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No virus found in this message.
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Version: 2013.0.2899 / Virus Database: 2641/6129 - Release Date: 02/24/13
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Version: 2013.0.2899 / Virus Database: 2641/6129 - Release Date: 02/24/13
Donation-dependent, food banks aren't a 'normal' part of support for those in need, but they help identify flaws in social protection.....
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No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2013.0.2899 / Virus Database: 2639/6106 - Release Date: 02/15/13
Internal Virus Database is out of date.
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2013.0.2899 / Virus Database: 2639/6106 - Release Date: 02/15/13
Internal Virus Database is out of date.
Falcon Camps are holidays run by Church Pastoral Aid Society for children and young people aged 8-16. Most children who come on Falcon Camps are from families facing some sort of disadvantage or marginalisation in society, such as unemployment, financial difficulties, loss, separation or exclusion from education.
There are around 20 each summer all over the country, they are heavily subsidised to make them affordable to all. Each Falcon will include a variety of activities and some Christian teaching every day which is designed to be fun and accessible and is suitable for young people who have had little or no experience of teaching about Jesus.
They offer a great opportunity for young people to have new experiences and learn about God's love for them. Each camp is run by a team of enthusiastic volunteers.
If you would like to find out more about sending children or young people to a camp or you think helping to lead on a Falcon might be right up your street, then please get in touch with Jane Stephenson jstephenson@cpas.org.uk or call 0300 123 0780 ex 4382
Preston City Council is organising its first ever collective energy switching scheme. This will be part of
a wider Lancashire Switch, which all the Lancashire Authorities are signed up to. The more people that
sign up, the greater our purchasing power; then energy suppliers will compete to make the best offer
in an auction. They determine their offer based on the number of participants.
To sign up visit
www.peoplepower.co.uk before 8th April 2013. Enter your details and energy usage(remember to have a recent gas and electric bill to hand). Then simply wait for the best possible
energy deal to be negotiated on your behalf - the auction will take place on 9th April 2013.
Residents can also register by coming into the Town Hall, Help Direct, Age Concern and Libraries.
Registration is simple but residents will need their utility bills in front of them as tariff information is
required. Residents then have a few weeks to decide if they want to switch.
We are also using the Citizenzone Vehicle to promote the scheme, and help sign up people who may
not have internet access - to find out where and when you can sign up see the following page.
For the latest information about Community Engagement go to:
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Faith groups are being invited to take part in a new programme to celebrate, promote and link the variety of social action projects they are involved in.
Email:
serveourcitypreston@gmail.comWebsite: www.hopetogether.org.uk/preston
Ian Clarkson (Assistant Pastor), Fulwood Free Methodist Church, Lightfoot Lane, Preston, PR2 3LT
Tel: 01772 860874
Ron Farrington (Pastor), Longton Community Church, 110 Clydesdale Place, Leyland, PR26 7QS
Tel: 01772 457973
Methodist Action North West Ltd is currently recruiting to the post of ARC Outreach Wellbeing Worker – Wesley Hall, Feilden Street, Blackburn BB2 1LQ. Application is by application form against the Job Description and Person Specification. For an application pack and all details please contact Bren Cook (Centre Manager) at bren.cook@methodistaction.co.uk or on 01254 696940.
The completed application form should be emailed to bren.cook@methodistaction.co.uk. It should arrive no later than noon on Friday 22nd February 2013.
If you have not heard from us within two weeks of the closing date, please take it that your application has not been successful on this occasion.
The interview date is Thursday 7th March 2013 at Wesley Hall, Feilden Street, Blackburn BB2 1LQ.
Salary £17,000 Based at Wesley Hall, Blackburn
Job summary
The ARC project works closely with the asylum seekers and refugee community in Blackburn, Darwen and beyond. Providing one to one support, drop-ins, and other social activities ARC seeks to be alongside people seeking safety and refuge in the UK. This post will be part of the team and work with the community both within Wesley Hall and in an outreach capacity. We are looking for an energetic and enthusiastic person that has some experience working in social care or with asylum seekers and refugees. The project is set in Wesley Hall which is part of the Methodist Church. Applicants are welcome from all backgrounds or faiths though it is expected that the person appointed will work to the Christian values underpinning the project.
Main duties include:
Provide guidance and support to the asylum seeker and refugee community and families and individuals within it; communication and cooperation with relevant agencies; team work; ensure safeguarding of service users; offer advice on such issues as benefits, education, budgeting, accommodation and employment; facilitate empowerment of service users; risk assessment and risk management; flexible approach to working hours; operate within Methodist Actions policies and procedures.
This is a Fixed Term Full Time contract to 31st March 2014 (with a view to extending).
United we stand
Building the Body of the Bride
Legacy of Preston Guild
Lent series 2013
Pastor Andrew Gardner
Fulwood Free Methodist Church
Lightfoot Lane
Preston
PR2 3LT
01772 861597
Greetings in the name of Jesus our Saviour
Following on from last year's successful inter-denominational Lent series and the requests by many of the 200 people who attended to meet together again, we are pleased to have planned a Lent series for 2013. The meetings will be on Monday evenings at 7.30 pm at the Minster, Church Street, Preston.
We are focussing on the theme – 'United We Stand' – Building the Body of the Bride' based on St Paul's letter to the Ephesians.
Our aim again, is to have participation from a variety of churches across Preston, in worship, charity presentation, speaker, practical teams.
We will be working our way, chapter by chapter, through the book of Ephesians.
The dates are:
18th Feb Chapter 1 Firm foundations
25th Feb Chapter 2 Level ground at the cross
4th March Chapter 3 Building by His presence
11th March Chapter 4 Living in His love
18th March Chapter 5 Becoming His bride
25th March Chapter 6 We will fear no evil
Speakers will be: Bishop Geoff Pearson, Lancaster; Andrew Clitherow, UCLan Chaplain; Hazlett Bloomfield, Tanterton Christian Fellowship; Fr Hugh Pollock, Chairman Lancaster RC Diocese Faith and Justice Commission; Paul Davis, Methodist Superintendent for Preston; Bishop Cyril Ashton, formerly of Blackburn Diocese.
Charities giving presentations will be: Gift 92, Preston furniture project; Serve our City, home make-over & community improvement project; the Christian Resource Centre; Fair Trade; the Little Sisters of the Poor; CAFOD.
This is a great opportunity for us to work together as churches and especially as we move towards Easter through the Lent period, to celebrate all that God has done through his Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.
We do hope that you will feel able to take part.
Your servants in Christ
Andrew Gardner, Paul Davis, Stephen Garsed
Thousands of parish churches around the country play an active role in their local community, running lunch clubs for the elderly, after school clubs for children living in deprived areas or food banks for parents desperately trying to feed their families. These activities, and many others like them, are signs of parish churches quietly serving disadvantaged or vulnerable members of their community.
The aim of this short paper is to quantify the scale of Anglican church-led social action in England, to explore the types of activities that parishes run and to identify the social needs they help to address. Our findings show that, as the recession continues to bite, many churches around the country are actively addressing the social needs they see around them.
Download the report from http://www.cuf.org.uk/church-action
Click blow for JRF articleThere is much more to poverty than addiction to drugs and alcohol |
| Iain Duncan's Smith speech on measuring child poverty today focused on addiction. While it's a serious problem, Chris Goulden argues there is much more to poverty than addiction. |
About twenty of us were present including a number of new members. Ken Wales took the chair. We had received apologies from Peter Nunn, Andrew Gardner, Mark Willett, Ged Cunningham, Alex Cadoggan. We were joined by Dave King from Salford who is part of a similar network there and also works for the Evangelical Alliance's Gather movement. (confernce in Manchester March 20-21st... see http://wegather.co.uk/news/Working-Together.cfm )
We read and reflected on verses from Psalm 9 on God's justice and support for those who suffer poverty and oppression.
Gordon Benson and Jennifer Carthy from Preston City Council updated us on devloping plans for reintroducing Credit Union services in Preston.. Participants were invited to a meeting at the Town Hall on Monday 4th Feb at 2pm to hear more. We
Food Banks
We talked about the significant growth of food poverty and the growth of food banks and food parcel services to help meet the need. Together-Lancashire has now a countyr wide strategic group looking at this and trying to work out a supply chain for bulk quantities of food and protocols for working for local authorities etc. In Preston The Salvation Army has a key role, but other churches such as City Church and Heritage church are also providing a service. In South Ribble Penwortham Churches Together, Calvary CF, Longton CF and Churches Together in Leyand ar interested. We concluded that it would be timely to bring together a gathering of all in the Greater Preston area. Greg agreed to approach Alex at the Salvation Army in order to convene a meeting.
Welfare changes and responses
We are all very conerned about the impact of cuts/changes coming in April and new systems for claiming, and the involvement of local authorities in doling out a reduced amount of support..
Some sugeestions... Supporting the Transition to Monthly Benefit payments and Online claiming.
From April 2013 as well as the considerable cuts to various benefits the Universal Credit will be introduced... Key elements of this will be monthly payments and the facts that claims by default will have to be made online. It's also likely that sanctions when applied will hit benefits across the board - not just Job seekers allowance.
Clearly there will be a huge impact on vulnerable people – especially those who have enough difficulty budgeting on a weekly or fortnightly basis, and on people who are digitally excluded either because they have never used and have no confidence with computers, or who have limited language and literacy skills..
Our suggestion is that the churches have some capacity to help people who will struggle with this. We have venues, (many equipped with computers), volunteers and a prayerful practical concern.
Can we ?
Develop a wider service of budgeting and money management courses such as the CAP money courses and market these towards benefit claimants, and low paid workers
Offer support sessions for people struggling to claim their benefits online.. helping them with their claims and showing them how to do it and building confidence for the future.
Assets already in Preston:
around the work clubs....centres with broadband PCs and laptops... (St Matts, Mission, Salvation Army, Foxton Centre, Kings Church)
Other players in our network.. Preston City Council have the citizenzone bus.
Intact Centre
Libraries – colleges – schools
PCVS want to equip a shop front in the Guildhall Arcade
Citizens Advice...
Serve the City week
Ian Clarkson told us the report on the 2012 week will soon be ready, it has some fantastic feedback and resulted in a number of new volunteers with Longton CC's Inside Out project. The plans and fundraising for 2013 were beginning to progress.. The Dates for the week for diaries are July 9th -13th
Youth work initiatives
Fusion had recently launched its research report on need and opportunity in East Preston.
A copy of the report is available here:
http://www.fusionyac.org/research/eastpreston_research.pdf
On the back of this a Tuesday evening Youth Cafe is running at St Matthews Mission... and is looking for volunteers
Employment support work..
Stephen Davies reported continued progress with the work club in Preston which was matched with others.. e.g. at St matthews Mission... There is clearly value in meeting together from time to time to share good practice.. Next meeting is March 5th 10am at St. Matthews Mission. We were asked to remember in prayer Mark Willett .. recovering from major surgery..
Ingol Group
Greg reported on a useful first meeting of an ecumenical gathering in Ingol Tanterton where all the local churches are exploring ways of working together to tackle povety.
Dave King reflected on the meeting and said he was really encouraged.. and that he knew similar things around working together fro God's Kingdom were happening in other towns and cities across the country. He then closed the meeting in Prayer.
Greg Smith
Development Co-ordinator Together Lancashire / Preston Christian Action Network
34 Broadgate, Preston PR1 8DU
Phone no. 01772 827987 Mobile 07726177044
Together Lancashire, registered office Church House, Blackburn BB1 5AA
Registered Charity no 1147848 Registered company no 07966145
Together Lancashire Website http://www.cuf.org.uk/together-lancashire
See also PCAN Website www.pcan.org.uk or and BLOG http://prestonchristianactionnetwork.blogspot.com/
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Newcastle.
