At this week’s South Gippsland Shire Council meeting, Council decided to make a change to the Council Meeting prayer.
The result has been that all reference to God has been removed.
The prayer is read at the start of each Council Meeting and has not been updated in over ten years.
The previous prayer was as follows:
”We pray to God to guide us so that the thoughts we have and the decisions made this day, are in the best interests of the people of the South Gippsland Shire. Amen”.
The new prayer reads:
“As we gather here from diverse backgrounds and beliefs, may we hold privilege with good care and trust. As we deliberate and discuss, may we be wise in our discernment, fair in our decisions and visionary in our planning. May we be guided by our common goal of a strong and united South Gippsland.”
But why change it?
The new prayer, said the shire council in a statement this week, captures the values and goals of Council and reflects the South Gippsland’s diverse communities.
The Mayor, Cr Mohya Davies welcomed the change.
“The Council Meeting prayer was updated to better reflect the South Gippsland community. The old prayer served our community well for many years, but over time our region has changed, and we wanted a prayer that would be inclusive of everyone regardless of their beliefs or background. We also wanted a prayer that would clearly articulate Council’s collective values and I think we have achieved this.”
All levels of government read a prayer or statement at the start of each sitting day or Council meeting.
In the Australian Federal Parliament, the Speaker reads out the following prayer after acknowledging the traditional custodians of Canberra:
“Almighty God, we humbly beseech Thee to vouch safe Thy blessing upon this Parliament. Direct and prosper our deliberations to the advancement of Thy glory, and the true welfare of the people of Australia.”
The Speaker even recites the ‘Our Father’ prayer.
South Gippsland’s new prayer will be used for the first time at the October Council meeting.
