Messy Church For All

A church in Hertfordshire have used the popular Messy Church concept to provide a place of acceptance for families with disabled children or additional needs. Their aim is to introduce Jesus, and an opportunity to encounter Him within a safe place of belonging, acceptance, love and support. Read the case study of how they provide for people’s different needs (follow this link to download a WORD format case study of the Messy Church) and watch the video below...

Brothers and Sisters, Pray For Us (1 Thessalonians 5.25) Ros' Blog

In Baghdad a mother in her sixties looks after her three adult sons, all of whom have poorly controlled epilepsy and learning disabilities. As a Christian in Iraq, her position is precarious. The added burden of the care of her sons is unimaginable. St George’s Church, Baghdad, is able to offer them medical care at home, without which they certainly would not cope. Staff from the clinic based at the church visit weekly to take them medication for the epilepsy and provide general health care.

In the north of Iraq, there are people whose lives are in danger simply because they are disabled and cannot escape the merciless onslaught of Islamic State fighters. International aid workers came across a little girl with epilepsy who was taking refuge in a school. Despite relatively well equipped health centres and hospitals in the region, she had run out of medication, and her parents had no means of getting her any more.

Further south near Mosul, hospital staff have fled, meaning that there are no longer any medical services for the disabled people who remain in the area. One organisation working with the refugees had this to say: “When tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people need food, shelter and care, people with disabilities and older people need even more support because they can’t move around very easily and go out in search of assistance.”

Living with a disability is challenging in the UK. Imagine living with a disability and having to flee on foot or in a wheelchair from violent insurgents, or having to live on a tiny patch of ground in a refugee camp, with no support or medical services. Our disabled brothers and sisters in Iraq are facing unspeakable horrors right now.

What does this have to do with us? Everyone is aware of the terrible situation in Iraq, it hits our television screens every night. But I wonder how many people think about the Iraqi Christians with disabilities, because there are many of them. So what can we do? As disabled people here in the UK, is there anything YOU can do that will make a difference? I believe there is.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians with these words: “We should like you, our brothers, to know something of what we went through in Asia. At that time we were completely overwhelmed, the burden was more than we could bear, in fact we told ourselves that this was the end. Yet we believe now that we had this experience of coming to the end of our tether that we might learn to trust, not in ourselves, but in God who can raise the dead. It was God who preserved us from imminent death, and it is He who still preserves us. Further, we trust Him to keep us safe in the future, and here you can join in and help by praying for us, so that the good that is done to us in answer to many prayers will mean eventually that many will thank God for our preservation.” (2 Corinthians 1. 8-11)

Paul was aware that praying was far from a pointless exercise. He had personally experienced great deliverance in answer to the prayers of many people. The outcome for Paul was different because people were praying. So please don’t say to yourself that you can “only” pray for the disabled Christians in Iraq. Praying is not a poor substitute for action; rather it is the most powerful weapon in our armoury, the means by which God acts to turn around hopeless situations. So I would like to encourage you this month to pray for our brothers and sisters in Iraq, and in particular for those who have disabilities and find themselves in desperate need. You will be making more difference to their lives than you know.

'Unconditional Love' - Our August 2014 Come Fishing

Here's the latest episode of 'Come Fishing', from Jenny Edwards MBE. Each episode contains news, stories, music, and inspiration. We hope you enjoy it!

August 2014 TTR Podcast

The Through the Roof Podcast returns for August. Philippa has more news, stories and interviews from Through the Roof, focusing on a very encouraging report from our Wheels for the World distribution to Kosovo. There's also a thought for the day from our CEO, Tim Wood.

Music is used with the kind permission of Andre Luis and comes from Andrelouis.com

Enabling Church Audio

Audio recordings, and some presentational material, from June's 'Enabling Church' conference is now available at the Churches for All Website - please follow this link to see what's available and download the files.

You can also find video from and about the conference on our site by following this link.

Don't look down on me, look up to God (Philippa's Blog)

Ephesians 3:20 (New King James Version)

20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us

One of the challenges I face in my life is travel. I am terrified of using public transport of any sort. Since marrying Will we have travelled together and while this doesn't solve the issue, it does help to have someone with me, though to say that I get butterflies in my stomach as we prepare to leave is an understatement. I would certainly never attempt a train or bus journey alone, as I have all too often experienced being left stranded on a station platform because the assistance hasn't turned up. I have never been one of those people who can just shout "help" at a passer by, instead I freeze with fear and panic! Give me a room full of people and I can talk and sing to them no problem, but stand me at a bus stop or station platform and I am completely tongue tied and turn into a shivering wreck.

Throughout my life, I have tried to do something about my fear of travel. I had mobility lessons at school, and after a break of a few years I am now having some more. but I still can only manage to walk around my local town without having a complete emotional melt down on the pavement. Give me a dirty house to clean, some washing to hang out, a song to learn or a child to look after and I am in my element, but say "let's go to your mum's on the bus today" and I'm gone. Will, like many blind people is a very independent traveller, and it really doesn't bother him to jump on a train to London or a bus to the middle of nowhere. I envy him that, especially when sighted people or even members of the blind community look down on me for my lack of independent travel, saying things like, I know a blind woman and she goes everywhere on the trains, I am sure if she can do it, you can." or "Well you only have to ask for help, it's no big deal." or even once, "It's because you didn't go to the right school.” These comments, rather than being helpful and encouraging, just make me feel inferior like I am a lesser human being just because of this one thing I can’t do.

I have struggled with this issue for years. but I have come to accept the fact that it may never change, no matter how many journeys I force myself to take. But there is one journey which I am happy to be travelling every day of my life. I do not travel alone on this journey, but my hand is held safe in God's and will be there for all eternity. He will never let me go anywhere alone and would never answer my prayers for help and guidance with the question "Did you actually book assistance?" I know that while myself and other people can only see my failures, all God can see is the blood of his son making me justified to stand before him. While other people focus on what I can't do, God is taking what I can do and using those things for his glory. God accepts anyone no matter what they have or haven't done, where they can or cannot go, and whatever disability or ability they have. All it takes is a heart that is truly sorry for its sins and really wants to come to him, and he will be with you for the rest of your life, where ever you go, whatever you do. All are equal in God's eyes. If God wasn't with me, I wouldn't even be able to make it through the day, let alone make it out of the door to go travelling. So before you think about what you or someone you know can't do, take a long look at what God can do.