Through the year, the Missions Group raises funds for our 3 'link' partners. In addition, the PCC allocates a percentage of a portion of its income as funds for 'Charitable Giving' from which the Missions Group distribute to the link partners......

• Burundi (via our Mission Partner, Alison and Paul Guinness)
• Family Support Work
• Friends of Mombasa Children

The Bible Society and The Children's Society also benefit from plate collections taken at one or other of the Christmas services.

A brief description of all the above follows . . . . . .

                                       NEWSLETTER October, 2019

Dear Friends,

Paul writes: Back in our house in Bujumbura, Burundi, I found myself marvelling at just how good fresh passion fruit can taste.  My next thought was whether this passion fruit might help our children take their new anti-malarial tablet.  It worked once!

We are, as you all know, only parents in training.  We have found other ways of giving the tablet … and Grace is tentatively accepting passion fruit on a spoon again.  Thank you to all those praying for our health.  (See update below for more info.)

Mango season starts soon, and Jeremy is carefully watching and waiting… 

It is good to be picking up the work here with people we already have relationship with.  Yesterday I met with a local leader.  I was excited to hear how God has been leading him, and touched by his invitation to work with him.  I am reminded how often I have focused on my own agenda: on how others can move my work forward.  My prayer in this season is that I would learn to listen to others, to how God is leading them, and so prayerfully to hear how to join what God is already doing here.  He is (still) making beautiful things happen in Africa.           

Alison writes: One of our first meetings (see above photo) to reconnect with colleagues here was our monthly prayer time for mission mobilisers (Burundian and expat) which I began a few months ago.  We heard and prayed into amazing situations including how 20 people are about to attend a 3 month mission training and will then be sent out to different countries, incl.  S Sudan.  Another 8 Burundian students are training at a School of Missions in Dar Es Salaam.  God is moving!

Happy to be home, in better health and anticipating a new home!

We are really thankful to be back in our home in Burundi and be in one place for a while after a mostly good, but intense summer in UK.  We’re really grateful for time with family, including celebrating Paul’s 50th, the amazing input we had and kindness and generosity shown to us by so many of you but it also felt like a summer of (unrelated) health afflictions.  Having malaria in May, Grace’s serious infections and 5 day stay in hospital immediately on our arrival, then I broke my foot, Paul having a 2 month review of his regular medication etc, then arriving back in Burundi with heavy colds that have taken 2 weeks to shake off … was a bit much!  We’re now finally starting to feel more ourselves.  We had medicals which we passed without problem so it’s hard to know what’s been spiritual and what’s just natural.  Please do pray with us for a season of good health which we have previously been blessed with.

We are praising for the amazing provision of a beautiful new house to move into, with a stunning view of Lake Tanganyika and the Congolese mountains, (thanks to generous friends of ours).  It has a spacious garden which will be super for our children.  We currently don’t have much garden in the house where I’ve lived since 2010: for 6 years when single, then Paul, Jeremy and eventually Grace joining me.  There aren’t the safe places / parks to go to which we enjoy in UK, so our new house is a fantastic gift for ourselves and hopefully the wider community.  Pray we’ll be guided in how to use the extra space, including a simple guest annex.

Prayer points:

- Praise for our restored health.  Please ask for a renewing of energy too.

- For Paul’s meetings with our colleagues Aloys and Stephen as he prepares to lead a series of workshops on contextualisation in mission in a mainly M city here.

- Pray as we seek God for His leading and clarity of focus and for our discussions as we prepare to renew our partnership agreement with Emmanuel Ndikumana in Partners Trust Int., Tony Swanson in Africa Inland Mission and Phil Ratcliff in Brockley Community Church (our main sending church).

- For a peaceful move to our new home on 1st Nov.

FSW sent out an e-mail on 6th November asking us to "share the warmth this winter" by helping some of the 40,000 families that live in fuel poverty across Sussex.  Find out how you can help by clicking on this link.....

https://mailchi.mp/751b4610e113/share-the-warmth-this-winter-by-donating-your-winter-fuel-payment?e=9ccc8526a2

The November bulletin is now available with coverage of ........    

• Share The Warmth 2019 Campaign

• 'Dick Whittington' Pantomime Raffle          

• Reverse Advent Calendar Campaign

• Photo Challenge 

•  FSW in Action  

• Christmas Carol Concert

• Find us online

View the November bulletin in your browser by clicking on this link.....

https://mailchi.mp/2a89fd68f58a/nov19-3751693?e=9ccc8526a2 but please note that the 'link' address for the Christmas Draw was wrong.  The correct address is melissa@familysupportwork.org.uk.

SOME BACKGROUND NOTES.......

The Children’s Society has been supported by St. Peter and St. Paul since the time when there were two children’s homes here in Rustington - Fairlight on the Worthing Road and Carruthers Corfield House in Shaftesbury Road. Members of the church, who formed House Committees, visited these homes regularly. Fund-raising events were held to provide treats for the children.This continued until the early eighties when the homes closed and the charity started to focus on community care.

Minutes of a meeting held in 1980 record that although the local homes had closed, the “Appeal’s Committee” would continue to support the Society as it worked to help vulnerable children.

The Children's Society "Rustington Support Group" now hold four fundraising activities each year. The popular "Bake and Brew" Saturday morning events are held in the Spring and Autumn. A dinner or afternoon tea is held in the Summer months and in December the Children's Society host the Christingle Service at our church on a Sunday afternoon and this is always very well attended by children and adults alike. Since 1985, our Support Group in its various forms has raised in excess of £44,505.02 for the Society, and its work for vulnerable children and young people in England and Wales. The Support Group works very closely with the Society and its Relationship Manager for the Dioceses of Chichester, Guildford, Portsmouth and Winchester.  For more information about the work of the Children's Society please take a look at the website. www.childrenssociety.org.uk. Charity Number 221124.
 

                                                                                    Julie Churcher  16/5/19