Newsletter
February 2001
Bringing God's grace and healing love
to people with life-disrupting problems
Many people have said to me over the past few months, "You are
really on the front line!" - or words to that effect. The
people who say this are clearly thinking about the folk who come
through our doors day after day, with all kinds of problems.
Yes, I want to reply, we are - but isn't everyone?
For all the frustrations and the disappointments, working at
the Crisis Centre is incredibly rewarding. We are seeing
people's lives changing - not as fast as we would like, but it is
real. I keep hearing about ways in which the staff and
volunteers are making a real difference to the people who come to
us - through talking and praying with them, attending meetings
with them, arranging for them to receive the help they urgently
need.
Yet there are so many more people we could help with a few more
staff and volunteers, and larger coffee shop.
I don't want
to say "come and join us on the front line". You are on the
front line already, with opportunities and battles no-one else
will face. But, please pray for us and, if God is speaking
to you about further involvement with the Crisis Centre, please
get in touch.
You may be surprised at the number of different ways in which
people can make a difference to the work we do!
Whatever
you can do, thank you for your interest, prayers, financial
support and encouragement. Without this, we could not keep
running.
Paul Hazelden,
General Manager
[Back...]
The students are out on a Scavenger Hunt around town at the
moment so, with one eye on the clock because the activity is
timed, I am taking some time to tell you a bit about what's
happening. The present funding for the course finishes at
the end of March: we had expected there to be funding to follow on
but, in fact, it turns out to be much more complicated than this.
We have been granted a level of funding, through City of
Bristol College (Brunel Centre) which starts in April and we are
also exploring other funding options, making applications - and
praying!
We currently have six students on the course, though two come
in afternoons only, due to other commitments at their probation
hostel. Lyn Weaver is coming in one morning a week to help
two of the students with reading and writing. This is very
helpful as literacy is an issue which many of our clients struggle
with. Having difficulty with reading and writing can make
crucial things like form filling an impossible task.
We are shortly off to Dartmoor for our 5 days of Outdoor
Activities. This is for many the highlight of the course,
as they see it as their annual holiday. Simply walking over
the moor on the last trip was mind blowing for one of the
students. He had not had the chance of "getting out of the
smoke" before and sat on a rock overwhelmed with the scenery.
Things like this make running the LITE course seem very
worthwhile.
[Back...]
Thank you so much for your prayers. Bridgehead Church
has been meeting weekly at The Missing Peace since the beginning
of the year and is enjoying the involvement of a number of
churches in the city.
It is a tremendous challenge to provide church/Christian
fellowship for people who have no understanding or experience of
God and so exciting when they call out to God for help in their
situations. At the same time, hearing about the issues
these people are facing can be heart-rending. One man
recently learned, during the meeting, that a friend of his had
died - she was a heroin addict. Another man talked of quite
a few of his friends having died as a result of their addiction,
yet another has been diagnosed with full-blown AIDS, and another
asked God to help him break free from addiction.
Please pray that we will see salvation come into these
situations and other similar ones.
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Our Founder Director, Derek Groves, is resigning from his
position as Director as from the end of March, and will become
Life President. His early retirement is due to ill health -
many of you will know that he has been suffering from Parkinson's
Disease for many years now.
It is his unique character, life experience and anointing which
has given birth to and established this ministry. His
personal radical walk with God has inspired other leaders
(Christian and non-Christian), ministries, workers and clients.
We miss his day to day involvement at the Centre but look
forward to his ongoing involvement as Life President.
Christian Leaders within the city have indicated that they
would like to honour Derek and the influence he has had in the
area of social action evangelism and a Christian response to
people with life-controlling problems locally, nationally and
internationally, and when details of this event have been
formalised, we will let you know.
As we indicated in the previous Newsletter, it is a privilege
to have on the team Paul Hazelden as General Manager. Paul
is able to work fairly closely with Derek on the day-to-day
running of the Centre and also any possible developments within
the ministry.
George Richardson,
Acting Chair, Council of Management.
[Back...]
Have you every wondered what actually happens at Crisis Centre
Ministries, what a typical day is, how addiction affects someone,
what it is like to work here? Whatever your questions may
be, we would be very happy to come and talk with your group,
church, or prayer meeting about the ministry. Please
contact us at the office for further information.
[Back...]
Dik Allan left us at the end of January. He worked with
us initially as volunteer on the LITE Course and, since October
last year, as Support Worker with responsibility for the Coffee
Shop. We are so grateful to him for his contribution to the
ministry and wish him every blessing in his work with Aspire.
Anne White has been a volunteer with CCM for some months and
was appointed as Project Manager for the Coffee Shop with effect
from 1 February. We welcome Anne to the staff team and look
forward to the contribution she will make to the drop-in centre
and the ministry generally. Please pray for her. We
will ask Anne to introduce herself in a future Newsletter.
Volunteers aplenty - well, almost! We are tremendously
encouraged by the number of people wanting to be involved as
volunteers with Crisis Centre Ministries. We would still
like more - specifically to enable the Coffee Shop to open more
days of the week and to develop outreach. We also have
volunteers helping with the LITE Course, Bridgehead Church and
administration and are considering ways of extending this.
Please continue to pray.
[Back...]
The shop is now open four days a week (Monday, Tuesday,
Thursday, Saturday) and also two evenings (Tuesday and Thursday).
This is a tremendous improvement on the situation a few
months ago (thank you for your prayers) but, although we are
encouraged, we are not satisfied. We see the need to be
open least five days a week if we are to be a realistic resource
to our clients, and we want to be in a position to give more
individual attention to those who come into the shop. For
this to happen, we will need more volunteers and also those who
would be prepared to take on a level of responsibility and become
team leaders.
Our customers are surprisingly open to God. Yes, there
are those who don't want to know but there are also so many
opportunities to introduce people to the good news of the Gospel.
The need is so apparent, yet at present we are restricted
in how we can respond to that. Please continue to pray -
for Anne White as she heads up this aspect of our work, for those
who volunteer with us, for our clients, and for more workers.
[Back...]
Monday 19 March, 8 pm - 9.30 pm
12 City Road (first floor)
Everyone welcome!
We value your prayers very highly, and would like to be able
to give you information in a way which is helpful to you:
- We now produce a monthly prayer sheet: if you would like to
receive this, please contact the office.
- Some people find it helpful to meet together with others to
pray - and we are aiming to offer a Prayer Meeting every two
months. The next one, you will see, is on 19 March and it
would be really good to see you there.
- Below is a brief list of people and situations we would like
you to pray about. Names have been changed to protect
identity:
- Larry knows about God and is presently trying to
break free from addiction and not finding it an easy process.
- Peter does know God. He has a history of
addiction, and many of his friends who are heroin users have
died over recent months.
- Jeremy is addicted to alcohol and says he has only
a short time to live. He says he is suffering from full
blown AIDS and he doesn't want to die.
- Avril is working hard at getting her life together,
but struggling with some major life issues. It would be
good if she came to know God.
- Fraser really wants to be free of his addiction to
alcohol. He has been accepted at a rehabilitation
centre.
- Also, please pray for:
- The various parts of the ministry and the staff involved
in them.
- The provision of the resources, particularly funding for
LITE as the present arrangement finishes at the end of March
2001. We are very actively exploring opportunities!
Your feedback would be so helpful: what sort of information is
helpful to you so that you can pray effectively? What do
you feel God is saying in answer to your prayers? Is there
a scripture which comes to your mind which you feel would be
encouraging to us? Please let us know.
[Back...]
I find jigsaws quite compelling - loads of pieces of card of
various shapes and with patterns on them, with the potential to be
fitted together to form a picture. Maybe it's the same sort
of fascination I have about the things I see God doing, and I am
wondering how they may fit together to 'form a picture'.
Let me tell you of just a few things that are happening:
- For some years, we have been involved in running Bridgehead
Church at CCM, and we are continuing to explore the way forward
with this. Recently we have heard of, and been in contact
with, a number of groups and individuals in Bristol and also
other parts of the country who are themselves exploring the
possibility of church for the unchurched (including people with
life-disrupting problems). It seems like the "sound of
rustling in the leaves of the trees".
- Right now, young men in a prison near Bristol are becoming
Christians. It isn't new for people to meet dramatically
with God in prisons and there have been notable God-breathed
interventions - Prison Fellowship, Kairos and also many other
individuals and groups specifically involved in prisons.
But this is something which is happening at the present time and
in our area.
- There are a couple of groups in Bristol looking at providing
supportive accommodation for Christians coming out of prison.
The possibility of some pieces fitting together is exciting and
maybe, as well as watching what God is doing, we can participate -
by praying:
- that there will be an expression of church, in Bristol and
other places, that is genuinely accessible to people with life-
controlling problems
- that people will become Christians in many prisons (it's
good that it's happening in one, but what about the others?)
- for a realistic resource for Christians coming out of
prison.
We are planning a CCM prayer meeting on 19 March at 8 pm.
Please come and pray with us.
Trudie Lane,
Administrator
[Back...]
Jesus in the City - the third UK Urban Congress of Jesus
in the City is to be held in Leeds from 15 to 19 September.
For info: info@jitc.org.uk, Tel 0113 245 4700.
Prayer Wall - prayer for the city, co-ordinated by Naomi
Knapp who can be contacted by email on
bristolprayerwall@cableinet.co.uk or via R. Adams Tel 0117
9246856. Naomi would be really pleased to hear from you
with prayer requests and she can let you know how to become part
of the prayer wall, when meetings happen etc.
Faithworks with Steve Chalk and Fiona Castle is a
presentation exploring the role of the Christian faith in
transforming society. It will be in Bristol on 28 March.
For info: Tel.0117 9653421 or
www.faithworkscampaign.org.uk.
Joel Edwards at Pip 'n' Jay. Joel is Director of
Evangelical Alliance and will be at Pip 'n' Jay on Tuesday 7 March
at 8 pm.
Movement for Christian Democracy (MCD) has launched a
website - www.WestminsterElection.com - designed to resource
Christians and churches for the coming general election.
Christians at Work. Mark Greene, Director of the
London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, will speak on this
subject on Sat 17 March 9.30am-12.45pm at Wills Hall, Stoke
Bishop. For info: Tel. 0117 9834607.
Meeting the challenge of being a Christian at work.
Short lent and autumn courses using the internet.
For info: john.raymond@btinternet.com and peternic@nildram.co.uk.
Drop the Debt (Jubilee 2000). Gordon Brown has
cancelled the debts owed to Great Britain by the poorest 41
countries. Great Britain continues to lead the way in
Jubilee 2000, thanks to the 150,000 postcards and 100,000 emails
people sent last year to Gordon Brown alone!! The campaign
will be continuing under the name 'Drop the Debt'. For
info: www.dropthedebt.org. Tel. 0207 922 111. Tearfund
www.tearfund.org. Tel. 0208 977 9144 Christian Aid www.christian-
aid.org.uk. Tel. 0207 523 2225.
Fairtrade Fortnight 5-18 March. For info: Fair
Trade Foundation email fortnight@fairtrade.org.uk. Tel. 0207 242
9632. website www.fairtrade.org.uk.
Refugee Action. There are presently refugees in
Bristol who are without basic resources. They need non-
perishable food, men's underwear (new), toiletries, towels,
razors, shaving foam, nappies etc. Further info from
Refugee Action Tel. 0117 9892100, email bristol@refugee-
action.org.uk.
[Back...]
Coffee Shop
- Would you like to support what we are doing by cooking for
us - main meals, cakes, puddings etc.?
- We are in urgent need of dinner plates, mugs, bowls and
cutlery.
- We would like to provide heating which is safe and
consistent. At present we are thinking of using electric
radiators. Do you have one or more that you are not
using?
- We still need more volunteers so that the Centre can open
more often, and also to enable us to develop outreach.
LITE
- To be able to maintain and develop the training programme we
are offering, we need an Assistant to Andy. At present
this would be a voluntary position, but our long-term plan would
be for it to be salaried.
General
- Do you have DIY skills, and the possibility of being
available from time to time to help with minor repairs at the
Centre?
Finance
- Gift Aid
- Standing Order
- UKET, CAF
- Cheque
It may be that you would be interested in sponsoring one
particular aspect of our work.
For more information on any of these, please contact the
office.
[Back...]
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