Counting our blessings at Christmas

Christchurch City Missioner Corinne Haines

By Christchurch City Missioner Corinne Haines

It has been a privilege to be part of the City Mission, as the City Missioner, since April of this year and in that time I have connected with the community at speaking engagements, business meetings, and public events every week – sometimes several times a week.  The most common feedback from these talks is that people are amazed at the breadth of specialist support that our staff provide to our clients each day.

 I am often asked to comment to media about the effects on our clients of increasing costs of food items (which translates to ‘food poverty’) – because the City Mission is well-known for our Foodbank service. But our Foodbank is the tip of the proverbial iceberg of need; this visible part of what we do is situated at the front of our main building in Hereford Street, so it’s in the public eye. The length of the queue of cars each day provides tangible evidence of need in our community.

This tip of the iceberg, however, is part of a larger and more complex matrix of need that lies beneath. The breadth of support I talk about goes on behind our front doors, out on the streets of Christchurch, and in the homes of our most vulnerable communities. We are specialists in all our areas of support, including emergency accommodation, transitional housing, Alcohol and Other drug services to name a few. Vulnerable people and communities need this expertise, and collectively we try to help transition the people we care for to a life of living well rather than an existence of simply surviving.

 Christmas is a good time to try to call to mind some of the blessings we've experienced this year, despite its many trials and tribulations, and for us there have been many. I am grateful for our many volunteers, and for each member of our staff team. Together, they are such an integral part of the Mission.  This team sees the human faces of despair each day and never compromises on their commitment to helping others through the toughest of times.

 And to the people we care for, the vulnerable members of our city, I am grateful for the humility they instil in us each day. They are courageous beyond measure. I hope you all have blessings to reflect on as well.  

Personally, and on behalf of the Mission, I want to thank you, our supporters. Without your support we could not do all that we are doing.  Please do not wonder if you’re making a difference. You really are, and for that I want to thank you.

Christmas blessings to you all.