JUNE 2019
ISSUE 22
K I NGFI S H E R FAMILY International Day of Prayer 2019 “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16) This month marks the 5th International Day of Prayer throughout the Kingfisher Family. Each year, for one day, believers in countries stretching around the world come together in prayer for this world, for the countries represented by Kingfisher, for the mission and ministry of the churches in those countries.
The world at its worst desperately needs the Church at its best
make? All the difference in the world! “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20, NLT) This June 30th, let’s bring Jesus into the picture through gathering together in prayer. We may not be able to join together physically, but we can certainly pray in our local congregations, knowing that thousands of others are doing the same around the world, knowing that I Am is there among us, bringing His Kingdom to bear on this fractured, hurting, lost world.
With an increasingly hostile environment in the UK surrounding Brexit, with the There has never, in living reelection of a pro-Hindu, antimemory, been a greater urgency Christian government in India, for united, believing, focussed with cyclones wreaking havoc in prayer for this world than now. Mozambique and Malawi, the Open Doors revealed in a recent temptation is to ‘circle the “Your Kingdom come! Your will be wagons’ and just look after report that one in three done, here on earth as it is in number one. In the words of Christians face persecution in Heaven!” (Matthew 6:10) Cain, when asked by the LORD, Asia. India has entered the top ten countries where Christians “ ‘Where is your brother? Where is experience significant Abel?’ ‘I don't know,’ Cain persecution for the first time. responded. ‘Am I my brother's Five years ago, they were in 28th guardian?’” (Genesis 4:9, NLT) position. China continues to increase its persecution of Our response to that question Christians, with at least 50 from Cain - a question that Kingfisher Family million believers expected to defines the generation in which International Day of Prayer experience some form of we live - is the International repression this year. Some Day of Prayer. We cannot church leaders there are saying just sit idly by as our brothers that persecution is at its worst and sisters around the world are Sunday 30th since the Cultural Revolution being persecuted, tortured, June 2019 ended in 1976. In fact, Open seeing their churches burned Doors estimates that 245 million down, being forced to convert to Christians worldwide face high another religion, living in fear of “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” levels of persecution this year, up their lives. What good is one day (James 5:16) from 215 million last year. of prayer? What difference can it
News from Kingfisher Church News from Kingfisher Tredworth For many years now we have been running an 11.30am service on a Sunday that we have called ‘Learning Disability friendly.’ Great as this is we have recently felt that it is not the best way to describe what this service is or who it is for. It is not actually just for adults with LD but for anyone and of any age, inclusive of those with any additional needs, but also for anyone else who needs a more informal environment where they can express their worship of Jesus and share their Christian faith in their own unique way. That is why we have now renamed this time together our ‘Interactive service.’ Here, everyone is encouraged to grab an instrument, get up and dance and even join the band on stage if you want to help encourage the congregation in worship. We try to use the different senses we have to engage people in the message rather than just through verbal/hearing senses. Everyone is encouraged to answer questions, to share their good news stories and to share their prayer requests and answers. We have also recently been learning some Makaton signing of the Lord’s prayer so that everyone, even those who are deaf or non-verbal, can join in too. I recently attended a conference in Bristol called, ‘Accessible church,’ highlighting how churches can be more welcoming and adaptable to those who have additional physical, learning and mental health needs, and * often find churches difficult who places to attend or to fit in to! I found it so encouraging to see what God has established here at Kingfisher over the years and what a rare and beautiful thing it is to be part of a church like ours. Having strong links with Kingfisher Treasure Seekers, especially through the discos, TSPA and coffee mornings that are held at Tredworth, has been so good in helping build and nurture relationships, so that church feels like the safe and accepting community that it should be. We are also very honoured that Kingfisher Tredworth has become one of the ‘go to’ churches for the students at National Star College and we have recently been invited to help
run a Connect group at the college every Wednesday during term time which has been a real joy! It has been wonderful to see this congregation growing over the last few years and I can only encourage more of us at Kingfisher Tredworth to come and experience this amazing thing that God is doing! So many care homes now bring their residents along to church at 11.30am and we have a number of carers here every week who would never be in church, hearing the gospel, were they not at work! So many lost people walking through our doors each week, and it would be so good to have more of us staying or choosing the 11.30am as our place of service at Kingfisher Tredworth, welcoming, sitting alongside our guests, serving drinks and connecting with the carers as well as being available to engage with those who want to get up and dance! Reaching the lost, isn’t this the primary purpose of our morning services? It’s been great to see more families and youth at our 10am and we want to continue growing that service, but one of my goals this year is to develop a bigger team who can plan and deliver the Interactive service going forward and I’m praying for more workers, so if you’d like to get involved then do let me know! Pastor Ollie
Baptism services There was a wonderful atmosphere of celebration at Kingfisher in Tredworth on the morning of Sunday, 3rd March when Pastor Ollie baptised four members of the congregation, three of them from the same family. Rob and Lauren Bartlett and their mum Debbie all shared their testimonies with family and friends at the church, along with Sara Keveren, after the four of them had been submerged in the special pool set up for the occasion. Sara, a mum of two, had become involved with Kingfisher when one of her children attended the holiday club. She explained that when she was younger, coming to church had been an act of rebellion; now she wanted to be there for the right reasons. It was Rob who had been responsible for introducing his mum and sister to Kingfisher, after he started attending with his friend Ethan. When Debbie saw the help and support that Rob was getting, she decided to come along too. And after Lauren spent some time helping out at holiday club, she also began to attend the services too. The joyful mood of the morning was shared and even magnified during the afternoon when Ollie visited the National Star College at Ullenwood to baptise Alex Smith. This was Kingfisher’s first baptism in the college’s hydro pool, with Ollie and staff from the college in the water with Alex, while the service took place around the poolside. Alex’s family and friends travelled from Cornwall and Plymouth to witness the service and share in the celebrations which included a party tea after the baptism. Ollie said: “There was a real atmosphere of celebration all day. Those involved had been through some tough times, but they had found a new start in life and real joy in being part of a church family.”
News from Kingfisher Church On the road to Emmaus Thoughts from my journey with Jesus - by Sandra Ashenford Sandra Ashenford is a member of the Kingfisher Church family at Tredworth. She was introduced to Jesus at primary school but has spent most of her adult life in the company of sceptics and nonbelievers. This is the first in a regular series of light-hearted blogs in which she reflects on the challenges of growing in faith and sharing the Good News amidst the pressures of a modern life.
Two things which have played key roles in shaping my life were totally absent from my home life when I was younger – God and books. Fortunately my atheist parents accidentally sent me to a C of E primary school and there I discovered both Jesus and a wellstocked library. I learned about Jesus and the parables he told, and I prayed to God every night before I went to sleep, while spending my waking
hours with Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, Tom in his Midnight Garden and Charlotte who sometimes woke up in a different time from the one she went to sleep in.
prayers are always answered (although not always in the way I was expecting) – but in terms of words our conversations always seem one-sided.
This was fine until the summer holidays, when we were forbidden to take books away from school. In my hunger for something to read one boring day I picked up the only book we had at home – a copy of the Bible presented to some family member in times gone by.
In my teens I discovered Giovanni Guareschi’s Little World of Don Camillo stories about a Roman Catholic priest and a Communist mayor in 1950s Italy. Jesus spoke directly to Don Camillo from his cross in the church, guiding and chastising the priest as required, his constant companion and friend.
That summer I read it from cover to cover, enthralled by the adventures of the Old Testament folk such as Moses, Noah, Joseph and the others, and intrigued to read first-hand the story of Jesus. But the one thing that struck me most, and which has remained with me to this day, is how clearly and unequivocally God spoke to those he had a message for. Whenever I’m at a crossroads in life I pray to God for guidance, but I don’t really know how to hear the answer. I know God is listening – my
I always longed for the same physicality of Jesus’ presence, yet I know that Jesus is my friend, and I have no doubt that he speaks to me in ways that are more subtle than those in literature. It is probably just as well: much as I think I want some sort of direct sign, the shepherds’ fear in seeing a host of angels would be nothing compared to my terror if just one celestial being popped by for a chat while I was out walking the dogs one morning.
News from Kingfisher Treasure Seekers All you need to know about Treasure Seekers What is Treasure Seekers? We are a place where people become the best versions of themselves. We are a Social Enterprise helping vulnerable people in Gloucester. We work with around 2000 people every week, through over 20 activities. We engage people in community and help them realise their full potential in life. We work with: adults with learning disabilities, people with mental health and complex needs, and young people. What does Treasure Seekers do? Through the context of community, we help people with their Mental health, Physical health and Economic outcomes. Each of our activities is tailored to the person attending, because we recognise each person is unique. We engage socially isolated people in community, help them work on their wellbeing, and then give them opportunities to contribute and release their potential. Our logo best shows how our model. It is a star because we believe there is a star of potential in every person. They are concentric stars (like a concentric circle) because people can gradually move from the outside of community, to the inside- in a non-threatening way. There are three arrows because everyone’s journey to the centre of community, and their best version, is unique - so we have many pathways for people to do this. Who is Treasure Seekers for? Treasure Seekers is for everyone. We want everyone to be involved in our inclusive community. Our retail outlets are also open to anyone (The Hub, Gift Shop, Cavern and Chuckaboos). However, we exist to help the ‘hardest to reach’ and most vulnerable people in Gloucester. All the money we raise and the
activities we do are ultimately to help these people. This includes adults with learning disabilities, people with mental health and complex needs, and young people. Why are you called Kingfisher Treasure Seekers? ‘Kingfisher’ comes from our historic roots in Kingfisher Church. ‘Treasure Seekers’ comes from our aim to seek the Treasure in people the hidden potential in every
buildings. We also have a Chaplain from the church, James Burn, at Treasure Seekers to help care for our staff team. However, Treasure Seekers is its own independent legal organisation and is run that way. How long has Treasure Seekers been going? Since May 2012. What should I abbreviate Kingfisher Treasure Seekers to? Treasure Seekers - you can find us listed as this on social media. Is Treasure Seekers a Charity? No. We are a Social Enterprise.
person. This potential is often hidden from sight for people who are really disadvantaged, who may not be able to see their own gifts and potential. We seek this treasure in people and bring it to light! You can abbreive our name to Treasure Seekers. Is The Cavern (or any other department) separate from Treasure Seekers? No. The Cavern is run by Treasure Seekers, it is one of the many activities we deliver to help people become the best versions of themselves. Is Treasure Seekers part of Kingfisher Church? No. Treasure Seekers started from Kingfisher Church’s work with adults with learning disabilities. As a result of this we maintain a close partnership and use each others
It is legally stated in our founding documents that all money we generate is put into our social aims. These founding documents state that we have the same restrictions as charities around what we can do with our assets and how much we can pay our staff, especially senior leaders. We are a non-profit organisation or a VCS (voluntary and community sector) organisation. Because we are not a registered charity, we have directors instead of trustees, and we also seek to generate some of our own income through trade (hence our shops). Where do you work? We work in Gloucester, and have a community building in Gloucester city centre on Westgate Street. We sometimes run courses, training sessions, or retail outlets around the rest of Gloucestershire, but our core focus remains as the people of Gloucester city. However, people from anywhere are welcome to connect with us, and also attend our activities. To get involved or find out more visit: www.kftseekers.org.uk
News from Kingfisher Treasure Seekers Treasure Seekers Police Cadets are expanding! As we mentioned in the last newsletter, Treasure Seekers and Gloucestershire Constabulary have launched a new initiative, that we believe is the first in the country, and will see the recruitment of 15 adults with learning difficulties into the force. The Treasure Seekers Police Cadets initiative launched in November 2018 and saw the introduction of four Community Police Cadet Officers. Adam, Richard, Carl and Rime have been Treasure Seeker Cadets for the past six months and have undertaken a number of duties alongside members of the Special Constabulary such as speeding operations, public engagement and building surveillance in a training environment. All four said that they felt proud to be a part of the police family and hoped that other people in similar situations would feel the same. Carl said: "I'm learning to help other people, I give them advice and now I’m looking forward to making a difference. When officers go into a place where they have people with learning disabilities they know that they have cadets who have disabilities too and if there is someone who cannot understand then we are there to help the officers to talk to them."
Richard said: "I joined the police cadets to get more experience and when I was told that I had been offered a place I felt that I now had something to be proud of. Since joining my confidence has grown very much. I have enjoyed this and have done things such as working with speed devices and going out with the cadets to raise police awareness whilst engaging with the public." Rime said: "This has helped me talk to the police if I’ve got any issues and help show that people with disabilities can talk to the police about their problems. I enjoy helping people with disabilities like myself to realise that the police are really good people who are here to help the best they can. If someone has any problems they can talk to us and we can help them talk to the police about what they've gone through and to make sure they're happy and in a safe environment." Adam said: "Ever since I was in school I always wanted to become a police officer and when I heard about this I jumped at the chance to do it. This has given me a chance to prove to people that I can do things without people judging me about the disability that I’ve got. I want to prove that people with a disability shouldn’t be left out."
Volunteer in The Cavern
If you are looking for some work experience in a hospitality outlet then look no further. We are looking for volunteers to work evenings to help us to run The Cavern so that we can give back to our community in Gloucester. If you are interested please come in to The Cavern and ask for an application form or email: cavern@kftseekers.org.uk
Cadets co-ordinator Tracy Wren said: "This initiative of Gloucestershire Constabulary Treasure Seeker Cadets started in November 2018 when I decided that the Treasure Seekers had an awful lot to give back to the community. "Since November they have been out using speed devices, on building surveillance exercises, have been out on operations with traffic and they have loved every minute of it. "They have engaged with communities and made a real difference, I couldn't be prouder of each and every one of them and I would like to announce that the decision has been taken and we are going to be expanding the Treasure Seeker Cadets and we’re going to be taking them out and about giving them the opportunity to make a real difference to the communities that we serve. “This programme is supported by the National Volunteer Police Cadets and we hope that other forces will consider this initiative."
On the run! Seven Treasure Seekers staff members will be running a 24 hour race in the Cotswold Running Festival, to raise money for Treasure Seekers. Craig, Tristam, Jake, Kirsty, Katie M, Jonny and Andrea are all taking part in the event which will take place at the Bathurst Estate, near Cirencester on 3rd and 4th August 2019. They will take it in turns to run 9K laps, trying to get as many laps as they can as a team. We need your help to sponsor these Treasure Seekers Heroes on the Run! Go to the fundraising section of the Treausre Seekers website to donate.
News from the Kingfisher Family African diaster relief update Over the past month, two cyclones have hit south east Africa, causing immense damage and bringing loss of life, with at least 921 people being killed by Cyclone Idai. Just weeks later, Cyclone Kenneth, the biggest ever recorded cyclone in the southern hemisphere, made landfall on 26th April 2019. Whilst Mozambique bore the brunt of the two cyclones, the impact has been widespread and devastating. Around 1.5 million children have been affected by Cyclone Idai and in Mozambique alone, thousands of people are still missing. James Burn has just returned from a visit to Malawi where he saw some of the impact of Cyclone Idai. He also travelled to the boarder with Mozambique to meet with various church leaders from that country to get a first-hand account of the devastation caused. During that time, the second cyclone, Kenneth, struck Mozambique. Many Kingfisher church members, both in Malawi and in Mozambique have lost everything. Homes, crops, family members - they have all been washed away. In the
midst of the disaster there is some good news, however: Kingfisher in the UK and Fellowship of the King in Spain have responded by sending aid to our National Director in Malawi, Charles Mithowa. Charles has been able, with this money, to begin to coordinate the distribution of emergency aid to the families affected, both in Malawi and in Mozambique. Fresh water, maize, plastic sheeting and more has been purchased and Charles and his team have begun the distribution process. The leaders from Mozambique, who were being given plastic sheeting to make emergency repairs to their buildings when they arrived home reported that the newly-repaired Kingfisher Centre in Mauza, Mozambique had withstood the cyclones and remained intact. The roof of the centre had only recently been rebuilt as it
had been blown of in other, recent storms. The Centre is now serving as a place of refuge for homeless families as well as a focal point for the relief effort in the area. The mood in Malawi is one of determination to regroup and carry on. Street markets are still in operation, maize and tea crops seem fairly unaffected and the resilience of the people is amazing. Malawi has an infrastructure that Mozambique lacks, which is enabling it to cope better with the disaster. Charles is coordinating with Fuloresi Dempster to transfer as much relief as possible to Mozambique, and they both value all of our prayers.
Left: Street market in Malawi Right: tea leaves ready for transportation to be processed
Left: distribution of plastic sheeting to leaders from Mozambique
News from the Kingfisher Family The God of Promise There are literally thousands of promises made in the Bible; promises people make to each other, promises people make to God, and most importantly of all, promises that God makes to us. Every single promise that He makes is backed up by a particular guarantee: the honour of His name (Psalm 138:2) Kingfisher International Family stands as testimony to the truth that, when God makes a promise, He keeps it. The amazing growth and development of this Family of churches and ministries that stretches around the world is based on the outworking of a series of promises made to us by God. Coming to understand those promises and, more importantly, the promises He has made in your life is an adventure that leads to some life-changing discoveries. Are you on that adventure with the God of Promise yet?
Visit the Resources page at www.kingfisher.org.uk for more details and to see other resources
GET INVOLVED WITH THE NEWSLETTER! In order for this newsletter to grow and develop, we need your help! If you go to any Kingfisher event and have taken a great photo, then please post it on our Facebook page or email it to Kirsty at kirstydalley@kingfisher.org.uk. The copy deadline for the next issue (due out in September 2019) is 22nd August. If you would like to get involved in the production of the next newsletter then email us with your particular area of interest. Hope you enjoy hearing all that is happening across the Kingfisher Family!
Kingfisher Church Moor Street Tredworth Gloucester GL1 4NJ www.kingfisher.org.uk info@kingfisher.org.uk +441452 304339 Š Kingfisher Church, 2013