February 2014 - Open the Book

Not to be confused with our Thursday Bible Study, ‘Open The Book’ is a national charity that offers a programme of themed and dramatised Bible stories at no charge to the schools. Have you ever thought that children in schools might be missing out on what the Bible has to show them? They could go through their entire school life without ever learning about Adam and Eve, Noah, David, Jonah ... or even the life of Jesus and the stories of the New Testament. ‘Open The Book’ sessions are around 10 minutes long and fit comfortably into assembly times.  Volunteer story-tellers use drama, mime, props, costume - and the children themselves - to present Bible stories in ways that are lively, engaging, informative ... and great fun for everyone involved!

‘Open The Book’ started in Bedford in 1999 where a group of Christians first started presenting Bible stories in school assemblies, partly inspired by Bible Society’s “Open The Book” Millennium initiative.  Word reached other schools and areas and so grew from a local initiative into a national enterprise.  In September 2013 ‘Open The Book’ merged with Bible Society which seems logical since the vision and mission of both organisations are so closely aligned. About 254,500 primary children are now regularly enjoying the great story of Scripture in school assemblies as there are now 1,497 ‘Open The Book’ teams across the UK (an increase of 137 in the past 6 months) and 8,651 volunteers (an additional 1,131).

Phil Arnold, Jean Gregory and I became involved as part of Hope ’09, and we are part of an ecumenical team going into Oakwood School on a Thursday morning. We would love some more people to join us, so don’t be shy, and come along if you would like to see what happens before you join us. Money raised helps to buy the books we use, and to help with props and costumes. If you would like to help us by making these we would be very grateful, so please have a chat with Jean or myself.

To find out more about Open the Book visit their website here ...

January 2014 Listening Post

Listening Post is a professional voluntary counselling service, Christian in foundation, that was formed twenty one years ago to relieve emotional and psychological distress in Christians and non-Christians alike. We are an organisational member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and work within their Ethical Framework. We provide counselling for anyone over 18, regardless of financial status, gender, religion, sexual orientation, race, colour or ethnic origin.

Listening Post offers counselling to adults in Gloucestershire suffering from emotional distress. There are many reasons why people seek counselling. Sometimes a relationship has broken down or you have been bereaved. Sometimes the stress of hard working lives has become unmanageable. Sometimes wounds from much earlier in your life resurface and haunt you. Sometimes you just feel you have lost your way and no longer know what to do.

We serve any resident of Gloucestershire, including those who might otherwise be financially prevented from accessing professional counselling support. Private counselling can cost up to £50 an hour – a cost that many people desperately in need cannot afford. Unlike private practitioners we do not charge a set fee for our services. All we ask is that, based upon individual means, our clients make a donation per session.
If, as a client, you draw support from Christianity or any faith and want that to play a part in your counselling we work within the context of your faith. If you wish to work without reference to any religious beliefs, you are equally welcome.  The professional concern of a Listening Post counsellor will be to gain an understanding of how you see yourself and of what distresses you, and then work with you to determine how you can best be supported.

We have three counselling centres in Gloucestershire, located in Gloucester, Cheltenham and Stroud. You are welcome to contact any centre about counselling; other enquiries are best made to our main office in Gloucester.

Cheltenham 01242 256060; Stroud 02453 750123; Gloucester 01452 383820

Listening Post on the web

As with so many of the charities we support Listening Post is struggling with both the increases in their costs and the volume of clients needing their help.  They are very grateful for any help we can give them.

December and Christmas Charity - Embrace the Middle East Syria Appeal

Embrace the Middle East is the exciting new name for BibleLands, a Christian charity which was set up in 1854.  In its 150+ years of existence they have worked in many countries in the Near and Middle East.  Currently Embrace supports projects in Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Egypt. Although they do not routinely work in Syria, during the current crisis there, they have been supporting the work of local church leaders to bring food to internally displaced persons.

Detailed research showed that the previous name conjured up an old-fashioned image and led people to believe that they distributed Bibles or were an overtly evangelistic charity.  While Embrace believes in the importance of the Word of God and its dissemination, distribution of Bibles is not part of their charitable purpose. Embrace the Middle East was chosen because it described the work and reflected the Christian calling to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry and help the homeless (Matthew 25).  It was also felt that embrace was a very Biblical concept, one that invoked the inclusiveness that goes to the very heart of the Gospel.

One paraphrase translation of Jesus’ comments in Mark 9 verse 37 reads: "Whoever embraces one of these children as I do embraces me, and far more than me - God who sent me."

Embrace the Middle East is a non-governmental, inter-denominational charity supporting Christian-led humanitarian projects in the Middle East. Embrace seeks to improve the lives of vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the Middle East in partnership with local Christians, focusing on education, healthcare and community development – regardless of their faith or nationality.

Babies in the land of Christ's birth are going without vital medicines and nutrition. An Embrace-supported Well Baby clinic, run by Gazan Christians, is working under extreme pressure to bring medicines and nutritional support to babies at risk. The clinic provides milk, iron supplements and medicines free of charge. The staff monitor growth and advise parents on how to make sure their children's food retains as many nutrients as possible.  Please help reach them before it's too late.

www.embraceme.org    

Registered Charity 1076329

November - The Langley House Trust and the Knole

As a Christian Charity, our mission at Langley House Trust is to work with those who are at risk of offending, or have offended, establishing positive foundations so that they can lead crime-free lives and become contributors to society.

At Langley House Trust we believe all people are:
 made in God’s image
 loved by Him regardless
 called into community
 offered redemption by His grace
 promised His glory

Our Vision 

The Trust will work towards the fulfillment of its vision of a crime-free society where no-one is unfairly disadvantaged or excluded because of their past.

The Knole in Cheltenham is a Registered Care Home, which provides accommodation for fourteen men aged 30 years and over.

The Knole aims to enable and equip former offenders to address their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs within a caring Christian environment.

We aim to assist each person to progress towards more personal independence, learning life and social skills in order to live a fulfilling and crime-free life.

We also offer a floating support service which is able to support residents in their own accommodation after their stay at the project.

The Knole is committed to achieving equal opportunities for all. Religion, race, nationality, disability, age and sexual orientation will not be part of the selection criteria.

We will challenge any discriminatory attitude within the house.

The staff provide each resident with a confidentiality policy through which they seek to safeguard and keep secure all confidential information received regarding an individual.

With your support we can continue our work to help overcome the challenges faced by our residents, such as gaining meaningful employment or voluntary work, furthering education, and enhancing social skills in order for them to rebuild their lives and become part of the wider community.

If you wish to find out more about our valuable work please visit our website at www.langleyhousetrust.org or contact The Knole on 01242 526978.

October: St Vincent's and St George's Association

the care you need for the life you want

Locally based charity, St Vincent's and St George's Association,  has had a very busy year!

Originally two separate charities (hence the long name!)  both providing care for people with complex and diverse needs, StVs and StGs has grown considerably.

The following is extracted from the 2012/2013 annual review and impact report.

The main services provided are
 Domiciliary care in your own home
 Activities and therapy centre
 Community based housing
 Residential care
 Supported living
 Guidance and support

Achievements

Over the last 12 months 69,321 hours of direct care and support has been provided. Over 55,874 miles have been travelled to provide support and services to people.

Work experience for 33 local students has been provided.

Making a difference.

Well Close House (Regency Care Home in Lansdown) reconfiguration was finished.  Residents stayed living in the home while work continued to alter the interior into self-contained units, which was a huge achievement, mainly due to careful planning by, and dedication of the staff.   The work involved creating three new communal lounge/dining areas suitable for food preparation and cooking, each with a comfortable seating area.  An additional separate area for the staff team was created on the ground floor, and other communal areas enhanced.  For the next year (2013/2014) attention now turns to the exterior of the property and the beautiful grounds.  Subject to securing sufficient funds the hope is to complete the majority of the plan to revitalise the large mature garden and create an accessible garden.  This will be used, not only by the residents and tenants at Well Close House, but also by other local disabled and voluntary groups including primary school children who may have limited opportunities to explore this kind of environment.

The designs for the outside work are ready and the hope is that in the coming year these will become a reality and help attract new visitors.

What the residents said – ‘I like our kitchen because it’s all different colours’  ‘I can now clean the kitchen myself’

Phoenix – 
situated on Winchcombe Street
The other BIG project planned for 2012/2013 was to identify and secure larger centrally based premises for the relocation of day care services.

Having found a suitable building the timescale was remarkable.
 April 2012 –
fundraising drive commenced
 30th July 2012 –
lease agreement signed
 6th August 2012 –
renovation work begins
 8th November 2012 –
main building work completed
 12th November 2012 –
open for business

This was achieved by help from a whole host of people, in particular the Gloucestershire County Council learning disabilities commissioning team, the Gloucestershire County Council education department and Betteridge School.  

Peter Holmes, of the County Council, says “I last came here when it was an empty building.  What a difference a year makes!  The building has been transformed, but it isn’t just about the building.  It’s alive with a real buzz as people come, learn new things and enjoy themselves.  What a great place!”

The charity is grateful for the wide range of funds received without which not as much could be achieved.  I feel it a great privilege to be involved with this charity – I have been a trustee for 5 years. So if you would like more information, and want to see the pictures that go with these words (!) please see me.
Meanwhile StVs and StGs is very grateful for the support of the church.

September: Middle East Concern

Middle East Concern supports those in the Middle East & North Africa who are persecuted for being or becoming Christians

We work with Christian churches and community leaders to monitor discrimination and persecution. Upon the request of the local church leadership, we provide support in the following ways:

Assisting victims of persecution:
 Offering encouragement and informed, trustworthy expertise
 Mobilising world-wide prayer, in open or confidential networks
 Initiating political advocacy on behalf of victims of persecution
 Providing practical and financial support, for example to those fleeing life-threatening persecution

Challenging laws, policies and attitudes:
 Undertaking research-based advocacy on legal and structural issues that underlie persecution
 Campaigning for the re-instatement of civil rights to converts from other faiths
 Addressing unhealthy responses to persecution such as hasty relocation to the West

Equipping Christians to face persecution:
 Conducting seminars to help Christians respond Biblically to suffering and persecution
 Training community leaders on constitutional rights and international law
 Providing practical training on issues such as crisis management and handling arrest and interrogation

The Suffering Church
Persecution takes many forms.
From oppression and discrimination to blatant denial of constitutional or inter-nationally recognised freedoms, religious persecution is the deliberate suppression of a person or community’s right to hold and manifest their religious beliefs.
For centuries, Christians in the Middle East and North Africa have been discriminated against, marginalised and at times violently persecuted.
Some have been imprisoned, tortured or even killed for their faith in Jesus Christ. Their pain and suffering are often silent. They are cut off from family and Christian fellowship. They are vulnerable to abuse by state security services, extremist groups, their communities and their families.
We believe that all Christians are called to stand with those who are persecuted. Christians are called not only to expect persecution but to also fight injustice.
Responding to the injustice of persecution is part of the Christian calling.

Organisation
Our vision is that Christian communities and individual Christians in the Middle East and North Africa will be able to practise their faith freely.
We are a coalition of Christian agencies and individuals advocating for the human rights of Christians.
In addition to the Bible, we take our mandate from the following documents:
 The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948 (Article 18)
 The Lausanne Covenant, 1974 (Paragraph 13)
 Dignitatis Humanae (Declaration on Religious Freedom), 1965
We were founded in 1991 in response to needs expressed by Christian leaders in the region. Our individual and corporate membership includes Christians living and working in all countries of the Middle East and North Africa.

On the web:  Middle East Concern

August - Myasthenia Gravis Association

A while ago now there were posters that invited you to smile. You may remember being puzzled by the fact that the faces on the poster seemed to show no emotion. It’s impossible to smile if your facial muscles have become weak. This is only one of the symptoms that can make Myasthenia Gravis an embarrassing condition to endure.

Myasthenia Gravis is an auto-immune disease which is characterised by fluctuating, sometimes fatal, muscle weakness. The body’s immune system attacks and damages the nerve signal reception areas on the muscles so that the nerve is not able to cause muscle contraction and the result is apparent weakness.
As any muscles can be affected the symptoms can vary greatly and can be triggered by the onset of infection or stress of any kind, physical or emotional. It can be difficult for family and friends to understand that someone can seem perfectly normal one moment but droopy and listless only a few hours or even minutes later.

Simple things that we take for granted like eating, seeing, talking and laughing can become difficult or even impossible. Although it is rare under the age of 10, Myasthenia Gravis can affect anyone of any age, sex or race.

Approximately one person in every ten thousand may be suffering from this disease in the UK at any one time.

The Myasthenia Gravis Association works through regional organisers and local branches to offer support to people suffering from Myasthenia and their families. The Gloucestershire branch meets every four months when they will aim to address any problems that have arisen, share news of national events and go out for a meal together. The aim of meeting as a group is to create links with other people who understand what the sufferer is going through. It is also a valuable opportunity to share experience of available treatment. A safe support network can offer that priceless service – someone at the end of a ’phone who really knows what you are trying to cope with.

Fundraising is important to raise money for research. Recent research has resulted in better understanding and management of the disease but there is not yet a cure. The Institute of Molecular Medicine in Oxford is hopeful of a breakthrough if the momentum can be maintained.

Money is also spent on producing and distributing leaflets in order to share information and raise public awareness of this disease.

The web site is worth a visit and has a short video which is very helpful in understanding this condition.

www.mga-charity.org

Helpline: 0800 919922