This year, I’ve set myself a big challenge of actually keeping some of my New Year’s Resolutions. Things like leaving my phone downstairs at bedtime, exercising more, taking up a new hobby and most importantly for me this year, reading the whole of the Bible. A section of the Bible each day for 365 days.

I don’t think I’ve ever done this and I’ve always wanted to, there are passages I know really well and some I don’t think I’ve ever read and I’m really enjoying setting aside a portion of each day to sit and read God’s story.

New Year is often a time for self-improvement. It gives us an opportunity to challenge ourselves to be ‘better’. The resolutions we make often centre around being healthier, happier and wealthier, but mostly don’t last much past February.

When it comes to Lent, we renew this theme of self-improvement  and set ourselves the challenge of ‘giving stuff up’ and going without. But at the very heart of Lent, it’s really about remembering the sacrifices of Jesus. It’s a season where we are regularly reminded what Jesus did for us and it’s a time that provides opportunities for us to feel closer to God.

As I read through the Bible each day, I often imagine scenes like movies and visually see the characters in my head. Lent equally evokes the image of the desert, where Jesus spent forty days alone, preparing for his future ministry.

I like the image of the desert, (I LOVE camels) and I see it as a place of mystery, promise, and potential. It gives us endless space and is very simple. In the desert, there is nothing to distract you, no noise, no stuff, just a place where we can come to unclutter our lives and learn to live simply in loving dependence upon God.

After all, man shall not live by bread alone…

Brother Roger from the Taizé Community suggests that Lent is not a time to cultivate guilt but instead could be a season to sing the joy of forgiveness. He saw Lent as forty days to rediscover the little springtime in our lives.

I really like the idea of rediscovery. What Jesus has done for us, the Good News of the Gospel is a wonderful invitation to us to accept His constant forgiveness, it’s an invitation to renew daily our inner lives with God.

Lent isn’t about being better, where we seek individual perfectionism, by giving stuff up or taking things on. It’s an opportunity for this daily renewal and to seek communion with God and communion with others.

I wonder whether in this season of Lent, we can forget so much about the self-improvement and the resolutions and instead spend time in conversation with others reflecting on Jesus and what he has done for us. It could be a really special time where we draw near to God and acknowledge our need for forgiveness.

A time to really make space for prayer and for reading the Word. A time where we lay down things that separate us from God, a time where we forget about feeling ‘guilty’.

Instead, let’s make Lent a time where we are thankful and joyful for God’s endless Grace.

How can we share the Good News and Wonder with others this Lent?

Prayer

Dear God,
As Lent begins, we pray that we will find time to be with you in a special way.
Help us to find time to pray, reflect, read and to follow you where you will go.
Help us not to focus on our desires and wishes, but instead,
help us to focus more on your voice, which calls to us daily.
We know that Lent is hard and that for 40 days, you were in the wilderness preparing for what was to come.
Please God, be with us at every moment and in every place.
Give us the strength and courage to live each day in Lent faithfully so that when Easter comes, we are ready and able to celebrate with joy the new life you have prepared for us.

Amen

As a Church Related Community Worker, Fliss works with Wooler URC’s congregation to help them serve the community. More general details about Church Related Community can be found by clicking here.

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Taking the Gospel out on the streets can be an uncomfortable prospect at times but, for the last year in Wooler, a small team from Wooler URC has been going out onto the high street sharing the gospel with the local community through hugs. These events, held on a Saturday morning are always well received and certainly generate lots of excellent conversations.

Being on the high street regularly establishes a real presence in the community, we share why we do what we do, we share the Gospel, and we have a good chat with folk. We want people to know that God loves them and that we, as Christians, want to also share this love with others – through hugs. We recently decided to step this up a gear with ‘Prayers on the Street’ with the aim of connecting once again with the community by demonstrating God’s love. So, we headed out onto the high street, but this time, we were armed with free Bibles, flyers, a prayer tree and some chocolate!

Our approach is gentle and respectful. The simple phrase “we’re here to offer prayer”, for example, can stop a person in their tracks so we took it steady! We’re mindful that these events are in partnership with God and it’s a real privilege to do so. We are also very aware that the Holy Spirit is already at work and that He brings people to us. This enables us to minister from a place of peace and with an understanding of the authority we have in Jesus’ name to pray with people – and it worked. We had a brilliant day – several people stopped to ask questions, we talked about other events happening in the community and we also prayed with a couple of different folk. Hooray!

Jesus sent his twelve disciples out walking to local communities so they might spend time noticing what was going on and what was affecting people (Matt. 10.1-15). He warned them that it would not be easy when they proclaimed that ‘the kingdom of God has come near’. They were to respond to local needs, ‘cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers and cast out demons’. Luke also records that 70 disciples were sent out in pairs and as they went, they were to pray asking ‘the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest’. When the disciples returned, Jesus said ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.

We are so excited about this new project and are already looking forward to doing it again in July and September later this year. Not everyone wants to engage, certainly not everyone wants a hug, but I believe that by having a regular presence on the high street, it generates conversation and the very real message that the church is for everyone, all are welcome! Everyone can have a hug or a prayer no matter who you are.

There are many residents who come over to say hello and have a chat with us. We are particularly grateful for hot drinks and a bacon sandwich given completely free from the local cafe when these events are on. I’m excited about these events and can’t wait for the next one – When we’re not ashamed of Jesus Christ, He’s not ashamed of us. As we obey His command to proclaim the gospel throughout the world, He promises – I am with you always (Matthew 28:20)
Amen.

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Set between the Quantock Hills and the North Somerset Coast (HPC) is the largest construction site in the UK and one of the largest in Europe and where a new generation nuclear power station is being built. The numbers of the workforce are enormous with currently over 12000 individuals working there and this is increasing to 15000 as it moves into the next phase of construction. The construction industry has a reputation for being a high-pressured environment with the suicide rate within this sector being higher than many others. Much of the workforce on site are working away from their homes and their families, some coming from distant countries as there are dozens of different nationalities represented at HPC.

In recognition of these stress factors, it was acknowledged that something was needed to care for the whole person rather than just the physical and so it was decided that the company would employ a chaplain to help care for the workforce. Once appointed it quickly became apparent that more chaplains would be needed to offer support to the growing workforce and so associate (volunteer) chaplains were sought.

After completing various training courses including Mental Health First Aid, I joined as an associate chaplain in spring of 2022. I usually spend the best part of a day a week and work alongside two salaried chaplains, four other volunteer chaplains and a considerable number of employees who have also undergone Mental Health First Aid training.
All the chaplains are people of faith, but my role is not limited to spiritual care, and you may be surprised to learn that most workers are quite keen to talk about God and faith when they are given the opportunity. However, I don’t spend most of my time sat in a room listening to people in a traditional counselling scenario as one of the most important parts of being a chaplain on site is being present and walking alongside people during both the difficult moments and the happier ones. When workers face personal challenges—whether it’s family issues, financial stress, or the toll that long hours can take on their mental health—we’re here to listen and offer support. But just as importantly, we’re also here to celebrate the milestones and the moments of joy.

My role is not only about providing a listening ear but also helping to foster a sense of community and connection on site. In a large, bustling environment of a construction site, it’s easy for people to feel isolated. But through simple conversations, chaplains help create a culture where workers feel seen and supported. The work we do is about reminding people that no matter who they are or what they’re going through, they’re not alone. For example, many of the night workforce expressed concern that they felt ‘forgotten’ as they considered that mental health support was only available during the day. Therefore, I have just completed six months covering night shifts to determine if there is a need for permanent cover by the chaplaincy. As a result, HPC have made the decision to appoint a night chaplain.
I can’t possibly get to know everyone on site, but I make every effort to ensure that as many people as possible know who I am and what I represent. Being there and ‘presence’ is a large part of my role and a little can go a long way. Maybe that is because the chaplains represent a much bigger presence.

Main image: ©HinkleyPointC

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The sun was shining on 3 May in South Glasgow, which made a lovely afternoon at Priesthill URC even better as we reopened the People’s Garden. The Garden is in two parts and during the lockdowns 50% of it had become completely neglected and was unsafe for the general public to enjoy. The church, alongside partner charity Urban Roots, sought to gain funding and turn the garden back into a place the community could come to and enjoy again.

Funding was sought, donations were very kindly given and about 15 months later the project started, and we began talking with landscapers just before Christmas to begin phase one. Since then, we have seen phase two take place. We are already seeing the area being used again and through funding we have been able to buy new plants, tools and seating.

To celebrate this achievement, the church and Urban Roots decided to have an open day for the whole community to come and enjoy the space. The afternoon itself was enjoyed by lots of local residents (we had to get more food in at one point), who could enjoy a BBQ and home-baking, take part in or listen to the storytelling lead by local arts charity: The Village Storytellers, have their faces painted, enjoy a couple of crafts or have a go at the stone carving on offer. The stone carving has continued since that day so that members of the community can come along and help create some artwork for the garden.

None of what has been achieved so far would have been possible without support from our various funders and all the hard work of garden volunteers, church members and those who were simply down at a group in the Hall and popped out to the garden to lend a hand.

Now begins phase three…

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Recently we have developed a contact with , a charity in the north-east offering support to those affected by the criminal justice system. They provide prisoners and their families much needed advice and support through difficult times.

Last winter we heard they were in need of winter coats, as many of the prisoners being released had no warm coat to wear in what was a very cold winter. We managed to gather some from our congregation and community volunteers, and they were taken across to the centre outside the prison.

The manager of the local NePACS came to see me at St Columba’s for coffee and a chat, and to say how grateful they were for the donation of coats. They were interested to hear about the CRCW project in Billingham and thought there were ways we could work together. As we talked, I was able to tell her about a couple of small grants the charity might apply for – and they were successful in securing some money to buy essentials for the prison leavers.

A couple of weeks ago she asked whether we had anyone connected to the church who might be interested in knitting teddy bears. I told her yes; we’d probably be able to find some knitters (and in the back of my mind I was thinking of the stash of spare wool I have gathered over the years that “might come in useful one day”!) NePACS gives teddies to the children of prisoners on their “Family Days”, they also do something quite touching with them that I hadn’t thought of: Some of the men inside have new babies waiting for their release – some of them have never met their baby. They are given a knitted teddy to keep with them for a day or two – these teddies are then given to the new baby, so that when their parent is released, the child will recognise their parent’s smell. We’ve found a pattern (I think it’s a WI one) and our craft group is hoping to have some ready soon.

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In December, we received another donation through the ‘reverse advent calendar’ scheme (where we ask people to donate one thing each day. There are 24 core items, so each day is a request for a specific item). On this occasion, the Junior Leadership team were invited to get involved by coming in and helping pack the Christmas food parcels. That way, the team can see exactly how the food is distributed and have the chance to have a more practical role, which we value.

We are excited by a new project with the Junior Leadership team and are offering dementia awareness training, so that the team can support us with our memory café by serving lunches and engaging with older people.

Working with Reigate School is such a pleasure due to their aims and ambitions to bring about social justice in our part of Derby.

*Currently, A2C food bank supplies about 20 food parcels a week, supported by several volunteers, responsible for receiving items, managing the storeroom and making and distributing parcels.

During her time at Derby A2C, CRCW Vicky Longbone has been involved with several projects and initiatives, such as the School Holiday Food Project, which has enabled families to access food and activities that would otherwise not be available. The project aims to support low-income families, including those who have been made redundant through factory closures and redundancy, to work with other organisations to enable collaborative work and to create spaces for people with similar needs so they can socialise and work together to develop their own situations.

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Such anniversaries are a natural point at which to look back, take stock and think about what might be next. When I arrived in 2019, we were hopeful that we’d completely refurbish our buildings in the next 12 to 18 months. Five years later and we’re still hoping to do so in the next 12 months or so but this time it’s almost certainly actually going to happen.

In 2019, I couldn’t have predicted that we’d have so many projects operating from a building that is decades overdue a major update. I have begun to think of this as a ministry of ‘nevertheless’.

We’ve got an old, tired building that’s barely fit for purpose… nevertheless we opened for a drop-in three and half years ago and haven’t missed a week since. We see all sorts of people – isolated older people, young people struggling with their mental health, people struggling with or recovering from addiction, people who are in and out of prison, people who have no permanent place to call home, refugees, people working out who they are. And for some that tired building is a positive – they feel like they’re allowed in, that it’s not too smart or posh for them.

I’m not very artistic and nor are most of our volunteers… nevertheless we sowed and nurtured the seeds that led to Art & Joy, a radically inclusive, informal art group made up of a mix of people, most are neurodivergent, lots are LGBTQ+, some are struggling with addiction, and others are isolated. We held an exhibition where anyone in the group could contribute – the work on display was incredible and varied. The people who run the group came from outside the church, but we provided the space and the resources to enable it to come into existence and blossom.

We’re planning major building work… nevertheless we started a community gardening project in 2023 on bits of the church grounds that will be dug up as part of that building project. Had we waited until after the builders were done, we would still be waiting to set up that group which benefits attendees who are or were incredibly isolated and makes the grounds a nicer place for everyone who uses the premises.

Chorley Repair Café doesn’t quite fit this pattern. It was quite easy to set up and has been a runaway success. From 2025, I hope to hand over the running and development of the group to a committee freeing up my time for new things. It’s a bittersweet time. I’ll still be involved but as CRCWs we try to do ourselves out of a job, so that things are sustainable once we move on, and we’ve reached that point.

In 2025, a lot of my focus will be on the building project but I’m also in the early stages of developing a library of things for Chorley, somewhere that people can cheaply hire tools that you need occasionally but not every day – some ladders, a drill or a carpet cleaner for example. I also have big dreams for the gardening project, both in supporting the people who attend and for its role in restoring nature in our corner of Chorley town centre. It may be that those dreams come true or maybe God has something else in mind? Maybe there’ll be setbacks, and we’ll find ourselves with a new ‘nevertheless’ story to tell.

A town centre church situated within a large market town on the doorstep of the West Pennine Moors, Chorley URC seeks to serve both the needs of its immediate local neighbourhood and the wider community of Chorley. Chorley URC has a longstanding commitment to the community and has hosted local organisations and agencies as well as running projects for many years, including Open Kitchen with Chorley Help the Homeless, by providing meals for vulnerable people once a week. Andy Littlejohns has been the Church Related Community Worker at Chorley since 2019.

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So, what is this new initiative all about?
What Would You Ask Jesus (WWYAJ) is a new group from Wooler URC that has been meeting in the local pub once a month since 1st June 2024. The first session was very much a ‘trial run’ where we rocked up, said hello to the locals, introduced ourselves and started chatting.

In our first session, we heard a powerful testimony from one of our church members who shared her own story from Alcoholism to finding Jesus, which had completely turned her life around. We then shared food together and talked about our own experiences of faith. We have since met four more times in the pub, and it is now starting to gain real momentum. We have become known as ‘that group from the church who ask questions’, which has led to some people joining in to find out more and some staying clear. That’s ok! We aren’t there to coerce but to welcome anyone who is curious.

How was it set up and what impact has it had on the local community?
The discipleship and development fund have supported WWYAJ by providing advertising materials, food costs and room hire. Two members of the group have since come along to church since the group began and have taken books and resources away to learn more. We try to make each session different, either with a personal testimony or a ‘BIG question’ that we offer to the group to chat about.

In our last session, we chose from several pictorial interpretations of the person of Jesus …
– some recalled images from our early / school years which were significant in our own understanding of him.
– some pictures chosen expressed an ambiguity or lack of strong definition, suggesting a Christ who can be all things to all people.
– related to this, we found the variety of images positive, because Jesus was thus not highjacked or enlisted by any single ethnicity, colour or gender.

‘WHY, & WHENCE COMES EVIL & SUFFERING’ paraphrases one off the most frequent questions we are asked:
If the Genesis narrative portrays us (in our representatives Adam and Eve) as capable of evil, and we’re made in the image of God, then must not God be capable of evil too, and be the source of it? Or, is God wholly good and incapable of evil, because he will not act in contradiction to his own nature?

We discussed whether being created to love, and be loved, also required the capacity to choose, rather than being programmed, to love – and would that be true love? Therefore, is the possibility of failure and of being ‘out of sync’ with our Creator’s desires and intentions, a risk that God, or Love, must take?

We are so pleased with how WWYAJ is developing and feel that it will continue to develop as time goes on with more people coming to ask their questions as well as developing good relationships with our existing members. If you would like to know more about this initiative, please feel free to email us at samara.andrews@urc.org.uk

Fliss’ role as Church Related Community Worker is to take church out into the community, to reach out to people through Christian love and fellowship to be the glue that helps bind their community together and to serve the town of Wooler through a range of different activities. If you would like to find out more about Church Related Community Work, please email the Administrator for Community Engagement and Public Issues for more information.

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The kind of day where you get soaked through – despite every effort to keep dry! Not long after leaving the station we saw the impressive church building that is St. Andrews URC, a 140-year-old, Grade II listed Victorian Church and Community Centre. The Church has played an important role in its community for many years. It is home to a successful nursery, which has been operating for 40 years, running its in-house after school clubs and playschemes, as well as community rooms let out for local groups to use.

St. Andrew’s Church is also home to a special stained-glass window, a New Cross Fire memorial. It was installed in 2002 by Lewisham Council, in memory of the 14 young people who died in the fire on 18 January 1981, and where many of the young people attended the youth club at the church.

We continued our walk towards New Cross to visit St. Michael’s Church & Centre. Both churches are involved in the Brockley and New Cross CRCW project and the contrast in their appearance is quite stark. St. Michael’s Church, a key community space, is like the Tardis in Dr Who, small and unassuming from the outside but unexpectedly large on the inside and full of potential. It is in urgent need of renovation in places, but improvements and repairs will take place slowly, with each new funding target met. Four organisations are now leasing rooms within the building: Deptford Reach, ‘Kiddies Place’ and CAC (an independent Church) and are bringing much needed life and revenue back into the building.

On entering St Michael’s, I met John whose solicitor’s office has been within the entrance of the building for the past 28 years. He has witnessed and been impressed by the effort that Simon and the Trustees of the St. Michael’s Community Centre have put into the project and extended a warm welcome to me. Whilst walking round, dodging the odd drip of water from the leaky roof (scheduled to be repaired in the summer) and side-stepping debris yet to be cleared (with just a couple more rooms left to sort through and empty) Simon and I discussed the work he has been doing over the past 18 months, since he joined the project. At this stage, his role has focused on reaching out to partner organisations and building strong links within the Borough of Lewisham, as well as listening to the needs of those within his local community. Simon currently works with organisations, including Lewisham Foodbank, Lewisham Plus Credit Union and Deptford Reach (a community advice service supporting people affected by homelessness) as well as Asylum and Refugee charities.

Issues of poverty and the cost-of-living crisis are the two most pressing issues affecting the local neighbourhood and these are area’s Simon and the LSG seek to address. For Simon, highlights up to now have been working with the local foodbank and credit union, organisations that Simon has a lot of experience with. He often acts as delivery driver, picking up two tonnes of supplies each week and delivering them to the venue for distribution. He finds it a physically demanding role but likes getting stuck in, supporting colleagues, and serving his community. Staggeringly, this foodbank is one of 50 Foodbanks, Food Pantries and Social Supermarkets in Lewisham alone. The credit union serves around 16,000 people in the local neighbourhood and provides essential financial support to those on the lowest incomes.

I noticed the area around St, Andrews URC, while walking towards New Cross appeared quite affluent at first glance and has become rather gentrified in places, with trendy coffee bars and fancy wine shops popping up but it hides the divide between local people struggling to make ends meet and wealthier people moving into the area and pushing up house prices. Even those with good salaries are struggling to find affordable housing. The focus of the CRCW project is to be a catalyst for change and to try and address these issues by establishing effective connections with partner organisations, providing support to those organisations by taking on active roles within them and by enabling and encouraging church members to participate in their wider community. I very much look forward to seeing how this project makes an impact over the next few years and perhaps I can visit again, ideally on a much drier and brighter day.

If you would like to know more about this project or any other CRCW projects, please do get in touch or follow us on social media.

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This article highlights just one of the initiatives currently happening in the local area:

‘Cannington Yarn Bombers’ was formed during the Cannington URC Warm Space Initiative of 2023 to encourage more people to visit. This led to a member of the church suggesting that the village was “yarn bombed” as part of the Coronation celebrations. A Facebook post, highlighting the activity encouraged a good crowd to see the spectacle, which saw bollards and trees suitably covered, alongside bunting and decorations for the event.

Yarn Bomber Command has a core group of around 10 people, who meet each Tuesday morning at Cannington URC. Various works have since been completed including poppy cascades and knitted Christmas trees. The group reuse the work wherever possible; the Christmas tree, Coronation tree wraps, and bunting have been made into blankets and donated to local charities, for example.

2024 has seen Cannington Yarn Bombers go international with two panels being produced as part of an 80th Anniversary Day Landings Commemorative piece: “The Longest Yarn”. A total of 80, 1m x 0.5m, panels will form an exhibition in the cathedral at Caranten from May to September after which it will go on a tour of the UK and next year the USA.
Cannington Yarn Bombers decided to get involved to honour the men of the US 535th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion who were stationed at Brymore House (now Brymore Academy) from February to the end of May 1944. They left for Dartmouth, landing on Utah beach on D Day June 6th, 1944.

One panel shows the camp in front of Brymore House, the second the troops leaving through the village. The work has taken three months to complete, the actual time spent doing the knitting, crochet and embroidery is probably in excess of 500 hours.

The finished artwork is on its way to France where it will be displayed alongside the other panels ready for the end of May, when Normandy will again be invaded, but this time by the world’s dignitaries, veterans and their families and friends remembering the events of 80 years ago.

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