Serving in our community is part of our wider vision - Worship, Impact, Rooted and Value - so it was fantastic to welcome the organisations and charities we support as a church, as well as consider the ministries we have initiated from within the congregation. It’s amazing that so many people serve our community so well. We must not forget that we serve our community in other ways, like School Governors, Rotary Club, Women's Institute and so many other organisations. We are so grateful to everyone who serves the church in a myriad of ways. For all those things you do, often unseen - we thank you and want you to know that you are appreciated in all you do. We’ve pulled together information from the 8 different groups we highlighted earlier in May so that you have the information to hand should you need it. Don’t forget, praying and giving is as much serving as doing - it all counts and is all so very much appreciated.
Linking Lives
‘Cockermouth Linking Lives has now been running for almost 5 years and has helped over 200 lonely and isolated people by providing a weekly visit for around an hour. We also run Together@2 every Monday at The Ark on Highfield Road where we play games and chat, and Crafty Lunch Club every third Thursday from 12-2pm.
Currently we have over 80 Link Friends and 65 volunteers. We are grateful to Kings for financial support, but a few more volunteers would be welcomed!’
Terry Peate – Operations Manager
Email for more information: cockermouth@linkinglives.uk
Bridge Cafe
‘The café was set up to support the town post flood in 2015. Since then it has moved from crisis intervention to more of an emphasis on pastoral care and support of an elderly population. There is an ownership of the café by the community and most new people come through someone bringing a friend. One of the joys is that initially the guests were very reliant on us but they have grown friendships through the café and are very supportive of each other and even have their own coffee mornings on days the café doesn’t meet. The café meets on Tuesdays for a home baked cake and coffee and Fridays for bacon butties. On Thursdays, I visit anyone who doesn’t attend the café for any reason.’
Gail Robins – Outreach Worker
Email for more information: gail@kingscc.org
English Cafe
The English Café has now been running for just over a year and a half. During that time, we have had 96 people attend from 6 different countries, predominantly from Ukraine, and from other countries including Poland, Spain, Hungary, Afghanistan and this week we had a Kurdish lady who has only been in the country 3 weeks. We average about 16 guests per week. Many of the ladies who attend are very good cooks and often bring delicious cakes to share. We have 4 regular helpers - Bob, Jean, Angela and Riccardo. Jean makes excellent cakes and is very good at offering to and praying for people. Bob makes the coffee and is great at washing up. Angela used to teach English in France and is excellent at communicating and helping people with their English. Riccardo helps with set up and is the main chatterer.
Some hosts of Ukrainian families come along to the café and see it as a place of mutual support. People from the council resettlement team come and we have a very good relationship with them, they tap into us and vice versa. A lady from the team said that our English Café is the best in the area and recommends it to everyone she works with! Consequently, we now have people coming from Millom.
We now do many extracurricular activities to keep contact and develop friendships with those who attend or previously attended the café such as walks, BBQs and pop-up cafes. Through this, we have contact with 25 other families. On 22nd June we are having a family trip to Edinburgh Zoo. Quite a few of the Ukrainians now attend Sunday lunches (which have been running for about 14 years). I calculate that we have served more than 5000 roast dinners!
We’d like to thank Linking Lives for offering us with furniture and white goods etc. At the moment, we need a vacuum cleaner if anyone has one! Thank you to everyone who has helped Vira to set up her home from starting with absolutely nothing. It was a fantastic witness.
If you’d like to get involved with English Café, the café runs at the Hub (CA13 9NJ) on Monday mornings from 10.00-12.00. Please speak to Nonnie and Riccardo.
Nonnie Giagnoni – Outreach Worker
Email for more information: admin@kingscc.org.
NISCU
Currently we have 2 NISCU puppet teams in West Cumbria, one of which I lead. The other team is based in the Workington/Whitehaven area.
For almost 25 years now I have been working for NISCU as a volunteer, and there are 5 other long-serving volunteer members in my team. They include Steve, John, Alison, Jenny and Edward. As it happens, we’re all members of this church, and it would be true to say that we each feel really blessed and privileged to be involved in this ministry! In addition, NISCU employees, Lesley and Tom who attend Cockermouth Christian Centre, join our team each week. Then there are others who serve behind the scenes when needed, particularly Malcolm with his technical gifting, Richard and Penny on special occasions, and Pauline and Gordon having their voices recorded for some of our puppet scripts.
Throughout the year, we go into schools with our live puppet assemblies to help children hear the truths and stories of the Bible. The puppets are an incredibly powerful tool to connect with children and enable us to share the Gospel in a fun, exciting and engaging way! Whether in a primary school assembly or community event like the Cockermouth Lights Switch-on, they hold the children’s attention. Some younger children even think puppets are real! I do remember once, after 5 large singing sheep puppets performed our Christmas song, I overheard a little girl say: “I didn’t know that sheep could sing!”
Currently I have 30 schools on my list – some of them Primary Schools, while others are Infant Schools. With each new assembly, different schools are contacted with an offer of a live puppet assembly. In addition, since Covid, we are now producing video versions of many of our assemblies for schools to use, and links to these are sent out to those schools not receiving a live assembly that term.
In the last 12 months, I have calculated that approximately 2,320 school children will have experienced one of our live assemblies, not to mention members of staff and some head teachers as well. Added to that figure will be the many others watching on video!
Please do pray for our new puppet assembly on ‘Kindness’, which will be taken into schools on Wednesday mornings from 12th June. It will feature the story of Zaccheaus, and how his life was completely changed after meeting Jesus. Looking further ahead, please pray for God’s inspiration for next year’s Christmas and Easter puppet assemblies. Please pray also that new members will catch the vision for puppetry and want to join the team!
NISCU – Maggie Cowles - Primary Puppet Team Leader
Email: admin@kingscc.orgWebsite: www.niscu.org.uk
Amplify
Amplify is a youth drop-in run by King’s Church Cockermouth at the Hub each Friday evening in term-time from 3:30pm-8pm for secondary school aged young people. It was set up about 6 years ago when the County Council asked us if King’s Church would provide some Friday night youth work so we agreed to open a youth drop-in for young people to come and spend time in a place where they could simply hang out together.
Joelle organises Amplify with the help of volunteers from King’s Church who serve every 4-6 weeks. Amplify could not run without these volunteers and it is great to see them building relationships with the young people. Each week, staff and volunteers are available to chat, play games or do crafts, giving them encouragement and support where needed.
Each Friday, we offer a free hot meal and a choice of free activities including crafts, games, air hockey/pool table, table football, free Wi-Fi, and games consoles where they regularly play FIFA, Just Dance or Minecraft. Over the years, it has been great to see young people create new friendships and care for one another. It makes a positive difference in building their confidence, strengthening their communication skills and providing a positive community for them to be themselves. Because Amplify is a drop-in, young people are welcome to come and go as they please, some come for the whole of the session and others come for a couple of hours.
The majority of young people who come to Amplify have no connection to church, and although Amplify doesn’t offer Christian teaching, we invite them to the youth weekends and days out that we attend, as well as Newday where they will hear the Gospel, seeds are planted and they meet more Christians. Some of the young people regularly attend Newday or the weekends away because of the friendships they have built through Amplify, and because of the care and acceptance the leaders have shown them. Amplify is a great stepping stone for young people to step into other activities we run for youth.
Prayer Points:
Thank God for the volunteers who serve so well and for the young people who attend Amplify
Please pray that we would continue to see more young people attend Amplify and that they would feel welcome, encouraged and want to come back regularly
Please pray for Amplify to be a stepping stone in the young people’s journey to knowing Jesus
Email for more information: joelle@kingscc.org
Follow Amplify on Facebook - Amplify at the Hub
Mealshare
Mealshare is one of King's Church's ministries to our community. It is designed to help those who experience some form of food poverty, and is free to anyone who needs help. Working alongside North Lakes Foodbank and Highfield Food Pantry, we offer fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and bread alongside other food staples, and a wide range of non-food necessities for the household. We buy the majority of our food from Fare Share, which means we are also tackling the issue of food waste alongside food poverty. Currently, we support around 85 people, some families with young children, elderly couples, single people and people from all sorts of backgrounds. Food poverty can affect anyone at anytime - redundancy or sudden illness is often a factor, but so is the inability to earn extra money (OAPs for example). There is no background checking for Mealshare - just the point of need, and we get referrals from Cumberland CC, local GPs, friends and church members - all are welcome if they have need. To arrange pick up, please contact admin@kingscc.org or call 01900 821100.
Mealshare – Paul Mogford - Operations Manager
For more information: admin@kingscc.org
Safe Families
'Safe Families is a charity that works with 35+ local authorities around the UK. Safe Families offer hope, belonging and support to children, families and care leavers; we do this primarily, but not exclusively, with and through local churches.'
For more information, head to About Us - Safe Families.
Lynn Graham - Community Volunteer Manager
Email: lynngraham@safefamilies.uk
North Lakes Foodbank
'North Lakes Foodbank helps individuals and families in crisis, through the provision of emergency food supplies. All food is given to people who are experiencing crisis identified by care professionals – Advisory services for welfare and debt, medical teams, social workers, housing floating support teams, children's support teams, church and community/charity workers.
We have more than 125 of these care professionals who are voucher holders for us. They give out vouchers which are exchanged for the food which is nutritionally balanced to last the individual, couple or family three days. The number of people throughout Allerdale and Copeland we are feeding each month is growing rapidly, with over 100% rise year on year. Some of the needs are as a result of benefit delay, low income, ill health, homelessness, sickness and housing issues.
We collect food from customers at supermarkets, churches, schools and through local groups. We see food as a catalyst for change by providing emergency food immediately to meet a crisis situation with some practical help while care professionals look at longer-term strategies.
We give out shopping lists for people to buy items of food from. The non-perishable food is handed in to collections points throughout Allerdale and Copeland. Food is given out from our distribution centres where clients are offered a hot drink, a biscuit and a friendly chat. Here, clients will be signposted to agencies to help further with their requirements. Voucher holders can pick up the food for clients if they are not in a position to collect for themselves.
We opened our doors in early November 2009 not knowing that we would be needed so urgently after the floods happened as a key part of the Cockermouth Flood Action Response.
Our vision now is to make the Foodbank accessible to all those in need across the whole of Allerdale and Copeland.'
(North Lakes Foodbank Mission - taken from website)
North Lakes Foodbank – Andrew Robinson - Founder and Director
Email: info@thefoodbank.org.uk
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