So you might remember in the last edition of the Olive Branch I reflected on the key values that underpin our pastoral care ministry at Brunswick Uniting and looked at how applicable they are to our ministry at Olive Way. These three values, hospitality, compassion, and community, have deep resonance for us at Olive Way. I found it particularly helpful that they speak across a variety of faith traditions, and even people without a faith tradition can find meaning in them. This last point is particularly important for us, as our volunteers come from all walks of life, as do our guests, and we don’t discriminate on who can or can’t access Olive Way.

Last week Cath held a time of reflection for our volunteers around these values. The questions centred around where we saw hospitality, compassion, or community extended in or around Olive Way. This was a meaningful time of sacred pause where we took a moment to reflect rather than rushing off to the next thing. We will aim to build this into a regular part of our monthly rhythm for our volunteers. It helps us keep the main thing in view and not get too distracted by the business of the days.

In other news…

Our partnership with MOSS Merribek has continued to grow. We recently met with one of the managers to look at how the partnership will look, as well as discussing it at Church Council. An MOU will be developed in the next week, which will provide the framework for the partnership and assign responsibilities. If everything goes to plan, we will commence a breakfast program on the 9th of July on Thursday mornings (8am) on a trial basis. We are excited to be working with them and feel they will offer additional support to those of our number who are struggling to find appropriate housing. Already they have helped one of our regular guests find permanent housing. Whilst the housing he was in was still temporary, he relayed to one of the MOSS staff supporting him that he had forgotten what it felt like to have a roof over his head and shower he could use whenever he needed it. Whilst we miss having him around, we are so glad he has a pathway to stable housing. We hope that many others will find similar help through this approach.

Peter Blair, Olive Way Pastor
first published in the June Olive Branch