Newsletter Archive

July Newsletter 2007

WHAT IS C.H.I.P. S?

Captain Eric
C.h.i.p. s is a non profit organization which was formed to link the local Christian churches with local primary schools. Its purpose is to provide love, support and encouragement to the primary school community.

C.h.i.p. s is able to provide (through the support of churches): Seminars for students, teachers and parents. A range of camps and programs for children in crisis. counselling and welfare services. A resource centre with a range of programs and equipment available.

CHIPS Breakfast: Pastor Max and Alison represented Cornerstone at the June CHIPS breakfast at Fountain Gate Hotel. Captain Eric was the speaker and as usual enthralled the large crowd as he spoke on dealing with anxiety.

Shortly Eric will lead a team of volunteers to work on a short term mission teaching children in Uganda. Baptist Men’s Breakfast : Thirteen men from Cornerstone attended this breakfast. Pastor Rob Ward was the speaker and spoke of the need for strong men to be salt in their community bringing a Christian flavour wherever they operate. Rob is Victorian Director of the Christian Electoral Lobby.

UNOH: Surrender 07 the annual UNOH Conference is on Friday July 27 th – 29 th at Belgrave Heights. This is an exciting conference focusing on the needs of the poor and disadvantaged in our world. For further details, please click on the hyperlink below: www.unoh.org.au

Donations: A big thank you for Doveton Salvation Army Depot for their continued support and also from Dandenong Rotary and Dandenong Inner Wheel Clubs.

Thanksgiving Breakfast

Sudanese women worship and dance at the breakfast

Alan and May peel spuds and butter bread.

Wally and Paddy at work

Hillcrest & Eumemmerring Colleges:

Teachers and students from these two colleges spent the morning recently at Cornerstone talking with the Cornerstone

Wellsprings Meetings

Board members Barbara Siddall and Wilma Southern recently attended two excellent seminars at Wellsprings which examined the needs of migrant women and asylum seekers in Dandenong.

Impact 07 Endeavour Hills / Doveton.

Outreach program Friday – Sunday June 22–24 sponsored by Casey Pastor’s Network.
Praise God 250–350 people came each night with 8 more people responding to Salvation, making 21 so far through the Impact07 nights.Each night God was doing some deep things in people’s lives bringing about real freedom. Then on the Sunday night as we spoke on the theme the power of the name of Jesus, we started to see God ’s healing power released.

There were at least three tangible instant healings. Two arthritis suffers were healed of great pain as we persisted in prayer. One of whom was healed of hip trouble the night before. Another person left free from pain from a fall which the doctor suspected caused a collapsed disc. Her scheduled x-ray on Monday showed everything was totally normal.

Next Impact Event Narre Warren/Hallam. July 20–22

Cornerstone Contact Centre is a faith mission run in the heart of downtown Dandenong. It combines welfare assistance with a Drop In facility to meet the needs of the many disadvantaged people in the area.

Cornerstone is Trans denominational being administered by Christians from a variety of church backgrounds. Cornerstone meets in the old Church of Christ building on the corner of Mason and Walker Sts Dandenong.

It is next to the tax office and surrounded by a variety of government and welfare agencies. The building is owned by the Rado family who allow Cornerstone to use the property free of charge. Cornerstone is recognised as a safe haven for people who live on the fringes of society. It provides a variety of programs that meet the needs of this very multicultural community. Cornerstone provides meals and crisis assistance in the municipalities of Casey and Greater Dandenong for people in the district who have multiple needs.

Message from Pastor Don Cameron… Pastoral Care Worker.

Don’s Report:

Cornerstone Contact Centre applied for and received a YPIP grant from the City of Greater Dandenong to run Drug Education programs and to hear the views of Young People on the topic of how to prevent/reduce substance abuse in our community.

These seminars attracted large numbers of young people who responded positively to the major problem they face in their peer group. The program obviously hits the right buttons as young people came up with many positive suggestions. All of these will be forwarded to the City Councillors and it is hoped that they will respond positively to the voice of the young people in the City of Greater Dandenong.

Here are some of the worthwhile suggestions (and percentages of total participants) that young people in the City put forward.

Things that WILL help reduce substance abuse in our community:
Sponsor more mentoring programs for young people 33%
Educate people in our city on how to help substance abusers 34%
Sponsor more sporting activities in our city 35%
Have more media ads warning people about substance abuse 35%
Create/move more drug treatment centres into our City 36%
Make ‘Drug Education’ a mandatory subject in schools 37%
Increase Police powers (use sniffer dogs etc) 38%
Sponsor more youth groups in our city 38%
Drug test all teachers and students at schools 38%
Sponsor more ‘Values For Life’ seminars 71%

Our Community pours thousands of dollars into the drug education and prevention programs each year. It would appear that many have a minimal effect on our young people and alcohol and drug addition remain unaffected. The positive results of the “Values for Life “seminars appear to be a positive investment that young people relate to as a way to combat our current drug culture.

Cornerstone looks forward to funding more of these seminars in the coming months and would invite Council to support us in this endeavour.

MARANATHA!

Cornerstone: Pastor Max Walker CEO.
Postal Address:	PO Box 358 Dandenong Vic 3175
Address:	Church of Christ building cnr Mason and Walker Sts Dandenong Vic 3175.
General Enquiries:	(03) 9794 5654
Fax:	(03) 9794 5949
Free Legal Service:	(03) 9794 8428
Email:	ALLMAX@bigpond.com