. ‘The Way of the Cross’ display was set up in the central part of the Reserve. This was the focal point of the Stations of the Cross presentation. The children held up signs for each ‘station’. Wayne McGlone from Longbeach Parish provided the music. The finale piece was ‘Hallelujah’ which moved quite a few of the crowd to tears. All agreed the full service was beautiful presented.

Pentecost Sunday was held at St Chad’s with Rev Sue Bluett leading. It was a spiritually filled afternoon.

Elisabeth concluded, ‘I look forward to another year of solidarity and companionship as we fulfil the role of spiritual outreach amongst our many patrons once more’.

Congratulations also to Sue Hyde (elected Secretary and Treasurer) and Rev Judi Turnham elected as Vice-President.

Many of us will have been watching the updates following the Queen’s passing, saturating the media in print, on television, and social media.

The Queen’s funeral on Monday has been carefully planned. What may have come as a surprise was the opportunity for 10 ‘everyday Australians’ to accompany the Prime Minister and Governor General to the Queen’s funeral. The PM says the 10 guests represent Australian culture and values.

The invitees include the Australian of the Year, Dylan Alcott, Senior Australians of the Year from this year and last, Valmai Dempsey and Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann, “local heroes” Shanna Whan, Saba Abraham and Kim Smith, the Western Australian Australian of the year, Helen Milroy, the South Australian Young Australian of the Year, Trudy Lin, the i4give Day founder, Danny Abdallah, and the Australian Racing Hall of Fame’s Chris Waller.

So much could be said about each. Today, a focus on Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann AM, who is a devout Christian – baptised as a Catholic aged 15 years of age, she became the first Indigenous teacher in the Northern Territory in 1975, and later became Principal of St Francis Xavier Catholic School. In 2021 she was named Senior Australian of the Year.

She was surprised by the invitation but accepted: “It’s for my community and my family and people here, and hopefully it’s for all of Australia.” (see ABC video here)

The ABC News reports: Dr Ungunmerr-Baumann is widely respected in the Northern Territory and beyond for her advocacy on behalf of members of the Stolen Generation. She was just a child when her two-year-old sister, Pilawuk White, was forcibly removed from her family under the Australian government’s assimilationist policies. Since reconnecting with her sister 14 years later, Dr Ungunmerr-Baumann has called for the Commonwealth to pay compensation for victims in the NT. She has also dedicated her life to giving Aboriginal children the skills to navigate Western and traditional culture.

October is Mental Health Month

(possible links to RCL in the Gospel reading on October 9th – could integrate a focus on mental health and disability)

A report below from National Church Life Survey – BEFORE the global pandemic. It would be interesting to see the stats now. Here’s a report from the UK on the mental health emergency courtesy of COVID.

Also, NCLS research on welcoming people with disabilities.

Revd Amy Brown (St Jude’s Anglican, Carlton) has written an article earlier in 2022 from the perspective of young people’s mental health here.

Scroll down for information about the Mental Health Friendly Church Project , and also information and registration details for the conference in Melbourne on October 8th on Mental Health and Disability, with a focus on how congregations/churches provide welcome and inclusion. Download conference brochure at end of this post and please share with your congregation and plan to come along!

Read the UCA statement on inclusion for people living with disability.

(You may be interested in learning more about the current Disability Royal Commission in response to reports of violence, neglect, abuse and exploitation of people with disability. You can be involved in public or private hearings or through submissions).

The 2016 NCLS survey revealed that 17%, or one in six, church attenders had sought or received treatment for a mental health issue in the last 2 years. Those attenders who had sought or received mental health treatment, were asked to rate the support they received from their local church, in regard to their mental health.

Some 37% gave a favourable rating of the support they received from their church, with 14% rating it as excellent and 23% as good. Around one in ten, 11%, rated the support from their church as adequate.

Nearly half of attenders (46%) who had received treatment for a mental health issue in the last 2 years said their church was unaware of it, and therefore unaware of the state of their mental health. For many attenders experiencing problems with their mental health, it may not be relevant that their church knows of it and that their privacy is respected. For others, it may be the case that their local church congregation could provide valuable support.

In 2021, the Mental Health Friendly Church Project in the UK partnered with Christian think tank, Theos, to conduct qualitative research with church leaders and a quantitative study of over 1,000 regular church-goers. Kintsugi Hope wanted a clear understanding of the attitudes towards mental health to enable resources which were tailored directly to the current needs of the church and the communities they serve.

Interviewees overwhelmingly agreed that churches can help people experiencing mental health issues. However, the research indicated a clear need for more local churches to create welcoming, safe and supportive mental health friendly communities.

And yet…

• 91% of church leaders interviewed had received no training in mental health, despite mental health being identified as an ongoing need and issue within the church;
• 56% of interviewees said their church rarely or never spoke about mental health;
• Only 35% of the interviewees agreed that they felt positively supported by the church concerning their own mental health.