Lutheran Disability Services (LDS) was formed in 1986 when the families of five people living with disability leased a house in suburban Adelaide to provide them with independent accommodation. Today LDS provides services for more than 80 people and their families through independent living, specialist disability accommodation and community participation programs. We asked Chief Operating Officer Michael Kromwyk to explain what LDS does, the place of faith and fun in the organisation’s values, its link to Lutheran congregations in South Australia and what congregations can do to support LDS.
CONNECTED TO COMMUNITY …
At Lutheran Disability Services (LDS) we focus on community and how we can assist our clients to find connections in the community.
Our first house – Shimron in Unley – is closely connected to nearby St John’s Lutheran Church. Many of our clients worship at this church and have become an essential part of the congregation and the community. The church has become a safe place for our clients to feel a part of the community, worship and express their faith.
We were delighted when the congregation approached LDS this year to help clean up the garden after the successful working bee of 2021. Providing this outreach to our clients and making the house a home with a beautiful garden is a blessing and outpouring of love and faith from the people of St John’s.
Clients were encouraged to participate and engage with the volunteers, and many had a great time working, chatting and socialising throughout the working bee. After a lot of work, the clients cooked a barbecue and shared a COVID-safe meal afterwards to continue the relationship-building between clients and congregation members. This outpouring of God’s love from the St John’s congregation helps to support our mission and helps towards making our clients a part of the community.
EXPRESSING OUR FAITH …
At LDS, we challenge ourselves every day to support our clients to express their faith in their own unique way. We believe that faith is an unreserved confidence in God, in his love for me, and in his power to help me through whatever comes my way in life. We also know that faith opens the door to a victorious life! As 1 John 5:5 says: ‘This is the victory that overcomes the world – our faith.’ We support our clients to express their faith in the way they want to express it. For many clients this may be enjoying a night at Shout for Joy worship services, singing and hearing the word with a community of like-minded people.
For other clients, it’s attending a local church for connection to the community and worship. For others, volunteering in the community to help others is one way they live their faith daily. At LDS we build connections to the community so that our clients can express their faith in their own unique ways.
FREED BY FUN …
One of the LDS values is fun, and we have a lot of it every day! And there is a good reason we want to have fun at LDS – because psychologists tell us that fun gives you a sense of liberation which leads to connectedness, a sense of spontaneity and impressions of limitlessness.
This is why fun is in our values – it builds connectedness and liberation for us, our staff and our clients. We assist clients to have fun by encouraging them to get out and about in the community, whether that’s a trip to the footy, the Royal Adelaide Show or just walking through the city – finding new and innovative ways to achieve life goals through fun.
Fun is in our DNA, and we believe that through our client-centred approach we can tap into what fun means to our clients and deliver on their expectations. We also know that we need to create fun for our team. Creating happy workplaces with meaningful work will create happy staff. Having happy staff means having happy clients and happy homes. Fun delivers happiness in spades!
SUPPORTED BY CONGREGATIONS …
LDS is approached by congregations, church members and members of the general community about how people can help LDS to achieve our mission of providing happy homes for our clients.
The most powerful way that you and your congregation can help our mission is to include us in your prayers, asking God to bless our mission, our clients and our staff. We know that God is listening, and we ask that he continues to give us wisdom and guidance to make decisions that positively impact the lives of people living with disability.
On the upcoming International Day of People with Disability on 3 December, we ask that you keep us, everyone living with disability, their families and others who support them in your prayers. We are also thankful to those of you who donate to our mission; every bit counts towards providing a bit extra for our clients so that they can achieve their life goals and help make their house a home.
Congregations can also help our mission by providing LDS with access to accommodation, whether this may be an unused manse or other property that you have available. Many people living with disability are looking for a safe and secure home through LDS and the more housing that we have will assist our collective mission. If you or your congregation can support LDS with access to a property within South Australia, please contact us.
Find out more about LDS: www.ldssa.org.au
Get in touch: 08 8212 7766 admin@ldssa.org.au
Not a subscriber? Click here to receive stories & upcoming issues in full
