For over 150 years UnitingCare Wesley Bowden has been helping South Australians with it’s continued tradition of never closing its doors to people in need while resources remain.
The beginning
The work began during the mid 1850s when the Methodist Church responded to the severe economic depression and associated poverty in the Adelaide suburbs of Bowden and Brompton by establishing an emergency relief service.
By 1948 the Church saw an increasing demand for emergency relief to the elderly, families, expectant mothers and mothers with young children in need and gave permission to those in charge to appeal to any part of the Methodist Church in South Australia to help them with their work. Money, food, clothing, wood and blankets were distributed to the needy. A youth service was also established to foster healthy interests including tennis, basketball, table tennis and radio classes. This work became well-known as the Bowden and Brompton Methodist Mission Incorporated and continued to grow, expanding its community services beyond the two Adelaide suburbs.
In the second half of the twentieth century the Mission continued to expand its services to include childcare and family counselling focusing on families with children of single parents, migrant families, and unemployed and low income families. The mission recognised a need for residential aged care and established both aged care services and accommodation. The mission further expanded its services to financial counselling, assistance to refugees, and with the continued depressed economic climate the demand for emergency relief services also grew. In 1993 the decision was made to rename the work "Wesley Uniting Mission Incorporated" (WUMI). A new logo and Motto marked the change.
On May 25 2002, acknowledging that Wesley Uniting Mission Incorporated, Port Pirie Central Mission Inc., Adelaide Central Mission Inc. & Port Adelaide Central Mission Inc. shared the common identity as "community service agencies" of the Uniting Church in Australia, operated similar and complementary services, and faced the challenges and opportunities of a common future, a Partnership in Mission Agreement was signed. Each of the organisations received new names under this partnership and Wesley Uniting Mission Incorporated became known as UnitingCare Wesley Bowden Incorporated.
UnitingCare Wesley Bowden in 2010
In 2010, UnitingCare Wesley Bowden is touching the lives of over 60 000 people in South Australia every year. As the demand for services in the areas of homelessness and emergency assistance, community, disability and aged care and youth increases UnitingCare Wesley Bowden will continue to work in partnership with government and other agencies to support South Australian’s. UnitingCare Wesley Bowden continues to improve quality of service and to expand service delivery. Working with government and the community UnitingCare Wesley Bowden has developed into a professional organisation with a client centred focus enabling the provision of a diverse range of services and programs to produce long term positive client outcomes.
