Four smiling people holding gift bags, standing in an office or community center with a bulletin board behind them. The bulletin board contains various notices and schedules.

Our Vision

We aim to express the love of God through relationships and services that enrich lives, maximise independence, and provide hope.

A woman with long, wavy brown hair wearing a blue and white floral blouse and white pants stands outside near a brick wall, smiling. Behind her is a whiteboard with the word 'INSIDE' and a smiley face drawn, and a colorful abstract art piece on the wall. To her right is a blackboard sign that reads 'Happy Neighbour Day!' with partial text below. On her left, there are various signs and a sports ball on a chair.

Our Mission

CommunityLIFE SA Community Services is a not-for-profit community organisation that strives to provide meaningful, flexible, and responsive care, support, and pathways to individuals and families in need.

Our Values

Our values guide everything we do and every interaction we have with our visitors, volunteers, staff, stakeholders and leadership. 

Compassion
We care for all people, hear their voices and value their experiences, and serve them without judgement.

Connection
We are a warm and welcoming place that nurtures belonging through friendship, contribution, and caring for one another.

Community-led
We recognise the resilience, resources and capacity of those we walk alongside, and we champion their contributions in our day-to-day work.

Collaboration
We prioritise partnership, and work with local networks, community groups, schools, businesses and faith-communities to build our collective capacity.

Inclusion
We welcome people from all walks of life, and take real steps to create safe and accessible spaces where all contributions are heard, and all stories are valued.

Integrity
How we do our work matters in all its aspects. We do what we say we do, and we are honest, transparent, and accountable.

Four elderly men sitting at a table in a restaurant or cafe, smiling and enjoying each other's company. One man in the middle is holding a wallet or phone, while the others are engaged in conversation. There are cups, condiments, and a table setting visible.
Two women smiling, one older woman with white hair in a striped top holding papers, and a younger woman with dark hair in a black dress standing outside near a fence, greenery, and parked cars.

Our Distinctives

  1. Strengths-based Approach: We work with our community members from their strengths, to help them meet their felt and expressed needs.

  2. Rooted in the local community: We have over four decades of experience working in local community, and we know the importance of understanding local context, and allowing it to inform what we do. We listen to our community members, because they are the experts of their neighbourhoods.

  3. Volunteers at the heart of what we do: Volunteers drive, support, and inform our work, and we could not do what we do without them. We actively seek their input and feedback, and make decisions with their local expertise in mind.

  4. Resilient Communities: We focus on helping our local communities be more resilient, and choose work that will see them grow in strength, resources, and connectedness.

  5. Stronger Together: We believe that we achieve more together than separately, and break down barriers between different groups in our community. We are active members of relevant networks and forums, and maintain memberships with groups such as the South Australian Council of Social Service, Volunteering SA/NT, Foodbank SA, and Community Centres SA.

A woman with shoulder-length brown hair smiling while sitting at a desk during a conversation. She is wearing a red top and a blue lanyard labeled 'STAFF.' There are papers, a keyboard, and a computer mouse on the desk, with a potted orchid in the background.

Our History

CommunityLIFE SA was established by Marion Church of Christ in 1985 under the directorship of our founder Keith Horne OAM.  The centre was established with the thought in mind that, “although they were a small church, they wanted to be a community church”. In response to the needs in the surrounding area, they bought a nearby house and set up the centre which is CommunityLIFE SA today.

CommunityLIFE SA was officially and separately incorporated in 1991 as a not-for-profit organisation, and is a registered charity.  We were known by other names including the Marion Church of Christ Welfare Centre and the Marion Community Centre, before the name of CommunityLIFE SA Community Services Incorporated was chosen. Reflections from the Board at the time, were that the word Marion was to help people know where our centre was, and the word LIFE, and colour green to express new life, were chosen to help share our purpose of walking alongside and empowering people in their own decision making process for their future. 

Today, CommunityLIFE SA continues to operate as the community organisation on the same site as Marion Church of Christ, with our work growing as we continue to listen and be guided by community.