Our LifeHouse Care

How well do you know your home? The spaces you inhabit. The people you live and love and grow with… 

LifeHouse Care isn’t just an offshoot of LifeHouse Church. It IS LifeHouse Church. It is our HOME within our communities – nurturing, growing and connecting people every single day.  It isn’t someone else’s space – it’s OURS. Yours and mine. Every person who calls LifeHouse ‘home’ has a vital role. Some are there more often, carry more responsibility, and some less. But we are ALL part of the family team. We are all needed and valued here. 

So, how well do you know your LifeHouse Care home?

If the answer is, “Not that well,” don’t worry – we’ve got you covered! Consider this some ‘inside information’ from a friend inviting you into their family, into their home – and along the way, hopefully you’ll discover that it was really your family all along, just waiting for you to come home…

WHO are we?

We are a family all working together for the peace, prosperity, wellbeing and God-given potential of the people in our communities. 

Our 168 volunteers come from LifeHouse, other churches, schools, NDIS, Ability & Beyond, government programs and the wider community. 

We LOVE that volunteers from so many different backgrounds are represented here – because it means we really are reaching out to our whole community! 

The only thing that could make this better? (Ok, two things.) 

1. More volunteers coming to the table, finding purpose, joy and relationship here in our spaces, and…

2. More of our LifeHouse family stepping into these spaces, bringing the light and hope of Jesus into the lives of our volunteers and clients!

WHERE are we?

Bellingen - Urunga - Toormina - Coffs Harbour - Woolgoolga - Grafton - Moree 

Wherever there’s a LifeHouse Church campus, there’s an Op Shop, Pantry or both (!) nearby. And they don’t just offer goods and services – they provide a safe and joyful space for us to invite our neighbours, colleagues and friends into! In a day when 1 in 5 Australians over 15 years old reports feeling lonely* – our Care spaces are a truly incredible opportunity for us to actually help alleviate loneliness and isolation!

*2022 Australian Bureau of Statistics

HOW do we help?

This handful of stories represents hundreds more – where people have come to LifeHouse Care and found that they are not alone… that there is someone like you, who cares enough to listen without judgement, to help with dignity, to see the person – not just their circumstances.

Cross-Care Connections with Nato

When someone’s in a crisis, having the means to support them there and then is huge. Not “I can see you’re in trouble, but we’ll have to get back to you.” Having accessible, flexible funds means we can meet more crises with immediate, direct assistance rather than jumping through 50 regulatory hoops. Like one family who was referred to us by a campus pastor late one Friday. They had a newborn baby, and just been evicted from their home. They had their car, that’s it. All the community services would be shut until Monday, but we were able to put them into short term accommodation for the weekend. Then there was the community collaboration – people brought a portacot, food hampers and other things to help get this family through their crisis. It’s community care in action.

In the Pantry with Kellie

Without the Pantries, many clients would have to choose between essentials like paying rent or feeding their family. But it’s not just about material assistance – it’s helping with mental health and emotional stability too. One of our volunteers brought her granddaughter, who was off school with severe anxiety issues, and they would volunteer together. The Pantry provided a safe space where the granddaughter found encouraging people and a positive purpose – stocking shelves, helping clients, playing with little kids while their parents shopped… and growing in confidence along the way. Now she’s back at school and so much happier and healthier than before. 

Then there’s the 19 public schools we gave hampers to. Many of the teachers and chaplains say “You don’t know us. You don’t know our kids. Why would you do this for us?” The answer’s simple: we are all part of our community. We’re all in this together. 

At the Care House with Tessa

'Care’ is often in the everyday, little things – 

Showing someone what help is available and how they can access it – that cuts through the overwhelm. 

Or just taking the time to listen. So many clients say, “You actually listen. I don’t feel like I’ve been heard in so long.” That’s the Care Factor. 

It’s gifting a new fridge to a family who finally moves into a home having been homeless for 8 weeks – only to find their fridge is broken… They don’t even have the words to respond. 

I say to clients, “I can’t fix everything, but what’s one thing I can help you with today?” The impact of one small yes – especially when they’ve had so many no’s beforehand – is huge. Like one lady who we helped with $200 to fix her car – which empowered her to leave a domestic violence situation…

We won’t always have all the answers but we can always pray, point people in the right direction, do what we can, and just be there.

Op Shopping with Crystal

All our shops have regulars who are quite lonely, caring for loved ones who are housebound etc. They sneak away for a little reprieve and the Op Shop is their happy place. One lady said, “All your shops are really lovely. The staff always make time to have a conversation, they let the kids play with the toys and they have such a community feel." 

"It’s like the warmth of coming into someone’s loungeroom, knowing you’re welcome.”

From the Hub with Frosty

The Hub isn’t just a donations sorting station. We’re learning and growing together all the time. Keren (from Ability & Beyond) has been helping us to make our spaces more accessible for our NDIS volunteers – and they’re thriving here. Like Bailey who used to come with his support worker, but over time grew in confidence and feels safe and valued here, so now he comes on his own. 

Star Volunteer Linton

Meet Linton. This 83-year-old legend volunteers every week both at Sherwood Cliffs Rehab and here in our Hub – so when some of our Correctional Services volunteers turn up here, they see a familiar face and instantly a lot of the fear and uncertainty melt away. Instead of just keeping their head down and getting through the day, they actually have a chance to connect and grow in an environment of encouragement and positivity.

Pray

For our Care spaces… and IN them! These are God-given harvests ready for the power of prayer to break through! WE are the workers – so let's get in there and get to work!

Give

2025 Collective Giving Goal: $125,000

Go!

Not everyone will come through the doors of our church building. But we can all GO into our neighbourhoods, our community – to gather, serve and connect within our LifeHouse Care ‘homes’.