Blessed Imp
  • Home
  • About
    • why blessed imp?
    • community at Milton
    • pen and ink reflections
    • transgender journeying
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • why blessed imp?
    • community at Milton
    • pen and ink reflections
    • transgender journeying
  • Blog
  • Contact
roaming reflections on life and spirit
TRANS SPIRIT FLOURISHING SITE
my sermons blog
1ST WAVE CHRISTIAN FEMINISM BLOG

keeping on the Reconciliation journey

28/6/2018

0 Comments

 
Picturerepresentatives of different parts of the ACSQ family at the keynote recent diocesan RAP gathering in Reconciliation Week 2018
One more step along the road we go.  For it is 6 years, almost to the day, since I successfully proposed a diocesan Synod motion for the Anglican Church Southern Queensland to explore a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), inspired by the work done by the Toowoomba Catholic diocese.  I was reminded of this this afternoon as I took part in filming Reconciliation stories with Anglicare Southern Queensland and other diocesan colleagues as part of a new and developing Anglicare Reconciliation project.  It has certainly been a sometimes frustrating, but also, above all, deeply enriching journey for me personally.  For - from Cunnamulla to Buderim, through Toowoomba, the Gold Coast, and Brisbane -  I have walked, yarned and worked with all kinds of people, from all kinds of different spaces and with all kinds of different stories.  So it was lovely to share today in bringing some of this together, in immediate advance of NAIDOC Week, in order to enable fresh steps ahead with many more people.  The RAP, is, and always was and will be, an ambitious project - seeking to work together over such a large and diverse area, with all sections of the diocesan family - and there is so much more to do, but today was an example of how rewarding this can be.


Read More
0 Comments

being a border crosser

4/8/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
A great deal of my life has been spent as a border crosser, on so many levels  A number of factors have no doubt given rise to this, including life contexts and personality.  It is also however a key element in being both a priest and a transgender person.  Much has been written about this from the point of view of priesthood.  Whether lay or ordained, all Christians also share in the ministry of reconciliation (see 2 Corinthians 5.17-20 and elsewhere).  Yet perhaps one of the under-recognised gifts of transgender people is the capacity many of us have to work across the borders of identity and difference.  After all, we have to negotiate this more than most in our very selves.  No wonder that, across the world's cultures, gender variant people have therefore always exercised sacred roles as priests, mediators, go-betweens, and other reconciling figures, in so many aspects of human existence.  No wonder too that some like myself have been drawn into Christian priesthood and border crossing work as a means of finding life for ourselves and others, even when our own transgender identities have been outwardly submerged or suppressed.  As transgender people become more visible and accepted as equal and positive contributors to human life, it will be lovely to see such ministries increasingly more explicitly affirmed, celebrated and nurtured. To be a border crosser, whatever your gender identity, is typically both an uncomfortable but wonderfully rewarding vocation.  So if you are, or know, a border crosser, say a prayer and raise a glass of cheer and comfort!  We are vital, for ourselves and for others.  As Kathy Galloway put it, in a favourite poem of mine (entitled 'Cross-border peace talks'), it is a holy place to be:


Read More
0 Comments

faith in a climate change age

27/1/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
It has been good to contribute recently to a number of faith-based initiatives which are seeking to engage constructively with ecological challenges.  Edited by the excellent Dr Clive Ayre, one of the Australian leading thinkers in this field, the latest journal of the Australian Association of Mission Studies is for example focused on these issues.  It was an honour therefore to contribute some of my thinking and experience of the, often disconnected, relationships between Reconciliation, Ecology and Mission, particularly positively in relation to local projects in Queensland.  It has also been good to hear of planning for the first national conference (this September) of the Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC) and to begin to link up more closely with that work in which I shared in Sydney. Meanwhile the Anglican Board of Mission (ABM) has been moving forward with its own climate change awareness and advocacy, on behalf of Australian Anglicans as a whole.  Some of its work and plans can be found here, including an article I was pleased to contribute from my experience in the Philippines and eco-theological studies.  The article itself is also to be found below (just click "Read More").  All these things seem such small steps but together, by God's grace, we can make a difference...


Read More
0 Comments

connecting to country with canoe and internet

25/1/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
Congratulations to St Mark's Buderim for another wonderful Reconciliation event today: Celebration of Country 2017.  Following a Welcome to Country by local cultural educator and traditional owner Jacquie Davis, the centrepiece was a sharing of the story of the Nandjimadji outrigger canoe project, with artists Aunty Robyn Lennox and Aunty Tracey Nicholson from the Nanjimadji Artists (a local group of Indigenous people with disabilities).  The video shown can be seen below or directly on You Tube here.  It is both illustrative of the value of cultural healing - a significant feature of local life in this area of the Sunshine Coast - and of the way in which such artefacts can be vibrant symbolic, and literal (!), vehicles for community, learning and deeper relationships in our Australian society.  It was a lovely tonic in the face of the crassness of much that will occur on the horribly mischosen date 'Australia Day' this week.   Today's gathering, ably facilitated by the Ven Jeremy Greaves and the St Mark's team, was also the fruit of many years of relationship building, similar events and the hospitality of St Marks.  As such it continues to be an encouraging model for others to follow. Indeed, such local connections have now created a welcome new internet resource - the Buderim Indigenous and South Sea Islander Peoples History website.  It was launched at the event today by Steve Chillingworth and Meredith Walker who, as a project of Buderim Sails ministry have worked with local Indigenous & South Sea Islanders on it. Including a number of stories, sites and other information, it is another step in the journey of Reconciliation, and will grow - hopefully to be copied and adapted by others elsewhere.

0 Comments

'but do you have a flag?'

8/11/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
At the risk of sounding like The Big Bang Theory's Dr Sheldon Cooper, we have been having some appropriate 'fun with flags' at St Luke's Toowoomba over the last few days, as we have sought to honour the tragedy and courage of our broken Australian and international histories.  Firstly we held our annual Remembrance Service, remembering the fallen and damaged of the great wars and conflicts in which Australians have been engaged, as well as praying for peace across the world.  This involved armed services representatives, our mayor and local MPs, retired services organisations, Harlaxton RSL band, serving army chaplain the Revd David Snape, a fine sermon from the Revd Penny Jones, and display of the three services ensigns and main Australian flag. The collection from the service also once again went towards the maintenance of the Warriors Chapel in St Luke's, a space for our city which honours the fallen and damaged of various conflicts (including those of the world wars, Korea, and Vietnam) and which holds a number of banners from former times. 

Picture
A new step this year however will be the addition to the Warriors Chapel of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.  These will be installed next Monday, 14 November, alongside a beautiful memorial cross to remember the Battle of One Tree Hill, one of the most significant local conflicts in the European invasion and settlement of the Toowoomba region.  This is part of our Reconciliation journey together as we learn more about our shared histories and walk more closely together for healing and a better world.  The Aboriginal and Torres Strait island flags are recognised national flags of Australia and are available free from MPs offices to recognised bodies.  It was a delight therefore to receive these for St Luke's yesterday from the office of the Hon John McVeigh. 

We pray together that all the flags we will hold at St Luke's will bring renewed honour and dignity to all they represent.  I did have a little wry chuckle yesterday however as I received the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island flags.  They, like all our flags, are deeply sacramental of identity, visibility, connection and life.  Yet in another sense, they can also be aspects of our human capacity for pompousness and far worse, if they are not regarded properly with humility and care for all.  For, as Eddie Izzard put it memorably, especially for those of us with British backgrounds, flags are also very curious constructions...
0 Comments

Our diocesan Reconciliation Action Plan launched

8/11/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
It was a huge delight to be part of the launch of the Reconciliation Action Plan of the Anglican Church Southern Queensland (diocese of Brisbane) in St John's Cathedral Brisbane last Thursday.  Together with a Welcome to Country, didgeridoo music, food, and audio-visual display of Reconciliation activities across the diocese, a particular highlight was also the performance of the Malu Kiai Mura Baui dance troupe and speeches from Archbishop Phillip Aspinall and our National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Anglican Council diocesan leaders Canon Bruce Boase and Aunty Rose Elu.  Almost 200 people attended the event, including the most prominent lay and ordained Anglican leaders in the diocese, local elders and representatives of leading organisations such as Reconciliation Queensland.

Picture
The RAP Launch was the culmination of four years work of awareness and relationship building across the diocese and represents a significant step forward.  Indeed the ACSQ RAP is highly unusual for the sheer scale of its geographical and organisational extent, covering both such a large area of Australia with so many different Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples and involving every section of the diocese, including finance and service departments, as well as parishes, schools, St Francis College and Anglicare.  May God bless all involved in making this next stage of shared commitment real in the days ahead. 

A full copy of the ACSQ Innovate RAP can be downloaded here. 
0 Comments

reconciliation and baptismal calling

3/6/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
The theme for this year's Reconciliation Week has been particularly fruitful for those of us who are practising Christians.  It has provided another positive link between our faith and the journey of healing and justice in our land.  For each element of the threefold heading has meaning for both the Christian pathway and that of Australia's many peoples. Indeed it was a delight to preside at baptisms this week in this dual context.  For 'Our History' calls us to reflect, and act, upon, the question 'where do we come from?'  Neither an individual, nor a nation, can go far without acknowledging and being in proper touch with the bedrock of our lives, whether our historical memory or spiritual 'dreaming' and relationship to God.  'Our Story' similarly calls us to reflect, and act, upon, the question 'what do we belong to?'.  This is vital for both individuals and communities.  In the Christian case, this involves participation in the 'Jesus Christ', or biblical 'God' Story: in a sense, our Christian 'Dreaming'.  Meanwhile, 'Our Future' calls us to reflect, and act, upon the question 'where are we going?'  This is vital for purpose and meaning, new life and the realisation of our individual and shared gifts and potential.  For Christians, this involves living further into the promise of shalom which God has for us and all his/her children.  May all we have thus shared this week strengthen our ancient foundations, our walking together, and life in the Spirit of renewal.

0 Comments

plunge in the pool: ministry and mission Cunnamulla way

2/12/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
At the heart of the community of Cunnamulla in western Queensland is the town swimming pool.  As in many Indigenous, or Indigenous-majority, communities, it plays a central role in fostering community, health, connections and life of various kinds.  In Cunnamulla this is certainly notable, not least through the marvellous work of Marianne Johnstone who not only manages the facilities, including the 50 metre olympic-style pool, but wonderfully trains and leads swimming, triathlon and other activities.
One of the highlights of our recent diocesan Reconciliation Action Plan initiative in Cunnamulla was therefore the Saturday afternoon swimming gala.  The climax of this was the invitation relay race, led by the local mayor Lindsay Godfrey.  Our group was encouraged to join in and bishop Cameron Venables and local Anglican Minister Steffan van Munster duly stepped forward to help form a team which came a very creditable third (the winners being an able relay of local Aboriginal young men).   It was a powerful symbol of both Cameron and Steffan's ministry among local communities.  Instead of simply sitting on the sidelines, or dispensing prizes (though bishop Cameron did that too!), they plunged right into the heart of community life, literally getting soaked in the process. 
Plunging into the pool is a powerful metaphor for what Christians call the incarnation, the way of Jesus which involves plunging fully into all life has to offer and all of the human condition.  Sometimes Christianity, and Christian theology, has been a bit of an, albeit usually kindly and well-intentioned, onlooker activity.  Getting wet however is not a real option for genuine ministry and mission.  Gustavo Gutierrez, the great Latin American pioneer of liberation theology, reflected that  a truly incarnational theology is 'the second act', after the commiitment to life, justice, solidarity with the poor, peace and reconciliation.  This is certainly true of the journey of Australian Reconciliation as well as faith development in general. 
What of my involvement in the pool, you might ask?  Well, being a water-challenged person on account of my very British and rural upbringing (far from the unwelcoming cold seas around the UK and at a distance from a pool like Cunnamulla's), I did not myself jump in that pool, although I did offer to join either the running or cycling leg of any similar triathlon.  Yet I hope that, in other things I do, I also have the faith to keep plunging in the pool of life.  We also have to reflect but active participation is vital.  Jump in, as they say in Cunnamulla, the water is wonderful.

0 Comments

community building and Reconciliation - all about people

30/11/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
It was a delight today to host a local - Toowoomba - launch of Aunty Mary Mitchell's autobiography Mary's Story (published by Mulga Mob Publishing)  A wonderful Aboriginal lady. Aunty Mary has been at the loving heart of her family, community and church throughout her life and her story is one of heartache and joy.  Born in 1938 at a place called Bob's Hut, Tilbooroo Station, Eulo in Queensland, she has lived her whole life around the Cunnamulla/Eulo area.  She has been in Toowoomba recently to receive an award from the Cancer Council for her wonderful voluntary work and it seemed too good an opportunity not to celebrate her life together with others and share her book more widely.
We were joined today by a very good mix of family and friends from Toowoomba and much further west, form church and much wider community relationships.  It was another living witness of how community building and Reconciliation is all about people, embodied in marvelous examples like Aunty Mary.

0 Comments

time to honour Resistance on the Range

12/9/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
The second Toowoomba Range crossing should be called Multuggerah Way: such is the excellent suggestion of local elder, and Australian jockey great, Uncle Darby McCarthy (pictured here with Jagera leader Madonna Thomson and Dr Mark Copland at the Multuggerah lookout in J.E.Duggan park).    What a great way to help redeem our shared history and honour the remarkable story of Indigenous resistance in the Toowoomba area!  Fairly recently a major stretch of the Warrego Highway, between Toowoomba and Brisbane, was named after the great Rugby League footballer Darren Lockyer.  The names, and stories, of local Indigenous achievers are very hard to find however.  Indeed, Uncle Darby's suggestion comes on the back of the failure of Toowoomba Regional Council to improve the existing plaques on the Toowoomba Range which  commemorate the Battle of One Trill Hill (Table Top mountain).   Whilst Uncle Darby and Dr Mark Copland had had official conversations with Council figures towards ensuring the story was properly told, this very week the plaques were simply renewed in their imperfect state: hardly an appropriate way to mark today's 172nd anniversary. 

Multuggerah's story is a part of the rich Indigenous story of our region and nation: full of life and courage, and of personal and community strength, as well as of pain and sorrow which demands full attention.  It is part of the mixed memory of our land and peoples without which we are diminished and even disorientated.  It is a potential source of learning, pride and healing.  How powerful a reconciling sign it would therefore be to have Multuggerah recognised as Uncle Darby suggests.   In the next little while it is hoped to explore the idea further.  The recent experience with the lookout plaques indicates there is a journey to be made.

0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    Jo Inkpin an Anglican priest, trans woman, theologian and justice activist.  These are some of my reflections on life, spirit, and the search for peace, justice and sustainable creation.

    Archives

    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All
    1 John
    2 Corinthians 5
    2D
    360
    ABM
    Aboriginal
    Abuse
    Acland
    Activism
    Adnate
    Advent
    A.J.P.Taylor
    Alan Webster
    All Saints
    Anglican
    Anglicanism
    Anglican Overseas Aid
    Anglicare
    Angligreen
    ANZAC
    Apology
    Archbishop Of Canterbury
    Art
    Asylum Seekers
    Athanasius
    Attention
    Aunty Mary MItchell
    Aunty Rose Elu
    Australia
    Avrom Satzkever
    Azim Khamisa
    Baghdad
    Baha'i
    Baptism
    Barnard Castle
    Battle Of One Tree Hill
    BCP
    Beach
    Beauty
    Bendigo
    Berlin
    Bible
    Billy Bragg
    Bio-technology
    Birth
    Bishop
    Blackadder
    Blessed Imp
    Blessing
    Bob Dylan
    Body
    Bonhoeffer
    Border Crosser
    Bouddi
    Bridge Building
    Brisbane
    Britain
    British
    Bruce Boase
    Buddhist
    Buderim
    Bunnings
    Bunya
    Burstows
    Calvin
    Cameron Venables
    Campfire
    Canberra
    Candlemas
    Candles
    Canoe
    Carnival Of Flowers
    Cathedral
    Catholic
    Celebration
    Celtic
    Central Coast
    Change
    Chaplain
    Chartres
    Children
    Chipping Camden
    Christ
    Christian
    Christian Feminism
    Christian Socialist
    Christina Beardsley
    Christmas
    Chumbawamba
    Church
    Church Of England
    Civil War
    Clergy
    Climate Change
    Coming Out
    Communion
    Community
    Community Of Aidan And Hilda
    Compassion
    Conflict Resolution
    Conscience
    Consecration
    Contemplative Prayer
    Contemporary
    Corinne Ware
    Courage
    Creation
    Creativity
    Cross
    CSG
    C.S.Lewis
    Culture
    Cunnamulla
    Dadirri
    Dales
    Data
    David Brown
    Death
    Deborah
    Democratic
    Development
    Dialogue
    Diversity
    Drama
    Dream
    Dreaming
    Durham
    Easter
    Easterfest
    Ecology
    Ecumenism
    Eddie Izzard
    Education
    Emmaus
    England
    English
    Enlightenment
    Eric Hobsbawm
    Ethics
    Europe
    Evangelical
    Evangelism
    Faith
    Family
    Fasting
    Fear
    Female
    Feminine
    Feminism
    FIve Lands Walk
    Flag
    Flag Washing
    Football
    Forgiveness
    Formed Faith
    Foucault
    Francis
    Frederick The Great
    Freedom
    Future
    Gallipoli
    Garden City
    Garnet Lehmann
    Gateshead
    Gay
    Gayby Baby
    Gender
    Generosity
    Generous Love
    Geoff Garner
    George Monbiot
    George Tyrrell
    German
    Germany
    G.K.Chesterton
    Glennie
    Glory
    God
    Goodwill Committee
    Gosford
    Gospel
    Grace
    Grafton
    Gratefulness
    Great Dividing Range
    Grief
    Gutierrez
    Handyman Blues
    Haniff
    Harari
    Harmony
    Healing
    Heart
    Hills Hoist
    History
    Hitler
    Holding The Man
    Holy Spirit
    Holy Week
    Home
    Homophobia
    Hope
    Hospiltality
    Hospitality
    Humanism
    Human Rights
    IDAHOT
    Iftar
    Imagination
    Incarnation
    Inclusive
    Inculturation
    Indigenous
    Inter Faith
    Inter-faith
    Intersex
    Iona
    Iraq
    Isaiah
    Islam
    Jacob
    Jacob's Ladder
    Jamaica
    Jennifer Herrick
    Jerusalem
    Jesus
    Jewish
    Jim Thompson
    Joanna Macy
    John-arlott
    John Donne
    John Main
    John Maynard
    John Odonohue
    John Seed
    Jonathan Sargeant
    Joseph
    Joy
    Judith
    Julian Of Norwich
    Justice
    Kader Attia
    Kathe Kollwitz
    Kathy Galloway
    Keir Hardie
    Kingdom Of God
    King's Cross
    Labyrinth
    Land
    Lansbury
    Laurence Freeman
    Law
    Lazarus
    Lesbian
    Leveller
    LGBT
    LGBTI
    LGBTI+
    Liberty
    Life
    Lincoln
    Liturgy
    Lock The Gate
    London
    Loss
    Love
    Love Of God
    Luke
    Lust
    Magna Carta
    Magnificat
    Male
    Mark Copland
    Marriage
    Marriage Equality
    Martin Luther
    Martin Luther King
    Mary
    Mary Oliver
    Masculinity
    Maundy Thursday
    MCG
    Meditation
    Megan Defranza
    Meiling
    Melinda Tankard Reist
    Men
    Messy Church
    Middle East
    Milton
    Mining
    Ministry
    Minster
    Mission
    Monk
    Mosque
    Movie
    Multuggerah
    Mural
    Muslim
    Mystery
    Mysticism
    Myth
    NAIDOC
    Nandjimadji
    Nation
    Nauru
    Needlework
    Neighbour
    Nepal
    New Creation
    New South Wales
    New Year
    Nonviolence
    Oprah Winfrey
    Ordination
    Orlando
    Orthodox
    Oscar Romero
    Oscar Wilde
    Owl
    Pacific
    Pacifism
    Pain
    Palestine
    Palm Sunday
    Pankhurst
    Paris
    Parish
    Parliament
    Passion
    Pastoral Care
    Paul
    Paul Kelly
    Peace
    Peace Day
    Penny Jones
    Pentecost
    Peter Catt
    Pethick Lawrence
    PFLAG
    Philippines
    Pilgrim
    Play
    Poet
    Poetry
    Poland
    Police
    Politics
    Pope Francis
    Post-Enlightenment
    Potsdam
    Power
    Prayer
    Prayer Book
    Preaching
    Presence
    Priest
    Principle
    Promise
    Proselytism
    Psalm
    Pure Land
    Puritan
    Queensland
    Queer
    Qu'ran
    Ramadan
    Rangeville
    RAP
    Reconciliation
    Reformation
    Refugees
    Religion
    Remembrance
    Repair
    Repentance
    Resilience
    Resistance
    Resurrection
    RI
    Ritual
    Rodney Croome
    Rosa Luxemburg
    Royal Commission
    Running
    Sacrifice
    Salvation
    School
    Scotland
    Scottish
    Scripture
    Secularism
    Seder
    Service
    Sexism
    Sexuality
    Shakespeare
    Shame
    Sharon Roberts
    Shelley Argent
    Shoah
    Sibyls
    Simplicity
    Sin
    Singapore
    Social Justice
    Solidarity
    Solomon Islands
    Songline
    Soul
    Spiritual Direction
    Spirituality
    Spirituality Wheel
    Sport
    Stanhope
    St Brigid's
    Steffan Van Munster
    Stewardship
    St Francis College
    St Hilda
    St Luke
    St Luke's
    St Mark's
    Stonewall
    Story
    St Paul's
    Streets And Lanes
    Subversive Memory
    Suffering
    Suffrage
    Suffragette
    Sufi
    Susan Cottrell
    Sydney
    Table Top
    TACAPS
    Taize
    Tea
    Terrorism
    Thanksgiving
    The Glennie School
    The Green House
    Theology
    Thomas Berry
    Thomas Merton
    Toowoomba
    Torres Strait
    Tradition
    TRAMS
    Trans
    Transfiguration
    Transformation
    Transgender
    Transition
    Trasnition
    Treaty
    Trees
    Trust
    Truth
    Uncle Darby McCarthy
    UNESCO
    Unity
    USQ
    Vancouver
    Venerable Master Chin Kung
    Vicar Of Bray
    Violence
    Vocation
    Voluntary
    Volunteers
    War
    Warriors Chapel
    Warsaw
    Water
    Watershed
    WCC
    WCCM
    Wedding
    Weird
    Wellspring Community
    Welsh
    Whitechapel
    Wild Goose Publications
    William Bartholomew
    William Blake
    Wisdom
    Witness
    Women
    Women In Harmony
    Word
    World Council Of Churches
    Worship
    Woy Woy
    Young People
    Youth

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly