Employment
The evangelistic witness will also speak to the structures of this world; its economic, political and social institutions...We must re-learn the patristic lesson that the Church is the mouth and voice of the poor and the oppressed in the presence of the powers that be. "Ecumenical convictions on mission and evangelism" in BRIA I (ed.) Go forth in peace: Orthodox perspectives on mission Geneva: WCC 1986 page 78, quoting Confessing Christ today, pages 10 and 13.
We cannot accept a situation which excludes large numbers from full participation in the life of their own country...There are commentators who would tell us that a long-term pool of unemployed is good for the economy. We cannot accept that. (Australian Catholic Bishops Conference - taken from its statement on unemployment in 1991)
...the laws of supply and demand, and all the rest of the excuses by which those who stand on firm ground salve their conscience when they let their brother sink...often enough are responsible for his disaster. Coffin ships are a direct result of the wretched policy of non-interference with the legitimate operations of commerce (William Booth)
A COVENANT FOR EMPLOYMENT - A position paper of the NCCA - September 1999
Third Consultation
The third Safe as Churches? Consultation was held from the 1st to the 3rd of March 2007.
Second Consultation
The second Safe as Churches? Consultation was held from the 8th to the 10th of September 2005.
The emphasis of this Consultation was not on institutions, risk management, or finances. The focus was on what happens to people – those who have been abused, those who have been accused of abuse, and those who have admitted to being abusers. How have we responded? How can we respond more effectively to facilitate justice and healing for the abused, and to provide support and accountability for abusers? *
* From the forward to the Consultation Summary
Safe as Churches? First Consultation 2004
4 - 6 March 2004
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Safe as Churches? I Consultation Summary - full document (405kb)
Safe as Churches? IV Conference 2009
11 - 13 June, 2009
Adelaide West Uniting Church, Adelaide, South Australia
Building on the past 3 ‘Safe as Churches?' Consultations, the members of the Safe Church Project Working Group organised the Safe as Churches? IV Conference 2009 in Adelaide, South Australia.
An extensive program was developed, including opportunities for theological reflection, professional development and nourishment for the work to be done in creating safer churches.
Heads of Churches, Professional Standards Directors and other Practitioners from churches across Australia and New Zealand participated in the conference.
Attached are the papers given at the Conference plenaries:
Canticle of the Sun
Francis of Assisi, 1225
Most high, all-powerful, all good, Lord!
All praise is yours, all glory, all honor
And all blessing.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong.
No mortal lips are worthy
To pronounce your name.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through all that you have made,
And first my lord Brother Sun,
Who brings the day; and light you give to us through him.
How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendor!
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and Stars;
In the heavens you have made them, bright
And precious and fair.
All praise be yours, My Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
And fair and stormy, all the weather's moods,
By which you cherish all that you have made.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Water,
So useful, lowly, precious and pure.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
Through whom you brighten up the night.
How beautiful is he, how gay! Full of power and strength.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth, our mother,
Who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces
Various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through those who grant pardon
For love of you; through those who endure
Sickness and trial.
Happy those who endure in peace,
By you, Most High, they will be crowned.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Death,
From whose embrace no mortal can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Happy those She finds doing your will!
The second death can do no harm to them.
Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks,
And serve him with great humility.
Translation by Benen Fahy, O.F.M. from St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies
edited by Marion A. Habig, copyright 1973, Franciscan Herald Press, source for this translation: original Italian
Pledge for Peace
To respect myself and others;
To communicate honestly and positively;
To listen carefully to one another, especially to those with whom I disagree;
To forgive others and to apologise and make amends when I hurt another;
To respect God's creation and treat the environment and all living things
with respect and care;
To pursue healthy activities and entertainment which promote a more
joyful and less violent society;
To act courageously and to challenge violence in all its forms whenever
I encounter it,
And to stand with others who are treated unfairly, even if it means
standing alone.
This is my pledge:
To support one another in the household of faith,
To live like saints,
To cultivate God's peace.
In the name of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Scripture references: Violence
Proverbs 11:30
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, but violence takes lives away.
Jeremiah 22:3
3 Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.
Scripture references: Peace
Numbers 6:24-26
24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
1 Samuel 25:6
6 Thus you shall salute him: "Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.
Esther 9:30
30 Letters were sent wishing peace and security to all the Jews, to the one hundred twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus,
Job 22:21-30
21 Agree with God, and be at peace; in this way good will come to you.
Psalms 29:11
11 May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
Psalms 34:14
14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
Psalms 72:7
7 In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
Psalms 85:8
8 Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Proverbs 16:7
7 When the ways of people please the Lord, he causes even their enemies to be at peace with them.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
Isaiah 2:4
4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Isaiah 11:6-9
6 The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den.
9 They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 54: 10
10 For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 55:12
12 For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Isaiah 57:19
19 Peace, peace, to the far and the near, says the Lord; and I will heal them.
Micah 6:8
8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Matthew 5:9
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Mark 5:34
34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."
Luke 1:78-79
78 By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Luke 2:14
14 "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"
Luke 7:50
50 And he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Luke 10:5
5 Whatever house you enter, first say, "Peace to this house!'
John 14: 27
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
John 20:21
21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
Acts 10:36
36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ-he is Lord of all.
Romans 5:1-5
1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 14:17
17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:33
33 The God of peace be with all of you. Amen.
1 Corinthians 1:3
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 13:11
11 Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Galatians 5:22
22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,
Ephesians 2:17
17 So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near;
Ephesians 6:23
23 Peace be to the whole community, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:7
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3:15
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
2 Thessalonians 3:16
16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.
2 Peter 1:2
2 May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
2 John 1:3
3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, in truth and love.
Jude 1:2
2 May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance.
Bible Study Three - The Paradox of Hope
The Paradox of Hope
"We have never preached violence, except the violence of love, which left Christ nailed to a cross, the violence that we must each do to ourselves to overcome our selfishness and such cruel inequalities among us" - Oscar Romero
1. Naming the Issue
The main message of Jesus was in announcing the Kingdom of God, and calling people to take up their cross and follow him. What does it mean that the Kingdom of God is announced in the violent arrest, torture and execution of Jesus? What does this say for us about our faith and our hope against violence?
Do we as Christians have anything to say about or against violence?
2. Icebreakers
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:9), Jesus says that the peacemakers are blessed.
Who are the peacemakers that you see? In our world, in our lives?
What makes for a peacemaker?
How are they blessed?
3. Pieces of the puzzle
a. Read Mark 8: 31-38
This passage stands at the mid point of Mark's gospel. Jesus has announced the arrival of the Kingdom of God, and called people to follow him into God's reign of peace and justice. But Mark is writing to a church community many years later (around 70CE) that is enduring Roman invasion, civil tension and persecution from their fellow Jews. For them this reign of peace and justice seem far off - so why is Mark reminding them of Jesus' call to take up their cross?
This call extends beyond announcing God's reign though. Jesus calls the disciples, and by implication each and every one of us to "deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me" (Mark 8:34). The good news is not just the arrival of God's Kingdom, but also the path of discipleship that is the way of the cross.
What sort of hope is this?
We know how the story unfolds, and what the cross will mean for Jesus. So how does calling everyone to follow this same path bring good news and hope?
b. Read 2 Corinthians 4: 7-12
Paul was imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. His fundamental question was: Who's world is this? Jesus' world, or Caesar's world? His answers put him at odds with the world around him.
How do people in the group respond to the idea from this passage that we are:
afflicted, but not crushed
perplexed, but not driven to despair
persecuted, but not forsaken
struck down, but not destroyed
What sort of hope is this?
4. Putting it together
We've been reminded of Jesus' call to take up our cross and follow Him. To follow Jesus is to live out and to announce the Kingdom of God, where the first shall be last and the last shall the be first - a complete re-ordering of our societies.
Paul's story reminds us that being faithful to this call of Jesus will mean being at odds with the world around us. Paul doesn't seek out persecution and punishment. It is the reaction of those in control to the radical message we have inherited from Jesus.
We then, need to understand, that the way of the cross, that Paul trod and we walk, lives in the face of violence. Are we prepared to walk the way of the cross when it means setting our faces towards Jerusalem?
5. Going Further
In what ways have you experienced opposition because of your faith/belief?
Read Revelation 21: 1-8
What sort of hope is this?
6. Closing
To follow Jesus is not to flee from violence, but to be the Face of Love in the midst of violence.
The call to discipleship is not a call to do nothing - it is a call to live by the radical vision of the Kingdom of God.
The way of the cross does not guarantee a life filled with peace and harmony, but asks of us lives lived with hope amidst turmoil and brokenness.
The vision of a new heaven and a new earth is both a promise of things to come and the reality of the world we seek to create as faithful people.
The paradox is that we rely on the One who was crucified, the One who became the least, the One who loved the lost, the One who gave up His life for all, as the symbol of all that we might hope for and as the example for all that we might become.
