harvest newsletter 2019 - fernhill heath baptist church · eco award supporting refugees in bidi...
TRANSCRIPT
fernhillheathbaptist.org.uk
Welcome to this new-look Harvest Newsletter
Harvest Newsletter 2019
Fernhill Heath Baptist Church (FHBC)
Harvest Thanksgiving Services Sunday 6th October
11am Morning Worship With crèche and Junior Church Activities
6.30pm Evening Worship
Harvest Coffee Morning Saturday 5th October 10.30am – 12.30pm
Read about
FHBC’s work in
Africa
Also read about
Creation Care and FHBC’s
recent
ECO Award
Supporting refugees in
Bidi Bidi one of the
largest refugee
settlements in the world
Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement, Uganda
The conflict in South Sudan and its refugee crisis are having a
huge impact on Northern Uganda. In March 2017 and June 2018,
teams from Fernhill Heath Baptist Church (FHBC) along with
friends from Emmanuel Cathedral (Arua) were given the
opportunity to visit Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement. This is the
biggest of many refugee settlements in Uganda with nearly
300,000 refugees and one of the largest in the world.
Emmanuel Cathedral supports the work of a Ugandan Christian
charity, Here is Life, which works at the refugee camps building
latrines, houses for people with special needs, and training in
trauma counselling. FHBC has been able to support the work that
they do by funding latrines and special needs housing.
This work was completed efficiently by
Here is Life, and FHBC decided to raise
funds for semi-permanent latrines.
When the money reached Here is Life
though, the priority had changed to
housing people with special needs.
In 2017, the priority
was the provision
of sanitation, and
we funded the
construction of a
toilet and wash
block to be used by
50 refugees.
Therefore, this money
was used to fund a
house for a family of 7.
Jane Tabu is a widow
with six children and both
she and one of her
children are HIV positive.
Her health problems
made it impossible for
her to build her own
house. In 2018, a team
from FHBC visited Jane and her family in their new two-bedroom
home. They were incredibly grateful and called their new home a
‘dream house’.
Having seen the difference
that this house made to
Jane and her family, FHBC
decided our 2019 Easter
appeal would be to raise
funds for a further house.
This was completed in
August for a man called
Scopas Lokang who is 74
years old and has chronic
pain in his legs. Scopas is
seen standing in front of
his old house and sitting
outside his new home with
his grand-children.
We continue to support the refugees in Bidi Bidi as our Harvest Appeal will support the work of BMS World Mission.
Details are found on the next page.
Thank you for supporting our Easter appeal and raising £835 to build Scopas a new home.
2019 Harvest Appeal
Over 1 million refugees have fled South Sudan,
with many arriving at Bidi Bidi Refugee
Settlement in N.Uganda with almost no means to support themselves.
100,000 refugees are thought to be at substantial risk and this includes widows, pregnant women and those with disabilities. BMS World Mission is
working to supporting 100 of these vulnerable families.
640 health workers have been equipped with blood
pressure monitors, which are especially important to help pregnant women. £18 would buy a solar-battery bank to
enable these to be recharged regularly.
It’s hard to imagine fleeing a war zone when you can’t walk. Or to be like Modi who has learning difficulties and was once lost for 3 days because he’d run off to
search for food – in desperation, his mother tied him to a tree to keep him safe.
If you’d like to help us to support this ongoing ministry amongst the most vulnerable refugees in North Uganda, please come to our Harvest Services or to the Harvest Coffee Morning or make out a cheque to Fernhill Heath Baptist Church, put it in an envelope clearly marked ‘Harvest’ & put it in the church letter box in O’Keys Lane.
Seeds, tools & training will help families to grow the food they need...
A wheelchair improves a person’s mobility... £39 supports a community
disability helper for a month; £60 feeds a family for a year.
My young nephew recently paid a visit to a
friend’s farm as they were harvesting. Seeing up close the hard work, dedication and the
technology being used left a big impression. In this
Newsletter there is a story of our work in a refugee
settlement in Uganda. The refugees are each given a small plot to grow their
own food. Two very different situations, but they both remind me to be more thankful for the food I eat and not take it
for granted.
Many centuries ago, a
prophet called Isaiah said “Why spend your money on food
that does not give you strength?
Why pay for food that does you
no good? Listen, and I will tell
you where to get food that is
good for the soul!”
We all need to eat to
survive, but the prophet is
talking about food for the
soul. Yet where can you get
such food? Where can you
find such a source of hope,
contentment and new life?
Well here is food for
thought, because
Jesus said “I am the bread
of life.”
Rev Jeff Porter
Minister, Fernhill Heath Baptist Church
Jeff’s Page
Our church and Creation Care - respecting the environment
locally, nationally and worldwide, from a Christian perspective. In 2010 we had a bible study about creation care. In this we were reminded that “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” (Psalm 24 v.1).
Our world is a gift that we should cherish and protect. We are custodians for future generations, not owners to dispose of it as we wish. There are three strands by which we have tried to work this out in a practical way.
Locally, we seek to increase awareness of green issues at church through our
Green Notice Board and Creation Care services; we participate in the monthly Village Litter Pick and the annual Open
Gardens scheme.
We have had talks from similarly-minded local groups and arranged visits to our county recycling centres, gardens and other natural attractions to
better appreciate and look after the world around us.
Nationally, we have joined Eco Church, an award scheme for churches who want to demonstrate that they care for God’s earth in a variety of ways. We are proud to have achieved their Silver Award in 2016 – the first Baptist Church in the country to do so – and are actively working towards a Gold Award.
Globally, our support for Fairtrade helps third world farmers and growers to a better livelihood and includes the sale of their “Real Easter Eggs.” We have raised funds to “twin” the toilets in the church and manse to provide sanitary facilities in Africa. We have also collected tools for TWAM who refurbish unwanted tools, put them in tool kits and send them across the
world for livelihood creation.
You will appreciate that this has not been a sudden impulse but rather a continuing journey and we look forward to where the road may lead us…..
FHBC & Creation Care – Our Story
Rod, tell us what Transition Worcester is about, and when did it start?
Transition Worcester is a grass roots voluntary organisation which aims to inspire people to act to help tackle climate change and oil dependency and to improve local resilience. There are over 400 Transition Initiatives worldwide, many of them in the UK. Transition Worcester started in 2011. Why do you believe this is important?
Climate change is widely understood to be the single biggest threat to the survival of our species (and other species). A further challenge comes in the shape of reducing oil reserves. To address both of these, it means that we need to find different ways to live; ways which don’t depend on fossil fuels, but instead rely on thriving local economies and short supply chains. Essentially, our current lifestyle is unsustainable. What sort of things do you cover, and how many people are involved?
Transition Worcester has created a number of subgroups / initiatives each of which has a great deal of autonomy. Initiatives include Repair Cafe Worcester, Worcester Food Rescue (which distributes food to charities; food which would otherwise have been thrown away by supermarkets), Transition Worcester Gleaning group (which distributes food from local farmers), Zero Waste Worcestershire (which is very active and is currently applying for ‘Plastic Free’ status in the city), Worcester Orchard Workers (who maintain old orchards and run pruning courses and apple juicing days) and the Old North Stables community garden near the racecourse. If all of the various groups are included, then active participants in Transition Worcester activities is well in excess of 100.
If anyone would like more information about your group, and perhaps get involved, how can they get in touch?
We would love to hear from you. You can visit our website: www.transitionworcester.org.uk, find us on Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/transitionworcester/ email us: [email protected] or phone the chair of Transition Worcester ,Tony Kennell, on 01905 424326
We have had two presentations at church from
Rod Howell from Transition Worcester, and we
thought you might be interested in who they are and
what they do. So, we did an interview with him.
There’s a warm invitation to join us for our regular activities
We hold services at 11am & 6.30pm every Sunday with Junior Church and a Creche for younger children in the mornings.
Prayer, Bible Study and discussion groups are held around the village on most Tuesday and/or Wednesday evenings.
The church is open once a month on Saturdays 10.30-12.30 for people to drop in and enjoy the opportunity to chat over a Coffee and a Snack
Harvest Coffee Morning: Saturday 5th October
Snack and Chat: Saturday 2nd November
Christmas Coffee Morning: Saturday 7th December
The church will also be serving light refreshments 10am to 4pm on the Friday and Saturday of this year’s Village Scarecrow Invasion during half-term week.
Look out for information nearer the time.
Wednesday Morning Ladies is held at 10.45-12.00 each week, usually for Keep Fit, but there’s always the opportunity for a cup of coffee & a chat.
The Grumpy Men’s Club meet fortnightly for activities & games on Fridays
7.30-9.00pm
Fernhill Heath Baptist Church Activities
Thursday Diners meet on the last Thursday of each
month for a 2-course lunch. Cost is £3.50.
Booking is essential. please contact Bronwyn on
01905 451293
Beetle Drive Look out for details
of this year’s Family Beetle Drive on
Saturday 23rd November 5.00-7.00pm