Transforming Worship Panel Member Rev. Radhika Sukumar-White offers a few words of introduction.
Hi all! I'm Rev. Radhika Sukumar-White, and it's a pleasure to *meet* you all!
I am currently finishing up my first placement as Minister of the Word at West Epping Uniting Church, to take up a new placement at Leichhardt Uniting Church, alongside my husband Adrian, also a minister. Our first date was discussing our Periods of Discernment over beers. #churchnerds
We are also parents to a little nugget by the name of Anna, who is equal parts awesome and stinky!
I am a Sri Lankan Tamil Australian. My parents migrated here from Sri Lanka in the late 70's, just as the Civil War was erupting.
Something not many people know about me is that I am quite a strong "I" on the Myers Briggs Personality Scale, even though I don't seem that way in church circles!
My great love both within and beyond the church is music, and I am deeply passionate about exploring with others ways in which music can transform the self, a community, the mood of a meeting room, the Sacraments, and the world. Music and silence touch the deepest parts of ourselves, and connect with the sacred in ways that words often cannot. Is there any greater feeling than harmonising "Be Still And Know" with a community of faith?
I also firmly believe in the quote (attributed to the 1970 Chilean election): "there can be no revolution without singing." The Uniting Church is a revolutionary, fresh church - it's in our DNA. If we are to live out our identity, we need to sing!
One hope I have for this circle is that we will be a Brains Trust to think deeply about ways we can sing our identity as a multicultural church, sing our commitment to justice, sing our commitment to First Peoples, and so on.
Blessings upon us all!