Helensburgh

Mission Leader:
Lauren Martin
lauren.martin@salvationarmy.org.au 

Working Days:
Tuesdays (Miranda location)
Wednesdays (Menai & Helensburgh location)
Fridays (Helensburgh location)

 
Lauren is the Mission Leader at Shire Salvos Helensburgh. She journeys one-on-one with people, conducts SAL Connect from the Helensburgh Salvos Store and facilitates a number of groups for adults and young people. Lauren is passionate about creating environments and relationships where people feel loved and valued.

One day per week, Lauren also assists with Shire Salvos communications. She is also serving one day per week at Shire Salvos Miranda. 

Hope where it’s needed most in Helensburgh, Otford, Stanwell Tops, Stanwell Park and beyond.

2508 Salvos missional activities

SAL Connect: People needing assistance from The Salvation Army can call our Salvos Connect line: 1300371288 from Monday-Friday between the hours of 9am-5pm. Once assessed, people can opt to pick up their assistance from our 2508 Salvos community worker at Helensburgh Salvos Store on Fridays between 9-11am (during school terms.)

See Change: See Change is a powerful 6-week course based on the psychology of change. It is designed for individuals or families who are impacted by the unhealthy behaviours of themselves or others. It looks at understanding the process of change, strategies to reclaim your life and tools to enhance personal and/or family wellbeing. For more information email: lauren.martin@salvationarmy.org.au

GLOW girls group: The GLOW course is a partnership between 2508 Salvos and A Fountain of Youth, designed to boost the self-worth and wellbeing of pre-teen and early teen girls. For more information, contact Sammy Mahler from A Fountain of Youth at: sammahle@bigpond.com

Boost your Friday: A drop-in wellbeing and friendship group at 11am every Friday at Helensburgh Salvos Store. If you enjoy a laugh, good coffee and learning about different ways we can positively boost our lives, then 'Boost your Friday' is for you! Come along and check it out, we operate every Friday 11am during school terms. For more information, email: lauren.martin@salvationarmy.org.au

Walk N Talk: Walk N Talk is a free walking group run in partnership with Helesnburgh's 'Fluro Fun N Fitness', an outdoor fitness and life transformation group. Come and join us every Wednesday at 10am - meet Alison at the Rotunda at Charles Harper Park and enjoy a stroll around town or through the bush!

Positive Lifestyle Program: The Salvation Army's Positive Lifestyle Program is an 8-week, confidential, one-on-one course that looks various aspects of life and guides participants through self-directed strategies to make their preferred future a reality. So much great stuff in this course, and it's free! To find out more, email: lauren.martin@salvationarmy.org.au

Bible study: Want to delve into spirituality in a non-confronting environment, where you can look at the Bible and chat about what it means for our lives today? We would love to see you at our drop-in Bible study on Fridays at 10am at Helensburgh Salvos Store. Don't worry if you don't own a Bible, or have never opened one before! For more info, email: lauren.martin@salvationarmy.org.au

Emergency Assistance: If you're struggling, or want to chat with someone confidentially about your circumstances, please get in touch. Everybody says: 'there are people worse off than me,' but that doesn't mean that we can't journey alongside you during your hardship as well! Call our community worker, Lauren Martin on 0410 341 419 or drop into Helensburgh Salvos Store on Friday mornings during school terms and meet her in person.

Referrals: 2508 Salvos can refer people for free financial counselling, mental health support, emergency food and welfare assistance, confidential alcohol and other drug counselling (which can be done online or in person), support for young people finding it difficult to obtain their drivers' licence, youth case management, housing assistance and other forms of assistance. Talk to us about your needs: 0410 341 419

Faith pathways: If you're interested in exploring faith and spirituality in an open and welcoming dialogue, we would love to chat with you. Drop in to Helensburgh Salvos Store on Fridays during school terms and ask for Lauren Martin.

2508 Salvos History

The Salvation Army has been active in Helensburgh for a number of years through its Salvos Store on the corner of Parkes and Walker Street, which provides good quality, low-cost recycled clothing and furniture, as well as an avenue for community members to volunteer and for unemployed people to gain skills through work-for-the-dole scheme. In 2017, local Salvo Lauren Martin volunteered to assist with The Salvation Army’s annual fundraiser, the Red Shield Appeal, helping to organise a number of community events and activities. “Through that, and my visibility as a local Salvation Army representative, people began to tell me stories of local hardship and injustice, of loneliness and social isolation,” she says. “I began to assist people where possible through my Salvation Army networks and I realised that The Salvation Army needed to do more than just fundraising in this area. We needed a bigger presence in 2508 to provide assistance, a confidential and non-judgmental listening ear, and of course, hope.”

Not long afterwards, through the Red Shield Appeal funding efforts, 2508 was able to employ a one-day-per-week Community Worker. Operating out of the Salvos Store, and other locations such as The Cupbearer, our community worker works to:

- Care for People
- Build Healthy Community
- Work for justice
- Create faith pathways 

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