Monday, December 13, 2010

Become the change

Baptistcare’s value of courage and justice in our actions, brings to mind the concept of advocacy. This is about standing up for what is right on behalf of those people who are not able to speak for themselves. As supporters of our elders, people with disabilities, and people with a mental illness, Baptistcare is in a position to defend and protect some of the most marginalised people in our society. How do we go about doing this?

I was in a restaurant and took advantage of their feedback form to bring attention to the lack of disability access. A simple example. As we put ourselves in the place of the people we serve and begin to recognise discrimination, ignorance, or fear of difference in our society, it becomes harder to keep quiet.

Ghandi said: We must become the change we wish to create.

Friday, December 10, 2010

The Nazareth Manifesto

The third of Baptistcare’s values reads: "in fulfilling our mission we are person-centred and embrace courage and justice in our actions."

It is appropriate that we consider the matter of courage and justice in the same month that we celebrate Christmas, the birth of the One who stood for courage and justice in both his life and his death.

A part of the Bible that has been special to me tells about one of the first public events performed by Jesus. He went to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue where he was handed a scroll. In what has become known as the Nazareth manifesto Jesus read the following words:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."

To live such a manifesto requires courage and justice.