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

Prayer Letter
May 2009

Dear friends

Thank you once again for all your continued support in prayer: without it there would be no ministry here and we are so thankful to know that we have the prayerful backing of the people of God in doing His work.

STAFF

We had intended to send this update out last week, when it would have said: "Please pray for the interviews on Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 June. Please pray for the people being interviewed, and for those doing the interviewing, that we should all know God's presence and guidance, and that the final decisions should be the right ones for everyone concerned."

But since we have now completed the interviews...

• Many thanks to everyone who was praying. We had some very difficult decisions to make, and it was good to know God's presence and guidance through the whole process.
• Please continue to pray for all involved, so that the unsuccessful interviewees should not be discouraged, and will continue to know God's presence with them, and will quickly discover what other plans He has for their lives.
• Please pray especially for Sian Morgan (our new Office Manager) and Steve Smith (our new Volunteer Support Coordinator) as they prepare to start working for us in about four weeks time.

PREMISES

We are still on the lookout for larger, more suitable premises. We are currently serving between 200 and 350 meals a day in a coffee shop that has 9 chairs, so we desperately need to move. It would be great to have the space to allow the staff and volunteers to sit down next to the clients and have a chat over their meal. We also need premises with office space and rooms suitable for running the LITE course. Please pray for God's clear guidance and provision.

COFFEE SHOP

We have been grateful for the protection of God over the past few weeks in the coffee shop. We have had several incidences of aggressive and threatening behaviour towards staff and volunteers and several of the front windows were smashed. But no one has been hurt, and each time the right people have been on hand to cope with the challenging behaviour. Please pray for God's continued protection over all aspects of our work.

Please thank God for all the donations of food, clothing, furniture and much more that we receive every month. We are so grateful for your support and God's provision in this way.

The oven, which you prayed for last month, was fixed... but now there is another problem, which needs a new part to fix. Please pray that the part will come soon and fit where it should, and that nothing else goes wrong with the oven.

LITE COURSE

Some have dropped out for various reasons and several new people have joined the LITE course recently. Please pray for them as they gel together as a group and seek to gain the skills to move on with their lives.

Steve is embarking on a 2-week voluntary work placement through Business in the Community's Ready for Work Scheme. Please pray for him that he will cope with regular hours and new challenges. Kaya, from the last course, did a similar placement earlier in the year and has been successful in gaining paid work at Marks and Spencer - excellent, thank you Lord!

Helen, also from the last course, is still looking for voluntary work in a charity shop. Please pray that she will be successful in her searching and not lose heart.

B. from the course 18 months ago is still struggling with alcohol dependency. Please pray she will get desperate enough to recognise she needs professional help.

Finally for the current students, that they will continue to stay motivated, as they approach the final few weeks of the course and have something positive to move on to at the end.

PEOPLE

Please give thanks for:

• D, a young man, 16 years old, who we helped get into a Christian community a few months ago after some family problems. He is doing really well, attending the Bible study and prayer meetings, and is 'a pleasure to have around'. Please pray for him as he plans to move on in another month or so.
• The two people you prayed for who were having an assessment: both were successful and are currently doing well.
• P, a man in his 60s who has been living in a garage. Things are beginning to go much better for him. The support he needs is coming together, but much more still needs to be done.

Please pray for:

• several of our clients (mostly over 55) who are currently about to go into alcohol detox, and several others who are in the middle of rehabilitation and treatment.
• one of our clients who has been homeless for many years but is soon to move into his own flat. Please pray that he accepts the support that he needs and is able to manage all his bills and outgoings successfully.
• two of our clients who have just successfully completed a 5-week non-residential rehabilitation. They are at the beginning of a long road and need a lot of support and encouragement, but they are doing well so far, and looking forward to building a new life.
• a lot of new young people in the area, mostly living in squats, who do not have serious problems with alcohol or drugs at present, but who could easily find themselves drawn into that world.
• the two pregnant women who you prayed for last month. One of the babies has been born and taken into care; the mother has gone back into addiction and is seriously in need of help. The other baby has not arrived yet. It will probably be taken by a family; which is better for the baby, but still very hard for the mother.
• C, who moved into a flat as planned, but is now having a very difficult time.
• E, in his late 50s, is doing better now, but still needs a great deal of prayer.

VOLUNTEERS

We are looking for more volunteers! We have a vision to see the coffee shop open 7 days a week from September or October. If you feel that you would like to give some of your time to serve and bless some of the most marginalised people in our society then please contact the office for a volunteer application form (admin@crisis-centre.org.uk).

Please thank God for all our amazing volunteers who give up their time and energy to bless people every day. Some days are really tough and yet they get stuck in with whatever needs doing.

STRATEGIC PRAYER

Please pray for Stephen Williams, MP, who we met in April, and for the various activities and meetings that have been sparked off by this meeting and our meeting notes.

Paul and Alan will shortly be having a meeting with the senior managers of the drug and alcohol services in Bristol. We are seeking to persuade them that some money should be spent on sending people to treatment facilities outside of Bristol in order to give them a chance to break away from their current lifestyle and social group.

At present, all the money for treatment places is being kept within the city, which means that the numbers of people going through treatment are high. This makes the statistics look good, but often means that people are not being given the best chance of recovery.

Every blessing,

Paul Hazelden
General Manager
Crisis Centre Ministries