Christian Church and House Swap … a way to arrange swaps of homes for free holidays all over the country and in Europe … CHACS has been running for 20 years and thousands of successful holidays have taken place in that time … see http://www.chacs.co.uk/ for details of how to register and how it works …

Hi there, please find attached the symbolised date for our February gathering: thought if I got it in now, those of you who have weekly bulletins may be able to get it in for this Sunday.

Steph

Bible by the Beach 2023 – 28 April –  01 May 2023
We are hugely thankful for the servant-hearts of the many folk who make Bible by the Beach happen! Our fabulous team of volunteers are busy behind the scenes caring and teaching our children and young people, feeding the workers, fuelling our speakers and seminar leaders, keeping the tech working, offering accommodation, assisting with administration and many, many other things… They do an amazing job and they look like they are enjoying it too!!

Would you enjoy being part of a team – stewards,  kitchen,  tech, youth/children  – and help make BBTB 2023 happen?

Could you offer accommodation for other volunteers?

Do you know someone who would enjoy being part of this?

·       Are you involved in the youth or children’s work at your church? If so, why not come along and be inspired and refreshed by being part of the excellent work at BBTB?

·       We need a committed team of kitchen helpers – chopping, washing, cleaning stirring – whilst being part of team providing excellent, simple meals for the workers! Is this something you could offer? You are always much appreciated!

·       Join the stewarding/welcoming team! Ensuring the smooth running of the event and always being there to help!

·       We are looking for home-stay hosts – folk with a spare bedroom or two who could provide bed and breakfast for the youth/children’s team volunteers. Is this something you could offer?

Drop us an email at biblebythebeach@gmail.com  – we would love to hear from you!

• Getting to the root of the problem                            20-22 January

As with weeds in a garden, there are issues in life that you may keep trying to deal with but somehow, they keep rising up again, which can cause frustration, overwhelming guilt, shame and a myriad of additional issues which just makes the situation worse.

This course seeks to investigate beyond the presenting issues and looks to the roots that can hold us into these struggles. With a compassionate and non-judgemental approach, it seeks to bring clarity to why you have the problems that you face daily in your life as well a Biblical understanding of Gods heart and pathway for moving into a life of freedom.

“I came with an agenda and although this was met, the ministry went beyond this and actually got to the REAL root of the problem – not what I had actually expected.” -Guest

Find out more: https://ellel.uk/courses/listing/ellel-glyndley-manor/january-2023/getting-to-the-root-of-the-problem-16/

• Healing Weekend 1: Freedom from Fear & Control          27-30 January

Discovering God’s place of safety, His love and peace.

ABOUT THE COURSE

So many of us struggle with some level of fear or anxiety and it can feel like it has been with us for a lifetime. We feel controlled by it, driven away from the fullness of life or driven towards or even locked into behaviours to manage life.

During this special 4-Day Healing Weekend we will gently explore how Jesus wants to bring the heart of God to the pain and wounding that come with fear and issues of control. In Luke 4 it tells us that Jesus came to heal the broken hearted and to bring liberty to those who are captive.

Find out more: https://ellel.uk/courses/listing/ellel-glyndley-manor/january-2023/healing-weekend-freedom-from-fear-control/

Free Taster Day at Glyndley Manor                       4 February, 9:30am – 5:00pm

ABOUT THE DAY

This taster day is designed to be a gentle introduction to the subjects of Christian healing and discipleship and to the work of Ellel Ministries. It’s a starting place for people looking for answers to personal struggles, or for those seeking to deepen their understanding of prayer and healing ministry to help others.

The day will explore the biblical principles and the heart of God for restoration of our lives and how healing is an essential part of the discipleship process. This taster course is ideal for those wondering if God is able or willing to help them with the everyday issues of life and things that still hinder from the past.

The aim is that you receive renewed hope and a certain knowledge that God is, in His very nature, a healer and restorer and that in Him there is an answer to all yours and others needs.

Bite-sized Teaching Topics covered include:

• Introduction to Ellel Ministries and Healing
• Inner Healing
• Deliverance Ministry
• Ungodly Fear
• How to Hear God
• Genesis to Revelation in an Hour!

TO NOTE:

There is also an opportunity for prayer ministry at the end of the day. Please note that the day is only for adults over the age of 18.

Find out more: https://ellel.uk/courses/listing/ellel-glyndley-manor/february-2023/free-taster-day-at-glyndley-manor/

REVIVE 1: A Life with a Purpose                                               14^th February

God wants to revive us!

He knows our weaknesses and struggles. He knows that we often feel stuck and unable to move forward in our Christian walk. He knows we can’t fix it on our own and He knows the shame we often feel for struggling in the first place.

Revive is a series of free evening events available for anyone to attend. Held at each of our UK centres, they are for those who want to grow in their relationship with God, to find new life in Him and to then share that life with others.

By choosing any or all of these evening events you will start to discover:

• Core biblical principles behind Christian healing ministry
• How inner healing profoundly empowers our walk with God
• All the different teachings and residential retreats that Ellel Ministries offers

Further Details:

TIME:

Doors are open at 7.00pm, and each evening will begin at 7.30pm with a time of worship. There will be a short teaching and an opportunity to respond to the Lord during a time of prayer.

REFRESHMENTS:

After the meeting there will be time for refreshments with the evening closing 9.30pm.

Find out more: https://ellel.uk/courses/listing/ellel-glyndley-manor/february-2023/revive-19/

Word One to One Training Session

How to share Jesus with those around you

Wednesday 8 February from 7pm to 9pm

Telling others about Jesus can seem daunting – but it doesn’t have to be! Richard Borgonon, founder and author of The Word One to One  www.theword121.com/  (a resource which helps people to read John’s gospel with a friend) will be helping us learn how to share the gospel with joy and confidence.

There is an open invitation for your church to join this free training session at All Saints Church in Eastbourne. No prior booking required. Come and meet Richard Borgonon and find out more about his highly effective and relational way of sharing the gospel using John’s gospel.

Richard will also be available in the afternoon (from around 3.30 to 4.30pm) to lead a Church Leaders’ session on mobilising your congregation to be gospel sharers. For further details and express an interest please email James Knowles – vicar@allsaintseastbourne.com

Several local churches are joining forces to host a day of prayer for Eastbourne.

They will use this time as an opportunity to build the momentum of gathering to worship and pray as they prepare for the Thy Kingdom Come event planned for Eastbourne seafront later in the year. This initial day together will be followed by joint prayer meetings once a month, with a different church hosting each time, between now and May in anticipation of Thy Kingdom Come.

On Saturday 21st January at 12:30pm the Churches in the Langney/Pevensey/Stone Cross area are coming together to have a joint Service to celebrate and pray for each other during the week of prayer for Christian Unity.

The event starts with a lunch and then we move into the sanctuary to hold a service together, each bringing a flavour of our backgrounds/churchmanship.

If anyone (especially those living in these areas) would like to come along then St Barnabas need to be notified for catering by Tuesday 17th January.

Church Secretary: Mrs Annette Walker Telephone: 01323 725287

Rev Alan Weaver at St Richards is organising this event.

Lifting people up and out or poverty: Advocacy Manager Debbie Canning on our advice work

We all know how busy the satellites have been and how many people are currently needing emergency food. The advocacy team has been trying to see as many of those foodbank clients as possible, to try and reduce their need to use the foodbank and hopefully bring our numbers down.

Our job is income maximisation, which basically means putting more money in people’s pockets and making sure they have everything they are entitled to and can therefore afford the essentials.
Our advocacy team has grown over the years and we now have a dedicated team of paid staff and volunteers working to claim additional welfare benefits and reduce the crippling debt repayments some people face.

I wanted to take this opportunity to reflect upon 2022, provide a snapshot of our work and explain how we have helped our foodbank clients in what has been a very challenging year.

Council tax causes a lot of issues for people visiting us. Many people are unaware they are able to claim council tax reduction, which can significantly reduce this essential bill for those on the lowest incomes. Our advocates have been making our clients aware of this and applying on their behalf. We have supported 62 clients to claim this but only know the outcomes for 21 people as of today’s date. However, we only make a claim for those who we know are entitled to council tax reduction, so we are confident this will have helped boost incomes. The average amount gained per client with a successful application for council tax reduction is approximately £1,000 per year.

Last year we also worked hard to speak to as many pensioners as possible about claiming Pension Credit. We know older people are sometimes reluctant to ask for help, but we were able to claim a total of £15,621 last year for our clients and we hope this will ease the financial strain.

Another large part of our work is helping people to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and in 2022 we secured awards for 57 people.  This amounts to £386,503 for our clients who are all living with health conditions.

It is widely reported there is £15 billion worth of unclaimed benefits in the UK and in 2022, as a whole, our local foodbank advocacy team claimed £778,456.90 back for its clients living in Eastbourne.
But this doesn’t include the debt we have been able to write off for our clients and last year  £223,540 was written off for 16 clients.

This brings the financial awards total for 2022 to £1,001,998. This means in 2022, our advocates put more than 1 million pounds back in the pockets of our clients to help reduce their need to use a foodbank.

I would like to thank everyone who has made this possible, including all the volunteers working in the satellites for the conversations you are having with people and for your help in identifying those clients who may benefit from our help and sending them our way.

Of course, we all anticipate 2023 will continue to be busy, but as a team, we will work together on the frontline of this cost of living crisis to provide emergency food and help lift people up and out of poverty.

Best wishes,
Debbie