This article was first published in eMessenger in August 2020.
Leftover people in leftover places,
Troubled, disabled, the needy and sad,
Scavenging crumbs from society’s plenty,
Sick to the soul where their life has gone bad,
These are the ones in God’s up-side-down kingdom
Deemed to be worthy and called to the feast,
Soup-kitchen people invited to banquet,
Valued as greatly as royal and priest.
Shirley Erena Murray[1]
When I first heard Shirley Murray’s lyrics they resonated with me as it was so in line with the Methodist Alliance’s vision for a just and inclusive society in which all people flourish. The world we live in now has a much wider gap between the rich and poor and COVID 19 have highlighted the inequities in our welfare system.
Throughout the year, I have met many of Shirley Murray’s so called “Leftover People” and here are their stories:
Tane, 22, had a huge argument with his partner & “baby mama.” Tane was so mad he had thrown his phone down, broken it and cut his hand. Life was hard, living on a benefit in their cold rented house. This argument was the last straw. He was at his wits end - he had no hope for a better future for him, his partner and their daughter or their life together. Tane had decided they would be better off without him. This was the day that he would end it all. He walked in bare feet down to the railway line to wait for a train.
I met Tane at the railway station and he was distraught . He refused my offer of first aid several times. As we were talking I realised I recognised him – didn’t he have a young daughter that he would walk to school in the mornings? Tane told me she was the light of his eye. Then I asked him the big question, ”Are you planning to end your life today?” Tane said he was. Tane & I talked for a bit and we agreed that I would get some help for him as his daughter needed him in his life. I stayed with Tane until there was a response from the 111 call I made. Tane was nervous as he had been in trouble with the Police before. I reassured him things would be ok as he had told me he had not hurt his partner or daughter and the Police are always the first to respond in these circumstances.
I don’t know what happened to Tane, but I do know that on that day he knew that there were people in the world that loved and cared for him enough to stop to talk with him and get him help to make sure he was alive to see his daughter grow up.
Leftover people, disposable people,
Locked into prisons of drugs and despair,
Poverty's children in poverty's spiral,
Locked out of learning and earning their share,
These are the ones in God's up-side-down kingdom
These are the Christ in their shabby disguise,
These are the least and the highly unlikely,
Given a hope and new light in their eyes.
At Merge Café, I met Tom. He was bright, articulate and had been living on the streets for many years. Tom talked about the realities of living on the streets. Sleeping under the off ramps into the city as it provides shelter and a softer place to sleep with bark on the ground. But no one knew where he was. And at night Tom never knew whether the noises were from someone walking around or just a cat - it was cold and scary. Tom used drugs and alcohol to help him keep the cold at bay, and to manage the hurt, disappointment of the reality of his life.
Tom told me he had been in jail and that he had bonded with the people at Merge Café – he had really connected with them as they were genuine and authentic. Tom knew that they were not just saying the words he wanted to hear about finding a house for him to live in. He told me the trouble with motels was that they were always out of the CBD and the cost of transport to and from work meant that most jobs were not a realistic opportunity. Many of the advocates that work at Merge Café have lived experience of homelessness and know first-hand what life is like for Tom. This enables them to connect on a different level – one that is empathetic and authentic.
Airedale Property Trust, Wesley Community Action and Christchurch Methodist Mission are all registered community housing providers. They provide housing for those on the housing register like Tom, who do not have a home to live in. They work hard to find a home that suits the tenants need. Then wrap around support is put in place to help their tenants sustain their tenancy. Lifewise & Christchurch Methodist Mission also offer Housing First which has a goal of making homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring.
Here is God's testing of true Easter people,
Spirited people with service to give,
Taking to heart the compassion of Jesus,
Feeling how others must struggle to live,
We are a part of God's up-side-down kingdom,
We know the heart of the gospel's demand,
Taking our part with the leftover people,
Widening the space of the lines in the sand.
Jayden, 19, had a rough start in life and was taken into Oranga Tamariki care. He had 20 different care placements and often had to move schools and make new friends each time. He lost contact with his biological parents and siblings. Jayden struggled to find his place and got in with a crowd where drugs, alcohol and petty crime were normal. He was an angry young man and although he loved his girlfriend, interactions sometimes got violent when things got too much. The violence and offending came to the notice of the Police and Jayden was engaged with Oranga Tamariki’s Youth Justice team. However, things did not go well and he ended up living on the street before going into Lifewise’s supported youth housing complex.
I met Jayden when I visited Lifewise’s youth housing complex with Lifewise staff. We heard a disturbance from a unit and knocked on the door. Jayden’s girlfriend, Amelia, was on the floor and Jayden was standing over her and he was in a heightened state. He refused to let us in to check on his girlfriend and threatened us. A call to 111 resulted in three Police cars arriving quickly. The Police went to talk with Jayden and then Amelia escaped from the back of the unit and came over to us. She was badly hurt but refused to go to be checked at hospital and would not give a statement to the Police. After some time we were able to convince Amelia to go to hospital to be checked. Jayden was calmed down by Police who took him to the station and one of Lifewise’s staff went to the station to complete the paperwork.
The staff that work in Methodist organisations throughout Aotearoa are the true Easter people that Shirley Murray refers to. They have big hearts that give unconditional love. They have listening ears that hear the stories and understand the complexity of underlying issues faced by these leftover people. They provide support, assistance and service when it is asked for. They have compassion and dedication to jobs that most people would not even consider doing for a day. They respect the inherent dignity and worth of a person. They are brave and carry responsibility every single working day. They have a seemingly unlimited capacity to treat people in a caring and respectful way, mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity.
They are exposed to the very worst of what people can do to each other. They are face to face with the inequalities inherent in our society - the unequal power dynamics, oppression, stigma, violence, abuse, neglect, grief and loss. And from what I have seen throughout this country, they come to work every day with hope and a sincere belief that people can change.
As President Setaita said at the Methodist Alliance Forum in November 2019, “You are our hands and feet.” President Setaita acknowledged the work being done in the name of the Methodist Church of New Zealand, Te Hāhi O Weteriana – serving the Leftover People in Leftover Places.
Carol Barron, Methodist Alliance National Coordinator
[1] Words © 2007 Hope Publishing Company, 380 S Main Pl, Carol Stream, IL 60188