Prayer & Praise - December 2011

NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED

If you would like to be forwarded our regular prayer letter please email us at office@careworks.org.au

Chaplaincy - Murray Bingham (Chaplains Coordinator)

Our team of 15 chaplains are a skilful and dedicated group of men and women who aim to show the love of Christ by listening well and providing comfort in all kinds of situations.  The listening ear of a chaplain makes such a difference!  

Just recently the group assembled at The Tops Conference Centre for a retreat and shared their experiences.  One chaplain shared how she sat with a family while waiting for their loved one to pass away; another talked of the privilege of sitting with an elderly person in her home having a cup of tea with her very best china!  Yet another chaplain was taking a lesson with young school children helping them understand poverty throughout the world.  

Please pray...
All our chaplains are motivated by God’s love and to share that love in whatever setting they find themselves.  Please pray for them as they minister in these crucial community settings.

Jacaranda Cottage, Sutherland Shire - Chris Byrnes-Mikelsons (Acting Coordinator)

Recently, we have been establishing and creating programs (within our program) around self esteem and how to cope under stress.  It was difficult at first as the girls saw nothing positive in themselves or in their lives.  However, as the program went on the girls started to trust our encouragement.   The highlight of the program was having the same stubborn girls writing on stones the lies that had been spoken over their lives. They pondered on what they had written before throwing those lies as far as they could into the beach.  Then on a new stone they wrote a word that represented who they were going to be from then on. One girl asked if it would be alright to drill a hole in it so she could wear it on a necklace.

Another program developed after observing that the girls had no hobbies or things they could do to cope with the stress in their lives.  One of our workers created a night where all of our clients, after dinner, would bake something.  Each week they picked a new recipe.  None of these girls (including the worker) were experts.  The point was to have a go - to build something from scratch and achieve that.

 Please pray for …

· wisdom and unity for our team, our coordinator (Mel Fowler) and over all the decisions we make

· funding and fundraising – this can be very time and energy consuming, taking us away from core work with the girls. Pray that God gives us answers in this and continues to provide for what He has in store.

The Stepping Stone, Pendle Hill - Bruce Pederson (Pastor & Community Care Coordinator)

Most of us can't imagine what it's like to not have a home... a fridge full of food... a hot shower... but for many of our Stepping Stone friends, these are the realities of everyday life.  Here at Stepping Stone we try to provide some of the luxuries of a home: a washing machine and dryer, a hot shower, a hot meal, computers to catch up with news and the company of some good friends. We are indebted to our many great volunteers who cook, clean and serve meals... and to the many retailers who provide free food: meat, bread, fruit, veggies and anything else on offer is cooked up in inventive ways to serve around 300 meals per week.  And sometimes we even get something a bit special for our friends who are sleeping rough... just this past month we were given a wedding cake.  We don't know whether it was a demo model or an unfortunately cancellation, but regardless of how we got it, it was a special treat!

Community Visitors Scheme, Pendle Hill - Lyn Spice (Coordinator)

Praise God for the volunteers who visit the socially isolated and lonely residents in the Aged Care Facilities in the western suburbs of Sydney.  It is great to hear from staff in the facilities of how the lives of some of the residents are changed because someone special spends a little time with them on a regular basis. 

 Please pray for more people who will volunteer to visit the elderly.

Crisis Centre, Pendle Hill - Lyn Pederson (Caseworker)

This year has been one of big changes for us.  We have two new staff members, Natalie and Peita with the resignation of Lisa and Kathy. It has been a great year rebuilding our team. Our women’s refuge and housing has been totally full all year and we have built great relationships with our families.  It has been exciting to see some of our mums bond in with our church community as well.

We have been especially glad to have made strong connections to our Sudanese families who have been in our housing this year.   This also means we have got to know many other families who are connected with them.  Many are involved in our children’s programmes, community meal and our gathering on Sundays.  We have come to love these families and they us. Many have experienced such trauma in their past, yet bring to us so much love and fun. 

One of the highlights in the past couple of months was our annual craft show where we ‘show off’ the girls projects from the last 12 months in our craft group.  It is exciting to see them proudly show people the things they have made. It is a thrill for us to watch our mums develop new skills.

As we go into the Christmas season we will be putting up our Christmas trees in the refuge, remembering that this is a most difficult time of year to be in crisis accommodation. 

Please pray for our mums and their children as we try to make their time with us a peaceful one. 

Brighter Futures, Pendle Hill - Diane Griffiths (Family Caseworker)

Jill, Bill and their 4 children (2-5yrs) have been working on some major health, family and accommodation issues. To create a better environment and change in the family, Jill and Bill began working on their parenting skills (attending groups) and child behaviour issues - sending the eldest child to early intervention classes and the others to child care. To strengthen relationships Jill & Bill spent more time with their children, helping establish routines and encouraging interaction with other children.

On a whole Jill, Bill and the family have been able to work through many of the issues they identified.  As Jill stated, there is still a long way to go in building stronger relationships and making sure her older two boys have the same opportunities in developing and rejoining main stream school. It will happen in time - with persistence, as well as to manage her mental health concerns and to work on communicating with Bill. Jill has attributed the family’s achievements with being involved with the Brighter Futures program, and wants to extend a huge thank you for giving their family a head start in life and opening up doors that were otherwise closed.

Please pray for families looking for housing, those with sickness, and our 2^nd caseworker who started in August.

The Hills Frog Crew, Castle Hill - Darla Connaughton

Michael and Darla Connaughton have led a team of Castle Hill Community Church volunteers for 2 years and now a crew from Dayspring Church have come on board.  The past few months have been very exciting but busy for The Frogs. The Hills Shire Council have come on board even more than before despite their youth department merging with other departments. There are many opportunities coming their way, which is very exciting yet daunting.

At the end of November a team travelled to Surfers Paradise to do hotel chaplaincy during ‘Schoolies’.

Please pray for …

· Darla & Michael who are expecting their 1^st baby in February!

· God’s wisdom in the projects Michael & Darla commit to, being conscious of the busy lives that the volunteers lead.  Please pray for balance in all of this.

Picking Up the Pieces (PUP), Penrith - Max Tolhurst (PUP Elder)

We recently received a small community grant from Penrith Council - which is no mean feat!  We have been invited to a Civic Reception with the Mayor to receive the cheque and address the gathering about the work we are involved in!  This in itself is a significant opportunity to ‘go beyond the sausage sandwich’ with people who are key players in our local community.

We continue to minister to the sex workers on the Great Western Highway and in recent weeks, we have been able to pray with some of the girls who are struggling with health problems and custody issues.  It is a privilege to be invited into their lives in this way and it encourages us to be intentional.

Our trailer ministry continues each Wednesday night and the residents of the housing estate have commented that we are ‘their church’.  In recent months, two of the residents have begun attending church regularly and have completed the Alpha Course.  We are looking to build on this connection in 2012 by running some mental health workshops in the housing estate common room.  As a church, we are being stretched as we bring these wonderful people into our family and learn what it means to love unconditionally and truly become a ‘blended’ family.

We are also gearing up for our 4^th annual Community Christmas Day Luncheon. The girls from the highway and our friends from the trailer ministry look forward to this event as it provides them with a sense of value, acceptance and belonging at a time when most of us take that for granted.

Please pray for…

· boldness as our PUP volunteers ‘go beyond the sausage sandwich’

· protection for the girls on the highway who often have acts of violence committed against them

· continued favour with council to enable the ministry to grow

· more volunteers

East Nowra Shed - Lee Dobson (Pastor)

Over the last year we have been ‘evolving’ in surprising ways. On our Tuesday afternoon sessions we have had several mums come along, some with their daughters, others with sons. Each one has experienced something rare in their day to day life – simply stopping and doing something together.

One father comes along with his step-son and are on to their 3^rd project now. So committed are they that when the father began a long awaited and sought after full time job recently he arranged for an early start on Tuesdays so that they could still make it to the Shed each week.

A great thrill has been working with a team of boys from the adjacent high school. The majority of the guys are indigenous and the whole crew are huge fun to work with.  Although they don’t ‘do’ school all that consistently yet, they are highly skilled and together we constructed some purpose made outdoor furniture.

We also take the Shed ‘on the road’. At Nowra East Public School we work with selected senior boys to learn fundamental skills – experience the application of ‘irrelevant and boring’ stuff like Maths, to the suddenly quite relevant and necessary stuff – like measuring things!  We do projects for school (eg. outside chalk boards & benches) and projects for home (eg. boxes for footy boots or mum’s jewellery). Young men with self control issues in class are really tuned in to the work and have shown clear leadership qualities, servant hearts – a quality not always obvious in class!

Please pray …  

· that the Lord leads us into His chief expression of our ministry. We feel there is a focus of energy and ministry that hasn't been found yet.

· for more team members to join as mentors. We need relational people who can commit to serving a variety of people.

Common Groundz Community Cafe, Lalor Park -

 Nathan Marshall (Pastor)

This year has seen lots of great new projects and partnerships developing, including the commencement of a neighbourhood garden, TAFE training for the long-term unemployed and a faith based gathering on a Tuesday night welcoming those who don’t know Christ.  We are praising God for the many conversations we have been able to have with our friends at the Groundz.

As we head into Christmas, we are also hosting a Christmas dinner for our neighbours. We hope that Christmas is an opportunity to form and build on new relationships, especially with those who are lonely, confused and angry during the festive season.

Please pray for …

· the staff and volunteers who work so tirelessly in this ministry

· continual provision of funding/support/donations to support the ministry

· the larger scale development of a community meal to be a part of our connection to the local community

· a deeper connection and involvement from local churches to get involved with the café

The River Project, Albury - Graeme van Brummelen (Pastor)

Based out of The River Community Church our activities are focused on the direct relief of poverty, suffering, distress, misfortune, disability or helplessness in the form of a Food Share (providing fresh & packaged food parcels), an Op Shop, and ‘Bread of Life’ (distributing bread to families & community centres). We also provide budgeting assistance and training to help people out of poverty.

Our project involves over 15 volunteer workers. A vital part of the community, The River Community Church is a place of solitude and security to many, whether for a quick cuppa and a chat, or a place to source groceries, financial assistance, or counselling.

In the near future we are relocating our Op Shop to a larger area of our existing premises and then developing a café in the old Op Shop which will provide a meeting place, good quality food and beverages at discounted prices.

Please pray …

· that God will continue to be the provider to this ministry.  Praise God for His provision. He has truly blessed this ministry with some wonderful and unexpected gifts.

· for 'The River Project' to fulfil that which God has called it to be within the community

· for partnerships to develop between other churches and welfare agencies

· that the Gospel, as it accompanies our community service, will reach the heart of the lost in the Albury region

Rhythms Op Shop, Seven Hills - Adrian Jackson (Pastor)

This is Rodney. He was born with severe cerebral palsy and has never known life independent of a wheelchair and needs a carer to look after him. Today he is helping look after others as one of our regular pastoral team at Rhythms.

Through a number of environments and initiatives Rhythms is connecting with and helping change people’s lives. Whether it’s through our Op Shop or warehouse, drop-in, our StreetFront ministries or our faith community (The Rhythms Collective) people like Rodney are finding a community, a life and a purpose.

We have just expanded our staff and are currently looking to expand our space to provide more room for a variety of programs we hope to implement next year and to accommodate our growing faith community and very popular drop-in area.

It’s long, hard and for the most part slow work, but we are seeing positive signs and good fruit.

Please pray for…

· more workers for the harvest. We can always use more shop and pastoral volunteers.

· God to open the hearts of those with whom we work so they will meet Jesus

· God’s vision and wisdom as we look to the future and for more ways to be the good news to our community