Our May meeting took place at the very start of Christian Aid Week. The two readings that were chosen reflected a theme that is common to both ancient religion and modern science – the interdependency of humankind and the survival need to give mutual aid. The first reading was from Isaiah 58 and the second was derived from material available on the world wide web on the influence of Peter Kropotkin. Despite considerable difference in language of the two readings, both perspectives asserted it to be a truth that health, well-being, and the satisfaction of a meaningful place in the world are bound up in helping each other and seeking justice through breaking down of oppression and social barriers.
We looked forward, to working with other churches in Ringwood
in the coming week, as part of the Christian Aid Week campaign to deal with the
impact and aftermath of war in South Sudan and Colombia. And also, to giving thanks in joint worship on 18 May
in Poulner Baptist Chapel.
The invitation was extended to all the participants to
choose readings for future meetings. We
also agreed that we now have a working core to our congregation and discussed
our next initiative for growth, which is likely to take a different, drop-in
format, early on Saturday mornings.
