Fifty Years of Service to the Mandurah Community

September 2, 2024
Category: Revive Magazine, Stories & Feature Articles

In the heart of Mandurah, the Mandurah Uniting Church shares their love of Christ out into the surrounding community in a shared mission of compassion and support. This year the church is celebrating 50 years of support to the Mandurah community through its service now known as Uniting Outreach Mandurah.
An article by Wendy Hendry, first published in the August 2024 edition of Revive magazine.

On a recent visit to Mandurah I was shown around the centre by Coral Richards, a dedicated volunteer who has been part of this journey for over three decades, and I was struck by the profound impact this organisation has had on the lives of so many. Although the Mandurah congregation began as a Methodist Church in the 1930’s, the support services, now named Uniting Outreach Mandurah, has a story which began fifty years ago in 1974.

That year, some ladies of the Methodist Church gathered some boxes of second-hand clothes which they sold from a pop-up stall they would set up on a Wednesday from the old church building in Sutton Street. A few years later at Uniting Church in Australia union they became the Mandurah Uniting Church, and the members of the congregation have continued to serve and support the surrounding community to this day.

When the old manse on Pinjarra Road was vacated it became the site for a combined Drop-in Centre and Op Shop, outreach services of the church staffed by volunteers of the congregation. The new church building opened next door at 156 Pinjarra Rd in 1984. The old manse was eventually demolished and a shed was built at the rear of the church in 2007. In the same year Uniting Outreach Mandurah (UOM) was officially established as a registered charity to oversee the outreach projects of the church.

UOM serves as a lifeline for those in need, providing emergency relief and support services to individuals and families facing hardship. The overarching vision for UOM is ‘to give a helping hand to the people of the Peel area as a response of our Christian love’. Their core values are to ‘be compassionate towards people in times of physical, emotional and financial need’ and ‘to promote justice and hope within the community’.

UOM currently has three major outreach programs; Uniting Op Shop, Emergency Relief and Well Being Lunches.

Every Tuesday morning the church on Pinjarra road is open for the UOM Emergency Relief Support Program. People seeking support can arrive between 10.00am to 1.00pm without being required to make an appointment. Upon arrival they are welcomed by a friendly team of volunteers who offer clients a warm cuppa, and invite them to select free bread products donated by a local bakery. Clients are triaged depending on need, with some of the more experienced volunteers on hand for more complex support needs. The service primarily assists those with a healthcare card and who reside within the region, adhering to the funding requirements set by Lotterywest, though they do have some ability to assist people outside of these constraints. The team at UOM remain committed in their mission, doing their best to ensure that no one is turned away empty-handed during times of crisis.

The emergency relief service has a range of support to offer including the provision of food hampers, Foodbank referrals, vouchers for fuel, assisting with school uniforms and student hygiene packs, and vouchers for the on-site Op Shop, along with transport cards and rent assistance. There are policies and procedures in place for these services which are followed by the volunteers. They also work in partnership with other agencies who often refer clients to them, and in turn UOM can refer to other agencies when appropriate.

Every second Wednesday UOM hosts a Well-Being lunch. The lunches provide a safe and supportive space for people experiencing mental health issues to socialise over a nutritious meal. Attendance ranges from 24 – 40 people each time, making food preparation and planning a little challenging. A team of volunteers prepare the meals, offer support to the clients and clean up again afterwards.

The Op-Shop is open five days a week, selling donated items at low cost to the community. Over time the Op-Shop has expanded out to three storage locations on the property for clothing and accessories, household goods and a furniture shed for bulky items. They are mindful to ensure the shop and furniture shed have well defined walkways to be accessible for wheelchairs and prams. There is also a storage container and staff workspace. A team of volunteers sort through the donated items and prepare them for display in the shop according to the season.

Volunteering at the Heart of UOM

The heart and soul of Uniting Outreach Mandurah is its volunteers. With around 40 dedicated individuals, the organisation runs smoothly, thanks to their unwavering commitment. Many volunteers are connected to the church, and some are from the broader community. The volunteer program is robust, currently supported by a three-year community grant with the City of Mandurah. This grant has enabled the partnership with the Peel Volunteer Resource Centre, which manages recruitment of volunteers, ensuring candidates undergo the necessary safety screening and initial induction requirements, as well as assisting with recruitment and rostering.

Regular team meetings and informal training sessions ensure that volunteers are well-prepared to handle various situations, from dealing with difficult customers to adhering to safety protocols. During my visit to the centre I spoke to several long-term volunteers. Some volunteers, like Keith, who manages the bookkeeping and has been involved for 25 years, and Andrew who has been a part of the congregation since 1985 and helps out with shopping errands and other odd jobs as well as helping out in the Op-Shop. There are many more recent volunteers such as Michelle who recently retired from her previous employment and now helps in the office with data entry and lends a helping hand to the Well Being lunches when needed.

Coral herself has been an active member of the Mandurah Uniting Church for 30 years and is currently the Secretary of the Church Council. Her passion for the outreach services of UOM is clear in the way she speaks with a sense of pride in the place of hope and compassion they have become in the local community. Coral said “We try as best we can to respond to need, and to bring hope to people in the community.”

When asked how people in the wider church community could support the work of UOM Coral said, “We’re always open to donations.” Coral went on to say how helpful items such as formal clothes suitable for high school Balls are, noting that for some families, finding special occasion clothing for events can be out of reach. They have a School Ball section in the Op Shop for such items.

Coral also said, “if there’s people in our local community who would like to support us by becoming a Board member or volunteering their time that would be fabulous.”

50 Year Celebrations

To mark this 50-year milestone, Mandurah Uniting Church are planning to have a celebration Sundowner / Afternoon Tea on 20 September to share the history with people in the church and community. We look forward to sharing the details of this celebration with the Uniting Church WA community soon.

You can find out more about Uniting Outreach Mandurah, including how to contribute to the ongoing work, on the church’s website – mandurah.ucwa.au