About a year and a half ago, I received a copy of the London Community Housing Strategy, dated June 2010.  It was a rather large document, and one that I was totally unfamiliar with, having just started here at Mission Services of London.  The first page of that document was a letter dated June 10, 2010 from then Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best and Councilor Susan Eagle.  The letter was addressed  “Dear Friends”.  I felt welcomed already. 

The penultimate paragraph of that letter was actually one sentence.  “The City of London is committed to ensuring our housing investments and partnerships enhance the rental and ownership market, as well as meet the needs of households through community engagement, programs, advocacy, and service innovations.” 

That was important information for me.  The City of London was committed.  I felt affirmed. 

The second page of that document was a notice certifying that Municipal Council, at its session held on June 28, 2010 resolved, among other things that the London Community Housing Strategy BE APPROVED, it being noted that the source of funding related to the implementation of this strategy remains reliant on the …ongoing, annual, municipal budget contribution of $2,000,000 to the housing capital reserve. 

This was a five year strategy and a five year commitment.  I felt supported. 

Objective 5.2 of the London Community Housing Strategy was “Maintain annual $2 million city investment in affordable housing.  That objective meant “demonstrating the City’s commitment to a housing continuum, and acknowledging the City’s role as a partner with other orders of government, London will continue to invest money from the Municipal tax base into the creation of new affordable housing, in line with the Community Housing Strategy”. 

Fast forward now to budget deliberations in February 2012.  The alternative taken to balance the budget was to reduce the “commitment” to affordable housing by 50% from $2,000,000 per year to $1,000,000. 

Commitment?  Long term strategy?  Political expediency?  What do you think?

February is a challenging month for the people we serve, and it’s also one of the quietest months for financial support. So, we are looking for some toque-wearing, cold-loving friends to join us on February 25^th!

• Our goal?$36,000! (Say it with us, “Thirty-six-thousand doooollaaars…”)
• How will we do it? We are looking for 30 Team Captains who can recruit 6-9 friends to join their team, walk with them on February 25^th and raise a minimum of $2000 as a team. (Note: the average walker raises $250)
• The bonus for you? Besides getting this warm, tingly feeling in your heart for being so nice, you’ll also get one of our famous “Coldest Night of the Year” toques!

How To START a Team for MSL

Step 1: Go to www.coldestnightoftheyear.org and select start a team from the yellow navigation tabs on left side of the page.

Step 2: Select the city you are walking in and click next.

Step 3: Agree to the waiver form and click next

Step 4: Select create a team from the three yellow buttons. You can name your team (something fun!), write a short blurb to describe it and then – this is really important…

Step 5: Choose your charity – at the very bottom of page click on the drop down menu bar and click on London – Mission Services of London. That will connect all your team’s fundraising activity to us. Yeah!

Once you’ve completed registering, you will see your team and your name in the master list of supporting teams on our partner page located at www.coldestnightoftheyear.org/partners (Note: it may not show up instantly – we upload couple times a day).

How to JOIN a TEAM and walk for MSL

Step 1: Go to www.coldestnightoftheyear.org and select register to walk from the yellow navigation tabs on left side of home page.

Step 2: Select the city you are walking in and click next.

Step 3: Agree to the waiver form and click next.

Step 4: Select join a team or register as an individual: f you had a friend ask you to walk on their team, click join a team where you can search for your friend or team by name. If you can’t find them, no worries, you can join them later after you register

If you are walking as individual, no problem – but feel free to join our Mission Services of London Team – where all the fun-loving individual walkers go.

Step 5: Start asking! Use the online fundraising system. Email your friends personal requests for support. It’s a proven fact: walkers who post a picture, explain why they are walking and email their friends raise 10X more on average than those who don’t.

START AND FINISH POINT: Trinity Lutheran Church at 746 Colborne Street

CHECK IN: 4:00 ~ 6:00 p.m.    Opening Ceromonies: 5:00 p.m.  

Walk Begins: 5:15 p.m.          Route Closes: 8:00 p.m.

If you have any concerns or questions, please contact Carol Ristine at The Mission Store 519.438.3056 or by email at cristine@missionservices.ca .

See you there!

At this time, Mission Services of London would like to thank all their volunteers for their dedication. We definitely could not do it without you! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you!

The fourth and final week of Advent!  One week left until Christmas 2011. How time flies! 

Throughout Advent many churches focus on different aspects of our relationship with God.  For the last three weeks I’ve used this Advent tradition to focus on some words that characterize the relationships that we have here at Mission Services of London among ourselves, with our partners, and with the many people that use our services.  Compassion, Hope and Integrity.  In this final week, my focus is on the word Diligence.

Diligence describes many actions directed outwards towards others and actions inwards to one’s self. For some, Diligence has the connotation of moving forward, of being very clear, intentional and focused on a specific goal and direction; of being an advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves. It includes being alert and observant for opportunities and challenges, of being aware that nothing remains the same forever. For others it is not so much a moving forward and changing, but of maintaining the course and persevering when challenges occur, persevering because it is the right thing to do. I think it is a reminder for all that it takes constant and earnest effort to begin something, to continue, and finally to accomplish the task or tasks. 

Because our Christian faith underpins this organization, I can’t help but try to integrate the wonder of the Christmas season with the word Diligence.  There are many ways to look at the whole story of the Bible and the Christmas story in particular. Christians describe their belief in scripture in many different ways, and consequently they frame the Bible stories and the Christmas story in different ways.  For me, I choose to see the Bible as a love story – and that is the frame for the Christmas story.

So what does that have to do with Diligence?  Because the God who sent the Christ child was very clear and intentional with what he was doing. It shows God’s diligence towards us. There is no greater effort taken by our God, whose image we all share, to accomplish his task in showing us how much he loved us.  And that has become an example for us here at Mission Services of London.

Diligence, God’s and ours.  It is why we do what we do at Mission Services of London.

Merry Christmas everyone! 

“Therapies for Charities Christmas Open House”

This Saturday December 17^th 11am – 3pm

119 & 123 Wortley Road

Come enjoy one of the many relaxing and indulging Mini Treatments for a donation.

There will be food, fabulous treatment prices, opportunity to meet the Therapists and much more…

Bring your donations of men’s clothing, diapers/wipes, Rainbow Cinema movie passes, or children’s sports equipment

 ALL PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO ROTHOLME WOMEN’S AND FAMILY SHELTER.

Visit the Wortley Wellness Centre website for more information www.wortleywellness.com

During this Advent season, the focus in my blog has been on words that we use here at Mission Services of London to remember our history, our faith, our reason for being.  Words to contemplate and to celebrate.  In the first two weeks, the focus was on Compassion and Hope. 

This week I put the spotlight on Integrity.  Unlike Compassion and Hope, Integrity doesn’t seem to “fit” as easily with traditional Advent words that would be used in various churches; but it is a word that, for Mission Services of London, is easy to include and worthy to contemplate when considering our relationship to God.

For us Integrity means many things, including demonstrating consistency in our words and actions.  When dealing with clients and fellow staff members, it means honouring confidentiality.  It means we not only hold ourselves accountable, but we hold others accountable too for their responsibilities.  We do not work in isolation, neither as individuals within an organization, nor as an organization within the larger social service framework in the City of London.  Finally, Integrity means creating an environment that supports open, direct and honest communication.

At Christmas we celebrate the coming of the Christ child, a signature event in a string of events that displays the consistency of God’s love for us and his integrity.  It points to a God who is not only willing to have us participate in his work, but who gives us opportunities to do so. It reveals a God that, through the Christ child, created an environment for open direct and honest communication.

I look back to the history of Mission Services of London, how it was started by a group of Christians who were intent on putting their faith into action, and marvel at their faith, boldness, generosity and their integrity.  I suppose I really shouldn’t marvel that much because after all, they were simply reflecting as best they could attributes of their creator and the one whom they worshipped.

For sixty years, whether spoken or unspoken, whether we have excelled or fallen short, integrity has been something that we have strived for.  It remains our goal at Mission Services of London. 

As we move into the third week of Advent, lets consider how the birth of the Christ child models integrity for all of us, and strive towards that virtue.

If the focus of last week’s blog was on the word compassion, hope was there right along with it. 

An article in last week’s London Free Press about the jobless rate in London, also referred to how fluid hope and despair were; how much hope and despair factored into unemployment figures of all things; how decisions about hiring and job opportunities were about hope. 

That’s a huge economic burden to place on one little four letter word but it reflected an individual’s belief of how people’s actions are driven by how they understand hope. 

Hope can be expressed in many different ways.  It is given to others by encouraging and inspiring them to reach their potential.  It creates a warm, welcoming and positive environment.  It provides emotional and mutual support.

Hope allows all of us to demonstrate our faith in others.  

I think of how hope is reflected in all of our branches during Christmas, especially Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Our shelters have to be the worst place to spend these two days. Ask yourself – “how bad does life have to be to either choose to spend Christmas in a shelter or because of circumstances beyond your control you are in a shelter because you have no where else to go?”  Can there be any hope for the residents? 

I answer yes. The shelters provide hope, because there is somewhere warm to go, there are beds available, there is a roof overhead. More to the point, there is a community, a sense of family. It may be the worst place to be, but for our residents at least they do not have to be alone, and their physical needs are met. 

So what does any of this have to do with Advent?  Advent means coming, and specifically for Christians it is Christ’s coming to earth.  Advent is a season of anticipation. It is a season of hope. 

Hope reflects, for Christians, an assurance that eventually everything will be made right, that eventually poverty will be eliminated, that eventually justice will be for all and will be done, that eventually everyone will be cared for and looked after.  It is that hope of events in the future that shapes, prods and impels our actions today. 

Hope informs our actions at Mission Services of London today.  You too can give hope by your actions.  As we begin the second week of advent, share your hope with others.  But not just for this week; resolve to share it beyond this Advent season.

The Men’s Mission and Rehabilitation Centre and Rotholme Women’s and Family Shelter are currently looking for long-term volunteers to help in the kitchen on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The potential volunteer must be able to commit for a year, able to work four hour shifts at a time, and be physically fit as their maybe lifting required. The duties may include assisting the cook in preparing meals, serving meals, doing dishes, helping with cleaning various areas of the kitchen, cleaning dishes, and other duties as needed.

Please contact our Volunteer Relations Coordinator today to learn more.

In Christendom, with Christmas just around the corner, it is a time to celebrate the season of Advent. Advent means coming, and specifically for Christians, it is Christ’s coming to earth.  The length of the Advent season itself is determined by the day of Christmas, but it begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. 

Often with Advent celebrations, there is a focus each week on a different aspect of our relationship with God, expressed with many different words including promise, light, love, hope, joy, peace and faith. 

As a Christian faith-based organization, we have our own words to remember our history, our faith, our reason for being, to contemplate and to celebrate.  For this first week of Advent, my focus is on the word Compassion. 

Compassion is expressed in many different ways – actively listening to others, providing unconditional support, meeting people and letting them be just “where they are at”, understanding and not judging. 

We show compassion because of who we are.  

Compassion because we are different? No, compassion because we are all very much the same, and are looking for and hoping for many of the same things. We extend it because we see ourselves in those we help, because we have empathy. For some of our staff at Mission Services of London, they have been there, or someone close has been there, and they have not just empathy, but lived experience. 

Compassion just to those we serve? No, compassion to those we work with as well. 

Compassion to feel good? No, compassion to do good. Because there is a hope that the best is yet to come, in our client’s lives, in our every day work lives, in our community and nation.  And that hope is because of the Christ child.

That hope means our compassion extends beyond the coming month. 

Compassion – it is why we do what we do at Mission Services of London.

As we start this season of Advent, think about how you can show compassion to others and give them hope.