The Lord who is faithful

After what seems to have been the busiest few months of my time with FAITH, we finally closed the Stepping Stone project for the summer, and we await to hear what services we may possibly be given the opportunity to provide next winter, having submitted a final report to Reading Borough Council and to a number of agencies around the town.

We’ve been to Legoland again (well it has to be done!) and great fun was had by all concerned. We are also in the process of making plans for the summer and the outreach with which we will be involved, more details inside. We also look like we may yet again be on the search for an office for FAITH as the situation with the sewage flooding at Coley has not been resolved, and we are waiting for confirmation about our future there.

Finally, I guess this is it, after nearly five years of writing the FAITH newsletter this is the final one, the newsletter will continue, but the author will be different. I’ll say my goodbyes inside and those taking over from me will say their hello’s! I hope you’ve enjoyed receiving these newsletters, I’ve certainly enjoyed writing them, and I hope that you have got something of an insight into the work with which FAITH is involved. I now hand them over into someone else’s capable hands.

‘ The Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to…those who love Him’ Deuteronomy 7 v 9

Stepping Stone Update

In the last newsletter, we hoped that the Stepping Stone would be open until the middle of February, but thanks to the generosity of Reading Borough Council, we were able to stay open until the end of March, an extra six weeks altogether.

During the 14 weeks that we were open we provided a bed for 114 individuals, some for a single night, others for almost the length of the project. Thanks mainly to the involvement of the Reading CAT (Contact and Assessment Team) almost half have been able to move on into accommodation in hostels, shared housing, bedsits, flats and rehabilitation centres, or back to their home town (one lady was even able to be provided with a ticket back to Germany). Of the other residents, we no longer have contact with about a quarter and the rest have sadly had to return to the streets, squats or friends and family.

We have prepared a final report on the project for CRISIS who provided the majority of the funding, and we have also sent copies to various agencies around the town. The hope now is that over the summer we will be able to gain sufficient support for opening another night shelter this coming winter, and that will hopefully be a shelter which will not have to close when the Spring arrives.

‘ serve wholeheartedly, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does’ ephesians 6 v 7

A time for change

As I finish my time working as the Director of FAITH and look back over the last five years they have meant so many things to both my family and to me. Its been fun, a challenge, an education, a blessing and an honour and a privilege for which I’d like to thank all those who felt able to trust me with the running of FAITH. It has taught me so much about humility, grace, patience, faith, hope, love and most of all it has taught me about our awesome, faithful, loving God with whom I am truly honoured to share a relationship.

As a family, we are moving down to Devon as the start of a vision to provide a place where families and individuals, including many of those whom we have come to know through FAITH, can come for a holiday, and some respite care from the many worries and troubles that they cope with from day to day.

There are so many people I could thank that I couldn’t possibly fit them all in, but there are a few who I would especially like to mention, including Bev, my wife, and my biggest supporter along with our little blessings Owain, who was a baby when I first started and is now six, and Molly who is four. They have all been very much involved in the last five years (especially the trips to Legoland!) and have made many sacrifices to let me go off at all hours of the day and night to ‘help the poor people’ as Owain would say.

Huge thanks also to Jim McConnell, the man with the inspiration and vision for setting up FAITH in the first place, and his wife Wendy, who have looked on and always offered wonderful support to me and my family. Steve Heatherington and all the other FAITH trustees past and present, Ian McMurray who has always been there serving faithfully, Rachel and James who came along to help at just the right time, Jackie, Karen, Gail, and many others who have supported with their time, their finances and most of all their prayers. And now Chris Milton who has been involved for the last nine months and is jointly taking on the day to day running of FAITH with Ian.

To all that I’ve mentioned, and to the many that I haven’t, can I just express my heartfelt gratitude for all your support over the past five years. I couldn’t have done it without you. God bless you, and feel free to keep in touch.

And what of the future...

The future has now been put into the hands of two people both of whom are well qualified to move FAITH forward into new and exciting things. Chris Milton who has been in Reading for less than a year but has been voluntarily working at least three days a week with FAITH throughout that time and Ian McMurray who has been serving and volunteering with FAITH for many years...

Chris
I must admit when I first came to Reading, after leaving my role as one of the counsellors at Yeldall Manor, all I was thinking about was how and when I would be leaving! I had no idea that God was preparing me for working in the Stepping Stone let alone the day-to-day running of FAITH. Maybe, had I known that, I would not have been so confident about my staying in Reading, but like Jonah would have run a mile or two. Clearly God had other plans. Slow to pick-up I first started to realise these last September when I visited friends in Scotland. Eight years on the South Coast has not only given me the vision for this work (Proverbs 31 v 8 & 9) but also from my background of working with a variety of different groups of people in hostels, day centres and outreach teams, experience has taught me that broken people often do not come to Christ straight away. They need to see Christ in action (in me and you!) and gradually over a period of time will come to meet with Him. The key here is relationships. It was great to be involved in the Stepping Stone and I can see this was all part of God’s Master plan for FAITH. (Indeed from the relationships developed there it has been really exciting to see some people who are now seeking a relationship with Jesus Christ themselves). From this we have a pilot that we can use to build on in the future. Also out of this we have an even bigger and fantastic core of dedicated volunteers who are eager to serve. This gives a great base to build on.

With my work outside of FAITH namely an addiction based website offering support for those struggling with addiction, it is great to have the opportunity, in the short-term at least (!?) to work in a part-time role alongside the experienced, energetic and youthful Ian already known to many you. In addition I shall be buying a house in Whitley as I look to put roots down for what I pray will be the start of a long stretch in Reading. I look forward to meeting you as we look with bated breath at all that God has in store for FAITH.

‘ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God’ 1 Corinthians 1 v 18

Ian

Well it’s time for a change once again at FAITH as Paul moves on to the delights of Devon. In the six years I have worked with FAITH, I have worked alongside two directors – Jim McConnell and Paul Hughes. I have leaned much from each of them, both in their individual walk with God and in doing the business with those with whom God has entrusted us. I continually come back to the point that God can and does provide the answers for those who have become entrapped in drugs and alcohol. God has provided the way to freedom for all of us through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. We have the perfect example from the Lord Jesus Himself of compassion and care for the marginalised and hurting within our society. Jesus spent so much of His time caring for those people and was frequently found with those whom the society of His day had abandoned or condemned.
I become upset when I hear people criticising some of those who have become homeless, and those whose lives are falling or have fallen apart. As some of our clients share their backgrounds with us, I often feel sad about the things which have happened in their lives over which they have had little or no control. My response frequently to those who criticise them is to ask if they would have coped as well under similar circumstances.
So please pray for us as we meet with people on the streets, in squats, in their homes, that we would have God’s wisdom for every situation that we meet, that as His people, we would be able to express God’s compassion and that we will know God’s protection over ourselves and those with whom we are working.

‘ No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another God lives in us and His love is made complete in us’ 1 John 4 v 12

The trip to Legoland

Once again, we were blessed with an offer of cheap tickets for Legoland at the start of their season in March.
The temptation this year was to not go after a hectic start to the year including all the stresses and strains of running the night shelter, and the hand over of the running of FAITH, but so many families asked us if we were going that we just had to oblige.

We only took one coach load as it was all a bit of a last minute event, but that coach load had a great time, the weather was wonderful, and everything was up and running, including the children’s shows which added to the enjoyment.

A number of FAITH volunteers came along to help some of the families ( I struggled with our two children, how a single mum copes with four or five is beyond me!) and everyone seemed to have had a good time by the end of the day when we got back on the coach to come home.

Roll on next year, and we’ll have more than just the one coach!

‘ The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled, so that you can pray’ 1 Peter 4 v 7

‘ Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see’ Hebrews 11 v 1

What’s coming up...?

It’s that time again, when hopefully the sun will be shining, and the Candle Tea Bar will be out on it’s summer tour.
We start at the West Reading Carnival at Prospect Park on the Bank Holiday at the end of May when we will no doubt be doing a roaring trade with the site stewards and paramedics, along with the rest of the public.

Over the summer we plan to take the tea bar out onto some of the housing estates in Reading to do some work with younger people. We have not yet decided on venues, although Whitley will be one of them, so if you or your church would be interested in having us visit your area then please do let us know, and we can talk about how we may be able to help you serve your community.

Finally at the end of the Summer we have the mad weekend of the Reading festival, when hopefully we will once again be in the car park at Greyfriars Church serving some of the many thousands of festival goers who will be visiting our town.

If you would like to be involved in any of the above, then please do call the FAITH office, and we will supply you with more details as they become available.

The FAITH office story continues...

Following a number of sewage floods at the Coley office, the search is on once again for an office premises for FAITH and for Reading Frontline. We need somewhere which can be used as an office with another room for meeting people if they call in, and also storage space for all the food and clothes which we receive.
If you know of anywhere which might be suitable, hopefully at a reasonable cost, then please do contact the FAITH office. We would prefer a central Reading location, but if that’s not possible then would be happy to consider anywhere.

Email newsletters

We are now producing this newsletter in email format – without the pictures until we work out how to do that!
If you would prefer to receive the newsletter in this way then perhaps you could send an email to admin@faith-reading.org.uk to let us know your email address and so that we can remove your name from the postal newsletter mailing list.

True freedom...

‘ There is no other way to become Christ’s freemen than that of simply believing. It is by faith, simple faith in Him as our Savour and Redeemer, that men’s souls are made free. It is by receiving Christ, trusting Christ, committing ourselves to Christ, reposing our whole weight on Christ, – it is by this and no other plan, that spiritual liberty is made our own. Mighty as are the privileges which Christ’s freemen possess, they all become a man’s property in the day that he first believes. he may not yet know their full value, but they are all his own. he that believeth in Christ is not condemned, – is justified, is born again, is an heir of God, and hath everlasting life.

Take the simplest view of faith: beware of confusing your mind by complicated ideas about it. Follow holiness as closely as you can: seek the fullest and clearest evidence of the inward work of the Spirit. But in the matter of an interest in Christ’s redemption remember that faith stands alone. It is by believing, simply believing, that souls become free.’

Practical Religion by J.C.Ryle, 1878

Thank God for…
… the 114 guests who were able to stay at the Stepping Stone during the time that it was open.
… all the new volunteers who have come along to help at the Stepping Stone, and beyond.
… the opportunity to serve our communities with love and compassion.
… yet another successful trip to Legoland.
… JESUS!

Please pray for…
… a favourable response when the issue of a nightshelter for this coming winter is raised with all those involved.
… a speedy resolution to the uncertainty caused by the flood at the Coley office.
… Chris and Ian as they work together to move FAITH forward into those things that God has planned.
… Paul and his family as they move onto new things.

‘ Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’ Psalm 139 v 22-23