On Monday 17 August people around the world paused to remember William Carey, who was born on that day 265 years ago. William began his working life as a shoemaker, but is known to many as a Church leader in England and India, a botanist, an economist, a printer, an agriculturalist with a particular interest in crop yields, an advocate for equal treatment for women and young people, and a conservationist with a deep commitment to promoting social justice in areas like working towards the abolition of the slave trade.
William would often share this particular observation: ‘I'm not afraid of failure; I'm afraid of succeeding at things that don't matter.’
This is a striking thought. What William is inviting us to do is to regularly pause and think about what matters most in our own lives, what guides our interactions with others and how is it that we want to be remembered.
Through conversations with another slightly older shoemaker, John Ward, William came to understand that Jesus wanted us to live and act in ways where people are noticed and cared for. Putting others first is never easy. Once William and Dorothy and their young children stepped onto a ship that would place them illegally within India, they spent their time trying to respond to the needs of others and set up support systems that remain to the present day.
William recognised that the stories in the Bible could be life changing. He worked on translating the Bible so the people in the community of Serampore, India could read it.
The first to talk with people about Jesus in India was one of Jesus’s followers throughout his life, Saint Thomas. Arriving in India in 52 AD Thomas spent 20 years sharing Jesus’ message about what makes for a good life. Thomas died defending the poor and needy from those who used loans and other practises to keep them in debt. Thomas’s message about Jesus and his invitation to treat others the way they would like to be treated is still known and shared in parts of India 2,000 years later.
Like Saint Thomas, for much of his time in India, William worked with those in need, the ignored and the undervalued. William, together with Hindu scholar Raja Ram Mohan Roy, spent decades establishing that no Hindu texts mandated the practice of sati – the burning of a wife after their husband died. William and Raja spent much of their lives working for this change. The Bengal Sati law of 1829 finally banned this ancient practice, and the findings of William and Raja remain in force to the present day to protect those who mourn.
This week is a reminder to always give our time and energy to things that matter. Hopefully each year the anniversary of the birth of William Carey Assembly will have us asking:
- Who perhaps with God’s help can I care for today?
- Who around me needs my encouragement?
- When things go wrong, will I give up or stay involved?
Staff and Year 7 students last week had the opportunity to reflect on these questions when they gathered to listen to a presentation by Sherwin Mariano the Director of Vineyard of His Grace Ministries, a community-focussed Christian organisation in the Philippines and long term partner of International Needs Australia (INA).
Sherwin shared about growing up in extreme poverty in an informal settlement in the Philippines but had his life transformed by becoming an INA sponsored child. Thanks to the generosity of his Australian sponsors, he was able to finish his education, earn a degree and begin his career.
For 15 years, Sherwin and his wonderful team have worked tirelessly implementing projects that help lift women, children and whole communities out of extreme poverty through education, health support, economic development and child sponsorship. This life changing work has brought hope to countless children and communities in some of the most impoverished areas of the Philippines.
For further information on the work of International Needs please contact Kate Pincheira, the Education Advocacy Officer for International Needs Australia, or read more here:
- Help Women Rise | International Needs Australia - International Needs Australia
- ChildLink | Child Sponsorship - International Needs Australia
All in attendance were reminded to strive to be people who attempt and expect great things, even when it may be costly.
May the following prayer help guide our decision making this week.
Let us pray.
Loving God, you value the lowly and heal the broken-hearted; we commend to your loving care all those who suffer from poverty, hunger, neglect and injustice; give those in troubled places hope, provide for their needs, and inspire us to do good in our world. Amen.
Rev. Scott Bramley
Middle School Chaplain
