An article from "CentreCOMM", August 1994 ...

WE HAVE DONE
WHAT THE OTHER CHURCHES
HAVE REFUSED TO DO
Rev Mario Schoenmaker's "Declaration Day" address when the ICA Centre was recognised as an independent religious denomination by the Government of Australia
(Advent Sunday, 29 November, 1975)

THIS DAY is the most important day in the short history of our newborn church. It is important not because we declare ourselves an independent church; it is important because this church has been so far and must remain in the future the voice of conscience as far as regimented Christendom is concerned. Where other churches have departed from the pathway of simple faith and have become instead social institutions and in some cases the tool of politics, at times even of armed rebellion, we have taken our stand with people. We have discovered their needs and their thinking. We have seen how they need a living gospel, not man-made dogmas or creeds, with which to meet the changing times and patterns.

We have done what other churches refused to do. We have taken the living faith of the early church, with its mystique and metaphysical thought, and combined this with modern living. We have accepted the struggle of people towards their own understanding, and we are striving to assist them to grasp the reality of life with all its implications.

It is true that not many people will ever join an organisation like ours. The reason they will not, and why we can never become a strong church numerically, is because we teach people to stand upon their own feet and make their own decisions in accordance to the dictates of the heart rather than of limited thinking.

Through our compassion for people, shown in many different ways, though not sentimental ways, we have become somehow different from the rest of society, and different from the rest of our religious brethren. We emphasise again and again that religion is not ethics; morality is the outcome of a deeply spiritual life, rather than its cause. We do not dictate behaviour; our aim is freedom. Not a freedom to do what one pleases, but a freedom which lifts the mask from one's personality and brings one into the joy of real living. This is pure religion, for it binds one with another, and the binding of souls is what religion and the church ought to be about.

We have chosen to call ourselves "The Centre, The Church of the Mystic Christ", emphasising two things in this symbolic title. Firstly, "The Centre" stands for the fact that the human race is the recipient of God's love and care. We are the centre of the universe. If you think this sounds a bit conceited, then I would ask you to stand still for a moment and grasp the relevance of your existence. If you do not think you are important in God's economy then, indeed, you have removed yourself from the centre of his being and have become by that action or by that thinking eccentric, for you are out of the centre. To be in "The Centre" is to strive towards being in the centre of God's will and creative power. This is the first meaning of our name, and we are proud of it.

We are also "The Church of the Mystic Christ". As such, we do not worship the Jesus of history, even though it must be admitted that the Jesus of history is important to us because of his teachings and his life. No, we worship the Christ, but not in the same way our forefathers worshipped him or even the way the modern Christian churches worship him. The Christ, to us, is a divine principle, a powerful presence within us. It is the very ground of our existence, and recognition of this presence brings us into a right and practical experience of God. This Christ is mystical because it cannot be defined in theological, scientific or even philosophical terms. It evades you when you try to catch it, yet is always gloriously present when the humble seeker after truth affirms its existence, and knows its motivating power.

It is this Christ we bring and this power we seek, not for our own glorification or selfish aggrandisement, but for our transformation, so that we may bring the divine qualities of God to the world and see them within ourselves.

The quality of our church lies in its people and the integrity of those who have come and rallied around us. The fact that we had to break away from our mother source may have been painful, but every child has to stand on its own feet at some given time. We have not been unfaithful to mother; we are perhaps more pure in our expressions of the faith than our mother has ever been; and the people who have become such an integrated part of our church have grasped the ideals which lie behind our struggles and experiences. We have become free indeed -- from dogma, from the bonds that bind us to the past, and from the shackles which hinder our experience and make us unable to walk the road as free children of the universe.

We are grateful, therefore, for the quality of people we have, who are, in fact, our foundation members. Wherever we have gone this quality has always followed us and those who were on ego trips or who wanted to use us for their own selfish ends have fallen by the wayside, for we have not been brought together to enhance our own beauty or desires, but the ideals and purposes which are firmly set before us.

There is another thing which has brought us together as a community of people sharing the same ideals. We are also children of the era which is dawning upon us just now. We have all come into incarnation in order to be the light-bearers and harbingers of good tidings to a humanity which is full of sores and wounded to the very essence of its being. We have come because we have been together before. We have shared trials and tribulations before. Now we are building; now we are sharing in the exact sense of the word. Those who cannot share with us and build with us will be the onlookers; they will never know the joy of experiencing the freedom and liberty which we are bringing to others -- for what you give to others, you will have in abundance yourself.

We have without words demanded the respect and love of many souls and minds. There are literally thousands who will call us blessed because of the principles which we have brought to bear upon the conscience of humanity, and because in some way or another we have touched them in our silent and at times not so silent ministry. The thoughts of these people linger in our minds and hearts and enhance the joy of this moment and the greatness of this period of history.

We think with pride and affection of those who are willing to be the missionaries of this church wherever God demands they go; who, without murmuring, have taken upon themselves the cross of their existence and with joy gone forward to bring the glorious message of liberation to a shackled nation. We salute them with brotherly affection, be they here or in Albany, Hobart, Auckland, or other places. They are the future of this church and the promise of the nations. They are the factual bread of life. They have to make sure also that they never grow stale or old, so that the ever fresh and living word of God flows from them.

The principles of our Centre have been sufficiently published in our booklets and pamphlets, but I would like to remind you that we are an ever-growing and ever-changing church. Nothing is constant here, except our devotion to God and mankind. For the rest, all must and will change. Whether it be our worship services, our liturgies, our approach to life, our experimenting, our songs or music, we must ever be in the vanguard of progress, and never allow this church merely to jump on the bandwagon, like other churches have done with such issues as Vietnam, South Africa, homosexuality or abortion. Instead, like the prophets of old, we as a church should bring pressure to bear upon the Government of Australia to become sane and righteous again.

Many new things will happen in the future, and more and more good quality people will follow the lead we give. We will grow rapidly, not so much in numbers as in quality and inner strength. Let the wisdom of the Lord be our guidance constantly, and the inner force of Christ be our direction. In following these principles we will overcome, no matter what obstacles are put in our path, and so far we have had plenty.

I would like to close this opening address by calling upon each and every one of you to give of yourself more fully, more totally, in dedication, in vision and in forgetting self, and placing at all times the ideals and purposes of the Master before you. We remember with fondness the past, and will always be grateful for what has been handed to us, and for all the experiences we have shared, but with eager anticipation we will go forward, grasping every opportunity to fulfil the task, and with open eyes and ready ears see the vision and perceive the word of God. With renewed strength and vigour we shall march forward until the very gates of hell, decay and destruction are overcome, and we shall live in peace at last.

To these ideals I dedicate this church.