Forum Christmas Gift Bag Appeal 2020

Every year we support the Forum gift bag appeal.

Forum offers supported accommodation to vulnerable people aged 16+in Wirral, Cheshire West and Chester, Chester East and Warrington.  This year it has been a privilege to extend our accommodation to a number of rough sleepers, now accommodating 335 vulnerable people.  Christmas can be an especially difficult time for the residents and Forum works hard to ensure that they are emotionally supported, well fed and that they at least receive one gift from someone.  This, of course, is going to be quite a challenge this year!

As always traditional gift bags would be much appreciated, we will ensure that all items are stored safely for a minimum of 72 hours and sanitised before distribution.  Much needed gifts (unwrapped please) include:

a hand towel, facecloth, toothbrush, toothpaste, shower gel, shampoo, shaving gel, deodorant, socks, mug, body spray, chocolate, sweets, gloves, hats, scarves, novelty gifts, picture frames, writing pen

Gift bags can be passed into the office, 9.00-11.30 Monday- Friday (except Thursday), by Friday 4th December

However, to promote the safety and wellbeing of supporters, staff and residents, you may wish to support financially instead, enabling Forum to shop directly for residents thus minimising contact.  It can be done in two ways, either by cheque, made payable to Forum Housing Association and posted to the address below, or Online Bank Transfer.  It would be helpful if financial donations could be received by Friday 4th December

Bank details are

Bank : NatWest
Account Name : Birkenhead Forum Housing Association Ltd
Sort Code : 60-23-17
Account Number : 03163296
Address
18 Hamilton Square
Birkenhead
Wirral
CH41 6AX

Thank you again for sharing the love of God and bringing such joy to Forum residents

Sue Elliott

Chair Forum Housing Association

Letter from Rev Yangsun Yi

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

We have already spent the first half of the period of lockdown and the other half should go if the lockdown is eased on the 2nd December as promised by the prime minister. 

I wonder how you are and how you have spending your time since lockdown? One of my friends retired some years ago always had answered me he is reading books whenever I rang him.  How about you?  Have you been busy for collecting the fallen leaves in your garden?  Or have you been reading more books than ever before?  If latter, what kinds of books have been reading and what are your favourite genres?   My friend who almost always answered me he is reading books related to Christianity.  Similar to my friend, I read books in relation to the Bible especially social, cultural, ritual background and systematic theology.  Whatever a genre of book we read, it gives us joy, peace, excitement and nurture our knowledge of humanity and the nature.  Sometimes, it changes our thoughts that influence to our way life.  Then, how much more the words of God in the Bible can change our thoughts and our way of life and our life.  This is for all scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

I have recently heard a story of a man who’s been changed his life from reading the Gospels.  In the late twentieth century, one man from the Bible society of Zimbabwe went to a village to distribute the copies of the New Testament to the villagers.  The man from the Bible Society said to a man that he can give the copy of the New Testament for free.  The guy said, ‘If you give me the copy, I will roll the page and use them for rolling cigarettes.’   The one from the Bible Society still wanted the guy to take the Bible with him.  So the man from the Bible Society said I will give you this copy with one condition.  That was the guy promise him that he is going to read the page of the New Testament before he rolls it for cigarettes.  The guy had promised him, so the man from the Bible Society gave the copy to the guy.

A few years later, the same man from the Bible Society went to the village and was preaching people in a tent how the Bible could change their lives.  One guy among the crowds suddenly stood up and said his life has been changed for the copy of the Bible.  He said he is the one who took the copy of the Bible for rolling cigarettes.  He continued to say, ‘I promised to read each page before rolling cigarettes, which I did.   So I smoked my way through Matthew.   And I smoked the whole of Mark.   And then I smoked Luke.  I started smoking John, but when I came to John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life”, a light shone in my face.  And now I believe in Jesus

The words in the Bible has power to justify and sanctify us up to the stage of perfection.  This is because no words in the Bible came by human will but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God (2 Peter 1:21).

We are living in the time of winter when night is much longer than day light and of lockdown due to Covid.19.  So it is natural to feel loneliness more than any other seasons especially if we live alone.  According to C. S. Lewis, British writer and theologian ‘We read to know we are not alone’.  I fully agree with him.  I believe the more we read, meditate and contemplate the words of the Lord, the more we find God is with us.  And He provides us a great love, hope, peace, comfort, as well as proficient, equipped for every good work.

In this sense, I’d like to invite you to read the Proverbs in the Old Testament. I pray that the Word of the Lord is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path,

The Lord bless you and keep you;
 
the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace

With lots of love,

Yangsun Yi

Steps of Hope

Steps of Hope is a voluntary group of Christians from different Churches, who work as a team to provide food, toiletries, and clothes to the homeless in Liverpool City Centre.  The team have, over the years, also provided emotional support, through letters (for the ones in hostels) and phone calls, and prayer through building relationships with our friends.

Before Covid-19, we were called the trolley dollies, as everything for our friends, such as toiletries, clothes, drinks, and food such, as sandwiches, crisps, biscuits and lots of chocolate, were all in pull-along trolleys.  We followed a certain route which our friends soon got to know.   Some of them used the night shelter called Labre House, where, once a month the team cooked a meal for as many as 75/80 for which the staff, and the recipients were grateful.  A Sunday afternoon bible study was also set up for our friends to meet at the Tree of Life Christian Book Shop in Slater Street in Liverpool.  There was lots of cake, drinks and a place for them to meet and listen to short bible messages and testimonies.   The work has evolved to accommodate the needs of our friends on the streets.

All this changed as the country went into lockdown at the end of March.  At the start of Covid-19 lockdown, The Whitechapel Centre moved the rough sleepers into self- contained accommodation and our visits to Liverpool were cancelled in line with Government guidelines.

There is definitely a spirituality among the homeless, some of them are open to reading literature and gospels, which we provide for those who want them, a lady has joined the team after being homeless herself, she is now in her own house and has given her life to the Lord.

After risk assessments were prepared, at the end of June, it was decided to work from the Tree of Life bookshop.  We offer hot stew, sandwiches, fruit, cake and chocolate biscuits in take away bags each week on a Tuesday 4.30 – 6.00 pm. Downstairs in the basement all the toiletries and clothes are kept.  There are about 8/9 people each week.  Two people take orders for food and drinks outside, with tables between shop and friends, runners take food and drink to them, one person ladles the stew into take away cups and is served with a spoon.  One person sorts the drinks out, one person is given orders for toiletries and clothes.  We are fortunate to have a couple join our team who are outside conversing, listening, and offering prayer to all our friends, this has been amazing as they are truly gifted, and we in turn can learn more about their hardships and concerns.

A prayer chain receives all the names of the people we meet and pray for them each week, we are also covered in prayer each week.

Steps of Hope would like to thank Greasby Methodist Church for all their donations of money and clothing to support this outreach work.  We will continue to work from Tree of Life bookshop during this second lockdown as the café will be open for takeaway only.  It is amazing how God has provided, and blessed this work, and it is a privilege to be part of it.

June Boardman

Hope Journey Remembering

We continue to deliver a programme of Hope Journeys with children and staff at our three local schools – however we continue to work differently! This week we thoroughly enjoyed sharing a virtual Hope Journey Remembering via Microsoft Teams. On Tuesday 17th November we met with two Year 6 classes of 30 children each and staff at Greasby Junior School and on Wednesday 18th November we met with the Year 6 class and staff at Brookdale.

The team…working at a social distance!

Following my introduction and welcome, we shared three workshops

  • What and why we remember – a look at a clip from Horrible Histories and a reflection on Armistice Day, what we should be remembering, why and the symbolism of different coloured poppies
  • A Wartime Experience – delivered whilst sitting in an ‘anderson shelter’, it was such a pity the children could not join us this year.  We thought about the different types of shelters, listened to various recorded stories from those who survived WW2 and thought about how we would feel in such conditions
  • The Anne Frank story – we considered the traumatic experiences of Anne Frank, thought about what Christians are remembering through Communion, wrote prayers which will be offered at Sunday worship on Sunday and prepared a wreath of hope – hopes and dreams for ourselves and the community/world around us.  The schools will display the wreath in classrooms
The Wreath of Hope at Brookdale Primary School

During the plenary the children shared what they had learnt from this Hope Journey.  They also received the usual take home gifts of a replica WW1 St Johns gospel, issued to men in active service; the Jelly Babies and Jesus story and a weekly ration of sweets (equivalent to 5 jelly babies) to share between the entire family for one week – if you could even get hold of some sweets!

Our next Meet The Characters sessions will take place week beginning 6th December for Year 2 children at Brookdale and Greasby Infant School.  This continues to complement the assemblies which are now regularly video recorded to send into school.  It is a great privilege that the schools are so willing to engage with us.  Please join with me in prayer as we continue to share the gospel with over 700 members of the Greasby community this year

Sue Elliott

Hope Journey co-ordinator and E A T

Compassion

Compassion is a charity that helps to release children from Poverty in 25 of the poorest countries worldwide.

Here at Greasby Methodist we have supported two boys for the last six years from the generous giving of our members.  Our two boys are called Joseph who is aged 13 years from Tanzania and Amos who is 9 years old from Uganda .

Every few months we get wonderful letters from them telling us about their favourite activities, their families and their projects where they go to school, get regular medical reviews and make friends.  Over the years we have been able to support not just the children and their families but also give donations to support the work of Compassion so the money is directed to where the need is greatest.

If you want to find out more about the work of Compassion or if you are interested in sponsorship of children to release them from poverty go to their website www.compassionuk.org

God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1