We warmly welcome The Reverend Lisa Williamson to BDC in the role of Chaplain. Rev Lisa Lives in the beautiful region of the Bellinger with her family and she brings a breadth of experience as a priest to our community. We look forward to her ministry with us. 

Every time I drive through the Orara Valley on the way to BDC, I am always so amazed at the environment in which we live. I drive past the green forest that all but burned to the ground a few years ago. I admire farms that are teeming with growth and fields that are lying fallow, in an ancient practice of resting organic matter. I watch the waves endlessly come in and occasionally see whales on their yearly migration. 

When we spend time in this environment, it can give us a sense of smallness and connectedness that is life-giving and strangely empowering. Julia Baird articulates this same sense of awe and wonder in her book Phosphorescence.

It’s easy to take all this for granted. And as communities that have experienced bushfires and floods, we are all too aware of how all of this can change in a heartbeat.

On the 1st of September, Christian Communities all around the world are celebrating the Season of Creation. This is a specific time in the church calendar to be focussed in prayer, practical advocacy, and sustainable actions to care for our common home and remember the idea of looking after our neighbour extends to those places in our environment that are the most vulnerable. Anglican Communities around the world believe that caring for the environment is an issue of justice and hope.

“Strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth” – the fifth Anglican mark of mission

In Primary Year Level Chapels we have been creating a prayer space around the theme of justice and asked to contribute ideas and prayers in written form to the question ‘What makes Justice flow?’ 

Find out more about the Season of Creation by following this link. Season of Creation

Peace and every good,

Rev Nic