By Peter Lonsdale of Perth, Australia
May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
(shared as part of the International Leaders Meeting, June 2025)
How can our assets best support the mission? In Perth, we faced this question when considering the repurposing of a second church-owned property. A decision to lease that facility to a childcare center since 2007 has provided the means to financially sustain social ministry projects ever since.
Our food pantry commenced at the Perth congregation in 2011 following its relocation from another church that was closing down. Building renovations to improve access and amenities to our church facility quickly followed. A part-time coordinator was employed and, together with a team of more than a dozen volunteers from the community and congregation, the ministry has operated successfully ever since. It has strengthened our connection to people in the local community, other denominations, and those needing financial support to cope with the cost-of-living pressures.
People from the community want to know more about our church and what motivates us to offer this ministry. A few have chosen to volunteer or join us in regular Sunday worship. Food Pantry has truly become an expression of sacred community!
Everyone is welcome! Patrons include those in subsidized public and community housing, people with careers, some recovering from addictions, families with children, those at risk of homelessness, as well as the income poor or socially isolated. People receive free food hampers, morning tea, and a selection of free clothing or household items every Wednesday morning.
Attendances average around 40 people each week with as many as 80 or more individuals and families being assisted regularly. Each year at Christmas, Food Pantry holds a special lunch and provides extra hampers, Christmas treats, and children’s toys.
The congregation provides approximately $45,000 annually to purchase food supplies and fund the part-time coordinator position. Other partners and financial donors include the local Church of Christ and Uniting Churches, volunteers collecting from supermarket chains donating surplus food, and a bakery store. Neighbors to the church and local primary school have supported with food donations or offered to volunteer. Pastoral ministry and support are regularly offered by church ministers.
Food Pantry aligns with the Mission Initiative Abolish Poverty and End Suffering and represents our contribution to the kingdom-building process!
Prayer Phrase
“For in him all things…were created…” (Colossians 1:16).
The International Community
Find (or imagine) a globe or map of the world. Look at all the nations and find a country other than your own. Notice the geographic distance between your homeland and this one. Picture a person living there. Pray for this person. Sense God’s love connecting you just as the oceans connect the continents. Thank God for the spiritual connection you have with all of God’s people around the globe. Ask a blessing on the church as a community sharing Christ’s peace, drawing all into the family of God.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.