By Garry Sanossian
In March last year, a Ministry Grant from churches of Christ in NSW and ACT helped Missionheart Church in Canberra enhance its volunteer ministry, providing essential training and updates to policies to ensure a safer and more structured environment.
“Since we work closely with people experiencing homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges, it was essential to refine our policies and procedures,” said Kelly Hayduk, a member of the Safe Church Team at Missionheart.
With around 50 volunteers involved in diverse outreach programs, ensuring a safe and well-structured environment was a top priority for Missionheart. “We needed to equip our volunteers with the right training, clarify their roles and reinforce procedures to keep everyone safe,” Kelly added.
The grant allowed Missionheart to review and update their existing policies and modify them where required. This process involved extensive consultation with ministry leaders, collecting volunteer input and ensuring compliance with all legal requirements.
Some of the outreach programs rely on the dedication of volunteers who actively take part in initiatives such as The Gathering, an informal service followed by lunch for anyone in need. Volunteers also support a weekday drop-in centre in the city, providing food and assisting in operating a mobile mission bus, which visits government housing complexes to connect with residents.
Beyond that, they contribute to Missionhouse, a discipleship community for individuals seeking extra support in their faith journey. Volunteers are also involved in prayer groups, home groups and monthly fundraising BBQs at Bunnings, ensuring the ministry can continue reaching those in need. “We have three part-time employees, and the rest are volunteers who take part in these programs. It’s important that they receive proper training and understand both their own safety and the safety of those they serve,” Kelly said.
Ross Stewart, Safe Ministry Practices Leader at churches of Christ, emphasised the importance of such grants to the churches. “Compliance with regards to child protection and harm prevention are very important. It’s a message to the community that they serve, that the church takes safety and well-being seriously and wants to do what’s best for the interests of all people,” he said.
The benefits of these improvements extend far beyond paperwork and compliance.
“The volunteers are the backbone of what we do,” Kelly shared.
“Volunteers and those who serve are more confident in their roles now, so they actually perform better. Our new friends who come along and enjoy our activities are getting better care.”
The grant enabled the development of a comprehensive volunteer management system, streamlining processes such as applications, confidentiality agreements, code of conduct commitments, reference checks and interviews for new volunteers. It also ensured that all volunteers obtained Working with Vulnerable People cards while enhancing the volunteer database to better track training completion and certifications.
The church updated its ‘workers guidelines’ (volunteer policies and procedures) and created a volunteer database to maintain accurate records. Training was a major focus, with sessions in Creating Safe Spaces, First Aid, Sharps Removal, Safe Food Handling and Accidental Counsellor Training. The whole church was involved in updating the guidelines and volunteers gave feedback throughout. This collaborative approach raised awareness of safe church practices, led to meaningful changes and left volunteers feeling more confident and equipped to train others.
Through this Resource Grant, Missionheart has built a stronger foundation for their volunteer ministry that benefits everyone involved, from the leadership team to volunteers to those they serve. “The benefits of receiving this grant cannot be underestimated. Our community grew in their confidence in their volunteer roles and became very attuned to safe church practice,” Kelly said.
“It means that everybody feels safer,” Kelly explained. “It means any adult, child, or anyone who comes along finds that they feel safe. It also means that our volunteers feel safe. It’s safety across the board.”
Read more stories from churches of Christ in NSW & ACT HERE
