Street Art

I went on a tour of Newtown street art (read: graffiti) last year. I've always loved graffiti (probably more than I should considering that it's sometimes illegal). Here's some stuff I learned.

Types of street art:

• tagging: people's names; newbies do this as an identity thing and to get their name out there; it's quick to do so is often done illegally
• throw ups: people's names as above, but it's the bubblegum writing
• paste ups & stencils: the younger generation are into these; the older tend to look down on them because they require little skill, effort, expense or risk
  
• pieces: can be people's names or pictures or whatever; a piece is something that a bit of work and skill has gone into; it's usually done legally (ie the owner of the wall has given permission) because it takes a lot of time
• bombing/tagging over people's work: totally accepted except if the person has died or it's a memorial for someone who's died or if it's an Aboriginal or iconic (eg the "I have a dream") piece. Interestingly people don't tag churches.
  

You might be familiar with the "I have a dream" mural on King St, Newtown, near the train station. Well it was done by a couple of guys illegally over a couple of nights with a cherry picker (!). The Aboriginal flag was added later. One of the guys, Andrew is now in England doing life because he murdered a guy in a squat. He then came to Australia, became a Christian, and later confessed his crime to his Christian mentor, who said he should go back to England and turn himself in, which he did. Praise God for this changed man! And praise him that now the people on the street art tour will think of this whenever they see the mural.

Partnership

I wrote recently about how there should be genuine partnership between churches in rich and poor nations. Here's some more ideas for what this might look like:

• Not just relationship between the missionary and the two churches, but relationship between the members of the two congregations.
• Reporting of the missionary's ministry included whenever the home church's ministries are reported (eg church bulletin, notices during the service, weekly email, AGM) - and not in its own special section but lumped in with the other church activities.
• The missionary listed as a staff member and treated as such. When they're back home, they should slot back into their leadership role in their home church.
• Responsibility for mission in the church to be part of the pastor/leadership team's role - rather than the purview of some congregational members.
  
• The missionary to receive the same pastoral care as anyone else (/any other leader) in the church (eg they get put in a small group, prayer triplet etc). The trouble with this is that we don't do this very well for local people who can't make it to the church service because of age or ill-health.
• The missionary to receive the same input in terms of accountability and decision-making as anyone else (/any other leader) in the church.
  
• Send people over to visit the missionary and their church.

H/T one of my missions classes

Interconnectedness

So far as I can see, globalisation can in simplest terms be defined as (increasing) interconnectedness around the world. So it's got a lot in common with interconnectedness around Australia, Hobart, Sydney, or amongst your family and friends. It's complex and multifaceted. It can be done well - lovingly, respectfully, graciously, patiently and wisely. Or it can be done badly. So let's treat those people who live far away as we're like to treat the people who live close by.

Globalisation

Tearfund UK asked people involved in community development work in Africa, Latin America and Asia how globalisation had affected their culture and customs, their churches, as well as some general impressions.1 The thing that struck me most about the results was that now these people are having to deal with the same things as Westerners deal with. Globalisation brings many blessings but it's sad that it also brings challenges of greed and materialism and individualism. It's also sad that we haven't really worked out how to live with these challenges. We're hand-in-hand on this one.

1Wilson, F, "Globalisation from a grassroots, Two-Thirds World perspective: a snapshot" in Tiplady R, One world or many: The impact of globalisation on mission (Pasasena, CA: William Carey Library, 2003), 167-188.

A global view

Another thing we realised in the Global Issues class is how much power we as Westerners have. We don't feel this power; we just feel like ordinary, inconsequential, powerless folk. But we can change the course of our government, we can support or boycott products, we can decide what to do with our lives. This is vast, heady stuff to poor people all over the world.

I guess it makes me think that all the stuff about fair trade or the Millennium Development Goals or whatever shouldn't just be the business and passion of a niche group, but is already the concern of us all whether we acknowledge it or not. So we already have the power - now we just have to use the power for good.

We haven't got it all together and we need prayer

Global Issues in Mission is an awesome subject wildly popular at SMBC . . . not really - I'm one of four students. But it should be popular 'cos it's awesome. We read an article recently which suggested that what looks like partnership between churches in rich and poor countries is actually often an unhealthy co-dependency.1 Rich churches need the poor churches before they can feel good about themselves, and poor churches need the rich ones before they have the confidence to do anything.

The author agreed with those who say that true partnership only happens when both parties recognise their imperfection. Our class suggested one example of this would be if missionaries not only asked their rich, home church to pray for their new, poor church; but if the poor church prayed for the rich church too.

1R Reese, "Globalization and Missions"

Dystopia . . .

The Venezualan President Hugo Chavez has taken 34 broadcasters off air for abusing free speech1 . . . Trouble with this is - you can't!!

1Nina Negron (AFP), 1/8/09 accessed at http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jRokQ7aAQdK0NIJdmNzbB9GLFZGA 3/8/09