Volume 6

Issue 2

April - June

2003

April- June News

2003

Home

Roseberry Topping and Captain Cook

On the 5th of April the youth group, along with sponsors did a walk to the top of the hills in North Yorkshire.  We climbed two peaks in preparation for a camping trip to the Lake District.  On the top of the first peak was a monument to Captain Cook.  The other is a peak that dominates the landscape and made for a challenging test.  We only had to carry one person home on the day.

Standing high on Easby Hill is a 51ft high obelisk erected in 1827 in memory of one of the world’s greatest circumnavigators, Captain James Cook	Roseberry Topping is a 1057 foot peak in North Yorkshire near the town of Great Ayton. Click on Image to see a larger photo

The work with the Asylum Project continues unabated.  We have applied to the Northern Rock Foundation (a local bank) for funding to hire a full-time worker for the project for 3 years.  We asked for about £61,000 ($100, 650).  That has been approved and will be deposited into the accounts of the Project in early August in order to hire the worker in early September.

We have also undertaken plans to host the Anne Frank exhibition in Washington in November as part of a drive to fight racial prejudice.  As part of this programme we are producing a citizenship module to be used as part of the National Curriculum in Washington this year.  We are having a Holocaust survivor come to the Northeast to speak to about 950 year 10 students about the Holocaust.  We are also planning to show the movie Schindler's List at all of the Comprehensive Schools (High schools) in Washington.  Plans are well under way to make this happen.

On the 14th of June we held a Refugee Week Barbecue in the car park of the church building and we fed more than 300 people.  It was an opportunity for the people from the community to get to know the Refugees and Asylum Seekers personally.  By holding events such as this it is hoped that many of the myths and misconceptions about these people can be dispelled.

Many Lands	Bouncy Castle	2 Cultures Meet

 Church Activities

On the 29th of April 2 men from the United States arrived to conduct a training course for us on helping people to learn English by reading through the Bible.  The group is called Lets Start Talking and they have conducted this type of course around the world with a high degree of success.

The training entailed a day and a half of intensive work and we hope to be able to use this training to work more effectively with the many people who come to us with a desire to learn English and at the same time learn more about Jesus Christ.

On the 26th of May a group of 14 students and sponsors arrived from Harding University in Searcy Arkansas.  The University sends a group to the UK each summer to minister to the people of this country.  They conducted concerts in local schools, nursing homes, the church, the Asylum drop-in, distributed leaflets, helped with children and youth activities throughout there 10 days in Washington.

       

Harding Group	Millennium Bridge, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Church Building

  We have been working hard to sort out issues with regard to the purchase of the building here in Washington.  We have been working with a private consulting firm who have advised us that it would be better if we were to try to raise the funds needed for the purchase of the property and at the same time monies to renovate and develop the facility.  

We are currently undertaking an exercise that will enable us to make our case to potential funders.  This entails sorting out a chart demonstrating the current usage of the building along with potential uses in the future.  It is a lot of work, but we think it will assist us in ministering more effectively to our community and to develop new areas of ministry.  We hope to begin interviewing architecture firms in August to see who we will choose to compose the necessary building plans for the project.

  Jonathan, Joshua, and Heather have plans to go to Texas for much of the summer.  Jonathan is planning to join the Marines and remain in the U.S.A.  This will begin a new chapter in our lives.  Joshua will come back and, hopefully complete his A-level studies at New College Durham.  Heather has just completed her GCSEs (the British equivalent of High School) and she is planning to go to the Park View Sixth form College in the Autumn.

We are hoping to be able to take Jared away for a week this summer in order to make up for him not getting to go with his older brothers and sister to America this summer.  He wants to go and see lions, tigers and other assorted creepy crawlies.

          Michele and I are staying busy trying  to keep all of the many activities going and expanding.  This year has by far been the busiest year we have ever had.  The Lord has truly blessed the church here in Washington with many new faces and many challenging opportunities.  Please pray for us as we try to serve our Lord.  May God bless you all with His great richness.