At Etiko we are passionate about creating positive social impacts within communities and using our powers for good. Over the years we have collaborated with many designers and not-for-profits to ensure our sales support these organisations in achieving great things.
This month we are proud to release our latest fundraiser t-shirt with $10 from every purchase being donated directly to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. The ASRC work to empower and support Asylum Seekers and Etiko are proud to be contributing to their important work through proceeds of this shirt. Our sister-company, Jinta Sport, has also donated a number of soccer balls to the ASRC soccer program.
To find out more about the design and who created it, our in-house writer Nicole Lutze has spoken with Canadian cartoonist and ex-Pastor, David Hayward. Here’s what they said.
Hi there David, it’s so nice to talk to you. Can you tell me a little about how you ended up working in the creative arts after being a pastor?
In 2010, after almost 30 years as a pastor, the church and I came to an agreement that we were no longer compatible.
Despite never really considering myself to be a political person, in 2005 I started cartooning and blogging. As I explored this creative outlet, it became more and more apparent that my views were no longer aligned with the church.
You see, I tend to find the church and Christianity can be one of two ways. They either cooperate totally with the State, and are in bed with them so-to-speak, or the church is completely ghettoised and removed from political life. So I like to critique those positions through my cartoons. I like to take what I think is wrong in the church or in general life and find an artistic way to express my opinion.
Some people think I'm an atheist and some people think I'm a believer. I tell people I have a healthy dose of each. I appreciate the church so I speak out in ways that I hope will help. I'm not an enemy of the church, but I do think it has a lot of things wrong that need some desperate attention. The church can develop a culture which abuses many things. Its greatest asset is its ability to gather people and form community, but that is also its biggest danger
Can you tell us about the shirt design and your motivation for creating it?
There’s a huge migration of people in the world right now. I think seeking asylum should be legal and provided, but my observation is the whole process is adversarial. When we have people who are in serious trouble and are fleeing for their lives, that needs to be respected and we need to figure out ways to help. Telling people to turn around and go home just doesn’t make sense. Some people lack the ability to see asylum seekers as people, and they dehumanise them.
Mother Teresa used to say she saw the face of Jesus in the face of every child. That was her theology. Treat every person as you would treat Jesus. So that’s the idea I’m playing around with. I want people to think a little outside their normal orthodox boxes and say, we should consider how we treat other people.
I think we need to have more compassion for asylum seekers and figure out a way to be less adversarial and more supportive of the refugee situation. People are dying and I think we need to care about that.
Where can we find more of your work?
All of my drawing and writing can be found online at nakedpastorstore.com I also have an online community called The Lasting Supper, which is a community for people who are leaving the church and want to figure out ways to do it in a healthy manner and want to continue being spiritual outside of the church walls.
What do you think of the design for our latest fundraiser? Let us know in the comment section below.
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