Photo kindly given by Dave Stephenson
Life @ Kings - April 2022
Here's this month's newsletter from King's Church Cockermouth. Why not grab a cuppa and enjoy a read through what has been happening this month in the life of King's.
Rescuers... by Roger Bye
Back in the summer of 2009 our friend Ginny Burgin from Sheffield brought this prophetic word for the churches that we work with… “Be a prepared people, prepared in prayer, able to intercede and cry out to your God on behalf of the suffering ones, on behalf of the lost, be a people who know how to pray without ceasing until breakthrough comes. Be prepared in your finances and become good stewards of what you have, not just as individuals but as a people together, prepared to support and reach out to those who have not, have lost everything, have no way of knowing how they will eat. Be a people prepared to speak, to be those who are unashamed of the gospel, those with beautiful feet, who bring good news unafraid to declare the works of their God, unafraid to speak truth and healing to those who are caught in the deceitfulness of the enemy and are suffering…you are to remain in the truth as you are to be ‘rescuers’ and the doors of the ‘rescue centres’, the ‘Josephs barns’ will soon be opened. You are still in the time of preparedness, the barns are being built, acquired and stocked, the grain is being amassed and the time is being made ready, it is a time to prepare, you will become ‘rescuers’” Prophecies like this are to encourage, equip and prepare the church to respond in Biblical ways with faith, prayer and the Gospel. Many years have passed since then, and it is clear that we have lived through times where churches have been ‘rescuers’ to local communities and people groups. Today we are amid another such time and it’s humbling to see the generous and sacrificial giving in finance, support and the opening of homes for Ukrainian families who are already on their way to us. Thank you all for such an expression of love and grace. We join alongside many others who are part of God’s answer, his army of rescuers. We continue crying out to God for those who are suffering. As we do so we remember the ultimate act of rescue over this Easter time. Jesus died and was raised to life so that we can now be forgiven and live to bear fruit for Him. This is the Good News!
Ukraine
Ukraine Offering by Patrick Sharman Kings recently held two Sunday Gift days to support folk suffering through war in Ukraine. A
magnificent sum of approx. £23000 has
been raised and the trustees and elders are so grateful for the response and the hearts behind it. After the first Sunday we sent £10000 to Christ Central who are in contact with Ukrainian churches within the New Frontiers family. The money is also being used to support NF Romanian churches who are hosting multiple refugees. Some of the money will be used to support travel costs etc for those refugees who are currently awaiting approval so they can come to Cockermouth to be hosted by folk here. We do not know what their practical needs will be so will retain a reserve for this purpose and pass on other funds to support churches closer to the scene.
Thank you again and the fund will remain open for the duration of this emergency. Gifts can he handed to Patrick or sent direct to the Kings Church bank account. Further details of the wider appeal are on the Christ Central website: https://christcentralchurches.org/ukraine/
Psalm 62 by Cheryl Bye
I was given this psalm on my Mother’s Day daffodils and I’ve been using it in my devotional times ever since!
A couple of Sunday mornings ago as I was meditating on it again and praying for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine the words ‘He only is my rock and my salvation’ leapt out (yet again!) and the verse (2) continues ‘My stronghold, I shall not be greatly shaken’…..this becomes a theme running through the psalm, a phrase that becomes its heart beat….and leads the psalmist to declare ‘my refuge is in God, trust in Him at all times’. I can’t imagine, don’t really want to imagine if I’m honest, the terror of their situation and yet I know this psalm is what I’d be hanging onto.
Becca, as she led us in worship that Sunday morning, encouraged us to think about God being our rock and as I did the rock building actions, I felt such a deep link with our friends….. He is our rock, our strength and our refuge….and such a personal challenge too for me as well as them.
Ukraine Prayer Points by Jean Stroulger
Please pray:
For the ever-changing situation in Ukraine, that the hostilities will cease, and a solution be found
For church members who are making preparations to welcome their guests
For God’s protection and provision for our Ukrainian friends, and that they stay fit and well whilst in transit
For the time taken to process the Visa applications to be speeded up, that God will make a way through the red tape for our Ukrainian friends and grant us all patience in the frustration
For flights to be available once the go-ahead is given
For us as Kings Church to be welcoming and supportive. Praise God that we have this opportunity to put faith into action
Eco-Church
Throughout lent, there have been ideas in the church bulletin of simple actions that can help the environment.
Here is the full list, do let us know how you get on at: admin@kingscc.org, we would love to hear if you have been able to put any of these ideas into action.
1) For this week, try not buying anything new (except food, medicines and toiletries). Instead try to swap, borrow, mend, buy second-hand or go without.
2) For this week, for journeys that would take you 15mins or less to walk, try to walk rather than getting the car out
3) Why not try a vegetarian meal or two this week? If you want some recipe ideas, contact admin@kingscc.org and we will email you a collection of recipes that are tried and tested by people at King's Church.
4) Use re-useable cups and bottles rather than buying disposable ones (you are very welcome to bring your own mug or bottle to church)
5) Try to give up baths or reduce the amount of baths you have and restrict your showers to four minutes (this will help the environment and save you money).
The Big Plastic Count
King's Church would love to see as many households as possible get involved in the 'Big Plastic Count' which is taking place in May. Below the Big Plastic Count explain how to get involved;
'For one week, 16th - 22nd May, people all over the country are counting their plastic packaging waste to help gather new, game-changing evidence of the true scale of the plastic problem. The results will show the government what really needs to be done to tackle it, and the more people who take part, the more impact we'll have. Will you join us? Here's the link':
Guatemala - Debbie Hallsworth
After I got back from my trip to Rwanda with Compassion in 2019, I was looking for another challenge.Impact Marathons had been suggested to me so I had a look at their website and the Guatemala race just jumped out at me. Whilst I was toying with the idea, friends that were on the Rwanda trip said they were going to do it so that was me signing up for the 2021 trip (Impact Marathons set up races across the world to raise funds for charities in the area the race is run).
I booked my place in March 2020 and then the global Covid pandemic hit. So in December 2020, the race was postponed to 2022. Great I thought, more time for training! As it came close to March 2022, I was still on board but my friends had postponed which meant I was faced with travelling half way round the world on my own. This just made it feel like a bigger adventure.
So with that in mind I braved 3 flights and 20+ hours of travel on the 27th Feb. I travelled to Antigua which was to be my home for the next week and a bit. It was the most amazing week, I explored Antigua and supported 3 new amazing tours by guides from the indigenous population. These included weaving, a historic talk and a short trek to a waterfall which no tourists had ever done before.
One evening we had a talk from Seres, the main charity partner for the run. Seres owns a large area of land on the sides of one of the most active volcanoes in the world. They use the land to support poor indigenous families grow food and supplies on the land. They also run a young people’s leadership programme which starts by teaching the teenagers how to farm sustainably on the volcano. This includes growing things like Bamboo which can be used to build homes and storage houses but grows very quickly so they can rebuild from scratch within a few years of an eruption if need to.
Sunday came round and we were up super early to race. The 4 of us doing the marathon were setting of at 6:30am to avoid the worst of the heat. We set off on the route which was beautiful and had great views, we came to the lava field and the heat ramped up. We found out later it had hit 39 degrees celsius! My arms started to blister almost straight away so after a quick check from the paramedic, off I went up the main climb of the route.
I really enjoyed the run but unfortunately I was not able to complete the marathon due to the heat but I did run the furthest I’ve ever run in a race and I’m so pleased I went and supported the work out there.
Thank you to everyone at King's who supported me by sending messages and congratulating me when I got back and also to all those who have already given.
The just giving page for anyone who would like to give is:
Mobilise by Zoe Fielden
Last month we had some great theme weeks at Mobilise!
The young people took part in the ‘Show the Love’ Campaign
In preparation for this week, we had a week on Creation, looking at how God created the world and that we have a responsibility to look after it. As part of the ‘Show the Love’ Campaign, Lisa Varey came to talk to us about what we can do to help create change that will help tackle the climate crisis. Together we made a giant green heart made out of all recyclable materials and displayed it in The Hub window, to show that we care about climate change. The youth also made cards to send to our local MP to ask for support on measures that will tackle the climate crisis.
Thank you very much to everyone who donated green recyclable materials!!
Later in the month, Jen from CADAS (Cumbria Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service) came to be with us. We had a great time learning what alcohol and drugs can do to the body through some fun games and activities, and even had a go dribbling a football with beer goggles on!