JourneyOnline
WHEN MARYBOROUGH Uniting Church member MarionTappenden felt a calling to help homeless people she wasn’t sure what to do next.
“I had a vision four or five years ago of working with the homeless and it wasn’t until earlier this year that I finally found somewhere to take it,” she said.
Hearing that her congregation was looking for new mission projects she suggested, after much thought and prayer, a breakfast for homeless people.
“As there was already a ministry happening through the Anglican church which involved Anglican, Catholic and Baptist people, I decided that was probably a good place to start.”
She gathered a couple of other interested people and went along to see how it was done and to
discuss what they felt was needed in the local community.
“I felt that God was telling me it was breakfast we were to provide.”
Everyone agreed and on 5 October this year the weekly breakfast for the homeless began.
It currently has 25 volunteers and feeds between 15 to 28 people each week.
“There are men, women and children; we had four children this morning,” she said.
“I see it as being Christ’s hands in the community and meeting a need and serving God in that way.
“For me it is fulfilling what God has called us to do.”
Ms Tappenden said congregation members have really supported the initiative.
“Even people who can’t get up early come.
“We have a couple of people who come in later to do the washing up.”
Ms Tappenden said that there is a need for more services such as the breakfast and the soup kitchen run by the town’s churches.
“We have started off with one breakfast [per week], but who knows, depending on how people feel we may look at another one down the track.
“If God leads us in another direction we will certainly be moving that way.”
The Maryborough youth group will also be involved this month by preparing Christmas hampers
Photo : Some of the breakfast volunteers at Maryborough Uniting Church.
