Easy Access Church in Ewell
You're all invited to 'EACh' (Easy Access Church, a place where all are welcomed, included and encouraged), a new event run with Churches Together in Ewell.
A short church service especially geared for those with disabilities but open to all - followed by refreshments.
The first 'EACh' service will be on Sunday 28th January 2018 at 3PM at All Saints Church Hall, Fulford Road West Ewell, KT19 9QY.
All are welcome – please share this with anyone in the area who might be interested.
The next event will be on Sun 25 March 2018,
Everyone is also invited to a similar service at St Peters Woodmansterne (SM7 3NR) 3pm on Sunday 18/2/18
To find out more, please contact <A HREF="mailto:paula.smith@mybroadbandmail.com" TITLE="follow this link to email Paula Smith">Paula Smith</A> 0208 337 2957 or 07702421345
God’s New Year Resolution for you (Ros' Blog)
Shortly before Christmas, prompted by an Advent sermon, I started to read my way through Psalms, something I used to do regularly but hadn’t done for a while. By a happy coincidence, I reached Psalm 12 on New Year’s Day, and my first Bible reading of the year read like God’s New Year Resolution:
“‘For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now I will arise,’ says the Lord; ‘I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.’ The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. You shall keep them, O Lord, You shall preserve them from this generation forever.”
I hope these words fill you with confidence for the future. Maybe you are included in “the sighing of the needy”. Perhaps your body won’t do the things you’d like it to do, or your horizons are limited because it isn’t easy for you to get out. Maybe you’re trapped in a relationship that has become unsafe, and you can’t see any way out. Perhaps you are tormented by guilt over something and long to find peace for your conscience. Or… fill in the blanks… there are many kinds of “needy” that can give rise to sighing.
Perhaps you fit better into that category, “the oppression of the poor”. You don’t have to be party political to acknowledge that austerity policies have hit disabled people harder than any other group in this country. I have seen disabled friends fall apart with fear and anxiety just at the sight of a form from the DWP landing on their doormat. Perhaps you have been one of them. Maybe you have lost your disability benefits or, like 900 people a week, your Motability car. Perhaps you are mustering your courage to appeal against a benefit decision you know to be unjust and unfair. Maybe you just want to work but employers won’t look beyond your condition and give you the chance to prove yourself.
If any of this describes you, then be assured that God has not overlooked what you’re going through. He promises to arise on your behalf and bring you to the place of safety for which you yearn. Many politicians have made promises they either had no intention of keeping or were unable to keep. But look what this Psalm tell us about God’s promises: His words are purer than seven times purified silver. They are no fleeting promises, spoken today and forgotten tomorrow. Three thousand years ago David wrote this beautiful song, to be performed on an eight-stringed instrument, and in its lyrics he declared that God’s words would be preserved “from this generation forever”.
And here we are, three millennia later, still proving God’s faithfulness. David was right, God’s words have been preserved from that generation until now, and they have lost none of their power. He is still keeping His promises. So no matter how you find yourself at the beginning of this New Year, rest in the assurance that God’s New Year resolution is to guide you into a place of safety and He will not let the things that oppress you have the final victory. Happy New Year, and in the words of the Apostle Paul, grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
(Photo (of '2018' written out with a sparkler against a night sky) by NordWood Themes on Unsplash)
Old Trees Bear Good Fruit (Ros' Blog)
My mother and aunt lived together for about the last 25 years, supporting each other in their widowhood. Each brought something to the relationship that the other couldn’t. My mother could drive and had a car; my aunt had never learned to drive. My mother loved to cook but her arthritis meant she couldn’t stand for long periods at the sink to wash up; my aunt disliked cooking but was a willing washer-upper. My mother provided the home in which they lived, as my aunt had never been a homeowner; my aunt supported my mother in all the activities such as bathing and dressing which the arthritis made almost impossible for her to manage on her own. It was a truly mutual relationship of giving, my aunt fit and able, my mother very disabled by her rheumatoid arthritis, and it really worked well. They used to joke that the only cross words they’d had since moving in together were the crosswords in the newspaper which they did together every day. They also devoted at least an hour a day to reading the Bible and praying together, on top of time spent alone doing the same thing individually.
Towards the end of my mother’s life, accidents and illnesses meant they had to go into a care home. They were given rooms opposite each other, so that with both doors open they could see and call to each other across the corridor. I continued to make the 100 mile round trip to visit them weekly as I had done for a number of years. My mother died at the beginning of May, but my aunt who is the older by four years, remains in the care home, and I continue to visit her regularly. Now my aunt is very frail, unable to get out of bed. I can’t imagine what it must be like to live such a restricted life, confined within four small walls. But when I was with her on Thursday last, we talked, we read a Psalm together and I prayed with her. As I was praying, I remembered the words of Psalm 92: “The righteous will flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still yield fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and very green, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”
My aunt may no longer be able to get out of bed, but she sees a constant stream of people – care staff, agency staff, visitors like myself and from her church. She is a quietly Christlike presence, always grateful for everything that is done for her, always cheerful even when tired or in pain, and I have never once heard her complain. This is in contrast to many of the other residents of the home whose thoughts seem to revolve entirely around themselves, and who do not always treat the staff with either respect or gratitude. Her room seems to me like a little beacon of light in that place. She is still yielding fruit in old age, just as described in the Psalm.
As I drove home reflecting on all this, my mind went to two characters in the Old Testament. Isaac as an old man was, like my aunt these days, visually impaired. The Bible tells us that “his eyes were too dim to see”. It’s clear from the story that he must also have been confused – a goat skin draped over the shoulder was enough to befuddle him into not recognising his son Jacob. Maybe he was experiencing a degree of dementia, or perhaps it was just the diminishing of his physical faculties that made it so easy to fool him. Whatever the reason, none of this was any barrier to God continuing to use him. The blessing which he pronounced on his younger son was so full of spiritual power that the things he spoke over his future did indeed come to pass, directed the course of all Isaac’s descendants and paved the way for the coming of Messiah over 3,000 years later.
Isaac’s deceitful son, Jacob, grew up to be the patriarch of a fine family of twelve sons and at least one daughter, and numerous grandchildren. Most of the Jewish people in the world today are descended from Jacob, whom God later renamed Israel. And he, too, demonstrated that the frailty and disability that come with old age are no barrier to bearing fruit and being used by God. At the end of his life, like my aunt, he was unable to leave his bed. But even in his great frailty he was still listening to God and knew when God wanted to do something out of the ordinary. Joseph brought his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to Israel for him to bless them. As was customary, he stood Manasseh, the older boy, by Israel’s right hand, and Ephraim, the younger, by his left hand.
And then Israel did something really unexpected. He leaned forward, crossed his arms over in front of him, and placed his right hand on Ephraim and his left hand on Manasseh. Joseph was horrified – the blessing of the right hand belonged to the firstborn. He grasped his father’s right hand and tried to prise it off Ephraim’s head and move it back to Manasseh. But Israel was having none of it. He replied, “I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.” The prophecy was fulfilled. By the time of Moses, 400 years later, Manasseh could muster an army of 32,000 men, while Ephraim’s army numbered 108,000. Even in his decline and frailty, Israel was still alert to what God was saying, and able to declare God’s purposes in a way that had powerful effects down many generations.
So to anyone who is experiencing the decline and frailty that comes with old age, and to anyone confined to restricted circumstances by a disability that prevents them from going out and meeting many people, I would say take encouragement from these two senior citizens of the Old Testament. As long as you breathe, God can use you and your life can be fruitful. Who knows whose future you might change even today by your words and prayers? Who could you pray for today? Who will enter your room today? What would happen if, before they arrive, you asked God to give you a life-changing word for them?
(Image is Jacob Blessing Ephraim and Manasseh, by Benjamin West)
Silver for Roofbreakers!
We're excited and grateful to have received the silver award in the 'Best Project for Advancing the Christian Faith’ category at the Christian Funders’ Forum Awards at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster.
Through the Roof was among several others that were shortlisted for the annual awards which celebrates the great work done by grassroots organisations across the UK.
“We were surprised but delighted to receive the award,” said Tim Wood, our CEO. “Our networks of ‘Roofbreakers’ are active in churches all over the UK, helping them to become more aware of the needs of their disabled community and make provision to include and enable everyone, regardless of abilities and impairments to play a full part in the life of the church.”
As budget cuts continue to place added strain on local authorities, health services and police forces, churches and Christian charities are responding by providing innovative solutions to problems at the heart of our communities.
Those who have benefitted from support from Through the Roof include Jane (not her real name), who recently encountered our work for the first time and discovered, “As soon as I walked in I could feel the love between everyone”. Jane has started to attend church and wants to join a Bible study group.
“So much of the incredible work that goes on in our communities is largely unseen and mostly unrecognised. The Christian Funders’ Forum Awards are about putting the spotlight on the work of churches and charities whose volunteers live lives in the service of other people,” says Matt Bird, Chair of Christian Funders’ Forum.
Each year members of the Christian Funders Forum (CFF) give over £30million to Christian mission both in the UK and overseas. Some of the most innovative projects funded by the member organisations over the past year were recognised at the awards ceremony in London.
A big thank you to the CFF, and to all of you, TTR's supporters!
Charity Information
Through the Roof is a Registered Charity number 1087788.
Through the Roof, Alpha House, Alpha Place, Garth Road, Morden, Surrey, SM4 4TQ
It is also a Registered Company 04201510.
20 Years of Changing Lives - The Winter 2017 Vital Link
The Winter 2017 Vital Link Newsletter is now available for download - this issue contains reports from our 20th anniversary celebration, our international work in Uganda and Mozambique, our holidays in 2018, fundraising stories, plus much more! It's bundled with a standing order donation form - please consider supporting the work of Through the Roof, and help to change the lives of disabled people in the UK and overseas.
- Follow this link to download the Winter 2017 Vital Link (including a standing order form) - right-click and select 'save' to save the file for later. It's a 1.5MB PDF.
Or click on the cover image below to read the Vital Link online using Joomag - you can zoom in and swap between pages much more easily that by just using a PDF reader.
#MeToo (Ros' Blog)
In the past few days a hashtag has been trending all over social media. People, mainly women but a few men as well, have been posting #MeToo. The intention behind this has been to highlight the extent of the problem of sexual harassment and abuse, how endemic and pervasive it is in our society.
Sadly, some politicians and celebrities have provoked outrage by joking about this, as if the trauma it brings were trivial, and many blogs have been written about the phenomenon of #MeToo. Some have applauded the women who have had the courage to add their names to the list. Others have expressed concern about those who might feel pressured to do so while emotionally recoiling from public exposure of something so personally painful. One prominent Christian blogger has suggested that, rather than putting this burden of disclosure on women, men should be posting their own #MeToo, admitting their complicity if not in perpetrating, then at least in enabling and turning a blind eye to such abuse.
This hashtag came to mind today as I was reading my way through a variety of articles on disability in the Bible. They ranged in tone from the trite – God’s will is for disability always to be cured, and there is something “wrong” with our faith if we don’t succeed in appropriating what God is offering us – to the deeply theological (John Hull’s masterly study “The broken body in a broken world” , in which he looks at the theology of the body – especially in the epistles of Paul – as a way of understanding the incarnation, and ourselves as the body of Christ with all our impairments and imperfections, a true representation of the ascended and glorified Christ who now stands at the Father’s right hand still bearing the wounds of His brokenness and sacrifice.)
Some were quite offensive – like the one which asked the question “Why did God allow disability?” and went on to explain that God created some people more needy than others so that we could feel pity for them, which it saw as a Christlike emotion. It showed absolutely no understanding of how it might feel to be portrayed as a needy recipient of pity, or whether this is, in fact how God created us to be seen and related to.
As I read all these various opinions, I started to wonder if perhaps we should have a #MeToo hashtag in the church. Yes, me too, I am weak, I am broken. I stand in need of God’s grace. I stand in need of you, just as you stand in need of me. The beauty of this hashtag would be that it would not divide the abled from the disabled into categories of “them” and “us” as some of the articles I have been reading seem to do. It would acknowledge that all of us are impaired in some way, that all of us erect barriers that impair others, and crucially, that all of us, with our limitations and our failures as well as our gifts and our grandeur, stand on a level footing. We truly are all in this together. We have all shared the same experience –of standing in need of redemption and meeting the Redeemer.
C.S. Lewis wrote, “The typical expression of opening friendship would be something like, ‘What? You too? I thought I was the only one!’” The wonder is that we find God proudly wearing the marks of His own brokenness, writing His own #MeToo, and so, as Lewis implies, we are enveloped in the divine friendship that recognises a kindred Spirit, and which encompasses us all and makes us all one in union with Him.
Could we, as the church, connect with some of the disability organisations in our towns, not in the guise of generous benefactors, but with an attitude of "we're all in the same boat"? Could we arrange our Christmas events and services in such a way that we can freely invite these organisations and their clients to join us, secure in the knowledge that we've done what we can to make these events accessible, and that we're inviting them in a spirit of #MeToo?
Wheelsblog Ghana 2017
The Wheels for the World team are hard at work in Ghana from the 1st to 11th November 2017. They'll be sending back video updates whenever the 3G signal and time allows. We'll get them up here, and on our Facebook page as quickly as we can.
Day 10 - Thank you!
On their final day, the team visit the children's home run by Ellen, our partner in Ghana, and find out all about the work she does to help street children around the capitol. They also want to send a special thank you to everyone who's followed along with the blog! Thank you to all of you for your support. They should be landing in the UK at about 5.30 am on Sunday. (There's no video from Day 9, in case anyone was missing it!)
Are you interested in taking part in an International Missions trip next year? Follow this link to find out all about what's available in 2018.
Day 8 - Last Day of Distribution
It's the last day of distribution, and the team have 30 wheelchairs to give out, as well as plenty of repairs to people's old wheelchairs. Over the course of the distribution, they saw 238 clients, gave out 128 wheelchairs, 50 pairs of crutches, and many more buggies, walkers, walking sticks, and plenty of advice and prayer. Each Wheels for the World trip changes hundreds of lives, but costs thousands of pounds. If you'd like to support this life-transforming work, please follow this link to donate online or call us on 01372 749955.
The team are heading home now - please pray for them on their journey. Thank you to everyone who's followed along, left encouraging comments, or prayed for the team in Ghana. Your support has been really valuable!
Day 7 - Olivia and Amer
Join the Wheels for the World time for another packed day distributing wheelchairs in Ghana. During Day 7 (Wednesday), they gave out 57 wheelchairs, and worked with many more people. Please keep praying for the team, as they keep serving people over the last few days of the trip. Do share any of the videos from this page - they're giving a great insight into how a Wheels trip works, and how lives are being transformed.
Day 6 - Hard Rain
The Day 6 report from the Wheels Ghana team is now up, and it focuses on a hard day, dealing with a lot of challenges - including sudden heavy rain, and some difficult decision about who gets a wheelchairs. Please pray for lots of energy and encouragement for the team - they've got two more days of wheelchair distribution to go.
Day 5 - The Pastor's Conference
As well as distributing wheelchairs, the Wheels for the World team have had a chance to speak at a Pastors' conference. The team report back from the day, where they gave some Biblical perspective on God's heart for disabled people, and brought a challenge to include and welcome disabled people into the church. Tomorrow, and for the next three days, they'll be fitting wheelchairs for around 100 people - please keep praying for them as they work.
Day 4 - Pray for Monday's Conference!
Here's day 4 of the Wheels for the World Ghana blog - the team attended a church service and spent time preparing to lead at a pastor's conference on Monday. They'll be getting to talk to over 200 pastors about God's heart for disabled people, and running workshops on inclusion and welcoming. Please pray for the team - Martyn explains more in this video.
Day 3 - Behind the Scenes of a Wheels Distribution
It's Day 3 - thank you for all your prayers! In this video, Rob shows us around what happens at a Wheels distribution, and we get to meet a few of the people who the team are helping, and see how your support is changing people#s lives.
Day 2 - Evening Update
Here's the videoblog from the end of the first full day of distribution. Rob talks to Emmanuel, a first time translator on a Wheels trip.
Day 2 - Morning Update
Day 1 - Arrived and Sorting
Here's the Day 1 evening report from the Wheels Ghana team. They've arrived, and leap straight from a long journey directly into sorting chairs and evaluating needs. Today they'll be heading off on their first day's distribution, and we'll have the report from that up tomorrow morning (all going to plan). In the meantime, please pray for wisdom, discernment and stamina for all the team!
Day 1 - Setting off!
20 years of TTR!
Happy Birthday! Through the Roof has been celebrating throughout 2017, and the peak was our gathering at St. George’s, Ashtead. Nearly 200 supporters of all ages and abilities joined together to give thanks to God for 20 years of the charity with a fully inclusive worship service.
Many attendees said the service had inspired them, and committed to head home and do more. Christine, a faithful volunteer over many years, told us, “I found it thrilling to be part of one of the most diverse church services I’ve been to. The service content was truly inspiring and I want to do more to support TTR.”
Leading the service were people with physical and sensory disabilities and parents of disabled children, and the centre-piece of the event was a life-size balloon structure depicting the through the roof story. Created by ‘Inspired Balloons’, it captured everyone’s imagination and featured in many photos on Facebook!
The order of service was available in large print and braille, and speech was signed into BSL by interpreters, all with the goal of welcoming as many people as possible. One Mum of a disabled person enthused, “My daughter really enjoyed it and felt at home because there were so many other people in wheelchairs.”
Pastor Davis, our partner in Kenya, sent his congratulations, “The charity has done an immensely great job in transforming the lives of many people with disabilities and their families in developing nations. Thank you for partnering with me in Kenya and making disabilities known and treated with dignity. Your staff and volunteers have always shown love, kindness and patience to my people. CONGRATULATIONS AND GOD BLESS ALL.”
Joni Eareckson-Tada recalled the small beginnings of Through the Roof in an affirming video message, and gave praise to God for everything that’s been achieved since those days. Jenny Edwards MBE read the ‘through the roof story’ in Mark chapter 2 from the Accessible Bible, and worship leader Thuy Mallalieu, who is himself blind, sensitively led the congregation in a time of praise and singing. Rev Jonathan Edwards preached, describing the love and determination of the men in bringing their paralysed friend to Jesus, and that one of them must have taken the lead in this enterprise. He challenged us to find 1000 Roofbreakers in 3 years, to enable disabled people to come to Jesus and be active participants in the life of the church – a big task!
We currently have over 110 Roofbreakers, who have all received a free starter kit, encouraging monthly email and are part of a growing network. Could you join this growing family and advocate for disabled people in your church? Please contact us to sign up, or follow this link to learn more.
Could you hold a celebration for Through the Roof in your own home? Follow this link, and we can provide you with a pack of everything you need to join us in celebrating 20 years of changing lives.
Dalesdown Family Holiday
Having blessed many families over 11 years, we have decided not to hold a Dalesdown family holiday in 2018.