The message is clear when you walk through the front doors: this is a fun place to be! Colourful kites hang from the ceiling, works of art created by little hands cover the walls, and baskets of educational toys and puzzles are scattered on shelves and tabletops. With space for up to 65 children, including some with special needs, The Salvation Army's Weston Child Care Centre is a busy place. “The centre is a perfect mission field to reach out to the children and families in our community,” says Shawna Osueke, early childhood educator (ECE)/supervisor.

A Safe Haven
Located in the heart of a working-class industrial district of Winnipeg, the centre operates out of Weston Community Church, and welcomes a diverse group of children and staff representing many cultures and ethnicities. Aboriginal, Filipino, Vietnamese, Caribbean, African and Pakistani are some of the cultures represented. “We are respectful of all cultures, but the parents know we are a Christian centre,” Osueke says. “We hope to provide a safe haven that gives their children a quality head start in life.” In addition to the practical care showered on the children each day, the staff shares Bible stories that tell them of God's love.

In an effort to support its community in a practical way, the centre welcomes children whose care is financially subsidized through government assistance. “This has opened up the way for working parents who are unable to afford full-time daycare to get the assistance they need,” explains Major Curtis Butler, who serves with his wife, Major Cindy Butler, as corps officers at Weston Community Church. “It makes a difference in this community, and that's the important thing.”

That sentiment is at the heart of everything that takes place at Weston. “It's a true neighbourhood corps,” says Major Butler. “People walk down the sidewalk to come to church here,” he says. And once they arrive, they are welcomed into a congregation that is a reflection of the community where it worships. But for this corps officer and congregation, there is more to being a community church than including a fellowship time in the middle of Sunday services. “We are committed to this corps and to this neighbourhood,” Major Butler continues. “This is where we want to have the impact, where people can access our ministries without getting a bus or asking for a ride.”

Family Care
In addition to the daycare centre, Weston runs a Family Success Centre which offers a Positive Parenting Program (Triple P), run in partnership with the Manitoba government. “We have been involved in this program for just over two years,” says Ruth Hickman, youth and family ministries co-ordinator. The provincial government provides Triple P training and materials to service providers throughout the province to offer parents practical, easy-to-use information to assist them with parenting challenges.

“Triple P encourages parents to evaluate their parenting style to see what they are doing well,” Hickman explains. The program then offers techniques to help them deal with issues they may be facing as a family, such as bullying, resistance to homework or specific challenges that may require individual or family counselling. “Families from the corps, our community and the daycare centre participate, and we are pleased to be able to share the love of Christ this way,” she says.

Great Partnership
With the daycare program and Family Success Centre operating out of the corps building, space for other midweek programs is limited, but that doesn't stop Salvationists in Weston from making an impact. “We just take our programs out to the community—which is where we should be!” states Major Butler. Weston Community Church has developed a strong working relationship with the local community centre, located just two streets away from the corps building. “They're in the neighbourhood; we're in the neighbourhood—a great partnership!” smiles Major Butler.

Other programs include:
• Kids' Café, a free after-school program for children aged five to 12 that operates two afternoons a week at the community centre. The program features educational and physical activities, but more importantly, gives the leadership team an opportunity to interact with the young people and show them the love of God.
• Baby Song, an Army outreach program for babies, toddlers and their parents, provides an opportunity for parents to assist their babies in language development and interaction through music.

The community centre also provides space for the Army to run an Alpha program, a ladies group and a community Christmas party, which is offered in partnership with Winnipeg North Rotary Club.

Working Together
Ministries at Weston are designed to connect to each other to make an impact on the local community. The daycare centre works in partnership with the Family Success Centre, which works in tandem with the corps. The corps, in turn, reaches out through programs run in locations outside its building, which introduces community people to the fellowship of the corps and the services offered by the daycare centre and the Family Success Centre. And so the cycle continues.

But is all this effort making a difference in the lives of people in the community of Weston? Major Butler believes it is.

“A young girl and her mom came to the corps through the daycare centre and got involved in our Sunday school,” he states. As time passed, the daughter became involved in other corps programs and is now one of the worship leaders at the church. “She just graduated from William and Catherine Booth College,” Major Butler says with pride.

“There would be a void here if we packed up tomorrow and left,” he concludes. “We need to be a contributing part of this community. We want to make a difference.”