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November - December Newsletter 2007 PASTOR MAX WALKER SAYS... EDITORIAL: As I write this we are now entering a new phase in Australian History with the election of the Rudd Labour Government. One of the things that greatly concerned me with Howard was the lack of compassion shown towards the poor and disenfranchised in our society. This rubbed off on the general population with many labelling the poor as losers, dole bludgers and second class citizens of this great country of ours. A new Government with new leadership has the opportunity to break this pattern making Australia a place where a fair go means a fair go for all and not just the privileged few. However, we all need to ensure that we stand firm with the new government as they develop the changes necessary in Australia to overcome the disadvantages faced by our indigenous people, our ethnic minorities, asylum seekers and the poor. I believe that this is the heartfelt desire of most caring Aussies who resisted the hip pocket nerve when they voted opting for not only political but real social change. Now is the moment for us all to seek out our local politician and again reiterate to them the values we consider valuable in our society. Change occurs when people care enough, are vocal and persistent in seeking redress to the wrongs that currently pervade our communities. My bible tells me that Jesus looked at the people with compassion and then proceeded to take appropriate action to redress the problem, that is, He healed the sick, fed the hungry and sought out the poor, the lost and society’s outcasts. Let us not be apathetic or complacent. Let your government know what needs to be done via mail, emails and phone calls, If we do this Australia will become the type of place we will all want to live in and be proud to call home. On behalf of all at Cornerstone have a great Christmas and New Year, Pastor Max Walker, CEO Cornerstone. END OF YEAR DATES AND DATES FOR 2008. FINAL LUNCH FOR 2007 ON FRIDAY DECEMBER 21ST, THIS WILL BE A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION. LUNCH AT 11.45am. BOXING DAY BBQ & SAUSAGE SIZZLE: Cornerstone 11.00 am until 2.00 p.m. Cornerstone will close from Saturday December 22 until it re-opens on Wednesday January 9th from 10.00 am until 1.00 p.m. with a light lunch being served. On a Wednesday only during January. Normal Cornerstone Wednesday and Friday lunches and all other programs will commence from Wednesday Feb 6th.
Relationship with the Dove Cornerstone has co-opted Pastor Levi Sanders onto the Board. This is part of a program of partnership being developed between the Dove and Cornerstone. Partnership Meeting The final luncheon meeting of the peak welfare agencies given 3 year funding by the City of Greater Dandenong was held recently to hear reports and to provide information for Council on the welfare needs of the community. As we go into a new funding period I would like to congratulate Dandenong Council and Councillors for their foresight and vision in making this possible. Donations Apart from the normal donations we receive Cornerstone has received, as the result of a submission, a grant of $5000 from the ANZ Foundation. We also received $1000 from the Dandenong North Op Shop that is now administered by Wallara. Also when both our TV’s packed up a new. Tonic Talk This program remains popular being one of the few agencies open on a Sunday afternoon. Up to 40 people regularly attend for the Tonic Talk and something to eat. Annabelle, a Chinese student shared her Christian experience recently and Tarwin a professional singer shared his testimony singing well known choruses and songs he had written. Single Mums Again in December Cornerstone with support from Avocare are supporting the Carnival Day at Winepress AOG financially and in kind as they run a program for over 200 single Mums and 300 children. We are proud to be able to support this initiative in the City of Casey. Farewell Joe Joe Brown, at his peak, was known as the best street fighter in Dandenong, passed away recently. He was a regular at Cornerstone since the early 90’s when Cornerstone opened. A local identity well known to all in welfare, to many of the local traders and a large percentage of the local police force. Despite his many problems Joe was very much part of the Cornerstone Family and we will miss his constant declaration. “I’m Joe Brown!” and his constant invitations to come outside and decide who was the best fighter. Joe was a loveable character and we miss him greatly. 2007 Volunteers Cornerstone’s Annual Special Treat for volunteers for 2007 was again a huge success. Fifty five of the volunteers met at Cornerstone and were bused to Frankston where they thoroughly enjoyed a great meal at Foodstar. Following lunch they visited the Frankston foreshore and explored the Frankston pier and surrounds. On the way home they took a “Cooks Tour” over the new freeway and then back to Dandenong via Patterson Lakes, Chelsea Heights, and Cheltenham Road Springvale. CUP DAY 2007 Cornerstone opened at 11.00 am on Cup Day through to 4.00pm. It was a relaxing day of meeting friends and watching the Spring Carnival on the big screen imported for the day. Thanks to Rob Collyer for the loan of the projector. During the afternoon there was the Cornerstone Fashions in the Field Millinery Competition and this was won by Trish. Two late entry’s in the Cup were scratched as they were at Cornerstone and not Fleminton. Richard on Rocking Horse and Barbara on Hobby Horse. It was a day of fun and laughter and well catered for by Avocare and our tireless team of volunteers. Cornerstone Contact Centre 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. It’s been an action packed month at Cornerstone with our roof tiles staying on through all the storms but small cracks letting some water leak into the rooms anyway. Still some work needed to get the silicon off our broken tiles so we can replace them. The computers we received from the City of Greater Dandenong are getting closer to being used as we track down some software to make them work. They are old computers so it’s a bit tricky getting the right stuff. Melbourne Cup day went well with the borrowed digital projector doing a great job projecting the large image on our screen. We mourned the passing of our long-time regular ‘Joe Brown’. We celebrated Andrew Cumming taking his first wicket as a bowler for the Noble Knights RecLink cricket team. We’ve had some great guest musicians/speakers at Cornerstone over the last few months at our fortnightly Sunday afternoon Church sessions. These included Annabelle from Trinity Methodist Church in Doveton who spoke about her time in Korea praying with people from many nations. Boys Brigade is almost completed for the year with several boys attending the end of year camp after Cornerstone sponsored their fees. We’ve received many kind words of thanks from parents who appreciate what Boys Brigade has meant to their boy(s) this year instilling values of integrity and character in them as they face decisions about who they will ‘hang out’ with and how they will behave as they mature. I continue to see people I know at the Dandenong Psychiatric Hospital where I lead a Church service each Tuesday. Some of them I’ve met through Cornerstone and it’s always good to see them back at Cornerstone when they are well again. At our Tuesday afternoon ‘Cake, Coffee and Conversation’ group we’ve been hearing people’s stories. One man spoke about his time in prison and the life changing decisions he made that led him in a different direction since being released. He has been a regular at Cornerstone and has been a great helper around the place recently. Coming into the Christmas season is often a difficult time for families, especially those experiencing family conflict, financial difficulties or other family problems. With this in mind I look for opportunities to meet with boys to play cricket, go swimming, share a drink at McDonalds or something similar over the school holidays. This is also a time when many young people look for consumer goods and products for satisfaction as the Christmas advertising suggests. It’s an opportunity to point out more of the gospel of Jesus seeing a relationship with God and with other people far above whatever ‘Santa’ might provide. In this respect, Christmas and January is usually a very special time of year at Cornerstone. One that we are looking forward to. MARANATHA! Pastor Don Cameron Work: 9794 5654 / 0415 888 528
For further details check out the website or contact us as indicated below. * All correspondence to CEO c/o PO Box 358 Dandenong. 3175.
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