Bringing God's grace and healing love
to people with life-disrupting problems

Newsletter - December 2003

Announcing truth - God with us

Our love to you this Christmas, and our thanks for the amazingly encouraging ways in which you have been supporting us.

This Newsletter aims to bring you a genuine representation of Crisis Centre Ministries at this time, sharing with you some of our joys and sorrows.

IT'S HARD TO LOVE

Our group at Bridgehead Church were recently looking at the passage in Mark where Jesus is asked about the most important commandment, and he replies that the two most important commandments are to love God with everything you have, and to love your neighbour as yourself.

One of the folk present suddenly admitted that she did not love God like that - so many things got in the way. Sadly, the details were all too familiar: drugs, a damaged childhood, abusive relationships, and much more; all these things from the past affect the present, and limit our ability to love God and the people around us.

It is hard to love when the people you have loved in the past have let you down, betrayed and abused you. It is hard to love when your body is crying out for another fix. But then, it is hard to love when your partner takes you for granted, and your children treat you as a free laundry and taxi service.

The truth is, we all find it hard to love God with everything we have - and the more we have, the more difficult it is. But loving God can be seen as the easy part. A few minutes after the discussion about what it means to love God, we were asked a question I really struggle with. "Why do so few Christians do anything about loving the people they meet?"

"Love your neighbour as yourself" might have sounded quite easy, if Jesus hadn't explained what it means. Who is my neighbour? Anyone I come across who is in need. Ouch! It's hard enough to love my friends and family, but Jesus calls me to love the gossip at church, the office bore and the drug addict on the street.

Apart from the difficulty of the task, much of the time, we are not really sure what it means to love all these people. We can't sort out all their problems and bind up their wounds. Given the number of neighbours we have, we probably struggle just to remember all their names!

A good starting point is to agree with Jesus' opinion: yes, this person really is my neighbour. I may not know much about them, I probably can't do much for them, but somehow He wants me to love this person as myself.

'Love' does not mean sorting people out, healing, or making everything better - most of the time, these things are not within our power. But it does mean treating with honesty and respect, and it does mean caring. If all you can do is pray, then that's what love means for this person, here and now.

I don't think it matters that you can't respond to everyone, but it does matter that you express love in a practical way to perhaps just one or two of the neighbours you come across along the road.

"Why do so few Christians do anything about loving the people they meet?" I don't know. I know I can't do much, but I want to do what I can. And perhaps that is a good start towards loving God with everything I've got.

Paul Hazelden, General Manager

COMFORTING OTHERS WITH THE COMFORT WE HAVE RECEIVED - from Jayne:

My official role at CCM is Catering Co-ordinator, but I also get involved with helping people who come into the shop and there has been one girl who I have been keeping in touch with and helping for quite a few months. I will call her Linda - that is not her real name.

Linda has been addicted to drugs for quite a few years and when I first met her she was pregnant. She tried to come off drugs during her pregnancy, and really wanted to keep her child, but the struggle to stay off drugs was sometimes too difficult for her. She gave birth to a daughter, but was soon using drugs again and her child was taken into care. Even with this disappointment, Linda continued to want to come off drugs - it's just that it was difficult for her to want to do this all the time. She went to a drug rehabilitation centre and did well for quite a long time, but then ran away. She ended up in prison and, while she was there, became a Christian. I kept in touch with her and I'm really pleased I did.

Not long ago, I heard that she was being baptised in prison. But, a short time before that, there was a court case in Bristol regarding her daughter and possible adoption. Linda had now changed a lot, and was planning to go back into rehabilitation after her release from prison. She wanted her daughter back, and the possibility of that happening was a major reason for her to change her life. She came to Bristol for the court case, and I met up with her and went to the court with her. It was difficult for me because, in that same court years ago, I had had my daughter taken away from me. We prayed for Linda, that God would do what was best for her and that she would get her daughter back.

The court case went on all day and until late in the evening and we were told it had taken a long time to make a decision. The decision, though, was that Linda could not have her daughter back, and the main reason was that she had not seen her for quite a long time - during her prison sentence. I was so upset, and Linda was in quite a state. I knew from my own experience that for her to lose her own daughter in this way was heartbreaking, and it was so hard to watch her and know that she had to return to prison that night and then be released really soon - it seemed too much for someone to handle.

I am so proud of her, she went ahead with her baptism, was released from prison and found her own way to the rehabilitation centre. She still wants to sort her life out. Please pray for her.

Jayne Griffiths

It is a tremendous privilege to watch people we have helped in turn help others.

PARTNERSHIP

We have talked over the years about a 'partnership' with local churches. This is important to us - the work of the Crisis Centre can only be understood if it is seen as a part of the work of the Church in Bristol.

This partnership is important to us, and we believe it is important to the Church. If reaching out to the poor and homeless with the love of God is not seen as a vital part of our faith, we have serious problems in understanding the gospel that Jesus brought us.

We are looking for ways to explore what we mean by a 'partnership' with the local church, and what it means for both CCM and for interested local churches. We don't imagine we have got it all worked out yet - so if you, or your church would like to help us think about what this partnership should look like, please would you get in touch and let us know?

We don't know all the details, but we are sure it is only when God's people really work together that we see God's Kingdom being built. We all need to listen, to understand what He is saying, and to act together.

Paul Hazelden

INTRODUCING JAMES PRESTON, COFFEE SHOP MANAGER

James started work with Crisis Centre Ministries on 1 September this year, and we have asked him to briefly introduce himself to you:

"I come originally from London, where I lived with my parents, two brothers and a sister. I've been in Bristol now for two years, and originally came to study law at university. From there I went on to be involved in my church's year project where I studied, worked in a local school with the children there, and was also involved with asylum seekers and Chinese students."

"At the end of that time, I was considering what to do next in my life and talking to God about that. I wanted to find out more about working with people who are homeless and affected by addictions, and friends encouraged me in this direction. I became involved with Crisis Centre Ministries as a volunteer with the LITE Course and also in The Wild Goose, and it was through this involvement that I learned of the vacancy for coffee shop manager."

"I am still finding my feet in this role at present, and struggling with how best to help the people who come into the Centre. I would like to see The Wild Goose open more often, particularly in the evenings, and have some hopes that churches may be able to be more involved in the work, possibly in different ways from what has happened previously. This follows on from what Paul has written about partnerships, and is possibly one aspect of that and something I am beginning to explore: organising this is likely to involve quite a bit of work but it does seem an important way forward. For The Wild Goose to be a really useful resource for our clients, we need to be open as much as possible, and this isn't going to happen unless we can staff the shop well. I would love to come and talk with you/your church further about this, and explore with you how you might be able to be involved. Please contact me at the office admin@crisis-centre.org.uk if you would like to arrange a meeting or find out more."

James

You will remember that Nick Wood was Coffee Shop Manager on a part-time basis for six months this year. Part of his role was to consider the position of Coffee-Shop Manager in the context of the ministry and the needs of our clients and to make recommendations to the Trustees. The position James now has is a result of Nick's work and recommendations: we are so grateful to Nick for the part he played in this.

Please pray for James. He is already showing what a valuable addition he is to our team. His job description is very full and there is considerable potential to develop this aspect of the ministry. James is likely to need discernment regarding specific areas which would benefit from his energy and involvement at particular times.

CELEBRATION/AGM - A summary, for your delight!

We would be very happy to provide you with a summary of our Annual Celebration and AGM on request.

One of the main attractions was our speaker, George Ruston of Hope UK, who brought to us his knowledge and experience in the area of drugs prevention and awareness. As well as the legal requirements of the Annual General Meeting we were able to provide an update on the ministry and its staffing, and pay tribute to our Founder, Derek Groves, and to Jeff Baker who both died earlier this year. Our thanks to Woodlands Christian Centre for allowing us to use their Crypt and to Ed Marsh for leading us in worship.

WANTED

Old postcards, stamps, photographs, albums etc. We can convert these into cash. If you are removing stamps from envelopes, please leave at least half an inch of envelope around the stamp.

A STUDENT ON PLACEMENT

Liz was with us for five months on an admin. work placement from college: she came in each Friday, primarily identifying and working towards requirements for her NVQ but also being extremely helpful generally in the office. She was such a blessing to the ministry, and a very popular team member, and we wish her success and fulfilment in the future.

We invited her to write about her placement with us from her own point of view:

"I worked in the office at The Crisis Centre for five months, on placement from college. The office work seemed so ordinary. On the surface I was filing, telephoning, making up forms etc, yet on the inside I was observant - looking at the way things were done and who was around, and also beginning to sense that God was there somewhere."

"Sometimes the work I had to do for college brought me to tears and I wanted to give up studying. Events in my personal life meant that sometimes I would come into work and could see nothing good at all. When God felt close, I asked Him why He did nothing to help me, and I began to wonder if He had gone away - I went back to being observant and noticed something new. Even in administration, things can go wrong: there were days in the office when problems piled up one on top of another, and more queued round the corner waiting to get in! There were some days when I heard about very sad or bad things that had happened to people. What I noticed was that often these difficulties were handled by people at The Crisis Centre with a calmness and compassion that I didn't have. I waited a while and prayed a lot, before one day I handed over to God my anxiety about the day ahead. And it was wonderful! My working day was the same but I didn't feel so anxious: I was much more able to deal with the difficulties that came my way.!"

"My time at The Crisis Centre left me feeling closer to God and stronger in my faith and in my relationship with Him. I could write a lot more about the good times that I had with all the people there but there's no more room. I'd like to say a special thank you to Trudie, Paul and Jayne for a great time, for working with me and helping me get my NVQ, and to Martin, Paul, Keith, Lyn, Diane, Nick, Andy and everyone else that I met for helping to make my time at The Crisis Centre so good. God bless you."

To Him who by means of His power working in us is able to do so much more than we can ever ask for, or even think of; to God be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3 : 20, 21

Liz

TRIBUTE TO JEFF BAKER

We were really sorry to hear of the death of Jeff in September this year. Jeff was an intrinsic part of this ministry for almost as long as we have been operating. He was involved in many different parts of the work - heading up the coffee shop, leading Bridgehead church, running Cornelius Project (supportive accommodation). Not only this, but perhaps more importantly he established very significant relationships with a number of our clients, supporting them through change and being a really good friend to them.

Jeff is greatly missed and we are grateful to God for the opportunity we had to know him and work with him.

NEWS FROM THE LITE PROJECT

Like most people I can't believe it is almost Christmas again. It has been an eventful year. In April we changed the 16 week LITE course to a series of tasters, covering the same subjects. The idea was to reduce the level of commitment in the hope that more people would get involved in training. Unfortunately that hasn't been the case and I am still disappointed by the lack of response amongst out client group.

However, among those that have been involved this year, three have gained paid employment, two are doing voluntary work and one is currently still coming for training. Please pray for these folk, because it is difficult adjusting to a new and structured life in the big, harsh world. Five hours a week on the LITE project is often a first big step out of a chaotic, unstructured lifestyle for many. It's a privilege working with these people and a joy seeing their self esteem growing.

One door closing...

I also spent 7 months this year delivering lifeskills training to some of the residents of Andrew House in Clevedon. This is a dry house for ex-drug users coming out of rehab and is run by Alabaré Christian Care Homes. There is a nice atmosphere in the home and I enjoyed this time very much. I was disappointed when this came to an end because of a lack of students wanting training. However some of those I was working with have gained work or moved on to other things.

And another opening...

The week after I finished at Andrew House, I was asked to do some training at another Alabaré Home, The Well, which is a safe house for women in Bristol. Another encouragement and a fresh challenge.

Thanks for your interest. May you know God's peace this Christmas.

Andy Luxford

WHAT WE NEED:

MONEY

We do want to celebrate the amazing way in which provision has been made for many of our needs by our supporters and by grant-making trusts. You will remember that this year our coffee shop kitchen was renovated and we have new units, cooker, equipment as well as new chairs and tables in the shop. Thank you so much to all who made that possible.

We appointed a temporary, part-time coffee shop manager for six months, to help us explore that role and how it might develop and the salary for that person was met in full. As a result of that piece of research, we have now appointed a full-time manager for the coffee shop - a very significant role for the ministry. We are in negotiation with various funders regarding covering the salary for this position. In addition, we have continued to cover in full all the essential expenses in relation to the LITE Course - with some help from funders.

We continually prove the faithfulness of God and also the generosity of our supporters. Thank you so much for the part you are playing. Most of the time we have been able to meet our outgoings - salaries, electricity, postage, telephone and so on. However, there are occasionally times when our outgoings exceed our income, as at the start of December when the money was simply not there and the salaries could not be paid.

The Trustees do not believe we should continue to operate on this basis. We have done as much as possible to reduce our costs (for example, by photocopying the newsletter ourselves we work a bit harder but save £1,000 a year) and need to find ways to increase our income. We currently need to find something like an extra £3,000 each calendar month to see the books balance.

This could be raised in various ways:

300 people giving an extra £10 per month
120 people giving an extra £25 per month
60 people giving an extra £50 per month
30 people giving an extra £100 per month

Or, of course, some combination of the above!

We are continuing to contact charities and grant-making trusts, but this is very time-consuming and, where successful, tends to produce a comparatively small one-off grant.

Please pray that more people, churches and other organisations will choose to contribute to this work by making a monthly donation. And, of course, please continue to pray for the staff, the wonderful volunteers and the clients - so that all this work will continue to be effective and we will see many more lives turned around.

For those of you who would like some specifics, as well as the shortfall in relation to our essential requirements, there are some items 'in the pipeline' awaiting sufficient finances. These include:

Croner subscription (these publications keep us up-to-date with employment law etc)
Third Sector subscription (a magazine dealing with voluntary sector issues)
Notebook computer (for presentations and to enable the General Manager to work out of the office)
Promotional video
Laser printer (cheaper to run than our present printers)
Tables and chairs for the LITE course training room and coffee room
Maintenance in relation to fire precaution and health and safety

PEOPLE

We also need people - volunteers - to:

Build and maintain an asset register
Clean the offices and basement
Design publicity and promotional materials
Write publicity and promotional materials
Research funding possibilities and writing letters
Help with various aspects of running a 'Friends of CCM'
Be proactive in exploring how we can access financial help for the work we are already doing
Be responsible for DIY (putting up shelves etc)
Be involved in pastoral support of clients
Work in the coffee shop, with Bridgehead (particularly if you play guitar or another portable musical instrument) and with LITE

PROVISION FOR OUR CLIENTS OVER THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD

This time of year can be difficult for our clients and it is encouraging to know that there is good provision for them in central Bristol. All of the organisations involved with our client group tend to be immersed in responding to the needs of the clients and offering good services, and a difficulty can be knowing exactly who is doing what over a holiday season. As part of our work with Bristol Christian Action Network (BCAN), we have compiled an information sheet giving details of services available to our clients over Christmas and New Year and, as well as circulating this to BCAN members, we continue to receive requests for it from other groups. If you would like a copy, please get in touch with the office.