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 Green House Prayers |
The Green House, Buderim
Land for People not Profit; Read about our 150 Year Initiative.
Heather Johnson writes: Over the last few years my family (four households) has returned to our original family land at Buderim which includes 25 acres of bush. We are keen environmentalists and are in the process of obtaining Nature Refuge Status through the State Government. This will ensure that the land can never be developed. |
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We have also been attempting to develop community access. A house we own, at 168 Lindsay Rd called the Green House, has been renovated to be used to as a base for day programs or small groups camping. |
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Our programs are auspiced by SAILS (Anglican Sailing Adventures in Life Skills) which is an organization in Brisbane Anglican Diocese in which volunteers provide recreational and educational programs for youth at risk and other disadvantaged members of the community. Click for Sails. |
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Each Tuesday several intellectually challenged men gather with us at the Green House. We do lots of things together and interact with many members of the local community who drop in from from time to time. For 30 years these men were cared for by a couple who are now in their 80's and have finally retired. |
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The group used at times to number up to 40. Today they live in a government facility but enjoy their weekly visits to the Green House. |
A Happy Time of Community Access |
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Each Tuesday we make craft paper, which is used for making decorative letters and cards to relatives and friends. One of these men himself old enough to be a grandfather recently managed to write his first letter to his mother. She was over the moon, and the thrill these guys get from being able to communicate this way is really tops. Making colourful posters is high on the adgenda too. |
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A young lady comes to teach dancing – a popular lesson. We do bush hikes. The Tuesday group have a monthly community day (a barbeque lunch) to which everyone is invited. |
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Great Support From the Buderim Community -- Perhaps You Would Like to Be A Part |
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We are so thankful for lots of support from the immediate local community who provide our programs with many goods and voluntary services. We have an enthusiastic group of volunteers who help run our programs. The Tuesday group has some input into many of our activities. |
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We have close connections with local hospital chaplains. Making holding crosses and cards for them to give to their clients. It is a great activity where the men of the Tuesday group like to play a part. Sandpapering wooden crosses is good. It helps someone, and wood looks great and feels great. See the holding cross to the left. As well as the program for intellectually disabled, mentally ill, and brain injured people, we run a programs for for youth at risk. We are involved in environmental issues and are developing walking tracks. The Tuesday group enjoy decorating sticks for pilgrims to help on the hills along the bush tracks. |
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Tribal Land Blessing -- Matt Lamont The land on which we stand is Gubbi Gubbi, Unandambi, and Nalbo land. Bless the tribal peoples who have walked here in ages past, who walk it now and will walk it in the future. This is a land to respect, nurture, and be with Great Spirit, For the silence of the land be blessed, For the water from the skies and the heat of the sun be blessed, For the fruit of the land be blessed, May You embrace, circle and fill our beings each moment of our lives. Tribal Land Blessing -- Buderim Group We are sad that our Christian tradition has come to symbolize extinguishing culture and loss of human rights to many indigenous people. We apologize for our sins and those of our forefathers, both the obvious ones of greed and hate and the sins we have committed against our aboriginal brothers and sisters through ignorance. We come respectfully looking for common ground with people of good will from all traditions and searching for a way we can work together for the healing of the land and our communities. Some of us have been oppressed for a long time by the grief of old pain in this particular piece of land of which we are the custodians. We are grateful for the gifts of insight, knowledge, healing, and love that people have contributed to the process of healing which is now underway. We ask for the gifts of joy and love with which to continue this work. We ask for wisdom in how we manage the land in the future. We pray blessing on the land for the wildlife especially the bees, for the plants, for the soil, rocks, and streams. We pray for peace between the people who live around here (naming the streets). We pray for our families (naming our forbears who have been associated with the land and naming present family members). The scriptures say Since we are surrounded by so great a crowd of witnesses we lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and run with perseverance the race which is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12 v1 We thank you that you have given us food, drink and shelter and this beautiful place to live in. (We concluded with the Lord’s Prayer.) |
The following prayer session is quite specific to a locality but you may enjoy the exercise of adapting it to your locality.
We Prayed for the Healing of Quiet Valley Buderim We acknowledge the traditional owners of this land. Thanks (Heather) Sorrys (Ros) We choose to wholeheartedly forgive any local people we feel resentment towards. Blessings (Sue) The people (Judy) We think of children who have been raised here and have grown up and gone away and the children who still live here. The sending out (Bob) Amen. |