Stewardship

Strange as it may seem to some people, I like books. I have a bookshelf on which stands a number of books that were handed down from my dad. To some observers they are just old books, but I hold them with pride because of their age and what they represent to me. I treasure these books, not because they are mine, but because I have a sense that I am holding them on behalf of a previous generation.

This is the essence of stewardship. Dictionary.com describes a steward as a person who manages another's property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others. Christians usually add another dimension to stewardship, acknowledging that God has given us the responsibility and privilege to look after his creation and recognise his sovereignty in all things.

We’ve had a bit of a break over Christmas but as we come back to reflecting on Baptistcare’s values, we come to the fourth which is “Stewardship of the responsibilities in our care.”

As we think about all that we have responsibility for in the workplace, the hardware and property, the people, the relationships, and the intellectual property, we can take the view that these things are just paperbacks that we have picked up at the local book exchange, or we can treasure them like some of my dad’s old books that carry memories, emotion, history and value.

Working for Baptistcare is a means to put bread on the table and a roof over our heads, but greater worth and value is given to that job when we recognise our role as stewards of all the responsibilities in our care.

Can you suggest any ways that we exhibit this sense of stewardship in our workplace?

Flood relief

Over the last few weeks we have watched on our TV’s the devastation caused by floods in Carnarvon, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Many of us have taken the opportunity to support various flood relief efforts and we recognise what a privilege it is for us to be able to stand beside those who are suffering, even in a limited way.

Baptistcare’s sister organisation in Queensland, Queensland Baptist Care has set up a flood relief programme. If you would like to contribute towards the recovery effort you are invited take advantage of the on-line giving opportunity at www.qbc.com.au

Martin Luther King Day

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.

The Christmas Story

Take a look at this....

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.

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.