Our History
The Mission was founded by Larry George an Australian Bank Manager in 1993 in Port Moresby PNG as an outreach to the many homeless and destitute youth aged between 16-25 who were roaming the streets of the city, joining street gangs and stealing to survive. In 2003 we opened our Women’s refuge and Child Abuse Centre and in 2005 the Mission expanded our operations to Lae the next major city in the country.
In 2017 we expanded to Madang. Currently throughout our three centres we accommodate up to 500 young men and up to 100 women and children. Many of these youth, children and women have come from a life of abuse or rejection. The Mission accommodates these clients free of charge and puts them through schooling, vocational and agricultural training and provides health care as required. We then assist them to find gainful employment.
Our Mission
Vision & Purpose Mission Statement “Spreading the love of God and meeting human needs” Vision Statement • To provide physical, emotional and spiritual help through practical, positive programs at the point of crisis and to develop skills and potential which will enable people to become self-reliant. • For the staff to service clients in a caring, personalised, respectful, and confidential way, protective of their rights, and with the least possible interference. •
To provide services which will be responsive, accessible, and culturally appropriate to clients. • Where the Mission has care of people, to provide services which will help them to achieve their development potential eg vocational and agricultural skills, literacy, employment, and spiritual counselling. That the purpose for which the Mission was established was to assist churches to minister in practical and positive ways to alleviate the suffering of the poor, dispel hopelessness and to bring wholeness, peace, joy and acceptance to the lives of those that come to us for assistance.
Key Objectives The overriding objectives of the City Mission are: • To provide rehabilitation services. • To provide preventive services. • To provide crisis and long term accommodation for men, women and children. • To provide Counselling Services, a Woman’s Refuge and Child Abuse Centre. • To provide food and clothing • To provide vocational / agricultural skills & basic literacy training. • To assist in finding employment. • To provide basic medical assistance. • To provide instruction in hygiene and other living skills. • To teach and instill Christian principals.
One of the major problems for the Port Moresby City area is the continuing deterioration in the law and order situation, which is greatly exacerbated by the hopelessness of unemployment. There is also the increasing problems associated with domestic violence and child abuse that need to be addressed. The Mission believes that the “rascal problem” and “domestic violence problem” can be improved as we reach out to these people in love, helping them in the following ways:
Our Values
• To develop a pride in themselves and their nation • To provide a positive and profitable alternative to illegal activities • To find their self-worth • To overcome rejection • To find acceptance in the community as worthwhile, contributing members. • To establish a close relationship with Jesus Christ. The Mission recognises that it is part of a network of community services and seeks to cooperate with others to promote cooperation and better service delivery.
City Mission PNG - What We Do
The Mission accommodates up to 500 young men aged between 16-25 throughout our three centres. These men need to work on our plantations and farm for their keep, while being provided training in Agriculture, Animal husbandry, vocational training, cooking, business training and screen printing. The live in programs usually runs for between 12-15 months and oncompletion the young men are assisted in finding employment.
During their time in the Mission the young men receive the Gospel and attendance at church and devotions is part of the daily program. In Port Moresby there is also a small Christian school on our farm with 180 students from grade 1-5. In Lae another small school is run in the 2 Mile Settlement.
The Mission runs a Women’s Refuge in Port Moresby, Lae, and Madang and many victims of domestic violence are counselled and assisted through this centre. In Lae we run a children’s Crisis Centre where many sexually abused young children are taken in for both long and short term periods. The children are assisted by counselling, schooling and medical care.