The Family of Humanity - by Dr. Sara Pavan

[Guest guest]

inferred that Swami wanted me to meet up with Rev. Ted Noffs. In that letter

Rev. Noffs invited me to participate in the 21st anniversary celebration of the

founding of the Wayside Chapel. Swami says, “It is good to be born in a church,

but it would be sad if you die in the same church!” He also stresses the need

for expansion. In His 60th Birthday Message Bhagavan asked: “What is this ‘Sai

Family’ you are claiming about?” He declared, “The whole world is One Family.”

He emphasised the importance of the ‘Integration of the World Community.’ In

an interview in December 1982 Swami had blessed me to start publishing a

quarterly Sai Newsletter for Australia. By 1984 we had several hundreds of

rs from all around the country. In October 1984 I received a letter

from Elvie B., a r from a remote farming countryside in Queensland. I

did not pay much attention to what she had written in her letter because I

receive letters from many devotees about their experiences of Baba. In her

letter Elvie claimed that Swami ‘stood in front of her’ during meditation and

commanded her to write to me, that I should meet Rev. Ted Noffs, the pastor of

the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross, Sydney, in whom I would find a true

spiritual friend, who cares and serves humanity beyond human barriers. Until

then I

hadn’t heard of the Wayside Chapel of Kings Cross or Rev. Ted Noffs. All I knew

about the Cross was that it was a dangerous area in the city and the hub of all

kinds of vice and crime. I had no interest whatsoever to go to Kings Cross and

even felt why I, a Hindu by birth, should be associated with a Church! Around

this time I happened to receive a parcel of books - Embodiment of Love and

Eastern View of Jesus Christ and Christianity - from Peggy Mason, then the

editor and publisher of the Sai Newsletter of U.K. and wife of Ron Laing, who

was the first president of the Sathya Sai Council of U.K. In my enthusiasm to

share Bhagavan’s Love with broadminded people like Rev. Ted Noffs, I posted a

copy of these two books to him before leaving for India to spend Christmas with

Swami. Having enshrined Swami in my heart, since 1980 I had spent

most of my spare time doing my best to serve in His Divine Mission. Now, five

years later, Bhagavan opens another window in my life for spiritual expansion –

to understudy Rev. Ted Noffs and experience spirituality in action! Did Bhagavan

have a plan thus, in exposing me to the concept of the “Family of Humanity” and

expand my spiritual horizon through personal experience? At this point let me

outline the background of Rev. Ted Noffs and the Wayside Chapel. The

Story of the Wayside Chapel and Its 'Family of Humanity' Ted Noffs was a

Methodist minister, part of the Uniting Church in Australia, and had served the

aboriginals with love and understanding in the outback of Australia. In 1964 the

Uniting Church ventured into an experiment at Kings Cross and asked Ted Noffs to

take charge of this unique ministry for the forlorn in the crime ridden suburb,

among the ‘Godless’ people indulging in vice and crime. Ted Noffs was free to

set aside some of the ‘religious’ traditions and constraints to carry out his

unique ministry. He renovated a dilapidated old building in Kings Cross and

called it the ‘Wayside Chapel’ and flung open its doors to all and sundry.

Seeing the Chapel not even remotely having any semblance of a Church with its

pews empty and located where no one would ever build a church or a temple, a

fledgling journalist then and media personality now, sceptically remarked, “Mr.

Noffs! You may find for your congregation some of the beatniks who live down the

road.” (Beatniks were young persons in the 1960s who did not accept society’s

customs and principles but who valued personal experience instead, and who had

long hair and wore untidy clothes). It is interesting to note that our Swami

too had several such youths from America around Him in the sixties. Ted Noffs

set off to meet these youngsters the next day to see if he might lure them to

the Chapel. H e told me

that it was like walking into a lion’s den, for these beatniks hated any kind of

establishment, especially the church. Ted discussed philosophy, politics and

current events with the beatniks and found them well informed and highly

intelligent. As Ted was amiable they offered him a cup of coffee, which he

gladly accepted in spite of their unkempt place and a sink full of unwashed

utensils. There was no milk in the fridge and one of them dashed out to buy

some milk and Ted accompanied him to the nearby shop. When the beatnik asked

for a pint of milk Ted pulled out his wallet and asked for six. The young man

turned to Ted and said: “Mr. Noffs! We live by a bottle of milk a day.” Ted was

taken aback by the resolve of this young man, who literally summed up the words

of Jesus Christ, “Take therefore no thought, for the morrow shall take thought

for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day are the evils thereof.” Ted

reflected upon the happenings of the day and realised how restricted the church

was. They wouldn’t even undertake an activity without having the resources

upfront. His faith in God deepened as he reflected upon the kind of ministry

Jesus had with ordinary people and how Jesus, with faith and conviction, always

looked to his Heavenly Father to provide. Bhagavan Baba

also reminds us that God will always provide the means when we undertake noble

tasks. The Chapel doors were open for all people irrespective of creed or race,

and migrant communities – Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs – who had no place for

worship of their own those days started using the ‘Wayside Chapel’ for their

prayers which Ted Noffs would participate in. Soon he realised the urgent need

for religious amity, which inspired him to have his own creed at the Wayside

Chapel: “I am a child of the stars. My religion, like the clothes I wear,

belongs to the

dust of the centuries. My spirit is immortal. Our children are sons and

daughters from an eternal kingdom and are here to inherit the riches and

resources of this planet for a span until they journey through time and space.

I AM a Catholic, I AM a Protestant, I AM a Jew, I AM a Hindu, I AM a Moslem,

I AM a Sikh,

I AM a Buddhist, Because I AM a Human and I belong to the Universe, nothing in

the world can be alien to me.” Ted Noffs later added: “The world today is

torn apart on the basis of caste, creed, colour, nationality, as well as the

socio-economic divide, and is in dire straights towards self-destruction,

needing the Einsteins and Galileos of the spirit to show the human race a

scientific basis for a spiritual life. Religions are man-made, here today and

gone tomorrow. Blessed are those who can distinguish between religion and

spirituality and abide by the Universal Spirit of Love to build a better world

for our children and their

children.” The “Family of Humanity” became functional and realistic, based not

on religious dogmas but spiritual unity as the bedrock for a caring and sharing

society through Love and Service. An outreach programme to help the lonely and

helpless, Life-education for children and the ‘Naming’ Ceremonies and Marriages

in the name of the “Family of Humanity” were pioneered by Ted in the seventies.

Bhagavan Baba has always emphasised the importance of “Brotherhood of man and

Fatherhood of God.” The weekly open forum at the Chapel became the voice of

conscience of the people on many a controversial issue in society. His

acceptance of other religions and ‘Inter-faith’ practises at the Chapel landed

Rev. Noffs on heresy charges during his ministry. Regardless, Ted continued

courageously with his work, which not only became well known throughout

Australia, but also attracted attention from other countries as well. Ted Noffs

was awarded the highest award of the country twice – ‘The Australian of the

Year’. His Life-education programme spread to several countries. The Readers

Digest of March 1986 had a feature article about the Wayside Chapel titled,

‘The Biggest Little Church in the World'. I attended the 21st anniversary

of the Wayside Chapel in February 1985. Some leading politicians and some media

celebrities were amongst the vast gathering.

Ted Noffs came up to me before the service commenced and I had to introduce

myself. He was so delighted to see me there and said, “I want you to speak on

behalf of Sai Baba on this special occasion.” What a request? I was terrified

and wished I could disappear underground! I prayed to our Lord saying, “Swami!

You have put me in this situation and you alone can save me now,” tightly

clinging to the wooden pew. Throughout the service my heart pounded away as I

continued praying to Swami. The merciful and omnipresent Lord gave me some

confidence by giving me the imagery of Swami Vivekananda at the parliament of

religions in Chicago, a century earlier. Rev. Noffs invited me to speak thus:

“I have great pleasure inviting Dr. Pavan from the Homebush Sai Baba Centre to

speak on behalf of Sai Baba.” These words were enough to put me into a

tail-spin, but I felt assured of Swami’s help. I spoke with confidence, as if

Swami had whispered into my ears to start off thus: “Brothers and Sisters of

the Family of Humanity! I have come with a Message of Love from my Master, Sri

Sathya Sai Baba, who is God Incarnate for those who have had the experience of

His Love. …” That was enough to get started and the words were flowing as I

filled my speech with Swami’s gems. Before concluding my speech I thanked Ted

Noffs for giving me this rare opportunity to share the Love of my beloved

Bhagavan with such an august gathering. At the end of the

service many of them came up to me and embraced me and wanted to know from which

book I had found such beautiful words of wisdom. I replied they were my Master’s

simple but universal teachings. The Multi -Faith Logo specially

designed by the HomebushSai Centre for

the Inaugural Service Wayside Chapel altar - Neville Fredericks who is

presently theAustralian Central Co-ordinator speaking That was the beginning

of our spiritual alliance, a true experience of Inter-faith. In July, the same

year, Ted Noffs and many senior members of the Wayside Chapel participated in

our Sai Baba Centre meeting at Homebush, Australia. They were very much at home

at our Sai centre and Ted Noffs reminded us of our common objectives and invited

us to join forces in serving the wider community. The Homebush Sai Centre held

the first Sai Baba service at the Wayside Chapel in August 1986 with all the

senior office bearers of the Sai organisation taking part. A special

Sarvadharma logo was unveiled as a mark of Unity of Faiths and this logo has

become a permanent fixture in the Chapel. The Homebush Sai Centre has continued

with this special Sai Baba service at the chapel once a year ever since. The

Sathya Sai Organisation in Sydney invited Ted Noffs to deliver the keynote

speech on Swami’s 61st Birthday celebration in Nov 1986. Rev. Noffs had never

been to Swami and yet, intuitively, was fully aware of Swami’s Divinity. The

following are just a few of the highlights of his speech: “We are

honouring a great spiritual giant who may be described only in Messianic terms.

Even if nothing else has been achieved in the world, the fact that Sai Baba has

brought a sense of spiritual unity and awareness among men of their family-hood

in itself is a great achievement. How can I speak about someone who has

influenced the world a great deal already? So often the Messiahs of the past

were recognised long after their death, but this great Master in His own

lifetime is already recognised world over, and that in itself is something! We

have in Him someone constantly

manifesting new and great things in a world full of destruction, which is a mark

of a person who has come from God. How can we celebrate His birthday? You have

to be co-workers with the Divine Power and reach the level of spirituality to

be Christ-like. Jesus was a man who became the Christ. In our outreach

programme we looked after a lonely person. He died at Concord Hospital and his

hospital records showed the next of kin as the Wayside Chapel - not a brother,

sister or any relative. If this little Chapel is the next of kin to this lonely

man, can you imagine the countless millions around the world, whose next of kin

is Sai Baba?

style3">At the end of this function you go home and feel good about your

wonderful singing (Bhajan), your children’s drama and the variety of delicious

food, and if you do nothing to help the needy in your neighbourhood, I am sure,

your Master would be very disappointed with you. You have to reach out the needy

and serve them, be a friend and helper of the helpless people in your

community.” When we reflect on the above extracts from Ted’s speech made

almost two decades ago, who had not even visited Swami, but aware of the Avatar

and His Mission of UNITY, LOVE and SERVICE, it is a reminder that we need to put

in more effort to get the most from the Avatar in this lifetime itself. Bhagavan

Baba is the Cosmic Father, come in human

form to show humanity the way to peace and prosperity through the realisation

of: ONE CASTE, THE CASTE OF HUMANITY ONE RELIGION, THE RELIGION OF LOVE

ONE LANGUAGE, THE LANGUAGE OF THE HEART ONE GOD, HE IS OMNIPRESENT None of

the Masters, Messiahs, Prophets and Saints came to earth to start a new

religion. They came to validate the ONE ETERNAL TRUTH, ONE GOD, ONE LOVE, ONE

CREATION, although periods in history, places on earth, cultures and traditions

prevalent in their times may differ. In recorded history, Bhagawan Baba alone

has so emphatically declared that all religions are different facets of the

same Truth and that the redemption of humanity will be by Love and Love alone.

Bhagavan Baba says, “Ego will not allow two good men to stay together and work

together.” It is obvious that divisions among men are man-made. It is human

weakness and ego that

has brought about such religious multiplicity and conflicts in the entire

creation, which essentially is ONE. The dawn of this wisdom is God-realisation

or Liberation from the bondage of darkness and ignorance. Let us remind

ourselves that Jesus was a Jew and not a Christian at birth. Buddha was a Hindu

and not a Buddhist at birth. They did not start a new religion in their names.

The multiplicity and divergence that has taken place with passage of time,

centuries later is man-made. This is division, fission or break-away, which is

a product of ego. All religions are different instruments playing the ONE

melody, of Love and Unity. When the conductor brings them together, he will

create a beautiful symphony,

although the instruments may appear different. The Messengers, Messiahs,

Prophets and Saints are the different instruments sent by God for man to

realise his inherent divinity. Now God Himself has come as Bhagavan Sri Sathya

Sai Baba, as the Conductor for the Divine Symphony. Millions of Sai devotees

from different religions already practise Unity of Faiths around the globe and

also are convinced beyond doubt that GOD IS ONLY ONE. The reverse of fission

or disintegration is fusion or integration. The ego of man has caused the

fission and created multiplicity - fragments that are essentially one and the

same. Love alone can bring about the fusion or integration of these fragments.

Bhagavan Baba is

Love in action. Love is His sole property and He alone has the power to bring

about this fusion and synthesis through Love. Lokha Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu

- May Everybody Everywhere Be Happy . Dr. Sara Pavan is an

Anaesthesiologist from Australia, serving at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of

Higher Medical Sciences, Prashanthi Nilayam since 1993. Source: Radio Sai

E-Magazine, December 2005

Issuehttp://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_03/12DEC01/family-of-humanity.htm