JourneyOnline
BRISBANE LORD Mayor Campbell Newman commended the church for its role in assisting his council to create an inclusive and harmonious environment in the city last month during his annual prayer breakfast at City Hall.
The breakfast was packed with representatives from churches and Christian ministries and organisations.
“The churches particularly are the social glue holding our city together,” Councillor Newman said during his welcome address.
But it was the key note speaker, former principal of Trinity Theological College and past President of the Uniting Church National Assembly, Rev Prof James Haire who reminded people of the great things that can be done through faith.
Currently the executive director of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture in Canberra, Prof Haire said the government, whether local, state, national or International, can only provide so much.
“Governments can’t provide meaning for human existence; they can only protect the right to search for that meaning.
“That’s where Christianity comes in … it provides absolute certainty and hope for the future,” he said.
Prof Haire used four images of the church from the Apostle Paul’s writings to illustrate his points – the church as a pilgrim people; the church as the bride of Christ; the church as the
The reaction of the gathering to the message from Prof Haire and the ability to come together and pray corporately was overwhelmingly positive with even the Lord Mayor, emotional, as he thanked Prof Haire and the community for attending his breakfast.
Prayers were offered by representatives of the local Christian community for the emergency services and defence personnel, the church, chaplaincy and communities, youth and education, local, state and national political and business leaders as well as the disenfranchised and volunteers.
Moderator Rev Bruce Johnson, who gave the vote of thanks, reminisced momentarily about the professor’s days as principal of Trinity College.
Donations from this year’s breakfast will go to the Lord Mayor’s chosen charity H.E.A.L (Home of Expressive Arts in Learning), a school based mental health program at Milpera on the north side of Brisbane for adolescent refugees and migrants whose aim is to enhance the well being of students in the multi cultural school population, to aid in settlement and ultimately improve learning outcomes.
Photo : Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman with James Haire and Bruce Johnson at the Prayer Breakfast. Photo by MAtt Gees
