Minister sheds light on Manning Road mural’s message

THE minister at Manning Road Methodist Church has thrown some light on a recently painted message on the church wall following concerns raised by some residents.

The message reads: ‘There are only 12 years left’.

Residents who lodged complaints with Berea Mail said the mural had ruined the image of the heritage church building and that the message was a confusing one for a church to put out.

However, Rev Lauren Matthew, resident minister, said the message was meant to be slightly ambiguous and that it was aimed at stimulating internal and community dialogue.

“I like to get people to think about why they think the way they do. People seem to go to the apocalyptic aspect, however if you Google this statement, it brings up a list of links to climate change, it makes no mention of the apocalypse. I like to encourage people to take this knowledge into their minds and investigate this,” she said.

Rev Matthew said the ‘12 years left’ statement was derived from a document based on a UN study.

“From when I was a child in the 80s I have seen reports on TV where scientists have addressed global warming, the thinning of the ozone layer, the proliferation of CFCs and the rise of carbon in the atmosphere. From young I knew the effects humanity has on the regulatory system of the earth. In 1988 the UN put together a group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which produced a number of documents over the years. In 2018 the panel put together a comprehensive study and the gist of it was that the earth’s temperature is exponentially warming and people need to curb their carbon footprints to ensure it doesn’t rise by more than 1.5 degrees. If we continue to abuse fossil fuels, and to be addicted to plastic it will hit that tipping point in the next 12 years,” she said.

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Rev Matthew said the idea of the mural was to challenge the community at the church to think about how their lifestyle choices affect creation and other people.

“It is not about fear, it is about taking ownership of who you are. I have given my congregation tasks to keep a plastic diary, to once a week grow something green and to limit their intake of meat. The ‘fire’ side of the mural, which shows matches, is to represent that people have a choice. Striking a match is a deliberate choice and there is a knock-on effect,” she said.

She thanked local street artist EWOK for the wonderful job he did on the mural.

Addressing the concerns that the mural ‘defaced’ the heritage property, Rev Matthew said she disagreed.

“Street art is taking beauty, work which is usually shown in galleries, out to the people. The church has its roots in liberating people’s minds and ideas therefore the wall is part of the church’s body language. It can either be stuck in a time frame of what the church stands for, or fluid and part of the community. A wall is used as a space of invitation or to push others away, and this wall mural is about making connections, and creating interaction. Churches are always seen as static places, but faith is not static, it is lived in people’s bodies and lives. A building is not more important than what Christ stood for. We haven’t desecrated the authority or integrity of the Christian message. I would love to meet with people who disagree so we can have a conversation,” she said.

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