Northridge partners with a charity in Kazakhstan. Central Asia is one of the neediest and least reached parts of the world. Thankfully, across the region there are wonderful charities serving the poor and bringing the kingdom. These charities have big hearts but too often their resources are few. These people are our heroes. Our role is to support them. How? At our site in Kazakhstan, we have a warehouse and office run by a multinational team of 15 foreign volunteers and local staff. From our site, we ship quality donated goods to organisations across the region. These goods are the "tools" they need to do their job. They could be toys and clothes for orphanages, computers for job skills training, wheelchairs, or furniture for drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres. It's a servant work. We help the helpers. Locally, we also seek to bring the Kingdom to the community in which we work through our Cafe and Community Care projects and summer camps. We are hugely grateful for Northridge's faithful support of our work. If you're interested in finding out how you can get more involved speak to:-

Project coordinator: Andrew & Jenny Ross
email: jamross@worldmail.net.au

International Care Ministries (ICM) has been serving the very poor in the slums of the Philippines since 1992. Working on the islands of Negros, Bohol and Mindanao, ICM comes alongside people who live in desperate circumstances. Most of our beneficiaries subsist on less than US$0.15 per day, live without clean water or sewerage, and suffer from malnutrition and its related illnesses.Each year ICM run a kids camp with 100 children from the slums in a town called Dumaguete. Several families from Northridge have volunteered as leaders on the camp so far and we are looking at more opportunities to serve in a variety of ways including a short term trip to potentially help with building, medical clinics, teaching and ministering to pastors and church leaders.

Project coordinator: Dan & Carine Owens
email: carine@ibsaust.com

Compassion is an international Christian child development and child advocacy ministry committed to working in partnership with local churches to foster the spiritual, economic, social, physical and emotional development of children living in extreme poverty in over 25 developing countries. Compassion's ministry to children is distinctly Christian. Our child development programs are unique in that they are: Christ-centred, child-focused and church-based. Northridge currently sponsor two children through Kids Church & Youth.

Please contact the church office for more details email: office@northridgevcf.org.au

Opportunity International exists to provide opportunities for people living in poverty to transform their lives. With over 35 years' experience in microfinance and support services, we use a business approach to solve poverty. Rather than a hand-out, we provide our clients with a loan as small as $100 (known as microcredit or a micro loan) to help grow their small business. This enables them to earn an income and afford food, water, shelter and an education for their children.

Project coordinator: Ted Kerr
email: ekerr@bigpond.net.au

Muffin Sunday is held on 4 different Sunday’s during the year. It is a day when we deliver muffins to Community workers with love; simply to bless them. The muffins can be collected from church on the day with details of where they need to be delivered. Simply pick up a pack and deliver them with love! See the Missions Calendar for future dates.

Project co-ordinator: Caryn McNee
email: cmcnee73@optusnet.com.au

Operation Christmas Child is a unique project of Samaritan’s Purse that brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes. Northridge participates in the filling & collecting of boxes every year in time for Christmas.

Project co-ordinator: Pam Wells
email: wellsarthur@gmail.com

Beautiful handmade blankets are made and delivered to those in need at Tingha, an Aboriginal Community near Inverell, northern NSW. Other good quality warm winter clothing & blankets are also donated for delivery.

Project co-ordinator: Helen Ellis
email: helen2@tech2u.com.au (knitting & wool donations)
OR email: office@northridgevcf.org.au (clothing & warm donations)

At Christmas there is the opportunity to purchase an item from the TEAR Gift Catalogue which is part of and contributes to a long-term program designed to give communities skills and resources to walk the long road out of poverty.

Project co-ordinator: Elizabeth Hensby
email: e_hensby@yahoo.com.au

Northridge offers free gift wrapping at Wahroonga Fair which is a local fair held yearly around Christmas time. Volunteers are always needed to help wrap and show love in this way, simply to bless the community.

Project co-ordinator: Helen Ellis
email: helen2@tech2u.com.au

Helping Hands are looking for people who are willing to help others in a practical way. It may be mowing a lawn, fixing a jammed door, replacing a leaking washer, whatever. Not everyone is able to be on top of stuff due to many circumstances that life brings. If you sign up, the commitment will not be huge, but it will be hugely appreciated.

Project co-ordinator: Ron Black
email: rsblack@tpg.com.au

Fusion is an international youth and community organisation which emerged as a creative response to socially-at-risk young people in Australia. While it began its work among youth, the importance of a healthy and caring community to nurture each new generation has led Fusion into extensive community work in Australia and more recently, an international venture! Fusion’s services focus on community building and finding a sense of purpose.

Project co-ordinator: Kath & Steve McNee
email: kath.mcnee@fusionyac.org

Several people from Northridge help out with Fusion Toy Library. The Toy Library provides a weekly Toy Library/Playgroup/Cafe on Wednesday mornings at the Fusion Community Centre in Jersey Street Hornsby. The Toy Library has been set-up to provide the opportunity to build healthy relationships with those who come and to model “Kingdom” values. Fusion didn’t start the Toy Library as a way to “convert” people directly, but to open doors to other settings where people might more readily expect to talk about spiritual things, e.g. invite people to events at your church if appropriate. This is a great project and they are always in need of more helpers!

Project co-ordinator: Lisa Farrenkothen
email: elkajf@optusnet.com.au

The Storehouse provides free, new clothing for the 0-12 year old children of families in need. Families get connected to The Storehouse through approved Referral Partners already working in the community. These may include local GPs, counsellors, schools principals and other community services with whom The Storehouse team has met. Before making an appointment to visit The Storehouse, families must collect, and complete, a signed referral form from one of these partners. Upon visiting The Storehouse, each child will receive up to two new outfits per visit and one family repeat visit card, valid for two more visits over the next 12 months

Project co-ordinator: Georgina Davis
davis.georgina@gmail.com

Mama's Cafe is held on alternate Friday’s here at Northridge Vineyard. This is a relaxed place for Mum’s and Little Ones to come and connect with each other. We welcome Mums from church and from our community.

Project co-ordinator: Claire Esgate
email: claireesgate@gmail.com

Kairos is an interdenominational Christian ministry reaching out to incarcerated individuals, their families and those who work with them; to bring sustainable meaning and hope in the place of loneliness, isolation and despair. At Northridge their are several people involved with the work of both Kairos Inside and Kairos Outside programs. For further details please contact:

Project co-ordinator: Teri Kempe
email: teri@trigrafix.com.au (Outside)
email: office@northridgevcf.org.au (Inside)

During the year we have several short-term overseas mission trips available for you to join in, these include:-

• January Philippines Mission-Building trip Empowering communities in Bacolod with ministry time, medical assistance, teaching & community building
• ICM Kids Camp Philippines April (family friendly)
• Kazakhstan trip

For more information about the above, please contact:

email: office@northridgevcf.org.au
Phone: 02 8407 9941