Deepening our connections to parishes and community
From the beginning, Anglicare Victoria’s (AV) partnerships with Anglican parishes and dioceses across the state have played a vital role in the delivery of care and support to where it’s needed most.
St. John’s Homes for Boys and Girls, the Mission of St. James and John and the Mission to Streets and Lanes, which amalgamated to form AV in 1997, were all agencies that started as church-based programs responding to the needs of our communities. The three organisations had strong relationships with many Anglican parishes, so in AV’s early years it was important to progress our shared goal to support the most vulnerable people in our communities.
Over its first decade, AV developed partnerships with 11 parishes. Today, over 90 parishes generously partner with us across the state, with several participating in our Anglicare Victoria Partnership Groups (AVPG).
Our partner parishes continue to be powerhouses of community care, each supporting AV in their own unique way. From food drives for our Emergency Relief programs to fundraising fetes; volunteers at local Lego Brick Clubs to knitting circles, their tireless work and compassionate generosity forms the backbone of our connection to the community. Without them, AV could not provide the same level of support and care to people in need across Victoria.
"We continue to work in new ways with our parish partners, and we deeply appreciate the financial, physical and prayerful support of all our parishes and volunteers”
“For me, the platform of social justice that’s carried out by Anglicare Victoria is important. The work we do is a very practical way to help people who suffer disadvantage. It’s a way we can show love for our neighbour. We might not know them, but we are caring for them.”
"We pray for the partnership ministries of this diocese, for the parishes and welfare agencies, that they will work strongly together to identify the disadvantaged and the discriminated, the disempowered and the impoverished. Then help us, we pray, to bring blessings and dignity, friendship and care, and resources and new life to those in needs in our communities."
