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| | | | Funding, new resources, stories and events.
| | | | Funding
If you're a Christian charity passionate about social inclusion, especially through healing or the arts, have a look at The Anchor Foundation. They offer grants between £500 and £10,000 to UK registered charities for a range of great projects. Whether you're breaking down boundaries with community theatre performances or splashing paint on canvas in your church hall, check out their website.
Applications need to be received by 31st January and 31st July and are considered at twice yearly trustees meetings in April and November. http://theanchorfoundation.org.uk
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| | New resources
Are you and your church ready to be challenged and inspired to rethink mission? Check out Inside Out, a fantastic course from Tearfund, the Evangelical Alliance and Livability. The course is split into six sessions that take a fresh look at bringing change to your community. It's designed to be used with church groups and explores just how big God's mission is and how each of us can take part. Find out more on our website.
Visit  Just Map at www.justmap.org.uk to see an interactive map packed full of Christian projects involved in loads of issues from debt to disability. The website will help get you clued up on what's happening nearby and further afield.
| | | | | Stories
Prison Fellowship sharing God's love through the prison bars – Ron's* story of hope
Ron began attending Sycamore Tree victim awareness programme, run by Prison Fellowship at HMP YOI Thorn Cross, bearing a heavy burden of guilt and sadness. Well into his sentence for causing death by dangerous driving, he was weighed down by what he had done and was struggling to face the reality of it all.
At first Ron was reluctant to get involved but was helped by the relaxed welcome of the Prison Fellowship volunteers. By the end of the first session he did not want to wait until the final session to say sorry and he was compelled to write to his victim's family. Ron asked if it was possible for God to forgive him for what he had done. One of the Prison Fellowship volunteers shared the transformational 'TNT scripture', Romans 10:9-10. They explained that Ron only needed to believe in his heart that Jesus is the Christ, and that He died and rose from the grave to give him new life and forgiveness for all his sins. Right there and then, Ron asked Jesus to come into his heart and forgive him and the transformation was amazing!
Week by week in the Sycamore Tree programme, Ron began to open up more about his feelings and the effect the course was having on him. In week three a victim of crime came to share their story and to talk about the hurt and pain of losing a loved one to murder. The reality of what he'd done hit Ron like a train. He spent much of the session sobbing out loud and being comforted by a volunteer. He was visibly moved by their story of forgiveness.
Ron is just about to finish the course and is now thinking through the issues for himself. He has written to the family of his victim to express his deep regret and to offer an apology for what happened, well aware that this can never be enough. In the future, he would like to meet the family to say sorry in person and try to answer any questions they have.
Ron is now training to become a peer mentor and has also asked if he could become a Sycamore Tree mentor. He would like to help other prisoners and visit schools and colleges to share his story. Ron feels very strongly about his responsibility to use his own transformational testimony and experience of Sycamore Tree. He wants to warn other young people about the ripple effect of crime and hopes that this will help to prevent further victims.
Prison Fellowship aims to support prisoners by coming alongside them, praying and supporting them through practical programmes. We do this through our network of volunteer members and currently have over 1,700 members across England and Wales.
If you have a passion for reaching out to those in prison there are many ways you or your church can get involved. To find out more, please visit the website www.prisonfellowship.org.uk
* Names have been changed to protect those involved.
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| | | | Events
Raising Our Game
The wait is almost over - our first Raising Our Game seminars kick off this year! Don't miss out on our events which look into Tearfund's '10 keys for impact'. The keys are all about transforming your local community and are taking place all over the country. Each one will focus on one or several keys. It's a great chance to be inspired, equipped, and empowered for change in your community.
Visit our website for more information.
Joining the dots and Raising our Game
Venue: Liverpool Lighthouse, Oakfield Road, Liverpool, Merseyside L4 0UF
Date: January 26th 2013
Time: 9.30am until 4.30pm
This is not another Conference about Community Engagement!
This interactive event in a marketplace setting, enables us to showcase a unique opportunity for you to:
• See for yourself the various creative ways in which our local Churches are connecting with their communities at all kinds of levels
• Have a practical opportunity to ask questions and see why and how others began their journeys of community engagement
• Be envisioned, equipped and empowered to begin your journey
During the day there will be a series of themed presentations from the groups represented as well as opportunity for you to ask your own questions during individual conversations.
With sessions including:
- Community engagement - What's Church got to do with it?
- Dealing with Debt
- Food poverty
- Working with Children and Young People and their well-being
- Human Trafficking
- Homelessness
There is also an opportunity for 3 projects to receive a grant of £2000.
For more details and to apply for a grant visit our website.
Register at raisingourgame@tearfund.org
Turning spiritual passion into professional excellence, by serving the Church in its local context and celebrating everything we do to make Merseyside a better place to live.
The Big Society – Seizing the Opportunities
Looking at the practicalities of developing community projects
Date: 7.30pm on Tuesday 22nd January 2013 (tea and coffee from 7pm)
Venue: Kettering Corn Market Hall, London Road, Kettering, NN15 7QA
Free admission: no need to book
Organised by the East Northamptonshire Faith Group and the Peterborough Diocesan Evangelical Fellowship (Church of England).
With presentations on…
• Setting up a social enterprise – Sarah Kirkpatrick, Enterprise Solutions Northamptonshire
• The Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives, and more – Adam Simmonds, Northamptonshire Police & Crime Commissioner
Group discussions on developing a community project, choosing one from:
• Helping elderly isolated people
• Responding to teenage pregnancy
• Developing a youth mentoring scheme
• Helping prepare people for work
• Caring for the environment locally
More details are available by phoning
Dr Paul Buckingham (07971 074284)
Andrew Presland (01933 316927)
or by e-mailing andrewpresland@harboroughroad58.freeserve.co.uk
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