Following is a relfection by Rev Cameron Venables on the Service of Reconciliation in Rockhampton. We hope to have photos to share very soon. Rockhampton Reconciliation Service Reflection The Rockhampton Churches Together held their Reconciliation Service on the evening of Sunday the 2nd June 2013. As always it was a blessing to be together. After a collective acknowledgement of country, the younger generation continued the service with twelve year olds Tyreek Tatow and Jack Venables leading the congregation through a call to worship. Then we sang The Great Southland before welcoming each other. CTIPP coordinator, Kerry Charlton, brought greetings from QCT and images from Reconciliation services in different places last year. One of the features of this year’s worship had the facilitator, Cameron Venables, introducing people after they had prayed, or led a reading. In this way we were able to affirm the ministries of Aunty Edie Joyce (Murri Chaplain at Etna Creek) who offered the Collect Prayer; Adele Giles (Indigenous Ministry coordinator for the Catholic Diocese) who read the Gospel; Pastor Shae Taylor and his wife Leonie Taylor (One Mob Fellowship coordinators); and Aunty Judy Tatow (community elder and Winnaburra program coordinator) who read the Litany for Justice. In response to the Gospel, Pastor Shae reflected on our need to be reconciled with God and the new ways of seeing that can come from this. Cameron offered a reflection that suggested there were practical ways for us to move from not acknowledging a reality to new life, before inviting the congregation to break into small groups. These groups were asked to discuss their own experiences of ‘blindness’ and whether an acknowledgement of past massacres in the form of memorials and an annual ‘lest we forget’ day would be helpful in bringing communities together moving forward. There was very positive feedback to the suggestion and some creative thinking as to how to develop a project locally. Music was an important part of our shared worship together with an original song by Kerry Charlton called ‘Leading me somewhere’ being a particular blessing. In a time of reflection before ‘Saying Sorry’ we listened to a beautiful recording of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yulupingu singing ‘I was born blind’. This wonderful musician died the following day on June the 3rd… so we give thanks for his life and ask God’s blessing on his family. The challenge now is for us to meet together again before next year’s reconciliation service! In the midst of the busyness of our lives and ministries somehow to give priority to sharing life together – through prayer, meals, worship, discussion, music, and projects. “Lead us on, Great Spirit, as we gather from the four corners of the earth; enable us to walk together in trust from the hurt and shame of the past into the full day which has dawned in Jesus Christ. Amen.” Cameron Venables
Posted on: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 01:02:23 +0000
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