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a healthy church...transformingLIFE |
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August 2006 |
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ABM – One black face to anotherOne hundred years ago, the first Anglican missionaries landed on the beach near Dogura in Papua New Guinea. The tribal people were cannibals, but a local woman exhibited the sign of peace and protection towards the strange pale-skinned visitors, paving the way for the region’s acceptance of Christianity. In 2006, a son of the Dogura people, Fr Hiley Diweula is now fulfilling God’s call as an ABM-funded missionary in Australia. For the past two years, Fr Hiley has been attached to St Mary’s Church in Alice Springs, working with indigenous and white Australians. His ‘mission’, originally funded through the Brisbane Diocese’s contribution to ABM, sought ways to particularly engage young Aboriginal people. The experience, he admits, has been an eye-opener. ‘I find that to help people have faith in God here is very difficult,’ Fr Hiley lamented. ‘I was told we’d see drinking, and drugs and gambling – and we have -- but they are nothing compared to what else we have seen: so much suffering because of a spiritual lacking. And it is not just among the blackfellas. ‘The whitefellas are well off, and God is not much needed. They think it comes from luck. Australia is not the lucky country. It is a blessed country. The riches come because God has blessed these people.’ ‘Aboriginal people are spiritual people. What they need is to find a way to enjoy God their way. We know that cultural renewal, spiritual renewal and social change are closely linked,’ Fr Hiley said. ‘I am proud to be a Melanesian Christian. To worship my way is pure joy. There is a connection with my cultural past and with my God. Here in Australia we encourage traditional dance, music, song – corroboree – in worship and the joy that comes from it is amazing,’ he said. Fr Hiley’s connection with the Alice Springs’ indigenous population spans all ages. He works with schools; he street-evangelises late on Friday nights in the Alice Spring Mall; and he takes prayer time to outlying camps. ‘The people that I meet are really open-hearted. I am welcomed – one black face to another, even if I am Melanesian. Yet I feel sorry that their acceptance of this blackfella in their community is so very much needed.’ Fr Hiley came to Australia with his wife Rita, who works in an Alice Springs aged care home, and two of their three children. The Diocese of Northern Territory and the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea (ACPNG) are both delighted with Fr Hiley’s ground-breaking role: for the Northern Territory, there is connection with a community ‘lost’ to the church while the ACPNG fulfills its desire as a ‘sending church’, playing a critical role in cross-cultural ministry.
To make a donation towards this ministry please call 1300 302 663 or click here Article courtesy of Heather Grant and Focus, Brisbane. |
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