New Church Life May/June 2016 | Page 83

  Australia, where Doug attended high school there is a whole paragraph about him. It states that he was an entertainer, cartoonist, one of the top French students in South Australia, an all-around sportsman, captain of the cricket team, and is still on the Honor Roll there for voluntarily enlisting in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II. No matter where Doug and Christine lived in the world and served the New Church these words from Dorothea Mackellar’s poem, My Country, express the deep love they both held for Australia: I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of rugged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains. I love her far horizons, I love her jewel sea, Her beauty and her terror – The wide brown land for me! finding hope Bronwen M. Henry On Saturday, April 2, more than 200 people gathered in Bryn Athyn to talk about things we don’t usually talk about: domestic violence, trauma and grief, suicide and  addiction. The event featured Dr. Dan Gottlieb from National Public Radio’s “Voices of the Family.” He did a phenomenal job, creating a safe space and being honest. His compassion was palpable. This event was not recorded. If you are eager to find hope in the face of these issues there are small groups forming and I would love to connect you. Please contact me: 215.530.2036 or [email protected]  Sometimes the idea of finding hope is offensive. Sometimes life is so hard that hope feels rude. Bryn Athyn Church, together with Gloria Dei Church and Growth Opportunity Center, put on an event to create space to talk about hard things, in an honest, heartfelt way. One of the core intentions of this gathering was to hold those attending with so much care and gentleness, and to create a safe space. The event, which included more than 200 people (more than 100 of whom were not previously connected to Bryn Athyn Church) was a powerful, transformational space. A second goal was to let people know that they were not alone and to help connect them to resources. There were six non-profit organizations with displays ready to serve and help people. 285