Ministries

A proven partner to serve vulnerable people in the city

Serving

Serving the immediate needs of the vulnerable

On a daily basis (Mondays to Fridays @ 15:00, and Sundays @ 11:15) we run as part of our food program, a soup kitchen where approximately 70+ people per day receive a basic meal. Those who are part of our various empowerment programs attend the midday lunch with staff and other guests. Weekly, after qualifying through an assessment process, food-parcels are made available to those who are slowly but surely learning to take responsibility for themselves.

We furthermore function as a conduit through which large quantities of foodstuffs, entrusted to us by a variety of corporate donors and supporters, are distributed to a variety of smaller partner NGO’s and poorer faith communities from the larger metro-area. Our floodgate program is aimed at handling all donations of clothing, blankets and other general household items in a responsible manner. Regularly blankets and clothing parcels (which might also contain general toiletries) are handed out during soup-kitchen time. Shoes and other clothing are issued during the month as and when needed. Items which cannot be handed out or shared with partner NGO’s, are sold in our weekly “Shoppie” at much reduced prices to “the working poor”.

Weekly, we run a Shower program, aimed at giving our homeless beneficiaries the opportunity to have a hot shower, get a haircut, receive clean clothes and have the opportunity to visit our First Aid Station. A basic First Aid medical service is provided by trained staff members. For more severe conditions, referrals are made to clinics, hospitals and partner medical practitioners.

Embracing

Welcoming vulnerable people into community

The local congregation serves as a ‘spiritual address’ for our Christian beneficiaries where community between the have’s and the have not’s are formed every Sunday. The congregation focuses primarily on vulnerable people living and surviving on the streets, while those who share this vision joins us.

Regular outreaches take this desire to embrace the whole community to the streets and inner-city flats of our city. Thessa Outreach is a specialized program reaching out to ladies on the street. We aim at interventions leading from connecting to healing to enabling, to making the transition from being trapped in poverty, abuse and prostitution, to life.

Wednesday afternoons (for men) and Friday mornings (for women) special Bible studies are hosted for those of our beneficiaries who have a desire to grow in their understanding of God and faith. A mid-week meditative Taize communion service is held weekly for all who desire to attend.

A couple of times a year, community celebrations (e.g. the annual Christmas function) are held where vulnerable and non-vulnerable alike come together as one community

Empowering

Creating confidence

Thessa Production aims at teaching people sewing and other needlework skills. At the same time, it functions as a marketing and fundraising initiative by manufacturing and selling handmade products.

The Proud Clean Bloemfontein initiative is a job-preparation program where unemployed people get the opportunity to be prepared for an official work-environment by participating in cleanup teams, contracted by sponsors or businesses to clean certain areas of the city. In this way participants not only earn a small income, but are also nurtured in the ethos of work and taking responsibility. The weekly life skills program aims at enabling participants to eventually exit this program – preferably to formal employment.

As a leadership foundation, we are continuously looking for ways to nurture other upcoming NPO’s and similar communities. Therefore, we place major emphasis on our NPO forum and Pastors circle where we journey with a variety of organizations in a mentoring, coaching and partnering relationship.

Living

Taking responsibility for your world

We believe in the city. We believe in the people of the city. We therefore are part of a variety of campaigns and actions which are aimed at transforming the city from a battlefield to a playground for all her inhabitants. From public cleanup programs and initiatives supporting the foreigner in the city, to regular exposure walk-abouts and engaging with the city government, we with our partners, seek to take responsibility for our city.

Partnering

Transforming the city together

Standing in relationship with a variety of other NGO’s, churches, businesses, universities and individuals, we foster networks through which partners can be exposed to the lives and challenges of vulnerable people. Students (local and international) representing a wide range of disciplines, regularly come for their practical and formal training to us. Through the IMSA program, partnerships with businesses entail the development of initiatives aimed at training the unemployed, as well as journeying with the employed. As a Leadership Foundation we are part of an international network of organizations and cities, on the continent of Africa but also globally who, through peer accountability and setting specific benchmarks, motivate one another to transform the city together.