Our History
2009
Narre Warren Christian Church was founded in 1986 by the Reformed Churches of Dandenong and Doveton as a “street level” outreach Church. The mission of the Church is to provide a safe place and a healing community for all, but especially for those who are doing it tough for whatever reason.
The Church sought to be loving, non-judgemental and inclusive. It began meeting at the Narre Warren Community Centre but later moved to their own premises (formerly a Motor Body Repair Shop) in Webb St backing onto the Railway Car Park.
During the first ten years of its existence NWCC formed a partnership with the (then) City of Berwick and ran two Crisis Accommodation homes. This ministry helped many families and continued until the government decided to remove Crisis Houses from all community groups and reassigned all crisis accommodation to a couple of larger organisations.
Transit was established after consultation with Cornerstone Drop in Centre in Dandenong and the request from Narre Warren Support Organisations for this type of service in the Narre Warren area with volunteers being drawn from a variety of backgrounds.
The church began serving meals to community members and at that stage had a pool table for these guests.
As time went on the Wednesday lunch meal turned out to be very popular. Some groceries were available for guests. A Monday evening meal was also started as the church reached further into the community. Extra groceries and bread became available for the guests.
2015
Meals were served, food was handed out and school and community groups volunteered. There was a Wednesday cooking team as well as a Monday evening cooking team. When school groups came in to volunteer there could be over 20 enthusiastic volunteers handing out food as well as those cooking meals.
In 2015 it was decided to open up Transit for families to come and get food on a Thursday between 2.00pm and 4.30pm.
2020
At the end of March 2020 Transit was suddenly hit with a crisis as meals could no longer be served and volunteers needed to "social distance." It was decided to go to a "Delivery Only" mode to get food out to our guests. Transit was quickly turned into what looked like a warehouse with boxes and bags of food were assembled. Up to 80 guests rang up to arrange to get their food. For about 4 weeks this continued until volunteers were exhausted and decided that this arrangement could no longer be sustained.
The building was again transformed so that food could be accessed in safety with guests coming into Transit one by one and selecting their own food. Some deliveries have continued to people unable to come to Transit to get their food.
With tighter community lockdowns and jobs being lost there are now many extra people coming to Transit to access food. The "Transit Volunteers' continue to share the love of Christ with all who come.
The Beginning of Transit
Transit began on 13 March 2009 as an outreach of Narre Warren Christian Church, 5/3 Webb Street, Narre Warren. We were encouraged by Cornerstone in Dandenong to explore food support, as many people from our area were travelling there for assistance.
I challenged our congregation to put into practice the words of Jesus: “When I was hungry you fed me” (Matthew 25). We were a small church with little experience, so we tentatively announced that a meal would be provided on Wednesday 13 March at 12 noon.
Twelve guests came that first day. They enjoyed a hearty three-course meal, a game of pool and endless tea and coffee. It was simple, but it was the beginning of something significant.
Numbers grew rapidly week by week. Before long, we began offering basic groceries to be collected after the meal. By 2012, Wednesdays had reached capacity, with 90–100 guests seated for lunch and many hundreds collecting groceries. In response, we introduced a Monday evening meal and grocery service at 5pm, which also quickly filled.
Food collections were initially made using private cars, but it soon became clear we needed something more sustainable. We purchased a used Mitsubishi van, which proved to be a game changer. In 2018, we upgraded to a new Renault refrigerated van, enabling us to collect and distribute fresh and refrigerated food safely and efficiently.
By this time, we were serving over 200 guests each week through sit-down meals, and more than 1,500 families were regularly accessing grocery support.
In March 2024, Malcolm McQuie was appointed to take over leadership as I stepped back, having well and truly passed retirement age. Malcolm concluded his time in early 2025, and on 12 May 2025, Michelle Pinxt was appointed as Transit’s full-time worker.
Michelle embraced the role with great energy and vision, overseeing a remarkable renovation of the Transit building. Much of the labour and materials were generously donated, and we were deeply moved by the support of many local businesses.
In mid-2025, Transit was awarded a $400,000 two-year grant from the City of Casey to implement wrap-around services through our Beyond the Meal initiative. This grant enabled us to employ Michelle full-time and appoint additional staff, including part-time IT support and an assistant to help develop and strengthen these services.
Transit is now positioned for an exciting new season, continuing to serve our precious guests with food, dignity, and practical pathways toward stability.
and, this is from Paul on behalf of Transit’s Board;
Foundations of Transit
Transit is a precious and deeply blessed place.
Even before Transit formally began in 2009, the Narre Warren Christian Church congregation was seeking God’s guidance about how we might serve our community in a practical way. We were blessed with a building located in the central hub of Narre Warren, close to the train station and bus routes — an ideal place from which to begin reaching people.
A committee was formed during those early days, which has since developed into the present-day Board of Directors. Today we are grateful to have a wide range of talented and dedicated people serving on the board, some of whom have been involved since the very beginning. Under God’s guidance, the role of the board is to lead and oversee the work of Transit.
As a board, we recognise that Transit could never operate without the help and dedication of an incredible team who faithfully run the day-to-day operations. Volunteers, staff, and supporters each play an essential role in serving our guests and making Transit what it is today.
Since the beginning of Transit, the Lord has continued to teach us to trust in His unfailing love for the people He sends to us — those we have the privilege of serving. Our desire has always been to minister with compassion, dignity, and practical care.
The words of Proverbs 31:8–9 continue to guide our heart and purpose:
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor.