Fiji concludes golden jubilee celebrations with ordinations

Great to follow the celebrations of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma. The golden jubilee celebrations 50 years of independence from the Methodist Church of Australasia. It has concluded with ordinations of ministers and a deaconess, Asena Senimoli. She is married to a Methodist Minister. After the ordination, the Deaconesses gathered at her home for a celebration meal which she and her husband, friends and family hosted. We wish her every blessing for her ministry.
There are photos of the ordination on Facebook, and I've added three below. It's lovely that Rev Deac Marion Gledhill (Australia) was also able to join the celebrations.
You may be interested to know about Nae Tabe, a new publication of the Methodist church in Fiji. The name, Nae Tabe, refers to a serving plate or leaf on which food is served to guests, and is indicative of the renewed focus of being a servant, mission-focussed church.
This first edition includes a feature about deaconesses on Page 5. I was interested to read the following:
'The time has come for the Vada ni Turaga - the 'servants' or 'messengers of the Lord' - to begin to make a difference in new areas of the community through specialised ministries such as children's ministry, providing care for the aged, and hospital ministry. Issues such as child abuse, violence against women, poverty and other current issues, including the impact of media in society all point the way for the re-envisioning of the role of the Deaconess Order'.

Deaconess ordination service

Deaconesses singing during the ordination service

newly ordained Ministers and Deaconess

Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma

Deaconess Meresiana

The Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma has been meeting for the annual conference, the Golden Jubilee celebration, in the last week of August and it is great news that Deaconess Salanieta Naucabalavu has been appointed to continue as Secretary for Methodist Women’s Fellowship.
Some of it has been streamed live - though I don't understand the language, it's great to tune into from time to time to get a feel of what is happening. Every so often English is used so it's possible to get the gist of what people are speaking about.
It is great that the church has been able to meet in this way. Those who were at the Atlanta Assembly will remember the news that the church had forbidden to meet by the military government. 

Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma 2014 Conference

Such courage in the face of oppression

"Compassion is not just feeling with someone, but seeking to change the situation. Frequently people think compassion and love are merely sentimental. No! They are very demanding. If you are going to be compassionate, be prepared for action!" Desmond Tutu 

I'm sure we all share grave concerns about what is happening in Iraq, and appalled by the violence and persecution of Christians, and the shocking and barbaric images in the media.

I was very moved to learn today about Mahmoud Al ‘Asali, a law professor who lectured on pedagogy at the University of Mosul. Mosul is Iraq's second largest city, and one of the holiest cities of Christianity in the Middle East. Christians have inhabited Mosul for nearly two millennia, and the ancient churches of Mosul are some of Christianity's oldest. 

As a Muslim, Professor Al 'Asali chose not to keep silent about the violence and persecution being inflicted against Mosul's Christians who have been forced to choose between converting to the Muslim faith, paying the jizyah (the Islamic tax for non-Muslims, about $US 450 a month, which is an impossible sum for anyone living in Northern Iraq to pay) or fleeing. Professor Mahmoud Al ‘Asali had the courage to make a stand against this brutal duress which he believed goes against the Muslim commandments. But he paid for this gesture with his life: he was killed by ISIS militants in Mosul on the 22nd July. 

Professor Ali ‘Asali knew what he was risking. Many human rights activists have paid for their opposition to ISIS’ acts of intolerance with their own lives. But Al ‘Asali was nevertheless unable to stand by in silence. 
 
Some Muslims have launched the “I am Iraqi, I am Christian” campaign in response to the letter N’s written on the walls of Christian homes in Mosul. They are risking their lives to support the Iraqi Christians. To stand up against ISIS, even in peaceful protest, is to invite torture and death upon yourself.

When ISIS militants took over the city of Mosul in June, they painted the Arabic letter nun — symbolizing the word Christian (N is for Nasare – a Muslim term for Christians which derives from Nazareth) — on the houses of Christian residents. Since then, it is reported that up to half a million people have fled Mosul. To protest their expulsion from Mosul, Iraqi Christians are trying to reclaim the 'nun' by sharing the image on social media, and people of all faiths are joining in solidarity. You may have seen the image. May it be a reminder to remember not only the plight of the Christians, but also those brave Muslims who are standing in solidarity with the Christians.

We need to keep telling the stories of hope, of solidarity, of compassion.

Let us pray for the refugees, like the peoples of Mosul, forced by violence to abandon their homes because of their faith: that they may find from the international community a generous welcome and the protection of their rights.

Source includes Vatican Insider

Remembering the carers

This reflection by Thom Shuman on the gospel text (lectionary) for the week has a focus on the one who cares for another who is suffering from illness, dis-ease and other troubles. For this woman, it is her daughter. For others, it will be family, or friends, colleagues, or even strangers. With the passing of Robin Williams, and a reminder of the darkness and suffering that so many people endure in life, it is also timely to remember those who patiently care, support, and simply love others, holding them in embrace and prayer. Many engaged in diaconal ministry will know the challenge of this kind of deep caring, and identify with the actions and words of the woman at the end - "she dropped to her knees whispering, 'help me'......"

At the end of her rope (based on Matthew 15:21-28)
she forces open her
                eyes,
   shaking the cobwebs
   from her thoughts,
      wondering how
      does three hours
         pass so quickly,
      and give so little
             rest to a
             weary soul?

once again (almost as
         ritualistically
         as the prayers
         which are never
             answered),
   she cradles her daughter,
      pouring the waters
            over her from
            head to toe,
        hoping they might
        chill the fiendish
              fires deep
           inside her;
   she picks up the
      spoon smacked out
         of her hand,
      dipping it into the
               bowl,
         trying to bring
         a few drops of
             strength
             to the cracked
                    lips;
   she listens, as the
      curses spew out
         of that broken
                heart,
        answering (as
            she always will),
   'i love you,
        you are my heart,
             you are my joy.'

laying the exhausted
      child in her bed,
   she steps outside
            for a quick
            breath of hope,
         and at the sight
               of the one
               the neighbors
               had been
         talking about, she
      dropped to her
                knees
             whispering,
   'help me . . .                   (c) 2014  Thom M. Shuman

BEATITUDES FOR CAREGIVERS

Blessed are those who care and who are not afraid to show it — they will let people know they are loved. 

Blessed are those who are gentle and patient — they will help people to grow as the sun helps the buds to open and blossom.

Blessed are those who have the ability to listen — they will lighten many a burden.

Blessed are those who know how and when to let go — they will have the joy of seeing people find themselves.

Blessed are those who, when nothing can be done or said, do not walk away, but remain to provide a comforting and supportive presence — they will help the sufferer to bear the unbearable.

Blessed are those who recognize their own need to receive, and who receive with graciousness — they will be able to give all the better.

Blessed are those who give without hope of return — they will give people an experience of God.

peacemakers in a fractured world

God of Peace and Love,
How do we bring peace to the world?
How do we confront the power of anger, hate and violence without resorting to such means ourselves?
How do we overcome ignorance, apathy, hate and prejudice?
How do we address these things not only in others, but also sometimes painfully in ourselves?
How do we find peace in ourselves?
How can we bring peace to others?
How do we confront injustice peacefully?
How do we still heightened emotion?
How do we calm troubled lives?
How do we resolve long-standing and deep -seated conflict?
How do we work for reconciliation in the midst of entrenched enmity, resentment, hatred and bitterness?
God of peace, hope and love,
Join us to your purpose.
Join all to your purpose.
Bring peace.
In the name of the Prince of Peace,
May it be so
Amen

Jon Humphries

Happy anniversary to the LDA!

Happy anniversary to the Lutheran Deaconess Association, celebrating 95 years of ministry on 14th August. So much has happened since 1919! Remember LDA in your prayers and especially the Executive Director, Lisa Polito, and the recently consecrated Deacons and Deaconesses.

Remembering Nigeria - prayers of praise, and intercession

Wonderful to see some of the photos of the recent ordination of deaconesses at the 44th/9th Biennial Conference of the Methodist Church, Nigeria, held in the Barham Cathedral, Port Harcourt. Deaconess Ibironke O. Oremade-Oworu reports that the  Prelate himself put crosses on the deaconesses after the laying on of hands. The deaconesses were ordained in a service that included the ordination of new presbyters. We give thanks for these new deaconesses and offer prayers for their ministries.

 
(Photos from Deaconess Ibironke O. Oremade-Oworu)

Please hold the Order of Deaconesses in the Methodist Church in Nigeria in your prayers.

As well, please remember in your prayers the current Ebola outbreak, the largest in the nearly 40-year history of the virus, which has affected 1,603 and killed 887 people this year in four Western African countries — Nigeria, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, according to the WHO. Ebola, which spreads through body fluid or secretions such as faeces, urine, saliva and semen, can kill up to 90 percent of those infected. The fatality rate of the current epidemic is about 60 percent.

A Nigerian health official says that eight people who were in direct contact with the man who flew to Lagos and later died of Ebola are now showing symptoms of the disease. All have been placed into quarantine. Two deaths have been confirmed in Nigeria. A doctor who treated the first victim of Ebola in Nigeria's most populous city of Lagos has been infected with the virus less than two weeks after the patient died in a public hospital in the West African country.

Please hold in your prayers Deaconess Ibironke O. Oremade-Oworu, who serves as Conference Health Secretary, Methodist Church, Nigeria.

These prayers may enliven your own prayers for West Africa and the threat of the Ebola virus:

God of our anguish, we cry to you
For all who wrestle with Ebola.
Grant we pray, peace to the afraid,
Your welcome to the dying and
Your comfort to those living with loss.
And, merciful Father,
bless those many loving hands
that bravely offer care and hope.
(Revd Canon Edgar Ruddock)

God of healing,
whose Son healed those who were brought to him.
Hear our prayer for the peoples of West Africa
suffering from the Ebola outbreak.
Inspire and enable your church
to be a source of healing, comfort and hope to those affected,
and an agent for the education
and equipping of communities
to stop the spread of this disease.
For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
(Revd Tim Harford)

Association of Anglican Deacons in Canada - Conference

 

The Association of Anglican Deacons in Canada will hold their conference on August 14-17, 2014 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The theme is 'Servants by the Sea'.
Guest speakers are the Most Rev (Archbishop) Fred Hiltz, and the Rev Dr Eileen Scully, Director and Co-ordinator for Worship and Theological Education, Faith Worship and Ministry in the Anglican Church of Canada.
Here is a brochure about the conference.  Please hold them in your thoughts and prayers as they gather for fellowship, learning, encouragement and sharing.  

The promise of spring

Today has begun with time to contemplate what it means to recognize 69 years has passed since the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. I have also awoken to the happy news from Australia that the proposed amendments to the Racial Discrimination Act in Australia have been 'taken off the table' (under the proposed changes, the words 'offend, insult and humiliate' would have been deleted from the existing laws, and would basically have given people free rein to racially vilify others). More than 4000 submissions were received by the Australian Government on this issue, including from many church groups including the Uniting Church in Australia.
Advocacy and activism can be a complementary role to that of service for diaconal ministry agents. Seeking for the dignity of human persons, and for wholeness and healing of the world, shapes diaconal ministry in a way that may call us - in our spheres of influence - to a role of advocacy and activism. How can we remain silent in speech and in action in the face of violence, systemic greed and overwhelming poverty, oppression, the dehumanizing of individuals and groups and faith communities, and profound need in our global community?
I am grateful to my friend Ann Siddall, a wise and profound spiritual director in Adelaide, Australia, for these words posted on Facebook today, which helps focus on being both a peaceful and compassionate presence, as well as being present to the suffering and injustices near and far.  Ann's words spoke deeply to me.
"Etty Hillesum, the Jewish woman who lived in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation, and who died in one of the death camps, wrote: "I am with the hungry, with the ill-treated, and with the dying every day, but I am also with the jasmine and with the piece of sky beyond my window" As I listen to people, try to cope with the flood of media reporting on what is happening in our world, and the appeals in my letter-box, and the flood of causes and campaigns on Facebook pages, I am aware of how easily I/we can become overwhelmed, and the wisdom of Etty's words. What I am present to shapes me, and if I have any hope of being present to the suffering and injustices near and far I must also be present to what enables me to be a peaceful and compassionate presence, and to experience joy. I am concerned for us all, concerned we will become so active we will lose the capacity to discern both underlying issues, and the humility to do just a little, and concerned about the temptation to contribute to the overload of others. It is a cold day here in Adelaide, but I can see blue sky and sun shining and the promise of Spring that these daffodils represent".

daffodils - representing the promise of spring

69 years ago this week...... the dropping of bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Thinking of the deaconesses in the two associations in Japan - Deaconess House Bethesda and Fellowship Deacony Motherhouse, Bethel. Praying for their ministry and their presence in and service to the community, bringing peace and hope. 

69 years today that the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima (August 6th) and a few days later on Nagasaki. 

 

I found a paper crane
Lying in the road,
Discarded, tossed away,
Tire tracks across its broken wing.

And I thought,
So this is what we’ve come to
In this broken world of ours.

Peace, discarded
and run over in the street.
Bombs falling on schools,
Refugee children dying in the desert,
Missiles blasting innocents from the sky.

Where is wisdom?
Who is the keeper of justice?
What has happened to the way of peace?

Kyrie eleison.
Lord, have mercy.
Help us.

Source:Beth A Richardson

Visit with Deaconesses (Methodist Church in India)

It was a pleasure to be able to meet with Deaconesses (Methodist Church in India) in Chennai on 1st August, and to learn more about their ministry - the joys and challenges. I was glad to host them for a dinner in the evening, and then to meet afterwards to discuss ministry projects. It was wonderful that Deaconess Shaila John Wesley, Executive Director, Council for Deaconesses Work, MCI, was able to travel from her work place in Karnataka to join us.

Rev Sandy Boyce and her husband Geoff, with Deaconesses (Methodist Church in India)

The day before, I had met with Dn Shaila John Wesley, Executive Secretary, Council of Deaconesses Work, Methodist Church in India (MCI) in Bangalore and saw some of the ministries offered by deaconesses, and then we travelled together to Chennai to meet with Deaconesses there.

Shaila provided me with plenty of reading material, including her report to the MCI General Conference in relation to the Council of Women’s Work, the compilation report from the 12 Deaconesses Conferences of MCI, and the IX All India Deaconesses Assembly in 2010.

The overwhelming impression for me is the faithfulness of the women who serve as Deaconesses. They have placements in schools, hostels, aged care, hospitals and other institutions. As well, some serve as lady evangelists, particularly in rural areas, and provide leadership to Sunday Schools and WSCS programs.

Many of the women do not receive regular payment, and I wonder about how they survive at all. One report said that they had not received pay for more than 10 years. Another said the average payment for deaconesses was as low as Rs 20,000 ($US40) - for a year! Some of the hostels for students from rural areas require fundraising and student sponsorship, and many struggle to survive, and some have ceased to be.

Each regional conference has a small number of deaconesses, with few (or in some cases, nil) new probationers in each conference.

The deaconesses seek opportunities to hold workshops, seminars and training courses for the local women, especially those in rural areas, where they can learn and utilise their learning.

Despite the difficult circumstances in which they exercise ministry, the deaconesses remained faithful to a vision of serving.

‘Women’s Work under the Deaconesses Ministry can be very meaningful and challenging to provide guidance to the society at large and particularly among Christians. Our ministry has great relevance, and need and ministry among children, youth and women has become more important and necessary than before”. (Mrs Anita Singh, Deaconess Secretary, Agra Regional Deaconesses Conference).

Some strategic planning for the future includes:
systematic ongoing training for the Deaconesses and other Co-workers to equip them with better and modern managerial skills;
training to equip Deaconesses and Co-workers to use resources which are available within the present structure and settings;
introducing a system of better accountability and more transparency;
sharing more information in the Churches and other agencies to create interest in people, and agencies to participate in the Deaconesses Work;
major renovation of buildings and infra-structure development.

Finally, the confidence and trust in God, despite the troubles and trials they face, weaves through the ministry of the deaconess in the MCI. They speak about their primary call and responsibility to spread the good news of Jesus Chrsist in and through their lives and service.