Palm Sunday Peace Service

Does anyone care about the war in Iraq anymore? Is anyone else worried about Australia’s role in the coalition of the willing (or as Joe Camilleri put it yesterday the coalition of the killing)? How are we going to stop violence in our world if our own country is participating actively in it?
These are questions that were asked at the Ecumenical Palm Sunday peace rally on Sunday as people gathered in the name of peace, inspired by the path that Jesus trod on the way to Jerusalem. Joe Camilleri Professor of Politics, La Trobe University spoke to us about the global context of war and peace asking the question of how long will we allow our country to remain actively at war in Iraq. It was the weekend of the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq and asked the question "What if we said it will only be one more year?" What if we could come together to make a change and ask for peace instead of war?

The questions were big and the answers seemed bigger until the Young Ambassadors for Peace from Ambon (Indonesia), Solomon Islands and Burma got up showing us how they’ve started the work. In countries of conflict they told us how it starts by changing your own heart to peace and then showing others. All of them spoke of a hatred that changed after they met their enemies, ate, learnt and eventually laughed with them through the Young Ambassadors for Peace Uniting Church program.

Inspiring stuff that brought home the value of doing it together!
(More about the Young Ambassadors for Peace in moreexperiences)

Caz Coleman
Social Justice Officer 

Love your enemies

Yesterday I stood next to Joy Takili as she spoke about what it was like to have to sit next to her enemy on a plane to Australia. A young woman of 20 she told us openly how she hated this man sitting next to her, a man who represented murder, war and greed, she saw only the conflict that he represented not the person whom she would come to call a friend. Joy and James were travelling to Australia to attend their first Young Ambassadors for Peace workshop in 2001. They had been chosen from opposite sides of a conflict in the Solomon Islands to live together and dream together of peace in their country. Starting off as enemies over time they became friends as they slowly saw each other as human beings with hurts, hopes and families whom they loved.

Last week the Justice and International Mission Unit hosted three Young
Ambassadors for Peace, a Uniting Church Program promoting peaceful solutions to conflict. Helena from Ambon in Indonesia, Joy from the Solomon Islands and Yadana from Burma told stories of turning their lives from hatred and war to peace and friendship. The three young women were in Australia for a co-ordinators meeting of the YAP program and used their time in Melbourne to speak about the challenges of creating peace when picking up a gun seems like an easier way to combat the pain of death and loss.

When they first arrived in Melbourne the conversation in the back of the car turned lively as they debated which country was worse in terms of conflict.
Laughing through the conversation they decided that Yadana had the worst luck as she was still living in a refugee camp on the Thai Burma border with 35,000 others refugees. By the time I drove them back to the airport Yadana had seen the sea for the first time, and Helena and Joy had finally gotten to see ‘Hitch’ at the movies. They were fantastic women, normal and yet extraordinary when listening to their stories of the challenge and joy of building peace in conflict zones.

The common thread amongst all of the was that we all have to change our hearts for peace first and then pass it on to others. Helena, Joy and Yadana definitely are Young Ambassadors for Peace in 2005.

If you are interested in chatting about YAP or developing a YAP program in Australia focusing on non-violent action and peace building post a note online and lets start something.

Caz Coleman
Social Justice Officer

Cafe Church Aminations

 

The Glebe Cafe Church have released their animations. These guys are great. Grab a copy. Read about it below, click the link and get one.

"TRADITION AND TECHNOLOGY
Cafe Church has been meshing art with technology as a way of enriching our gatherings for worship. Stained glass windows, banners, symbols and icons are familiar ways of using visual images in church. Now we have digital animations as well, to surprise, inspire and challenge.

THE ANIMATIONS
There are two types of animation on the disk:

• Biblical Refections: based on speci.c Bible passages.
• Themed Presentations (Loops): Small repeated sets of images
  and words that explore a theme or concept.

The animations (Flash/ SWF .les) are organised by Book, Theme and Artist, so that you can find the artwork for your particular needs. We invite you to use them in any way you wish:
Price: $30 AUD + postage and handling"

http://www.cafechurch.org.au/resources.htm

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ANZAC Day

 

“There is something about a community which best remembers not the man with a gun but the man with the donkey”

This is a quote from the April RACV mag by Mike Rosel in an article about people visiting Gallipoli. It struck me as I thought about this quote that we really do celebrate defiance and courage in the face of overwhelming odds as Aussies. Just think of our other popular hero Ned Kelly or even the Swagman in Waltzing Matilda. Also, I would place the persistence for land rights of Eddie Mabo and the Murray Islanders in this same resistance. The courage of 8709 ANZAC fighting and dying is remembered each ANZAC day but we don’t rejoice loudest with the one who killed the most enemies but the one who helped the wounded. Private John Simpson is famous for waking around with his donkey collecting wounded soldiers under heavy fire. It is likely that he saved the life of hundreds of men before being mortally wounded himself in Shrapnel Gully

We are a strange mob. Yet, it is comforting to live in a country that remembers courage under fire with a person not shooting back.

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Pope John Paul II

I like many have watched and learned more about the life of the Pope in the last few days than ever before. At the news of his death I was surprised by my sense of sadness and respect for his life and service. The Spiderman line about with great power comes great responsibility comes to mind. While being a conservative he still managed to spend his time connecting to those on the margins and thus raise many human rights issues. The separation of faith from politics seems to have given him a stronger voice for those who are voiceless. Sometimes I think that when a conservative voice speaks out about an issue it seems louder.

The main message I felt he had was this:
All life is sacred. All violence is abhorrent. To those who participant in violence be converted and live a life of peace.

What struck you about the life of this Pope?
You may feel like writing a prayer in moreprayers.

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