Fighting poverty in the ‘EAP’
Our local bakery is closing down for 4 weeks as the entire family travels to Vietnam to support and possibly farewell the patriarch of their family. In speaking to one of the daughters today I was able to express my sadness over her grief and assurance that I would be praying for her and the family at this time. My disappointment increased further after realising that I’d now have to find fresh bread elsewhere for the next month.  Our customer/ vendor relationship has advanced over the last year with the family business helping us with donations of bread for the quarterly skatepark competition BBQ. I have shared my passion for Vietnam with her and learnt that they are Chinese-Vietnamese from the north of the country. Language is often a barrier and I am still trying to learn their names. Â
I’m reminded of my time with Jackie Pullinger last year and her encouragement to work with the poor. She reminded me that you don’t need to travel outside of Sydney to experience the poor and the nations for that matter. We are so fortunate to have such a culturally rich mix of people living all around us and I love the fact that I have a Vietnamese baker who one day I hope to call ‘a friend’Â All this leads me, once again, to think through the vision; a vision of developing sister relationships between Campbelltown and other communities within countries of the ‘EAP’ (East Asia, Pacific) region. If the nations are here and if they already have links back into their homelands then we have opportunities of connecting with both our local neighbors and the countries they have left behind.Â
Who are these countries? Well for a start how about Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Korea, the People’s Democratic Republic of Lao, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Vietnam.Â
Fighting Poverty in the EAP is a vision that includes more than the church (though the church is integral), it involves the whole community and draws on the leaders of Campbelltown to support, promote, and raise awareness and funds. We want to build life long relationships between the community of Campbelltown and various key cities throughout the EAP. It not just about supporting others who are less fortunate than us, it’s not about charity for charity sake. It is also an opportunity to build community within our own great city. By looking outside ourselves we create opportunities for growth in character. In turn our stature within the city of Sydney will continue to expand as we become known as a leading city not just locally, but nationally and internationally.
