Our values

drawn by Maia

Eco-faith values

• Low tech simplicity
• Maintaining continuity of core eco-faith worship practices:
  - Warm up
  - Prayer of Affirmation
  - 4 directions prayer
  - Contemplative walk
• meeting outdoors
• humans being part of the whole of life, not the centre
• Invitational stance towards participation
• Respect towards all
• Inclusiveness
• Equitable structure
• People being able to speak without being challenged or judged
• Donating periodically to other environmental or social justice projects
  

A Prayer for Social Justice Sunday

Spirit of God,

brooding over the waters

of our chaos,

inspire us to

generous living.

Wind of God,

dancing over the desert

of our reluctance,

lead us to the oasis

of celebration.

Breath of God,

inspiring communication

among strangers,

make us channels

of your peace.

- written by Kate McIlhagga and published in Celebrating Women

Terella had much for us to think about this morning on the theme of poverty: a very broad definition that ranged from the notion of living with a sense of exile in your own land to the idea of being impoverished by being time poor. A picture book "Dust" - winner of the Honour Book of the Year in the Children's Book awards, beautifully illustrated by a whole host of artists, was powerfully heart wrenching. You can read more about the book here and view illustrations too. All proceeds from the sale of the book are going to the 'Save The Children' Fund.

This morning got me thinking about wanting to make sure I live more by making conscious choices, living intentionally and with gratitude.

The healing power of trees

the sleepless ones

What if all the people

who could not sleep

at two or three or four

in the morning

left their houses

and went to the parks

what if hundreds, thousands,

millions

went in their solitude

like a stream

and each told their story

what if there were

old women

fearful if they slept

they would die

and young women

unable to conceive

and husbands

having affairs

and children

fearful of failing

and fathers

worried about paying bills

and men

having business troubles

and women unlucky in love

and those that were in physical

pain

and those who were guilty

what if they all left their houses

like a stream

and the moon

illuminated their way and

they came, each one

to tell their stories

would these be the more troubled

of humanity

or would these be

the more passionate of this world

or those who need to create to live

or would these be

the lonely

ones

and I ask you

if they all came to the parks

at night

and told their stories

would the sun on rising

be more radiant and

again I ask you

would they embrace

~ Lawrence Tirnauer

The magpie, the kookaburra and the noisy miners

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

There are a number of magpies that gather with us each week. They are not shy, confident that they have first option on any crumbs we drop. We're glad they are so comfortable with us and enjoy their company, mostly. Last week a kookaburra decided s/he would like in on the party, too. One magpie was not happy about this and began viciously attacking the kookaburra. A whole gang of little noisy miner birds came in to protect the kookaburra. As soon as the magpie let go of it, the kookaburra flew to safety in a near by tree. The miner birds all gathered around the kookaburra in the tree to protect it from the magpie. There before our eyes was a lesson in the most effective way to deal with bullies - empower the bystanders. And a good reminder of the difference small creatures can make when they work together. I wish I had had my camera with me to capture such an amazing sight. And, I have to say, noisy miner birds have gone up in my estimation.

Parking Day

I buy the Saturday Age to read book reviews and the Leunig cartoon. I look at the news section, only reading that which manages to capture my attention as I flick through those pages. Last weekend I was captivated by a large coloured photograph of people picnicing in a space designed for cars and thus came to learn about Park(ing) day. Held this year on September 19th, it is a one-day global event which encourages people to reclaim public space, previously allocated to vehicles. According to the creators of PARK(ing) Day, almost 70 per cent of most cities' outdoor space is dedicated to parking and public vehicles while only a fraction of that is allocated to open spaces for people. Read the story from The Age here: http://www.theage.com.au/national/fancy-a-piece-of-cbd-real-estate-park-your-glass-here-20080919-4jvh.html
Find out more about Park(ing) Day here: http://www.parkingday.org/

Watch a video of how it is done here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuafvF2_3n4

Outback

While some of our mob were actually in the outback (Jane and Athea in the Flinders and Mark and Leila up near Broome somewhere) the rest of us made do with pretending we were there. Beverley brought along some great photos to help our imaginations, and in some cases, memory. This was the third Sunday in the Seasons of Creation series that we are following for 6 weeks. We have been using material written by Jason John (Rev Dr) and are very much enjoying hearing his voice in the text of what we read and share. (We miss ya, Jason - Toni, Finn and Gabriel too)

God’s gift to us is the birth of the universe, which makes the planet, this land possible. All living things contribute their gifts and skills to make this planet habitable: bacteria make soil, plants make oxygen and food, animals eat the food and eventually return to the soil to feed the plants. In the light of God’s great gift of life, and the gifts of all living things, we offer ourselves: our time, passions, talents and money for the reconciliation and renewal of all creation. (Jason's words)