2019-Wesley-Mission-Annual-Report - Flipbook - Page 56
Get involved
Weaving a
network of care
Cherrie truly represents Wesley
Mission’s Word and deed
ministry, continually finding new
ways for congregation members,
volunteers and others to engage
in Wesley Mission’s services.
Not so long ago, Cherrie would never have imagined that
she would be working with people experiencing
homelessness. “I used to walk past people on the street
begging and I’d think, ‘You’re half my age. Get a job.
You’re asking me for money? I’m a pensioner’,” she
recalls. “You know, that was my attitude. And I certainly
didn’t want to work with them.”
It’s an attitude in stark contrast to the one she displays
weekly as a volunteer with Wesley Connect food and care
where she and other volunteers serve people in and
around Sydney facing hardship, crisis, homelessness and
other severe challenges.
“God, with his sense of humour, seems to keep leading
me into places of challenging roles… It’s certainly
broadened me as a person,” said Cherrie, who is candid
about how volunteering has changed her.
“I’ve learned that these people are there because they’ve
had some horrendous times in their lives. And as much as
we look at them and we see that they look like an
able-bodied person, you can’t see inside somebody’s
mind and how they operate.”
56
Cherrie is also a Wesley Mission congregation member
and a volunteer instructor with Wesley School for Seniors.
Through her varied roles, Cherrie has been weaving an
ever-expanding network of care and support across
Wesley Mission. It should come as no surprise then, that
she’s a knitter and a quilter.
She recently challenged her Wesley School for Seniors
knitting class to make playmats for children in Wesley
Mission’s Mums and Kids Matter program. A staff
member visited the class to explain how the service
supports mothers in New South Wales who are living with
a complex mental health condition and have children
under the age of five. And so, by connecting the
objectives of the service with the objectives of her class,
Cherrie engaged a group of people who may not
otherwise have come in contact with this area of Wesley
Mission’s work.
It’s not the first time Cherrie has created such a
connection. And it won’t be the last.
Her class has made blankets for residents living with
dementia at Wesley Mission’s aged care facility and
residents of Wesley Edward Eagar Lodge, an emergency
accommodation facility for people experiencing
homelessness in Sydney’s inner city.
“And we’ve got a new challenge coming up now with
quilting,” Cherrie explained, describing how she answered
a phone call from a man looking to donate a huge amount
of quilting material to anyone who could use it. He called
the right person. Cherrie’s Wesley School for Senior’s
quilting class is using the fabric to make quilts for young
people in Wesley Take Charge of Your Life, a support
program assisting young people transitioning from
out-of-home care to living independently.
“I just want to keep doing things and I want to –. I mean,
we’re going to do these scarves that–,” Cherrie begins,
overflowing with so many ideas we run out of time to hear
them all.
Get involved
Working together, we can make
a real difference in the lives of
people in need.
Donate, and make a difference today
Each year, Wesley Mission helps thousands of
families and people in need. But we can’t do it
without you.
For more information or to make a donation,
visit us online or call 1800 021 821.
Volunteer with us
Through their experience and skills, compassion
and commitment, Wesley Mission volunteers help
people in need by supporting the work of our
community services–helping us provide more
services, to more people, more often into the future.
Visit us online or call (02) 9263 5551 to find out
how you can join our team of volunteers.
Fundraise for us
From running a marathon to baking cakes and
everything in between, you have the power to help
people in need in your community.
Leave a bequest
Be in the know
We believe it takes a lot of love, faith and
commitment to engage in the lives of people in
need. Our work is as diverse as the people we walk
alongside, so we shape our programs, church
services and activities to support people–wherever
they are on their journey.
Visit our website for all our latest publications,
including Wesley Impact! magazine, Wesley
research reports, videos such as our weekly Wesley
Impact! TV program, and Stories of Hope told by
people we have helped. Or sign up to receive our
newsletter and be amongst the first to know about
the work that we’re doing.
Every life matters. By leaving a gift in your will to
Wesley Mission, you can leave a legacy that lives
beyond your natural life to touch others with an
act of unconditional love.
Visit our website to find out how.
Shop with us
Next time you’re looking for a present for a loved
one, why not give a gift that matters. Your gift could
buy books to help children in need learn to read, or
pay for a night’s accommodation for someone
facing homelessness.
To make a purchase, visit the Wesley Gift Shop
on our website.
Join the conversation and spread the word
Every day, we share news and stories about our
work, the people we help and the people who need
help in our communities. You can help us grow our
influence and spur more people into action by
joining the conversation and encouraging others to
do all the good they can by sharing, liking and
commenting on content we publish on social media
and our website.
Connect with us on social media
Visit wesleymission.org.au to find out how you
can get involved and do all the good you can.
Visit our website to find out how.
We don’t expect it will be long, though, before we see her
latest ideas in action.
57