a Jesus thought...
Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons. (Mark 3:14)
a Godly thought...
We have no choice but to express authentic holiness in engagement with the world. (p90 Webb)
Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons. (Mark 3:14)
a Godly thought...
We have no choice but to express authentic holiness in engagement with the world. (p90 Webb)
a leading thought...
Courage is fear that has said its prayers. (Karl Barth)
a Dave thought...
In the Herald Sun yesterday...
A GANG of street drunks accused of urinating against shopfronts, smashing bottles and threatening locals with dead rats have been handed their own ratepayer-funded benches.
The group, dubbed "the Smith St menace", scares shoppers and frustrates local police.
But traders who asked council to stop the group from drinking in the street have been labelled racist.
Yarra Council has now responded by buying the group permanent footpath bench seats.
The $50,000 solution will eventually buy the group 20 new benches at a cost to ratepayers of $2500 per seat.
One businessman told how a dead rat was put under his windscreen wipers after he went public with his concerns. His truck was also vandalised with blue paint and he had death threats.
Other traders who have spoken out have had their cars painted, too.
Police regularly attend footpath gatherings where groups fight, smash bottles and abuse passers-by.
Children as young as eight are being raised kerbside and witness binge drinking and violence among their guardians. The council says the area, which often has an overwhelming stench of urine, is an Aboriginal meeting place of significance.
Yarra Council has resisted pleas for a footpath drinking ban as unfairly targeting one sector of the community. They are planning a bus to shuttle aggressive drunks to a planned dry out area and community centre.
Business on Smith St president Geoff Sturre said: "I don't think the seats solve the problem. Any smart person can see it makes it worse.
"I would have liked to see law and order reinstated. If we put a sandwich board on the footpath and it's in the way of pedestrians, we get someone from the council instantly issuing a fine.
"But if you smash a bottle and get in the face of shoppers, it's ignored."
Cr Stephen Jolly said the new seats along Smith St would help separate drinkers from foot traffic. He said he did not want to see the contentious group moved off.
The group, dubbed "the Smith St menace", scares shoppers and frustrates local police.
But traders who asked council to stop the group from drinking in the street have been labelled racist.
Yarra Council has now responded by buying the group permanent footpath bench seats.
The $50,000 solution will eventually buy the group 20 new benches at a cost to ratepayers of $2500 per seat.
One businessman told how a dead rat was put under his windscreen wipers after he went public with his concerns. His truck was also vandalised with blue paint and he had death threats.
Other traders who have spoken out have had their cars painted, too.
Police regularly attend footpath gatherings where groups fight, smash bottles and abuse passers-by.
Children as young as eight are being raised kerbside and witness binge drinking and violence among their guardians. The council says the area, which often has an overwhelming stench of urine, is an Aboriginal meeting place of significance.
Yarra Council has resisted pleas for a footpath drinking ban as unfairly targeting one sector of the community. They are planning a bus to shuttle aggressive drunks to a planned dry out area and community centre.
Business on Smith St president Geoff Sturre said: "I don't think the seats solve the problem. Any smart person can see it makes it worse.
"I would have liked to see law and order reinstated. If we put a sandwich board on the footpath and it's in the way of pedestrians, we get someone from the council instantly issuing a fine.
"But if you smash a bottle and get in the face of shoppers, it's ignored."
Cr Stephen Jolly said the new seats along Smith St would help separate drinkers from foot traffic. He said he did not want to see the contentious group moved off.
Yesterday a few of us went for a drive to check out the seats and see the area once again. As Stephen Court, Danielle Strickland and others have just started the Collingwood outpost I have no doubt these are the areas that Salvation Army must be emerged in. There is currently only one church, St. Martins left in the area as all the mainstream churches dwindled and found it too difficult to engage with this community so vacated.
I am currently engaging in a project as part of our NEO (New Expressions Of Salvos) agenda to find the 100 worst postcodes in Australia in terms of poverty and crime and then see how many of these The Salvation Army is currently ministering in. Our goal is to see us, the Salvos engaged in the 100 lowest socio-economic postcodes in Australia by 2017, so with Collingwood on its way and others inspired after ACC to reach to the lost, the last and least we may help to solve the problem by replacing seats with churches.
Just a thought.
1 comment:
This is great. People who put their hands up to be part of ministry to the margainlized need to also realize that it "hard work" and that if they commit they need to be prepared to stick with it. These people have had people come and go in their lives and what they need are people that will stick with them and not be turned off by the things that may seem unpleasant.
Please choose your teams wisely as sometimes more harm can be done than good. Some people get caught up in the hype and then when they are faced with the reality realize that it is not for them.
Not raining on your parade, I think it is fabulous that at long last others are wanting us to return to the purpose that God placed us on this earth for.
Blessings and be assured of prayers and support.
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