extensive reflection for 2015 which I will share with you later.

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1 Many Voices Intercultural Unit Director s Message Volume 5 Issue December Greetings! We are at the threshold of another new year. We are publishing another issue of MANY VOICES for 2015 because not only do we wish to convey season s greetings to you, we would also like you to be aware of the programs the Intercultural Unit has planned for The theme for 2016 is In Diversity, Unity. Please include the programs in your 2016 calendar and also in your congregational calendar as we would greatly appreciate the participation of your members in some of them. From my perspective 2015 has turned out to be a good year of ministry. We chose to engage our Synod in conversation on being an intercultural church. It s heartening to see that the conversation is being picked up in the wider church. I intend to write a more extensive reflection for 2015 which I will share with you later. I want to thank my colleagues Rev. Dev Anandarajan and Rev. Fie Marino for their contribution throughout the year. We have worked together well as a team. However, I am sure you know by now that Fie is leaving us at the end of the month and taking up a placement in the Synod of NSW/ACT from 1 January We wish him all the best in his new placement. My second sister s son and his family are visiting me from 19 to 30 December. It will be good spending Christmas with them. Thank you for your prayers and support in Have a blessed Christmas and joyous New Year. Shalom KOH Swee-Ann Koh Contents p. 2 A new life from a stable: Dev Anandarajan p. 3 Ordination of Berlin Guerrero p. 4 Intercultural Unit 2016 Theme: SweeAnn Koh p. 5 Visit to Shepparton: Dev Anandarajan p visit of Prof. Musa Dube; & Christmas in Tonga: Rev Jason Kioa p. 7 Upcoming Intercultural Unit events Submissions to Many voices are welcome. Please forward articles, info, inquiries and/or photos to: Robyn.Hosking@victas.uca.org.au Informal Gathering Among the most pleasant meetings among the CALD ministers have been the informal ones. We have enjoyed good attendance and great, fun filled conversations this year. gatherings next year. These gatherings create a space to share the experiences of minority cultures that minister with, to, and among a dominant culture. The last one for the year was held in Dandenong on Wednesday 25 November We met at the Trinity Dandenong Uniting Church to share what was happening on our local patches. After this discussion we adjourned to a Chinese restaurant, enjoying a hearty meal and energetic conversation with lots of humour. We look forward to having three such

2 A new life from a stable By Dev Anandarajan In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2: 1-7 My maternal grandmother was a great story teller. She was a lady of immense wisdom. Life s struggles had imparted a wisdom that books rarely give. She narrated many stories to me which I carry with me and still ponder on. She was living in Malaya during the Second World War where my grandfather ministered as a Methodist minister in Seremban. In narrating the birth stories of her children one story always stood out; the birth of her seventh child. When narrating the story she would always talk about the Japanese occupation of Malaya and the difficult times they had to endure. My uncle was born on 20 July 1945 during the war. She had a very hard and anxious time as there were no hospital facilities. They had to call a friend who helped to deliver the baby at home. For her it was not just his birth but the political context in which he was born that was important. She would wonder if that had any effect on his life. It was a story of survival, a story of God s grace. The war between the two imperial powers, the British and the Japanese, and the subsequent occupation of Malaya by the Japanese had a significant impact on the lives my mother and her siblings in their formative years. Luke tells us that Emperor Augustus had decreed a census needed to be taken and all people had to register their names in their hometown. During that time Quirinius was Governor of Syria. Luke places the narrative of Jesus and his followers into the broader context of Roman/Judaean politics, in part by appropriating the literary conventions of historiographic prose. The events immediately prior to Jesus conception are described as occurring in the days of Herod, king of Judaea (Lk 1.5) and Jesus birth is placed in the time of the first census ordered by Caesar Augustus when Quirinius was governor of Syria (Lk 2.1-2). From the start the readers are reminded of the political circumstance of early first century Judaea, ruled by the Herodians, a Judaized Idumean dynasty that had come to power through the patronage of Rome, profiting directly from the rise of Roman military influence in the region. The formidable influence of the Romans is marked in Luke s text both by the imposed power of taxation conveyed by the census and by the presence of a Roman governor (and thus the threat of Roman military forces) in the neighbouring province of Syria. Emperor Augustus was Emperor of Rome from 27 BC to 14 AD till his death. He was the adopted son of Julius Caesar. He is considered to be the founder of the Roman Empire. During his reign he enlarged the empire. Augustus s power was based on the exercise of a predominant military power and the ultimate sanction of his authority was force. The Jews already hated their pagan conquerors, and censuses were forbidden under Jewish law. The assessment was greatly resented by the Jews. According to Josephus the census triggered the revolt of Judas of Galilee and the formation of the party of the Zealots. Given the above political climate Jesus was born during a time of political unrest. Imperial Rome would have used all its might to see through the census. There would have been internal opposition from militant quarters to boycott it. It is in this volatile political context that Joseph and Mary make the trip to Bethlehem. It is into this very explosive political climate Mary gave birth to Jesus. What gets missed in the birth narrative amidst the angels, shepherds and the miraculous birth is the anxiety, fear and uncertainty the parents of Jesus faced in their effort to give him a safe birth. All odds were against them. They were not in their familiar neighborhood where they could ask for help. Bethlehem was not their hometown. It was not the place they had chosen to settle down. They were there by force due to an imperial edict. Added to this was the shame of an unwed young girl who had conceived and the man betrothed to her showing compassion to safeguard her from the shame. I wonder if Joseph took Mary away from Nazareth, the community in which she had grown up, to guard her from the suspicion and ill tongues of the community? Would Joseph and Mary have told such stories to Jesus; about the trek to Bethlehem from Nazareth to present themselves for the census so that the Imperial Rome could collect taxes from their subjects; their desperateness in finding a place to stay; and the anxiety of birthing their first born in unhealthy conditions? What impact may this story, his own experience and that of

3 his community under an occupying foreign force, have had on the young Jesus as he was growing up? Would it have shaped his thinking, attitude and critique of the Roman Empire and his culture? In recalling the story Luke tells us that when Jesus was born Imperial Rome was already a threat to his birth. It was not something Jesus encountered during his ministry. He was born within it and had to endure the harsh realities of it. But his birth, as his death, subverted the power of Rome. This was possible because Joseph and Mary were willing to make that life possible. They were willing to wade the cultural and political storms that threatened them with determination, compassion and hope to birth a new life. When I read stories and news in the media of Syrian parents taking the treacherous journey across the seas to find new life and give a new future for their children I am reminded of the Christmas story. They do what Joseph and Mary did. They get on those unworthy vessels to sail the stormy seas with determination, compassion and a fragile hope to find new life. If only they could be given at least a stable they could avail themselves of the opportunity to birth new life a new beginning. Ordination of Berlin Guerrero Berlin Guerrero was ordained as a Minister of the Uniting Church in Australia on 19 November 2015 at the Glen Waverley Uniting Church (see photos below). Berlin has been working part-time with the Justice and International Mission Unit of the Commission for Mission for the past several years. He carries with him a story of struggle driven by his passion for justice for the poor and marginalised for which he had to pay the high price of imprisonment in his home country, the Philippines. Through the partnership of the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) with the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) he was offered sanctuary with the UCA. In Melbourne while working with the JIM Unit he undertook Ministry training at the Centre for Theology and Ministry and has also been actively involved in the campaign for justice for migrant Filipino workers who come to Australia on 457 temporary work visas. Many of these workers are exploited by their employers in Australia and by the agencies that recruited them. Berlin has been called to his first placement at Wodonga West, North Albury, Kergunyah in the Presbytery of North East Victoria. We wish Berlin God s grace and blessings in his ministry and his family a happy and fulfilling journey in Australia.f May we hear the gospel story of God s subverting power in the Christmas story. The powers that deny possibilities of new life will one day be subverted by such lives that have been nurtured by compassion, determination and grace. For they will offer new hope so that life is made possible to all as the one born in Bethlehem offered new life.

4 Theme for the Intercultural Unit 2016 In Diversity, Unity: Recognise, Embrace, Celebrate and Share By SweeAnn Koh They re different from us. They look different. They speak a different language. They have a different accent. They think about different things. Or are we the ones who are different? According to Desmond Tutu, We inhabit a universe that is characterised by diversity. There is not just one planet or one star; there are galaxies of all different sorts, a plethora of animal species, different kinds of plants, and different races and ethnic groups. God shows us, even with a human body, that it is made up of different organs performing different functions and that it is precisely that diversity that makes it an organism. If it were only one organ, it would not be a human body. We are constantly being made aware of the glorious diversity that is written into the structure of the universe we inhabit The church has been diverse since its birth at Pentecost, when the disciples, were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim (Acts 2:4, 7-11). Yet, so often we tell the story of the Orthodox from the point of view of sameness (i.e. we all share one belief, one faith, one inherited ttradition), which is certainly true, but there is amazing diversity even in theology within our Church that is often not only overlooked but discouraged. When we pray the Lord s Prayer we pray for God s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. What does that will look like? For one thing, it looks multiracial, multiethnic and multilingual. And if we look at the myriad of diversity in the world, we can clearly see that God values diversity. Of course diversity is not only about race or culture or ethnicity. Christians believe that Christ tears down the walls of hostility that divide Jew from Gentile, making former enemies into friends and equals in faith (Ephesians 2:14-16). This fundamental redemptive equality is well expressed in Galatians 3:28, where the apostle writes, There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Let s remember that the blessedness of multicultural reconciliation does not mean obliterating cultural distinctions or forming a new and monolithic Christian culture. In the Book of Revelation we are told, a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language stands before the throne of God and the Lamb, singing praise (7:9). Often in the Church we emphasise the importance of unity. At times this desire to be united (to be one) comes at the expense of our diversity. Diversity is seen as a problem to unity. Pope Francis, leading a multi-faith prayer service at the site of the Sept World Trade Center attacks, on Friday called on people to embrace diversity and resist attempts to impose uniformity. The Intercultural Unit believes that as a multicultural church we are yet to truly recognizse, embrace, celebrate and share our diversity. We have chosen In Diversity, Unity as the theme for the Intercultural Unit for We believe that diversity is not a problem to be solved or a barrier to our unity. Our diversity is a God given gift to us and we can be enriched by our diversity. To Recognise Our Diversity Christians value Jesus prayer that they his followers may be as one (John 17:22 23). However, valuing Christian unity is not the same as realising it. Sometimes in our desire to be one, we settle for bland homogeneity rather than delighting in our diversity! I have said it a thousand times and will continue to say again and again, Diversity is the hallmark of a multicultural church. The extravagant diversity within the Uniting Church in Australia is a gift from God. Until and unless we recognisze that we will never be enriched by our diversity. It s not a problem to be solved but a gift to be received. Phrases like these, Why can t they be like us? or Why must they worship in their own languages? or Theologically we are far apart that we barely tolerate each another illustrates that we are yet to truly recognise and accept the diveristy within our church. I support ethnic-specific or languagespecific congregations but I do not support silo-mentality congregations. To Embrace Our Diversity The Church seldom talks about let alone embraces diversity. They would prefer to talk about unity. By doing this, they are assumning that everyone has the same backgrounds, experiences, and wiring. Embracing diversity involves accepting differences, celebrating differences, appreciating differences and using differences. It is not about tolerating our differences but being enriched by them. While our image is one of ethnic and cultural diversity in Australia, and in the Uniting Church, at least on a community/congregation level, we tend to prefer homogeneity rather than diversity. We feel more comfortable communing with people who share our social class, values and beliefs. We prefer interacting with people who look like us. Maybe it s a birds of a feather flock together mentality? I believe, as God s diverse people, we need to embrace a different idiom: Birds of different feathers serving the world together.

5 Let s embrace diversity but move out of the diversity silo. To Celebrate Our Diversity Diversity is our strength. We are a diverse Church and when we celebrate our diversity it can help to unite us. One of the greatest challenges of an authentic spirituality is learning to accept the differences we find in one another and not to view these differences as threats to ourselves. Moreover, an authentic spirituality should lead us to celebrate our differences and to see them as a reflection of God s beneficence and creativity. Indeed, we should celebrate our diversity; we should rejoice in our differences. What we have to do as people who are saved by grace is to find a way to celebrate our diversity and angage our differences without fracturing our oneness in Christ. What is it exactly that we celebrate in the Church when we say we celebrate diversity? We celebrate our diversity when we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive community, respectful of the needs of people from every corner of our community. We celebrate our diversity when we promote a sense of belonging, where everyone is valued regardless of: nationality, race, culture, heritage, gender, sexuality, religious beliefs, social background, disability, family status, marital status, age, political opinions or even theological interpretation. Let s celebrate, not undermine or undervalue, our diversity. To Share Our Diversity Diversity is a gift from God and we become a stronger and richer community if we are willing to share our diversity. I am convinced that as a Church we are yet to be enriched and blessed by our diversity. One of the reasons is because in the multicultural Church we have multiple silos - congregations existing side-by-side yet having nothing much to do with each other. Each congregation remains within its own four walls and operates as if it is the only, or most important, part of the Body of Christ. We are meant to enrich each other, for we are the threads, fibers, cords, yarn, filaments, twine and cables that the Master Weaver (God) wants to interlace together, not leave as separate strands. Some people share the same roof but do nearly everything else separately. On a farm, silos protect the crops from cross-contamination. In a Church, silo congregatoins prevent the crosspollination and sharing from our rich and colourful tapestry. The Body of Christ is greater than each individual congregation or faith community. What can we do to break down the silos within our Church? The anser is deceptively simple: become an intercultural church. Using the phrase intercultural church shifts the focus onto relationships. The emphasis is on the inter-relationship within the diverse body of Christ. Through the inter-relationship we enrich one another by sharing our differences with one another. Let s share our diverse gifts for the sake of the world. In Diversity, Unity Can we truly be a Church that welcomes all, regardless of age, race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, faith tradition, or mental or physical disability, where people are invited to visit, participate in, and join the Christian community? In short, be a church that recognises, embraces, celebrates and shares diversity. Visit to Shepparton By Dev Anandarajan On Friday 27 November 2015 I travelled to Shepparton to visit Loni Vaitohi, Tom Tali Kapen and Gi Won Kang who are ministering in the Presbytery of North East Victoria. Loni is in team ministry at Shepparton, having moved from Geelong where his family still lives. I visited his Church which is one of the congregations in transition as they join with four others to establish one congregation. Tom has been ministering in Cobram for 9 years while Gi Won is the minister at Mooroopna and also looks after the congregation at Dunolly. We met over lunch (see photo below) and went to Gi Won s church at Mooroopna for a well brewed coffee by Gi Won. In our conversation we shared about each other s ministry and our experiences in the Church. Living in the country and serving a wider area brings with it challenges and joys. It can also be isolating unless one intentionally builds a collegial group to meet regularly. It was good to meet with my brothers in ministry who are all doing their part to serve God and God s people in their place of calling. There was much warmth and a collegial feeling in our meeting, each encouraged by the cordiality and friendship offered by each other.

6 Visit of Prof Musa Dube in 2016 The Centre for Theology and Ministry and the Intercultural Unit of the Commission for Mission of the VICTAS/UCA Synod are hosting the visit of Professor Musa Dube from 18 to 29 July Professor Dube will deliver the Northey Lecture and a series of talks on the theme, Reading the Bible for Cultural Transformation at the Centre for Theology and Ministry. The Intercultural Unit has planned two conferences with Professor Dube. From July a Women s Conference is being planned to be held at the Centre for Ministry and Theology and another conference is being planned from 26 to 28 July for Ministers and leaders from CALD backgrounds at the Korean Church Melbourne in Malvern. Musa Dube is senior lecturer in Biblical studies at the University of Botswana. She was formerly Professor of Religious Studies and Head of the Department of Religious Studies at Scripps College in the USA, and in 2006 she was named Professor Extraordinary in the Department of Theology at Stellenbosch in South Africa. In she was Visiting Professor in Religious Studies at The Union Theological Seminary, New York. Having studied and taught Biblical Literature, in particular the New Testament, Professor Dube has encouraged scholars in the exploration of post-colonial and non-patriarchal approaches to Scripture, and she has been in the forefront of evolving theological perspectives on the phenomenon of HIV/AIDS. From she was seconded to the World Council of Churches as a consultant in the area of HIV education to churches and theological institutions throughout Africa. Professor Dube has published numerous academic articles in journals, books, and magazines, and has edited several volumes. Her research and writing is focused on postcolonial feminist interpretations of the Bible. Please put the dates in your diary. More information will follow early next year. Christmas in Tonga By Rev Jason Kioa Christmas in Tonga is a very special season and time of the year which is wholly understood in the Christian context. There is no mention of Santa Claus and the mood is very much Christian. The influence of the Christian missionaries is very apparent in the ways Tongans celebrate Christmas, intertwining with the Tongan culture. The singing of Christmas carols by choirs, string bands and even brass bands start a week before Christmas Day. These singing groups and bands travel from home to home and even appear on street corners singing Christmas carols in the Tongan language and bringing on the spirit of the Christmas season. Christmas Day is holy and everything closes on this day except the churches. It feels like a Sabbath. Going to church on Christmas Day is seen and felt to be an important part of the Christmas celebration. Then there is the family and communal celebration of Christmas. It is the Day for families and communities to get together and enjoy each other s laughter, stories and of course feasting. Eating is very much a communal practice and event. The best food is celebrated and shared on Christmas Day. The Christmas celebration extends through New Year s Eve into the first week of the New Year. On New Year s Eve, there are church services that begin at pm and go past midnight so that people welcome the New Year with prayer and worship. The last activity of the Christmas celebration is a whole week of worship, both morning and evening. In the first week of January it has been a practice, in Methodist Church traditions, that people welcome the year by setting some new year resolutions both personally and communally. In these worship activities, feasts after the services are also a feature. The giving of gifts to each other and Christmas lights and decorations were introduced in later years with the rising tide of commercial influence. The meaning of Christmas, however, is celebrated in singing, eating and worship. It is very much a time to remember the birth of Jesus Christ and what it means to individuals, families and church communities. It is seen as a time for renewal, being a link to New Year s Eve and the week of prayer for the New Year.

7 Intercultural Unit Events for 2016 Date Event Venue February 17 Time TBC Intercultural Unit Reference Forum Dandenong UCA 2nd week of February NextGen Leadership Training Retreat Mt Martha UC February 20 th NextGen Worship Wesley Uniting Church March pm Uniting Post-Colonial Network gathering Synod G1 & G2 March NextGen Harmony Day Celebration TBC April 13, 20, 27 & May pm Post-Colonial 101 Glen Waverley UC April 30 NextGen Worship Wesley Uniting Church May 13 & 14 TBC Intercultural Conference Koornang UCA June pm Intro to Post-Colonial Theology Synod G1 & G2 July 24 & 25 Post-Colonial Women s Conference CTM July 2016 NextGen Music Concert Ormond Uniting Church July Post-Colonial Conference with Musa Dube Korean Church Malvern July NextGen Leadership Training Retreat Mt Martha UC July 30 NextGen Worship Wesley Uniting Church September NextGen Camp TBC October Intercultural Unit Retreat TBC October 29 NextGen Worship Wesley Uniting Church November 16 Uniting Post-Colonial Network gathering Synod G1 & G2 December 10 th NextGen Worship Wesley Uniting Church