A s we enter into this special Year of Jubilee, celebrating 50 years of L’Arche in the world,

L’Arche Genesaret in Canberra is looking ahead with hope to embrace the challenges and opportunities ahead as the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) begins in the ACT next month.

Celebrating the L’Arche Jubilee prompts us to gather in celebration and thanksgiving and it also challenges us to look forward to embrace new ways to respond to the needs of people with an intellectual disability in the Canberra community.

We are working diligently to prepare for the introduction of the NDIS and to manage a significant budget deficit as we enter the transition period. These challenges are calling us to consider new ways to grow and develop flexible support options in addi-tion to our existing model of supported accommoda-tion in our three households.

We invite families and friends of people with a disability, and those living with a disability who may be interested in knowing more about L’Arche or to be supported by L’Arche to contact us to discuss their needs and how we might be able to respond.

As we look ahead with new questions we read our Mission and Identity Statement with renewed mean-ing, especially the mission “to foster an environment in Community that responds to the changing needs of our members, whilst being faithful to the core values of our founding story.”

We also look to new ways “to make known the gifts of people with intellectual disabilities revealed through mutually transforming relationships.”

While the NDIS will commence in the ACT from 1 July 2014, the scheme will roll out in phases and stages over a two-year period.

We trust that the spirit of the Jubilee Year and its focus on celebration, renewal and thanksgiving will carry us through this challenging period of change and growth.

Celebrating and looking ahead in hope

Above: A snapshot from our archive as founder of L’Arche Jean Vanier and Anne Walsh share a joke during a meal together in the early 1980s. Anne Walsh is looking forward to seeing Jean Vanier again and many other representatives from across the L’Arche Federation for a special jubilee celebration in France in September.

Established since 1978 Canberra, Australia June 2014 Newsletter Issue No. 62.

Our major jubilee event will be a celebration dinner on 16 August at the Hellenic Club of Canberra, Woden at 6pm.

Eileen Glass AM, Vice-International Leader, L’Arche International (pictured right) will be our keynote speaker.

If you would like to join us please book by 16 July on www.trybooking.com or via the L’Arche office on 6282 9066.

Tickets are $70 each. Feel free to organise your own table of 10 or let us seat you.

Jubilee dinner in August

L’Arche Genesaret Newsletter, June 2014 Page 2

Our identity and mission

L ’Arche is based on a fundamental belief in the dignity of every person.

Whatever our gifts or limitations, we are all bound together in a common humanity. We believe that everyone is of unique and sacred value, and everyone has the same dignity and rights.

Our identity We are people with and without intellectual

disabilities, sharing life in Community, belong-ing to an International Federation.

Mutual relationships and trust in God are at the heart of our journey together.

We celebrate the unique value of every person and recognise our need of one another.

Our mission To make known the gifts of people living with

intellectual disabilities, revealed through mutually transforming relationships.

To foster an environment in Community that responds to the changing needs of our mem-bers, whilst being faithful to the core values of our founding story

To engage in our diverse cultures, working together toward a more human society

The Year of Jubilee is a significant year of prayer and celebration for L’Arche communities around the world. Each community across the Federation has been invited to mark the 50th anniversary year with particular celebrations and events.

Our community chose to begin our Jubilee Year in prayer at the time of our 36th anniversary in April. At Open Prayer on 7 April, we reflected on the jubilee themes of celebration, thanksgiving, forgiveness and restitution, fallow rest, spiritual renewal and looking forward to the future in trust.

As we prepare for our celebratory dinner on 16 August, we also remember the profound suffering of L’Arche communities today, in particular those in Ukraine and Syria. We recognise that these realities of celebration in the midst of suffering have been lived perennially over the past 50 years in different ways across the Federation of L’Arche world-wide.

As part of the Jubilee, we celebrate several significant anniversaries of membership:

Eileen Glass, 40 years this month Keith McMillan, 20 years this month Danny Sharp, 30 years in July Claire Lawler, 30 years in November

We give great thanks for each of these members and their journey of membership with L’Arche, what they have each shared, given and received along the way and the different ways in which they provide leadership in L’Arche. We celebrate the fidelity of Eileen Glass, giving thanks for her unique role in bringing the inspiration of L’Arche to Australia after her formative experiences in France and Canada in the early 1970s.

Anne Walsh and Claire Lawler will be our representatives at the international jubilee gathering in France in September. Anne will also attend the International Federation Council in France in October. She was chosen to attend by the National Listening and Speaking Group. Let’s pray together for the blessings of the Jubilee Year.

Jubilee themes invite reflection and trust New L’Arche Canberra website coming soon

We are about to launch a new website for L’Arche Genesaret in Canberra. Keep an eye on the website address below for more information about L’Arche Genesaret news and fundraising events.

http://larchecanberra.org.au/

Robert Schmidli Piano Concert

13 July, Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest, 3pm, tickets $25, $20 concession.

Order of St Lazarus Dinner

24 October, Commonwealth Club (date to be confirmed)

Left: Another photo from our community archive —washing up at Gledden St, including a much younger Danny Sharp (second on left) who is celebrating 30 years of membership in July.

L’Arche Genesaret Newsletter, June 2014 Page 3

Snapshots of L’Arche Genesaret

Above left: The merry-ole-soul, former Community Leader Sr Therese Brennan, visited in January to cele-brate birthdays with Ron (pictured) and Rosemary.

Above right: At our community weekend we created prayer flags to send to the L’Arche communities in Damascus, Syria, the Philippines, Cuise in France (where Eileen lives when she is overseas) and to a seed group forming in Adelaide. Trish Bullock has since sent a prayer flag with Lyn Kelly to the commu-nity in Dublin. Our prayer goes out into the world!

Above: A happy snap from our community weekend at Greenhills last September. One of the prayer flags created to send around the world is displayed in the background.

A big thank you to our generous sponsors:

The Order of St Lazarus

Dialogue Technology

ForeseeIT

Independent Property Group

Cantlie

We also thank the following schools and groups

for their fund-raising efforts on our behalf: Radford

College, St Clare’s College, Merici College, Marist

College, Card Group, Bendigo Bank and Hellenic

Club. Our thanks also to everyone who comes along

to our movie nights, dinners and music concerts.

Thank you to our sponsors and fundraisers

“Come & See” If you would like to arrange a time to visit to

get to know our Community, please call our

office on 6282 9066. Meanwhile you can find out

more about L’Arche by visiting the following

websites:

www.larchecanberra.org.au (Genesaret)

www.larche.org.au (L’Arche Australia)

www.larche.org (L’Arche International)

www.jean-vanier.org (Jean Vanier, founder)

Help L’Arche make a difference

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L’Arche Genesaret receives funding from the ACT Government and from fees paid by Core Members. These contribution do not meet our annual financial needs. Each year there is a funding gap of nearly $100,000. Donations from businesses, individuals and fundraising activities help to bridge this gap, so please consider making a regular or one-off donation to sup-port the work of L’Arche.

100 Friends of L’Arche Genesaret

L’Arche Genesaret invites you to become one of the 100 Friends of L’Arche Genesaret so we can con-tinue to support Core Members to fulfil their potential and achieve their goals.

By pledging $250 or more per year for three years you will become one of the 100 Friends of L’Arche and

will be acknowledged in our Annual Report and web-site. By pledging $2000 or more for three years you will be recognised as an official sponsor of L’Arche Genesaret.

All donations are greatly appreciated and will directly benefit our Core Members. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.

We ensure your details are stored in a secure, confidential manner.

If you would like to donate to L’Arche, please complete the form below and post to:

L’Arche Genesaret PO Box 419 CURTIN ACT 2605