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Sharing the Love of Jesus • JUNE 2019FAITHFUL GOD
JP’S JOURNALBY JONATHAN CEO Caring For Life1.Greetings from everyone at Caring For Life. We thank the Lord every day for all of you, our wonderful friends and supporters. We rejoice to know that we have a bond, built upon the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, and a partnership in Him that spurs us on to share the love of Jesus together.As I am sure you all know, life here never seems to slow down. In this month’s bulletin, we have so much to update you on and so much to thank the Lord for.Last month, our Being There (Housing Support) team took a number of our bene ciaries away to the Lake District for a two-night break. These retreats have been such a blessing to those who have attended in the past, and this year was no exception.I had the privilege of introducing them to the wonderful Grace of God during the rst evening’s talk, presenting Jesus’ words from the cross, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”When you come to know that you have been forgiven by God for your sins, it is a truly liberating thing. Sadly, so many in our care carry huge burdens of guilt and shame, as we sometimes do. This can be overwhelming, can’t it?Those of us who love Jesus, know what it is like to have these burdens lifted by the Grace of God. We know how amazing this is, but please pray for those who heard this message, and in particular for the lady who said, “This is wonderful, but it’s not for someone like me”. The wonderful Grace of God is, we know, for everyone, and we know that Grace lifts up the brokenhearted and raises up the weak. I pray this lady will come to know that for herself.FAITHFUL GOD
JP’S JOURNALThese precious times away remind us that there are so many who don’t enjoy life, and so many who don’t get to enjoy good, safe relationships with other people. We want to redress that balance by replacing bad memories with good, and unkind people with people who love them.Here in Leeds, the work also goes on at real pace. We have new people joining our projects all the time and one or two old faces back with us, after many years away. In particular, the work on the Conservation and Horticultural projects is at its most exciting, with spring fully in bloom and with summer fast approaching. If you are nearby, then please come and enjoy the amazing gardens that our team of sta , bene ciaries and volunteers maintain.Despite the weather, our Plant Sales Day was a good day; but it was only one day. We pray for the success of all our social enterprises as they help so much with our general income, especially as this time of year, which can be quite di cult.I would ask you to please pray for our nancial needs. I don’t like highlighting this need, as I pray that the work itself and the needs of those in our care will prompt any potential prayers and gifts. We know God is a good God, and we believe He will provide all that we need, because alongside the day-to-day needs Caring For Life has, we are telling people of their greatest need, and that is the need to follow Jesus.I am constantly reminded of God’s faithfulness as I see His hand in action at 2.Preparing for Plant Sales Day.I am constantly reminded of God’s faithfulness as I see His hand in action at Caring For Life. It is seen in the conversations, the acts of love and compassion, the eyes that see and the ears that hear about the Saviour’s love.
JP’S JOURNAL CONTINUED3.Caring For Life. It is seen in the conversations, the acts of love and compassion, the eyes that see and the ears that hear about the Saviour’s love.We are surrounded by trees and owers, streams and ponds, elds full of wild owers being visited by bees and other insects; all of which goes on under our noses at Caring For Life; and they all speak of God’s faithfulness.The wonderful thing about God’s faithfulness is this, and its like His Grace; for Him there is no shadow of turning from it. When He has you, He never lets go, as one of our men recently reminded us. Don’t you just love Him, our great and glorious God? Don’t you just love His beloved Son, the One who carried our burdens all the way to Calvary’s cruel tree. And as Christian from Pilgrim’s Progress saw, the burden fell from his back at that cross and rolled away into a grave, never to be seen again. Don’t you just love Jesus for that?Don’t you just love the Lord because His Spirit, the Comforter, abides in us and around us, wherever we go? I hope you do.Praise His name, because ‘He giveth and giveth and giveth again’, as the old hymn tells us. He has given us a harvest eld of vulnerable, broken souls. Into that harvest eld we go, here at Caring For Life. We take Jesus’ love and we take the prayers of God’s faithful warriors along with us.So, if God be for us, who can be against us? And if we take the gospel of Christ, the gospel that prevails, then glorious things shall be done for the honour and fame of Jesus’ name.Here is the good news, great and glorious things are happening, so let’s together thank and praise God for His faithful, sovereign and compassionate love.God be with you all, and I can’t wait to see you soon, either at our Open Day or at our Supporters Day, or maybe both.Love in Jesus’ name,
He is a man with longstanding mental health issues, which are serious and uctuating in response to stressful situations in his life.He had run up a large debt on his electric account and so the utility company had installed a pre paid meter, meaning when he ran out of money each week, he also ran out of electric. So we often found him sitting in a cold dark at. During a car journey (after a celebration co ee!) Jack suddenly exclaimed that I had de nitely booked my place in heaven because of my part in securing his money. I was able to respond that I was indeed sure I had a place in heaven, but this had nothing to do with what I had done. That having a place in heaven is never anything to do with what we do, but what Jesus has done. It’s through His Grace. It was a brief opportunity, which came without warning. We should always be ready to give an answer for the hope within us(1 Peter 3 v15). We don’t always have time to explain everything about the gospel, and we need to be sensitive to the abilities and mood of the person we are talking with. I’m looking forward to building on this exchange. It’s so wonderful to share the Good News with those who have little or no idea of how loving and gracious our Saviour is.Jack had been entitled to disability bene ts which had been stopped – unfairly. He had no one to appeal on his behalf and was getting into debt.Jack’s StoryANGER DISSOLVED4.Once we got involved we were able to take up his case and he has recently had his benefi ts reinstated. is dramatically improved his mental health. He felt a load of frustration and anger had been lifted.
BY CATH Being ere Team ManagerHAPPY MEMORIES“Staff were blessed by interactions with the benefi ciaries, getting to know them on a diff erent level and sharing more about their lives than we’d heard before.”5.A group of 20 have just returned from a lovely 3-day break at Bassenfell Manor in the Lake District. This was the annual Being There (Housing Support) event, when we take a group of the ladies and gentlemen we support away for a short holiday. Against all weather forecasts, it stayed mainly dry and we had plenty of sunshine to ensure we could appreciate the beautiful views. So thankful to God for this.We know that some of you follow the prayer points on our website and one of the girls we took away shared with us how moved she was that others took the time to pray for her holiday. Well, God heard and answered abundantly, with far more blessings than just the weather.On the rst evening Jonathan joined us and gave a talk about forgiveness. There were some emotional reactions, followed by some good, encouraging conversations. There were other occasions throughout the stay to pray with folk. One of our ladies is going through a horrendous family situation; she was really troubled by her bitter and angry thoughts, and asked us to pray with her. One of the activities that went really well this year was the archery, almost all joined in and we were amazed that most stayed for the full 2 hour session. This was helped by the sun shining at just the right time. Everyone was good at it, but the girls really shone, winning the top 3 places! They were particularly blessed by their reactions and attitudes towards one another. One lady who we’ve known to be aggressive and dismissive towards others, displayed beautiful compassion and grace towards another lady in crisis.
HAPPY MEMORIES6.The prayer meeting on our last night was encouraging, with almost all participants attending. One gentleman expressed that he would like to start attending our monthly Bible studies, as he’d heard others talking about it so positively.When it’s time to think about home, some are eager - although they have enjoyed it, they’ve struggled to sleep and to cope with anxiety about the unfamiliar. Others are in low mood, knowing what they have to go back to and dreading the return home. All we can do is walk with them and point them to a Saviour, but we can’t always take away the di cult situations they live in.We do hope though, that we have built some really happy memories to chat about in the weeks and months to come. There was certainly lots of fun and games….where winning or losing was dependent on a PING or a PONG or whether you could unravel a frozen knotted t-shirt…and wear it before your rival…or whether you could pass the blindfolded taste test! It’s beautiful to see the trust that folk have in the sta . They know we won’t show them up or put them on the spot and embarrass them….but when it comes to sta , now that’s a di erent matter!
BY SEAN Drama Project LeaderPUPPETS & PARABLESDoes anyone know what to expect from a Drama session? I would say that those who regularly attend our project do know what to expect—or at least, they know enough to give them a reason to come; just enough to assure them that good times will be had in a safe environment among friends. After that, anything goes. It can be hard to say what will happen on a given day. It’s impossible to please everyone, especially when people aren’t in a good place and don’t feel it’s possible to have a good time no matter what you set before them. Such are the uctuating and usually unpredictable personal, emotional, and psychological factors that determine the success of a Drama session.When an idea or an activity “clicks” and the group is working well, that’s a golden moment. We love those. We’ll take as many of those as possible, please. But there’s no guarantee of that happening every day, or even that the same activity done in the same way will work as well next time. There’s never any rest in creative work, no point at which everything becomes easy. It’s always test and adjust, test and adjust. That’s how practice works and how skills are developed and polished. Sometimes a wonderful, colossal, fantastic idea doesn’t work in practice, and it’s back to the drawing board; sometimes the thing you can never see working in a million years surprises you, turns out to be a goldmine.“ e heart of man plans his way,but the LORD establishes his steps.” PROVERBS 16:9Right now we’re taking small steps forward, and asking God to direct and establish each one. Thanks to Jed and the woodwork team, 7.
PUPPETS & PARABLES8.we have a tailor-made puppet theatre and are learning how to use hand puppets to show emotions and perform scenes. With the addition of a white sheet and a bright light, the puppet theatre can be converted into a shadow puppet theatre—a whole other exciting art form. In our rst sessions playing with shadow puppets, I heard character voices that were distinct and wide-ranging, a bit like a cast of cartoon characters; I witnessed imaginative storytelling, and inventive use of the shadow puppet gures themselves; all resulting in perhaps the best sound of all: a room full of loud, free, unbidden laughter. Another thing I am very excited about, a thematic thread being woven throughout all Drama groups at the moment, is the subject of parables in the Bible—the stories Jesus told. We are applying what we already know about stories and looking at each of these sharp-edged little tales in terms of the characters, setting, and action they present. Of course, I hope that participants will see further than the stories themselves, and discover what Jesus means to say by them. What better way to get close to the heart of Jesus’ message, then to put ourselves into the roles of those characters he describes? That, at least, is my hope. I value your prayers that the steps we take will lead some closer to the gates of the Kingdom—to the very feet of Jesus Himself.all resulting in perhaps the best sound of all: a room full of loud, free, unbidden laughter. That, at least, is my hope. I value your prayers that the steps we take will lead some closer to the gates of the Kingdom—to the very feet of Jesus Himself.Telling stories this way, unseen behind the shelter of the puppet theatre stand, gives performers a kind of protection which one person described as ‘freeing,’ and I have seen it bolster participants’ creativity in the best ways imaginable.
Our dedicated team of sta, volunteers and beneciaries on the Horticulture project had an extremely busy time preparing the plants for sale and the making sure the glasshouse was looking great. Working together on this brought a great sense of teamwork and accomplishment to many of our beneciaries. It was wonderful for them to see the plants that they have helped grow being admired and bought by customers for their own gardens. One gentleman who has been supported by Caring For Life for many years takes great pride in welcoming visitors, helping them nd what they’re looking for, and at times encouraging them to buy more than they intended!Plan Sales Day Suces!On the day the team sold around 2,700 individual bedding plants, 300 perennial plants, 100 shrubs and roses and 39 hanging baskets!And, thankfully, the lovely weather has caused folk to begin thinking about their gardens and the Nursery has remained busy in the weeks since. We are thankful to God for the wonderful provision of our glasshouse and are delighted to see it being used to support our beneciaries and to welcome members of the public whose custom helps support the work of Caring For Life.
Join us for Supporters Day 2019Our Supporters Day is only open to prayer supporters and guests. Your entry passes can be found on the back page. Remember to bring them with you, and let us know if you need extra guest passes.Our Supporters Day is for all ages with something for everyone... a real “Caring For Life family” day! For teens and younger, our ever popular “Farmtastic” event will take place. A bouncy castle and gladiator jousting will also be open!With the seminars, the Thanksgiving Service, all projects open and a range of attractions, including Equestrian Displays, Sheep Showing and Safari Tours, Nature Watch, “Have a go” in Art Shop plus Music and Drama productions, there is loads to enjoy and be inspired by.Supporters Day TimelineACTIVITY LOCATION TIMEAll projects and displays open Across the Farm 10amSeminar: The Heart & History of CFL Marquee 10-10:30amSeminar: Being There Marquee 10:30am-11amFarmtastic PAM Building 11am-12pmSteaks Roadshow Marquee 11amSeminar: Time For Jesus Scheme Marquee 12-12:30pmSeminar: The Heart & History of CFL Marquee 1-1:30pmAll projects and displays close Across the Farm 1:30pm-3pmThanksgiving Service PAM Building 2-3pmAll projects and displays reopen Across the Farm 3pmSeminar: Bene ts Workshop Marquee 3:30-4:15pmSeminar: Support Groups Marquee 4:15-4:45pmAll projects and displays close Across the Farm 4:45pmClosing Prayers and Day Ends Marquee 4:50-5pm
I consider it a privilege and a pleasure to hold a fundraising coee event for CFL. I run a support group and the whole group gets involved; we are grateful for volunteers from church as well. Our event is held in our Town Hall, next to the market square, where there is a monthly coee morning for various charitable causes on market day. So we run a coee event for CFL on the back of that.There are costs to consider: We pay for the hire of the Town Hall and pay for Public Liability Insurance for the use of the hall. (The PLI used to be covered by the town hall but not these days.) There is no entrance fee; but hopefully there is a lot to buy once people are in; all the refreshments and tables of quality bric a brac. A SUPPORT GROUP STORYOUR NEXT EVENT IS:urs 4th July 9am-1pm at Wetherby Town Hall Please come and join us if you can!
We sort donated bric a brac and theme the tables: toys, games, home décor, crockery/cutlery/glassware, dvds, books etc.Then we have a table with CFL information and lea ets and one member of the support group chats to people as they pass by.We try to keep the refreshments simple and serve scones and jam; tea & co ee (incl decaf); fruit teas; squash and bacon butties, which always go down really well! To advertise the event, we have posters around the town and local churches. On the day, we have a wonderful lady who walks around the square wearing a sandwich board, telling everyone about the co ee morning - she is so enthusiastic to do this and I’m sure that plays a big part in drawing people in on the day! We feel that we are able to serve our community. We have people who come in and sit alone and then one of us will go and chat with them. We arrive early on the day and pray that God will use us and that we will be the fragrance of Jesus in our town. We see it as a way of reaching out with God’s love.fragrance of Jesus in our town. We see it as a way of reaching out with God’s love.“We see it as a way of reaching out with God’s love.”12.
Upcoming Church PresentationsSun 2nd June @ 10:15am Oakwood Church, LeedsSun 2nd June @ 7:15pm St Mark’s Young People’s Group, HarrogateSun 9th June @ 10:45am Ashton under Hill Free Church, WorcesterSun 9th June @ 10:30am Bridlington Christian FellowshipSun 9th June @ 6:30pm Barnby on the Marsh Methodist Church, HowdenMon 10th June @ 7:30pm North Bradley Baptist Church, Trowbridge Weds 12th June @ 7:30pm Stanton Lees Chapel, DerbyshireTues 18th June @ 7:45pm Langford Evangelical Church, SomersetWeds 19th June @ 7:30 Thornhill Baptist Church, DewsburySun 30th June @ 10:30am Middleton Park Baptist Church, LeedsThurs 4th July @ 7:30pm Trinity Baptist Church, TenterdenSun 21st July @ 10am Kinmel Bay ChurchSun 21st July @10:30am Wyke United Service @ Lower Wyke Moravian Church, BradfordSun 21st July @ 6:30pm Brad eld & Rougham Baptist Church, Bury St EdmundsIf you would like details about any of the Caring For Life presentations above, please ring the CFL main number 0113 2303600 or email zoe.smith@caringforlife.co.uk. We would love to come and share more about our work with your church or fellowship. If we haven’t been for a while and you’d like an update, or if our work is completely new to your fellowship, and you would like to arrange for a member of sta to come and present our work, please do get in touch.We would love to come and share more about our work with your church or fellowship!
Fundraising EventsCoff ee EventsTRINITY BAPTIST CHURCH, TENTERDEN 29/6BOSTON SPA SUPPORT GROUP 4/7Cream / Strawberry TeaKINMEL BAY CHURCH 8/6WHITBY SUPPORT GROUP 22/6CAPEL ST MARY SUPP GROUP, IPSWICH 27/7NORTH LEEDS SUPPORT GROUP 10/8Coff ee & LunchSOUTH NORFOLK SUPPORT GROUP 8/6Music ConcertKINMEL BAY CHURCH 8/6Garden PartyKINMEL BAY CHURCH 22/6 Sponsored WalkLYKE WAKE, NORTH YORK MOORS 28 & 29/6Visit JustGiving to donate! Open Day*15/6 @ Crag House FarmDinner & Auction*15/8 @ Lumley CastleContact Brenda Brown brenda18brown@gmail.comUpcoming Support Group DatesHOST LOCATION DATE & TIMERuth Taylor Oxford Tues 11th June 7.30pmJacqui Casson Kinmel Bay Church Tues 18th JuneMalcolm & June Evans Liverpool Thurs 20th June 8pmPat Clegg & Joanna Cooper Arbroath Thurs 27th June 3-5pmMike & Eunice Rolfe Trowbridge Thurs 4th July 7.30pmRosemary Eccles & Stephen Turner Mir eld Fri 5th July 2.30pmSue & Chris Morgan Boston Spa Mon 8th July 7.30pmJack & Alison Jenner Ulverston Mon 8th July 7.30pmDaphne Wi en Haverhill Mon 8th July 8pmPam and David Young Harrogate Mon 15th July 7.30pmStephen & Margaret West Chippenham Tues 16th July 7.30pmRoger Oliver Haywards Heath Wed 17th July 2.30pmPaul Pease Hook Wed 17th July 8pmDavid & Sarah Woodru Dunstable Thurs 18th July 7.30pmLiz & Cyril Aston Minehead Fri 19th July 7.30pmJean Dandy North Leeds Mon 22nd July 7.30pmEsther Cordle & Christine Robinson Capel St Mary Mon 22nd July 7.30pmNorman & Norma Green Rugby Wed 24th July 7.30pmLiz & Mike Davison Newcastle Sat 27th July 3pmSian and Richard Webb Reading Mon 29th July 7.45pmSee our website for a list of the most recent events and upcoming support group dates across the country! *CFL representative attending
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. ank You for your prayers & support! We wouldn’t be here without you!SUPPORTERS DAYSaturday 13th July 2019SUPPORTERFAMILY PASS Please remember to bring this pass with you!UP TO TWO GUEST PASS Please remember to bring this pass with you!SUPPORTERS DAYSaturday 13th July 2019THERE’S STILL TIME TO GET YOUR APPLICATION IN FOR OUR “TIME FOR JESUS” TASTER WEEK! 10TH 14TH JULYContact Pam for details (0113 230 3610 or pam.parkinson@caringforlife.co.uk)APPLICATION DEADLINE IS:Monday 17th June!DON’T FORGET THESE:
Sunday: Thank God with us for the spiritual conversations we are able to have with those we support at Caring For Life. Pray we will always be ready to give an answer to those who ask us about our faith in Jesus.Monday: Thank God that a gentleman who moved into Tindall House in an emergency situation feels so at home and safe that he is now going to stay long-term. Pray for our two homes, Tindall House and Wendy Margaret Home, as the two groups head o on holiday later this month.Tuesday: Thank God that one gentleman we support has recently expressed that Jesus is a friend who has always been with him, through some terrible times, and that he knows Jesus will always be there with him. Wednesday: Thank God that, following the holiday in Bassenfell, run by the Being There housing support team, one gentleman has said he would like to start coming to the Bible studies. Pray for wisdom as we seek to help people understand the gospel, and to grow in their faith.Thursday: Thank God with us for the blessings of Plant Sales Day and the encouragement this is for bene ciaries on the Horticulture project. Pray for the Open Day in June to be similarly blessed.Friday: Thank God for the blessing of the beautiful surroundings here at Crag House Farm, and all the opportunities to help people open their eyes and ears to the beauty of creation. Pray for the summer activities we have planned for those who attend the daytime projects, and for those supported in the community.Saturday: Join us in thanking God for His greatness. Please pray with us that He will meet our needs, enabling us to continue to share the love of Jesus with people who are lost and alone in life. “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” COLOSSIANS: 5: 1618JUNE prayer points
Laststsadmiions:4pmSat15ththtJune10am-5pmOPEN DAYat Crag House FarmNEW for 2019: The Tailwagger Club’s Dog Display • Food Fayre Children’s Play Area with bouncy castles and attractions • Chainsaw Carving Display Tractor Safari • Equestrian Display • CFL Burgers • Hog Roast • Ice Creams • and lots more!From 5:15 - 6pm, join us for a short time of Praise and Fellowship for prayer supporters, along with light refreshments.£7.50 - Standard ticket 17+£4 - Under 17s & over 60s£20 - Family ticket (2 adults & up to 3 children)Free - Children under 3 YearsThe Granary Restaurant will be open from 9am