January 15 is Martin Luther King’s birthday and the third Monday in January is celebrated as a public holiday in the United States. In Australia we only seem to get its significance because Wall Street is closed.
The civil rights movement in the US was a community movement. It was people working together and supporting each other to achieve freedom and with the inspirational leadership of Martin Luther King, the effects spread across the nation and around the world.
It was also a spiritual movement. King, a Baptist minister put his life on the line for freedom for his people because of his personal faith and conviction, as did so many of those who became involved in this movement.
This is my first blog for 2011 and I think it is valuable for us to spend a moment at the beginning of the year to reflect on Martin Luther King’s leadership. As part of the worldwide Baptist family those of us who are associated with Baptistcare can be proud to be aligned with this inspirational leader.
As we journey with those in our communities who are ageing, those who have a mental illness and those who have disabilities, we recognise the need to speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves and to defend the powerless. Baptistcare’s “communities for life”, are not just havens of peace and safety, but need to be communities of justice and fairness for all. Our vision is to transform and enrich lives, and that takes courage.
During the year I hope that this blog will be an opportunity for people who have links with Baptistcare either as staff members, or as those who receive services, to express their thoughts and to explore what it means for Baptistcare to be an organisation that provides inspirational and courageous leadership in the West Australian community.
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