World Nurses Day is celebrated on 12th May (birth date of Florence Nightingale). How might you creatively celebrate the nurses in your congregation and community?
A short liturgyfor use in worship
Reader 1
Let us take a moment of silence and be aware of God’s presence among us.
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Thessalonians “We were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the Gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.” (1Thess 2: 7b-8)
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Reader 2 We gather to celebrate and thank God for nurses in our health care community who provide consistent comfort and care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Theirs is one of the toughest jobs around – requiring patience, intelligence, listening, conflict management, calm, quick thinking and endurance – all in a fast-paced, often stressful environment. It is fitting that in scripture, when the prophets and preachers want to describe the height of compassion, they frequently turned to the image of the nurse – the image of one who gives not only medicine, but the gift of themselves to others.
Reader 3 Let us call to mind some of the nurses who have touched our lives and our work in a significant way, and join in praying for them:
Side 1 Gentle God, we come in thanksgiving for the nurses in our midst. You have given them a lofty vocation – to mirror your love and compassion for the sick. When we watch them at work, we sense your presence in their words and deeds.
Side 2 Gentle God, we ask you to draw near to these women and men who have given their lives in service to others. Fill their minds and their hearts with your wisdom and mercy that they might truly be your hands and feet in our institution.
Side 1 Grant them the perseverance and strength needed to do their job well.
Side 2 Give them courage to speak on behalf of those they serve and advocate for those in greatest need.
Side 1 Comfort them in their sorrows and disappointments, in their losses and worries.
Side 2 Shelter them in times of trial, creating spaces for them to rest and to listen for your voice.
All Hear us, O Divine Nurse, and answer our prayer, for you are all good and all kind and never tire of ministering to our needs. Amen.
The annual Darkness into Light community walk at Albert Park will be at 5.30am on Saturday May 6th, 2023. The event gathers a wide range of people including people from diverse faith traditions.
The walk, which originated in Ireland, has been taking place internationally for 11 years, with global committees forming to raise mental health awarenessand vital funds for Mental heath charities. Each year the event provides an opportunity for people to connect with their local community and to bring hope to those who have been impacted by suicide.
Funds raised through registration and donation help mental health charities like Pieta House and Headspace (national youth mental health foundation that provides early intervention mental health services to 12-25 year olds).
If you would like to join the Darkness into Light walk, you can register via the link.
“We have all been touched by the brokenness of this world. We need a fully developed theology of suffering in our churches; we need to know that suffering is not good in itself and it is painful, but our faith can help us manage the painfulness of suffering – by doing many things like practising the presence of God. Jesus healed people – that’s part of what we do, we’re involved in that healing ministry alongside the work of the Holy Spirit. It’s a powerful witness to the community that we’re not just some group of bigoted people but we’re people who care, who care about people’s healing, we care about life.”
Psychologist Karen Mason says there needs to be greater awareness that there are people sitting beside you in church who are having suicidal thoughts but feel unable to reach out for help – because of the stigma and fear of being criticised and judged. The way to break that stigma is to create authentic, vulnerable communities.
“There has to be a recognition that we’re all human beings, we all struggle, there’s none of us that doesn’t struggle, none of us has it all together. There has to be a recognition of that and an ability for a person to be vulnerable and not be judged – it’s judgment that causes that stigma to exist. Those people who are hurting have to be able to reach out for help, and they’re not going to reach out for help if they expect to be judged for having a mental health condition or having suicidal thought or for having lost someone to suicide. There has be that sense of authenticity and vulnerability that allows those conversations to take place.”
We pray to you, God of compassion, for all those in despair That they would choose life. For those facing devastating loss That they would remember your presence and intercession for them. For all those who feel they are a burden That they would love themselves as you love them. For all those without hope That they would find in you, Father, a reason to live. For those who feel alone That they would find in our gathered community a reason to live. For those facing evil in this world That they will remember the redemption of the evil done to Joseph. For all those suffering the misery of depression and other psychological pain That they could reach out for help like blind Bartimaeus. For all those in despondent desolation That we would reach out to them. Merciful God, you alone give life and take it, but life is not easy. With the psalmist we proclaim that without you we would be swallowed alive, torn up and engulfed by the flood and swept away by the torrents of this life. Preserve us, O God. We put our hope in you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
Emeritus Professor Rev Dr Francis Macnab was an Australian Christian minister. He wasthe executive minister of St Michael’s Uniting Church, a congregation of the Uniting Church in Australia in Collins Street, Melbourne, until December 2016. Prior to that he was Prahran Presbyterian Church from 1961 to 1970. He was a fellow of the Jesus Seminar. He was the founder of The Cairnmillar Institute, a clinical psychological centre, the largest in Australia, which was for some time the largest training body for psychologists and counsellors in the country. He was its Executive Director. He founded and was director of the Australian Foundation for Aftermath Reactions which provides trauma treatment and training. He was a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society. He was made a member of the Order of Australia for his contributions to psychotherapy and religion.
Frances retired at the age of 85, after 45 years in ministry. At the time, Crosslight (Uniting Church) published an article about his ministry, a ministry which was expansive, generous, courageous and sometimes controversial.
https://vimeo.com/744134472
In 2020, Frances published his final book, Ageing Well, with wisdom for those in their senior years.
Frances Macnab finds himself, like many, in a new spiritual, emotional, and psychological territory. It is called older age. Ageing Well is a manual for older age, it explores ideas on how we can live the later part of our lives with more passion and enjoyment by creating joy, managing moods, avoiding stereotypes, working towards better psychological health, training the brain, focusing on emotional intelligence and much more.
Publisher’s blurb for Ageing Well.
Cairnmillar Institute provided this tribute in The Age newspaper on 29th April 2023:
The Chair, Members of Council and Committees, the CEO, all members of staff, together with the alumni and supporters of The Cairnmillar Institute, pay tribute to the life of the founder Emeritus Professor Francis Macnab AM. His contribution to psychology, psychotherapy, theology, education, and the community is known and acknowledged around the world. The Institute honours this remarkable Australian. For his leadership, guidance, inspiration and generosity of spirit, we give thanks. His rich legacy continues. Our sincere condolences to the family.
Cairnmillar Institute, The Age 29th April 2023
Rev Steven Koski (Presbyterian Minister based in Bend, Oregon, USA) has paid tribute to his long time mentor:
Dr. Francis Macnab, my mentor, colleague and friend transitioned from this life to the mystery of something more. Francis introduced me to a spacious faith and influenced my life in more ways than he ever knew.
He hired me 35 years ago. I’m pretty sure when I got off the plane in Melbourne he immediately thought, “What have I done?!” He did give me a credit card and suggested I upgrade my wardrobe. Little did I know at the time that meeting him, being mentored by him and the trust he placed in me would change my life forever.
Someone visited my church who hadn’t stepped foot in a church for over 30 years and carried deep spiritual wounds. She thanked me for not making her check her mind at the door and for welcoming her doubts and questions. She thanked me for articulating a theology she could believe in and introducing her to a God who believed in her. She said she found the service healing and looked forward to constructing a new faith. She thanked me but I said the person to thank is Dr. Francis Macnab whose legacy reaches you through me.
Francis, you awakened our lives with the adventure of color. Your expansive theology played new music to underscore our lives. Your genius opened the door to curiosity and wonder setting our feet in spacious fields. Your innovative spirit pushed down walls. You watered the seeds of hope within us. You encouraged us to hold room in our hearts for the unimaginable.
We will not look for you only in our memories, but we will find your presence beside us when beautiful music echoes eternal notes; when poetry speaks a language for which there is no defense; when flowers splash the world with color in the Spring; and when we find our own Mingary ( healing space ) in the harshness and hostility of this world.
Francis, may you continue to inspire us to enter each day aware of the fragile gift of each breath, to find courage to look for joy hidden under every rock, and to be grateful for those who walk beside us.
May the Sacred Presence you invited us to trust in this life enfold your spirit in the great mystery of more life that lies beyond death.
Today marks the 108th anniversary of the Armenian genocide during WW1. In this – the first Genocide of the 20th century – almost an entire nation was destroyed. The Armenian people were effectively eliminated from the homeland they had occupied for nearly three thousand years. This annihilation was premeditated and planned to be carried out under the cover of war.
[The Uniting Church in Australia formally acknowledged the Armenian Genocide at its 14th Assembly meeting in 2015. Today we pause to remember, and share this prayer from Uniting Church Pastor Levon Kardashian who is the grandson of a survivor].
God of life,
your Spirit hovers over all existence,
bringing life out of nothingness,
beauty out of ashes,
and resurrection life from the depths of the earth.
We remember the Armenian Genocide that was marked on April 24, 1915;
the Armenian priests, scholars, and community leaders assassinated;
the Armenian men, women and children who were deported,
driven in death marches, and massacred mercilessly.
Listen to the lament that rises from our hearts,
to the call of the dead
from the depths of the Medz Yeghérn (literally Great Calamity).
As the blood of Abel cries out to you so does the blood of a nation massacred.
As Rachel weeps for her children because they are no more,
so does a nation, many of whom are no more.
With your compassion, look upon the people of this nation
who put their trust in you so long ago,
who have faced persecution, exile and death,
Yet have remained faithful to you:
a nation that lives because your never-ending love stands by the oppressed.
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones. (Ps. 116:15)
God of deliverance,
renew our hope in your promise.
Heal open wounds through the power of your love.
Our souls long for you more than the watchman for daybreak
as we celebrate the fullness of redemption won on the Cross,
for the light of Easter which is the dawn of invincible life.
We praise you for your grace, mercy, and power upon the Armenians,
“A true Elder in the Radical Discipleship movement. A great support to me and many. I keep thinking since hearing this week that the “House of the Gentle Bunyip” has the founding members back around the kitchen table. That would be a conversation to hear”.
(Adrian Greenwood, a Facebook post 21st April 2023)
John U’ren’s funeral service will be at North Ringwood Uniting Church on Friday 28th April at 3pm.
(photo from a post on John Smith’s Facebook page 2016 – what a line-up!)
John U’Ren was one of the founding members of The House of the Gentle Bunyip, an intentional Christian community (1975-1996). John was one of Australia’s most important figures in Christian ministry to young people in the 1970s, and beyond, and through his work at Scripture Union.
John researched the History of Para Church Movements in Australia 1965-89 and onwards (an unpublished manuscript, Uniting Church Centre, Melbourne) and contributed to the publication Ministry in an Urban World: Responding to the City (Acorn Press, ACT, 1991).
John continued to preach occasionally at his home church, North Ringwood Uniting Church.
On John Smith’s Facebook post (see above), he wrote that John U’Ren was a ‘vital tribal advisor’, and continued that ‘The radical return to the Jesus of the Gospels resulted in a deep desire for community, a resistance against materialism, a longing for true spirituality, and a commitment to non-violent resistance to war and nationalism….. though such radical inspired Jesus inspired dissenting is no longer sexy for our culture now, the world (including the Church) needs the teaching and Spirit of Jesus now as much as in the hippie days when so many outside the established religious organisations sought Him and saw him as the bridge over troubled waters’.
Many lives have been touched by John U’Ren’s gentle wisdom and encouragement, his courageous and creative ministry in church and para-church contexts as well as beyond the church, and his commitment to the radical nature of the Christian discipleship as a follower of the Jesus of the Gospels.
Extracts from a thesis by M.R.Munro (2002) (can be downloaded on the link) about the House of the Gentle Bunyip. Inspiring to recall the work of those pioneers and visionaries.
The House of the Gentle Bunyip was an ecumenical Christian community that existed from 1975 to 1996 in Clifton Hill, an inner Melbourne suburb. The residence was W. B. Fox’s Villa, an historic farmhouse built in 1867.
The Bunyip was founded in 1975 by Baptist theologian, Athol Gill (5.9.1937-9.3.1992). It came into being in 1975 during the Anzac Day weekend when Athol was teaching on “Discipleship” from the Gospel of St Mark. He announced he was commencing a Christian community to explore and expound the meaning of discipleship. Thirty five, mainly young and single people, agreed to join him. Over the course of the Bunyip’s life 150 adults were part of the community.
Athol was a provocative advocate for the poor and for social justice. He campaigned relentlessly for the church to reflect the teachings of Jesus and for a peaceful and just society. This was evident in his simple lifestyle and through his practical engagement in mission with the poor and marginalised.
The Bunyip drew many of its members from the Baptist and evangelical traditions. Mostly young adults, they perceived deficiencies in their churches and wanted to explore some of the radical implications of the Christian faith in a non-traditional setting. The Bunyip was influenced by socio-political changes in Australian society in the 1970’s, a worldwide movement towards alternative communities (both religious and secular) and the worldwide radical discipleship and Christian community movement (eg House of Freedom in Brisbane, House of the New World in Sydney, House of the Rock in Adelaide, etc).
[Jesus] comes time and again and calls us to follow him, offering a fresh start in the life of discipleship. The options don’t vary, but the choices continue.
Athol Gill
The Bunyip sought to respond to a decline within the institutional church evident from the 1960s and, in particular, to Victorian Baptist neglect of Melbourne’s inner city churches. The Bunyip operated as a residential, ecumenical, Christian community embracing a variety of crisis support programs including ministering to the homeless, those suffering from schizophrenia, the sick, the elderly, and the young of Melbourne including children disadvantaged by poorly-resourced inner city schools. Countless people were assisted through its mission programs.
The Bunyip developed educational initiatives for clergy and lay people and sought to reclaim the communal aspects of the Christian faith by introducing its own pattern of corporate worship, community housing, membership agreements and leadership structures.
The Bunyip established centres in Victoria and interstate, and developed links with a range of church and community networks. Over 150 adults and 30 children joined the Bunyip and the average length of stay was a little over four years.
The House of the Gentle Bunyip made a significant contribution to Australian church life by offering a viable alternative to the institutional church. It provided men and women with training, and opportunities for leadership and relevant practical service. It challenged Christians to take seriously the radical implications of the Gospel, especially in the areas of justice, care of the poor and community.
M.R.Munro
Many of its members and others influenced by Gill and the Bunyip completed degrees in theology and moved into ordained ministry, denominational leadership and urban or overseas ministry.
The time of preparation for ministry included participation in House of the Gentle Bunyip in Clifton Hill. There we worked and prayed with others as the Community sought to care for people who suffer from schizophrenia. The people of the Bunyip continue to hold a special place in our hearts.
Rev Dr Garry Deverell, inaugural Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow in Indigenous Theology at the University of Divinity.
Some community members used their Bunyip experience in community development, welfare work, education and peace-making. Although the Bunyip eventually declined and closed, its legacy continues through Fintry Bank, a supported accommodation program for sufferers of schizophrenia. In the 1990s, the building had fallen into disrepair and was planned to be demolished. In a long-running grass roots community campaign to save the building, Clifton Hill residents picketed the site for over 400 days, ultimately preventing its demolition. In 2008, the building was subsequently re-purposed as supported accommodation for people with schizophrenia with six self-contained units within the old Bunyip building. The units are owned and managed by Melbourne Affordable Housing, a not for profit community agency with a proven track record in managing affordable housing across metropolitan Melbourne. Read more here).
See also John’s contribution to this publication: Costello, Tim; Riddell, Michael; Gill, Athol; Nichols, Alan; U’ren, John; Duncan, Michael; Corney, Peter;
April 19th 2023 is Youth Homelessness Matters Day, held on the third Wednesday of April each year. Since 1990, it is the annual national awareness day for youth homelessness in Australia. It is staggering that such a day even needs to exist in a developed country like Australia, and that young people find themselves in such a vulnerable situation.
Many church agencies work to alleviate youth homelessness – both to address immediate needs and advocacy for systemic change.
The 2021 Census showed 122,494 people in Australia were estimated to be experiencing homelessness on Census night in 2021. Recent statistics indicate that 42% of the homelessness population in Victoria is under 25 years old. Over the past few years, support workers have noticed an increase in the number of clients presenting with mental health and drug and alcohol issues.
It is estimated only 7% of homeless people are sleeping rough on the streets and in parks. Other young people may be couchsurfing (sleeping on borrowed beds and couches), in their cars, in overcrowded housing, in youth shelters and emergency short term housing.
Reasons young people are forced into homelessness include:
Family violence, sexual, physical and emotional abuse in the home
Insufficient income to pay rent and living costs
Rising costs of housing with and everyday living necessities
Under-employment
Lack of support when in, or moving from, state care
Mental health, drug and alcohol issues
Overcrowded living conditions
The traumatic experience that follows the death of a parent.
It is sobering that more than a million children and young people are living below the poverty line in Australia.
A home isn’t just four walls and a roof. It’s a foundation for safety and security. Access to safe and secure housing is one of the most basic human rights.
Housing is not a valueless system but a core part of what it means to live a dignified human life. Having adequate shelter is a basic human right; a right that the Church affirms as a key part of respecting and recognising our personhood. Ensuring everyone is able to access a safe, stable and adequate home is one part of working for the common good. This means that social, economic and political structures must be ordered towards making home ownership or rental equitable for all, rather than being structured in restrictive unjust ways.
Catholic Social Teaching and Housing and Homelessness
Housing has become a commodity, rather than a basic human right for everyone. Many young people are disadvantaged in the private rental market, even when they have secure work, traineeships/ apprenticeships and casual/full-time work or study. Preference is being given to higher income earning families and individuals.
Social and affordable housing that relies on housing agencies, developers and investors is a part of the answer, but clearly there needs to be more public and government owned housing to ensure everyone has access to safe housing.
Young people leaving state care make up two thirds of the youth homeless population, but only a tiny portion of social housing is given to people under 25.
This Youth Homelessness Matters Day we are standing with organisations across the country to call on the Federal Government to develop a standalone National Child and Youth Homelessness and Housing Strategy. For too long, the specific and complex needs of children and young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness have been assumed to be the same as those of adults and have not been explicitly addressed in government plans to address homelessness. As the Federal Government commits to developing a National Housing and Homelessness Plan, we are calling for a commitment to develop a strategy specifically for children and young people. Have your voice heard – sign the petition – https://bit.ly/41hnt35
Once the anchor of communities, increasing numbers of Christian churches are closing across the state. This is why suburban and regional Victoria is losing traditional religion.
An article by Mandy Squires in the Herald Sun, April 18, 2023
In Victoria’s suburban, regional and rural communities, churches were once the heartbeats, as parishioners delivered casseroles and cakes to the sick, and company and comfort to those in crisis or need. On Sunday mornings, the faithful gathered to both worship, and catch up with friends and neighbours.
But “the faithful” are ever fewer in Victoria, and Christian churches are closing their doors across the state at an alarming rate – a process some research suggests was hastened by harsh Covid lockdowns and restrictions.
Dwindling congregation sizes have combined with rising insurance fees, maintenance costs and increasingly onerous building safety compliance expectations, to make the price of keeping ageing churches operational simply too high for many denominations.
The burden of upkeep has also largely fallen to an ever smaller group of, also ageing, parishioners.
It comes as younger Christians are drawn to a new wave of evangelical churches, with contemporary Christian music, performed in contemporary buildings.
Younger Christians are drawn to a new wave of evangelical churches, with contemporary Christian music, performed in contemporary buildings. Picture: Supplied
But mostly, younger Victorians say in surveys, they are drawn to no faith at all — with a growing number preferring a general spiritualism based on psychics, tarot cards, crystals, astrology, numerology, Reiki healing and messages in nature, “from the universe”.
Executive Officer or the Victorian Council of Churches, Reverend Sandy Boyce, said “the grim reality is less than half the population now identify as Christian”, and more traditional churches were being forced to close.
In country Victoria, the loss was especially keenly felt.
“For rural people it’s a bit different to (churches closing) in the suburbs in that they don’t have a lot of choice and even elsewhere to go … the grief, disappointment, shock and loss is very real for rural people when their (local) church closes,” she said.
That was not to say great pain wasn’t also experienced when churches closed in the suburbs or regional towns, Rev Boyce said, as many people felt deeply connected to the building they had become accustomed to worshipping in.
In February this year, the 162-year-old Neil Street Uniting Church in Ballarat closed its doors.
Located in the historic precinct of Soldiers Hill, the church was first built in 1861 and in 1867 replaced with a more substantial building.
It was improved again before the turn of the century.
Ballarat’s Neil St church was forced to close its doors in February. Picture: Supplied
The magnificent stained glass windows of Neil St church.
“The present beautiful church with its many stained glass windows and magnificent pipe organ was erected in 1892 – an impressive statement of the faith of our forebears,” the church’s website notes.
Now, with the church closed, it’s accomplished choir has moved to YouTube to be heard, with co-ordinator Andrew Parker encouraging its performances to be shared on social media.
He describes the final Neil Street church service as “funeral-like”, as “a place of memories and fellowship for generations of families” was farewelled.
“Every pew was packed as hundreds of people who each had a connection to the congregation” came to pray for the last time within the church’s historic wall, he said.
“The sermon for the final service focused on letting go and moving forward with faith in new ways and places of worship, but this did not stop the tears of many as the final, stirring hymns sounded out,” Mr Parker wrote on the Neil Street Choir Facebook page.
The Neil St closure follows a failed 2021 community campaign to save a historic Rokewood church from sale — with some calling for the Andrews government to compulsorily reacquire the building and gift it back to its original denomination.
The 155-year-old Rokewood Uniting Church, located about 40 kilometres south of Ballarat, was originally Presbyterian, but the congregation chose to align with the Uniting Church of Australia when it formed in 1977.
In June last year, the Manningham Uniting Church’s historic Woodhouse Grove chapel in Box Hill North – that started life as a Wesleyan chapel in 1856 – held its last service.
While the heritage protected chapel building will be preserved, in a sign of the times, the large site gained planning approval for eight double story townhouses.
“Around 60 people including friends and family and ex-members of ‘The Grove’ and members of wider MUC gathered on 26 June to celebrate the 166 years of worship at The Grove and to mark the closure of worship at this site,” the church’s website states.
The Uniting Church’s Reverend Duncan Macleod, executive officer of the ELM Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, said church closures and the threat of more was “very distressing” for local communities.
The final Neil St service was ‘funeral-like’, as the church was farewelled.
“There are some country churches that would like to say, ‘well, if our building burned down or had a truck drive through it, we could have just have it demolished’. But the insurance companies require full replacement value … and the actual maintenance costs of those buildings start to become a burden on the five to 10 people who are left willing to care for them,” he said.
It comes as Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data reveals 43.9 per cent of Australians now identify as Christian, down from 52.1 per cent in 2016.
Nearly 39 per cent say they have no religion, up from 30.1 per cent in 2016, representing an increase of more than 2.8 million people.
The decrease in Christianity occurred across most age groups, with the sharpest decline among young adults aged 18 to 25 years, the latest Census date shows.
Millennials had the highest proportion of ‘no religion’, at 46.5 per cent.
In mid-last year a research paper on Factors Affecting Australian Catholics’ Return to Mass After COVID-19 Church Closures found mandated church shutdowns were expected to have a significant, negative impact, because the nature of Catholic worship involved in-person, ritual contact, such as confession and communion.
“With already falling rates of Mass attendance, the longer-term impact of COVID-19 church closures is likely to be significant in determining the future size and distribution of the Catholic Church in Australia,” the July 2022 research paper notes.
While undeniably sad, Rev Boyce said when churches were faced with dwindling congregations and closure, opportunities arose for them to join with other denominations to strengthen their numbers.
The former Rokewood Uniting (and before that Presbyterian) was sold-off in 2021, 155 years after it was built.
The historic Woodhouse Grove church in Boxhill held its last service in late-June last year.
“It is actually is an invitation I think, for churches of different denominations — instead of maintaining their own separate identities of ‘we’ll do our Uniting Church and you do your Anglican’ — to actually work together, and there are many examples of that happening in the rural areas. So that’s the positive,” she said.
Rev Macleod said it was also an opportunity for the historic buildings to be used in new and creative ways, and there were increasing examples of churches being repurposed into galleries and cafes, that continued to give them a life in local communities, “and sometimes even used more as a result”.
With ecclesiastical grandeur and splendour the “feast of feasts and festival of festivals” was celebrated in the Greek Orthodox churches of Victoria. Thousands of Greek Orthodox in the centre and suburbs of Melbourne, undaunted by the continuous and heavy rain, reverently flocked to the Holy Church of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia for the “Come and receive light” and the joyous message of “Christ is Risen”.
In the Archdiocesan District of Northcote, the centre of the resurrection services was at the Holy Church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour, in the suburb of Thomastown, where the Resurrection Service was presided over by His Grace Bishop Evmenios of Kerasounta, Archiepiscopal Vicar of Northcote. As it is the most populous Greek Orthodox Parish in the north-west of Melbourne, thousands of believers flocked to the Holy Church to receive the eternal light.
At midnight on Great and Holy Saturday, despite the continuous rain, His Grace Bishop Evmenios, joined by the Holy Clergy, went out to the church forecourt, from where he announced “Christ is Risen”. Addressing the faithful, with obvious emotion, he emphasised: “All of you were not afraid of the rain, you came without hesitation to celebrate the glorious Resurrection. You have moved me and reminded me of the Myrrh-bearing women who, early in the morning, in the dark, went to Christ’s tomb to anoint His body with myrrh.”
Afterwards, Bishop Evmenios conveyed the wishes of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia and, instead of a sermon, he read the Archbishop’s Paschal Message.
After the proclamation of the Holy Resurrection, the Paschal Divine Liturgy was celebrated, also in the presence of a large congregation, while at the dismissal, His Grace Bishop Evmenios blessed the red eggs and distributed them to the faithful.
On Easter Sunday morning, Bishop Evmenios officiated at the Vespers of Love held at the Archdiocesan Church of Axion Esti in Northcote. All the clergy of the Archdiocesan District of Northcote participated in the service, while the passage from the Gospel of John was read in eight languages, where the appearance of Christ after his Resurrection to his disciples is described.
In his short sermon, His Grace Bishop Evmenios of Kerasounta, after conveying to the faithful the love and wishes of their Shepherd, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia, emphasised the message of hope brought by the Resurrection of the Lord, pointing out that “Christ is the victor and the One who has the final word for everything, even for things we cannot even imagine”.
Australia’s Romanian Bishop has issued an Easter Encyclical – ‘We are called to respond to God’s love by following Christ’.
Bishop Mihail, who heads the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand, noted in his Easter encyclical that “we are called to respond to God’s love by following His Son Jesus Christ. Just as Christ’s humility was complete, so too the discipleship we humans must go through must be to the end, calling at all times for his help in our lives, in our spiritual work.”
Bishop Mihail urged that when we try to do God’s will, “we should put aside selfishness or vain glory, and leave the worldly cares that separate man from God, in order to give our lives to God, concentrating on the spiritual work to walk in faith on the path shown to us by Christ, so that we may acquire the Kingdom of Heaven.”
“Let us stand aright, let us attend how we spend our lives, following Christ who rose from the dead. Let us not worry about passing things: food, drink, expensive clothes, and riches. Neither be partakers of feasts and parties in drunkenness and sinful revelry.”
“Let no one boast, despising the poor and needy, and let him who is tempted subdue the lust of vain glory by humility and Christian mercy.”
In his pastoral letter, Bishop Mihail stressed the need to support the elderly who “need help from those close to them, the young, children and grandchildren. With the elderly, we must be patient and understanding; for them, we must pray and protect them, showing them understanding and Christian love.”
The Romanian Bishop of Australia and New Zealand concluded his pastoral letter for Holy Pascha by urging the faithful “to offer prayers of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord God and to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, who rose from the dead for our salvation.”
Photography courtesy of the Basilica.ro Files Source: basilica.ro
ACNC Guidelines on Advocacy and the Referendum (see https://www.acnc.gov.au/tools/guides/charities-campaigning-and-advocacy)
A summary of advice from the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission which provides clarification on charity activities in the lead-up to the planned Referendum in 2023.
Introduction
Charities may want to contribute to conversations taking place about the Australian Government’s planned referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. They can make a valuable contribution. It is important to remember that a charity may only conduct activities that further its charitable purposes according to its Constitution.
‘Advocacy’ and ‘campaigning’ are terms that in everyday use can have very broad meanings. For the purposes of this guidance these terms have particular meanings.
When the ACNC talks about ‘advocacy‘ and ‘campaigning‘ it means activities which are aimed at securing or opposing any change to a law, policy or practice in the Commonwealth, a state or territory, or another country. Such activities can include:
involvement in the development of public policy
promotion of, or opposition to, particular laws, policies, practices or decisions of governments, and
awareness-raising.
In the minds of the public, ‘advocacy’ can sometimes include political party activity. This is not included in the ACNC’s use of this phrase, as registered charities cannot have a purpose of promoting or opposing a particular political party or candidate.
‘Campaigning’ in this guidance is used by the ACNC to mean activities undertaken to educate the public, raise public awareness, change public behaviour and/or mobilise public support. It can include ensuring that existing laws, policies or decisions are either maintained or changed.
What is okay
Advocacy and campaigning can be a legitimate and effective way of furthering the charitable purposes of a charity. However, it is important that charities do not cross the line into having a disqualifying political purpose and that they maintain independence from party politics.
A charity’s policy position on a matter of concern may be similar to, or align with that of, a particular political party. In such a situation it is okay for the charity to continue to campaign on that issue, provided that this does not amount to the charity having a purpose of promoting or opposing a particular political party or candidate.
It would also be prudent for members of a charity’s governing body to consider the independence of their charity and any potential effects of particular campaigning activities on the charity’s reputation, including online activities through social media. Public perception is important and members of a charity’s governing body should be aware of the perception of any advocacy or campaigning.
In the lead-up to an election (or, in this case, the Referendum) there are increased risks that, in the minds of the public, charity advocacy or campaigning can be associated with a particular political party.
Charities can, and often do, engage in advocacy activities and some charities might want to advocate for a particular outcome on the referendum.
If a charity plans to undertake advocacy activities, it must be able to demonstrate why it considers its advocacy furthers its charitable purposes.
In the case of the planned referendum, some charities may just want to make a statement of support for the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ case. An example of this would be a message of support in the charity’s email signature block. This statement would not jeopardise their registration with the ACNC.
It’s okay for a charity to:
have a purpose of advancing public debate – including promoting or opposing a change in law – where this furthers or aids another charitable purpose
have a purpose to promote or oppose a change to a law, policy or practice in the Commonwealth, a state or territory or another country where this furthers or aids another charitable purpose.
How the advocacy is conducted
The charities’ Responsible People and senior workers (paid or volunteer) should be clear about how their charity will advocate; the type of thing that can be said and done in the name of their charity, and set boundaries.
It’s important that advocacy is lawful, respectful, and fair as this helps ensure the charity (and its Responsible People) meet their obligations under the ACNC’s Governance Standards.
The ACNC encourages charities to support workers (paid or volunteer) who want to express their views on the referendum, to make it clear they are sharing their personal views and not those of the charity.
Summary A charity can campaign if it is satisfied that:
what it is doing is advancing its charitable purpose
its governing document (its constitution or rules) does not prevent the activity
it does not have a purpose of advancing a particular political party or candidate or campaigning against a particular party or candidate
This summary is not legal advice and if you have doubts about any particular situation involving your charity, you can seek specific advice from the ACNC or seek independent legal advice.
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