Rev Karen Sethuraman is the first female Baptist Minister in Ireland and is currently a Pastor of SoulSpace, a Peace and Reconciliation hub, based in Belfast.
Her passion is peace and reconciliation/social justice and she is a champion of gender equality.
The Rev Karen is also one of the founders of Spectrum - a space set up in Belfast for LGBT+ people of faith. Karen feels particularly called to minister outside the Church walls, journeying with people who feel they ‘don’t fit’ in Church.
She has served as Chaplain to two Belfast Lord Mayors.
I GREW up in the Church, and from an early age was sent to Church and Sunday School.
I’VE been off work for the past eight weeks due to doctor’s orders. Thankfully, my doctor has told me that I can return to things next week. One of the big life-lessons that I learnt from my time off is that there are times our bodies simply say no. No to…
Last autumn, I had the honour of delivering the invocation at our Belfast International Homecoming and speaking at the Ireland’s Future event in Dublin – ‘Together We Can’. For me, the thread that rang through both of the events I participated in was our sense of ‘Home’. I believe home is more than the bricks and roof over our heads; it is the place we belong and where we are with the people we feel most connected to. Yes, homes are messy and there are often many disagreements, but home is truly where our heart is. I admire the many people who day in and day out put their shoulder to the wheel to make our home better. Yes, we must work on improving our today, but we must also have our eye on the future. What is it we want to pass on to our children and grandchildren? Let’s together continue to make Belfast/Ireland a better place to live. I love our home and I love our people. Below is the invocation I read at the Belfast Homecoming: Our home… Where we are bigger than two communities.Our home… Where no-one is an addition.Our home… Where we all belong, whatever our background, our religion, our gender, our sexuality, whether we have faith or not – we all belong.Our home… Where our different stories make up the beautiful and messy tapestry of who we are and where we have been.Our home… Where we know pain and loss.Our home… Where we know what it is to hope and to heal.Our home… Where many peacemakers continue to pave the path of peace.Our home… Where our people are determined to better our today, with our eye on our future.Belfast/Ireland, is our home.To our global Irish family, our home is your home. Come home and make a difference. Come home and help us to build a brighter Belfast/Ireland.Work with us.Partner with us.Invest in us.Join in with us. Come home to make a difference. May we all MAKE a difference. May we all BE the difference.Welcome home.
I DON’T make New Year resolutions simply because I can never keep them. However, a New Year can help kick-start new beginnings and a new season – and I’m always up for that.
• Friends, as you read this article, I am currently recovering from being unwell, and so I am taking some time off. However, I wrote these words a number of weeks ago and wanted to share them with you as you step into the festive season.
NOTHING delights my heart and soul more than having the opportunity to learn and hear all that is happening within our communities.
A FEW weeks ago, I tested positive for Covid. I have to be honest – I was shocked as I already had a brief encounter with the virus back in June, but thankfully it was fairly mild and I was negative five days later. However, this time was different.
RECENTLY, I’ve been pondering the words of C.S. Lewis: ‘Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable. To love is to be vulnerable.”
LAST week, I had the privilege of representing Ireland’s Future, along with the fabulous Tadgh Hickey, on Cork 96fm, to talk about the upcoming event to be held on Saturday, October 1, at the 3Arena, Dublin.
RECENTLY I attended an Anabaptist Theology Forum held in Birmingham, as part of my PhD journey. You’re probably wondering, who on Earth are the Anabaptists? Well, during the Reformation, when the principle ‘Cusis regio, euis regio’ (‘The religion of the rulers must be the religion of their subjects’) held precedence, the Anabaptists made a faith decision that directly confronted and challenged the social religious, and even political status quo. These courageous radicals had the courage to take a stand and call out the abuses within the church. However, this resulted in them finding themselves ‘outside’ of the institution, and even labelled as the ‘unwanted and unloved stepchild’ of the church.
WE all know what it is to be offended and hurt by the words of others. Over the course of my ministry life, I have received many unpleasant messages. The majority of them are from other Christians, and are usually because I am a female minister. I tend to ignore such negativity and move on. However, I am concerned that such people tend to weaponise the Bible. In other words, they use the Biblical text to attack and wound others; and it is usually toward people they have never met. They appear to be confident that not only has God given them the role of judge and jury, but also that God would want (and be even pleased) for them to make contact with someone and rip them apart. They don’t make room for healthy theological debate, other different interpretations, and understandings. The very basis for any healthy faith conversation is respect. Of course we are going to have differing views, but this does not give any of us permission to attack anyone. Jesus said: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” I believe the heartbeat of this verse is to love even when we don’t agree. We must stop tearing each other apart, and stop with the theological red lines. I am worried that often the Church is more concerned about whose theology or doctrine is correct, without ever mastering what it truly means to simply “Love God and our neighbour.” Let’s remember…• God is not male or female. • God is not doctrine.• God is not Protestant.• God is not Catholic.• God is not hell.• God is not hate.• God is love. And we are His beloved. The word ‘beloved’ derives from the Greek agapétos, meaning our worth is not based on what we do, what we have achieved, how good we are, or even in what we believe. We are the ‘beloved’ because we are created by a God who cannot love us more or less. You are loved by God no matter what. You are His beloved. May His love overflow from our hearts towards other’s; including those we disagree with. Let’s remember, there is room for us all.
THE Latin phrase ‘Solvitur Ambulando’ was coined by St Augustine, and has come to mean so much to me over the past few years. It means ‘It is solved by walking.’ There are many times over the course of our lives when we can feel stuck, trapped, uncertain and directionless. However, there is something about placing one foot in front of the other and taking tiny steps, Even when we cannot see what is up ahead. We may not have the answers we think we need, but this lovely phrase reminds us that as we walk... it is solved: •As we walk with uncertainty.•As we walk with grief.•As we walk with division.•As we walk with brokenness.•As we walk with failure.•As we walk with the unknown. I love the words of the psalmist: “God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him. When I got my act together, he gave me a fresh start. Now I’m alert to God’s ways. I don’t take God for granted... I feel put back together and I’m watching my step.” (Psalm 18). The psalmist knew what it was to walk through the highs and lows of life. Throughout the psalms, we read his words of joy and praise, as well as his anger, rants and frustration at life; and even at times his anger toward God. Yet he kept walking. Friends, as we journey through this life, let’s keep walking. Things may appear hopeless and helpless, you may not be able to see up ahead, but keep putting one foot in front of the other. You will get through whatever you are facing. It is solved as we walk.
ISN’T it hard to believe that our summer is coming to an end? As we get ready for another change of season, I want to pay tribute to all you mums and dads out there who will be getting ready to return your little ones (or not so little ones) back to school/ college/university, including those of us helping navigate the next chapter for our graduates and older children. Let’s be honest, we can love our kids deeply, and we can love being a mum or a dad, yet still feel that being a parent is sometimes challenging. I get it – I truly do. Whether it’s a new born baby constantly crying, or toddlers and their tantrums, or our ‘teens’ who we feel are ‘ageing’ us, parenting at times is very tough. On top of this, I’m also very aware that we are living through a cost-of-living crisis, and I am conscious that there will be many parents feeling the stress of not only not knowing how to pay their bills, but also wondering how they will be able to afford school uniforms.
WE all have a story. Our book of life contains chapters of joy, pain, struggle, failure, illness, betrayal and a million other emotions that make up the great tapestry of our messy lives.
I BELIEVE the heartbeat for true and authentic community is hospitality. And so often, hospitality begins in our homes around the kitchen table. Yes, there are times we must rest and enjoy time alone, but nothing beats getting folks around our tables for food and drinks together. Furthermore, I also believe hospitality is the heartbeat of the Christian faith. It is about opening up our hearts and our homes and welcoming others to our table; a table where:• Conversations happen.• Stories are shared.• Visions are birthed,• Friendships are formed. Hebrews (13:2) reminds us to “not neglect to show hospitality to strangers. Why, some have extended hospitality to angels without ever knowing it.” Of course, we will always have our family and friends who we live life and share food with many times. However, I believe the challenge concerning intentional hospitality is to extend our tables to include people who are outside our circles.