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

MarionLIFE 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

Inspired by the Christian faith, MarionLIFE is committed to: 

Compassion
We demonstrate genuine care for all people and are committed to truly hearing, appreciating and serving our community without judgement.

Connection
We seek to be a warm and welcoming place that fosters belonging through friendship, contribution and collective care.

Community-led
We recognise the resilience, resources and capacity of our local community. Our role is to champion the use of these strengths to bring lasting transformation.

Collaboration
We value partnerships, meaningful stakeholder engagement, and working with local networks, community groups, schools, businesses, and churches to build our collective capacity.

Inclusion
We welcome people from all walks of life and seek to create safe and accessible spaces where everyone’s voice is heard, their contributions are championed, and all stories are valued.

Integrity
How we do our work matters. We demonstrate integrity in all aspects of our work from interactions in the community with neighbours, groups and other stakeholders to governance and financial management.

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 from a place of community strengths not community needs. We work to discover what our community cares enough about to act upon, and we partner in this vision and support their work.

  2. Rooted in the local community: With over 40 years of experience working in Adelaide’s inner south region, our strong networks and deep commitment and understanding of the local contexts informs and guides our practice. We prioritise a placed-based approach, and as we grow and commence work in other regions of Adelaide, we utilise the same principles of listening to the local community – they are the experts of their neighbourhood.

  3. Volunteers at the heart of what we do: We are a largely volunteer run organisation, and acknowledge that without the time, sacrifices, and passionate willingness of active community members we would not achieve what we do. Volunteers are neighbours from the local community and their passions, insights and ideas help shape our work.

  4. Resilient Communities: We seek to build upon the resilience in our community, by choosing work that increases and expands the capacity that exists within our neighbourhood.

  5. Stronger Together: We work collaboratively with services across our region and develop valued partnerships with likeminded local networks, community groups, schools and churches and others across our community. We are active members of several networks and forums, and members of the South Australian Council of Social Service, Volunteering SA, 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

MarionLIFE 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 MarionLIFE today.

MarionLIFE 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 MarionLIFE 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, MarionLIFE 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.