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

Prayer Letter
February 2010

Dear friends

this is an enhanced version of the update I have just posted to the CCM web site. Two pieces of exciting news, and one reminder.

The Queen Vic

We have it!

After months of hard work, patience and prayer, we bought the Queen Vic pub in Easton on Friday 12 February. It's been a marathon to get to this point... and now the hard work begins!

Of course, this makes fund-raising (like the Sleep Out - see below) even more vital. So, thank you for helping us get to this point, and please carry on working and praying.

We will keep you posted with news updates, both by email and on the web site. But we have already been making plans, so we can let you know:

• The building is structurally sound, but in need of a considerable amount of redecoration and a number of repairs to ensure it is secure and watertight.
• As soon as possible, we will arrange an initial celebration and prayer event in the building, so people can see for themselves what we have, and what needs to be done.
• The initial work will remodel the ground floor, removing the bar and installing a new kitchen, and also replacing the internal staircase to the first floor.
• Once this is complete, the Wild Goose will move to Easton, and we will start work getting the first floor ready for use.
• The new Wild Goose will be able to seat many more people than at present, but our aim is not to feed many more - we want to be able to help the people who come to us more effectively, to provide a safer and more welcoming space, to provide a greater range of support and services, and to stay open for longer.
• The LITE Course will continue to run from the Easton Christian Family Centre while this is happening.
• We are talking and praying about the best use for the City Road building once the Coffee Shop has moved to Easton.

If you can offer practical or financial help with this, do let us know. And please remember that we are continuing to operate the ministry, both the Coffee Shop and the LITE Course, while all this work is going on - so please continue to support the existing work, and pray for the clients, volunteers and staff, as well as encouraging people to get involved with the exciting new stuff.

The Secret Millionaire

Towards the end of 2009, Channel 4 asked if we would mind them filming part of a program in our coffee shop for a few days. Of course, we said they were welcome, and they came and it all went very well. Then they came back and revealed that it was not actually a program about volunteering after all...

The provisional schedule is that the program will be broadcast on Channel 4, on Monday 1 March at 9 pm. We expect to get confirmation of this in a few days.

Our friends at One25 were also filmed, and we both received a gift from the Secret Millionaire. We are not quite sure how much more to say at this stage, but watch this spot... and tell all your friends to watch the program on 1 March! It should be an excellent piece of publicity for the work, and ties in brilliantly with fund-raising for the Queen Vic and moving The Wild Goose to Easton.

The Sleep Out on 26 February

The next Sleep Out is getting close. If you would like to take part, either as an individual supporter, or as a group, please get in touch with us as soon as possible.

Details of the sleep out are on the BCAN web site, on the Sleep Out page. If you are part of a group that is planning to take part, but your group's name is not listed on the Sleep Out page, please let me know the name of the group organiser. Thank you.

Sian has set up a JustGiving page for the CCM staff team, so if you can't take part in the Sleep Out, you can help to raise sponsorship for those of us who do. People can support us through the JustGiving CCM Sleep Out Team page, or we can send you paper sponsorship forms if you prefer.

Thank you for praying with and for us.

Every blessing,

Paul.

General Manager
Crisis Centre Ministries