By KATH GANNAWAY
PUB bus by night … church bus by Sunday.
It’s a collaboration made in heaven according to aged-care residents Dorothy Cooper, Dawn Hill and Liz Haines.
Millgrove Baptist Church borrows the courtesy bus from the Sam Knott Hotel in Wesburn each Sunday morning to pick up older parishioners who otherwise would be unable to attend the service.
The deal was clinched during a trivia night at the hotel when church members mentioned to publican, Eileen Mackay, that they were looking for transport for the Sunday service.
“We don’t use the bus on Sunday mornings, and it is an easy thing to do,” Eileen said.
“The bus is there and we know they are not tearing around the streets.
“It’s a good thing all round.”
Dorothy, Dawn and Liz get picked up from Estia Health Aged-Care in Yarra Junction and often head out for a bit of a Sunday drive to Powelltown to pick up another church-goer, making it a very pleasant outing indeed.
Although there is a combined church service at the facility each week, the woman say attending a service in a church is particularly relevant, and also helps them maintain their connection to the outside world.
“Just getting away from the hospital atmosphere and meeting people outside of here, is something I really look forward to,” Dorothy said.
The ladies said keeping tapped into the Christian background which the Church provided was important to them.
Liz said there was a more spiritual feeling in the church.
“It also helps maintain our independence and community spirit,” she said.
Bus driver Owen Bastian said the arrangement was brilliant is so many ways.
“We used to pick up in individual cars, but this is so much easier to get in and out of, especially for anyone using a wheel-chair,” he said.
The church now has its own set of keys now for the Sunday after pick up, and Pastor Ray McDonald said it had made a huge difference to the overall experience of getting to and from church.
“We’re a small church of older folk and we’re very grateful to Eileen for making the bus available to help us help some of those parishioners to maintain their connection to the church community,” he said.
The church service is at 10am and there are places available on the bus. Phone 5967 1780 or 0424 866 278 to join Owen and the bus crew on the Sunday drive.
