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DESTINATION JUSTICE
How Baptist churches do justice in their communities
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By Bethany Cliff
CHRISTINE REDWOOD
When the senior pastor of Riverlife Baptist in QLD launched his vision for the year—that he believed God was calling his congregation into unchartered waters to meet the needs of the local community—he didn’t expect, well, floods. Or the opportunities they would bring.
Located in the western suburbs of Brisbane, Riverlife was quick to transform its church building into a flood recovery centre, adapting their existing Street Teams ministry (pictured above)—volunteers helping those in their community with odd-jobs around their homes—to provide care and support to families impacted by the 2022 floods.
‘It was such an organic and natural way for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community,’ said Senior Pastor John Robertson. ‘Within an hour’s notice we had our first family arrive. They had lost everything.’
Recognising they weren’t experts in disaster relief and trauma but had resources and time to offer, the team at Riverlife worked closely with their local council and a clinical psychologist. They provided shelter for 70 people and hosted many more with meals, fellowship, and medical support. They even had a vet nurse on site to tend to evacuated pets.
Riverlife isn’t alone in its commitment to loving their neighbours. Many congregations are taking seriously the mandate to do justice. Churches in Victoria are providing low to no rent transitional housing, case work, and practical support for people seeking asylum. Churches in the Northern Territory—some First Nations Churches, others working with First Nations people—are advocating for justice.
In southeast Queensland, Gateway Baptist operates a free mobile grocery and clothing van (pictured below) for refugees and asylum seekers. They work closely with local support organisations and encourage them to invite their clients to visit. They make sure that their guests get to choose which items they would like ‘because so many choices have been taken away from them,’ said Care Pastor Sarah Watterson. ‘We want to come alongside other people and support what’s already going on as we build trust and relationships.’
Expressing hospitality to those who’ve lost their homes in a flood or because of conflict in their homeland is an expression of justice, according to Sarah. She believes it’s about, ‘valuing the one, showing the love of Jesus because that’s what Jesus does for us.’ But it’s not always easy for a local church in a wealthy country to put justice on its agenda. Like many churches on their journey to justice, Seaforth Baptist in Sydney feels the tension that comes in knowing how to focus their efforts—local or global? While both are important, said Seaforth Senior Pastor Christine Redwood, sometimes doing global justice can be ‘easier’ because you can outsource to specialists.
Seaforth Baptist has been a long-term advocate for Baptist World Aid’s Ethical Fashion Guide, disaster response work, and community development programs. They’ve raised funds, hosted clothes swaps, and joined calls for political justice. But Christine has been encouraging her church to find ways they can use their time and creativity to pursue local justice, to make it a part of their everyday lives. Beginning during the COVID lockdown, some of her congregation members now cook meals for a local organisation that cares for vulnerable people—including domestic violence victims—in Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
‘We don’t have the capacity to do everything ourselves because we’re a small church,’ she said, ‘but we’re able to join in on something local with different organisations involved. Justice, after all, means loving your neighbour so they can flourish. It’s part of worship that God calls us to.’
BE A CATALYST FOR CHANGE
From helping protect two million children from forced labour in the Uzbek cotton industry to lobbying Cadbury for ethical sourcing and production standards, Catalyst advocates in local churches have been instrumental in leading Christians to create change.
To find out how you can become involved in Catalyst and help bring positive change to people experiencing injustice, scan here. bwaa.co/join-catalyst
