Community of Hope luncheons embrace the nations of Villawood
- deansimpson7
- 23 hours ago
- 2 min read
BY LAUREN MARTIN
Members of The Salvation Army’s Villawood Community of Hope were treated to a Fijian feast last month, prepared by Fijian community members. The lunch marked the first in a series of monthly gatherings, centred around food and testimonies.
The suburb of Villawood in Sydney’s south-west is one of Australia’s most disadvantaged. The Salvation Army’s Villawood Community of Hope is situated inside a NSW housing complex community room and operates three days a week to provide help and hope to residents.
The Community of Hope runs weekly assistance days where people can pop in for a cuppa, access food, SAL vouchers, and meet with representatives from Centrelink and NSW Housing.
A weekly coffee, games and connect time has just started, to encourage residents to meet each other for friendship and fun, in an area where many cannot afford the social privilege of going out to a café. And now, a monthly lunch has begun, built on a vision from the local community.
“One of the ladies in our community is Fijian-Indian and she makes meals for people in need,” said Villawood coordinator Lawrence Besant. “She is a Christian, and we will often encourage her about her ministry, and take leftover food hampers to her to assist with her meals.
“When we were talking about bringing the community together for a lunch, this woman offered to cook it. We provided the food, and she and members of the Fijian community cooked it. It was beautiful!”
Members of Auburn Corps’ Fijian-Indian community also attended to assist and spoke to the community about Auburn Corps and its services.
Doorways Emergency Relief Assessor Sai Ralulu said she had meaningful conversations with many community members who attended.
“It was a great day for me personally to see such a small centre full of warmth and compassion with Christ at the centre of everything. The volunteers there were absolutely beautiful,” she said.
Lawrence said the vision of the Villawood Community of Hope is that it be a safe place where people discover purpose and meaning and where lives are changed with the love of Jesus. The community lunches, which have evolved out of the desire and vision of community members, are a way that vision is becoming reality. “There was a real sense of community, transformation and a sense of belonging,” he said.
The community was invited to discuss what kind of event they would like for the month of September, and they have planned a high tea.
Please keep the Villawood Community of Hope in your prayers. If you feel called to assist the ministry through volunteering or in other practical ways, you can contact Lawrence on: lawrence.besant@salvationarmy.org.au
