BACKGROUND
Pukekohe North is a small geographical area in the Franklin district. It is a lower socio-economic area with a large amount of unemployment and a high rate of crime, violence, poverty, neglect of children, drugs and alcohol. It also has a large Black Power gang presence.
Over the years the area has been referred to as ‘the dark side’, by people in that community and outside of it. The vision of our GOFORTH KIWI charitable trust is to see that area change with it becoming a positive environment of peace, happiness, and loving families with children getting educated and becoming aspirational with their lives.
THE story began for the Pukekohe North Mission some 16 years ago, when I observed out of control young people (aged 6-9 years) in our streets. They would run riot in the main street, entering shops, yelling abuse and taking things. Experiencing this first hand in our law practice, then physically being in other shops when it was happening, I had a huge reaction, “Where are the parents of these kids? What are they going to be like when they are teenagers?”
Over the following weeks, I was seeing these kids everywhere. The local newspaper was commenting on the problem. My attitude continued “bratty kids, where are the parents?” Then I felt God speak to my heart saying, “I want you to see this through my eyes”. As I engaged with God this way everything changed. My heart filled with compassion which led me on a prayer journey for God to bring change to these young kid’s lives, rather than me criticizing them.
At the time I was on staff at Franklin Baptist Church leading the small group ministry and pastoral care in the church. My husband (who was on the leadership team) and I were involved in Lily Smith’s small group with a bunch of Maori folk in the Pukekohe North area. The heart of this small group was to reach into this area. We held outreach dinners each month to seek to connect with folk in that neighbourhood.
Around a year later, a notice was placed in our church newsletter by a teacher from Pukekohe North School, looking for volunteers to serve breakfast to the children in the school. It stood out like a neon sign. I felt God speak to me: “This is a door opening into this community”. So, I phoned and put my name on the list.
The local Pakeke Lions were the group that was going to run the program, with food being supplied by the Red Cross. Unfortunately, Lions pulled out. I ended up finding the volunteers from church to run it along with one of the teachers at the school. After two years Red Cross ceased funding and breakfasts were going to stop. We decided along with our team of helpers that this could not happen. We were feeding around 80-100 kids each day.
We had a charitable trust that we had started to fund work in the Pukekohe North particularly arising out of Lily Smith’s small group activities. We asked around if people were interested in donating to keep the breakfast program going. A handful of people gave on a monthly basis and the rest is history. The program ran for 13 years by the Trust, then the school took over when the government started the school lunch programme.
This has been “the open door” that has led to the ministry in the Pukekohe North area.
Serving these children breakfast each day led to us falling in love with them! Some of them were those “bratty kids” that ran wild in our streets! We got to know them. We got to learn about their home lives and the heartbreak they often being brought up in.
Grant and I would drive around the neighbourhood and just hang out with the kids that had got to know us through breakfast. We were given bread from a local deli/patisserie. We would drop this off to the kids and their families. One woman, who was the wife of the local black power president, would look out her window and say, “what a beautiful, feeding the kids!” She was a Black Power mama but had now become a follower of Jesus. She has been part of our small group for the last few years.
For these kids coming to breakfast each morning, there was not only food but also, a friendly face that would connect with them. One of our boys that became part of our “BOYZ GROUP” shared one night at group, that this was the beginning of his God journey. His family were splitting up at home and someone said that he was the reason his parents were parting. He was about 8 years old. It hugely affected him. He would come into breakfast. We had no idea this was happening in his life. The breakfast team showed him love and care. The Trust paid for him to go to Chosen Valley Camp for the holidays along with other children from Pukekohe North. It was there that he had an experience with God touching his heart. He is a follower of Jesus today and has been a leader in our Boyz Group. He has been involved in the worship team in the church he was attending. He finished Year 13 at school and Grant helped get him into a job. The Trust loaned him the money to purchase a car, which he paid back completely without missing a payment. He is currently teacher aiding at Pukekohe North School and is looking to become a trained teacher. Allan Currie was instrumental in some of the boys getting into jobs when they left school. One boy he got into a plumber apprenticeship and others into work in a local sawmill. There is a boy at present almost completed his nursing training, partly funded by the Trust and a lady from the Anglican Church. Seddon 64 restaurant has helped some of the boys by employing them part time while they have been at school or studying.
Over the years we have had many helpers in the breakfast programme. The majority have been from FBC. However, in later years assistance has come from Uplift Church, Reformed Church, and Waiau Pa church. Folk from outside of church and some parents from the school have helped as well.
Leaving school one morning after serving breakfast, I spotted a house across the road that was for sale. Apparently, it had been for sale for a while, but I had never noticed it. I came home and spoke to Grant about it. We arranged a visit through the house and came away feeling, this would be perfect for a base to use to reach into this community. With no money, we prayed and decided to ask an elderly Aunt of ours, if she would like to invest in a house in Pukekohe North. (Hmmm she lives in Remuera and investing in the North area!!!). When we went to visit her, we found her on the floor having had a massive stroke and she passed away 3 weeks later. We ended up inheriting and along with some other folk were able to fund the Trust’s purchase of the house. Our Aunt has passed on but she has helped us to do the mission work in the Pukekohe North area!
We purchased the house in July 2011. As I woke the following morning, I had a scripture drop into my heart.
It is from Exodus 3v 7-8:
“ The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt (Pukekohe North). I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, (alcohol, drugs, violence, poverty, rejection, abuse) and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians (Satan) and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey (a place of prosperity, wellbeing, hope, peace, healing, freedom, experiencing the Father’s love).”
This scripture has become foundational in our hearts for this area.
God loves the people in this neighbourhood. He has wonderful plans and purposes for their lives. His heart is for them to live and experience His love, care and freedom from the crippling lifestyle that some of them live.
We named the house “Hope House.” The name came from one of our mums that came into breakfast with her kids. She was a P addict and most of the time her life was a shambles, abused by men and family. One morning at breakfast she was telling us that it was her birthday the next day. She was turning thirty- eight. She had never had a birthday cake or party. We decided we would make her a cake and celebrate at breakfast. To see her face was priceless! The team and kids sang her Happy Birthday and then she set about cutting the cake and sharing it with the kids, until she asked, “is this a homemade cake?” At that point she stopped sharing the cake so she could take it home with her. She had never had a homemade cake before.
We got to know this woman really well. She would come over to Hope House and have dinners with us. She said one night “this place gives me hope” hence the name ‘Hope House.’ She moved to Australia, which move the trust helped her with financially. It was the best move for her to get out of the neighbourhood she was so abused in. She connected with a church over there and is a thoroughly transformed person. If you looked at photos from back then and now, you would not know it was the same women. She has a supervisor role in her job. Amazing! Thank you Jesus!
The first group we started was a weekly group for boys, beginning with a meal followed by a sharing time. We arranged people to come and share their life journey and how God had made a difference in their lives. We also would do bible studies about things that would pertain to them.
When we started this group, we chose five boys around the age of 10-12 years old. Our philosophy was not to get into big numbers, but to build meaningful relationships with them and their families. One of these boy’s Mum and Dad got saved and experienced major transformation in their lives. They have featured in the NZ Alpha stories. The first time about 8 or 9 years ago and now currently they have updated their story and appear in a more current Alpha series of testimonies.
As the years have gone by, we added around another 30 boys to the group. Weekly meals became a mammoth task. The boys loved these times together as we all sat down around tables to a hot meal and dessert. Huge bonds have been built among the boys and with our team.
Our charitable trust has supported the boys with uniforms, stationery and computers throughout their schooling years. We supported them with medical issues as they arose. We have also supported their siblings through school. Most of the children have done well finishing Year 13. As they leave school, we have been able to help some of the boys into employment.
The reason for working with young men, was fatherlessness was a huge problem in this community. A lot of the men are in the gang. Drugs, alcohol, violence and prison are common themes. Most have never been fathered themselves. They have no idea on how to father themselves. To raise young men to be leaders and fathers will hopefully have a positive outcome for them and their community in the future.
We became acutely aware when we became involved in the community, that a number of children finished their education when they left primary school. There was a number of reasons for this:
- The school had been until recently, badly managed and because of this the children had suffered. By the time they reach high school age their learning levels are often a long way behind and so the children did not understand what was being taught They became truants as a result.
- The children often were not supported from home to get an education.
- Parents felt intimidated to go to the High School and enrol their children.
- Money was a problem to buy uniforms and stationery.
We arranged to work with the primary school and the high school to get these children enrolled. We spent many hours visiting families getting the paper work completed. We then decided to buy uniforms and stationery for all of them (there was 16 children transitioning to High School in the first year). We covered all their books in durasel and bought school bags. Come the first day of school, our team picked them all up and we went to McDonalds for breakfast and in mass arrived at school for the first assembly.
We have continued to support many children each year with stationery and uniforms.
It has been through the children that we have built relationship and friendship with families. We have found that as we have loved and served this community, hard hearts have softened, and we have then had opportunity to share that Jesus loves and cares about them. Many times I have shared the Exodus scripture with people that God loves them and He has had heard their cries, and seen them weep. Often listeners weep when they hear this. It is often at this stage we introduced Alpha to them. We have done many Alpha courses over the years.
As we were finishing our roles in church before embarking on this mission, we ran a series called “Embracing the Neglected” written by Greg Liston. This series is based on the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 25v 31-40 speaking on the sheep and the goats.
31 “But when the Son of Man[a] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations[b] will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,[c] you were doing it to me!’
We have been challenged by these scriptures and a lot of what we have embraced in the mission has come from this study. We became a satellite for Brothers in Arms mentoring program for at risk children; feeding children breakfast; feeding families in need; supporting the sick and families at Tangi’s; being a listening ear to the challenges they were going through; monthly garage giveaways providing free beds, drawers, lounge suites, clothing, bedding, fridges, washing machines and anything else that was given to us.
We sold Hope House on Freyburg Crescent, as it became too small, even though we knocked out walls to make it bigger. We then moved to a prefab in the school grounds. From the sale of the house, we doubled what we paid for it and with this capital, we were able to sow back into the community by doing up the school hall. We had a team of volunteers helping for about 6 weeks, under the supervision of Dave Braks.
There is a saying “redemption and lift.”
One thing that has been evident, when people become Christians, their lives change and so does their lifestyle, home life and often employment. People who have done time in prison, often find it difficult to get employment, but we have seen how God changes that picture.
In Luke 4 v18-19 Jesus reads these scriptures from Isaiah declaring what he came to do: to preach good news to the poor; to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.
God’s desire is to come to Pukekohe North. We pray often that it would be a “thin place” where the presence of King Jesus would be felt in a tangible way.
We have many stories of people and how God has worked in their lives, to bring hope and wellbeing into their family.
Some of the Hope House team over the years have been Allan & Hillary Currie: Eddie & Rebecca Bent : Ross & Petra Whyte and their children Joel & Ruth : Wana & Mele Wilson and their children Daniel & Gabrielle : John & Erena Tairakena and their children Ashleigh & Lance : Stuart Tukuafu : Phillip Armstrong : Sandy Williams : Jason Lafaele : Judy Nieuwendijk and Marie Main.
We have had many give financially to this mission over the years and without them we would never have been able to do the things we have done. Both the givers and the workers have equally sown into this mission.
The Trust is a registered charitable trust (CC36198) and can be seen on the Charities website in New Zealand. There will also appear on there previous
audited accounts for the trust and detailed reports of work undertaken each year.
Grant & Shelley Buchanan