Latest news with #VCCEM
Sydney Morning Herald
12 hours ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
When tragedy strikes, meet people where they are to help them heal
Where is God after murder in Bourke Street, or devastating fire or flood, after a senseless accident or a plane crash at Essendon? In these places I learnt the language of anger and doubt, betrayal and pain. As the late, great cartoonist and poet Michael Leunig once said to me: 'When there are no words, the heart speaks to the heart.' In 1989, I became a pastoral care chaplain, and over the last 36 years chaplaincy has reshaped my faith understanding. Fifteen years ago, I became a volunteer with Victorian Council of Churches Emergencies Ministry (VCCEM), whose mission is to offer 'compassion in times of crisis'. VCCEM is part of Victoria's emergency response network. Responding to people whose world has been upended by trauma calls for learning a new language. A language offering compassion, acceptance and hope in the face of despair, doubt and questions about the meaning of life. A transformative moment was shared with a young Muslim woman. Over several months, I had greeted her in the language of her faith and then she asked me to pray with her. How important is the language of our faith! I began our prayer to Allah. Somewhere in that shared prayer I experienced a moment of amazing grace. Recognition that this prayer was not me praying for her, rather it was two women of faith sharing a moment of prayer before the God of many names. Loading I was born into a Scottish Presbyterian family, transitioning to the Uniting Church and finally to the Baptist tradition of my father. I know the hymns, the language and the traditions of the Christian faith. But I no longer live within a denominational tradition. I am a Christian because I was born into a Christian family in a largely Christian country. My ministry invites me to meet people where they are. To listen to their story in a way that facilitates their own recovery from the trauma that has reshaped their life. I believe God meets us in the ordinary events of life through the caring phone call, the meal at the door or the company of a gentle presence.
The Age
12 hours ago
- General
- The Age
When tragedy strikes, meet people where they are to help them heal
Where is God after murder in Bourke Street, or devastating fire or flood, after a senseless accident or a plane crash at Essendon? In these places I learnt the language of anger and doubt, betrayal and pain. As the late, great cartoonist and poet Michael Leunig once said to me: 'When there are no words, the heart speaks to the heart.' In 1989, I became a pastoral care chaplain, and over the last 36 years chaplaincy has reshaped my faith understanding. Fifteen years ago, I became a volunteer with Victorian Council of Churches Emergencies Ministry (VCCEM), whose mission is to offer 'compassion in times of crisis'. VCCEM is part of Victoria's emergency response network. Responding to people whose world has been upended by trauma calls for learning a new language. A language offering compassion, acceptance and hope in the face of despair, doubt and questions about the meaning of life. A transformative moment was shared with a young Muslim woman. Over several months, I had greeted her in the language of her faith and then she asked me to pray with her. How important is the language of our faith! I began our prayer to Allah. Somewhere in that shared prayer I experienced a moment of amazing grace. Recognition that this prayer was not me praying for her, rather it was two women of faith sharing a moment of prayer before the God of many names. Loading I was born into a Scottish Presbyterian family, transitioning to the Uniting Church and finally to the Baptist tradition of my father. I know the hymns, the language and the traditions of the Christian faith. But I no longer live within a denominational tradition. I am a Christian because I was born into a Christian family in a largely Christian country. My ministry invites me to meet people where they are. To listen to their story in a way that facilitates their own recovery from the trauma that has reshaped their life. I believe God meets us in the ordinary events of life through the caring phone call, the meal at the door or the company of a gentle presence.
