Is the Wind Blowing? Embracing change.

Methodist Mission Southern (MMS) has always sought to provide services that reflect the evolving needs of the society we serve. That ethos is embodied in the tagline: Change That Works: enough support and challenge for you to risk a better future.

From its early beginnings in 1890 as a street Mission, through to the building of our aged care home in Company Bay, adopting a struggling early childhood centre in the 1950s, and the later 20th century central city “Friendship Centre”, to our current day core services - including Youth Transition Services/ Te Tuarāwharau, Sustaining Tenancies and Parenting Through Separation - we are committed to supporting those we work with to rewrite their futures and create positive generational cycles.

Together with OAR FM, our local community radio station, we have produced a podcast series titled Change that Works. Through eight insightful episodes, listeners are invited into a conversation with staff members, delving into the essence of each of the mission’s services—their purpose, scope, and underlying motivations.

You can hear what a day in the Transition house looks like, the support we have received from our community, the driving issues we are responding to, and what our support looks like from those on the front line.

Our research and evidence-backed services encompass seven core services, each meticulously designed to address critical needs within our community. From Youth Transition Houses to Parenting Through Separation, Sustaining Tenancies, Early Childcare Education/Little Citizens, ENGAGE, the Young Mums’ Transition House, and Taituāra a Hāpori/Community Service Specialist, our work is structured around the fundamental principle that our clients are the owners of change.

Each episode of our podcast series offers an in-depth exploration of these services. Through these discussions, listeners gain insight into how we prioritise our clients' aspirations, working together to bring their goals and ambitions closer to reality. Our approach goes beyond “fixing” what’s on top; it's about creating change from within by supporting and nurturing the development of skills, looking to longer-term decision making, navigation through a wide array of resources and supports, improving the capability and capacity of those we work with.

We employ a combination of passionate and skilled staff, rigorous methodologies, and specialised tools, always looking to create an effective alliance with those we’re seeking to help. We too are always learning from the work.

The podcast series concludes with Laura Black, our director, talking about the challenges we encounter, the impacts achieved, the stewardship exercised, and the Mission’s vision for the future.

You can find all the podcast episodes on our YouTube channel @mmsouth.

With the unprecedented challenges and uncertainties of this era, the significance of our mission has never been clearer. We're driven by innovation, inclusivity, and a fierce dedication to social justice.

As the autumnal wind blows, the earth turns and the seasons change, it is a poignant reminder that our efforts to bring about positive change will eventually yield fruit. Much like the Holy Spirit carried on the wind, unseen forces of transformation and renewal constantly shift and shape the world around us. Armed with this understanding, we stand ready to confront the challenges of tomorrow, secure in the knowledge that real, enduring change is not merely an aspiration but a collective endeavour worth pursuing, one step at a time.