Jenan Taylor
1 November 2023
Australians will have the opportunity to pray and meditate for peace at upcoming gatherings in Anglican churches in Melbourne as the conflict in Gaza and Israel continues.
St James’ Point Lonsdale and Holy Trinity Port Melbourne said the gatherings were a chance to bring people together and be comforted by each other’s presence, silence, prayer and meditation.
St James’ vicar the Reverend Joanne White said the church’s service, being held at 6:00pm this evening, would be non-denominational.
Ms White said the content was not strongly Christian but rather about hosting a space for people to be still.
She said there was so much that had been said about the conflict that the only place people could come together about it peacefully, was one where there was silence.
Ms White said that among the meditation community people had recognised the need for stillness, but many people among the wider population didn’t recognise the power of silence.
“Silence is a non-judgemental space, we just come there with an open heart,” she said.
Holy Trinity locum, Bishop Philip Huggins said as a member of a global meditation group, he had observed a vivid yearning for peace.
Bishop Huggins said he had heard from Jewish and Muslim friends about their profound hurt and suffering over what was happening.
He said in some instances people who had been long-time friends felt they could not speak with each other because they had different views of the conflict.
Bishop Huggins said he was encouraging people to remember the importance of friendships, and draw on that.
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He said the recent experience of a Holy Trinity guest, “Ned”, underscored the necessity of keeping good, peaceful friendships.
Ned had been travelling in Bethlehem just before the conflict broke out, and had made incidental, friendly connections with local café, business and market-stall holders while there.
When the turmoil began Ned found himself having to try to get to Tel Aviv airport to get a flight back to Australia.
He was only able to do so through the help of one of those incidental friends, and was driven via backroads and down old goat tracks to a point from where he was finally able to get to the airport, and a flight home.
Bishop Huggins said that story had encouraged him to invite his Jewish and Muslim friends to an afternoon tea in November in the hopes they would rekindle their connections.
He said there were several peace and meditation events coming up over the next few weeks that he hoped people would attend and gather comfort from.
Ms White said this evening’s service at St James Point Lonsdale would comprise music, a 20-minute silence for meditation, and there would also be a central space where candles could be lit and people would place flowers.
Holy Trinity Port Melbourne congregants will meet for a peace and meditation service in the church’s courtyard tomorrow evening, Thursday 2 November at 6pm.
For further details about peace and meditation services and events elsewhere, see here.
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