As the new CEO of Baptist Care SA, I look forward to working alongside our key missional partners. By working together, I believe we can develop ‘antidotes’ to the 3 Social Plagues of the 21st Century.
What are these plagues, you ask?
Well, my experience of working with socially and economically disadvantaged groups, individuals and communities over the past 20 years indicates that the following ‘social cancers’ are quietly devouring an increasing number of groups and individuals in across our society:
- Hopelessness – my life experience gives me no reason to believe that tomorrow will be any better than today or yesterday, so why even try…
- Helplessness – I am a ‘ship at sea in a storm’. Meaning, I can’t see any lighthouses on the horizon and I don’t have a compass or the skills or resources to find my way out of despair
- Disconnection – I don’t know anyone that I can trust. I don’t have anyone or anything that could help or encourage me. In short, no one cares about me!
After nearly 20 years in other senior community sector leadership roles, it is my observation that sad life experiences and the self-perceptions that result from them are silent killers that underpin the growing prevalence of substance abuse, mental illness, social isolation, domestic violence and youth suicide.
Since accepting my unique leadership role with Baptist Care SA, I have been pondering some challenging questions:
- What’s our Lord’s heart for people who are afflicted with these Social Plagues? (Matthew 9: 325-38 gives us some insight)
- How might our Lord be seeking to mobilise His people to work together to develop relevant new ways to ‘shed light’ and ‘be salt’ in the lives of individuals, families and communities who are suffering the adverse impact of these Social Plagues
- What might ‘fullness of life’ feel like for someone who has been swamped by layers of adversity all their life?
- How might Baptist Care SA serve alongside our Baptist Churches to develop transition pathways from adversity towards opportunity (for fullness of life)?
I invite you to think and pray with me about these matters, and ultimately to step forward in faith and action together.
Blessings to you friends
Graham Brown
Chief Executive Officer
Baptist Care SA
[pdf-embedder url=”https://tim.sabaptist.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Autumn-Appeal-Advert-for-March-TIM-FINAL.pdf” title=”Autumn Appeal – Baptist Care SA”]
