|
In 2006 the sessions based on the DVD Living the Questions led to a discussion about our Christian faith and its meaning in our daily lives: as individuals, as members of a family, as members of a church, and as members of local, national and international communities. We recognised that we each have responsibilities at these levels, and we asked what the GWUC community undertakes for social justice.
Following our enquiries, a meeting was called early this year, inviting anyone interested in the formation of a group which focused on social justice issues. At that meeting it was decided that a leadership group of about seven people would be needed for a variety of projects to be undertaken, and a strong desire to have all ages of our Church community involved was expressed. We started with (and still have) five members (all but one are retired!) on the organising committee, but so far have failed to attract any younger members.
'Social justice' can be defined in many ways, but we agreed that our focus should be on issues which call on us to be stewards of the gifts and talents we have, in the service of those who suffer some form of injustice. We recognised that examples of injustice are many, and we cannot address them all, so we needed to select specific projects to be effective. Rather than have a fixed unchanging 'committee', we elected to call ourselves the Social Justice Network (SJN) so that people with skills and interests in specific projects could move in and out of the organising roles as required.
It was decided to make our first project about climate change, as we felt that this was an issue which needed immediate attention. As members of the nation with the highest per capita rate of carbon emissions on planet Earth, we have individual and collective responsibilities to be less profligate and destructive of the earth's resources. We need to learn to live as guardians of the earth, not plunderers, preserving what we can for future generations. It is also a social justice issue, because those nations least able to protect themselves against the effects of climate change are most affected by the wasteful lifestyle of technologically developed nations (such as small island nations likely to be effected by rising sea levels). As Christians, we see ourselves bound to act out of concern for people everywhere.
We also want to be practical about what we can do. Roger Vass accepted responsibility for launching the project 'Climate Change and Me' with a showing of Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth on May 6th. Over 100 people came to view the film and respond to it, and from this interest we have planned a follow-up for those who wish to take steps towards conserving water resources. Lyn McDonald will be leading our Water Tank EXPO on July 1. We have also taken steps to assist those unable, but wanting to change to the free water-saving showerheads offered by the water companies. Other action on climate change is planned for later in the year.
In future months we have decided to take up the issue of Asylum Seekers, whom we see as a group suffering desperate need in our nation of plenty due to uncaring policies. The Uniting Church, through Hotham Mission, supports more than 400 asylum seekers, and we will negotiate with them to find out how we can be of most use. However, we are limited by our resources, as we need more people to assist in getting this project underway. If you too have a concern and wish to be involved in this project in any large or small way, please inform any of the people listed below through the Church Office, the letter rack, or by email.
Beth Hancock (Beth.Hancock@victas.org.au)
Lyn McDonald (pamlyn@alphalink.com.au)
Bobbie Rooks (jimnrob@alphalink.com.au)
Roger Vass (rojenvas@bigpond.net.au)
Robin Pope (popesr@dodo.com.au) (Convenor)
June 2007