JourneyOnline
MORE THAN 16 years after World Vision introduced the LINC program to Australia, a handful of faithful volunteers still offers Love In the Name of Christ.
Vera Otto of Petrie is one of the original LINC members and said the movement was about knowing what you could do to help and what works for you.
LINC sees six local churches link up to provide transport for people who would be otherwise disconnected from their community.
Most of the work involves taking people to medical appointments – and this is where the cross-stitch comes in.
“While most are quite familiar with Moreton Bay Region, very few of our drivers like to drive in the city,” Mrs Otto said.
“The traffic around Royal Brisbane Hospital is bad and it can be frustrating having to wait around not knowing how long the appointment might take.”
“So I would drop the patient off, park near the Centenary Pool in Gregory Terrace, and do my cross-stitch while I waited for them.”
It seems patients can definitely be a virtue.
Another virtue is having the right people bring their talents to the organisation.
“On our board is a man who understands how to apply for and win government funding grants,” Mrs Otto said.
“That means LINC is not always going to local churches for more donations.”
World Vision no longer promotes the LINC program worldwide, but it remains a powerful ministry in an area where churches identify a need which matches their skills and resources.
Photo : Vera Otto, Barb Peel, and Tom Stanton are just some of the team of drivers from LINC. Photo by Sue Allen
