Pastoral and Prophetic.

This morning after twelve hours sleep a visit to an enormous Anglicare project recycling household goods and computers. Incredibly impressive. Most of the men there are on the Australian Workfare scheme of on what they call work hardening, where people who have been on sick benefit are being retrained for work. The woman leading the project had an interesting background in some fairly boring retail jobs. Coming to Anglicare had clearly allowed her to blossom into a leadership role in helping lives change.
I keep on pursuing the question of whether the fact that Anglicare is a Christian Organisation makes a difference. I still think they do and one of the reasons is that they see themselves as having a dual role. Pastorally they care for people but prophetically they lobby the government on social issues. The pastoral role they take on is given more credibilty because they prohetically challenge the covernment and that challenge is given more strength because they know what they are talking about.
To Adelaide in the afternoon to visit the culture: two museums and an art gallery. There is much to be learnt of the story of the Aboriginis including some fairly ghastly stuff about the British taking away their children to trains as domestic servants for England, but also the destitution of many of the early immigrants' families. Incidentallly as I wander around Adelaide I discover one of the arcade of shops which is proud to sponser Anglicacare and another one supporting St Vincent's the catholic aid agency. I wonder at whether British businesses would be so openly supporting crhistian Charities.
In amongst all this I have visited two tea places and discovered that the Australians know how to make a good cup of tea!
Tonight sat and talked with Neil and Ruth, my hosts, who are becoming good friends as they help me reflect on what I have seen.