Emmanuel Uniting Church Cairns

Reverend Dr Martin Luther King said:   "The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: "If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?" But... the good Samaritan reversed the question: "If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?"  

The Parable of the Good Samaritan. Luke 10: 25-37:   "On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 27 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.

31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.

32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

33 But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Good Samaritan Program

Seeks to:

• Provide transitional accommodation for homeless people
• Develop a personalised plan regarding how the individual hopes to end 
  homelessness
• Assist the individual to connect with support services to help achieve the 
  desired goals and outcomes of their plan.
• Provide a strong community pastoral care support base.

PLAN TO END HOMELESSNESS

We will sit down with you to discuss your situation (needs), look at your 
particular goals for the future regarding how you envisage ending your 
homelessness and together outline a plan for how we can support you to achieve 
those goals.  This plan will form the basis for you staying at Good Sam on 
Sheridan Street or at another location.  Note: we are not here to do the work 
for you, but will do what we can to support you to achieve your goals.

PARTICIPATION

As part of the Good Sam Program, you are encouraged to participate in all 
Good Sam activities as a means of contributing to the overall life of the 
community as well as enjoying the opportunity for social interaction and 
friendship.

On Mondays there is a COMPULSORY Good Sam Community Meeting at 6:00 p.m. to 
discuss any issues or concerns that you (or others) may have and to  share in 
any community notices as well as learning to interact and get along with others.

Good Sam is a voluntary organization;  therefore, all Good Sam residents are 
responsible for looking after the facilities, making sure the place is always 
left clean and tidy, gardens are looked after, rubbish taken out etc.

If you are looking for more meaning and purpose in life or would like to be 
part of the extended Good Sam Community, you are welcome to attend our worship 
services at Emmanuel (meaning “God-with-us”) at 327 Brown St Manunda on Sundays 
at 9:00 a.m. or any of our other fellowship groups during the week.