United in Hope, at Hope Vale!

United in Hope, at Hope Vale!

Over the next few weeks Pastor David Spanagel will share some of the latest news from our Far North Queensland congregations. In this edition he shares news from Hope Vale. The LCAQD has resolved to raise $60,000 per year for the next three years, to enable and strengthen a Regional Ministry in Far North Queensland.

Greetings from Cairns, Hope Vale, Wujal Wujal and Coen!

We have recently finalised two matters in relation to the ongoing Hope Vale (NQ) ministry.  A lease was signed with Empowering Connections & Support Services to lease the Hope Vale church hall, providing significant income for the congregation and an equally important service to the town.

The Op Shop is up and running again, providing an important service and income stream to the community – as well as being a significant ministry opportunity and mental health support service – affording people the chance to visit, browse or just have a down-to-earth chat.

It hasn’t taken long for word to get out in the wider community, outside Hope Vale, that the Op Shop is open again. In the past we have had carloads of people from Cooktown, who otherwise have no association with Hope Vale, coming to visit and support us on a regular basis. We welcome them because this helps finance our ministry, as well as providing another opportunity to demonstrate ‘where love comes to life’. We get to bear witness to the difference a church presence can make in the lives of local people.

Since ECSS has begun operating from the church hall, they have enthusiastically welcomed the addition of Bible story books, devotion books and Bibles to their office for clients to take away at no cost. This is a very significant way of reaching into the community with a meaningful God-based message. The leader of the group, Chrissy, is pictured above.

Even the children thought this was a great initiative, with a number wanting to be in the picture!! Later on that same day, on a walk around the town visiting the unwell, a group of boys cheerfully hailed me, all very keen for a chat and so happy to meet the ‘Pastor’. It turned out I had baptised six of them in a ‘past life’ in Hope Vale. There is no doubt that this is the generation that needs our focus as we determine our future direction in ministry.

A selection of the same kind of books will now be available at the Hope Vale Community Care Office, where we meet with those who are mostly home-bound, for a Thursday communion and fellowship hour each month. This group is expanding rapidly, with word getting around that not just home-bound people are welcome. We recently had a group of 29 people from ages 20-90 in attendance!! This is inspirational.

As if that isn’t enough, the local school has also welcomed the addition of these same books into their staff library and ‘time out’ room; as has the Hope Vale Wellbeing Centre, a men’s health organisation run by Apunipima (a Cape York Aboriginal health organisation.)

The Hope Vale Day Care Centre did not want to miss out either!! They heard about the resources and approached us to see if they could also have some as well, making them available for their children with the idea of sending a ‘gift’ home with each child. God is so good!

These initiatives have been made possible simply because of the generosity of members within the LCAQD who have responded to our invitation to send these resources to us in NQ. Our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone for your partnership in this ministry of our LCAQD.

To make a donation to the United in Hope campaign, or to find out how your congregation or group can raise the funds needed, click here. Donations made in the month of March will be matched by LLL Australia’s $10k Matching Appeal, dollar for dollar, up to a value of $10,000.