Structure

Hotham Mission, sometimes referred to here as The Mission, is an agency of the Congregation of Mark the Evangelist, North Melbourne. The Mission is governed by a Board of no more than 13 members. The Board meets monthly and reports to the Church Council of Mark the Evangelist Congregation.

Principal Activity

The principal activity of Hotham Mission is to advance social welfare and community development by providing education support, food relief and other broad support to benefit young people and their families in need in the North and West Melbourne, Kensington, Parkville, and Flemington areas.

Strategic Plan and Governance

Hotham Mission’s Three Year Plan guides the operations of the Mission.

The Plan locates Hotham Mission as the social justice outreach arm of the Congregation of Mark the Evangelist, providing support for disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalised people in North and West Melbourne, Parkville, Flemington, and Kensington. It acknowledges the place of our ecumenical partners, Christ Church Kensington, St Mary’s Anglican Church North Melbourne, St George’s Anglican Church Travancore, and The West Melbourne Baptist Church. The Plan expresses the vision and mission of Hotham Mission. It recognises that, the Congregation of Mark the Evangelist and its ecumenical partners seek to promote reconciliation and social inclusion, especially among the most marginalised, through Hotham Mission. Hotham Mission works in partnership with those whom it serves and with other local congregations and community groups.

The Plan articulates Hotham Mission’s intervention framework. In working to be part of God’s mission, Hotham Mission’s programs are directed towards inclusion and partnership. They aim to reduce poverty, marginalisation, and exclusion through providing improved access to education, to fresh and affordable food and through increasing connectedness to the local communities by means of participatory community development. All its programs are governed by this framework. The Board monitors its delivery against the three-year plan at every meeting through reports from staff about programs, thus regularly reviewing each program.

Board members bring a range of expertise and experience to the governance of Hotham Mission. The combined experience and expertise on the Board now includes theology; community services development; social work; law; professional writing and journalism; marketing and fundraising; strategic planning; fiscal management; governance; government policy, public policy, and social analysis; administration; and education. All current members of the Board are active members of their respective congregations.

The Board has one major subcommittee, the Communication and Fundraising Subcommittee. This committee works to raise additional funds and donations and to communicate with all congregations involved in its work. Additionally, the Executive of the Board (comprising Chair, Deputy Chair, Treasurer, and Parish Administrator) meets according to need.

The Board’s continued compliance with the Keeping Children Safe Policy, is in line with Uniting Church policies.

Governance

Four other local congregation are affiliated with Hotham Mission – Uniting Church congregation of Christ Church, Kensington; St Mary’s Anglican Church, North Melbourne; St George’s Anglican Church, Travancore; and The West Melbourne Baptist Church, West Melbourne.

Hotham Mission is governed by a Board with representation from these local congregations and members of the community.