Yeah, I'll put my hand up to get on with real life stuff. Half my work is
with a NRCC (Northern regional council of congress) congregation.
Technically I am also a member of NRCC though I am not an Aboriginal person.
I did not agree with their statement but it was not my place to be
expressing my opinion. It is a statement seeking to voice an Aboriginal
perspective. The members of the congregation I work with who were at that
meeting agreed with that statement. I have talked with them and other NRCC
members specifically asking if they are still happy with me working in NRCC
and particularly this congregation even though I have a different view to
them and they have no problems with that. To explain further their position
would be out of turn for me because I start to represent their views to
others and they need to speak for themselves not have others speaking on
their behalf, that was one of the key points of making a statement - to have
their voice heard.
Back to your comments, Peter, when we all returned home from the presbytery
and synod meetings the real life stuff soon hits you in the face. The week
of the meetings in Darwin there was an Aboriginal death in custody in Derby.
The average life expectancy for males in the Kimberley is about 50. Last
week at church a little five year old girl talked (as if it was not an
unusual thing) of her mother attempting to hang herself. A grandmother has
been left with the responsibility of all her grandchildren because her
children have either died or due to substance abuse are incapable or
unwilling to care for their kids, though they will not let her have the kids
family allowance money. She lives on an aged pension. There is a lot of
tension and confusion about native title and land rights due to a history of
massive dislocation through grandparents and older generations (yes, that
recent) having been shot or forcibly moved off traditional lands and into
missions or reserves, children having been removed and so on. Such
dislocation has strained the cultural heritage and memory to the limit and
in many cases broken it. Introduce legislation designed in Canberra with
minimal Aboriginal input and you have lots of headaches. A young Aboriginal
woman wants to cook some chocolate crackles to raise some money to buy a
reem of photocopy paper and some pencils so she can start a Sunday School
class.(Good on her, I say, and restrain myself from saying there is money
available to help you becasue she has thought of it herself and wants to do
it - others may disagree with my approach, thats OK, I am learning). However
my blood still boils when I contrast that with UCA congregations in Sydney
doing $2 million extensions and UCA schools wanting sponsors at $3000 per
seat for a new drama/performance theatre. (Is this poverty week or something
like that???).
These little scenarios come from one week back at home. Speaking for myself,
there seems to be a lot more important things to worry about. I do not want
to have to waste time and energy on trying to stop whoever from throwing
babies out with the bath water. If EMU/Reforming alliance/whatever and
others want to spend lots of time and energy on institutional musical chairs
and playing power games by all means go ahead but at least allow the rest of
us the freedom and the resources to get real and get on with real issues.
What about the people hurting so much over res 84? I am probably going to
hurt someone here, but I am trying to be careful. Maybe its like Elle
Macpherson's depression (someone gave a link to that story in the SMH). It
is certainly terrible for her but she has the resources and support to find
help. From all the hooplah over res 84 it seems clear that there is plenty
of support for those hurting from res 84 because of a more conservative
perspective. There is plenty of support for those in leadership having a
hard time trying to find a way through. I do not know about the gay and
lesbian community. Amongst some there is good support networks but there are
others who are much more alone. Certainly let us look to care for those
without any support. In the meantime there is a whole world out there who
are also hurting deeply and most of them have bugger all support from
anyone.
regards
Andrew Watts
Peter Elliott wrote:
Is it possible that most of the discussion about UCA Assembley Res 84 is about saving the church rather than following Jesus? To be honest, I don't give a damn about the saving the church as it is, but I do care about saving the world from falling into despair and self destruction. It seems to me that such issues as third-world debt, trade injustices, environmental polution, slavery (yes, it still exists and there are now estimated to be more people in slavery than there were in the seventeenth century) and all those other issues where some people use and abuse others for their own satisfaction. It does seem that Jesus' concern was for the poor and oppressed, not Judaism - and as for the idea that He started Christianity, let's get real, eh! If some people in the church don't believe they can stay in a church that accepts gays and lesbians into leadership positions in the Uniting Church, OK, I'll go with that. Do they want to leave or do they want me to leave because I hold a different position to them? Perhaps Ross Kingham has a point. I think I've lost interest in the debate because it's only a very small part of the big picture. Are there others out there who want to focus on the real issue - helping to set free the oppressed and downtrodden, helping the blind to see? Peter
Peter & Jan Elliott
26 Crowe Place
Cootamundra NSW 2590
Phone: 02 6942 1212
--
Stephen Webb Media Officer Communications Unit NSW Synod, Uniting Church in Australia Box A2178, Sydney South, NSW 1235, Australia email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: +61 2 8267 4308; Mobile: 0423 259 945; Fax: 9267 4716; Web: nsw.uca.org.au/cu/ & insights.uca.org.au/ ------------------ The Communications Unit publishes the monthly magazine Insights, conducts public relations for the NSW Synod of the Uniting Church, and provides a variety of communications services. These include writing, editing, web consultation and development, desktop publishing and graphic design, public relations and advertising. For a consultation or free estimate on your project call the Communications Unit at (02) 8267 4307.
------------------------------------------------------ - You are subscribed to the mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put in the message body 'unsubscribe insights-l' (ell, not one (1)) See: http://nsw.uca.org.au/insights-l-information.htm ------------------------------------------------------
