I’ll Fight Day / Advertising #2
“The need to rediscover that God is just and sends the Spirit to do his work of justice through God’s people is urgent now. Such an undertaking requires Christianity’s best thoughts, imagination and energy to be worked out in the world.” - Ash Barker (Preface to “Following Fire - How the Spirit Leads Us To Fight Injustice” ed. Cheryl Catford)
Click here for a larger version that you can print and distribute!
Church Marketing Sucks
How does this quote make you feel?
“Drinking fair trade coffee is a great starting point. But our commitment to justice must extend beyond sipping the right coffee. Sometimes in the west we tend to find ways to do what we’re already doing (i.e., drinking coffee or shopping) in a slightly more equitable way and call it charity when it can simply be a way to assuage our conscience without inconvenience.” - Drew Dyck, 04/18/2008 on Make That Coffee Fair Trade
If it sparks ideas/thoughts in your mind, comment about them, or read further:
Check out the four-part JUST Ideas Series. Starting with; http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/archives/2008/04/just_ideas_buyi.html
Freedom Day!
Wow! What a weekend!
Saturday 19th April was Freedom Day in the city of Perth! 
The Salvos and other freedom fighters (world vision, ywam, and a myriad of others..) were out in full strength to walk for freedom in the city.
We blew up balloons, we banged drums, we raised banners and we walked in strength in an effort to allow people to see and hear the call to freedom, justice, mercy, love and the stopping of traffik.
And, we made Stop The Traffik / Salvation Army T-Shirts and looked fantastic while we were wearing them! The logo to the right on the front and a MASSIVE Red Shield on the back!!
During the walk, and the afternoon session in the City we gave out nearly 800 flyers with information about Trafficking, and an invite to a free* screening of The Jammed in Northbridge.
Many conversations were had, many children were excited by the FREE magazine! (KidZone’s galore!) and MANY of the people we gave flyers to during the day, came to watch the movie - and not just because we were offering food** (although that did seem to draw the crowd!)
An estimation of more than 80 people flooded an auxiliary room at the Perth Fortress Corps to watch The Jammed. More than half of those in attendance came through the flyers we gave out, or because of the young enthusiasts just outside the Corps bringing people in!
The movie is incredibly graphic and confronting, but there was opportunity for prayer, support and comfort after the movie, and there is much hope that people did not feel helpless, but through the info from the talk prior to the movie, and the resources available, feel strong to move forward in the fight for freedom.
In the lead up to the event and on the day, we made important connections with organisations and individuals in Perth who are already working for a traffik free world. In particular, a young enthusiastic representative from YWAM walked with us, stayed all afternoon in the city making incredible connections with passers-by and invited 5 of her friends to the movie.
There are some links here, to show you what these groups are up to;
Lost in Traffik (YWAM Perth)
Don’t Trade Lives (World Vision - STIR, Perth)
Thanks for listening to my recap. There will be more news soon about JUSTSalvosWA’s ideas/events and more.
Grace.
*The screening was technically free, but we encouraged a Gold Coin donation on entry, and raised a total of $275.80 for The Salvation Army’s Counter-Traffiking project in India.
**The free food on offer was Fair Trade, and Organic - and for some even gluten and dairy free!! Thanks Fair-Go Trading!
Freedom Day 2008
I just had a highly productive meeting hashing out some details for WA’s Freedom Day on April 19.
I went in feeling unmotivated and discouraged, I came out feeling excited and empowered! Praise Jesus!
Behind a loud-blowing brass band, we’ll be marching through Northbridge to the Murray St mall, in an effort to raise awareness about Traffiking and Exploitation. We’ll be hanging out in the mall for the afternoon to chat with people, hand out some Kidzones and invite people to come to the screening of “The Jammed” at 6.30pm.
The Jammed is an Australian film, that has one three Australian Film Industry Awards - Best Feature Film, Best Screenplay, Best Music. In recent news:
The Australian Catholic Film Office (ACFO) has awarded its 2007 Film of the Year to Dee McLachlan’s The Jammed. Director of the ACFO and jury chair, Jesuit Fr Richard Leonard said 2007 was one of the strongest years in many for Australian films.”The Jammed, The Home Song Stories and Romulus, My Father were among the best,” Fr Leonard said. “The jury felt that The Jammed was a singularly courageous piece of cinema. Even though the extremely violent world this film portrays means many people would not want to see it, that does not allow us to ignore the sex trade in women and children occurring in our nation,” he said.
The movie traces the story of three women brought to Australia under false pretences for sexual exploitation. The Jammed reveals not only the horror of modern human trafficking and slavery but also peels back the complex moral layers involved for everyone, including governments. Fr Leonard said it would be hard to think of a social issue which the whole Church is presently speaking with such clarity. “Pope Benedict’s statement on human trafficking for sex, his message to mark World Day of Migrants and Refugees, and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerants have strenuously called for all Catholics, Christians and people of good will to do everything they can to counter the causes and the evil results of human trafficking.” “The Jammed plays the role of raising our consciousness on this issue.” This uncompromising and confronting film illuminates a dark, tragic side of Australian society and thus makes a significant contribution to increasing people’s awareness of an under-recognised but important issue of faith and justice.”
Here is a preview:
A poster summarising the day’s events will be out shortly. Watch this space.
Do you want to get a person?
A friend of mine sent me a link to this article today: It talks about a new book that Benjamin Skinner has written A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery.
Read this: Article
There are lots of books about now, talking about similar things. It certainly seems like people want to make sure that we don’t forget that the slave trade hasn’t actually been abolished.
I watched a video recently which is along similar lines. This one especially has a huge emphasis on the fact that WE can end slavery. There ARE things that we can do to bring about its end.
Watch this: Slavery in the New Global Economy
Speaking of things we can do; FREEDOM Day is coming up in WA. We’re screening “The Jammed”. If you haven’t seen it, or even if you have, get along and bring all of your friends. It’s on the 19th of April (NB: New Date) in the Evening at Perth Fortress Corps of The Salvation Army. There will be fairly traded tea and coffee served and some nibblies provided by a great organic food company.
Go here: The Jammed Website
p.s. read James Thompson’s blog.
one+two+three+four+five+six
So a few things:
1. Jesus is amazing. And He told me some things tonight that made me cry but in a good way. If I seek Him, He will be found by me, if I seek Him with all my heart. Praise the Lord. He loves us. Oh, How he loves us.
2. We are the light of the world. Read: YOU are the light of the world. And your light CANNOT be hidden. Not, SHOULD not, CAN NOT be hidden. The Darkness has no choice but to run. So STOP putting the basket over your head! (I’m yelling this to myself really loadly)
3. Come down to JESUS CULTURE tomorrow at 9.30am to do some City Invading, or if you have no money but wanna get in on the Holy Spirit dance party action, come down at 5.30pm. 171 Rooks Rd, VERMONT (Just off Canterbury Rd - Victoria that is..)
4. The WA Police don’t like our ideas about Freedom Day, which means we’re going to have re-think our strategy a little. God grant us some more super-amazing ideas. Or tell those Police men & women to be nice to us. Plus, isn’t there something in the old rules that says The Salvation Army is allowed to gather in public anywhere they want to?
5. Our WA Social Justice group were talking about how we might need a bit of a budget for things we wanna tackle this year, even if for printing costs and the like.. I thought a nice starting figure would be $5000, so I put it out there, everyone thought it was a crazy optomistic number. Found out today the DC is willing to honour the $5000 for the year. Bring it!! I should make crazy suggestions all the time. So, $5000 isn’t that much, but God - please multiply it, so that we can to do our bit so that Your Justice can be seen.
6. Jesus is LORD.
Group Presentations.
My course concluded today with 4 group presentations. Besides the two assignments I now have to complete before the end of next week, Its done. I’m very glad. It was absolutely fantastic, but such hard timing. I would not recommend walking your way through Europe, and then sitting in a classroom for 8 hours a day. My knees have seized up.
Ouch.
Looking forward to taking it easy tomorrow.
Then, after that, I’ll allow myself to be reminded of all the things I’ve got going on in my life this semester.
I’m looking forward to the challenges. Looking forward to keeping busy. Hoping to keep on top of everything by getting a grip on my procrastination and working on my preparedness, and responsibility.
If you know me, and feel like helping me in these things, feel free to encourage me and push me on.
I’m especially excited about the moved that are being made surrounding Justice issues by those who are interested over here in the West. There is a stirring, Hallelujah.
And, I’m really excited about “!”. What is it you ask? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see.
Bye for now,
K.
Crying, Giving & Training.
Just spent an accidental hour watching The Choir of Hard Knocks performing in the Sydney Opera House. If you’d walked into the TV room you would have seen me crying (although I believe the correct word for it in this instance would have been “sobbing”). God is absolutely amazing. In the weirdest ways he reminds me of His grace and love, and that he made all people in His image. Hallelujah.
And speaking of Hallelujah, it was that song that was the clincher.
Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright
I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don’t really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah.
Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty
in the moonlight
overthrew you
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne,
she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Hallelujah.
Maybe I’ve been here before
I know this room, I’ve walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew you
I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch
love is not a victory march
It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah
Hallelujah.
There was a time you’d let me know
What’s real and going on below
But now you never show it to me do you?
Remember when I moved in you?
The holy dark was moving too
And every breath we drew was hallelujah
Hallelujah.
Maybe there’s a God above
And all I ever learned from love
Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you
It’s not a cry you can hear at night
It’s not somebody who’s seen the light
It’s a cold and it’s a broken hallelujah
Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
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On a praising God note.. how bout lift up some worship to Him by GIVING this Christmas in a unique way. I’m not sure, but there may still be time.. Check out JUSTGIFTS and give a gift that really means something.
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Also.. Ever thought about being an officer? Why not sign up for what is tipped to be the biggest session in Australian Southern Territory History!! (I hear there will be more than 1000 cadets! Can you imagine?!)
