Listening to the Heartbeat
A first-ever conference on 11 February 2012 of 55 multicultural clergy and lay leaders of Melbourne Diocese, representing 40 congregations who worship in 20 languages, created new opportunities for telling their stories and listening to others. In the words of one delegate, “there was a sense of listening to the heartbeat of the speakers.”
Bishop Philip Huggins opened the conference with a reflection on Jeremiah 29 (God has “plans to prosper you, to give you hope and a future’). He said: “I would say this is the most important group of the whole diocese. This is an opportunity and it brings responsibility.”
Canon Robert Vun, coordinator of Chinese ministry, in the opening address to the conference, said: “The nations have come to Australia. Two hundred languages are spoken in Melbourne. Multicultural ministry is the fastest growing ministry in the Diocese. The diocesan vision of Making the Gospel Fully Known would be more effective if it is directed at all peoples rather than to geographical regions.”
Canon Vun and other speakers called on multicultural congregations to give more attention to the next generation. Robert Vun said: “Our children are coloured outside, but white inside.” Ben Wong, Chinese youth minister at Doncaster parish, said: “The parents say our children are becoming Australian too fast. But Australian-born young Chinese have lost their identity. We need to create a place for them, so they and in time their children can move into the mainstream.”
Mrs Elizabeth Adongjak, a Sudanese, of Dandenong parish, agreed: “In the refugee camps, our children have lost their identity. They have left school and are on the streets now. We have lost a lot of young men. It’s painful.”
The conference, which was held at St Michael’s North Carlton, discussed in plenary and in small groups how people have settled into Australian culture, how the Gospel leads to community involvement, and how refugee families might manage money better.
Archdeacon Robert Presland, director of theological education for the diocese, explained and answered questions on what requirements the Diocese of Melbourne has for ordination and for lay ministry. Involved in this discussion during the day were Examining Chaplains Rowan Callick (journalist), the Rev. Steve Webster (North Carlton), Canon Robert Vun and the Rev. Dr Victor Yu (both from St Matthias North Richmond), as well as Trinity College’s Dr Ray Cleary and Ridley College’s Len Firth.
Delegates met in small groups and in workshops. They explored information tables from Trinity and Ridley Colleges, Mothers Union, English Second Language, Acorn Press and Victorian Council of Churches Emergency Relief. Archbishop Philip Freier and Mrs Joy Freier joined the conference for lunch and the afternoon workshop.
Sudanese David Mabior Lual of Ringwood parish, said to the conference: “What we find here is not a Christian nation. Back home, we were 90% Christian. In Sudan it takes a village to bring up a young person. That is not true here.”
In the workshop on faith and community, Sudanese priest Daniel Gai Aleu, of Sunshine, spoke of his call to be an evangelist in his home war context, a call that had to be accepted by the Christian community. He came to Australia with a strong sense of community. Trinity College’s Ray Cleary suggested tools with which migrant and refugee communities can engage Australians: with their food (hospitality), festivals, stories – all in a spirit of contribution.
While trust in God to provide to serve God’s people was emphasised, it was also noted that most ministers must work in secular jobs 5 days a week and therefore do not often have time to meet the increasing social needs such as family breakdown, nor do they have the time or know-how to engage with Anglican welfare agencies to establish programs.
The workshop saw the urgency for workshops to facilitate partnership regarding social need and working together.
Another workshop was on managing money better. Led by the Rev. David Sullivan, vicar of Panton Hill parish but also a trained accountant, the workshop explored the difficulties of refugee families arriving from a cashless society back in the Sudan and then trying to handle the credit, debt and cash society of Australian life. Men and women often had different views of how to manage money better. This also touched on congregational stewardship – how they begin to contribute towards the costs of ministry.
The Rev. Sathia Anthony, a Tamil who is vicar of All Saints Malvern East, reflecting at the end of the day, wrote: “The various speakers expressed what they wanted to say and what they felt about the various issues. This allowed a sort of transparency into the soul of the speakers. Almost an open-heart surgery! There was also a sense of listening to the heartbeat of the speakers, often representing their communities.”
Evaluation sheets handed in after the clergy conference strongly affirmed a desire to have such conferences at least annually, perhaps more often and perhaps regionally.
Locum coordinator of Multicultural Ministry for the diocese, Canon Alan Nichols said after the conference: “The exchanges and conversations exceeded expectations, and there is a much greater sense I think of belonging to the whole Diocese. We now have to workout how to build on this.”