January Reach Update:

What an exciting year that lays before us.  What an exciting time it is to be a Christian!

The Church new building has started and awesome things are happening within the reach project.

Well where do I start? It’s been such a busy time as you’d imagine leading up to and including the Christmas period.

First of all I’d like to thank you for your £5 donations from the Christmas card messages on the projector; this has raised £74 which is fantastic news (although somebody was £1 short by the looks!!)

We have been working really hard in the community. We have been building some great relationships with the families and the professionals who refer the families themselves. God has given us favour with the Plymouth Community Homes offices in Estover and Whitleigh. The two area housing officers are very keen to work close together, so please pray for them, they are called Adam and Vicky.

We continue to help and support the most vulnerable people in our community, from clearing sheds, painting, basic DIY and helping a single mum being able to move home.

We have also had a lot of single adults referred to us recently; one of which the police referred. Some have been the worse cases I’ve come across; desperate people living in awful conditions, needing the most basic of things and living within 3 miles of your home. Thankfully with your £5 a month contributions we continue to be able to provide bedding, blankets, hot wattle bottles, curtains, pillows, kitchen equipment, cutlery, microwaves (for most this is their only way of cooking) and lots more. (If you’d like to contribute please see Jo Taylor).

We also continue to build strong partnerships with other Christian churches who continue to donate food and help with people we’ve been supporting. We had a kind donation from the Catholic Church in Crownhill who heard from another church what we are doing in the community and wanted to help.

You may or may not have noticed our new container next to the Food Bank container, this is for practical items, non food related (Brenda and Hilary will be pleased as the food bank container is now just for food!)

Regarding food bank in December with your help we collected 750kg of food from Sainsburys, that was a tremendous effort so well done everybody, we continue to deliver food parcels during week day evenings, if you would like to be part of this please see me and we can add you to the rota.

Over 150 parcels have now gone out in the community since we started reaching over 200 adults and 250 children.

In December we also delivered our Christmas hampers – 32 in total. Thank you to the guys and girls who helped putting them together and deliver them, and also to the gifts we had had to give to the single mums from our ladies day recently. We wrapped them and gave them as presents which the mums were overwhelmed and so grateful with. Each hamper went out with a Christmas card and our church leaflet explaining who we are and what we believe.

Rob recently laid before us God’s word to the church for this year which is “Fulfilment”.

Full: meaning abundant in supply, no part lacking, complete

Fill: meaning plugging a gap, or to meet a requirement

Ment: meaning a result of an action

At the start of this New Year I’d like to challenge you all to ask yourself “what can I do?” or “what time can I give?” to influence somebody for Jesus this year. Out of the abundance God has given you, what need can I meet? Or what gap could I fill (I’m not talking with polyfiller!)?

I guarantee there will be families or individuals who live near you that will have gaps of emptiness, hurts, disappointments and a feeling of desperation in their lives.
What a great opportunity we have to show the goodness of God to a lost community.

In this Olympic year let us be a people of passion in 2012, determined to WIN for Jesus.

Thank you for your continued prayer

If you would like to know more about what we do at Reach and who benefits from the project please come and talk to me.

Your friend

Dan Taylor