stretch your mind

• church relationships

• intercession

  What am I bid? Suddenly I find myself in a giant hall. Surrounding me are thousands of young people, battered, bruised and broken. Then a voice says: “What am I bid?” A young girl stands out before the crowd of leering, sneering men. “What am I bid for this piece of flesh?” The men start to cheer and shout figures: “Ten…Twenty…Fifty…One hundred.” What can I do, God? I start to bid. I have to save her. The cost becomes huge and I begin to waiver. Can I afford this? What price will I pay? The dream stops. I’m alone again. But the faces are real enough: Sharon being sold into prostitution; Sipho with a revolver in his mouth; Monique covered in cuts and bruises; Jan falling into crime; Sarah alone and desperate; Monwabisi, heroin needle bulging into his vein. “What am I bid?” The voice shatters the silence. The auction is on again. The bidding has begun. It continues day and night until the end. Most of the bidders desire only use and abuse. Satan drives them on. And so I find myself in the auction. Will I watch or will I bid? The price of a single life is huge. The currency is prayer. The cost is massive but the prize is glorious. A life for a life. “What am I bid?” Pete Greig, Red Moon Rising Everything we do as and at the Warehouse is rooted and covered in prayer. We believe in a God who wants to be with us; a God who knows us and wants to be known by us; a God who desires relationship above all else; who chases after our hearts. We also recognise that all that we are and do belongs to God, and that the vision we seek to live and work out is His, not ours. So prayer is both part of our rhythm as a community as we seek to deepen our relationship with God individually and corporately, and at the heart of all our strategy, programmes and structures. Every morning begins with an hour of prayer at the Warehouse, and that continues on throughout the day as staff members, programme teams, visitors spend time together praying for one another, and asking God to speak to us and guide all that we do. In this way, prayer is not just something we do, it is essential to our work. We also have a prayer room in the building – a dedicated space where people can spend time with God, meditating, walking through the various ‘stations’ of the room, creatively expressing their hearts to God and listening to Him. We know that we do not have the time, resources or money to eradicate poverty, but we believe that when Jesus taught us to pray that things would be on earth as they are in heaven, in some unimaginable unfathomable way, he meant it. And so, we pray.

• nurturing innovations

  Nurture innovative responses

• resources

  A church full of life and love, working for the good of the community in which God has placed it, is the proper end of mission. Transformational development that does not work towards such a church is neither sustainable nor Christian…it is impossible to imagine a transforming community without a transforming church in its midst. Bryant Myers. The Warehouse aims to equip and mobilise churches to become agents of transformational development in their communities, effectively addressing suffering in a way that is sustainable and upholds dignity. The equipping and Mobilising team provides training for church members and leaders, staff at The Warehouse and for our extended community of workers and volunteers in our various programs. We want to encourage relationships from across the various social and economic divides in order to encourage, inspire and inform, to get the church mobilised to respond to poverty and injustice across this city. We do this through workshops, mentoring, support groups and training, and through the sharing of information, experience and skills. The various programme teams at the Warehouse equip church and NGO leaders, and community and church members to respond to the particular aspect of poverty and/or injustice prevalent in their communities. For example, part of Care for Kids’ work is to train volunteers in churches, teaching them to assess households to identify where there are vulnerable children or orphans, and to give ongoing support to caregivers. One of the key resources the Warehouse offers is the Training Course in Christian Social Transformation which equips peoples to engage in community transformation according to Biblical community development principles. We also create specific workshops upon request from churches and have a wealth of resources and toolkits around child abuse, human needs and the role of the church in responding to injustice. Training The Warehouse provides training for our own staff, for church members and leaders, and for our extended community of workers and volunteers in our various programmes, because we want to see churches becoming a practical expression of God’s heart in their communities. When the need is overwhelming, and resources are few, it is vital that we train the church, equipping people with the information and skills they need to be effective agents for transformation.

• transformational Encounters

• orphan care

  The church is the best network to effectively address the orphan crisis affecting our nation. The challenging growing number of orphans, largely due to HIV/Aids, needs to be met with innovative solutions that care for children in holistic and cost-effective ways. Care for Kids empowers, equips and serves church communities to better serve orphaned and vulnerable children in their local environment.

• high-risk youth

  The Fusion team works with youth in areas dominated by gangs, by establishing praying communities of young people who seek to transform their own lives and communities. Fusion has developed a replicable model that equips churches to more effectively help in the restoration of high-risk youth.

• advocacy

  When we pray for revival in our cities, we hope of seeing a revival that effects every sector of society and addresses the social structures that perpetuate injustice. The revivals of old impacted the whole of society, beer gardens emptied, children were cared for, generosity flowed. The advocacy team are committed to helping churches as they mobilise their members towards a life of justice.

• youth and careers

  Connecting young people for life! The LINK team are piloting two programmes in churches, reaching young people and where possible, their parents, to equip them to find their vocation and purpose in life. They provide them with information resource, lifeskills and mentorship to become all that they can be.

• sweet home farm

  An informal settlement that faces some of the worst social ills that are rooted in poverty, Sweet Home Farm is a community that The Warehouse serves through youth work, a senior citizens club, HIV/Aids support groups and a creche. This work has culminated in a church plant lead by a dedicated community worker and priest who has worked in the community for years.

• loss & trauma

  Siyaphila means 'we are well'.Support groups for women are facilitated, looking to address issues of loss and trauma they deal with in townships. Women who pour themselves into caring for others are offered few opportunities to care for themselves. The groups are based in churches but are offered to any women in the local community who feel they would benefit from such an experience. Word of mouth invitations are extended to potential attendees and there is no formal recruitment process. Resiliance, meaning reconstruction,working with a reasonable hope, and use of the therapeutic narratives of women's lives are part of the program.

• generous living

  Urban Gleaning provides a network to people and churches who want to share their time, resources, skills and finances with others. Borrowing from the concept in Leviticus 23:22 of leaving the edges of the fields for others to glean, we help people share their time, skills, things and money with others who have less, in a way that upholds dignity and promotes relationships.

• entrepreneurs

  This uniquely designed programme makes individuals aware of their own ability to generation a sustainable income; assists entrepreneurs in the creation, management and refinement of their businesses, and encourages churches to create a supportive environment for these local entrepreneurs. The vision is to initiate business creation and address unemployment in communities.

• cape town

  A city of great contrasts, Cape Town is known for its natural beauty, and attracts people from around the globe all year round. What many people do not see or know, both visitors and locals alike, is the deep chasm between the resourced and economically poor in the city and surrounds. The city is home to thousands of church communities, many of whom are eager to see this gap narrow.

• churches

  The Warehouse partners with churches in and around the city, including some peri-urban areas such as Paarl and Worcestor. Whilst being initiated by an Anglican Parish, we work with any Christian church who has a heart to see the community in which they serve transformed in an holistic way, showing the love of God to the suffering in sustainable and developmentally sound ways.

• communities

  The communities in which The Warehouse programmes work have all been affected by the history of apartheid in our nation -- whether well resourced or disadvantaged. A core part of the vision is to see churches partnering together, and serving eachother in the building of the nation. The Warehouse is strategically placed between wealthy and poor communities, in a semi-industrial area called Wetton.

• MAP

• community

  "Life in community is no less than a necessity for us - it is an inescapable 'must' that determines everything we do and think. Yet it is not our good intentions or efforts that have been decisive in our choosing this way of life. Rather, we have been overwhelmed by a certainty - a certainty that has its origin and power in the Source of everything that exists. We acknowledge God as this Source. We must live in community because all life created by God exists in a communal order and works toward community." Eberhard Arnold, 1925

• history

  The Warehouse was established in 2003 by the Anglican Parish of St John's, Wynberg as a conduit to serve and help the South African church network, primarily in the Western Cape metropolitan area, in addressing poverty and injustice effectively. Today we partner with around eighty churches in a variety of ways, from all denominations and affiliations.

• strategy

  We serve churches through five strategic pillars: prayer, mobilisation, equipping, innovation and advocacy. The projects that have come out of these pillars tackle the most painful wounds of our nation.

• team

  The team is made up of around 30 part or full-time people from all backgrounds, with a variety of skill sets that complement the broader body. Significant time is invested in building this community as more than a work 'place' but a team committed to seeing communities transformed, lives changed (including our own) and bridges built in a divided society.

• give financially

  If you give money to The Warehouse, you can specify whether you would like it to go towards the running of the organisation or towards any specific need we are aware of through our partnerships and programmes. There numerous ways to support the work we do, from buying love packs that feed orphaned children to funding entire programmes to keep doing what they do in the communities.

• give things

  Rather than sending any unwanted junk our way, prayerfully consider what quality goods God would have you share with others. We would love to link you up with people in need in a way that restores and maintains dignity.

• give time

  Come and serve with us any time between 9:30am and 4:30pm Monday to Friday or the first Saturday of every month. Bring your cell or bible study group on a week night by prior arrangement.

• pray for us

  Prayer is the core of what we do --- and we value those who pray for us as we continue to serve the church to reach the poorest of the poor in our city. If you would like to sign up as a regular Prayer Warrior, which means you will get updates via email on what to pray for, please email colleen@warehouse.org.za

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