Crystal's Story

A few weeks ago a young woman walked into our building. A friend had given her a Bible, and she was trying to read it but wanted to know more about God and faith - that was the beginning of Crystal's journey with us here at Preston Salvos.

Crystal's story could be a movie script. Fighting addictions and 'demons' from her past she is a survivor and through her regular involvement with The Salvos and the mentoring of local leaders she has become a vibrant part of our family.

Crystal listened to the stories of need in countries far away during our recent 6 week Self Denial Appeal and at the invitation to bring a sacrificial gift of money she was the first one to walk down the aisle and place her envelope on the altar. This was new to her, she said, never before had she thought about the poverty and the need in her world.

Three days later Crystal was at church again, talking with a mentor; she looked pale and drawn; just a little melancholy, not the usual bubbly, excited person we have come to know. On questioning (and insisting) Crystal explained that she had not eaten for three days because she had put all of her money in the self-denial envelope. She explained: "I listened to the stories and saw the need; and after all, I was asked to deny myself, I was asked if I would give a gift that was self-sacrificing!"

Condemned

I watched a movie the other day that had one of those profound throw away lines.

Scenario: A prominent Christian man accosts a woman who, in his opinion, has acted badly and committed a sin against the church and God. The man yells at the woman: "you must ask God for forgiveness". The woman turns to the man and replies: "No I don't need to. God doesn't condemn me".

The words hit a raw nerve in me: why is it that (too) often people are condemned by the church and Christians? Especially when the Master we follow made it pretty clear that he "did not send his Son into the world to condemn".

I have cringed too many times as I have heard (or read) a self-appointed protector of a religio-centric moral code condemn and exclude people thereby marginalising and belittling them. A wise man once challenged me by saying: "show them Jesus and He will tell them what is right and wrong, not you."

The God I strive to know is not mean and exclusivist, a God who wins disciples through fear: the agenda of the Architect (I think) has always been, and remains, inclusion through grace.

"To be truly radical is to make hope possible rather than despair convincing."

(quote from Welsh novelist and critic Raymond Williams)

(In case you didn't know) the fiasco we know as The Copenhagen Climate Summit concluded last year with no targets, no binding agreements and no attempts to tackle the root causes of global warming. But despite the display of global (first world and corporate) bullying there were and are kernels of hope seeded.

The positions taken by some of the leaders of Majority World countries should have embarrassed their more affluent neighbours, but regardless of the response one man stood out. Evo Morales, Bolivia's President, has seized the initiative and called a new global summit - The People's World Conference on Climate Change and Mother Earth's Rights. This will take place in the Bolivian city of Cochabamba on April 19-22 of this year.

Amongst the aims of this Summit are proposals for a global referendum on climate change; the adoption and promotion of 'earth rights' and their transition into law; and the establishment of an international Climate Justice Tribunal.

The Objectives
The Peoples’ World Conference on Climate Change and Mother Earth Rights objectives are the following:

1. Analyze the structural and systemic causes of climate change and propose substantive measures that facilitate the well-being of all mankind in harmony with nature.
2. Discuss and agree the draft Universal Declaration of rights of Mother Earth.
3. To agree on proposals for new commitments to the Kyoto Protocol and projects for a COP Decision under the United Nations Framework for Climate Change that will guide future actions in those countries that are engaged with life during climate change negotiation
4. Work on the organization of a people’s world referendum on climate change.
5. Analyze and draw up a plan of action to advance the establishment of a Climate Justice Tribunal;
6. Define strategies for action and mobilization in defense of life against climate change and for mother earth rights.

You may or may not agree with the arguments of Climate Change, but regardless of your position maybe you can agree that our earth seems to be throwing up a regular number of awe-filled catastrophic events. At the moment most of these are happening in the majority, disadvantaged and 'easily ignored' world. But are we really going to gamble that the money and knowledge of the 'developed' world can keep disaster away?

The church needs to get behind The People's World Conference on Climate Change and Mother Earth's Rights. We need to pray for the leaders and we need to hope that common sense - that is sense for the common good of the earth - will prevail and people will seek to live for one another.

ANZAC Concert

Undeserving Overbreeding...

Talk of overpopulation has been with us for some time. In 1798 (when there where only 978 million people in the world) a Church of England curate and mathematician, Thomas Malthus, argued that, if unchecked population would grow exponentially and outstrip growth in food production, leading to famine and poverty. Initially he was wrong, population grew, but so did the capacity to produce food thanks to agricultural advances.

Today there are around 6.8 billion people occupying the planet. That's up almost 1 billion people in ten years. Estimates suggest that by 2050 there will be more than 9 billion.

There are a number of concerns about these facts; amongst them the apparent reality that Malthus may well now be right. This planet cannot sustain the current population - let alone another 2.5 billion people. Famine and poverty already mark our world. However, I would suggest that it's not because we don't have the resources, but rather because of selfish greed and inequity in distribution of available resources.

The UK based Optimum Population Trust suggests that the only way to attain sustainability is to 'reduce global population by at least 1.7 billion people.

Often the cause of concern is leveled at the speed at which 'others' - maybe people of other races, religions or social classes - are reproducing, threatening, presumably, the status quo of whatever the dominant group the commentator belongs to.

This was shockingly betrayed in the suggestion of Michael Laws, (Mayor of Wanganui, New Zealand) who proposed that in order to tackle the problems of child abuse and murder, members of the 'appalling underclass' should be paid not to have children. 'If we gave $10,000.00 to certain people and said "we'll voluntarily sterilize you" then all of society would be better off,' he told the Dominion Post newspaper.

Social (and population) engineering is not a new concept. In early 20th Century racial and Darwinian thinking encouraged the idea that the presumed 'superior' and 'fittest' would flourish, but the British upper class notice, and became concerned that the 'unfit' and 'undeserving' lower classes seemed to be 'overbreeding', or reproducing faster than they were. American sociologist Edward Ross, (1907) recommended policies that would encourage 'capable' people to heave children.

In 1938 the British Eugenics Society set up a Committee with the aim to control fertility; rather than accepting random results, they would, 'improve reproductive power of the eugenically good'. (Perhaps the most famous result of this thesis was the Nazi erradication of the 'eugenically bad'.)

Today, the fear of overpopulation continues to raise up social and racial engineers, but maybe the most insidious and covert response today is seen in the unwillingness of the minority, 'priveleged' world to share the abundant resources that already exist. Through the complex decisions of market monopolisation, withholding funds that could assist in mitigation responses and lending money at 'unbelievably unfair conditions', we have found a way of wiping out the 1.7 billion people that through lottery of birth apparently do not deserve to.

Vindaloo Against Violence

Dine at your local Indian restaurant Tomorrow, Wednesday 24 February 2010.

Let’s find a way to show support for the Indian community and signal that we will not turn a blind eye to violence in our city. This violence threatens all Melburnians’ sense of safety and pride in their home. I want the Melbourne Indian community -and all immigrant communities – to know that they are welcome and entitled to feel safe here.

How cool would it be if Melbourne displayed a show of force by all going out and eating Indian food on a certain night, to embrace and show solidarity with our local Indian community?
Let’s do it!

If you don't like Vindaloo, maybe you could do: Papadums for Peace, or, Korma for Karma, or Dosais against Disunity, or Idlis against Intolerance, or... get the point. Support a marginalised, voiceless person tomorrow.

Miracle: 28 Days On

Major Ced's Deployment Diary, Day 22: Monday 8 February

It's not often that I can use my blog for a real news scoop but I can today. This morning something of a miracle happened. Here's our official news release:

Evans Ocinia, a 28 year old man, was brought to The Salvation Army clinic after being miraculously pulled from the rubble in the Lionshead marketplace this morning. Two men, digging through the rubble, heard Evans begin to talk and call to them. He had been in the rubble for 28 days following the earthquake. The marketplace is located near The Salvation Army compound in Delmas 2 and the men knew we had a “hospital” nearby.

Evan was extremely dehydrated and has skin wounds but he didn’t appear to have any critical wounds or broken bones. He was able to hold his head up on his own and take some small sips of water from the doctor who accompanied the transport. Salvation Army personnel transported Evan to the University of Miami Hospital which is located adjacent to the airport in Port au Prince.

That's some story, eh? And it also testifies powerfully to the importance of hope, the resilience of the human spirit and the value of not giving in. It must also have some of the search and rescue teams shaking their heads in disbelief - and no small measure of reflection that the official rescue operation was brought to and end over 2 weeks ago.

The story is also another tribute to the work of our clinic and the medical teams deployed there. The lead doctor, at the moment Major (Dr. ) Ted Mahr, attends our daily morning staff briefings. Earlier this morning he had proudly reported that the clinic has delivered 8 babies since the earthquake. He told us at the end of this day that today they treated over 270 patients - and that it had been a 'hard day'.

Ted is supported by a team of doctors from an organisation called 'In His image'. Since the early days of the response this group has deployed medical teams of 12 - 14 people - rotating them in and out every 7 days. We could not have managed without them. Today I honour this fine team - the miracle of this mornings' 'find' is a fitting tribute for their commitment and dedication.

Haiti Earthquake Response

A Report from Major Ced Hills, Incident Command (Programme)

The work of The Salvation Army in Haiti in response to the earthquake of 12th January is proving to be historic for the International Emergency Services and for The Salvation Army. For the first time, the United Nations coordination group has requested that The Salvation Army Emergency team become the lead agency in managing a camp for Internally Displaced People.

The camp concerned is in the area of St. Martin in Port-Au-Prince, and accounts for more than 20,000 people, which is more than half of the total number of people made homeless in this area of Haiti according to statistics provided by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The camp comprises 2 areas - the soccer pitch and the adjacent Place de le Paix. These communities are regarded as one entity for the purposes of the current relief programme. The Place de la Paix is a hard standing, concrete floored area - the soccer pitch is grass. Registration of the families was undertaken using a team of 40 Haitian young people who were briefed and trained by Salvation Army emergency experts prior to being deployed in pairs to the camp. This same team are also being used as the labour force for distributions. It is recognised by the emergency team that the area comprising the camp is severely overcrowded, but as the families had already 'set up home' in this area immediately after the earthquake, it is believed to be in their best interests, not to insist on moving them to new camps at this time, in the hope that temporary shelters can be arranged for them some time in the next weeks and months.

Two other Non-Government Organisations are already working in the area with the Army; Concern Worldwide (CW) and Viva Rio (VR). Both were operating in a developmental way prior to the earthquake as were The Salvation Army personnel in Haiti, and it is believed that the 'local' community wish this support to continue. As soon as the Salvation Army were confirmed as the lead agency for the camp management, they met with both the other NGO groups who agreed to work with the Army and provide whatever services they could. Both NGOs are water and sanitation specialists and so, will install latrines and wash stand areas. In addition, Concern Worldwide have teams trained in hygiene promotion, nutritional targeting and therapeutic feeding. A positive partnership is now operating between the 3 groups and Damaris Frick of The Salvation Army International Emergency Services has established a weekly meeting of the three parties.

The role of the camp management is to register all those in the camp and ensure that all the services required to meet the needs of the community are in place and to act as interface between the community and other agencies. Advocacy is a large component of the role. Damaris Frick now has an office within the camp and meets each day with the camp executive committee. This group of 11 persons were chosen from the total committee of 75 people. It is believed that the Camp Management role currently being undertaken by The Salvation Army personnel could develop into an extended one as it may be many months before sufficient redevelopment has been undertaken in order to support a movement back to more permanent housing for those who have lost their property and belongings in Port-Au-Prince.

When Words Don't Match the Actions

I had the privilege of attending a Citizenship Ceremony a few weeks ago (on Australia Day) and there I listened to a member of parliament tell of his belief that all Australians, "even you new Australians" [his words] are equal.

With what to me seemed very little conviction, and even less passion, he announced that he existed only at the pleasure of the citizens, before he went on to reiterate that as Australian Citizens they were entitled to all the same benefits as he and they were his equal.

I might have believed him if I hadn't watched him! The very next morning I saw him on the street of his electorate - I watched as he brushed aside one of these "new Australian citizens" because he was obviously in a hurry to be somewhere else.

The experience once again reminded me that it is better not to announce what you stand for unless you intend to stand!

I'm Not THAT Special

A young woman of Asian appearance was browsing through the bargain bin at her local Christian bookstore when suddenly and rudely she was pushed aside by a 'white' woman who obviously believed her needs were more urgent and important. Assisted by a young sales assistant the woman, who looked like she had stepped out of a fashion magazine, pushed the other aside with apparently no comprehension of what she had done; and the other simply smiled at me and moved further into the shop to continue her browsing.

As she walked passed a mountain of books that proclaimed how special she was - she was a princess, she was loved, she was accepted and she was valuable - I wondered if that was how she really felt!

It's just as well God thinks so because it was pretty obvious that not all the Christians fighting for their bargains felt the same way. Maybe the problem is that one woman believed the message - she was special and she knew it! But in her self-belief she seems to have missed the point. It appears to me that 'specialness' in our context is not a given. Sure God loves and accepts, but that doesn't make me special. God wants to use me, and sometimes I let him, but that doesn't make me special either.

Some churches teach, and some people believe that 'specialness' is a right, a byproduct of membership in the church. And many Christians live their lives acting as if this specialness makes them better, more important than others. I know, I may be being very harsh on the lady in the shop, maybe she just didn't notice the other woman, the one she physically pushed aside. But that would make it even worse wouldn't it?

The paradox for me was the place in which this drama was played out. Surrounded by books calling for a priority for 'our neighbour', 10 steps to being a better person, 'how to' hear from God and numerous other pleas to know that I am special. And here in this vault of Christian teaching a person was rejected (and by her reaction of resignation it would seem that not only was it not the first time but it was no more than she was used too.

Perhaps no more obvious was the lesson for me. Believe what you like and say what you want - but your actions will always say more about your priorities.

MORE Obscene Spending?

We all know that the Leaders of the World couldn't put aside their personal, national and selfish agendas to take advantage of "the last best chance" the world had to address the serious issues of ecological concern that we face. Whether you believe that the threat of global warming caused by human greed and "advancement" is real or not you would have to agree that the cost of the Copenhagen Conference was obscene.

Australia's announcement today that 'we', the government of the people, spent almost $1,500,000.00 to send the largest delegation to the Conference seems to me to be another example of obscene economics - and that's not taking into account the 'carbon cost' to the environment. And that's just for our little country!

In the shadow of the GFC, when welfare agencies are seeing an unprecedented increase in the demand for assistance it appears that not only is the government able to afford a fireworks party 'bigger than ever' but they also have no problem flying almost 100 people to a conference that was never going to deliver a result - and even those of us that do not understand all the intricacies of the argument knew that.

Obscene Spending

Happy New Year! Last night the Victorian Government set fire to $1,500,000.00. Every year we are told that this year the New Year fireworks and celebration will be the biggest ever. Every year it get's bigger, better, more expensive.

I don't know what other states spend, but I imagine that a conservative estimate could be that the governments of Australia will spend close on $10,000,000.00 on fireworks and celebrations this year.

I may be way out of line and out of touch with reality, but I just wonder if this expense is not just a little obscene. In a country where thousands of people cannot afford health care and adequate housing; in a world where millions of people (1.4Billion) live below the poverty line (US$1.25 per day) we are OK with spending more and more on entertainment - because we can!

(I guess at the least the homeless people in Melbourne could watch the fireworks free of charge, in the rain, wind and lightening. Or maybe they couldn't access their usual 'safe places', which last night became prime property for watching their government set fire to money they don't have to address social issues.)