But I want you to continue to follow what you have learned and are sure about. You know the people you learned it from. 2 Timothy 3:14 (NIrV)
Molly is blooming! Her gorgeous creamy white blossoms stand out against the dark, seemingly lifeless soil of winter. ‘Molly’s White’ is a hellebore, planted in memory of Pete’s dear aunt and godmother whose birthday was in January.
Auntie Molly always cut to the chase, saying things as they were and, despite her disability following surgery that ‘went wrong’, very clearly pointed the way to Jesus.
Have you got, or had, an ‘Aunty Molly’ in your life, someone who has shown you what it means to be a follower of Jesus? We do hope so. As Christians Jesus calls us to be ‘Aunty Molly’ to other people, not being afraid to speak the truth in love, helping and encouraging them to love and follow Jesus. That is one of the privileges with which we have been entrusted as we share the love of Jesus with people with learning disabilities.
At the 10th birthday of ‘Shine’ in Melksham a long term member of the group presented a cake to celebrate the occasion.
It was great to see another member, Marcus (not his actual name), whom Pete had first met 10 or more years ago. Marcus was happy to be taken
to church services but his attention span was short and he found it hard to sit still. By the end of the service he was often to be found perched at the top of windows high above the worship area. When we saw Marcus this time, he was still lively but through the faithful, loving relational ministry of Myles and Cath Pilling and their team he has become a Christian who loves to worship and pray. I wonder if you are willing to invest in someone’s life, maybe someone who might be considered too unruly or difficult to get alongside, or perhaps someone who is quiet and retiring?
Want some training?
We now offer two standalone, interactive ‘Know and Grow’ one-day training courses to churches/groups interested in starting or developing their ministry to adults with learning disabilities. Part One informs and equip churches to be more welcoming and relevant, including how to set up and run a small group ministry. Part Two is intended for people who have attended Part One (or similar basic training) and/or have relevant experience. It includes a refresher of Part One as well as two brand new modules, ‘Being Creative’ and ‘Going Deeper’. The latter tackles questions that may have crossed your mind but never asked!
An opportunity: We have been asked to run Part 2 at Worthing Baptist Church on Saturday 17th March. The cost is £15 per person. Contact us to make a booking. Numbers are limited!
If your church would be interested in hosting a Know and Grow training day, do get in touch. We generally like a minimum of 3 months to plan, publicise and take bookings for a Know and Grow day.
Welcome to new Friends!
More churches and small groups have become Friends with Count Everyone In during the scheme’s first three months:
Cambridgeshire
Fenland Community Church, March
Hampshire
Sunday Friends at Basingstoke Baptist Church
Bishopstoke Evangelical Church
Waltham Chase Methodist Church
Hertfordshire
The Gathering at High Street Methodist Church, Harpenden
Doorway at Grace Community Church, Stevenage
Monmouthshire
Caldicot Methodist Church
Surrey
Open Hands at Christ Church, Guildford
West Sussex
Shine based at Worthing Baptist Church
You won’t yet find details of our Friends scheme on the website www.counteveryonein.org.uk but please feel free to contact us direct, or via the Contact page of the website if you, your group or church are interested in finding out more.
Prayer pointers:
For a refreshing couple of nights away 6 – 8 February
For the advanced training modules to be relevant, informative, clear and enjoyable
For bookings for the first advanced training day in Worthing 17 March
For Word Alive teaching preparation based on the book of Nehemiah
That we approach appropriate team members for this year’s festivals and events
That charitable status is granted and the ‘right’ trustees are appointed
For energy, inspiration and effectiveness
The diary looks surprisingly empty but that is good news because we have lots of preparation to do for events coming up over the next few months. Some diary dates:
Monday 5th
‘Café Theology’ course at St Nic’s
Tue 6th – Thur 8th
Holiday
Tuesday 13th
Christine’s dad’s 99th birthday celebrations in St Albans; the Encounter prayer meeting at St Nic’s
Saturday 17th
Meet up with a couple of former colleagues over from Australia
Monday 19th
‘Café Theology’ at St Nic’s
Tuesday 20th
‘Above & Beyond’ conference for churches and Christian charities, organised in London by the Evangelical Alliance
Wednesday 21st
Lunchtime meeting with staff team at St Nic’s; homegroup also in Newbury
Thursday 22nd
‘Finance for Ministry’ conference in London organised by Stewardship
Saturday 24th
Caring for grandsons overnight
Sunday 25th
W-A-V-E service at Muswell Hill for people interested in ministry to adults with learning disabilities in London
Wednesday 28th
Visit Dad in St Albans, followed by Homegroup at our home
2018 Count Everyone In will be at:
Exhibiting for Biblica, Leicester (New Wine) 10 March
Word Alive, Prestatyn 7-12 April
Catalyst Festival, Stoneleigh 28 May
Spring Harvest Holidays, France 4-11 June
Keswick Convention 23-27 July
Westpoint Event, Exeter 24-26 August
Social media – See www.counteveryonein.org.uk and you can also keep up with us on Facebook and Twitter. Please follow, like and share.
Do keep in touch and let us know how we can pray for you.
With love in Jesus,
Pete & Christine
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Safeguarding Statement
We are committed to following government and thirtyone:eight guidelines on safeguarding adults at risk and good working practice, including safer recruitment of workers.
