“Every time we meet a woman, whether it is for 5 minutes or an hour, we see it as an opportunity to be Jesus to them, to share God’s love in the moment, to offer prayer, to talk about our faith and walk with a loving God. We talk about stories of God’s provision, kindness and healing. Our hope is to give every woman a Gospel and introduce the Bible over a coffee or hot chocolate. We carry Bibles, devotionals and study books on the outreach van. We are always looking for creative ways to share Jesus, such as preparing prophetic words/pictures for women.”
“I’ve learned how important it is to be someone’s friend. Getting involved in the mess of their life, being honest about your own weaknesses and struggles. To be able to see yourself as a fellow traveller and be sharing the Gospel from this place. I’d easy to get hung up about programs and forget about people. Relationships are more important than programs. People need Christian friends, genuine friends if they are going to come of faith and continue in their walk with God. We all need connection, we all need community and purpose.”
David Hughes, serving with Trinity Church in Everton.
“One lesson learned in this last season has been the need to be ‘reactive’ to the needs of the people who we engage with and then be inventive/creative with how to further build relationships, share the good of Jesus and draw them into the community of faith. For example our work at the allotment grew at a remarkable pace and we engaged with many hundreds of families in a relatively short space of time. We then worked to create specific events that helped us deepen relationships and share Jesus with them. Having a set structure to our routines and programmes is ‘a good servant but a poor master’ when it comes to following God in reaching people.”
Amy Shatfliff, CAP worker, Community Church in Margate
