“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” – Proverb from the First Nations people of Turtle Island
Dear friends,
Anything worth building must be done with the intention to outlast its builder. These are the conditions of sustainable transformation.
This year, The Warehouse turned 21. We celebrated this coming of age with dear friends at the Jesus and Justice Gathering in June. Through this year we have also taken time to discern more deeply the invitation God has been extending to us to shift our strategic horizons and build towards the next 100 years: for a time we won’t live to see, for a harvest we won’t be around to reap.
Building towards the next 100 years requires not only a long-term vision that outlasts us, but also capacity-building: putting steps of sustainability in place that will ensure that those who follow after us do not start from a deficit, but build on strong foundations. And we cannot and will not do this alone. Over the past 21 years, The Warehouse has been championed by a strong justice movement, locally and internationally. In turn, we have sought to champion this same movement: a movement of individuals, families, small groups, local congregations, faith-based organisations, academics and ecumenical networks who all believe that the Good News of Jesus encompasses the restoration of all that has been lost*. This movement works from the conviction that the salvation offered through Jesus does not end with the restoration and reconciliation of individuals to God, but extends to transform the whole world: the relationships between all people and peoples, the structures and systems which are shaped by, and shape, these relationships, and the whole of creation.
This movement is not of humankind’s making, but that of the Holy Spirit: one that began long before we existed and will continue long after we are gone. Over the past 21 years, we have sought to live and work in alignment to the Holy Spirit, constantly discerning what our specific role is in this broader collective. In truth, the Warehouse does not exist outside of this broader collective. Even as we chaplain, champion, convene, capacitate and collaborate with various parts of it, we are only one small part and are constantly being chaplained, championed and capacitated in turn. This draws us back to the basic concept best presented to us by the ideal of Ubuntu (Umntu ngumntu ngabantu – meaning a person is a person through other people). We are all part of one body.
In this newsletter, we hope you catch a glimpse of this wider collective and recognise yourself in it. We invite you to the launch of a book which was specifically written by our own Colleen Saunders as a gift to the next generation of Jesus-following activists; we celebrate with young leaders who are co-creating new approaches to worship in our context; we give you different ways for you to plug into various events happening in our city and country, offer some reflections from our wider international family and share some highlights from our last few months of work with beautiful people and groups all seeking to proclaim and demonstrate – to bear witness to – the Good News of Jesus in their own contexts.
We hope you are encouraged that you are not alone!
With love,
*Luke 19:10