www.concorduniting.org

 
¡®2004 Concord Bible Studies¡¯ is presented by the Concord Ministers¡¯ Fraternal with the financial assistance from the UCA NSW Synod¡¯s 2% Development Fund.

St Luke¡¯s Anglican: Rev George Atkinson
Bayside Community Church: Rev Stephen Bartlett
Concord Baptist Church: Rev Warren Griffin
St Ambrose Catholic Church: Fr David Vaughan
St Mary¡¯s Catholic Church: Fr Paul Crowley
Presbyterian Church: Mr Ted Grantham
Concord Uniting Church: Rev Yangrae Son
Tuesday (2 Nov) Wednesday (3 Nov) Thursday (4 Nov) Friday (5 Nov)
Devotion: Concord UCA Concord Baptist
Rev Warren Griffin
 Concord Catholic
Rev David Vaughan
 Concord Presbyterian
Mr Ted Grantham
Rev Dr Gordon Dicker:
How to read the Bible
 Rev. Yangrae Son:
From migrants
 Ms. Pearl Wymarra:
From Indigenous people
 Rev. Bill Crews:
From the homeless
Rev Dr M. Larbeer:
From Indian Dalits
 Rev Dr M. Larbeer:
From Indian Dalits
 Rev Dr M. Larbeer:
From Indian Dalits
 Rev Dr M. Larbeer:
From Indian Dalits
Dinner & Discussions Dinner & Discussions Dinner & Discussions Dinner & Discussions
6:00 - 6:15 Devotion
6:20 - 6:50 1st Bible Study
6:55 - 7:30 Dalits Bible Study
7:30 - 8:30 Dinner & Group Discussions
8:30 - 8:55 Discussions with the bible study leaders

(All 4 nights sessions are held at Concord Uniting Church.)
THE DALIT
This word Dalit refers to nearly 19% of the population of India (nearly 200 million ? which is more than the population of Australia). The Dalits are treated as ¡®Untouchable Caste¡¯. Caste is an Indian phenomenon, which stratified the Indian people into hierarchical society. There are people who are considered as high caste, middle caste and low caste.
The pity is that this system is originated, sanctified and maintained by the Hindu Brahmanical religion. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar the national leader of the Dalits once said that the success of the Brahmans is not lying in the introduction of this system but made every one including the untouchables to internalise this system.
All the Indian villages have separate settlement for the Dalits. The Dalits are not permitted to live inside the main villages. They are not allowed to walk with foot wear and upper garment in the streets, take water in the public well and worship in the Temples. Mostly they are landless and depend on the dominant caste for their daily living. In the urban cities there is no separate settlement but most of the slums in the cities are occupied by this Dalits community. They are socially deprived and economically discriminated. If the Dalits resist or oppose the discrimination against them, then they are brutally attacked and killed, and women are raped. In the recent past a Dalit woman was forced to eat human excreta, a Dalit male was forced to drink urine, 6 Dalits were killed on the day light because one of the six members was contested to the local government election against the wish of the high caste person in the village, three persons were murdered because they removed the skin of a dead cow. In 1998 there were 7445 complaints were filed and in 2002 there were 33,507 complaints were filed. One can list more. All because the Dalits opposed and questioned the discrimination.
There are constitutional protections but the state and the police are controlled by the higher caste. They even do not register the complaints. Unfortunately this system is also present in Christianity. The churches are all dominated by the High Caste Christians, there are denominations only for particular caste, there are churches only meant for particular caste and the Presbyter who does not belong to that caste are not allowed to work in that church and there are churches the Dalits are allowed to take communion only after the high caste Christians or permitted to sit in one side of the church and take communion from that end.
The situation is changing. In spite of all the atrocities the Dalits are organising themselves and continue to protest.
[M. Larbeer]
 
Bible Study Leaders
Rev. Dr. P. MOHAN LARBEER
P. Mohan Larbeer was born in 1951. He holds the degrees of B.A., M.A., B.D., M.Th. and Ph.D. He is currently the Principal of Tamilnadu Theological Seminary, Arasaradi, Madurai, India. He is a member of the Dalit caste, the so called ¡°untouchables¡±, and has worked hard to end discrimination against such people and to improve their living conditions and opportunities. He was the founder of the Dalit Resource Centre at Tamilnadu which promotes seminars, training programs, research and publications which aim to advance Dalit Liberation. He is also the founder of LEAP (Legal Education and Action Programme), which gives legal help and training to the Dalits who are victimised by high cast people. He has written a number of articles on Dalit theology and has travelled extensively, participating in international conferences on social issues.
Rev. Dr. GORDON DICKER
Gordon Dicker was born in Nyngan NSW and educated at the University of Sydney (BA, BD) and Union Theological College New York (ThD). He also holds a Theol.M. degree from Melbourne College of Divinity and a D.Th from the Sydney College of Divinity. He is a former Moderator of the NSW Synod of the Uniting Church in Australia and Principal Emeritus of United Theological College Sydney. Amongst his publications are Faith with Understanding, The Bible with Understanding and Promise and Hope.
Rev. BILL CREWS
Bill Crews was born in England and was educated in Australia. In 1969 he met Ted Noffs of the Wayside Chapel and began his involvement with many social welfare projects such as the Crisis Centre, the Child Abuse Prevention Service and Life Education Centres. He was ordained as Minister of Ashfield Uniting Church in 1986. He established a youth refuge for homeless young people. In 1989 he opened the Exodus Foundation as a soup kitchen. This was followed by the Exodus Tutorial centre for disadvantaged primary students with literacy problems and then Exodus House, an education facility for disadvantaged teenagers. For his work on the above programs and many others, in 1999, he was awarded the Order of Australia (A.M.) for services to disadvantaged and homeless youth.
Ms. PEARL WYMARRA
Pearl Wymarra is an Aboriginal woman who was born at Mapoon Presbyterian Mission in North Queensland. Her mother, Marjorie, was a descendant of the Stolen Generation with Aboriginal, Philippino, Japanese and Irish heritage. Her father, Nicholas, had both Aboriginal and Scottish ancestry. Pearl moved to Penrith in 1966 and is currently a member of the John Lees Uniting Church in Penrith. She is a teacher with experience in primary and university education and holds the degree of Master in Health Science (Primary Health Care). Her current employment is as a Project Officer for Emotional Health and Social Well-being for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who live within the boundary of the Wentworth Area Mental health Service.

Rev. YANGRAE SON
Yangrae Son was born in Korea and trained at the Yonsei University (Seoul, Korea) for B.Th and at Melbourne College of Divinity for Theol. M. In 1995 he was ordained and inducted in the Uniting Church Strathfield-Homebush Parish and ministered to the Homebush, Strathfield South and Homebush Tongan Koinonia congregations until Sept 2001. Currently, he is ministering to the Concord Congregation. Beyond his congregation, he is browsing bigger pictures of the church as a member of Doctrine Working Group in National Assembly, United Theological College Council, and Congress of Asian Theologians (Steering Committee member).


Concord Minsters Fraternal
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Address : Cnr Concord Rd & Wunda Rd Concord West
Postal address : PO Box 29 Concord West 2138, NSW, Australia
TEL : (02) 9743 6990 E-MAIL : concorduca@hotmail.com