What we find though is many of the young people we show mercy to live with very little hope in their lives. They feel trapped, on the margins, and can often see little way of changing their circumstances, so options like drugs and alcohol, crime and violence begin to make more sense to them.

• Hope is a very necessary commodity for the well-being of human life, without it life can be very overwhelming, and many people will look in the wrong places to try and find it.
• Hope needs to be more than just wishful thinking, or fantasy thinking – I hope my ship will come in. One comedian stated, “Whenever my ship has come in, I have been at the airport.”
• Hope is an inner emotional belief or expectation that events or circumstances will become more positive. Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark – George Iles.

One of Concern Australia’s core values is hope – we work together to foster hope for the future of each individual because we understand them to be of infinite value. Charles L Allen, a famous Methodist Pastor from Atlanta, Georgia, once stated “When you say a situation or person is hopeless, you are slamming the door in the face of God.” When you view each individual we work with as having infinite value, and that they are never hopeless, then you can be more persistent and willing to work for them long term. When we have a hope for them, then we can hold this hope even when they don’t have any.

One worker spoke about how we need to always give them a sense of hope, even when they could not see it for themselves. When the people we work with cannot see their way through the tunnel to what is at the other end, our job is to try and provide them a view that will help them to persist and push through to the end of the tunnel. To do this requires a worker to maintain a consistent way of thinking and acting towards the young person at all times, despite what comes back towards them, and what choices the young person is making.

Here are some quotes from some of the young people we have worked with:

• “The worker kept planting the future, a hope, possibilities into my mind – much of which I only later was able to reflect upon and begin to take hold of for my life”
• “The worker maintained a belief in me, even when I didn’t have much, and even when I kept offending”
• “The worker didn’t judge me, push me away, reject me – no matter what I did”

We spend a lot of our time planting hope into our young people’s lives, by standing with them in the dark and troubled spaces, but always believing and holding onto hope for their futures. Our workers understand hope as even stronger than just a belief, as they see it as an “anticipation of a favourable outcome under God’s guidance” - based on the confidence that what God has done for us in the past, He will also do in the future. Our hope is that many more lives will be positively transformed through our work.

Bruce Tucker, Executive Director, Concern Australia



On 19-21 March, 2012 an Emerging Indigenous Christian Leaders Gathering called ‘Grasstree Gathering’  is happening at Belgrave Heights in Melbourne. This much needed national, non-denominational event is being planned and led by Indigenous Christian leaders and hosted by Jisas wantaim. It will specifically focus on supporting, training and networking for emerging Aboriginal and Islander leaders:

• Build a support and communication network amongst young Indigenous Christian leaders
• Offer theological and community development training and equipping
• Encourage and empower new and existing Indigenous ministry workers
• Provide a unique platform for emerging Indigenous Christian communicators
• Explore pathways for the wider church to partner with Indigenous ministries
• Include representation from marginalised communities

Would you prayerfully consider helping us raise the necessary funds to run this event successfully?  If you would like to support the Grasstree Gathering, you can donate to the following account:Account name: Indigenous Trust Fund
Bank: Westpac
BSB number: 033 172
Account number: 381509
Cheques can be made out to the ‘Indigenous Trust Fund’ and mailed to EA Australia at PO Box 175, Box Hill VIC 3128. EA Australia at

Hosted by:
Jisas wantaim – www.jisaswantaim.org.au

Endorsing and Sponsoring Partners:
Aunty Jean Phillips, SU QLD, Mission Australia, Evangelical Alliance, SURRENDEREnquiries: nick@surrender.org.au 0414 695 295 PO Box 175, Box Hill VIC

Come and catch up with Shane Claiborne and other local ordinary radicals and hear and talk about what it means to serve our neighbourhoods with both words and actions!

Sydney – Melbourne

TRUTH LAB #5 will provide a great taster for the upcoming SURRENDER:12 Conference in March where our theme really wrestles with the practical working out of words (proclaiming the Good News) and action (living the Good News) in our local neighbourhoods.

For details of each Truth lab click below

// Sydney TRUTH LAB

// Melbourne TRUTH LAB

Good Neighbours: Exploring culture, capacity & organisational behavior of congregations as social service providers

with Dr Ram Cnaan

A discussion and question time exploring the intersection of faith based groups (churches) and social service delivery in local communities. There will be a focus on trends in church based social programs as well as looking at issues around volunteerism
specific to this sector.

DATE: Thursday 1st December 2011
VENUE: TEAR Australia, 3 Solwood Lane Blackburn 3130 VIC
TIME: 7:00pm for 7:30-9:00pm
COST: $25pp (free for Hosting Partner organisations)

Dr. Cnaan is the director of the Program for Religion and Social Policy Research (PRSPR) at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice. He carried out the first national study on the role of local religious congregations in the provision of social services and introduced an innovative new course on social work and religion. He is considered a leading expert in studying faith-based social services. Dr. Cnaan is also known as an international expert on nonprofit organizations and voluntary action with a specialty in the study of volunteerism. Dr. Cnaan serves on the editorial board of seven academic journals.

Special Event Partners:
Baptcare, BUV, Careforce, CCTC, CityLife Community Care, Crossway LifeCare, ONE Community Church, Sophia Think Tank, The Salvation Army (Southern Territory)