Hope | Urban Neighbours of Hope

JUSTICE, SHALOM & WELL-BEING , HOPE

Everyone is made in the Image of God, everyone reflects something of His Image and this is worth celebrating. Celebration comes in many forms and shapes, from a hug, to parties and large events. These stories reflect how we celebrate God’s beauty at home and in the community…

Greening our Streets

In our neighbourhood, I find myself standing on the street berms, peering down the roads devoid of trees. Our Manurewa neighbourhood cries out for Mother Nature’s touch.
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It takes a Village

Last week, I received a text from a local resident, “Dave, there was a kid graffitiing the building and he walked down your street”. Following this message I went to watch the security video, I quickly identified the kid. It was Richard, a kid who rarely attends school. Thankfully, I had met his nana through a friend of ours and so I was able to visit her and have a quiet word.
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A STORY OF PĀTAKA KAI

Something that COVID19 brought to our attention were the kai needs (food insecurity) of people in our neighbourhood. NZ has 1:5 children living in poverty (1) and Randwick Park is one of those places where poverty is very real. In response to Covid, UNOH was able to create three local part time jobs, who we have called ‘Street Activators.’
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Seeing God in the Unexpected

It was a warm spring morning; I had no car, so I’d decided it was a great day for a walk. Leaving early, so that I could make it on time to my doctor’s appointment, I set off. Five minutes down the road a car pulled up and I heard a shout, “Matua (uncle), do you want a ride?”
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It’s tough not to be the wanted one

“Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive because nothing I predicted is going to happen!” (Jonah 4:3). written by Heather Oulton, a 25 year old who lives with us in Randwick Park.
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Prison of Fear

Imagine living in a house and being too scared to leave; fear of being robbed, fear of losing what few possession you own, fear of the possible violence that could erupt at any time from neighbors that surround you.
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A thousand years in seven days

Tonisha Rohe (19 year old member of Warriors of Change) recently returned from a trip to the slums in Manila with 11 other Manurewa locals. During her two week stay she lived with a slum family and this is her reflection of that experience.
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Foolishness towards a new Wisdom

Story One.
A while back our local Liquor Store wanted to increase its trading hours. We discovered this and were furious. No way did we want the liquor store to stay open for longer hours. Liquor already does enough damage.
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Invite to Opening

If you are in Auckland on the 27th of August, we’d love you to attend the opening and naming of our new building in Randwick Park.
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More than just a food parcel

As the last rays of sunshine trailed their way down our ramshackle, state house fence palings, I worked hurriedly to bring in the last pieces of washing. The lonely howl of a siren echoed in the distance and I could hear the rumbling of a police helicopter on its way.
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Place of gratitude

It’s been a while since I last wrote. It was 5 months ago when I sent a note that dad had past. I want to say thanks to the many people who sent kind words, they meant a lot and they touched both Denise and I deeply. Sorry I wasn’t able to reply to many of them. I just wasn’t in the space to do so.
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Vision in leadership

Hi my name is Kata, I’m 17, just finished by final year at Auckland Girls and in my 3rd and final year with WOC
The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. It’s got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.
— Reverend Theodore Hesburgh.
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Unfolding Hope

If you live in Auckland, you will know that this time of year is crazy weather wise – four seasons in one day. Last week, was one of those days. But this day was different. From my house, I could see bulldozers on the park, shifting dirt. Wow, wow, wow, three years of submissions, community meetings, consulting with Council, media, talking with designers and architectures and now the hours of talk has turned into work – bulldozers, diggers, trucks and workers. Any little boy loves to watch big machines doing ‘mans work’ and so I walked down, the little boy in me excited.
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JUSTICE</>, SHALOM & WELL-BEING , HOPE

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It takes a Village

(Written by Dave Tims, Nov 2022)

Richard has kept his word and promised to keep the building safe. Thanks to Richard, I now know other kids who have tagged the building.

A couple of days later, I got a similar type of phone call, but this time it was from the shop keeper. “Dave, you know those kids who were fighting outside last week, well they are back.” Then he asked, “Can you come over?”

As I drove over to pick up the kids, mum waved me down. “Have you seen Hune, I am really worried about him? He smashed a window and I don’t know where he is.”
“It’s O.K.” I replied,”he’s at the shop, I’ll go get him”

When I arrived at the shop, I saw Hune and his mates. Close to them I noticed a lot of dirt and freshly plucked native grasses, scattered along the foot path. “Hune,” I yelled, “Get into the van, mum’s worried.”

“How did you know where I was,” Hune asked inquisitively.

“The shop keeper rang me,” I replied. With a look of surprise Hune responded, “Far Dave, you know everyone”.

"Yes Hune, I do.” I stated, “Now tell me, how did those plants lying on the footpath, get there?” “Did you pull them out?”

Hune’s face dropped and a guilty look came over his face. At first he denied it, but his mates spoke out and narked on him. Finally Hune admitted, “Yes, sorry, I did it.”
“Well,” I replied, “You are a silly boy aren’t you! You know my neighbour Phil aye? He planted those grasses two weeks ago and he’s going to be really annoyed once he finds out who did this.”

“Argh, oh, no,” Hune muttered, “Promise you won’t tell him Dave”

“Too right Hune, I won’t be telling him, ‘cause you are going to do that tomorrow’. And, you are going to replant them with Phil.” Then, with an intense look, I stated, “Let’s hope he is in a good mood, aye!”

One of the things COVID has taught us, is the importance of neighbourhooding and the networking of relationships; adults watching kids, extended whānau gently guiding others, street pātaka kai (food cupboards) set up where neighbours help neighbours, shop keepers who care, community centres owned and managed by the neighbourhood, schools who stay connected to community leaders. These social networks act like a hīnaki (a woven net used for catching eels). The strands of woven rope are like the threads of intertwined neighbourhood relationships. This is reflected by neighbours; offering support, connectedness, encouragement, deconstructing shame (a common trigger for misbehaviour) and upholding mana (the spiritual essence of a person or place).

In a book, “Daring Greatly”(1) Brown describes shame as; “the fear of disconnection” and “real pain.” Brown’s research confirms the heart of the concept of shalom—we all are connected. We were created for connection. According to Brown, there is a direct correlation between our fear of being disconnected from one another and our level of shame. At its heart, shame is a fear that attempts to make us believe that we are unworthy of connection by highlighting our failures and our shortcomings. The core lie of shame is, ‘I am not enough.’

For Denise and I, when the neighbourhood hīnaki works, it brings us a smile. It is God at work by His spirit and our willingness to serve. We see Him in the trust built with neighbours, the creation of street BBQ’s, the home visits, people helping each other out, neighbours connecting through street facebook pages, the sharing of kai (food). This is the beauty of “love thy neighbour.”

John Ch 1v 14-18 (The Message Version)
The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.

John pointed him out and called, “This is the One! The One I told you was coming after me but in fact was ahead of me. He has always been ahead of me, has always had the first word.”

We all live off his generous abundance, gift after gift after gift. We got the basics from Moses, and then this exuberant giving and receiving, This endless knowing and understanding— all this came through Jesus, the Messiah. No one has ever seen God, not so much as a glimpse. This one-of-a-kind God-Expression, who exists at the very heart of the Father, has made him plain as day.

Māori Words
Hīnaki - The hīnaki (eel pot) was a basket-like pot that was set in open water with bait, or used at pā tuna (weirs). Intricately woven, the best-made hīnaki were works of art.
Whānau - Whānau is often translated as 'family', but its meaning is more complex. It includes physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions and is based on whakapapa (family tree). Whānau can be multi-layered, flexible and dynamic. Whānau is based on a māori and a tribal world view
Pātaka Kai - https://www.patakai.co.nz The (Pātaka Kai) Open Street Pantry Movement is a resident-led, grassroots, crowd sourced solution to immediate and local need, rescuing food and encouraging the co-sharing of food between neighbours to strengthen communities.
Mana - Mana as a difficult concept to explain. Its meaning is multi-faceted. It includes psychic influence, control, prestige, power, vested and acquired authority and influence, being influential or binding over others, and that quality of the person that others know he or she has.
[1] Brown, Brené, Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead (USA: Penguin Group, 2016), 68 & 71.

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