St Martin's Village - Caring, Enabling, Integrating

As a ten-year-old, he attended bible classes and asked to be baptised. His father sent him to a military school to help him get rid of his new ideas. Travelling as a soldier in eastern France on a freezing winter night, he came across a beggar dying of exposure to the cold. Martin took his sword and cut his heavy military cloak in half, covering the beggar with one half and saving his life. That n

ight Jesus appeared to Martin in a dream wearing the cloak Martin had given to the beggar. This experience would change Martin’s life. Giving up his calling as a Roman cavalryman, he was baptised and became a soldier of God’s word, travelling all over France, preaching, and teaching. Later in his life, the people of Tours in Northern France caught him and made him their bishop, where he served until his death. Martin’s act of sharing brought him to Christ and transformed his life, giving him a whole new sense of purpose and meaning. We stand in the tradition of St. Our lives have been given new meaning through God’s generosity. His generosity in; creating, saving, and sanctifying us. His generosity in allowing us to serve him by serving others – especially those who are most vulnerable / the least among us (see Mt 26:40). As a congregation, we asked how we could reach out to our community in a caring way. Speaking to various stakeholders in the social services of our district, the need for a home for abandoned babies, especially those with disabilities, repeatedly surfaced. Thus – after much prayer and deliberation – the idea of St. Martins Village took shape, starting with a home for abandoned babies under the care of a house mom on a property opposite the church in Hutten Heights. Our congregation stands behind the project. Various members have been actively involved in the planning process and have taken on roles in the organisation. The birth of this home then gave rise to a new project, Farming God's Way. As a village, we employ farm workers and provide volunteers with farming experience to help them navigate self-sustainability and opportunities to earn a living. We also established our own kindergarten to cater to the educational needs of children in our village but also the broader Newcastle community. The kindergarten is a loving, wholesome space where children learn about God and develop new skills through playing, arts and crafts, physical activities, and so much more. The Newcastle Evangelical Lutheran Church runs these projects as an independent NGO, allowing us to reach out to a broader audience, conduct our business in a more transparent and accountable way, and make the donations tax-deductible. Welcome to the village!