A message from the CEO
During the middle of last month, on my return from a trip to regional Victoria, I attended a function for volunteers of Baptcare’s home-based care and Home-start programs. The function was held to thank those volunteer families who provided dedicated care to others. Some families had opened their homes to dozens of vulnerable children for over twenty years. It was indeed a privilege to give a short speech of thanks and to hand out certificates of service to them.
Driving through northern metropolitan Melbourne on my way to the function, I passed by many new housing developments and was reminded again of our tendency to build bigger houses that accommodate fewer occupants; as our society has become richer, we have used that wealth to increase our personal space by building larger houses for smaller families. In opposition to that trend, rather than seeking to create more space for themselves, these carers have made their existing resources – be it space or time – available for others. They have reduced their own amenity for the good of others. In that light, the actions of these carer families is profoundly counter-cultural.
The French philosopher and theologian Gabriel Marcel talked of existence and of Christian faith under the categories of love, fidelity, hope and availability. For that last category, Marcel used the word ‘disponsibilite’, which has been variously translated as ‘disposability’, ‘readiness’ or ‘handiness’, in the sense of being ‘at hand’ and ‘readily available’.
Marcel described availability as a state of being where an individual has broken the foundation stones – the self-imposed imprisonment - which the ego builds for itself. In that state of being, a person is no longer self-encumbered and is available to give of themselves to others and to truly live. We see more than a glimpse of this state in these carer families. As well as being profoundly counter-cultural, their actions are profoundly sacred also; they help show us what God is like.
My hope is that Baptcare will also be an ‘available’ organisation, that our actions will help bring fullness of life to all who encounter us. This is difficult in a world of increasingly burdensome regulation and bureaucratic oversight; where quality is defined solely in terms of processes and less so in terms of human relationships. May we be continuously inspired to go beyond what can be documented and prescribed, indeed to go beyond ourselves, so that we are truly ‘bringing care to life’.
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