More from the Wayside Chapel by Jon Owen

This one of the weekly messages sent out by Jon Owen the CEO of the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross Sydney. Dear Inner Circle, Every time you set a goal, you create a judge. When you set a goal, you give yourself a mechanism to judge your failure toward a goal. Perhaps that’s why so many people just live for the moment. I guess we’re all familiar with the “tomorrow isn’t yet, yesterday’s gone, so live in the now” kind of philosophy. Of course, there is a time for everything, including the need to stop and smell the roses, but there will be no roses unless someone plants them, tends to them and believes in a future garden. It’s common around here for people to either not be able to think beyond the next few minutes or conversely, to set goals that a superhero could never meet. In both cases, defeat is the theme song. Often I hear myself saying to people, don’t stop planning a goal, just lower the judge. Often the biggest judge comes from within. To live in a story where a person constantly whips themselves for being who they are is to live out a tragedy. There is a young man who comes into Wayside often. He should be bright-eyed, but every time I speak with him he is weighed down by his own words, "I'm such a disappointment, I've failed again". His mother comes into Wayside regularly just to see her son. All she wants him to know is that he is loved, that she just loves him for who he is, but he is unable to recognise this. The shame he carries of what he thinks he should have been creates a tyranny that is played out over and over. Imagine yourself next week, next year, in five years from now. What could you bring into being? If you can imagine it, you can plan for it and most importantly, sacrifice for it. I suspect that in the long evolutionary history of humankind sacrifice was one of our best achievements. The idea of forgoing comfort now, for the sake of a better future self, future family, future community is a wisdom that is largely forgotten in our days of instant gratification. Lastly, if a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly. Nobody reaches a goal in one step. Success is only a long progression of mistake and learning. It’s important to make a first bad draft of yourself. It will lead to a better version and that, in turn, will lead to another. Who knows what this world could be if we married imagination and sacrifice. What good could be done in our world! Thanks for being part of our Inner Circle, Jon Jon Owen Pastor and CEO Wayside Chapel

More from the Wayside Chapel by Jon Owen

Dear Inner Circle, For us, one of the lessons of 2020 has been that nothing is inevitable outside of risk, courage and effort. A few weeks ago this note was penned in the sadness and silence of our empty community cafe in Kings Cross. Our kitchens have been twice as busy this year, serving takeaway food and sending out our teams who travel all over the city in vans packed with freshly-prepared nutritious meals. Since COVID-19 hit in March, our cafe dining area had remained empty, a space normally bristling with life that had been marked by its absence. With the recent easing of restrictions, the planning has been on in earnest to re-open the cafes in our Community Service Centres in Kings Cross and Bondi. The path of least resistance would have been to continue our hiatus for at least another few months, but the call to community isn’t a call to comfort, it’s to connection. This note is being written in the new controlled chaos and joy of our re-opened cafe. Our visitors may now be greeted by staff who sign them in, sit at tables that are safely-spaced, and served by our kitchen staff from behind perspex screens, but they all know this is a minor inconvenience compared to the freedom of returning to their own safe space. Our mission is about creating community, it was quite a sight to behold as reunions filled our spaces in Kings Cross and Bondi, emanating enough colour and light to bring hope into even the most despairing of hearts. On the first day of re-opening our cafe, one of our much-missed regulars who we haven’t seen since the start of lockdown ambled in. He quietly informed us that we had re-opened on the day of his 66th birthday. Trish, our tireless Cafe Manager, reassured him that we had indeed re-opened just for him. She then hustled hard to throw an impromptu party. Normally tears are appropriate for the poor-quality singing that follows but as no singing occurred, the sight of this man being surrounded by familiar faces all emanating love was enough to bring those present to tears. I’m not sure if blowing out candles will ever be considered acceptable again, so with a clap of his hands the single flame was extinguished but a renewed sense of hope was born. For many of us, Christmas will look a bit different this year. For people experiencing homelessness, Christmas will be especially tough and lonely. There’s a lovely fellow who pops up at Wayside every year in the month before Christmas. He’s got his fair share of challenges but his heart is full of nothing but gold. He said that he’s drawn to Wayside at Christmas because the joy and goodwill that pours through our community at this time of year drowns out his own painful memories of Christmas. He was sad to hear that Wayside Chapel won’t be able to go ahead with our usual large-scale Christmas Day Street Party in Kings Cross due to COVID-19 restrictions but he was heartened to learn of our plans to create Christmas cheer for people in our community who are in need. Over the seven days before Christmas, including Christmas Eve, we will be hosting daily community lunches in Kings Cross that will capture the spirit of Christmas with freshly-cooked meals for people experiencing homelessness and isolation. These lunches may not have the usual fanfare of our street party, but they will still be served with a big dose of love and the gift of good company. You can find out more about our other Christmas activities here. We need your help to bring some joy to our community this Christmas. We will be recording a Virtual Choir performance of a secret song to be shown at our ‘Week of Christmas Spirit’ community lunches and on Wayside’s social media on Christmas Day. If you love to sing, we’d love you to participate by submitting your own video! The first 30 people to email media@thewaysidechapel.com with “Virtual Choir” in the subject line will be sent a link with specific instructions on how to record and submit your performance. Thank you for being a part our virtuoso Inner Circle, Jon Jon Owen Pastor & CEO Wayside Chapel Donate to Wayside Chapel's Christmas Appeal Protecting your privacy is important to us. Personal information collected from our subscribers is held in a password-secure database and used in accordance with Wayside’s Privacy Policy. We do not sell personal information to third parties. If you would like to seek access to, or revise your personal information, or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Privacy Officer at mail@thewaysidechapel.com.

More from the Wayside Chapel Kings Cross

Dear Inner Circle,
Some of our nation’s brightest minds gathered last week to hear various CEOs talk about “Leadership through Crisis and Chaos”. It was an honour to attend the seminar and hear from some incredibly talented people, but I couldn’t help but think that I witness outstanding leadership at Wayside all the time. It comes from people who will never claim to be experts, make a name for themselves or earn a pot of money from what they do.
Walking towards our building yesterday morning, I saw a young woman who had overdosed. A few people had gathered around and in a display of undiluted compassion, they were begging the woman to stay awake and fight for life, until an ambulance could arrive. To make this scene even more dramatic, the woman’s boyfriend, who’d also had a shot and was beginning to panic about living in a world without his girlfriend, produced a needle and proclaimed that he was about to take a second shot so that they might leave this earth together. Some of our Wayside angels demonstrated more leadership and skill than I’ve ever contemplated in any think tank. A couple of staff quietly walked with the man into a near-by alley and without taking any control away from the man, helped him imagine a better day than this one. I’ve never been to a seminar that taught how to harness the imagination of someone whose imagination has all but died. It was one of those powerful moments, more easily overlooked than recognised, when the man saw something in the faces of our people, dropped his second needle, and became responsive to the loving faces around him.
 
How easy on the surface to judge people in such a moment. Yet who of us really sees what we’re looking at? This young man was taught from 10 years old, how to conceal and sell drugs by people who “rewarded” him without ever loving him or even seeing him as anything more than a means to their selfish ends. Our Wayside staff walked alongside this man yesterday because they believe that where there is a pulse, there is hope. Our vision of ‘Love Over Hate’, asserts a better future even when ALL the evidence seems contrary. We know full well that ours is a stand of faith, even when a more rational response for others might be to stare, shrug shoulders, and walk away.
 
What our Wayside workers know is that it’s not hard for a person to fall into a hole so deep, that they can feel like nothing from within remains. Sometimes hope has to be caught rather than conjured. Our workers leap into deep holes and without fairy-stories or false promises, they’ll hold a hand and gently walk with someone to a new day – one tiny step at a time.
 
Anyway, you’ll think I’m talking about an exceptional day but it was just yesterday and like most days, I’m learning about leadership through crisis and chaos from within our walls and on our streets.

Thanks for being part of our Inner Circle,
 
Jon
PS – Long Walk Home starts next Monday 26 October! For those who have signed up, THANK YOU! We have been absolutely blown away by the support, and love seeing all your photos in your fluro shirts. For those who haven’t, there’s still time. Donate to our visitor Josh, or join the movement yourself; and walk 28km over 7 days between Monday and Sunday next week. Your support will send a message to people experiencing homelessness that they are not alone and not forgotten. Sign up here.

Jon Owen
Pastor & CEO
Wayside Chapel

Long Walk Home 2020
Protecting your privacy is important to us. Personal information collected from our subscribers is held in a password-secure database and used in accordance with Wayside’s Privacy Policy. We do not sell personal information to third parties. If you would like to seek access to, or revise your personal information, or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Privacy Officer at mail@thewaysidechapel.com.

From the wayside chapel by Jon Owen

Dear Inner Circle,

“When you’re wearing a mask, don’t spit!” This was a piece of wisdom given to me today by a wise old fella who I think learned his lesson the hard way.

Yesterday I was taken to lunch. I didn’t have time for a socialising lunch, and worse, I wasn’t in the mood when juggling some heavy burdens that demanded my attention. So reluctantly, with a sense of suffering I met up for lunch. I didn’t choose the cafe and in the first few moments, felt some regret that the bill for lunch would not be cheap. A bit like waking from a deep sleep, I realised that the purpose of the lunch was to tell me about his passion for life now that he had secured stable housing and paid work for the first time in years. His joy was so full-on and I realised that he only wished to express his absolute thanks for the staff and volunteers at Wayside who were part of his story. Lunch ended and my once homeless friend paid the bill. “I can’t hug you Jon because of this bloody virus, but I can pay this bill and wish I could do more.” I remembered what Wayside is about. I realised that I’d forgotten all the “important things” that had burdened me before the lunch began, and I felt much lighter after it.

Hope was born in me at the start of this COVID crisis, when I began seeing our politicians cast aside their divisions to work together for the sake of the collective health and people of Australia. With a National Cabinet and other signs of leaders working together across the various states and parties, I saw true collaboration for the greater good and hope continued to grow, for me anyway. Lately I’ve glimpsed a return to the bullying tactics of wasting time and looking to blame. Let’s recognise that compared to the rest of the world we have done an outstanding job so far by working together through extremely difficult circumstances. I urge our politicians and some of the media, for whom ideology trumps facts and the best interest of the people of this country – let’s not return to ‘old normal’ as we are all so much better than that.

Plagues have been a feature of our history forever. When the Black Plague was at its height in 1349, the priests went out on the streets and preached that it was a sign of God’s anger against sin. The message worked until the priests and even the bishops began to die in great numbers. The more you study history, the more you discover side notes that plagues had visited and revisited constantly. The year before the great fire of London, a plague took out a third of the population. The Black Plague came to Sydney in 1900 and by then we understood that it spread from fleas on rats. Sydney Council offered threepence per dead rat, but no headway was made until they offered sixpence per dead rat. You can find photos of piles of dead rats on Sydney’s streets higher than the heads of the men who were making sixpence per rodent. Talk to anyone in their eighties about the fear that polio struck into the hearts of Australian families. Talk to anyone in their seventies about the yearly “skin test” (a euphemism for whopping great needle) administered to every kid, every year, in every Australian school looking for kids who’d been exposed to tuberculosis. This country had a 64% casualty rate in the First World War - think about that for a moment. Our whole country was in trauma. The war took about 22 million lives in total and then the Spanish Flu took another 55 million lives. We were still only making fair progress with the black death in Sydney when the Spanish Flu hit us. In our capital cities, we wore masks. A sign in front of a church recently said, “Thou shalt wear a mask” HYGENISIS 20:20.

I won’t pretend the way forward is easy and I won’t say anything clever that minimizes our pain. The health of each other is too important. Some wonder if it is the end of our mission to ‘create community’ but the truth is that we endure whatever we need to endure for the sake of one another. It is sad to sit in our empty cafe at Wayside Chapel devoid of people in the early to late afternoon in dead silence – which was not long ago was the beating heart of our community. I miss the scores of voices and even the raised voices that this space was designed to provide. Yet it gives me comfort to know that our teams are out on the streets armed with care packs, finding people wherever they’ve crashed for the night and doing all we can to offer the comfort of community – with love that for now is on wheels and on foot, instead of in our buildings.

Thanks for being part of our socially distanced, yet connected Inner Circle,

Jon

Jon Owen
Pastor & CEO
Wayside Chapel 

From the Wayside Chapel by Jon Owen

Dear Inner Circle,
Imagine the hottest day you’ve known in Sydney. Now add 10 degrees and you’ll begin to understand summer in Mount Druitt where I used to live prior to starting at Wayside Chapel. On a 38 degree day, 90% humidity, a mate and I engaged in an important social ritual; the famous “slurpee run”. The much-needed icy drink from the local 7-Eleven was the only thing that could bring relief on those sweltering days. We hopped into the car and cruised off, but we weren’t even 200m down the road when the flash of sirens stopped us. We looked at each other nervously as we both weren’t wearing shirts. I had only ever had positive experiences with police, so I was calm, polite and engaging, turning on my charm, wondering if wearing no shirt was illegal. When asked for my licence, my heart sank, I’d left it at home. I apologised and offered to go back to grab it, as we were close. “No problems,” said the young policeman, “just make sure it’s on you next time”. As he drove off, I looked over and realised that my mate had a look of frozen terror. I tried to bring some calm into the car, “He didn’t even worry about our shirts mate.” “The shirts were the least of my worries,” said my young friend, “if that was just me, I’d probably have spent the night in lock-up”.
Growing up dark-skinned in Australia through the 70s and 80s was no bed of roses for us. As a child, I was taunted for being black. I was occasionally beaten up for nothing other than the colour of my skin. There were very few roles in school plays available for us dark-skinned kids – none of my sisters were ever cast as Snow White that’s for sure! We landed the roles of villains with surprising ease though. Mum and Dad copped a fair bit of verbal abuse too. Once I recall walking with a white girl in a shopping centre and someone told her that she was, “doing wrong”. Admittedly the “Battered Sav” we were sharing had its drawbacks, but I suspect it was her friendship with a black guy that had caused the offence, not the food. 
I’m not prepared to call this racism. It was fear and misguided assumptions about my racial group. For me, racism is not so much a biological construct as it is a socio-political one. Once much of the apprehension around me slowly dissipated, apart from a few minor hiccups along the way, my life has been a privileged one, and in some ways, my skin colour even worked for my advantage. However, I know that I have also been afforded a lot more opportunities than many others along the way. Racism contains an element of prejudice, but it is also about power. We all too often confuse prejudice for racism. Racism is a system that allows a racial group already in power to retain that power. The same system that I trust, filled my mate with terror. He has lost cousins in custody. We will not address racism through mere sentiment alone, by claiming to be “colour-blind” or believing in equality. It only comes as we examine the systems and structures that advantage some over others and re-assemble a far more equitable and just system. As Cornel West, an American philosopher, political activist, and social critic says, “justice is what love looks like in public”.
On a slightly lighter note, our teams that visit people in their homes have started to deliver pot plants with cuttings from our gardens for ‘adoption’; it's a small gift with instructions on how to care and nurture the plant. It's providing fertile ground for conversations. There is nothing more human than a conversation and it’s exactly what we need in these times. Last week a man who we visited named his plant “Barry”. It’s more fun for him, when we ask about how Barry is going than to ask him about his own feelings. One of the ways we create ‘the other’ is by caring for something else. Watch little kids with dolls or pets. For us to ask, “How is Barry going?” is truly a move toward conversation and improved mental health, you can see it in his face as he lights up when he is asked about his "mate".
Thanks for being part of our Inner Circle,
Jon

Jon Owen
Pastor & CEO
Wayside Chapel

Donate to Wayside Chapel's Winter Appeal
Protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your personal information is important to us, as it is fundamental to the way we operate. All information is kept in the strictest confidence and is stored in a password secure database. Levels of access to information are determined by an authorised employee's specific need to do their job. Personal information collected by Wayside Chapel is never sold or passed on in any way, shape or form to any other organisation or non-authorised person for any purpose. If you would like to seek access to, or revise your personal information or feel that the information we currently have on record is incorrect or incomplete, or you believe that the privacy of your personal information has been interfered with, please contact us at mail@thewaysidechapel.com.

More from the Wayside Chapel with Jon Owen

Dear Inner Circle,
In our world right now, where the advocates of ‘herd immunity’ dominate, I perceive nothing other than a Darwinism that is resigned to sacrifice the most vulnerable for the sake of the economy. Around the world it is clear now that the greatest impact of this virus is among the poor. The reality is that a focus on ‘survival of the fittest’, diminishes all of us. It’s not fashionable to praise Australia’s politicians, but I’m truly grateful for our leadership in this country that has acted swiftly to give everyone the best chance of survival. It is heartening to see an attitude that knows that the health of all, depends on the health of the least.
Sunday was Mother's Day, a day that is revered and celebrated by most, but also a day that is fraught with pain and emotion for many of our people. There is perhaps a no more formative relationship in our lives, either for better or worse. Mums come in all shapes and sizes, and I would like to especially pay respect to all the step-mums, substitute mums, aunties and foster mums that are out there loving kids they may not have given birth to, but loving them all the same, with their whole being.
We also take a moment to remember those mums who have lost children, could never have them or no longer have them in their care; loss through death or through tragic circumstances leaves the same ache and the same path of grief to be endured. This is a pain that is often hidden. There are many mums, who due to current restrictions were not able to embrace their kids on Sunday, and we ache with you. I’m grateful for my mum who I had to settle for a phone call with, to wish her the best and thank her for constantly commenting on my hairstyles, weight fluctuations, and for teaching me how to unashamedly be myself in a world that tries to force you into a narrow mould. My mum is a force of nature, an encourager, a critic, and a bit of a rockstar all at the same time. I have no doubt that the strength of my character and compassion come from her, and I love her dearly. So thanks Mum, and to all those who have mothered me.  
I was just talking with a mate who has spent nearly 20 years of his life behind bars, many of them in solitary confinement. As he’s heard people whinge about lockdown, he’s desperate to tell us that we’re all a pack of “wimps”. I guess when I think of being ‘locked down’ in my comfortable home with my computer, TV, fridge, pantry, phone, comfortable bed, warm clothes, and family, I see his point. The disconnection and social isolation that we have all had a glimpse of during this time, is all but a ‘regular day in the life’ of many people in our community who struggle on a daily basis.
Of all people, this might be the right bloke to be our teacher and remind us that there is always so much to be thankful for – even when we think that things have been taken away.
I’m thankful that we are stronger together, as part of this Inner Circle.
Jon

Jon Owen
Pastor & CEO
Wayside Chapel

From the Wayside Chapel by Jon Owen

Dear Inner Circle,

Last week I spoke about listening out for the small wisdoms coming to us as whispers during these troubled times. When the shock of all the rapid changes in our lives subside, there are many messages to be received and lessons to be learnt as we move towards a hope for a better tomorrow. A crisis like this has within it all the power we need to get our bearings, take stock, clarify the big issues and to expose the “noise of normal” as riddled with illusion.

Listen carefully and you’ll hear a whisper that we are all connected.  Truths almost unthinkable weeks ago are now revealing themselves. The health of the rich also depends upon the health of the poor. The notion of every person for themselves, has been replaced by a collective sense of responsibility. The idea that health is a commodity that can be bought, now bears no discrimination. The habit of spending our way to happiness is being exposed as hollow. Celebrities are being seen at home as regular people. And what is most important, like the hug of friends and family, and the support of loving community are glaringly obvious, only now that they have been taken away.

So too are the illusionists showing up. The leaders of the world who work for economic profit over social good are being revealed with a smile on their face, but with death in their hearts. Essential medical supplies are being shipped overseas to the highest bidder, even at the expense of local need. Funding is being withdrawn from international health organisations as a matter of pride. The familiar naysayers are being revealed as destructive and having nothing meaningful to say. Many spiritual leaders aren't praying for the people, but preying on them.

We all deserve better, and we can do so much better. The choice is ours to embrace. To make what once was impossible and continue to make new things possible. To see the huge potential of creating better communities and collectively a better world.

I give special honour to our essential Wayside frontline teams who are spending every evening now reaching out to people who need our help the most. It’s not just those who sleep on the street or who are in cramped boarding houses or garages or sleeping in cars. Our biggest worry now is for those who have no family, or pets, and who live on their own. I doubt that anyone has begun to count the cost of isolation for these people yet. Some thrive on their own, but most are being brought to the edge as mental health issues are made unmanageable by loneliness. Our teams are literally a lifeline for many people who are totally isolated, who hear the news and worry themselves into a state of anxiety that is crippling and dangerous. We will continue to deliver our care by phone, by foot and by van to driveways and through front screen doors at people's homes. We are working differently these days but as always, we direct our efforts towards the people who live at the intersection between life and death every day. My deepest respect to our outreach teams.

Thanks for being part of this Inner Circle,

Jon

Jon Owen
Pastor & CEO
Wayside Chapel

Order Heart Cafe
Protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your personal information is important to us, as it is fundamental to the way we operate. All information is kept in the strictest confidence and is stored in a password secure database. Levels of access to information are determined by an authorised employee's specific need to do their job. Personal information collected by Wayside Chapel is never sold or passed on in any way, shape or form to any other organisation or non-authorised person for any purpose. If you would like to seek access to, or revise your personal information or feel that the information we currently have on record is incorrect or incomplete, or you believe that the privacy of your personal information has been interfered with, please contact us at mail@thewaysidechapel.com.
 

From the Wayside Chapel by Jon Owen

Dear Inner Circle,

A small group of us gathered in the chapel this week to farewell someone who few knew. He wasn’t one of our larger than life characters, but preferred to slip into Wayside to join in our Wednesday night Music Jam. He loved his Wednesday nights and at his funeral, his partner shared openly about their life together. They met after they had both turned their backs on a society that had turned it’s back on them. Separately, they lived by a lake near a remote outback township. Their tin shacks were separated by a body of water so she had a good view of him and when he tried to approach her, she threw rocks at him. No matter the number of rocks she hurled, he never yelled and always greeted her with kindness. After a couple of weeks, they spoke. Soon, they were inseparable, and their union gave them the courage to slowly re-engage with the world together. “I’d swap every single yesterday for just one more tomorrow. He was my world” she wept and we all fell silent.

We walk a sometimes precarious line at Wayside because we don’t use the language of “client” and “expert”, instead we see everyone who comes through our doors as a visitor. Yet language has a way of slipping into hollow noise. We live in a world where politicians can tell us that they act “for the people” while everyone can see that they act for themselves or the few. At Wayside we can say “visitor, guest, friend” with the meaning of “client and expert”. Words create worlds. We know the most at Wayside when we know ’no-thing’. When our relationships lead us to a human connection between two people, we certainly know no-thing. This is a movement greater than any symphony orchestra can play - when someone moves from being an object to a subject. When two people see each other not as a means to an end or as someone that needs to be managed, but as someone who holds the mysteries of the universe within them, it leads to awe, reverence and encounter. True relationship leads to connection, and connection to love. If real love ever makes you, ’feel good’, surely that is incidental to the activity but never constitutes the act of loving itself. How sadly does our culture get this the wrong way around? Listen to our love songs and look at our movies and you’ll hardly have to wonder how we’ve developed such a narcissistic culture. When it becomes someone’s job to keep you feeling good, love is no longer a fair exchange between two. Someone has disappeared to become the object of the other. This is where feelings of dominance can take over, and in it’s most extreme form, leads to domestic violence. Signs emerge long before any violence does, in subtle manipulation and control. The recent killing of a mother and her children is the end of a process, so we should begin our support where personal freedoms are curtailed, no matter how seemingly trivial they are. One of the most chilling memories Hannah Clarke’s mother has is when she was told by her daughter, “I was thinking it wasn't abuse, because he never hit me.”

On a lighter note, last Wednesday night was the launch of Wayside’s ‘Heart Choir at the cafe’, our new ‘pub style’ community choir at the Heart Cafe in Bondi Beach. The beauty of the Heart Choir is that it has no auditions and no performances, which means everyone is welcome. Last week people from all backgrounds and ability gathered, connected by Wayside’s mission and a love of singing. They learnt Cher’s ‘Believe’ in three-part harmony, and literally sang their hearts out to the surprise of passing foot traffic and the results were spine-tingling.
Watch it here.
https://www.facebook.com/thewaysidechapel/videos/193799198520806/?redirect=false

 Someone there even went so far as to say that it was one of the best nights of her life, while someone else, not usually noted for their positivity, was glowing in their praises after being part of it. For more information, and to register your interest for the next ‘Heart Choir at the Cafe’ event on 8 April, see our Facebook event page. Spaces are limited. We can’t wait to see you there!

Thanks for being part of our Inner Circle,

Jon

Jon Owen
Pastor & CEO
Wayside Chapel

Wayside Walks event - Book Now
Protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your personal information is important to us, as it is fundamental to the way we operate. All information is kept in the strictest confidence and is stored in a password secure database. Levels of access to information are determined by an authorised employee's specific need to do their job. Personal information collected by Wayside Chapel is never sold or passed on in any way, shape or form to any other organisation or non-authorised person for any purpose. If you would like to seek access to, or revise your personal information or feel that the information we currently have on record is incorrect or incomplete, or you believe that the privacy of your personal information has been interfered with, please contact us at mail@thewaysidechapel.com.

From the Wayside Chapel-Kings Cross

Dear Inner Circle,
Over summer I wrestled with Stan Grant’s book Australia Day. I recommend it to you all. Even though I don’t share all of his views, I deeply respect the man. If you think there is a simple way to deal with January 26th, then it is essential reading for you. In his book, he describes the boats arriving at Kurnell through ‘the view from the ship and the view from the shore’ as both perspectives are alive within his body. Looking from the ship through the lens of the shore invites new vision and opens fresh possibilities for relationship and dialogue in our society that is all too quickly retreating behind the battle lines drawn by identity politics.
The only way we can avoid walking away from each other is to walk together. We are proud that the 1965 Freedom Rides left from the doorstep of the Wayside Chapel our building, at a time before the 1967 Referendum, when people of Aboriginal descent were not counted in our national census and were not yet recognised under Commonwealth laws to receive basic rights like old-age pensions and maternity allowances. Wayside played a small but significant role in supporting our Aboriginal brothers and sisters, as well as their leaders to campaign for their rights to be recognised.
We are proud of our Mob Space at Wayside. It is a place of welcoming, culture and safety for our Aboriginal community. It was established and is run by staff for whom cultural obligation, knowledge and sensitivity gets no rostered day off. Last week, two new women were added to the team and together I have no doubt they will continue to have a great impact in the lives of our visitors. The work they do deserves our special thanks. There are days where from the moment they open the doors to the moment they close, they support people who have faced trauma, disconnection and challenges to survive. Amongst this, there is hope and celebration. They dream of being able to do more and are now planning to run a Women’s Group to complement their Men’s Group, with a focus on mental health, suicide prevention and cultural connection. They are our unsung heroes, who I can guarantee are embarrassed that I am writing about them, at all such is their humility. We have a lot to learn about kinship and connection from our First Peoples.
School is back, and if you have managed to forget, I am sure that your social media feed is clogged with “first day back” images. I fear that we are making the price of education too high for the poor. We will pay a price for making the pathway out of poverty inaccessible to those who need it the most. I’m getting requests for assistance with back to school essentials. Thankfully, we have a few angels who have been able to help us get these kids back to school through the provision of books and uniforms. I’ve seen parents go to extreme lengths to get their kids to school. Once I was asked to give a mum a lift to their cousin’s house on the first day of school. There was a ‘no uniform, no attendance’ policy at her child’s school. I got a little suspicious when she asked me to drive to an unfamiliar affluent neighbourhood and then instructed me to slow down the car as she scanned front doorsteps. “This’ll do, pull over, but keep the car running” she ordered, and I tend to do as I’m told. I idled next to a house with lots of shoes out front, she grabbed a black pair, ran to the car and yelled “Gun it!” That morning I became an unintentional accessory to education. I wouldn’t mind that as an epitaph. 
Of course, we don’t condone stealing. But this cheeky story from 15 years ago highlights the harsh reality of a mother’s desperation and the importance she placed on her child’s education. We thank you all for the many ways you make it possible for us to help other people who are in desperate circumstances.
We also thank you for being a part of this Inner Circle,
Jon

Jon Owen
Pastor & CEO
Wayside Chapel

From the Wayside Chapel

Our friend Graham Long has retired from his role as the CEO of the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross, Sydney.

Jon Owen is now in that role.

This is his latest message to supporters.

Don't only read this but follow the link to his recent Tedx talk.



Dear Inner Circle
What we love changes. There was a time long ago in my life when wet weather days and nights like the ones we’ve had in Sydney in the last couple days would have seen me gleefully crawling up into bed with a hot cuppa and good book, I loved them. A couple of nights ago as I walked through the building I saw a different kind of love in action, it looked like a frenzy of activity as plans were being made for the night of storms ahead. It looked like extra blankets and clothing being handed out. It looked like people sharing their “secret spots” where it was the driest and least wind exposed for sleeping. It looked like one of our regulars running around giving his mobile number out to everyone “if you get stuck call me and we can huddle together to stay warm”.  Could there be more generous acts than that? Yesterday morning after the deluge had really hit, love looked like quick access to our warm showers, dry towels, fresh clothes and hot breakfasts. Can you really imagine how hard it would be to live on the streets and not to have a roof over your head in this weather?  What I see is absolute resilience and willingness of those on the streets to help others even in the toughest times. Love looks quite different to me now and I’m a lot richer for it.
Last weekend all who have been in the building have been uplifted by a new choir practising in the building. There is a little girl who we have seen quite regularly of late and she is often dressed as a superhero. When I’ve asked who she is, she has looked at me like I must have been blind or a little slow. “I’m Woman Wonder!” For the first time, I saw little miss Wonder Woman sit still. She was truly captured by the wonder of the choir and it wasn’t just our little superhero who was dazzled, it was all of us in the room who were similarly captivated by the beautiful sounds together.
I was also recently invited to conduct a funeral service for someone from the transgender community. About 20 women and the deceased’s dog all huddled together in our chapel to mourn her passing and to pay tribute to a life lived to the full. What a character she was. There were lots of stories that were told about her life. One such colourful story recounted a time when she was asked to leave a women’s refuge when it was discovered she was running an escort agency from within it - the staff only found this out because her certificate of business registration arrived in their mail. When confronted she argued that she was running a perfectly legal social enterprise that was empowering and employing women. Did I mention that we certainly have some characters in Kings Cross? We love them all.
Just over a month ago I received the privilege of being invited to give a TEDx Talk at 1 Bligh St, it was an opportunity to share a little of what got Lisa and I started on a journey that has led us all the way to Wayside Chapel. It has not been a path marked by striving to be higher, faster and stronger, but rather an opportunity to move the other way, to be lower, slower and weaker and able to respond to the world as it is, rather than what we all expect or constantly aspire for it to be. As we move towards the silly season, I ask you to slow down and pause to really think about what things mean most to you. You can view my TEDx Talk here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0oXbuQ6WRI&t=15s


Thanks for being part of the Inner Circle.
Jon
Jon Owen
CEO & Pastor
Wayside Chapel