By Jack Krayenhoff

MANY charitable organizations got their start because Christians felt that their love of God impelled them to meet a need in their community. But too often, as time went on, this love was forgotten and the Christian flavour was lost.

The Cridge Centre for the Family goes back to the 19th century. Clergyman Edward Cridge and his wife Mary were moved by the plight of uncared-for children in Victoria. They began taking the children into their own home; and out of that initiative grew the Protestant Orphanage – which, in the 1960s, was renamed Cridge Centre for the Family, to reflect the changing emphasis of its ministry.

Part of its work depends on government funding – and, like most providers of social services, it has to compete for sources of money which are not always Christian. This constitutes a pressure to de-emphasize its Christian roots and motivation. How is ‘The Cridge’ bearing up under this pressure? BCCN went to talk to Shelley Morris about it. 

Morris was appointed as the new CEO of The Cridge just a month ago. Not that she is a newcomer; in fact, she has been employed there for her entire working life – for 26 years.

Talk about rising through the ranks!

Starting as a humble receptionist, she has since worked in just about every department. “It gave me a really good grasp of the heart of the organization,” she says. No doubt. Apart from some university courses she took along the way, she has learned through pure and intensive on-the-job training. 

She is an articulate, warm and enthusiastic woman. “I feel very passionate about what we’re doing,” she says, and it is easy to believe her. “We’re here to offer the best services we can, with a spirit of service that Christ teaches. What we do, we want to be more than just of high standard. We want it to have that extra plus that comes from Christian love.”

Her special pride at the moment is ‘Respitality.’ This is a program to provide respite for parents who take care of special-needs children. That can be very challenging and draining work which goes on 24 hours a day, seven days a week – and for such parents, an occasional break is essential. That means hiring someone to take over from them at home. But where can they go for revitalization? Under Respitality, they are given a room in a high-end hotel or B&B, which the hospitality industry makes available to them free of charge.

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“It’s brilliant!” says Morris. “They get refreshed and renewed. They tell me, ‘I just didn’t know how I’d get through another day. This time away saved our sanity, it saved our marriage.’ But it takes staffing to run it, and money to pay for the staff. That’s a bit of a push right now.” 

The newest program is the Seniors Centre. “We were looking after families, children, women in bad relationships, people with brain injuries – and we said: ‘What are we missing? It’s the seniors!’” Now the old orphanage building has been completely revamped inside, opening 77 units of assisted living which house 85 seniors. In 40 of the units, bathing and medications are provided. “It’s a fantastic new life!” Morris says. “Already there is a two-year wait list.” 

Now what about this question of resisting the pressure to soft-pedal the Christian roots and purpose of The Cridge? A look at the mission statement is reassuring: “Our fundamental belief is to manifest the love of Jesus Christ through service to the community,” it says, and it specifies: “A place where everyday people can find hope and direction in a sometimes harsh and uncaring world . . . A community of caring individuals who believe there’s more to social services than providing programs . . . because love is the bottom line.”

Morris says she had been concerned about the need for funding. “We were in danger of . . . sacrificing the integrity of our faith, to go after those funds. I believe in the last year our Board of Directors has recommitted – certainly, I have a commitment – that we’re not going to hide our light. We are a faith-based organization. We believe in God, we are here to do his work, and we trust that he will provide. We have to be diligent in fund-raising, we have to be business-minded, and we are accountable to our donors. But at the same time, we trust God to provide. The two go hand-in-hand easily.”

What is her message to Christians in Victoria? “I want to build bridges with the faith community. I want us to be a resource to them, so that if they have a family in need or a senior who is going to need some support, they can turn to us for help. We will not always be able to provide it, but we have a lot of programs here. 

“We want to be accountable to the faith community,” she affirms. “I believe our greatest strength will be to be in partnership and in servanthood.

“We want their prayer. We need that to walk in faith.”

September 2007