Riverland food relief days a 'fantastic opportunity' for partnership
Updated: 18 minutes ago
BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE
Waikerie is a small town on the banks of the Murray River, in the Riverland region of South Australia. As a fruit-growing centre and the home of the Nippy’s juice factory, the town is predominantly made up of produce growers and seasonal workers. From a vantage point above the centre of town, you can see paddle steamers putting down the river and many varieties of native bird life darting between the water and the trees.
It’s a place of great natural beauty. But, like much of regional Australia, it is also a place of pain and, for some, crisis.
I was in town with Lillian Yau and Karl McAdam from Salvos Studios, who had come to film a community food day – a partnership between the Riverland Salvation Army Corps and Waikerie Uniting Church. Riverland Corps Ministry Team Leader Helen Adamczyk met Nate Lines from the Waikerie Uniting Church at a prayer breakfast event for pastors in the region. After chatting, the two discovered they shared aligning goals: to meet the practical needs of those doing it tough in the community in the short term, and longer-term, their spiritual needs.
Now, the Uniting church carpark is the location for a fortnightly Bread and Produce Day on a Wednesday morning, with food items brought by Helen and the Riverland Salvos team.
“We are looking at ways of not only caring for people and building community, we're also interested in creating faith pathways,” Helen said. “It's a fantastic opportunity to work alongside another Kingdom of God community, because the reality is: The Salvation Army setting up here to offer spiritual assistance or worship services is not likely to happen. It's great to know that there's a church base operating here that's willing to connect with what we would see as our people and give them that space to explore faith options.
“It's a great partnership.”
Previously, Helen’s team was setting up at the Waikerie Football Oval, but that was further out of town, and some regulars found it hard to get there each fortnight. Nate’s offer to host the event had fixed some logistical problems and was now leading to greater connection with community members.
The view from the top of the hill in Waikerie, looking down on the Murray River. Images: Kirralee Nicolle
“Bringing the operation back to this space here gives people a chance of being able to connect from both directions in town,” Helen said. “That's how it all began.”
Nate quoted first Corinthians chapter three verses six to nine, where Paul writes to the Christians in Corinth that he had planted, Apollos had watered, but God had given the growth.
“The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building,” the rest of the passage reads.
“I think what transpired is Helen and I saw a unified common goal – building God's kingdom,” Nate said. “Helen's playing her role. She rolls in at the same time every fortnight with a Ute load of produce … by facilitating what she's already doing and building those relationships; we're actually networking together with a common goal. It's not to build The Salvation Army, it's not to build the Uniting church or build Helen or build Nate. It's actually just to encourage people with wherever they're at on their journey in coming to know God, and supporting them in their earthly needs with just community and food and whatever else.
“That's how I see it.”
Besides food insecurity, Helen said those in the local area were also facing loneliness, mental ill health and drug addiction.
“We want to see social transformation, but we also want to see spiritual transformation as well. And we can't do that unless we're willing to build community and follow the principle that people need to belong before they believe,” Helen said.
The Waikerie Uniting Church team of volunteers, which also includes Nate’s wife Ashleigh, who has been involved in the events since they began, now offers tea, coffee and biscuits prior to the food’s arrival. According to Nate, though, the hope isn’t to see the Waikerie Uniting Church congregation growing on a Sunday, but to take the opportunity to get to know people in the local community so that the church can journey with them through the highs and lows of life.
“The end goal is not church attendance,” he said. “I invited a few people this morning, but the end goal is just to care about them. And if that happens to change our congregation, then that would be fantastic. But I think the first thing that takes place is relationships develop, and it can be years down the track that you end up sharing in a tragedy or sharing in a triumph, and as your lives are entwined, then they end up becoming a part of the church community.”
Referencing the first Corinthians passage again, Nate said planting and watering were “long-term projects”.
“We have a relationship with Christ, and we're just inviting people into that because of what he's done,” Nate said.
“We just let it be and let God do his thing.”
