JourneyOnline
By Andrew McKaysmith, Synod Writer and Content Creator.
The Chair of the Multi-Cross-Cultural Reference Group encourages everyone to learn how to say ‘Peace’ in another language during Multicultural Queensland Month.
Rev Louisa Yu believes that the simple gesture of learning a word or phrase common across all cultures will help build strong bonds between members of the congregation and the community. Compliance with strict social distancing rules throughout COVID made shaking hands impossible, which is when Rev Yu said she developed the concept.
“We first practised greeting others by saying ‘hello’ in a language other than English to those who are not born in Australia, and in Aussie slang like “G’day” and “Howdy” to our Australian-born friends, which people embraced,” she said.
“I saw many smiles, so I will take it to the next level this year. I’m challenging our people to learn how to say ‘Peace’ in at least one other language other than their native tongue”.
Multicultural Queensland Month is a state government initiative throughout August each year. The theme for 2022, ‘Inclusion in Action’, offers practical ways to break down language barriers. Rev Yu said she was grateful the government recognised the contribution of Queenslanders of all backgrounds.
“I thought it’s good to create this atmosphere and for the church to work together with the government on these occasions. I think that’s a beautiful thing.”
In addition to her role as Chair, Rev Louisa Yu leads the congregation at Windsor Uniting Church and is a chaplain at St. Andrews War Memorial Hospital. Across all her roles, Rev Yu said she is a dedicated and passionate advocate for multicultural ministry.
“I think being a multicultural church is what God truly wants, and we should embrace and start talking to our neighbours,” she said.
“We are all pilgrims on the journey. We are striving to be a multicultural church. We should celebrate diversity and the beauty of having cultural and language diversity in our country.”
Learn more about the Uniting Church’s Multi-Cross-Cultural Reference Group here and Multicultural Queensland Month here.
*Peace in many languages*
- Brazilian Portuguese: paz
- Chinese: 和平
- Croatian: mir
- Czech: mír
- Danish: fred
- Dutch: vrede
- European Spanish: paz
- Finnish: rauha
- French: paix
- German: Friede
- Greek: ειρήνη
- Italian: pace
- Japanese: 平穏
- Korean: 평화
- Norwegian: fred
- Polish: pokój
- European Portuguese: paz
- Romanian: pace
- Russian: мир
- Latin American Spanish: paz
- Swedish: fred
- Thai: สันติภาพ
- Turkish: barış
- Ukrainian: мир
- Vietnamese: sự yên tĩnh
