Asking the Hard Questions. Living with the Hard Answers -Part 1

Life has had me doing some trips down to Sydney and beyond. These where, for the most part, learning experiences.

The Safe as Churches Conference in Sydney, held at the most unusual school I have ever been to! In the heart of Town Hall Square is the St Andrews Cathedral School in a 9 storey building. The roof was our lunch spot also their playground and sports area.A basketball court was inside. Meeting with leaders from the major denominations from Anglican and the Coptic Church to Uniting and all in between, Lay and Ordained sat side by side round tables. The daily worship was very good. 180 people in a space for 100 led to great conversation!  
The key note speaker, Rev Dr Marie Fortune, from the USA was very much a part of the Conference. Not just an expert, she came to hear our stories and sat in the electives. Her stories were relevant for our own journey as churches. I found Marie also added a sound theological foundation to what it means to be a safe and open church facing the reality of what has happened and how we move to make things right for survivors in a legal and pastoral way. She challenged, and also encouraged, the leaders of the churches present.

The two days has in many ways given me much broader experience to call on when presenting a Safe Church Workshop.

Active listening 

The “Trauma and Hope” seminar, led by Richard Elms, was again very helpful for me, particularly as it crossed over the work as a “Safe Church” person and as a Rural Chaplain, working with people in trauma after a disaster. I picked up a number of ideas to help me grow my skills. This talk supported the information from the “Recovery from Trauma” workshop held for Coonabarabran agencies by Dr Rob Gordon the previous week. They both said that we have a role in helping people move forward by listening to the story and if they have a spot that they forget, asking them what happened and helping them join the dots together. This helps them move on in their recovery, simply by asking and listening.

Making our church safe is not some regulation. It is God’s call for us to care for His sheep and as more of you take on the ministry of God in your community we need people, including you, to feel safe in all aspects of your mission.

Shalom,

Phill Matthews

*CSG - Coal Seam Gas