There’s four broad responses that we encourage folks towards: Be With, Give, Live & Learn. You might already be doing them in one way or another - if so, we’d love to hear from you so that we can ‘spur each other onto love and good deeds.’

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BE WITH, GIVE, LIVE & LEARN

Be with....

Christian history demonstrates time and again that a sustained relationship with God is foundational to sustained efforts at addressing injustice and poverty. We’ve noticed that when we neglect this relationship, we begin moving away from the very things we’re aiming for. We start exhibiting fruits that are not of the Spirit: judgementalism, cynicism or a struggle to engage in fun and joyful experiences. At the heart of this is often the rise (or return!) of a saviour complex: believing that we are at the centre of the narrative and indispensable to the restorative process. The anti-dote? More of what Marva Dawn calls ‘Sabbath as a way of life’ and Walter Bruggemann calls ‘Sabbath as resistance.’ We need time with God in a wide variety of ways, and the Christian community has a deep well of resources for us to draw from: different ways of praying and worshipping, practices like lament, contemplation, journaling and the arts. We regularly share these kinds of resources and we’d love you to share what you’ve found helpful too.

We’ve met plenty of folks who are passionate about injustice but have no relationship with folks on the margins. It’s easier to help the poor through volunteering with professional services, but these pathways – while incredibly important – do not typically encourage personal relationships with marginalised people. The gospel calls us to genuine relationship with people that society undervalues, creating a movement from ‘doing for’ to ‘being with.’ They move from being ‘the poor’ or ‘the homeless’ or ‘the elderly’, to our friends who have names, character, and stories worth listening to. Genuine relationship with the marginalised creates the possibility of us supporting each other ‘as we limp towards the light.’ It is something of a Christ-encounter (Mt. 25:40-45) that brings the Scriptures alive. If that resonates with you, but you’re unsure how this looks or starts in practice, join us for the annual Mission in the Margins weekend or get in touch, so that we can walk this narrow, winding path together.

We’ve been really encouraged to see a growing interest among Christians regarding our relationship with the rest of creation. We want to assist the Australian Christian community in restoring the importance of this relationship, recognising that our health is wrapped up in the wellbeing of the rest of creation at household, local and global levels. We’ve yet to meet someone who didn’t offer some kind of worship and receive some kind of renewal of humility when encountering the natural beauty of this country or a clear and starry night. We believe there’s a whole range of ways to deepen this relationship that suit every character and context. We’d love to hear about how your relationship with the rest of creation is developing – what have you learned or appreciated lately? Where have you seen beauty that most folk walk past? Share your stories with us so we can learn from your experiences and share them with others.

Give....

Financially

Odds are you’re already giving regularly to support things in your community that are working towards the kind of world we all want to live in. We fully support you in that, and we’re not interested in poaching funding from other wonderful orgs. But if you have the capacity to support our work financially as well (or if you already do!), that is wonderful and much appreciated. We don’t take government grants, and mostly rely on donations from ordinary folks like you. We prefer regular donations as they mean we can give some surety to our partner organisations. We treat everyone the same regardless of the amount they give, and deeply appreciate generosity whatever form it takes.

DONATE

Your time

Volunteering is on the decline in Australia, and we reckon that’s a loss for everyone – not just orgs like us who rely on people giving their time. There’s something about helping without receiving anything in return, and we’d encourage you to create space in your life to volunteer if you don’t already. But odds are that in the upside-down kingdom of God, in giving you’ll likely receive something too – a new friend, a new perspective or some new experiences. If you’re already volunteering, whether chipping in at the local sports club, helping a neighbour with some gardening or mentoring a student, get in touch. We’d love to encourage you and encourage others with your story. If you’d like to volunteer with us, let us know, and together we’ll explore where our areas of need and your gifts line up.

VOLUNTEER WITH US

Like a steward

Giving can be done in all sorts of creative ways, and we want to encourage that too. People sharing gardening tools, resources they’ve developed, meals, homes or space on a sports team. There’s a whole range of ways that we can give of the resources entrusted to us. We love the biblical concept of ‘stewardship’ because it acknowledges that we only ever hold what has been gifted to us in the first place. What we ‘have’ was never ours. Rather, it was entrusted to us to be used and distributed in alignment with the original owner: God. So give, and give generously, going beyond sharing left-overs to giving in ways that genuinely cost. Give like a steward, and if you’ve got an idea but don’t know how to pull it off, get in touch, and let’s work on it together.

CONTACT

Live....

Simply

Whether we acknowledge it or not, our lives are deeply entwined with God, others and the rest of creation. Our world is waking up to the reality that all of life is interconnected, and the creation narrative demonstrates that this was God’s design from the beginning. Living simply will look different for each household and person, but it’s good news for everyone and everything. Pursuing ‘enough’ – rather than ‘more’ - frees up our time and finances and encourages us towards community through the sharing of resources while the earth, plants and animals benefit from our reduced ecological footprint. We highly recommend Richard Foster’s Freedom of Simplicity and Celebration of Discipline, there’s plenty on this from our friends at Manna Gum, or sign up so we can share stories and ideas from people attempting to ‘live simply so others might simply live.’

Ethically

Freedom of choice is often understood as a privatised right that has nothing to do with anyone else. But in reality, every choice we make is a vote for the kind of world we want to live in. Buying cheap, throw-away items tells manufacturers and stores that we value low prices over fair wages or caring for the environment. In essence, unethical markets that hurt people or the environment exist because we sustain them through our purchasing choices. This extends to our investments, particularly our superannuation. Many funds are purely profit-driven and are comfortable investing in things like gambling, pornography or tobacco. If you haven’t already, switch your super to one of the ethical funds that are transparent about how they decide where to invest. We also recommend checking out the ethical shopping guide – if this is a new step for you, we suggest making small changes over the long haul. Start with one shopping item, find an ethical brand and once that becomes your normal choice, find another item to switch out.

Intentionally

Our lives are filled with choices. We have options for where we live, career paths, levels of debt, and our leisure activities. Life is busy and can squeeze out space to reflect on how these choices line up with God’s desire for what Randy S. Woodley calls ‘the community of creation.’ And yet these choices are not benign. They have consequences and impacts. Living intentionally involves regularly taking time to reflect on where our choices are working towards or against a flourishing ‘community of creation.’ We live in a broken world, and no choices are perfect. But in the options available to us, there’s usually a few that are heading in the right direction. And while a life lived intentionally will have a range of tensions and paradoxes, it’ll be a purpose-filled and deeply rewarding one. Most of our events create space for folks to explore these options with like-minded people. Come join the conversation so that we can mutually encourage each other.