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 2009
Annual Report
Brief History
The
Edward Jost Mission was established in the north end of Halifax in
1860 which became known as the "City Mission".
In
1926, a board was established with representation from several United
Churches and each church provided funds to assist with the work of
helping the poor.
In 1929, the Brunswick
Street United Church assumed operation of the Mission.
In 1979, the Brunswick
United
Church was
destroyed by fire but the work of the Mission continued with the
assistance of neighboring churches and agencies.
The current building was
erected in the
fall of 1984.
An independent Brunswick
Street Mission
trial was established in 2006 with representation from several United
Churches and other community representatives.
The independent Mission was
made
permanent in 2009 and the mission became an “Outreach
Ministry” of the United Church of Canada (UCC).
Mission programs and
activities are
directed in a manner consistent with the UCC.
The work of the Brunswick
Street
Mission continues to inspire a better quality of life through a
ministry of care for those experiencing poverty.
Core Values:
We are committed, in all we do, to uphold the core values of the United
Church of Canada as well as the following:
Welcoming – We value being open and welcoming.
Caring Attitude – We value reaching out to those in need.
Dignity and Respect – We value treating everyone with dignity
and respect.
Affirming – We value diversity and inclusion in all our
programs to help improve the quality of life for those in need.
Collaboration - We value relationships and partnerships with
people and organizations to enable a strong synergy.
Accountable – We value accountability for all our actions.
Transparent - We value transparency and open communications
in all we do.
Mission
Strategic Plan
Service
Delivery Model:
Milestones
With the new Executive
Director in
place, the Mission Board was able to
move progressively towards
professionalizing operations, especially in the areas of policy
development and accountability.
We
officially ended a trial period to become the Brunswick Street
Mission as a permanent Outreach Ministry unit of
United Church of Canada Halifax Presbytery.
Working
with Rev. David Hann of the HRM Oversight Committee, we
completed a benchmark report against which
we can measure future progress.
The
Brunswick Street Mission gained Charitable Status.
In 2008, the food bank moved
"upstairs" which created an opportunity to work "with" rather than
"for" our guests. Visitors now help set up in a greeting area,
make coffee for each other, and help unload the truck. These
changes based on empowerment have begun trickling throughout the
building as we remove barriers and invite our visitors to help us and
each other.
A
Strategic Plan was completed in May of 2009. Along with a new
vision, mission statement and value statement, we have identified 4
priority areas on which we will focus in the immediate future.
With support from a grant under the
Homelessness Partnering Strategy, we completed our kitchen renovation
in 2009, insuring that healthy breakfasts will continue to be served.
The Brunswick street Mission
seeks to
inspire a better quality of life
through a ministry of care that addresses physical, emotional,
practical and spiritual needs for those experiencing poverty. If you
would like to make an online donation to support this work, please
click on :
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