Simply Summer Snax Stunning Statistics

Thanks to the efforts of the 27 volunteers who operated this service we raised £1,270. So all three objectives satisfied.

1) we provided a service to the people who passed our building in August,

2) we raised some money in order to help us to do that all year round, and

3) some people had a rest from their usual catering work and came back refreshed in September.

Phantastick!

Albert

Harvest Thanksgiving – Sunday 14th October

For some time now we have been reminding you that our Harvest this year will support the ‘Turn on the Tap’ campaign, which is being run by the charity, Samaritan’s Purse.

All the money donated will help buy water filters for families in the Developing World.

You should have received……

• an envelope for your Harvest gift. This has attached a leaflet about the campaign. Just detach the envelope – place your gift in the envelope and bring it with you on Sunday 14th, to be received during the Service. (If you have small change bottles then do also bring these – full or not – with you).

•  A small booklet ‘Jack and Jill.

If you do not have your envelope or booklet do ask for your copies.

You do not need to bring produce for the Harvest. We shall have a display that will include some of the traditional produce as well as reminders of what CLEAN water means to us – and to those in the Developing World.

There is a display at the top of the stairs giving graphic stories of WATER – the power, the scarcity, the abundance, the necessity.

£40 provides a filter for one family.

Thank you for your support.

Forward Planning Group

Stewardship Sunday

Many thanks to all those who came along to the Stewardship Presentation after the morning service on 30th September and to those who have completed their promise of service forms and returned them. If you haven’t had any such form please would you contact Elaine. If you have yet to return them we would appreciate them soon so that we can identify the responses for the various items on the forms. Stewardship is a vital part of our commitment and this has been an opportunity for us all to prayerfully discern how we are being called to respond, that we might work together, as many parts of the body of Christ. May God bless us all as we seek to serve him faithfully and whole -heartedly.

Bob

A Room……with a view to serving the community

Our Stewardship commitment includes the way we maintain and use the wonderful facilities we have to offer. Many groups and organizations use our premises– some for commercial reasons e.g. market research: some for educational reasons e.g. musical appreciation; some for social reasons e.g. a dance club; and some of the groups reflect wide interests e.g. National Trust and RSPB. Most of the year our building supervisors are around to ensure that those who meet at Central are well looked after. This means that the building is clean, the doors are open for access, rooms are set out for the meetings and the building is secured when the meetings are over. BUT…..there are times e.g. holidays when we need to accept our responsibilities and carry out this work. This is part of our stewardship to the church and outreach to the city centre. So…….

Do you know what sort of organisations use our building? If not then do ask…you may be surprised how wide the range of interests are.

When we have to cover holidays a rota is drawn up so that members are on hand to open up, set out the rooms, secure the building. This work can be shared by many…if we get enough volunteers. So how about YOU…could you offer to help?

Remember we also have to set out for our own meetings and events. We do need volunteers very occasionally on a Saturday e.g. the Big Sing. Again could you help? If you are willing to help when help is needed it will ensure the burden is shared and will also support the valuable source of income from lettings. Interested?…….have a word with Jean or Geoffrey Wood.

Jean & Geoffrey Wood

Management Committee – What does it do?

Well, we manage the church’s 3 properties and its finances. The URC Manual tasks Elders’ to ‘recommend to the church meeting arrangements for the proper maintenance of the building and general oversight of all financial responsibilities of the local church’. That’s us. We cover everything linked with the building, from employees to drains, everything within it, employees, catering, shop liaison, the Council, the laws and regulations connected with all those areas, and its upkeep and enhancement. We’re even considering replacing the organ keyboard, as the current one is showing signs of wear from 35 years use, but perhaps you are too! We discuss the appropriateness of accepting lettings from groups whose objectives are not necessarily those with which Central, as the venue, might be labelled in a way in which you wouldn’t approve. Oh, and there’s a programme of work for redecorating, maintaining standards and adding or improving facilities if we can. Not to do it though! Offers of assistance with catering are very welcome. This covers Just Serving, Coffee Mornings, social events, Sunday coffee, scone baking, Snooker Snacks and Simply Summer Snax. Volunteering for just one morning a month, every other month, or just in August, is welcome. If that is too much why not share half a morning each with a friend? Rosie might like help with Publicity, Jean and Pat might welcome company in simply looking at our fabric within the building and choosing replacement colours and materials. No need to attend committee meetings to do those jobs! Our church profile claimed support with administration for our next minister for 2 days each week. We are failing on that ‘claim’, so please consider whether you could help. Just offer your skill and see if it can be used. Granny Elaine might welcome help too. Read Romans Chapter 12.1 which talks about ‘having different gifts given to us by God’. All we ask is that those gifts are offered to Central. If you have been gifted any skill which can be used for what Central is and stands for, then please offer it. There is bound to be some activity able to use it. You don’t have to join the committee, all you need do is tell us about the skill which you can offer. If it’s thinking up games for socials we can use that skill, if you can sit down and add up the cost of buns and drinks, we can use that skill, if it’s an encyclopaedic knowledge of how to strip a boiler down and mend it, we can use that skill, if you can bake a cake which we could sell, we can use that skill, if it’s the ability to sit in the building whilst a meeting of an outside organisation meets whilst Luis and Gillian are on holiday, we can use that skill. Don’t be shy; make us an offer we can’t refuse!

Candles

We are all candles waiting in the darkness. Some are taller than others, some are smaller, some are fatter, some are beautiful colours, others workaday plain. Special ones have perfumes or patterns to enhance them. A few have unusual and special items embedded in their make up. Yet none are fulfilled until they are used for their true purpose. Until thaye are lit they are nothing in the darkness. Then even a small stub overcomes the night. You, God, are the true purpose. You light the wick and enable us to glow in the world for you. The flames may flicker and dance and even get blown out in the draught. But even if the darkness overcomes us, your Grace rekindles us and strong in your love we shine.

Janet Wright

Victoria Hall Grand Re-opening

On Friday 2nd November there will be a grand re-opening of the refurbished rooms at the Victoria Hall. Please see the notice board for further details of this event and of other events taking place that weekend.

Special Meeting to discuss the Sheffield Flood and how we prepare to deal with such events in the future

Tuesday 6th November at 6.30pm

This is an open meeting with speakers from a variety of departments and voluntary organizations to explain about the flood and how this emergency was dealt with: and to engage us in discussion how this might be handled should there be a similar emergency in the future. This will be a very significant meeting allowing us the opportunity to be informed and to be involved in future planning.

Bob

What - no Toy Sunday?

As you are aware for many years we, and Queen Street Congregational Church before us, have held a Toy Service on the last Sunday in November. This is where members of our congregations have brought toys to be donated to The Family Service Unit on Fitzwilliam Street. The FSU has been in existence for 55 years, working with families across the city from their base in Broomhall. The families it worked with - around 40 - experienced a range of pressures and difficulties linked to poverty, such as poor housing, lack of support, and problems related to parenting, behaviour and emotional issues. Their aim was to work with them to improve the life chances of both the children and their parents. At the FSU the toys were sold for nominal sums to very poor parents who had no other means of getting Christmas presents for their children. Unfortunately, due to spiralling costs, The Family Service Unit has not been able to stay independent and work with just Sheffield families. It amalgamated with The Family Welfare Association on June 1 last year. The FWA is also an old charity, which has been operating since 1869. FWA has provided support to some of the poorest families in the country. They provide grants as well as social work support to people of all ages, working with them to help them solve their own problems. This national organisation has larger administrative areas and works with families in all of South Yorkshire and not just Sheffield. During this reorganisation it was decided to stop the Toy Sale, so toy collections are no longer needed. The Family Welfare Association has asked for monetary support instead. It was decided at the September Church Meeting that the Family Welfare Association’s request for monetary help be passed to Special Income Committee for consideration as one of the recipients of our Christmas giving. Other ideas are being considered such as making more of a special dedication service for The Shoe Boxes which we collect for Samaritans Purse and possibly giving pens, crayons etc to CART (The Christian African Relief Trust) to schools in Africa as we did on Christmas Eve last year along with The Central House Church at our joint service.

Soup Run

This is an activity which is supported by all the city centre churches and takes place on a Friday night on the car park at Eldon Street (top of Devonshire Street). A small team of volunteers meet at 8pm for one hour and take soup, sandwiches and hot drinks to folk who are either homeless or have difficulty getting enough to eat. The team is made up of folk from each of the churches and because of the small number of people involved from Central we are currently on the rota once in three weeks. We desperately need a few more folk to join the team and I really am appealing to you to consider joining us. It is a most valuable and rewarding piece of Christian witness - this is our "parish" and this particular group of people needs your help and mine. Please pray for the people who are being served, those who serve and ask God if this is what he would like you to do too.

Ann Hammond

Church Holiday at Rhos-on-Sea – 24th –26th September

Didn’t we have a lovely time the day we went near Bangor, and Betws-y-Coed, Llanberis, Beaumaris and Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantsiliogogogoch? We also attempted the ascent of the Great Orme – in the dark – but were thwarted by a delivery parked on the steepest part and had to retreat. We saw Conwy Castle floodlight, we heard a Welsh Male Voice Choir sing a variety of songs, included a splendid version of ‘Last of the Summer Wine’, and we finished the three-day mini break with a morning in Llandudno. St Winifred’s Christian Endeavour Home was an ideal place to stay and we were extremely well fed and looked after. At each mealtime we exercised our vocal chords by singing grace and we had a ‘thought for the day’ before we engaged in our activities of the day. There were just three other guests staying at St Winifred’s with us and it was really good that they joined us for our tour around North Wales on the Tuesday, along with Bob’s sister, Pam, who is a resident of Rhos-on-Sea. It is fair to say that we brought more luggage back than we took, but isn’t that what you do when you go on holiday?

Bob

Where Do The Boxes Go?

In 2006, over 1.24million shoe boxes were distributed to needy children in the countries shown below:

Armenia 28,945
Belarus 201,124
Bosnia 79,400
Hungary 10,959
Kosovo 64,956
Kyrgyzstan 89,814
Liberia 12,631
Mozambique 22,582
Romania 253,982
Serbia 219,385
Swaziland 39,798
Ukraine 223,810

Total: 1,247,395

Samaritan’s Purse UK and International

Whilst looking for some up-to-date news about Operation Christmas Child on the internet I came across the following article which links up with our Harvest Project – Turn on the Tap. It also tells us much more about what Samaritan’s Purse UK and International are doing in war-torn places.

LIBERIA - Torn by hatred, mended with love

Villages burned to the ground, people scattered in refugee camps, children forced to become soldiers - the aftermath of 20 years civil war. Liberia 's war ended in 2003 but still its capital city, Monrovia, has no official electricity supply or running water. It is the only capital city in the world in such a plight. During the war villages across the country were attacked by various factions of soldiers and a staggering 75% of the entire population lost their homes and fled for their lives. Some ended up in Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps within Liberia itself; others fled across the border to refugee camps. An estimated 77,000 children were taken and forced to become child soldiers. Tens of thousands of girls were abused and boys brutalised, forced to kill or be killed themselves. These young people were left deeply traumatised, homeless, uneducated and jobless. The years of fighting also meant that roads and bridges were destroyed; hospitals, schools, farms, markets, medical facilities, businesses and other services were looted and burnt. Gradually the entire infrastructure of Liberia fell apart. The civil conflict finally ended with the Accra Peace Agreement of 2003 and since that time the resettlement and rehabilitation process has begun. Refugees and displaced people have been making their way back home and people are eager to rebuild their lives. In the autumn of 2005 free elections for a new government took place and the reality of the work ahead of them is quite daunting: There is no nationally run electricity grid in Liberia . There is no treated running water in Liberia . The hospitals have few doctors or nurses, and no money to pay them.. The schools have no books, no paper, no pencils, and few teachers. The law-courts and justice system are insufficient and weak. The new Liberian Police Force and army are in their infancy. A staggering 75% of all Liberians are living on less than one US dollar a day which is about 50p. The people are deeply impoverished and traumatised, while entire communities need to be rebuilt from scratch. Liberia needs all the help it can get which is why Samaritan's Purse is working there. When we arrived in 2003, Liberia was in a maelstrom of suffering and our priority then was emergency relief, such as the distribution of essential non-food items to IDP camps near Monrovia . We were also able to help ex-child soldiers by running two Interim Care Centres for disarmed and demobilised ex-combatants. That was just the beginning. Samaritan's Purse wanted to establish a presence in Liberia that would make a real difference in the years to come so we've built a team to develop programmes that will help Liberians beyond the initial emergency relief stage. The long-term plight of the women and children is of especial concern to us. A Canadian couple, Kendell and Bev Kauffeldt, were appointed in 2004 to head the team. Together they possess the formidable skills, enthusiasm and commitment needed to lead relief work. Kendell is well suited to running the work in Liberia . As a 'missionary kid' he grew up in Africa, in Zimbabwe, and his training and background are in management. Bev's speciality is development, and she has been working with Samaritan's Purse for eight years this May. As Country Director for Liberia, Kendell's job is to provide vision, direction and leadership to the staff engaged on the various projects. His days are rarely dull: between visiting far-flung projects, he is meeting with government officials or UN agencies whilst juggling reports and various administration responsibilities. Bev is kept busy as Samaritan's Purse's Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) Programme Manager, and also gives guidance to the Water filter projects in West Africa . "We enjoy the people of Liberia and our staff tremendously," say Kendell and Bev. "We feel so moved by the needs we see everywhere around us. The only thing we find really difficult is trying to get around - the roads are bad!" Their two adopted sons from Haiti, Felix(nearly five) and Isaac (4), love living in Liberia . “We enjoy being able to bring our sons up in a unique country and we love sharing this experience with them,” adds Kendell. “The boys often accompany Bev on trips up-country and love sleeping in the tent!” With Kendell and Bev in place, the work in Liberia was soon moving from immediate emergency relief into programmes of a more transitional nature. By January 2005, Samaritan’s Purse in Liberia was involved in a range of projects. First, there are the Child Protection Programmes. These range from rehabilitation homes and safe homes for girls who have been abused, to an orphanage for children who have nowhere else to go, to a school to help children begin their education once again. Helping make daily life more bearable for everyone is another priority: our BioSand filters now provide several thousand Liberians with access to clean water, while our hundreds of latrines give whole communities a chance to improve their hygiene. Another major problem is hunger: the land has not been properly planted for years, and the livestock has been destroyed. We assist through our agricultural and livestock programmes, which provide destitute farmers with seed and animals. “The reason underpinning our whole effort, which gives meaning to what we do, is the Christian faith” explains Kendell. “The faith aspect has itself led to various ministry projects from evangelism to church rehabilitation and construction.” For 2007, the UK office of Samaritan’s Purse is concentrating on funding three specific projects: Our first project is to develop an HIV/AIDS support programme as AIDS is a growing problem in Liberia . The official HIV rate across the country in 2004 was 8.2%, but is now estimated to be between 10-12%. Our aim this year to combat this growing problem is to train and mobilize 250 pastors, youth leaders and men and women of influence in 16 communities in the Foya District to become active and effective HIV and AIDS ‘peer educators’ in their community. Equipping church pastors and leaders with knowledge and skills will greatly help the communities. Their example of positive, caring compassion towards those with HIV and AIDS will greatly affect the behaviour of the whole community. This will also help those people who are at risk of becoming HIV positive. The second project we are funding this year is a ‘Soccer League for Street Kids’. It will involve working with 960 children from the capital, Monrovia . The third one is another Gifts in Kind project, following up the magnificent effort that volunteers made in the UK last year which resulted in the shipment of four containers full of school supplies being shipped to Liberia. In all that we do our overall goal is to share the love of Jesus Christ with the needy people of Liberia . As Jesus said, ‘if we do it unto the least of these, we do it unto him’. You can help change the lives of the people of Liberia . With your support, these projects will affect thousands of people. The projects Samaritan’s Purse UK support in Liberia are: - Adult literacy - Clean drinking water and sanitation programmes - Gifts in Kind - Musu Gbaja’s BioSand - Soccer Camps for Liberia The projects Samaritan’s Purse International support in Liberia are: - Agriculture and Livestock - Church Rehabilitation - Help for Ex Soldiers - Ministry Programmes - Safe Home Project - The THINK Project, Rehabilitation Homes More information on website: www.samaritanspurse.uk.com