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VALUABLE IN HIS EYES Sharing the Love of Jesus DECEMBER 2019

JP S JOURNAL BY JONATHAN CEO Caring For Life VALUABLE IN HIS EYES Greetings once again from everyone at Caring For Life I don t need to tell you but another year is nearly over For us it has been another year filled with joyful moments as well as a year full of sad moments Intertwined throughout all those moments we have had opportunities to share the life changing love of our glorious Saviour Jesus Christ I also don t need to tell you but Christmas is upon us and although I love Christmas and all that it represents one of the problems I see about this time of year is that it focuses so very much on just one day and the pressure of making that one day an unforgettable and successful day takes over everything else 1 One of my favourite Christmas films is Christmas vacation The film is about one father s mission to make his family Christmas the best one ever We watch the film every year and every year my heart goes out to dear old Clark Griswold as his Christmas unfolds and ultimately implodes That can be the reality for many of us even though we know Christmas is all about the arrival of God with us we can so easily forget that God is with us And then we can be guilty of saying with our actions Sorry Lord there s no room for you in my inn I will pick you up again when all the festivities are over and when I have more time to think about the real meaning of the event

The flip side of that statement is this that many will be guilty of thinking about Jesus for just this one day and then not thinking about him for the rest of the year The truth of both examples is that we far too often fail to remember that Christ is not Just for Christmas and we fail to really consider the radical impact God with us should have on our lives If we go back to the first Christmas sitting on a mountain side was a bunch of shepherds These guys were the lowest of the low In society s eyes they were not highly thought of If you were expecting angels from heaven to turn up and tell the world that a long awaited Saviour is about to be born then you would not have expected such a declaration to be told to such a group of ru ans it would have been a crazy thought But that s how God chose to tell the world Before the Priests the religious folks the kings the well to do and the waiting people before all of them he told a bunch of poor social rejects that Immanuel the Saviour God with us had come I think that s rather special because it means that the poor and lowly are firstly valuable to God they are worth speaking to Secondly they are given a great and mighty task to do which is to tell the world that Jesus was here and to go and worship Him You see the poor and lowly have a place and a purpose in God s new kingdom It was the apostle Paul who said God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong The Christmas story overloads our minds with examples of this the foolish and the weak things shaming the wise and the strong the poor and lowly have a place and a purpose in God s new kingdom 2

JP S JOURNAL CONTINUED As you know Caring For Life s mission is to reach out with the Love of God revealed through His one and only Son Jesus We want to make His compassion known to the lowly and the weak to the broken and the rejected shall know God s peace and presence not just at Christmas but throughout the year ahead Praise the Lord because He is at work in all the opportunities He gives us and He is at work in the lives of those we are loving and living life with and He is through all of Caring For Life s works and ministries How silently how silently The wondrous gift is given So God imparts to human hearts The blessings of his heaven No ear may hear his coming But in this world of sin Where meek souls will receive him still The dear Christ enters in Would you please pray as we take the true message of Christmas to the poor and the lowly to the socially excluded and looked down upon Pray that they will come to see Jesus not as some piece in a nativity scene to be got out once a year or as some historical figure Pray that He becomes known in their hearts as the Saviour who came to save them and the Saviour who brings peace to the most turbulent of lives Let me leave you with these wonderful words and as I leave you I pray that you all 3 Love in Jesus name O holy Child of Bethlehem Descend to us we pray Cast out our sin and enter in Be born in us to day We hear the Christmas angels The great glad tidings tell O come to us abide with us Our Lord Emmanuel

AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES BY CATH Being There Manager Tim one of our housing support workers recently received this text from a man he supports I don t tell you outright but I really hope you realise you re not just a support worker to me you re family in my eyes answering questions or seeking out answers themselves from the Bible We have around 25 people who we pick up around the city Some are really isolated and it may be the only social event they go out to It s one where they hear the gospel too The text followed a period of intense support whilst this young man was going through a really tough time During this there had been amazing opportunities to share the gospel with conversation instigated by the young man asking really direct questions Recently one of our female workers decided to ask a lady she supports if she would like to come along to our Bible study evening something she had turned down in the past She said Yes straight away Not the answer our support worker was expecting Long term support where we build up relationships of trust give the best opportunities to introduce those in our care to a Saviour who loves them far more than we ever could Christmas provides amazing opportunities for us to share the gospel In addition to the Christmas Bible study on Christmas morning we pick up lots of folks to spend the day with us at Crag House Farm The day begins with attending a Christmas service at a local church For some this is the only time they will go to church and it s such a blessing that they will hear the good news of Emmanuel God with us We are so encouraged by the folk that come along regularly to our monthly Bible studies They are eager to know when the next one is listen well and join in with Long term support where we build up relationships of trust give the best opportunities to introduce those in our care to a Saviour who loves them far more than we ever could 4

LOST IN A SILENT NIGHT BY ESTHER Senior Pastoral Director In the work of Caring For Life we sometimes witness haunting scenes This world is so broken and our ministry amongst the homeless and vulnerable leads us into situations of utter brokenness The Casting Crowns song Somewhere in your silent night captures something of the sense of emptiness that some people may experience but also of the utterly glorious truth of Emmanuel God with us at the very heart of the Christmas message Somewhere in your silent night Heaven hears the song your broken heart has cried Although Caring For Life s ministry is very di cult work and issues such as the housing crisis make the task even harder we can do so much in practical terms to enable 5 a person to be safely housed and supported We can help each person to feel enfolded within a safe caring family even when their birth family or friends who should have enwrapped and protected them have been the actual source of harm But sometimes the hurt which people have experienced runs so deep that they retreat into a silent world literally not speaking not trusting anyone and communicating only through body language Some find it painful in the extreme to break free from harm such is their lack of self worth None of this is exactly a joyous Christmas image and it is worlds away from the happy ending Christmas films and adverts on our TV screens But it is the reality faced in Caring For Life s ministry every day of the sometimes the hurt which people have experienced runs so deep that they retreat into a silent world

year What a joy it is however to be able to share the gospel freely with anyone we support with whom we have earned the right to speak The gospel is shared day by day in individual conversations sometimes unexpectedly through questions that come up over mealtimes with people attending the daytime therapeutic projects at our base Crag House Farm or in our supported living homes or one of the regular Bible studies we run This Christmas it will be a privilege to share the truth of they will call him Emmanuel which means God with us Matthew 1 23 The Casting Crowns song continues Lift your head Lift your heart Emmanuel will meet you where you are He knows your hurt He knows your name And you re the very reason that He came Songwriters Bernie Herms Matthew West John Mark Hall Somewhere In Your Silent Night lyrics G650 Music At Caring For Life this Christmas we will be ensuring that every person we support receives a gift and a special food hamper For any who would otherwise be alone there will be an invitation to spend Christmas Day with us We will seek to wrap them up in a happy safe and welcoming environment Many will attend a Christmas Day service with our staff some entering a church for the first time in their lives For any who would otherwise be alone there will be an invitation to spend Christmas Day with us Not all will accept the invitation Some will choose to be alone But our prayer is that each person we support will hear the good news the angel declared and will catch the angels song Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests Luke 2 14 6

AN EGGSCELLENT PROJECT The poultry project at Caring For Life is well known for its really bad jokes On poultry we have an eggcellent time Join us on poultry and you ll really come out of your shell It s the most eggciting project on the farm It is also a wonderful pastoral project which is a real haven for so many people who come to the farm In the new year we will be advertising the post of Poultry Project Leader Pastoral Worker This will be a full time post which Please pray with us that the Lord would send the person of His choice into this crucial role and think about whether you know anyone you could show the advert to 7 will involve taking oversight of the practical and commercial aspects of the project as well as having responsibility for providing a positive placement and good pastoral care to the precious beneficiaries who are part of the poultry team We are looking for an eggceptional groan individual who loves the Lord loves vulnerable people and wants to work hard in an agricultural role Prior experience would be great but full training in pastoral and practical aspects of the role can be provided to the right individual with a heart for this work

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY at Chr i Sa Crag stma t s D urda Hou Fay ece y Sa mb 7 th se Fa re tu er rm rd Ope 20 14 th ay n 19 20 t Da h Sa S Ju y tu upp ne rd or 20 ay te 20 11 th rs D Ju ay ly 20 20 Please make a note of these dates in your new diary We do hope to see you at some of our events A LT E R NAT I V E G I F T S at Christmas CHRISTMAS happiness Don t miss out You can still get your Alternative Gifts in time for Christmas For full details see your October November bulletins or on our website You can purchase Alternative Gifts by calling us on 0113 2303600 Alternatively you can send a cheque to Caring For Life for the total amount you want to donate and specify the gift cards you would like posted out to you For full details of the cards please see our website

CFL SINGERS ON TOUR Our music project holds wonderful concerts for all of us at Crag House Farm from time to time throughout the year Last week though the music project went on tour For the first time ever Harriet and her team visited a local Residential Care Centre where two of our Caring For Life gentlemen now live The residents were delighted to welcome our singers and enjoyed their festive repertoire Over the past year the group have been practising songs to do with freedom and were so happy to be able to share these pieces two of which were even in a different language 9 Once they had performed these uplifting pieces there was also a chance for the residents to join in with singing some wellknown Christmas songs which they did with real gusto After the concert many of the group enjoyed chatting with their audience One of our gentleman even shook every person s hand and wished them a Merry Christmas The singers were delighted at the audience reaction glad that they had been able to entertain and bring joy to others and also very proud of their own performances These are precious opportunities for those in our care to shine to showcase their talents and to be applauded for their efforts Many will not have had these opportunities in other areas of their lives That s what makes these events so special and so memorable

SUPPORTERS AREA Upcoming Support Group Dates HOST LOCATION DATE TIME Wendy Barry Stringer Kippax Tues 3rd Dec 2pm Ann Peter Buckle Paul Cox Wigton Plumbland Mon 13th Jan 10 30am Daphne Wiffen Haverhill Mon 13th Jan 2 30pm Roger Oliver Haywards Heath Wed 15th Jan 2 30pm Andy Ruth Robinson Darlington Tues 21st Jan 7 30pm Ann Austin Chesham Wed 22nd Jan 2pm David Sarah Woodruff Dunstable Thurs 23rd Jan 7 30pm Mike Liz Davison Newcastle Sat 25th Jan 3pm Paul Pease Hook Wed 29th Jan 8pm Sian Neil Green Brandon Sat 1st Feb 3pm Mike Eunice Rolfe Trowbridge Thurs 6th Feb 7 30pm Linda Naveiras Marian Paish Mid Suffolk Sat 8th Feb 10 30am Kevin Anne Sadler Bury Sat 8th Feb 2pm Upcoming Church Presentations Wed 11th Dec 10 30am Grace Baptist Church Southport Sun 21 Jan 10 30am Wyke Christian Council United Service Thurs 30th Jan 7 30pm The Terrace Church Rugby st Fundraising Events Christmas Events Music Events CHRISTMAS CONCERT HOOK 7 12 LINE DANCING MUSIC DUNSTABLE 8 2 CAROLS AFTERNOON TEA HOOK 17 12 HULLAVINGTON CHOIR TROWBRIDGE 21 3 See our website for upcoming support group dates details of the events and church presentations across the country Contact Pam for further details pam parkinson caringforlife co uk 10 CFL representative attending

2019 Christmas Cards Our 2019 Christmas Cards feature original artwork created especially for Caring For Life Each pack of 12 cards showcases 3 di erent scenes from the Nativity story on the front and a corresponding Bible verse inside e c n a h Last C Happy Christmas Happy Christmas Happy Christmas Isaiah 9 6 Luke 2 10 11 Matthew 2 9 10 Just 6 per pack of 12 P P Purchases can be made online from our website shop www caringforlife co uk shop over the phone 0113 230 3600 or write your order and send a cheque payable to CFL Ltd Pseudonyms are often used throughout these bulletins to protect the privacy of individuals Due to the sensitive information in this bulletin about individuals may we remind you not to leave it lying around copy reproduce any contents without permission or pass it on to others If you know of someone who would like to receive a copy please ask them to contact Pam on 0113 2303610 or pam parkinson caringforlife co uk to be added to our mailing list Thank You