THE FAMILY OF HUMANITY

[Guest guest]

onwards, leaving His footprints on the golden sand. I couldn’t solve the riddle

until I read a letter from Rev. Ted Noffs that was awaiting our return from

India. Only then I realised what Swami had meant when He asked me that question

and I 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. He 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? 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: http://media.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_03/12DEC01/ With Sai

love from Sai brothers - ''

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