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Cultivating Peace
DOV in Australia
STORIES OF HOPE AND ENCOURAGEMENT
Aboriginal Christians Working for Peace in a Troubled Community
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Some details of an unfolding story of initiatives by Aboriginal Christian leadership to resolve long standing conflict in a remote Aboriginal community.
(Some slight editing of the story has been made to conceal the name of the community and that of the key Aboriginal leader involved.)
Rev Ivan Jordan, Advisor to the Churches of the Yapa Baptist Association in Central Australia, tells the unfolding story of efforts to reconcile a divided Aboriginal Community and Church in Central Australia.
"This community has been considerably disrupted in recent years by fighting and divisions. This has also impacted the local church causing real divisions. At the combined churches Men's Training Camp at Ali-Curung in June, we considered the problem of violence, particularly trying to see it from a grace perspective.
A key person in the Church in this community who has tried hard to reconcile the community, spoke passionately about the need of his community. Various members of the Yuendumu Church have also gone to the troubled community at times to attempt to bring about reconciliation. The cause of the current division was a trifling matter that has almost been forgotten in the ongoing division. The Police have also attempted to settle things down."
At the Training Camp the men decided that the other churches should travel to the community hopefully for the weekend of June 22-23 2002, to try and bring an end to these problems. They are very fired up about this and from a training perspective it is great to see such a strong and practical application of the training. It is envisaged that the visitors will walk through the community and be involved in praying, talking and singing with the community.
"This is a community of 250-300 people situated several hundred kilometres out from Alice Springs."
Meanwhile the Yapa Aboriginal leadership asked Ivan Jordan to contact the wider Baptist Family in order that they may be in prayerful support for this initiative.
Ivan Jordan continues the story:
"Thank you to all who thought about and prayed for this community. Last Saturday several vehicles travelled from Yuendumu. Saturday night was spent sitting around camp fires singing. On Sunday morning the group gathered at the school, and with banners and balloons walked through the community to the large tree which is the usual location for church meetings. As they walked they sang songs about peace and grace. Several other people joined the group as they walked. The meeting was a very good meeting in which different people read the Bible, prayed, and spoke about God's way of peace. They were greatly encouraged to know that people from around Australia shared with them their concern for their community, and spoke about this. This is, of course, not the end of the story. Don't forget this community, one of the many indigenous communities recently described by the N.T. Government minister, John Ah Kit, as dysfunctional."
In a December update, Ivan Jordan reports:
"Sadly, after several months of relative peace at this community, the fighting broke out again recently. However, last weekend some of the church people from Yuendumu went over there to try and help, and again managed to get the two parties together. They had good meetings and were really happy with the outcome.
'Blessed are the peacemakers.."
Update: In an email dated 22.2.03 Rev Ivan Jordan, Area Leader, Aboriginal Ministries for Global interAction (formerly Aust. Baptist Mission Society) has written:-
"I was encouraged on the first Sunday that I was back in Yuendumu. Although
the community had been relatively quiet during the time we were away, there
was a fight on the Sunday morning , due partly to a few rather intoxicated
people having come into the community during the night. When it was time for
the morning meeting, several of the key church people were absent because they
were trying to be peace-makers. Those who did meet suggested that we have a
shortened service so that they could also go and help keep the peace. We sang
and prayed, I encouraged them, and they went off on their peace mission.¹ This
was the same Sunday that thousands of others were marching for peace
throughout Australia and beyond."
More information from Jon Inkpin
(02) 9299 2215
jinkpin@ncca.org.au |
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