There’s 3 types of people: Well-poisoners, Lawn-mowers, & Life-enhancers. – Walt Disney.
Cheers, Banksia Grove!
InSpiring Action
“Cheers” is the nickname given to a network of neighbors & friends in the Perth suburb of Banksia Grove. We cheer for anything good that’s already happening in the neighbourhood, pray about the bad stuff, and act to help out where we can. We work “to bless and benefit Banksia Grove and beyond.” We work toward the dream that everyone seems to share in common: a community that is friendly, safe, caring, and empowered. We simply ask, “what can you do to help make that dream come true?”
Someone said, “Let’s encourage more of the good things that are already happening around here.” Someone else said, “Yeah, we can Cheer for them.” And we grabbed our drinks and said, “Cheers!” That’s where Cheers started.
Spasmodic progress reports are on the Blog here.
What is Cheers?
A Neighbours’ Network. It's relationships as we share in action together. Until 2022, Cheers was under the auspices of Scripture Union WA, a non-denominational, para-church organisation. Moving forward OAC Ministries will play this organisational role. Both organisations include volunteers from most Christian denominations.
Who is Cheers?
Anyone who participates with us to make Banksia Grove better, is part of the Cheers network. Those who meet to reflect are just more intentional participants. Everyone just volunteers their bit – there are no staff.
Who does Cheers collaborate with?
Cheers mainly works on common ground friendships. The best things are achieved through trust, not programs. So we collaborate with friends, neighbours, acquaintances, and also community groups (eg. BG Residents Association, Round Table, Celebrate Recovery, Neighbourhood Watch), schools, developers, governments, & local businesses.
What does Cheers do?
Reflect & then Act - to encourage and develop Banksia Grove into the kind of community we all want to live in (friendly, safe, clean, caring, healthy, connected, respectful, sustainable… you know!)
What sort of actions have happened?
Most importantly, trust, friendship, and character happens over time & tables. Other more tangible actions include: Roundtable, BGRA (amenities, groups, safety, economy, education, environment), family camps, sponsorships, playgroups, clean-ups, emergency help, Carols, parenting courses, BG e-list, www.banksiagrove.com, work for justice beyond BG (eg. West Timor, Philippines, Uganda.) What do you have to give to the world?
When does Cheers meet, and what for?
1st and 3rd week – Cheers 13, Pray & Plan: see what’s happening, pray, help if we can. [Thu 630pm]
Weekly during school term – Church 247, Learn & Love: encourage each other (all ages contribute). [Sun 4pm]
Occasional – special interest get-togethers for: the basics, teens, young adults, steering meetings…
All meetings are open to anyone, but have different functions. Contact Cheers for more details.
“Cheers” is the nickname given to a network of neighbors & friends in the Perth suburb of Banksia Grove. We cheer for anything good that’s already happening in the neighbourhood, pray about the bad stuff, and act to help out where we can. We work “to bless and benefit Banksia Grove and beyond.” We work toward the dream that everyone seems to share in common: a community that is friendly, safe, caring, and empowered. We simply ask, “what can you do to help make that dream come true?”
Someone said, “Let’s encourage more of the good things that are already happening around here.” Someone else said, “Yeah, we can Cheer for them.” And we grabbed our drinks and said, “Cheers!” That’s where Cheers started.
Spasmodic progress reports are on the Blog here.
What is Cheers?
A Neighbours’ Network. It's relationships as we share in action together. Until 2022, Cheers was under the auspices of Scripture Union WA, a non-denominational, para-church organisation. Moving forward OAC Ministries will play this organisational role. Both organisations include volunteers from most Christian denominations.
Who is Cheers?
Anyone who participates with us to make Banksia Grove better, is part of the Cheers network. Those who meet to reflect are just more intentional participants. Everyone just volunteers their bit – there are no staff.
Who does Cheers collaborate with?
Cheers mainly works on common ground friendships. The best things are achieved through trust, not programs. So we collaborate with friends, neighbours, acquaintances, and also community groups (eg. BG Residents Association, Round Table, Celebrate Recovery, Neighbourhood Watch), schools, developers, governments, & local businesses.
What does Cheers do?
Reflect & then Act - to encourage and develop Banksia Grove into the kind of community we all want to live in (friendly, safe, clean, caring, healthy, connected, respectful, sustainable… you know!)
What sort of actions have happened?
Most importantly, trust, friendship, and character happens over time & tables. Other more tangible actions include: Roundtable, BGRA (amenities, groups, safety, economy, education, environment), family camps, sponsorships, playgroups, clean-ups, emergency help, Carols, parenting courses, BG e-list, www.banksiagrove.com, work for justice beyond BG (eg. West Timor, Philippines, Uganda.) What do you have to give to the world?
When does Cheers meet, and what for?
1st and 3rd week – Cheers 13, Pray & Plan: see what’s happening, pray, help if we can. [Thu 630pm]
Weekly during school term – Church 247, Learn & Love: encourage each other (all ages contribute). [Sun 4pm]
Occasional – special interest get-togethers for: the basics, teens, young adults, steering meetings…
All meetings are open to anyone, but have different functions. Contact Cheers for more details.
Core Beliefs & Practices
Core beliefs: our worldview is the Core Stuff of the Christian faith, and this is the foundation of our dream & interactions.
Core practices: some practices (see, pray, learn) inSpire actions, and some practices (love, serve, explain) are actions shaped to the circumstances.
Who started Cheers?
Cheers developed simply over meals, as local friends and neighbours dreamed together about what kind of community we wanted to live in. Resident and accredited Baptist minister, Geoff Westlake, added some know-how, but Cheers is shaped by collective local situations.
Is Cheers Incorporated?
No, because then you must have office-bearers and memberships, which means you must screen members in or out… Cheers avoids this by being participants: a participant is anyone who wants to be a part of it. No incorporation, no members, no formal stuff. It’s just people.
What about Insurances, and finances etc?
For such activities as require it, Scripture Union WA provided (and OAC will provide) Cheers with an auspice (insurance, accounting, banking, and best-practice safety & care guidelines). For such activities, there are screening issues, police checks etc, as you’d expect anyway. On those occasions, Cheers is technically an activity of the organisation's Neighbourhood Outreach department.
Do any other trustworthy organisations recognise Cheers?
As well as Scripture Union WA, and OAC Ministries, we have the expressed support of the following reputable institutions: City of Wanneroo; Baptist Churches of WA; Woodvale Baptist Church.
What about privacy issues?
As a matter of common decency, if special needs do come up, they are not for general broadcast. Only such info as is required to explain the situation is used, and wherever possible Cheers prefers to enable the people who raised it to act on it. If it gets any more complex than that, our auspice [would]* ensure best-practice privacy. (Likewise if Cheers celebrates your kindness, we won’t advertise it.)
Is Cheers a church?
Yes and No. It’s a network of friends in the neighbourhood. Unlike most churches, Cheers has no institution, no hierarchy, no staff, no buildings. It’s not trying to ‘get people in’ to something separate, but rather to ‘get people out’ towards each other, to encourage one another. But like the basic concept of a church, the community development ethos of Cheers does come from a Christian basis, which is inclusive: anyone can be involved. Technically, Cheers is a Christian version of an ‘ecclesia’ – an Old Greek socio-political term, for when locals gathered to consider how to make their whole community a better place.
Is Cheers just meant for Christians?
No. The Neighbours’ Network (CNN) involves lots of people who wouldn’t call themselves Christians – but they like Cheers’ ethos, action, and spirit. You don’t have to come to Cheers get-togethers to be involved in other ways, but anyone can come to those for inspiration too.
So, why a “Christian basis”?
We’re upfront about Cheers’ basis, but every community group has some basis or another. As an inspiration and a foundation for wholistic community development, it’s hard to beat the life of Jesus – his way with people, his Spirit, his concerns, his notion of community life… is pretty much everyone’s dream. Plus, if God’s real then we need to pay attention to that! Besides, why not a Christian basis: you don’t have to be a “Christian” to want to emulate Christ.
How “big” is Cheers?
Depends how you look at it. Currently, at the collaboration level, it’s a network of over 100 people across Banksia Grove, many of whom don’t even know all the others. At another level, over 60 people would identify themselves as part of Cheers in some way. At Cheers 24 (Family Time) there’d be about 40 regulars. At Cheers 13 (prayer & action-plans) just a handful. Special interest & steering meetings are attended by whoever is most affected by the decisions.
Contact
So if Cheers interests you, you can do any of the following:
- email cheers@banksiagrove.com & join the email list
- roll up to any of the activities you hear about
- phone Geoff on 0411 324 245
- ask at the Banksia Grove Centre, the BG Residents Association, or at the deli.
- participate at the level you choose
- Track Cheers' progress via occasional updates: (2003-16 here / 2017 onwards here.)