Winnipeg Inner City Missions
Forging a new path forward
Winnipeg Inner City Missions, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Telling the Story
Jesus proclaimed, ‘God has sent me to proclaim good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, and to announce that the time has come when the Lord will save his people.’ (Luke 4:18-19) As Jesus’ followers, we respond to those words by following His example. We are keenly aware that the healing and reconciliation work that we are engaged in is God’s work. We will succeed not by power or by your own strength, but by my spirit says the Lord. (Zach 4:6) The time is now – the people we serve on your behalf are thirsting after justice and righteousness. God has called the Church to this place at this time to help people heal from past hurts, to reconcile with God and each other, and to forge a new path forward.
Winnipeg Inner City Missions (WICM) is comprised of Flora House, Anishinabe Fellowship Centre and Place of Hope, a residence for single Aboriginal persons. From worship services to food banks to programs for the unemployed and under-employed, we serve the Aboriginal community and anyone else in our neighbourhoods who seeks out our help. All of our programs and professional services are offered free-of-charge.
We are called to help open the eyes of the blind, and the heart and soul of all those God puts in our path, so that they can be aware of the wonder, wholeness, and inclusive nature of God’s love!
Our mission is about proclamation and about opening the eyes of the blind. Here are some testimonies from people who have experienced God’s love through WICM:
A 12-year old boy shares evidence of God’s Spirit entering his life and into our community:
“At the Flora house computer program we get to have fun and learn at the same time. The computer program is great because we get to do something after school instead of playing games like ‘Knock-Knock Ginger’ or putting garbage bins on fire. While we are doing all this learning and having fun, we get to make friends along the way. We get to have fun and be safe without doing anything bad.”
A working single mom with three young children shares how the Good news is proclaimed to a mom trying to provide a brighter future for her children:
“Throughout the last year and a half, I have come to rely on the After School Children’s Program. If it wasn’t for Flora House I would still be struggling with child care and instability which comes with the lack of support. I am grateful that they are there for my children and hope to enroll my youngest next year when she is of age. I would also like to mention that I really appreciate the fact that the people within the program are very caring and treat my children with great respect. The knowledge and skills my children come home with every day are irreplaceable.”
Under the Red Roof (Anishinabe Place of Hope), 19 individuals ages 30 – 50, are finding new hope and renewed life as they participate in a First Steps to Employment Project. This project allows people the space, safety, and support they need, to help them grow in their self esteem, to heal beyond past wounds and to launch out into a new life. This ministry is all about setting free the captives and the oppressed.
“Without this place I would not have been able to escape from the cycles of poverty, addiction, and violence that have surrounded me most of my life.”
“I have been given a chance here to move in a positive direction in my life.”
We are called to help open the eyes of the blind, and the heart and soul of all those God puts in our path, so that they can be aware of the wonder, wholeness, and inclusive nature of God’s love!
— The Reverend Margaret Mullin, Executive Director, and Warren Whittaker, Outreach Minister