Inspired by the healing and caring Ministry of Jesus Christ, we aim through the positive interaction of caring, sharing and training, to uplift the most vulnerable members of society, especially handicapped and abandoned children, and marginalized communities. We are committed to the fostering of homes and communities, which will lead us all to loving service and mutual respect and which will bring us joy, hope and dignity.

Our Mission

1. The Vision Statement was formulated soon after Mustard Seed Community was formed to help create ‘vision carriers’ and to guide action and behaviour in MSC’s work with children and communities. A basic requirement of membership in the MSC family is knowledge and full understanding of the Vision and Aspirations of the organisation. MSC’s oral tradition ensures that the Vision Statement is communicated, discussed, explained, and fully understood so that its influence is pervasive throughout the organisation.

2. The aspirations convert the Vision and Aspirations into a series of activities and concrete steps. Individual members of MSC are brought closer to our vision through thought and action. The Vision Statement has been rigorously examined during our two strategic planning sessions in 1995 & 2000 and has been found as relevant in 2001 as it was when it was developed. Both the Vision statement and our Aspirations resulted from a process that involved each of MSC’s departments and Apostolates over several years.

B. STRUCTURE OF THE VISION STATEMENT.

Our Vision Statement

Inspired by the healing and caring ministry of Jesus Christ,
We aim through the positive interaction of Caring, Sharing and Training,
To uplift the most vulnerable members of society,
Especially disabled and abandoned
Children and marginalised communities.
We are committed to the fostering of homes and Communities
Which will lead us all to loving service and mutual respect
And which will bring us joy, hope and dignity.

1. The Vision Statement was constructed using the Ten Commandments as a foundation for Christian action. The Ten Commandments are concerned with God and Man. In particular three of the commandments refer to God and the remaining seven commandments are concerned about the well being of our neighbours.

 2. Similarly, in the Vision Statement, we find ten different themes. Three of these themes refer to God and the other seven refer to our neighbours. 

GOD
Praying
Inspired
Healing/Caring ministry
Jesus Christ
The above three themes deal with God in the vision statement.

NEIGHBOUR
Caring
Caring, sharing and training
Vulnerable members of society
Especially disabled and abandoned children
Marginal communities
Homes and communities
Loving service and mutual respect
Joy, hope, dignity
The above seven themes deal with our neighbours in the vision statement.

C. EXPLANATION OF THE VISION STATEMENT

 In relation to God

 Inspired

1. The first line of the Vision statement tells us that the work of Mustard Seed Communities is based upon inspiration.  We are only interested in the things that the Lord wants for us.  That is, we take very seriously the self-revelation of God in our day-to-day activities as expressed through the magisterium of the Church.  We are not interested in the models and paradigms of anything that does not arise from our heritage as followers of Christ - as manifested in the universal Church. Therefore, we are not compelled by economic, social or any other model(s) that may divert us from the basic message of the Christian tradition - love for God and love for neighbour as oneself.

2. To aid us in our interpretation of the inspiration of our Lord, we depend upon a strict 'diet' of spiritual activities - which we see as vitally important for children, co-workers, volunteers, and well wishers. 

3. It is important to understand the order of importance of the objects of our caring - children (abandoned, disabled, terminal), members of marginalised communities, co-workers, volunteers, other benefactors 

Healing and Caring Ministry 

4. The healing and caring to which we refer are found in the Bible.  First, it speaks to the healing between God and us.  Therefore, we must seek to connect with the Lord or with our God - so that we can truly be healed, cared for by Him and no other.  We must also care for our spiritual, psychological, social and physical life to ensure our success as missionaries in our global village. 

5. Jesus' example is the best we can find - where he set special time for 'pulling away' from the crowd to help his followers and himself to 'heal' and 'care' for them.  These activities of Healing and Caring (for the soul) form the bedrock upon which we build the 'caring sharing and training' ministries mentioned in the latter part of the vision statement.  These are the 'seeds' that were planted in our hearts by the Lord and which we tend to daily - both singularly and corporately. 

6. In addition, most of all of the above must be done in the spirit of 'service' or ministry.  That is, we must seek to serve and not to be served - in carrying out the mission of the Mustard Seed Communities.  Also, these activities inform our own missionary activities throughout our global village.  Our Lord came for the whole world - and He told us to go out and 'teach all nations'.  Our aim is not specially to convert people to Catholicism  but to show them that serving Jesus in His healing and caring mission, we can love and serve the least (among us) of the kingdom.

 Jesus Christ

7. In our activities, we must arm ourselves with a good knowledge of Jesus - the man and the God. We must experience in our own life where the Divine meets the human.  This means that we must spend time studying and reflecting on the life of Jesus - especially on his ministry with the poor of the earth.  Not only must we study His life and presence among us, we must try to imitate Him in as many aspects as we can.  He is the very foundation and core upon which we build everything else -, therefore we must be thoroughly acquainted with the ways in which He lived, and the others around Him lived. 

8. The above is not to be done in a blind manner - without room for daily reflection and revelation - but must be in keeping with the current teaching of the Church and with God's self-revelation to us - as individuals and as community.  The interpretation of the role of Jesus Christ in our lives at Mustard Seed Communities cannot be left to chance but must be constantly meditated upon and tested against the theological and philosophical constructs/deposits of the church and civil society.  

In relation to our neighbour 

Caring, Sharing and Training 

9. Caring is more fundamental to human existence than economic and developmental considerations in our vision of the world. Everything is built on our care and love for each other, which in turn rest on a foundation of inspiration from God. Caring for others is the centrepiece of all our activities and therefore anyone who is part of our family must subscribe to this.  There is no way that we can communicate our inspiration and love of the Lord without concretising it in the caring of the 'rejected stones' of our present world.  In our word - becoming - flesh spiritually, we know that if we do not care for the least of God's children, our Mission will serve no purpose.

10. Caring forms the bedrock of our ‘philosophy’ at Mustard Seed Communities.  This is in distinction to any other ‘developmental’ tool that can be used as a focal point for the existence of an organisation such as ours.  In the past and largely in our present ‘globalised’ and ‘free market world economy’, poor countries consider development to be based on the ‘economics’ of existence.  That is, all activities, if based on some Economic Model  (e.g. a la W. W. Rostow) will eventually bring us to a point of prosperity and self-sustaining growth. However these theories have not succeeded in eliminating poverty and marginalisation.  Poverty is increasing and the gap between the rich and the poor is becoming larger and larger.

11. Constituents of a ‘caring’ apostolate

I. Small size -   remains close to the  people - in contrast to the dependence upon economies of scale that put profits before the living/working experience of the people involved.

II. Symbolic presence – (unlike visible ‘power’ - so present in economic development). This presence must be replicable among the poor.

III. Emphasis upon the most dispossessed and marginalised of society – to increase the psychosocial and caring capital of communities.

IV. Integration of Caring and Economic development is critical.  However, the MSC model insists that the process of economic development begins with Caring rather than Economics.

V. Peer development rather than development based upon theories of the ‘trickle down’ effect. Inclusive of all segments of society – both the rich and the poor.

VI. Caring  will inevitably lead to ‘spiritual’ awareness and the creation of the essence of a lived environment and a caring society.

VII. Begin with little or no resources  -  human or otherwise -  (as does the child at birth) and progress/develop at the pace of the local community – rather than delay action for development until resources are thought to be adequate.

VIII. Self-sustainability – (A child is taught to walk and to read to ensure self-sustaining development). Similarly, the objective is to help the poor and their communities to acquire knowledge and skills that will destroy cycles of dependency and offer prospects of real development in both spiritual and material ways.  The approach seeks to encourage its motivation and driving force from the communities it serves.

IX. Creation of models and paradigms that are tested and easily accessible and attainable by communities for their development (thus a low-cost housing project must impart skills that allow new homeowners to extend their homes without depending upon external skills).

X. Community-based.

XI. Frequent evaluations to determine the effect of the MSC approach to development upon communities, i.e., based on some index of caring, sharing and training and the quantum of social capital, the model is informed of its need for adaptation and change.

12.  The primary objects of MSC’s Caring are abandoned, disabled children.  However, all children in difficult circumstances are included. MSC also reaches out to other vulnerable groups and communities served by existing and planned Apostolates of MSC.

13.  Sharing connotes togetherness and a commitment to joint solutions to common challenges.  Having been created through caring, MSC’s relationship with communities means that the spiritual, material, human and other resources MSC is able to attract are shared with the poor and needy.  MSC tries to locate its Apostolates in the midst of poor urban and rural communities.  If MSC is blessed by close physical association with communities that are not considered 'poor', we include members of surrounding marginal communities in our caring embrace.  MSC does not seek to exclude any socio-economic groups - indeed, MSC seeks to help everyone become a carrier of a vision of care for the marginalised poor and their disabled, abandoned children.  We believe that all God's children can help each other to advance the Kingdom here on earth.

14.  Training refers to three areas of concern -

I. Firstly, the training of members of the MSC family to develop their knowledge, skills, abilities, professionalism and discipline as informed by the MSC mission and aspirations. The objective is to create MSC vision carriers and to make every member of the MSC family a source of caring inspiration.

II. Secondly, training includes the imparting of specific skills, abilities and an appreciation of the gift of life, to our children whose only home is MSC.

III. Thirdly, entrepreneurial and other life skills must be imparted to members of the communities served by MSC. Apart from projects such as our low-cost housing scheme that teaches vocational skills to new homeowners, MSC maintains several income-generating and employment-creating businesses. The main objective however of this third tier of training is to encourage sustainable, 'bootstrap' development.

Vulnerable members of society

15. As mentioned above, we care especially for those in greatest need – the abandoned, disabled children of poor families fit this description.  However, it is important that we ensure that this primary objective does not create 'blinkers' and lead to feelings of unconcern or neglect of the innumerable challenges that face poor communities and our societies in general.  MSC vision carriers need to be open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  This means that all our talents, resources and facilities – our hearts and minds – need to be shared with those in greatest need in the poor communities that MSC serves.

16. We must go out (in missionary zeal) and seek those who need our care and love.  We cannot wait for them to come to us - they may not be physically or spiritually able to make this journey! The existence of a legitimate need should trigger a caring response without reference to the availability of material resources.  Instead, MSC places its dependence upon the limitless capacity to care with which all human beings are endowed from birth.  Any resources that are needed will be provided by our ‘friends’ and by the good Lord himself.

Especially disabled and abandoned children

17. We have stressed that MSC’s main activities surround the care of disabled and abandoned children wherever an apostolate exists in our global village.  This focus now includes children living with the dreaded HIV/AIDS virus.  The MSC model of a home devoted to the care of children living with HIV/AIDS is deliberately small and manageable and restricted to a maximum of twenty children.  This supports the MSC philosophy of small size, making such a home duplicable by communities (parents, relatives, friends and neighbours) that can acquire the skills to care for these special babies themselves.

Marginalised communities

18. MSC’s homes are within communities that are poor, marginalised, uncaring and uncared for.  Self-sufficient communities have no need for a Mustard Seed presence.  When MSC receives a gift of land and facilities in affluent or not-so-marginal communities, the poor must be included in MSC’s activities and spiritual life.  MSC shares whatever it has with the poor and marginalised, wherever they may be.

19. Communities served by MSC receive spiritual, caring, training and sharing inputs from Mustard Seed Communities.  MSC begins its relationship with new communities by working hard towards acceptance of MSC as a vital part of their lives.  MSC’s objective is for its relationship with its communities to be characterised by caring and common concern.  MSC has been made to feel welcome in all communities it now serves and our hope is that this will continue.  Whenever chosen communities are affected by challenges such as illegal drugs and high crime rates, MSC makes efforts to ensure that there are no insurmountable obstacles for those who need our care and attention.

Homes and Communities

20. As the only Home  (in the real sense of the word)6 for the hundreds of children and young adults who are in all respects our children, it is essential that Love and Care must prevail, imitating the home in which Jesus lived.  MSC ensures that technology and impersonal conditions are not substituted for love and care for the children.  Each member of the MSC family (its caregivers) must be of one mind in the carrying out of this caring mission.

21. Each of MSC’s children has been abandoned once before arrival at MSC’s doors.  These children must never be made to feel that they have been abandoned a second time.  Each child must be treated with all the caring attention possible. When material resources are scarce, the quality of love and caring should render other deficiencies irrelevant.

22. MSC is comprised of four main communities:

I. MSC’s community of children and caregivers in Apostolates wherever they exist in our global village.

II. MSC’s community of friends and volunteers.

III. MSC’s surrounding communities.

IV. MSC’s community of committed lay people, brothers and priests.

23. These four communities support the work of Mustard Seed Communities wherever it takes place and share in the spiritual and material resources with which the Lord has blessed MSC.

Loving service and mutual respect

24. The concept of Service is critical to the spirit of the MSC vision statement - service to both God and neighbour.  Service is based upon Caring that, if it exists on all sides, brings about peace and harmony.  It is in serving our children and our communities and in spreading the philosophy of caring that all challenges will be faced and overcome.  MSC never seeks to be served but to serve others.  Our commitment to this philosophy makes every member of the MSC family, a Caregiver.  MSC’s objective is to serve the least among us and to encourage others to do so.

Joy, hope and dignity

25.  The serene joy that comes from service is the ultimate reward of a commitment to caring as the basis for human interaction.  Each of us has an unlimited capacity to care.  The exercise of this capacity will ensure that we receive and give joy, hope, and dignity to those with whom we come into contact.  When this fails, we must realise that the caring coefficient was deficient and needs to be restored.  After all, Caring is fundamental to peaceful and happy human development.

Aspirations

• To pass on the message of the gospel through continuing the healing and caring ministry of Jesus Christ.
• To educate volunteers, professionals and benefactors on the need to make a fundamental option for the marginalized and the vulnerable.
• To establish Mustard Seed Communities, consisting of lay and religious people, fully committed for some period of time to the vision and work of the Mustard Seed Communities.
• To encourage as wide a circle of people as possible to participate in the vision and work of the Mustard Seed Communities.
• To foster Christian values of love and service within any communities with which Mustard Seed is associated.
• To welcome all people into the Mustard Seed family, regardless of religion, denomination, race or creed.
• To assist the poor to break out of the vicious cycle of frustration and hopelessness, through the ministries of caring, sharing and training.
• To encourage the able-bodied to rid themselves of the dependence on 'handouts'.
• To encourage the poor to help the poor: psychologically, spiritually and with dignity.
• To promote Christian and human values.
• To assist the oppressed and marginalized to cope with alienation through cultivating 'life skills', e.g. Parenting, family life and social skills.
• To encourage all members of our communities to participate in the learning of 'life skills'.
• Design and test community development paradigms which can be sustained and replicated in different locations by the poor themselves, in association with Mustard Seed Communities.
• Review oppressive institutional structures from the point of view of the marginalized and initiate practical ways of lifting oppression.