“There’s a grace when the heart is under fire. Another way when the walls are closing in. When I look at the space between where I used to be and this reckoning….” favourite words of mine from Another in the Fire by Hillsong United.

This season of Lent appears to be a liminal space, the space between. Easter will arrive as we transition from Summer to Autumn, through Lent to Holy week. The word liminal comes from the Latin ‘limen’, meaning threshold. MMS services support our clients across this ‘limen’, this threshold, enabling them to transition from one space to a better one. We journey with them strengthening their own advocacy and life skills, from a liminal space where direction can be confusing and courage uncertain, to enabling them to leap forward over the cracks of life so they do not fall through.

Our clients lead everything we do, and their voice is paramount. They bring the resources for the work and set the targets that we work towards. Our job is to keep them on track, help them develop new resources, and provide a hand up when they stumble.

MMS has Taituāra a Hāpori (Specialist Support) in Dunedin, Milton and Southland and in addition to the community, they are intrinsic to the level of care provided to all residents in our Youth Transition Houses and for the tamariki enrolled in our preschool Little Citizens and their whanau.

Sue Clarke (our Kaiwhakahaere Chief Operations Officer) shares this story “At lunchtime today, a woman arrived on her bike with a bag of groceries which are to be gifted to Little Citizen’s families. This lady then shared the reason for this very generous gesture.

About two years ago and at the start of the first COVID her relationship was dissolving, and she was in despair as to what to do next and for the safety of her two children. She was put in touch with our Taituāra a Hāpori who talked her through what services were available and connected her to them.

Two days after moving into new accommodation, our Taituāra a Hāpori dropped off a care package which meant so much when times were dire, and she has not forgotten this. When I asked her if she needed the groceries herself, she said “No, some organisation dropped these off to me and I want to give these to Mums with families, I am going to go and buy my own groceries.”

I thanked her for her incredible generosity to which she replied, there will be more coming! “

The Mission is committed to change that works; working with people from the place that they are at, to the place they want to go next; anticipating the changing needs in society and leading community responses.

Contact Julie julier@mmsouth.org.nz to hear more stories of the Mission’s impact via our e-news or sign-up Methodist Mission Southern | Facebook