Ecofaith Community Bellingen NSW

The temple we frequent is high. A turquoise vaulted dome, the sky- which clothes the world in majesty. This adaptation from Omar Khayyam is largely true of the Bellingen Ecofaith Community, except that the vaulted dome is often grey, and even leaking!

The premise is that if we meet for worship and contemplation out amongst the rest of life, exposed to the elements, we might better encounter the God of all of life. We remember that God is not just a big human being, and that humans are not the centre of the story of God and life.  We are, however, invited to be a part of it.

Participating on Sundays hopefully encourages and inspires people to continue being part of the reconciliation and renewal of all Creation during the week, which the Uniting Church claims is God’s purpose for the whole creation. At some point we may start helping with the Landcare project which operates along the creek where we meet, but for now there are so many “environmental” projects operating around Bellingen that it seems better to support them, to the extent that people are able.

By meeting outdoors, and in an existing shelter when it rains, and with many people commuting by bike or foot, the ecological footprint of our gatherings is miniscule compared to building a new facility.

We started meeting in February 2009, and are beginning to build the initial vision into one owned by the group itself. Working out who we are and why we are here is a slow process, given the ever-changing mix of participants. In the meantime, gatherings are open to all people of good will, who are willing to reflect on the implications of Jesus’ claim that God is here, amongst and within us, and that we should do something about it.