Skydiver dies after both chutes fail

UPDATED MAY 27, 2012 9:23 PM ET

     

 

A veteran skydiver died in a horror accident in Australia over the weekend, when both his main and reserve parachutes failed to open after he jumped from a plane.

The accident happened Sunday afternoon in the Lockyer Valley west of Brisbane, in Queensland.

Jump organizers Ripcord Skydivers said the man, who was not named but believed to be aged in his 60s, had jumped more than 1,000 times previously.

A Queensland Police Service spokeswoman said he died on impact, according to The Courier-Mail.

"For whatever reason his parachute has failed to deploy and he has died at the scene," she said. Investigations were continuing.

Earlier this year, a US skydiver who had trained Navy SEALs and completed more than 8,000 jumps died near Los Angeles while attempting a dangerous maneuver during a competition.

Sean Carey, 35, landed heavily in a pond while swooping -- which involves traveling just feet above the ground at high speeds -- at the event in February.

Happy Mother's Day 2012

Happy Mother's Day to all my Sisters in the Lord, my Friends, all you women who are acknowledged, especially those who are not acknowledge.

Especially those who are unnamed
Especially those who are unknown.
Especially those who are despised.
Especially those who are never paid.
Especially those whose constant care, nurturing, security, protection, guardianship is not recognised!


Happy Mother's day to those who still have their darling husbands with them.
To the widowed Mothers who simply have memories of their loved ones, their children.
To those Single Mothers who are divorced.
To those Single Mothers who are separated.
To those Single Mothers who have never been married.
To those Mothers who have adopted children and cared for them as their own.
For those Mothers who gave birth to us amidst the uncertainity and pain.
To those Mothers who chose to embrace us as their own and nurtured us.
To those Mothers who don't know where the next meal is coming form.
To those Mothers who don't know if her children will afford school next term.
To those Mothers anywhere in the world who wake up very early, toil and strive like donkeys in any way so their children may get better lives.
To those Mothers who turn to prostitution when they can't see another way so that their children may be and become.


To all those Mothers who are sick and suffering.
To those who cant take care of their children because of different reasons.


To those Mothers who were forced in pain to have children and not on their own terms.


To all those Mothers who are carrying generations as grandmothers and great grandmothers.
We esteem Mary, Mother of Jesus, Mother exemplary, who even in her young age, as a virgin, simply agreed to God's plan for our salvation.
Kiriba kitya ekyo Malaika, kubanga nze simanyi musajja!

"My soul magnifies the Lord
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because he has regarded the lowliness of his handmaid;
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because he who is mighty has done great things for me,and holy is his name;
And his mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm,He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,and the rich he has sent away empty
.He has given help to Israel, his servant, mindful of his mercy
Even as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity."

The Magnificat, taken from Luke’s Gospel (1:46-55), is the Blessed Virgin Mary’s hymn of praise to the Lord.
To all those Mothers who have departed this world yet are still in our hearts and fond memories.
Whose earthly pictures/photos we may never have but they will laways be stamped in our hearts.
I will always remember my Dear Mother Robinah.S.B.K. whom I didn't get much the chance to show my gratitude and love.


To God be the Glory, great things he has done, by creating Mothers and the gift of Mothering.
For we would not be without them.


Rev. Jessica Nakawombe

Anglican Journal: Ecumenical panel kicks off UN forum on indigenous issues

Anglican Journal: Ecumenical panel kicks off UN forum on indigenous issues

Ecumenical panel kicks off UN forum on indigenous issues

BY LYNETTE WILSON
ENINEWS/EPISCOPAL NEWS SERVICE

The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) is meeting from May 7 to 18 in New York. Photo: SeanPavonePhoto / Shutterstock.com

Several faith groups were among the sponsors of a U.N. panel session on May 7 called "Churches Disavow the Doctrine of Discovery: Calling for Poverty Alleviation and Healing," which sought to address various issues facing indigenous peoples, including education and land rights.

The discussion took place on the first day of the 11th session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), meeting from May 7 to 18. The theme is the enduring impact of the "Doctrine of Discovery on native peoples and "the right to redress for past conquests."

The "Doctrine of Discovery" refers to international laws that were understood to set forth the ways in which colonial powers laid claim to newly discovered territories beginning in the early 1500s and continuing through the 1700s. (Throughout the 19th century, it was believed that the United States, specifically people of Anglo-Saxon decent, were destined to expand across the continent, in what was referred to as "Manifest Destiny.")

Cheryle Kennedy, chairwoman of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde of western Oregon, told the ecumenical panel at the United Nations Church Center that in the 1850s, native people living in the western United States signed "peace" treaties with the federal government in exchange for land. The land was to provide a safe homeland and economic opportunities.

A century later, in 1954, in an "act of termination," when the government took the land back and stripped the native people of their indigenous status, "many bad things happened, but we were not broken," she continued.

In the 1970s, the confederated tribes resolved to overturn the government's decision and by 1983 their indigenous status had been restored; in 1986, 10,000 acres had been returned. Since then, Kennedy said, they've been buying back land "acre by acre."

The 2009 meeting of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church passed a resolution repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery. The Anglican Church of Canada took a similar action in 2010, followed by the World Council of Churches in 2012.

In addition to Kennedy, the panel included Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori; Robert J. Miller, a professor at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon; and Sarah Augustine, director of the Suriname Indigenous Health Fund and a member of the Mennonite Church.

Sarah Eagle Heart, the Episcopal Church's missioner for indigenous ministries, moderated the panel, which began with the screening of a video produced by the Episcopal Church that explores the lasting impact of the Doctrine of Discovery.

The hurt left by the doctrine on North America's native people can be seen in the form of high suicide rates, alcohol and drug abuse, and the prevalence of violence and rape. It's not easy to enter into the work of reconciliation; and it's easier for non-native people to walk away and ignore the acts of their ancestors, said Eagle Heart.

"It's much, much harder to sit together and face the pain," she said. "Healing from excruciating pain is still needed today."

Following the eviction from the Garden of Eden, the Bible is full of stories that focus on human communities and their striving to return "to a homeland that will be a source of blessing for the whole community," said Jefferts Schori.

"Through the long centuries, the prophetic understanding of that community has broadened to include all the nations of the earth. Even so, the seemingly eternal struggle between dominators and stewards continues to the present day.

"Most of the passages in the Bible that talk about land are yearning for a fertile place, where people are able to grow crops, and tend flocks, and live together in peace. The offspring of those first human beings gave rise to people who hungered for land, and many of them did a great deal of violence through the ages in order to occupy and possess it. The Christian empires of Europe were consumed with battles over land for centuries, and eventually sent military expeditions across the
Mediterranean in a quest to re-establish a Christian claim on what they called the Holy Land," she continued.

Miller, the law professor, talked briefly about international law and the Doctrine of Discovery, going back to the Crusades, when Rome and the Christian monarchies of Europe set out to dominate the world and subjugate and enslave all non-Christian people.

In 1436, Pope Eugene IV issued a papal bull giving control and sovereignty of the Canary Islands to Portugal, rather than Spain, which then sent Portugal on the path to colonization down the western coast of Africa. Spain, feeling left out, headed west. In 1493, Pope Alexander V issued four papal bulls that, in effect, divided the world in half; splitting it between Spain and Portugal, said Miller.

"When the Europeans showed up, native people lost title to their land," he said.

Other European nations followed, staking claim to territories by planting flags and crosses, but it wasn't until 1823, with Johnson v. McIntosh, that the United States defined the Doctrine of Discovery, as "discovery" and "conquest," limiting tribal land and sovereignty rights. The court case, which involved a land dispute between two white men in Indiana, became the international model, added Miller.

Even today, said Augustine, indigenous people are being "colonized." Augustine works with indigenous people in Suriname who have been displaced and made sick by the growth of the mining industry in that small South American country, which until 1975 belonged to the Netherlands.

"The people I help need help every day," said Augustine, urging those present to encourage aid to indigenous people through the support of grassroots movements. She also urged support for nations such as Suriname and the United States to adopt the U.N. rights of indigenous people into their constitutions.

The panel was co-sponsored by the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion, the World Council of Churches, the Mennonite Central Committee, the World Federation of Methodist and Uniting Church Women, The Grail (an international women's movement), the Gray Panthers, U.F.E.R. - International Movement for Fraternal Union among Races and Peoples, Suriname Indigenous Health Fund, the NGO Committee on the U.N. International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, the Salvation Army, the World Student Christian Federation, and Office of the Chaplain of the Church Center for the United Nations.

Lynette Wilson is an editor/reporter for Episcopal News Service.

Anglican Journal: Taking prayer to the streets

Anglican Journal: Taking prayer to the streets

Taking prayer to the streets

BY MARITES N. SISON
STAFF WRITER

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The Rev. Maggie Helwig, curate at St. Timothy's North Toronto, and the Rev. Andrea Budgey, the Humphreys Chaplain at Trinity College and the University of Toronto are among Anglican clergy who are social justice advocates. Photo: Michael Hudson

Last May 1, the Rev. Maggie Helwig marked the first anniversary of her ordination as deacon by taking part in an Occupy Toronto rally.

Subsequently, she was charged with trespassing.

Police gave the assistant curate at St. Timothy’s North Toronto a $65 ticket for trying to set up a makeshift chapel at Simcoe Park. Also charged were Barry Rieder, a United Church minister, and Lee McKenna, a Baptist layperson. 

Helwig has been actively involved with Occupy Chaplaincy in Toronto, a group that provides protesters with a space to talk, pray or meditate. It is composed of priests and laypeople from the Anglican, Presbyterian, United and Baptist churches, as well as Quakers.

On the day she was arrested, the Occupy Toronto movement had joined a protest against Barrick Gold, a mining company linked to “significant human rights abuses” in Papua New Guinea and elsewhere, said Helwig in an interview.

“The message of Occupy is that all people are valuable, that a system which allows people to become extremely rich while others are extremely poor is wrong and unjust,” said Helwig, explaining why she and other priests are supporting what is largely a secular movement. “Those are fundamental faith values,” she told the Journal. “…it is our duty as Christians to stand on the side of the little people, of the poor, of the excluded, of the marginalized.”

Occupy Toronto protesters have been “extremely pleased” to have the chaplains and members of other faith groups present at their mass actions, said Helwig. “They were quite surprised (but) it means a lot to them.”

Her presence at these rallies also shows that the church is paying attention to the needs of the world and that it stands alongside those who desire a more just and compassionate society, said Helwig, adding that, “Being out there on the street is also prayer.”

Ordained a priest last Jan. 22, Helwig is no stranger to being arrested. Active in the social justice movement since the 1980s, she been involved in international human rights issues, particularly in East Timor and Bosnia. Before becoming a priest, she helped start a community meal program for the homeless and marginally housed at St. Thomas’ Church, Toronto. Helwig chairs the diocese of Toronto’s social justice and advocacy committee and is the published author of 12 books of poetry and fiction. 

Her congregation’s reaction to her involvement with the Occupy movement has been mixed. “Some are very supportive, some a little confused,” she said. “I have talked about it quite a bit, preached about it and have had individual discussions. People have different opinions, inevitably.”

Receiving a ticket has not deterred Helwig in the slightest.  She is planning to participate in Occupy Toronto protests being planned this spring and summer.

Anglican Journal: Why churches fail to grow

Anglican Journal: Why churches fail to grow

Anglican Journal: Why churches fail to grow

Anglican Journal: Why churches fail to grow

Why churches fail to grow

BY THE REV. DR. GARY NICOLOSI

"Vision uplifts us, inspires us and gives us a common purpose to face the future with faith rather than fear." Photo: bikeriderlondon

 experience as a pastor and church consultant, the one question almost every Anglican asks is, “Why isn’t my church growing?” In many cases, even seemingly healthy churches plateau and eventually decline after a period of sustained growth. Here are the most common reasons churches stagnate.

1.   Vision Problems: Vision is a picture of a God’s desired future for your church, the direction that propels members forward, instills hope and energizes for ministry. Vision is the picture we can carry around in our heads, what we want to create and make happen. Vision uplifts us, inspires us and gives us a common purpose to face the future with faith rather than fear. What is the vision of your church? Does the congregation “own” it? Is it sufficiently compelling that members are willing to give generously of their time, talent and treasure to make it a reality?

2.  No Plan: Without a plan, the vision never becomes a reality. Planning churches move from passive to proactive. They know where they want to go, anticipate the challenges they face, and map out the best strategy to achieve their goals. What is the plan of ministry for your church? If money were not an issue, what would you like your church to be doing in the next three years? How can you make that happen?

3.  Spiritual Void: A church’s numerical and financial growth depend on the spiritual growth of its members. Growing churches are learning churches whose members are excited about Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and practicing the spiritual disciplines of prayer, worship, giving, serving and Bible study. What opportunities for spiritual growth exist in your church? How are your ministries transforming lives in Jesus? In what ways are people encountering God and thinking through their faith in your congregation?

4.  Competition: The church exists in a highly competitive environment, but the competition isnot other churches. Anything that sidetracks, hinders, prevents or discourages people from being full and active participants in the church is your competition. Snowbirds wintering in the Sunbelt; families at their cottages from Victoria Day to Thanksgiving; children and youth in Sunday sports; shopping, banking, movies and theater; golfing, curling or exercising at the fitness club; or simply having a leisurely Sunday brunch with friends – these are your competition. What is your church’s competition? How might your church respond to the cultural changes that now impinge on worship, ministries and programs? How can your church alter its programming to fit the lifestyles of the people in your region?

5.  Facilities: Growing churches have gotten over their addiction to physical mediocrity. People expect the same comfort, cleanliness and upkeep in churches that they experience in other public and commercial buildings.  If churches want to attract young families with children, for example, they need to provide bright, clean and spacious facilities that children will enjoy and make parents feel comfortable. If churches want to be inclusive, especially with seniors, they will need to be handicapped accessible. Signage, lighting, the sound system, adequate parking and restrooms, heating and cooling, and padded seats or pews are all important. What image does your church facilities present to outsiders? What barriers exist in your church that makes it difficult for young families with children, the elderly and the physically challenged to feel welcomed and included? Evaluate your campus by asking: 1) How does this space help or hinder our mission? 2) What is the best thing about this space? 3) How can our space be made more effective in fulfilling our mission?

6.  Age:  Older churches grow more slowly than newer churches. After the initial energy and spurt of growth from a new start, churches begin to stabilize, plateau and eventually decline unless continued renewal is built into its DNA. What new things in your church presently need doing? What things are your church doing that no longer makes sense? Why do you continue to do them? What would happen if you stopped doing them? Do you “see” a future with a purpose for your church? Identify that future.

7.  Relevance:  As communities change, the ministry focus of a church may need to change. Growing churches study their communities with as much diligence as they study the Bible. They plan their programs around the lifestyles, values, tastes and beliefs of the people in their area. What is your community like? Has it seen significant changes in the last 10 years? Has your church kept up with those changes in designing ministries and programs to connect with people at their own level of need and understanding?

8.  Theology:  Many churches have a “theology of the remnant” that acknowledges they may not be successful in attracting new members but they are at least faithful in doing ministry. Remnant theology takes many forms: a bias against membership recruitment (viewing the church as social club), a lack of motivation to share the gospel (everyone is going to heaven, so it doesn’t matter what anyone believes), and a preference to remain a small church for fear of becoming too impersonal (introverted membership). What is the underlying theology in your church? How does theology shape church practice?

9.  Message: Some churches try to appeal to everyone, but end up appealing to no one. They offer no clear mission or message, no distinct identity, no statement of core beliefs and values – thus making it exceptionally difficult for seekers to know why they exist, what they stand for, or what they have to offer that will add value to their lives. To articulate your message, ask: What is it about your church that people cannot live without? How does your church add value to people’s lives that cannot be gotten anywhere else? If you had forty seconds to describe your church to a stranger, would you be able to offer a clear and compelling message about your church that would provoke his or her interest to learn more?

10.  Pastoral: Many churches have a pastoral orientation, placing a high premium on ministering to members and putting low priority on mission, outreach and evangelism. Pastoral churches have an inward rather than an outward focus, often describing themselves as a “family” and preferring clergy who are chaplains rather than missional leaders. They take pride in being warm and caring to members, but can act oblivious and unwelcoming to non-members. How well does your church balance pastoral care to members with mission, outreach and evangelism to non-members? How difficult is it for newcomers to be fully accepted as part of your church “family”? Is practicing hospitality and being an open and accepting community a central part of your church’s life?

There you have it – 10 reasons churches fail to grow.  The presence of even one of these reasons is enough to stunt growth and begin a downward spiral.

The good news is that most churches, unless they are at a point of no return can reverse stagnation or decline and renew and grow. But there is a caveat: churches grow if they are willing to pay the price for growth, which means moving beyond our comfort zone, anticipating the future rather than ignoring it, taking initiative rather than remaining passive, moving from a traditional style of ministry to an entrepreneurial one, and having the unshakable hope that God is by no means through with the Anglican Church of Canada, but that the best is yet to come. By God’s grace, we will prevail.

The Rev. Dr. Gary Nicolosi is rector of St. James Westminster Church in London, Ont.

Buganda Kingdom

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