Prayer & Praise
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If you would like to be forwarded our regular prayer letter please email us at office@careworks.org.au
Rhythms Op Shop - Seven Hills
We recently had a family of four call us for help. They had lost everything in a house fire and were destitute. They had no food and no money. Due to circumstances beyond their control the parents were both out of work; and to top it all off, the wife had just lost both her parents to illness. They were pretty desperate.
We were able to help them and their children with food and clothing and were able to spend a good amount of time just talking through everything they were going through. They were incredibly touched and thankful. I believe it was our capacity and willingness to treat them as actual people in need rather than just as part of the process, that really made the difference.
ChainBreakers Recovery and Shed - Telopea
After much 'ado' the shed building is finally on site at Telopea, just up the road from Telopea Church of Christ. CareWorks gifted the old resource centre building from Pendle Hill and we paid a transport company that specializes in moving portable buildings to do the job. Though they were not the cheapest quote, they proved to be the best people for the job. It took about five hours from go to woe, to get the three sections delivered to Telopea on the back of a truck. It attracted a lot of attention from the locals as well as some of the church family who came along to give me support and to congratulate me on getting it here after such a long time.
This was a vision that the Lord instilled in me some seven years ago, and now it is a reality:- A social space for ex prisoners who can learn to re-socialise in their own time and in their own way, and learn some skills along the way. God has opened every door in its proper time and some exciting times are in store for us as a church and as individuals.
Womens Jail Chaplaincy - Emu Plains
My main point of contact with women continues to be through running craft groups. I find that through this I am able to spend time with many women who would not access a chaplain and talk about some very significant things while we are doing something together. The women also appreciate the opportunity to express their creativity and make something they can send to their loved ones. I have commenced a post-release support craft group which has started small but I am hopeful that this will progress well with time. I have recently been trained in how to run "Season's for Growth" groups assisting people to deal with issues of grief and loss, and the first group will run in November this year.
Women and Children Crisis Centre - Pendle Hill
On the 11th and 12th of September Pendle Hill Crisis Centre held an art and craft exhibition showing the work of the last year completed by the craft group. People from our local community also had an opportunity to display their work. It was a great opportunity to share information about our refuge and homeless persons projects with many people. People from all our local churches attended as well as Chatswood Church of Christ who have helped supply many materials for our craft classes. Some of our ladies felt so proud to see their work displayed. What a wonderful way to help folk feel good about the work they have created.